Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-09-11
NORFOLK. September 6.

there is no fixed system In France resu-
lating trade generally, but that special de,
crees Of the emperor arc made to specia'
! eases. 1t is insisted by some. anu not q
few, that the Berlin and Milan DEGREES
have been revoked, and that the revoca
ton has Retrospective operation to the "a
Of November last. We really will be
| thankful if any person would furnish us
with an official document of the French
government revoking these DEGREES. Many
are the official documents Of that govern
ment, subsequent to the I'd OF November
which decIare.that the {" Berlin ana 0h,-
Ian DEGREES are the fundamental ta7cs q
the French empire"
Many have COMPOUNDED the permission
of discllargiDg, granted TO American YES
sells arriuing in France after the "a OF
November, with the cases OF vessels car
ried i'm. or seized under the Berlin and
Milan DEGREES. The cases are very dis
t8.et, as the least reflection will prove to
sAy ore, who examines the subject. We
have beard of one solitary case OF the
New Orleans Packet, Ga vessel which
rent, and was not carried into France, but
being from an English port, of course
came in one sense, under the decrees) be-
ing released, by specia decree of the en-
peror. Now the very circumstance, of a
special decree being made to restore this
vessel, proves that there was not a general
revelation Of the DEGREES, for if that had
been the case, special decree was unne-
cessaIy.
We have lately been favored with the
perusal Of letter from very intelligent
merchant in Bordeaux, under the date Of
the 18th of July, which satisfies us that
the DEGREES were not revoked.
"The American vessels, (says this let
teri which hare arrired in France since
the month Of Noyember, have experienced
great delays, but their carsoes have finall,
been admitted by special DEGREES of the
emperor. on condition of exporting two
thirds of their estimated value in Silk
goods. and the remainder in other French
productions"
The same letter in another place says.
" 1t now appears. that the English minis
try are determined to perscvere in their
orders, and On the other hand the CONT
mental system (of which the Berlin and
Milan DEGREES form part will be main
tained."
In another place the same letter SAYS.
" American vessels are now admitted to
entry, with the productions of the United
States, but colonial goods are only admit
tod undep SreciaI nprmifS',
As the emperor Of France has right
to refuse admission to our vessels or our
produce altogether, he has Of course 4
right to pescribe the terms upon which
they shall be admitted. This is right
which every nation possesses, and which
we DO not mean to question, but we have
a right TO countcract the effect Of such
restrictions by regulations of our own.
We are naturally brought to make some
observations upon the state Of our CON-
mcrcial intercourse with Great Britain
and France, as regulated by our wise rul-
ers and the emperor Napoleon. From
Great Britain we imported among other
things some CT necessity, particularly a
dapted to our wants, such as hard ware
and cutlery, coarse woolens, blankets,
cheap crockery ware and though last not
least salt. These articles were wanted
for our mechanics, and for the consump-
ton of the poorer classes of people, and
partly for all, but these things are prohi-
bited, while our democratic lords, can
freely impor: for their use silks, Iaces,
sattins, silk stockings. fine Paris or Suave
China, with other expensive and costly
goods consumed mostly by the rich
These same democratic lords some few
years since took the duty off of salt, be.
cause it fell heavily upon the poor, and
now they double the price Of this neces-
sary article by prohibition. When our
mechanics have to pay double prices for
their tools, common Liverpool ware gets
to the price of China, and salts gets to a
dollar and quarter per bushel, which it
surely will before Christmas. we shall I'M
derstand the wisdom of cur present mea-
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