Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-06-17

anu, therefore, Lord wellesley may say, |
that things will not be in the same state with |
regard to "neUsrai commerce )" as they were
previous to the passing of the Berlin and Mi
Ian DEGREES, unLeSs .Naholeon does a7vuy al
50 this nezo system o interdirtins the entry Of
English goods. But, will say the Americans
(and, indeed, they have said it) what have
zoe to do with that matter? That is point
Tor you and for him to settle as you can. E.
very nation has right to make what inter
nal regulations it pleases; every nation has
a right as far as it respects its own territory,
to declare what 1t pleases to be contraband
or Struggled goods every nation has a right
to make what laws it pleases for the regula-
ting OF the conduct of its own subjects eve
ry nation has right to punish the infringe
ment or transgression of those laws in what
manner 1t pleases; it may rain the parties Of
tending against such laws, it may transport
them, 1t may imprison them, it may confscate
the goods, it may, in short, do What it pleases
and you, the English, do not, we believe,
fail to punish pretty handsomely those who
are found with goods struggled from France.
This is what the Americans will say ; and
they will say further, that they have no more
right to insist upon forcing English goods in
to France than they have to insist upon fore
ing French goods into England. The right
they claim is to carry from their own country
WI goods they please, and from one foreign
cshh to another any goods which those
COUNT Yes choose to have carried. If we can
prevail upon Napoleon to let them carry our
goods to the continent, they are ready and
willing to do it |; but that is an affair between
us and him, and with which, of course, it
would be great presumption i'll them to med
die.
This is the real state of the case. We
should, suppose, very gladly repeal the or
ders IN council, If Napoleon would reopen
the continental ports to us but that he will
not do. He hnds how sorey our bank and
our commercial mass have felt the effects of
his system of exclusion I; he sees how the sys-
tenn is working upon us (; he knows well
how closely our commercial and paper mo-
ney system is connected with our political
system ; and is there then man upon the
whole earth so stupid as TO suppose that
he will abandon his measures of exclusion
This system of his has arisen out of our
orders in council, and so did the Berlin and
milan DEGREES. These DEGREES are now be-
come of little use to him. He would easily
give them up, their placebeing SO completely
supplied by his internal regulations, and now
he gives themup to satisfy law made by the
Americans and thereby 10 effect the erciu-
oe~'t " AS"SHSb 5 OVAS JIOW NHtcINu US 7VcI
as from the Continent Of EUROPE And yet
to hear the Morning Post and the Courier.
one would imagine that Napoleon was sort
of mad-cap, who did every thing in al,assion,
and who totally neglected all the dictates of
far-sighted policy.--He said long ago that he
would break up our system of monopoly, on
which he said depended our paper money.
Whether he is in a fair way of doing it,
or whether he made vain empty threat,
the public will soon be able accurately to
decide. Our choice as ] said before, lies be-
tween an exclusion of our goods from Amer
lea, as well as the continent, and putting the
continent in easy and cheap possession of
the means of doing zoithout or goods fore
ger, and at the same time, filling the treasu-
ry of France, and making Holland, the
Hanse Towns, Flanders, and all the con-
quered countries rejoice at being united with
France. Notifying alternative to those who
think that the strength, safety, and happiness
of England depend upon foreign commerce
of whom however am not one.