The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-07-17
From he (Iondon } .fij-ed.
HOUSE OF COMMONS

opportunity afforded HIM. by moving for the
Two Papers, 70 the production of which he
knew there would be no objection, to ask
the Noble Lord opposite some questions
relative To 4 subject deeply interesting to
the commerce and prosperity ofthe country.
A declaration had been published about
elSht or ten weeks ago. il the name of His
Majesty, importing that the British Orders
III ouncii should be cOnsi tered as annulled
as soor as any .ffical notification should be
made BY the French Gov rnment Of the to-
tai, and unqualified re,ea, of the Berlin and
Milan DEGREES. After the lapse Of a few
weeks there had appcarea very Unexpected
| ly, and TO one who was not versed in the
Kind ofpolicy in which it seemed to have o.
/ rig'nated very unintedigibly. paper issued
1 by the French Government, bearing no We
| ry recent date, bur with the seinb,arce of a
good mature age, being dated SO far back
| IS April, 1871. but in manner purbortinp
| to be an answer to- His Majesty's Deciara.
ton issued tweivemonth afterwards
ms was an occurrence which, notwith-
standing al the talents of the French Co
rernment, IT. was not very easy to anticipate
> me attributed the strangeness of the date
10 a clerical error But let the circumstances
attending the birth nj this document be
what II might, II did in fact contain a revo-
cation at the Berlin and Milan DEGREES. as
ar as they related to America There
Nere some difficulties rs TO the construction
"h'ch was to be put upon this proceed
hg' md 1t was for the purpose OF obtaining
a satisfactory solu tion of those. difficult;es
ne trespassed On the attention Of the House
One d tfculty arose from the circumstance
mat His Majesty's Declaration intiinated.
tA2t tie Orders IN Council would be anmll-
ed on the revocation nf the Berlin and MI
Ian DEGREES, at any period subsequent to the
oate OIL me Declaration. This, however.
appeared but triEling obstacle. 1t might
easily be removed by publishing in the Ga
@cIS turther declaration, that the spirit
and not the letter of the former declara
ton should be attended to for he took il
Tor granted, that has majesey's ministers did
u t care farthng FOR the time at which
the DEGREES were revoked, provided the
deed OF revocation was legitimate. Ano-
tner and indeed the only real difficulty a.
rose from that phrase in his maiestv's de-
caration which imported, that the reyoca-
tion OF the Berlin Decree, on the part of
France, must be unqualified and uncondi
honaE What Was the construction to be
put upon this phrase? Was it intended
that 1t shodld o. should not operate to pre-
vent the immediate repeal Of the orders in
council. rs necessary consequence of the
French revocation ? On this subject he was
most ANXIOUS to obtain information, and he
most heartily trusted. that the Noble Lord
wonid D. able 10 al rd him such as might |
be satisfactory to The Country. But even
should this BE- ne case, it was necessary
mat some turther step should be taken on |
tue part or government, officially to notifv |
the repeal ut th orders in order to prevent |
many advertisements that might other |
wis- arise; and here he could not help la
menting, tAAt his majesty's declaration, to
whlcll de had alluded, was couched in terms
|h'c9 to hm "pPeared purposely obscure, x |
winch 1t was difficult for any trader to un- |
derstand. The Only consequence of this |
uninte,iigibGty would be to give emnlov.
me-t to courts of law, and to involve a |
large portion OF the commercial interest of
the Country lii tedious, extensive and har- |
rSssinS uits. He would conclude his OBJ |
SCI vatsAns by moving, chat there be laid be-
-ore the House an account of the sums issued
Tor the clothing Of the army and marine for
ten ears, ending the 9Th OF Feb 1912.
l'Or4 CASTLEREAGH declared, that he |
was always DESTROYS to afford such informa-
ton as hls public duty permitted on all sub
Jects OF public interest and although the |
hon and learned gentleman had been ra-
Their diftdse and argumentative in his cues |
tons, he had 10 hesitation in replying tn
them. Within the last two days o decree |
Oh the ErenCh government, which it was al |
lodged had passed is months ago, had
been communicated to his maiesty's go
NernWenJ, 1t had been received bV them
with eXtre me snrprize, for they knew that
the government of che United States had
been pressing the government of France for |
more explicit declaration on the subject |
OF the Berlin and Milan DEGREES down to the !
present period. 1t undoubtedly was feature |
peculi TO the diplomacy of France, that |
inc government OF that Country should remain |
silent on subject Of such importance to a
state 70 which they owed the most dis
tlnct explanation and having refused any
Information for Is months, should suddenly, |
at period coincident with his majesty's de. |
claration, promulgate document purport-
lng to be dated ID months ago, by which the |
Berlin and Milan DEGREES we're repealed, !
not generally, but exclusively and pointed. |
ly, only as they affected the United States
H the hon. and learned gentleman wished
to know, 7chat effect this French decree |
brought under the notice ofhis D1ajeStgS |
government amidst the extraordinary cir
cumstances which he had described-cir- |
Gu ms ances unparalleled in the history of the |
world dad HrCduced on their mind, he |
Lord Casfiereagh had no difficulty in sta |
ing, fhat IN thrfr oEiHtoH IL zOaS in no dr. |
gree satisfactory as c0nsidered NTH refer
ehce 10 his naj@stu's deciarution. This |
must be evident on the very face of the doc
ument. His mJesty's declaration proclai- |
med that the orders in Council should be |
considered as annIlled as soon as the Ber- |
lin aud Milan DEGREES were generally and |
'HcoHdntoHaly repealed; not as So0n as |
fhc4 ohtu T be TsHsQIed NTH reSGecE to one