The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1811-12-04


il is equally 10 justify your orders In council.
You issued them before it was any thing but
shadow, and by doing so, gave &c II all the
substance C il could ever claim. IL Is at this
moment nothing. Ii is revoked, and has pass
ed away, according to your own admission.
You choose, however, 10 look Tor ITS reap
pearance, and you make your own expeeta-
lion equivalent 10 the decree itself Compel
ed 10 conccdc that there is no anti-ncutral
French cdict in operation upon the ocean,
you think il sufficient 10 say that there 'uH
be such ar euict, you know not when, and In
the rneantirne you do all you can to verify
your own prediction by giving 10 your enemy
all tic proyocaton in your power to resume
the dccrcss which he hs. abandoned.
For my par,, my lord, know not what It
is that the British government requires, with
view to what ii calls its safety and IT'S hon
our, as an nducemcnt to resclnd Its orders
in council. 1t does not, presume, Imagine
that such a system will be suffered to rpen
into law 1t must intend TO rclinquish II
sooner or later, as one of those violert cxpe-
rimcD,s, for which time can do nothing, and
to which submission viii DO hoped IN vain.
Yet, even after the profcsscd foundation oil
this mischievous system is taken away, a.
mother and another is industriousiy procured
for il so that no man can tell at what time,
or under what circumstances, II Is likely TO
have an end. When realities cannot be found,
possibilities supply their place, and that,
which was originally saiG to be retaliation ior
actual injury, becomes at last Qf such So
lecism can be endured or imagined) reialia-
ton Tor ahflrehended injuries, which the tu-
turc may or may not produce, but which II is
certain have no existence nDsp.
do not mean to grant, for co not think,
| that the cdic: of Berlin did at any time lend
| even colour Of equity for the British orders
| in council with reference 10 the United
States but il might reasonably have been
| expected that they, who have so much relied
upon it as justification, would have suffer-
| cd it and them to sink together How this
is forbidden by your safety and your hononr
remains TO be explained aud am not wi-
| ling 10 believe that either the one OF the 9TH
CT is inconsistent with the observance oil SUBJ
stantial justice, and with the prosperity and
rights of peaceful states
Although your lordship has slightly re-
marked upon certain acts OF the French gov.
crnment, and nas spoken in general terms oil
:. the system OF violence and injustice now
pursued by France" as requiring some
precautions of defence ON the part OF Great
| Britain" l Go not perceive that you deducc
| any consequence from these observations, IN
| favour oil perseverance ~ tic orders IN
council. am not myself aware of any e.
| diets OF France which nov that The Berlin
and Milan DEGREES are repealed, AFFECT the
| rights Of neutral commerce on the ocean.
| And you will yourselves admit that If any OF
| the acts Of the acts Of the French govern
| mcnt resting on territorial sovereignty harc
| injured, or shall hereafter injure the Unitca
| States, it is for them, and for them only, 10
| seek redress. In like manner, II is Tor g..
| Britain to determine what precautions OF de-
| fence those measures of France, which yon
| denomina,c uniust.and violent, may rcrdcr II
| expcdcnt for her to adopt. The y. Sta(ca
| have only to insist that a sac,lhce ot their
| rights shall not be among the nuuibcr OF
! those precautions.
In replying to that passage in your letter
| which advcrts to the American act ot non
intercourse, it is only necessary to mention
| tho Proclamation Of the President of the y.
| States of the Cd November last, and the act
/ act OF Congress, which my letter OF the 2lsi
| of September communicated, and 10 add,
| that it is in the power of the British govern
neni TO prevent ,he non-inercoursc from be-
ing enforced against Great Britain.
| Upon the concluding paragraph OF your
letter VIII barely observe, that am not III
possession Of any document which you are
| likely to consider as aathentick, showing that
/ the French dccrees are absolutely revoked
| upon the single condition Of the revocation
| of the British orders in. couIci! )" but that
| the information, which have lately receiv-
| ed from the American Legation at Paris,con-
| firms what have already stated and think
I proved to yoos lordship, that those DEGREES
are repealed and have ceased TO have any ei-
feet will now trcspass OH you no farther
| than ,o suggest, that it would have given
me sincere pleasure to be enabled 10 say as
much OF the British orders in council, and OF
the blockades, from which it is impossible to
II A. L. ,L