The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1811-03-13

ed for the &C ssation oil the French dccrees,or
even for considerable time afterwards, it
certainly cannot De allowable to assume, that
the revival was acquired by the letter (what-
ever was the o6jeef of the writer or his gov
rrnmenO to precede the cessation. And II
this was not required, it is incontroyertiblc
that the cessation would, by the terms Of the
letter, take place on the appointed day, whe-
ther any Of the event. disjuntively specified
had intervened or not.
The frs step towards revival OF the non
intercourse against England would he the
proclamation of the President, that France
had SO revoked or modified her .dicts, as
that they ceased to violate the neutral COM
msrce of the United States. But the letter
of monsieur Champagny left the DEGREES, as
1t found them, up to the lst OF November,
and consequently uh TO that day it could not
for any thing contained i'm that letter, be said
that the rights of American commerce were
no longer infringed by them. A prospective
proclamation, that they would cease to violate
those rights, might, perhaps, be issued |; but
il could scarcely have any substantial opera
ton, either in favour of france or TO the pre-
iudice of England, until the epoch to which
il looked had arrived.
Let il be admitted, however, that all ply
sical and legal obstacles to the issuing, before
the first Of November, of a proclamation, TO
take effect immediately, were out OF the way
~--how would SUCH proceeding fulfil, OF IL
self, the expectation that the United States
would, before the first of November, :" cause
their rights to be respected by the English"
in the mode pointed out in the letter, namely
by the enforcement of the non-intcrs curse
law The proclamation would work no d.
feet or immediate consequence against Eng
land. Three months, from its date, must
pass away besore the non-intercoursc law
could revive against her; and when it did so,
the revival would not be the effect of the
I, proclamation, but of the continued adherence
of England to her obnoxious system. Thus
even if a proclamation, effcctuai from its
date, had been issued by the President on the
day when the French declaration OF repeal
came to the hands of the American Minister
At Paris, the intercourse between the United
States and Great Britain would, on the first
Of November, have remained in the same
condition in which it was found in August.
A. all this was well understood by the gov
crn ncnt OF France, the conclusion is, that Its
minister, protesting TOO TO have the Ameri-
Can law before him, and to expect only what
was con n/orn,a6ie whh that iazu, did not intend
to require The revival Of the non-intercourse
sgains, England as a CONDITION to be pertor-
med before the FIRST of November.
1t is worthy Of remark, AS introductory to
another view Of this subject, that even they
who conclude that the repeal Of the French
decrees has failed, are not backward to as
critic to the French declaration purpose ut
terly inconsistent with that conclusion. They
suppose the purpose TO have been 10 affect
the existing relations between America and
England, by the only meass which the deca-
ration states, the act of non-intercourso And
Il is certain that unless England should aban-
don particular parts of her system, this n
the resul, avowediy in view, and meant to be
accomplished. But there could be no hope
Of such result without previous ehectual
reinquish,ncnt of the French DEGREES. A
case could not otherwise be made to exist
Gas the Duke Of Cadore was aware) Tor such
an opetation of the American law. To pu,
the law before the revocation of the edicls
WAS impossible. With the law in his hand il
would have been miraculous ignorance not to
know that 1t WAS the exact reverse OF this
which his paper must propose. lie would de-
rive this knowledge, not from that particular
law only, but from the whole tenor and spirit
Of American proceedings, in that painful AMI
anomalous dilemma, IN which Great Britain
and france, agreeing In nothlny else, had re-
Gently combined to place the maritime inter-
csts OF America. He wocld collect from
those proceedings that, while those conhic-
ting powers continued to rival each other in
their aggressions upon neutral rights, the
government Of the United States would op.
pose itself impartialy to both. The French
declaration, then, had either no meaning at
all, or it meant 10 announce to General Arm
strong positive revocation OF the French C.
diets
] should only fatigue your lCrdship by pur-
suing farther a point plain and simple.
will therefore merely add to. wnat have.
already said OH this branch of the subject,