Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-11-12


of America lin her relations with the two be
ligerents, and in the conclusion you draw with
respect to the impartiaiity of your country as
exemplified in the non importation law Ia
ment to say cannot agree with you. That
act is direct measure against the British
trade, enacted at time when all the legal
authorities in the United States appeared rea-
DIV to contest the statement of a repeaIs of
the French DEGREES, on which was founded the
Presidents proclamation of November I'd, and
consequently to dispute the justice of the pro-
Claination itself
You urge, sir, that the British govern
ment promised to proceed ta'1 hassu with
France in the repeal of her edicts. 1t is to be
wished you could point out to us any step
France has taken in the repeal of hers. Great
Britain has repeatedly declared that she would
repeal when the French did so, and she means
to keep TO that declaration.
i have stated to YOU that we could not con-
sder the letter of August 5, declaring the re-
peal ofthe French edicts provided we revok-
ed our orders IN council, or America resented
our not doing SO, as step ofthat nature and
the French government knew that we could
not their object was evidently while their
system was adhered to In all its rigor, to en-
deayor to persuade the American government
that they had relaxed from it, and to induce
her to proceed in enforcing the submission of
Great Britain to the inordinate demands or
France. 1t is to be lamented that they have
but too we'll succeeded; for the United States
government, appear to have considered the
Preach declaration in the sense in which
France wished it to be taken, as an absolute
lcft J,a 81,
conditional terms which accompanied it.
But you assert thai no violations of your
neutral rights by France occur on the high
seas, and that these were all the violations al
Nded TO in the act of Congress of May 1910.
j readily believe indeed that such cases are
rare, but it is owing TO the. prePonderance of
the British navy that they are SO, when scarce
a ship under the French flag Can venture to
sea without being taken, tits not extraordinary
that they make no captures. If such viola
lions alone were within the puryiew of your
law, there would seem to have been no ne
necessity for its enactment. The British ma
Wy might have been safely trusted for the pre-
vention Of this occurrence. But have always
believed, and my government has Beloved that
the American Legislators had in view in the
provisions of their law as i respects France
not ONLY her deeds Of violence on the seas, but
all the novel and extraordinary pretensions *
practices of her government whlCh lntrlnged
their neutral rights.
We have had no evidence as vet of any of
those pretensions being abandoned. To the
ambiguous declaration in Mr. Champagny's
note is oppose the unambiguoui and pers NAL
declaration of Bonaparte himself You urge
that there is nothing incompatible with the
revocation of the DEGREES in respect to the u
nited States in his expressions to the Deputies
from the free cities of Hamburg, Bremen and
Lubbock, that it is disticntiy stated nthat speech
thar The blockade If the British Islands shall
cease z9he1a the Byisish 6ioekades cease, & that
the French blockade shall cease in favor or
those nations in whose favor Great Britain re-
vokes hers,o who support their rights against
her pretensions.
1t is to be inferred from this and th: cor
responding parts of the declaration alluded to,
that unless Great Britain sacrifices her princi-
pies of blockade which are those authorised
by the established laws OF nations, France will
still maintain her DEGREES of Berlin and Milan,
which indeed the speech in question declares
to be the fundamental laws of the French EN-
pire.
90 not, confess, conceive how these a.
yowals of the ruler of France can be said to be
compatible with the repeal of his DEGREES in
respect to the United States. If the United
States are prepared to insist on the sacrifice by
Great Britain of the ancient ard established
rules of maritime war practised by her, then
indeed they may avoid the operation of the
French DEGREES, but otherwise, according to
this document it is very clear that they are
still subjected to them.
The decree of Fontainbleau is confessedly
s,unded ON the DEGREES Of Berlin and Milan,
dated the 10th October, 1910, and proves their
cnnt;nued existence. The report OF the French
Minister of December 8, announcing the per-
severance of France IN her DEGREES is still fur
ther in confirmation Of them, and reperusai