Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-11-19

tiaI in its operation, or, in other words, snail
not open and shut for the convenience OF the
party that institutes it, and at the Same time
repel the commerce of the rest OF the world,
so as to become the odious- instrument OF an
unjust monopoly, instead of a measure OF ho-
norable war.
These principles are too moderate and just
to furnish any motive to the British govern
meat for hesitating to revoke Its orders IN
council and those analogous orders OF block
ade which the United States expect to be re-
called. 1t can hardly be doubted that Great
Britain will ultimately accede to them In their
fullest extent but if that be sangulne cal
culation, Gas trust it is not it is still neon
trovertible, that Discrimination at this mo-
ment to acknowledge them, can suggest no
rational inducement for declining to repeal, at
once, what every principle disowns, and what
must be repealed al last
With regard to the rules OF blockade which
the French government expects you to abarN
don, do not take upon me to decide whether
they arc such as your lordship supposes them
to be OF not Your view ofthem may be cor
rect; but it may also be erroneous; and 1t Is
wholly irhnIateriat to the case between the u.
States and Great Britain whether it be the one
or the other.
AS to such British btockaGes as the United
States desire you to relinquish, you will not,
/ am sure, aiIege, that it is any reason for adj
herring to then that France expectsyou to re-
linquish others. If our demands are suited to
the measure of our own rights, and OF your
obligations as they respect those rights, you
cannot think of foundinga rejection OF them
upon any imputed exorDltance In theories OF
the French government. for which We are not
responsible, and with whlcii we have no con-
Germ. If when you have done justice to the
United States, your enemy should call upon
you to go farther, what shall prevent you from
refusing? Your free agency viii in no respect
have been impaired Your case will be better,
in .truth and in the opinion Of mankind, and
you will hv, tAerefsre Stronger in maintaining
it; provided that, in doing SO, you resort on
-ly to legitimate means, and do not once more
forget the rights Of others while you seek to
viBdcate your own. Whether France will be
satisfied with what you may do, is not to be
known By, anticipation. and ought not to be
subject OF enGn;ry. So vague speculation
has nothing to do with your duties to nations
at peace, and, if it had, would anrihilate them.
ItcanEot serve your interests; for it tends to
lessen the number of your friends, without
adding to your security against your enemies
You are required, therefore, to do right and
to leave the consequences the future, when
by doing right you nave every thing to gain
and nothing to lose.
As TO the Orders in Council, which profess
ed to be reluctant departure from all ordna-
ry rules, and to be justified only as ysstem
&C retaliation for prc-existing measure OF
France, their foundation such as it was) IS
gone the moment that measure is no longer in
operation. But the Berlin decree is repealed;
and even the Milan decree, the successor Of
ycur-ordess in council, is repealed also
Why is il, then, that your orders have out
lived those edicts, and that they are still to OPP
press and barrass as before ! Your lordship
answers tbs question explicitly enough, but
net satisfactorily. Tou do not allege that the
f.eEch DEGREES are rot repealed; but you l.
imagine that tie repeal is not 10 remain in
force, unless the British government shall, in
addition to the revocation Of It's orders in coun-
Gil, abandon its system of bloc kade. | am not
conscious OF having stated, IS your lordship
seems TO think, that this is so /; and believe
III fact that it is otherwise. Even if it were
admitted however, the orders in council ought
nevertheless 10 be revoked. Can {" Inc safety
and honor Of The British nation" demand that
these orders shall conInne to outrage the pub
lie law OF the world. and sport with the undis-
puted rights Of neutral commerce, after the
preeext which Wa: at first invented for them
IS gone But you are enaced with reyi-
val Of the FFensh system, and consequently
may again be furnished with the same pre-
text. Belt so; yet still, as the system and
the Pretext are at tresent al an end, so of
course should be your orders.
According to your mode Of reasoning, the
situation Of neutral trade is hopeless indeed.
Whether the Berlin decree exists or not, il is
equally to Justify your orders in COUNCIL. You
issued them before it was any thing but sha-
dow, and, by doing so, gave to it all the sub
stance it could ever claim. 1t is at this mo-
ment nothing. tits revoked, and has passed
away, according TO your own admission. You
- L. G.