The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-06-14
4GIDe enquirer.
RICHMoND..JUNE "a, 1911.
L. o OK o q r!
What shall we do NEzrl

What shall we do NEzrl
me ANSWER is-AWhere are we now I
Hos France rescinded her DEGREES as to
us--or has she NOT p-The steps which
VIZ slsdH pursue, will depend upon those
which SHE has taken.
We say, "rescinded as to ns''--because
what right have we to insist upon their an
solute and universal repeall What is it to
us, whether the French shall forbid the Al .
gerine, the Chinese. or any other neutral
nag. II there be any. to visit the ports of G..
Britain shall we draw the sword for the
whole worlde Let every empire protect its
own maritime rights. 1t is as much as we
can do, during the present commissions of
the Globe, to take care of ourselves If the
seal be broken. as it respects our own yes
sells; If they are exempted from those edicts,
which would interdict them from the ports
of G. Britain it is clearly the only privi-
lege which we are entitled to claim from
France, and which our own government is
bound to require for its own cit zens.
The very terms of the law, under which
Che Executive has acted the Act of MAY,
$50; recognize TOO this clear distinctcr,
The words OF the act are, IN case either
Great Britain OF France shall so revoke or
modify her cdlcts as that they shall cease
to violate the neutral commerce of the
Tinted States" &c sc The object of
the laws, therefore, expressly to procure
n due respect for the neutral rights of the
u s. What then is it to us, whether France
arevokes or merely modifies her Edicts-so
that "they cease to violate (our neutral
commerce..
What is it to us, whether Napoleon shall
publicly announce. that the Berlin and
Milan DEGREES are the fundamental laws
of (his) empire"-froufded they Go not
trench upon the neutral rights of the Unit
ed States What is it to Us. that his rules
are silly or outrageout in their provisions
that they have no one to operate on, if we
ourselves are eacehted--if this axcep ).
ton be really mace in our favor, 1t is sufii-
cjent.
France viii not be guilty Of breach of
faith, IF she does this--for the spirit and
purpose OF her engagement will have been
Fulfilled.
We. too, shall have no ground for com.
S1'aint; because in This way she ceases to
violate the neutral commerce of the u /.
States.
The Only question, III truth. is. HAs
France rescinded her DEGREES AS 70 the
U. States
Let us look 6ack--it is clear that tie en-
gagement between the two nations has not
been, on either side, strtctiy and Eterouy
tuihlled,--FranCe few from il, when she
detained The American Vessels. (which
had infringed none of her municipal laws,)
inter- the I'd of November much more
those which were sequestered from the
middle of December (when She received
our Proclamation,) to the I'd of February !;
and still more, those which were Kept un
der sequestration, fer that perioi.
The us flew from it, on their side,
when they consented to the admission of
enoIo ,s-k- -
hal left a British port prior to the Cd Of
ebruary--because they had pledged
themselves to an exclusion of such vessels
fr om their own ports after that period.
Ne, On oyT side however consented, to
wave this fair f,ds or the part of France
We knew, THAI IN constituting great arrange
ments between two nations, we were not to
require all that precise and literal stric,ness
which isexacteG in private contracts that
suspicious will CT eep into the bosoms Of all
governments and that if the great purposes
of am engagement shall be only fulfilled,
little fetcadiiloes mi. ght be reasonably over
looked.
We waved il, therefore, under the hope
that France would not fail to release our
vessels on the I'd Of February Yet, events
bspe proved. that we did not accurately
.stch the sense of the DYKE of Massa's let
Ia r-for by the expressions " the Cd of Fe
trusry. the period at which the u. States
having fulfilled the engagement TO cause
ttieir RI gifts to be respected" we now see that
France did not near 10 release our vessels
en- that day, but to wait to see whether
the u. States had actually fulfilled, on that
Gay. the engagement .Eo which they had
entered.
hut the faith Of every nation sbeoid be kept
sscred. No gagemeots should be dissoi-
we'd, but on the strongest stnd best digested
seasons. We should DO nothing hastily;
nothing from light and trivial causes -
WhiIst there is any reason tohope, that the
spirit and essence OF the engagement will be
accomplished, considerations not affecting
yhesp, may be fairly overlooked.
Now, row stands the case
si3vs we no, she ssst rcssor's TO believe