Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-06-22

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which has So long oppressed and harrassc,
| our commerce..
The next act of the British government
which claims our attention is the order o
council of January z, 1907, by which neu
trail powers are prohibited trading from one
port TO another of France or her allies, oil
any other Country win which Grsa. Brit ain
might not freely trade. By this order the
pretention of England. heretofore claimed
BY every other power, 70 proaipit neutrals
disposing of parts IF their = 4. differ
ent ports of the same eaeny, Is lived and
with vast accumulation OF il.llr, Every
enemy, however great the nGs nh1r or dis
tant from each other, is consid red one, and
the like trade even with pnwc AZ peace
with England, who from motives of policy
had excluded or restrained her commerce,
was also prohibited. In this act the British
government evidently disclaimed all regard
for neutral rights. Aware that the mea-
sures authorised by it could find no preteXt
IN any beligerent right, none was urged.
To prohibit the sale of our produce, Consist
ing OF innocent articles at any port of bel
ligerent, not blockaded, to consider every
belligerent as one, and subject neutrals to
the same restraints with all, as if there was
but one, were buid acknowledgements. But to
restrain or in any manner interfere with our
commerce with neutral nations with whom
Great Britain was at peace, and against
whom she had no jnstihable cause of war,
tor the sole reason, that they restrained or
excluded from their ports her commerce,
was utterly Incompatible with the pacific
relations subsisting between the two coun-
tries.
We proceed to bring into view the British
Order IN Council of Move .nber llrh, 1907,
which superseded ever other order, and
contaminated that system of hostility on
the Commerce of the United States which
has been since so steadily pursued. By this
order all France and her allies and every
| other Country at war with Great Britain, or
with which she was not at war, from which
| the British flag was excluded, and all the
colonies of her enemies, were subjected to
the same restrictions as IT they were actu-
ally blockaded III the most strict and rigo-
| rous manner, and all trade in articles the
produce and manufacture of the said coun-
| tries and cclo0ies x the vessels engaged i'm it.
were subjected to capture and condemnati-
on as lawful prize To this order certain
exceptions were made which we forbear to
| notice, because they were not adopted from
regard TO the neutral rights, but were die
tated by policy to pre- mote the commerce of
| England, and so far as they related to neu-
! IRA! powers, were said to eminate from the
clemency of the British government.
1t would be superiuous in your committee
| to state, that by this order the British Co
| vernment declared direct and positive war
| against the United Stares. The dominion of
the ocean was completely usurped by it, all
| commerce forbidden and every flag driven
| from it or subjected to capture and condem-
| nation, which did not subserve the policy of
| the British government by payingi it tribute
1 ard sailing under its sanction. From this pc
/ riod the United States have incurred the hea-
| West losses and most Notifying humiiiations.
They have borne the calamities of war with
out retortng them ON its authors.
So far your committee has presented to
1 the view of the House the aggressions which
have been committed under the authority of
| the British government on the commerce of
| the United States. We will now proceed to
| other wrongs which have been still more Sc
verely felt. Among these is the inpressment
! or our seamen. practice which has been
increasingly maintained by Great Britain in
| the wars to which she has been party since
our revolution. Ycur committee cannot Con-
vey in adequate terms the deep sense which
they entertain of the injustice and oppress-
of this proceeding. Under the pretext of
inpressing British seamen, our fellow citi-
zens are seized in British ports, on the high
|
the British power extends, are ia ken on
board British men Of war and compelled to
serve there as British subjects. In this mode
ourcitizens are wantonly snatched from their
country and their families, deprived of their
| liberty and doomed TO an ignominious and
slavish bondage, compelled to fight the bat
| ties OF foreign country and often to perish
| i'll them. Our flag has given them no pro-
| lection; 1t has been increasingly violated and
our vessels exposed to danger by the loss of
| the men taken from them. Your Commit
| tee need not remark that while the practice
is continued, it is impossible for the United
States to consider themselves an independ-
| ent nation. Every new case is a new proof
| of their degradation. Its continuance is the
more unjusti6abe because the United States
have repeatedly proposed TO the British GO
vernment an arrangement which would Sc
cure to 1t the controul fits own people. An
exemption of the citizens of the u. States
from this degrading oppression and their flag
| from violation, is all that they have sought
| This lawless waste of our trade and e.
| qually lawfulimpressment Of our seamen,
have been much aggravated by the insults
! and indignities attending them. Under the
| preteXt OF blockading the harbors of France
and her allies, British So .adonS have been
stationed on our own coast, to watch and
annoy our own trade. To give effect to the
blockade of Eurogean ports, the ports and
harbors of the United states have been bloc
kaded In executing these orders of the Bri-
fish government, or in obeying the spirit
| which was known to animate it, the com
manders OF these squadrons have encroach-
ed on our jurisdiction, seized our vessels, x
| carried into effect impressments within our
| limits, and done other acts of great Injustice,