The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-03-22
'QDe Gnqalrer.
RICHMOND. MARCH %, 1911.
FOR THE ENQUIRER.


brief history ct facts may serve to light
us to the true view OF this subject
On the 5th of August, the Duke of Ca
dore 'ntormed General Armst, ons, that the
French DEGREES will cease TO h we effect
on the Isl of November; on condition, eli
ther that q. b. should respect our mani lme
rights, OF that the u. S. should Cause them
to be respected. coniormably 20 an ac, of
Congress OF the LIST of May
Had Cen A. have transmitted this infor
nation 10 the U S. by an Express FesSei,
what would have been the course of G.
vents!
The President would have received it in
September.
He would not, Ills true, have issued his
Proclamation till he I'd of Now; but
ne would have assured the French q o.
vernment, through our minister, that
h{ would do so OH that day
ih's assurance would have reached
france, towards he e ID of October
AND She, hndng that we had taken her
at her Word, would have, perhaps, gone
on to fulfil her pledge, to its striC,es
teHer- here would, probably, have
oeen no intermediate sequestrations--
no vessel would have been condemned !:
none even detained.
What. however, 7oas the course oftb;pgs ,
4" No official intorma ion of the letter of
your eXcellency, of he 1st of August. left
France tor the U. S. owing to circumstan.
ces which 1t was not ia the power of Gen.
Armstrong to control, until he 28th If Sep
TENDER. - H1r. RHSSeN's letter 10 fhe d. DE-
Cot Dec. IOth.
Inns threw the whole sense back-THat
letter did not, in truth, reach the u. =. till
the ISL Nowhere were, of Course. no
previous assurances sent to France-and
the hrst hunt that she ever received OF the
disposition of the American Government
was from the Proclamation itself, on or :
bout the 18th Of Dec. What followed ron
these facts :-During the month of.Nouem-
ger, the DEGREES were Suspended tnest
OecreeS have not been executed: for an
entire month on any vessel arriving during
that time, IN any of the ports of FRANCE
says MI. Russell to Mr. Pinkney on Dec. Isl
nor was any Captured on the high seas
and carried into port--The letter of Mr.. r.
expresses the utmost anxiety to hear from
US on the subject of our resoIyes--F,apc'
however, tired out by this long deiay. and
concluding from our silence that we did NOT
mean to accede to her propositions, began
again, 1t seems. with the sequestratton of
our vessels-The brig New Orleans Pack
ct. about the 5th or 6tn December. was the
first case Of this description.
Wtthtn a Jezu days after the French Co
yernment actually received this Proclama-
ton they add, essed two letters one al
them to the President of the Council
OF Prxes, the other 20 the Count of Snssv
Director General of The Customs-this a..
rangement was the natural one--tne first
was IN relation to vessels that had been (.
questered and ere at that time before the
Court "f PrlzeS- he other, to such as might
subsequt ntly enter her ports.
The. first Directs that all the causes SIR
he LIST of November, should nor tie judeced
according to III principles OF the DEGREES
ot BERN and Milan, but that they shall re-
man suspended--'hc vessels TO "remain
only III state OF sequeStration, and the
rights OF The proprietors being reserued for
them, until the Cd Of FeDruary pex,, tbe
heTtod at which the u. s. having fnIfm.a
The engagement so Cause their rights to he
respected. the said captures shall be decIar-
ed null by he council. and the America
vessels restored, together with their Garages
to heir proprietors. Thus the wor IS
France IS once more pledged that the ID
crees shall not have any effect, from the Is
OF November--that no adjudicatons under
them shall lake place---It might be asked
indeed. whether France ought not i,stante,
after receiving the Proclamation to have re
leased our vessels from delav-in my own
opinion she ought to have done su--bnt this
BY no means amounts to a virtual and vital
preach of her engagement with u.s. The
effects OF the DEGREES have substantially van
Ished. 1t is idle for us, at this great crisis
OF events, to cavil about the thousandth
part OF hair.-They are to have no effect
from the 1St of November-no vessels are
o be condemned under them the cessatton
of the state OF suspension, into which they
are thrown, IS to have a conteD1horaneozts
effect win the execution of our own en-
gagement-and on that day, to wit, the I'd
February. on which we pledge ourselves TO
Smut the British from our own porfs-
France takes off the seal OF sequestralion.
laid on since the ID Nov
On the second OF February, the prcpr;
eiors Of the American vessels are tn have
their own proper }-'' the period at which
the U. States having fulfilled the engage
nent cause tneir rIghls 10 be respected
&c. &c The term having .fuLfHed''
has, IN my judgment been falsely intrr-
preted mean, that France will 7yqtf To
hear whether we have actually fulfilled
our par OF the eng gemen but this is di
recuj incompatible with her assurance IN
restore on the I'd ie6ruar --for how wac
he 20 learn, on tbe % Fec. what passed in
the U. D on that very day ? / nretpret the
phrase, as a mere Compliment to us--For as
we had tax her zO0rd (about the reoeaI
OF the decrses) for he tact itsel!-she IN
Teturn receives our froniise TO renew onr
Non-lmpor alton with G. BriiainO for the
fdct ais II sue has rec iyed no Intelligence
ITO" me u > subsequent to this letter.
l.. -. Il