Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-03-05
f1a i-2 Gents Single.

81 ~ 'HS com mence incnt III IhiS l.tter
and corroboratc d hysuhsequrnt con.
nun'c@tinns zone OF which now Law
pefore YOU may perh ape, without A..
ny great effort OF courtesy, be allow
ed t. contain that 4" autaeut;c III
sence," which your, Lordship is IN
search Of. lie could scarcely have
oeen tree from doubt if the occasion
was calculated to suggest it, and ii re
had really doubted, would hardlv have
spoken 10 me with the confidence of
convic;isn.
IL ooiy remains to speak ofthe prac,
teal effect ofthe French repeal. Aud
mere your lordship must suffer 80,
,emina you that the orders OF ling-
land In 1907 did notwaiy for the pra9.
teal effect Of the Berlin decree nor
anger TIL the obscufity, in wHich the
meaning OF that decree was supposed
TO be Involvcj, should be cleared -
way by time or explanation. They
came promptly after the decree itseE
whiie 1t was not only ambiguous bus
imperative, and raised. upon an idle
IPtohi6luon, and vet more idle de.
claration, which Fraacc had not ar
tempted TO enforce, and was noior;-
ou'iy Incapable of enforcing. a VASE
scheme OF oppression upon the seas,
more destructive of all the acknow.
lodged rights of peaceful states than
history can parallel. This retaliation,
IS 1t was called, as so rapid that Is
was ieit before the iniary which was
9aia 10 nave provoked it; and yer,
NAT 'nJury, such as it was, was prsre.
aed by the practical assertion. or the
9srl OF Great Britain, Of new and a.
alarming principles of subtle law. in
, "a hoIlhcation of the blockade of
Nay 1906, and in the JUDICIAL deci-
sions OF the year before. To uphold
me reiaiiatory orders, every thinr was
presumed with surprising facilitv.
Sot only g as an impotent, unexecn.
5en, and eqaivocai menace presumed
% De an active scourge of the com.
merce OF neural nations. bur ,be ac.
quiesoence of those nations was pre-
s9med, against the plainest evidence
Of Facts.
1ae aiacrity with with all this was
aone can never b.: rene mbered with,
OUT regret and astonishmenr hat orr
regret and astonishment n,.s, en-.
crease, II, after four years have b en-
gwen to the pernicious innovation.
"hieh these prescriptions were TO in
'rodice and support, sotaething Ike
'1e same alacrity should not be dis
Piayed IN seising an honorable on.
PoTtohIty OF discarding it forever.
IL IS not unnatural to imagine thas
II VIII be disoarded With p.cssurse
when it is considered thar. havjno ne
yer been eifectual as an instrument
OF hostility, it cannot now lay claim
70 those other recommend ations for
"hlcn 1t may have heretofore been
prised. The orders in council (of
Nov) have passed through some i'm
PoTtant Changes but they have been
steady as long as it was possiblr, 10
the purpose which Grst impressed IN.
on them a character not to be rois,a.
ken.
In their original plan they compre-
handed not only France and sucb al.
iied or dependent powers as had a.
doPted the edict Of Berlin. but s,ch
o'her nations as had merely excluded
rom their ports he Commercial Gao
Of England. TINS prodieious expsn.
SOD OF The system was Far bevcrd any
nteiligible standard of retaliation.
'nt IT soon appeared that nemtrals
might be permitted to traGic under
.srtaIn restrictions, vi h all these a;C-
'eTent nations, provided they would
'Vomit, With dependence tru!v Colo
MAJ, ID carry on their traie tbrorr1
British ports, and to pay such dut.ea
as me British government should
-hink it to impose, aud such cha-ges
IS British agents and othrr Britain
subjects might BE- content to make.
Inc United States abstained IRON,
this traffic, in which they could rot
embark without disbonor. AMI IN
1909 the system shruDk 70 nart0wcr
dimensions, and took the arp. ar.nce.
OF an ABSOLUTE prohibition 4 an com
merciai intercourse With Pence. FFoi,
land and the kiDdom of Itaiy.
jhs prohibition vas absolute In =,