Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-06-12


Ineed not remind you, sir, how often L haa
IN vain been urged by Great Br1ap tire ro.
Nv Of the instruments should be prQduted ~
which the DEGREES of BoHaparte were aid to
| be repealed, and how much it has beer d-srrd
that America should exPllciti' state t5et size
did not adopt the conditions cn which t.er 70.
peal was offered.
tits now manifest that there was never
more than conditional ctfer OF repeal U@de
| by France which we had right TO comps n
| that America should have asked us to recog-
Mise as absolute, and which if accepted III is
extent by America would only have formed
| fresi matter of complaint and new ground
Cor declining her demands
America must feel that il is impossible Tor
G.. Britain to rescind her orders in counc!
whilst the French decrcesare officially decjar-
ed to remain in force against III nations not
subscribing to the new malu'ls code Pro
mulpated in those decrees, and also without
something more explicit on tbe part q hne"
RIGA with regard to her understanding as 10
the conditions annexed b. France TO ,hc Fe.
neal Of those DEGREES. For, atter what has
passed. unless a full and satisfactory explaaa-
lion be made on both these points, Great lIi.
tain cannot rclinqnish her fetallatory system
against France, without implying her consent
10 the admIssibiity Of the conditions in cues
ton.
These observations will, am sure, appear
sufficiently sDviousto you, SIR, on pefusingthe
incIosed paper.
It will be At once acknowledged that this pa.
Der is a republication Of the berlin and Milan
DEGREES, in a n,oFe aggravated form, accom-
panied as it is with an extSl&ion Of all The Oh.
noxious doctrine which atteqd those DEGREES,
inaarned by declaration that BonaP}rte has
annexed to France every independent state in
his nciehborhood which had eluded them; &
that he was proceeding against ali other mari
time ports Of Europe on the pretence that bis
system could not be permancht sd complete,
50 long as they retained their iIbeT'y With re.
gard to it.
The outrageous principle here ayowed con-
meets Itself obviously with the proposition 20
much countenanced by America that the con-
tinental system Of Bonaparte, as far as it ope-
rates TO the conhscation Of neutral properly
on shore, on the ground of such property be-
inp BRUSH produce or manufacture, is mere
municipal regulation which neutral or beiII-
gerent IA :ct.s have no right TO resent, because
it does net yio.-te any principle Of the law CT
nations It's uanecessary to recnr to the va
rious arguments by which it has been shewn
that this system DOES not partake of the cha
ractcr OF municipal regulation, which neutral
or belicerent nations have 10 light to resent.
because it does not violate any principle Of
the law of nations but that it is mere war
measure directed with the most hostile spirit
ganst Great Britain and IN order to extend
this system On the principle OF municipal re-
gutatiDn all the rights OF independent neutral
nations are to be violated, their territories to
be seized without a9Y other cause of war hat
ever, bat that they may be Incorporated With
The French nation. aid thence becoming SUBJ
iect TO her rights OF dominion, receive Inc
continental sys.c!N as municipal reGu auoa
Of france, and thus TIE mere possibility OF
non-con.g.iancc viii, tic whole &C tic system
is made nc ground for the Occupation % in-
yaslcn. the incorporation or extension, O. eve
ry ,tate Vacre French arms can reach.
Great Britain cannot believe that America
viii not 'ella ust indignation at the full deYe-
lopcmeut Of such systan..--a system which
indeed bon0parte has partially opencd before,
and he's in the Instances OF the Hanseaic
towns, Of Portugal and other ccnnlYIcs or.
RED into complete execution. bat whjcbfe
has ver completely unlolded IN al It's eSteat
untii tie present moment; and in what an III
sulting and preposteToas shape does ne now
attempt to bring forward and promulgate this
code which he is 10 force upon all nations -
He assumes the treaty OF Utrccht to be III
force, and to be- h,w binding upon all nations;
because it suits his convenience, at this mo-
ment when the navy Of France is driven from
the ocean, to revive the doctrine of " free SHIPS
making free goods" he has recourse to t%&-
" 10 longer in force, in which such stPa'
lation existed-a treaty which, by lis own e%-
press refusal at Amicns to renew any OF to0
ancient treaties, was not then revived as eFeh y
binding on Great Britain and France, between !
~ -. - 1910. "a l. - 1nlv while h