Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-12-30

L p.
4 Paris, Oh .Jase, 1911.
i Tie case of tho New Orleans Packet hay ine.i
excited considerable interest; il may.
prot be unacceptable to YOU 10 receive morc,
sparticiilar account of it than I have iiithertos
transmitted.
This vessel owned By Mir. Alexander Rudcn
sof Ncw-York left that place on the 25lh of July,
Swit'i clearance for Lisbon, but actually dest-)
5icd for Gibraltar Her cargo, likewise thc pro-:
spcrty OF Mr.. Rudcn, consisted of 20T wholcI
Sticrccs and 81 half tiepces of Rice, $50 bugs of;
sssu:iinam Cocoa, 10 hogsheads OF to@acco, 6
sierccs ofhans, so barrels of pork, 60 barrels Of
a5cef, 200 barrels OF tonr so tcrce OF beans and.
81 irSlns Of butter. On her passage 10 Gibral-l
ctar she was boarded by an English irigJ;e and!
s2n English schooner, and aftera short detention,
siilo%cd TO proceed. On arriving at Gibraltar.
eihe 26.h OF August, MIR. MltnrOc the suprrcar-I
ESQ, proceeded to sell the cargo and actually dis
aposed OF the -four, the bears aud the butte i
qwhcn about the Goth OF September packet AZ;
9rived THERE from England, bringing ncW ,pn3eI's;
acontaining the publication of the letter from tlcl
SDuSc Of Cadore of the 9Th of August. On tles
5reccpt of this intelligence Mr.. Munroc imnv-
Sdiatcly suspended his sales, and after having.
consulted with Mr.. Hackley the American con !
ssul at Cadiz, he determined to proceed with;
xthe remainder of his cargo to Bordeaux. Hei
gema;ned however, at Gibraltar uB; i'll the G2l Of
gtcrc the lst of November, the day on which thei
SBerlin and Milan DEGREES were to cease TO OPEL
sratc. lie arrived in the Garonnc on the 9Th oil
{ November, but by reason Of his quarantine didI
tnot reach Bordeaux before the 81 Of December
2-On the 5th of this month the Director of thci
gcrstcms there, seized the New-Orleans Packet.
ssand her cargo under the Milan DEGREES Of the,
ss23d of November and l7th December 1907, ca
JPressly set fortiI, tor having come from an Eng
Slisl port and for having keen visited by an Eng
flish vessel of war. These facts having been staI
eted to me by Mr.. Monroe, or by Mi Moves, thet
8 American vice-consul ~ Bordeaux, aud thG
aprmcpal one, that Of the seizure under the
9Aiilan DEGREES, being established BY the Process
SSver5GE put into my hands by Mr.. Martini, one o.
sthe consignecs of the cargo, conceived It TO be
Snly dut not To suffer the transaction 20 pass un-
3noticed and thereby permit it TO grow INTO 4 vi
SolatoI. Of the Gu aEc,ncnS OF this government.
while was Considering the most proper mode
Sol bringing the conduct OF the custom house OF.
Ehcer At the port under the eyes of his superors
~ learnt of the arrival of the Essex at LOrient.
Prom the time at which this frigate was repor-
ested to have left the United States, / had no
ssdou5t that she had brought the proclamation Of
%thc President, announcing the revocation of the
e-very dccrecs under which this precipitate scr
fszurc had been made. I could but think. there
forc, that it was important to afford 10 this go
ssvernmert all opportunity of disavowiRg the con
S--uuCI OF It's OHictF SO lECOUpatlDIc WAN the en-
on which the President had in I'll
.Sprohabilitv reposcd with confidence, in season
Ito shcw that this confidence had not been mis-
sltimcd or misplaced. To have waited for the
:srccept of the proclamation III order 70 make use
Sol it for the liberation OF the New Orleans fac
Sakct, appeared to me prcposterous and unwor
sSthy course OF proceeding, and 20 be nothing bet
e,ster than absurdly and bascly employing the dec
5alaraton o. the president that the Berlin and
2Niilan drccrces had been revoked, IS the mean.
g.of obtaining their revocation. believed it be
8camc INC to take higher ground, and without
sTconfning myself to the mode best calculated t.
.Srecover the property, to pursue that which tho
.Ss.ignity OF the American government required.
q crisis in nv opinion presented itself which
t2was TO decide whether the French cClicts were
Stretractcd as . preliminary to the execution oil
-Four law, or whether by ths non -perforrnance Of
SSSlone party and the prompt performance OF To,
5Sother, the order in which these measures ouglr
10 stand was to be reversed, and the American
s54govcrnment shuided into the lead where nation
al honor and the law required it to follow Tn
1Hcertain whau '"ould be the conduct of this go
government, but clear what it ought TO be,
rSfthought II polite TO present briefly the homes
RECONSTRUCTION Of tho terms in which the revoca
I%tion OF the DEGREES was communicated on tn
F85th Of August, that tho conditions might not b.
~ tortured into n pretcxt for continuing them
Rbclicycd this to he the more necessary as no oc
RScaSion had hitherto occurred for offering suCl
Gan interpretations likewise supposed & to b
undesirable TO take from tins government, by
F2concise statement of facts the power of mpu;n
yssncelcct 70 the United States, IN performing Ia
Raact reqr.red oftEcm for the purpose o. finding !
e this neglect . color Cor again executing the dc
xscrecs. These were my views in writing pfoInPi
gs5y and frankly on tie occasion.
~ So acceptable indeed did suppose it woul
gsJe 10 the feelings Of the American govUrnmcr
gtto obtain at least explanation OF ~ act oster
9LsIbiy proving the continued operation Of til
sSlcc1ces, previous 60 communicative the proc
Exclamation Of Che president announcing their n
Kvocation that, although ] received tbs prOcls
E4nation on the 18th Of Deccmbor, ] deferred tn
E3communcation oft 20 the Duke Of Galore uni,
~ nc l7,h Of that month, nor should I then hay
communicated il, had not IN interview wit
rz3aiin on the 18th led me to believe that muc
~, me might be necessary 90 procure official re
,4sportsfrom The custom house relative 10 the Sc
~ lure IN question, and that until these report
svcrc received, it wCUld be Impossible formal
VI o explain or correct this proceeding lYhet
I'll iowCvcr, declined, mjnsuucted as ! was, "
Scurring Che responsibility Of this prOtracted q,
TSlay, and decided ON communicating the procl.
l6slation before satisfactory explanation was D,
is.ccivcd, took care TO guard against any mi
E-ronstruction, by explicitly declaring It thc on
,dsct that this proclamation chad been issue
sfa!onc on DE ground that the revocation OS u.
EBerlin AMI Milan DEGREES did not depend on an
gscondition previously 20 be performed by the I