The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-03-01

TIL the repeal or The French DEGREES had
actually taken hiace, and xnsi the commerce
Of neural nations had been restored 10 me
STATE in which IL ypd previously 10 tkc hrc-
mitigation ef!hose DEGREES aud. OF course,
our orders in council, our "refaHatoru"
measure would sill remain in force, till az
ter the DEGREES Of France should be no, only
long revoked, but un.il after their uperati,
had practically ceased. Was this then,
showing readiness to follow the eaQnl6ie
ot France in restoring to America the eni oy-
ment of what we declared to be her lust
rights Was This keehimg mace with France
in her measures of relaXa,ion Was it. in
hne, acting up to the declaration. made, in
the kiDe's name, to the American govern
'nen IN bruary, 1908, and upon the SIM
cerits nj good faith of which declaration.
be /; well observed, we built our claim t. the
jor6earancc of America as to the measures
against us. Which, at that tine. she av wed
herself to have in contemplation There is
one argument, which,. though can hardly
think 1T will be raised, it may not be arniss
to state here; namely that, though Napo-
Icon has declared his DEGREES to be revoked,
anG hough that declaration has been oilici
ally announced to as by the American min
lister first. and now by his government, yet,
u n is the character OF Napoleon and such
has been his conduct, that we ought not 10
place any reliance upon his declaration. and
onght to consider it merely as The cloak for
intended acts of fraud or violence But, be-
sides the outr ge that he use of this arpu.
men' would off r to the American govern
ment, who have not only in the words OF
| the IL minister, given credit to the sincerity of
the French dec aration, but have acted upon
it in the issuing f the proclamation before
referred to, and IN the admitting OF French
armed vessels into their waters: besides
this outrage, we should, by the use of such
an argument, give signal proof of our own
insincrrity, seeing tina we have recentiy held
ali in erioi species of diplomatic communea-
ton with France, in the case Of me negoca-
ton tor Cartel, and that, thro' the medium
| OIL he transport board, our government has
declared (see p. 1167) that any French off
GER now our prisoner, shall re lberated and
sent back to France, {" ii the French govern
ment will certify officially TO our Comm ssh
pners, that an Englisn prisoner of equal rank
shall be released bv France" After this
after off ing not merely to ke,t face with
France, but 20 act b. way Of anticipation
upon her official fromise we shall not ]
nope, see any attempt in the American
case, to act upon the pr'nciple, that no ere.
DIT Is to be given to the official promises or
declarations of France. Such are the rea
sons, on which ] found my opinion, that GU,
IL
IN Angus and that the revocation ought 20
nave been led upon on The LIST of Novem-
Der last. and, of cour,e, as that was 1t done.
mat we ought now Immediately to re oke
them 1t is Question o. mere Justice. d =.
manded by par compact, clearly un
derstood between the parties. 1t appear, to
me indisputable, that The iulfiment of tn
compact demands, on our par, such revoca
tion. 1t is question OF good faith, and that
being the case, no considerations of in, crest
ought to stand in he way. AS to the erhe-
cfency u the measure, it the obligations of
good faith were wholly out of the question,
being thoroughly convinced that FIRST or
las, we must come to the plain, simple, un-
quanted assertion and maintenance OF the
absolute sovereignty ofthe sea, or make up
our MINDS, or, rather, debase them, which
trus', we never shall. 10 submit To become
first an inferior nation, and next, by an easy
transition. become the vassal of France
being thoroughly convinced OF this, and be-
ing by every event that has lately occurred.
and That is now likely To occur, strengthened
IN TINS conviction, should look upon the in
jury which, to the commercial. and mann
featuring part of the community. woule IN
Occasionally arise .ut of the threatened
n-fntercoHrSe with America, as of too liz
tie Importance to be, tor one moment, put in
the scale against any great mari ime Drinci-
pie Or onaxm. No, tha / am by any me me
disposed to underrate hat injury, which
would be very great, which would spread
far and wide, and which would in ali pro-
liability. double the quantity of the present
dlstresses to men i'll trade, whose distresses
are daily and hourly increasing, and who
must be an object OF the sincere compassion
OF every considerable man. But even all
this isnot TO be put in competition with the
tndehendence Of England aud, am decj
dedly OF opinion, that that independence
must be lost, or hat we must give I'D
great part Of he commercial and manu-
Lfaefnrins system, that system so shouy and
so pleasing to the eye, bul hat system.
| which, by tie easy ahd ever"ready means
which it offers to political corruption. has
done more harm to England than all the o.
Their causes of evil put together. The pre-
dominance Of commerce and manufactures
national debts and paper m ney, taxati,n 81
pauperism, corruptiou and degeneracy, have
all been endangered, have grown up, and
have multiplied, together. This view of
the state OF the country has, however, no
thing at all to do with the question, as to
which we are now at issue with America.
These are matters for our own exclusive
consideration. Very serious consideration
they demand, and very awful is the prospect
before us but there is nothing even in that
prospect which ought to make us upmindful
OF what Is due from us towards other natl
nns. Those, who are more immediately and
deeply interested N the fate Of the question
that rs to say, persons engaged in commerce