Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-02-27
tCoNTINUED.]

o. the 18Th.
CONTINUED.
(My. Pnkney's Letter continued ]
If these words state any condition, they
state t1Vo, the frs, depending upon Great
Britain, the last upon the United States !;
and, as they arc pu. in the distinctive, it
would be extravsgant to hold that the non
performance Of one Of them is equivalent to
the non performance Of both. shall take
for granted therefore that the argument
against my construction Of the duke Of Ca
dorc's letter must be moulded into new
form. 1t Must deal with two conditions
instead Of one and, considering them C.
quail as conditions precedent, 10 be per.
torm' q (dsjunctively) before the day IL
mited for the operative commencement Of
! the French repea', must maintain that, If
NEITHER of them should be performed be-
fore that day, the DEGREES were not to be
revoked, and consequently that, IS neither
Of them has been 50 performed, the de.
cr.es are still in force.
II this hypothesis Of previous conditions
thus reduced to the only shape it can as
sumo, DC proved 10 be unsou1d, my Goa
s,ruc; ION is at once established since il is
ohly upon that hypottie sis that any doubt
can be raised against the exact and perspi-
cuous assurance that The DEGREES were &C.
| ,uaIiy repealed, and that the repeal would
become sfec u4l an the FIRST o. November.
This hypothes!, is proved TO be unsouod
by the following considerations:
II has clearly GO foundation In the phrase
ologv of the paper, which doe. uot contain
syllable to pat any condition before the
repeal, The repeal IS represented as step
already taken, to have effect 90 day spe-
cited. Certain consequences are indeed
declared TO be expected from this proceed
ing; but no day is given, either expressly
or by implication, within which they are to
happen 1t is not said 5ien entrndu oue
les anglois ouront revo9ue, &C." bu, L" que
les enslsis reuosuersnt, &C." indefinitely
IS 70 tune.
The notion of condition. precedent is
therefore. to say the least Of it, perfectly
craiuitou,. But i; is also absurd. 1t drives
US to the conclusion ,ha, papable and no.
terious imposs!b,iity was Intended to be
prescribed as condition, in a paper, which
they, who think j. was mean, to deceive,
must admi, was meant to be plausible.
Ii was PalPaSlr and notorious inpos.i-
bilitv tina, the United Stairs should, before
the FIRST OF November, .xecu,e any coudi-
, ton, no matter what the nature of il, the
perform auce OF which was 20 follow the
asc.r,ained failure Of condition, 10 be .x.
ecuted by Great Britain, a. any time be-
!. fore the same lst OF Novemb-r. That the
act expected from the United States wa.
to l., Consequent Upon the iaiiure of the O.
,hsr is apparent. 1t is also apparent that
upon auy Interpretation which would make
the &C, OF Great Britain coalition prece-
dent to the French repeal, and CONSEQUENT
ly preceden. TO the lss of November, whsn
the repeal was, it ever, 70 take effect, tina.
condition could not be said 10 have failed
before the whole Retiod, from the s,h Of
August to the LIST of November, had {.
lapsrd Blu. If Grea. Britain had the whale
time. within which to elect the cour,.
which ste would pursue, what opportunity
would be Ieh to the Un,-d States (eoaally
bound, upon this idea Of condition. Drec--
dent, to act th-ir part within the same Pc
riod) to become acquainted with that .iec.
ton, and TO decide upon aud take their
own course in consequence to say po,hius
of the transmission Of such intelligence Of
it to Europe, as would be indispensable to
the efficacy OF the Conditional revocation.
This graeral view would alone be sufi.
Gent to discred't the arbitrary construction
under consideration. But IL will b. more
completely exposed by al explanation es