Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-06-22
CONGR ESS.
HOUSE OF REpREsEN EATvEs.
Friday, Mav 90.

| a motion to adjourn impelled him to make a
last effort to rescue the country from the Gala
| mites which, he feared, were impending over
it. He had proposition to submit, the deci-
sion of which would affect vitality the best in-
terests of the nation. He conceived himself
bound to bring it forward. He did not feel
himsefa free agent in the transaction. He
would endeavor to state as succinctly he
could the grounds of his motion and he hum
bly, asked the attention of every man whose |
mind was at all open TO conviction--of every
man devoted to the cause OF this country, not
only in that House, but i'll every rank and con-
dition of life, throughout he state.
The motinn which De wa about to of ;s,sr,w
out ofcertain propositions, which lie pledged
himself to prove; nay, without an abuse Of the
term, to demonstrate.
The first ofthesc propositions was that the
Berlin and Milan DEGREES were not only NOT re-
beaied, but that our government had furnished
% the House and to the world unequivDcal
evidence of the fact. The difficulty IN demon
strating this proposition arose rather from his
embarrassment in selecting from the vast mass
OF evidence before him, han in any deficiency
of proof; for if he were to all the testimo-
ny that might be adduced, he feared his dis
course would grow to a bulk not inferior to the
volume which he held in his hand. He would
refer the House to the correspondence, gcner
ally, of Mr. Russell, our agent at Paris, accom-
panying the Presidents message of the present
| session. He referred 10 the schedule Of Ameri-
| can vessels taken by French privateers since
| the first of November 1910, the period of the
alledged repeal of the French decrees:1 of
these it was worthy of remark, that "the Ro-
| binsonova, from Norfolk to London, with to-
bacco, cotton and slaves the Mary-An from
| Charleston to London, with cotton and rice
| the Generalization from London to Charleston,
| in ballast the Neptune, from London to
| Charleston also in ballast; the Clio, from Lon
L 70 Enc Oh
the Zebra, from Boston to Tarragona, Cthen
in Possession of the SpdniardS with slaves
all coming under the operation of the French
DEGREES, and seized since the ID November, 1910,
had not been restored on the 4th OF July last %
and that the only two vessels named in nat sche
dule, which had been restored, viz the Two
| Brothers, from Boston to st. Malo, Snd the Star,
from Salem TO Naples the one port in France,
the other virtually French port did not come
within the scope of the Berlin and Milan de-
crees Indeed, the only cases relied upon by
Mr.. Monroe to prove the repeal of the French
DEGREES, are those of the Cam Green, &,
| the New-Orleans-Packet. On the first of these
no great stress is laid-because, having been
captured by an English cruizer, she was re-ta-
ken by her own crew and carried into Mar
settles, where consequently the captors became
| French prisoners of war. AS well might it be
| exnected, that in case of war between the u
States and England, prvateers carrying
their prizes into French ports, should be pro-
| ceeded against under those DEGREES. 1t was,
therefore, on the case ofthe New Orleans Pack
ct that the principal reliance was placed, to
shew the repeal of the obnoxious DEGREES But
even this case established, beyond the possibi-
lity of doubt that the Milan DEGREES of the 2Sd
November, and 18th December, 1907, were in
force subsequently to the period OF their alleg-
ed repeal. This vessel hearing at Gibraltar,
f where she had disposed of a part of her cargo,
: c.L Iot+o Of tba IF IF tha
August, 1910, suspended her sales, and the
supercargo, after having consulted with Mr..
, | Hackley the American consul at Cadiz, deter
mined on the faith of that insidious letter, to
proceed with the remainder ofhis cargo to Bor-
deaux. lie took the precaution, however, to
delay his voyage, so that he might not arrive
in France before the LIST of November, the day
on which the Berlin and Milan DEGREES were
to cease to operate.
There Mr.. r. was called to order by Mr..
Wright, who said there was no motion before
. the House. The Speaker overruled Mr.. Wright's
= objection, as the gentleman from Virginia had
declared his intention to make motion, and
it had been usual to permit predatory remarks. !
Mr.. r. said he would proceed in his argyll
ment without deviating to the right or to the
left, and he would endeavor to suppress every
feeling which the question was so we'll calcutta
ted to excite. "The vessel accordingly arri-
we'd in the Garonne on the 18th of November,
| but did not reach bordeaux until the Sd of De
cember On the 5th of this month the director
of the customs seized the New Orleans Packet
! and her cargo, under the Milan DEGREES of the
Esd November and 18th December, 1907, ee-
bressiy set forth, for having come from an Eng
lish port, and having been visitedrby 4 British
vessel OF WARP Thus this vessel having volua-
tarily entered French port on the faith of the
lrepeal Of the DEGREES, was seized under them
" These facts" continues Nr. Russell, hav-
ing been stated to me by the supercargo, or the
American vice-consul at Bordeaux. and the
principal one, that of the seizure under the Nj
Ian DEGREES, being established by the professor
bal, put into my hands by one ofthe consignees,
of the cargo, conceived it TO be my duty not
20 suffer the transaction to pass unnotced."
This broces-verbai is neither more nor less than
the Ebei in the Admiralty Court, drawn by the
law officer Of the French government, agreeabiy
to tho law Of the Empire What should we say
20 libel Of q vessel by the District Attorney OF
tho U. States, or her seizure by the Custom
House Officers, under act of Congress which
had been repealed The whole of this cores.
pondence proves unequivocaiIy that neither the
Custom-HOuse Officers, the Courts of Law, nor
the French cruizers, not even tho 6HSie ships
of war had ever received notice from their gov
eminent Of the repeal Of the Berlin and Milan
dccrecs. This last fact is further snbstantiatcd
by the remonstrance OF Mr. Barlow TO the Duke
Of Bassano Of the 10Th Of March, 1879, IN the
case Of the " vessels captured and burnt by his
Imperial and Royal Majesty's Ships Medusa and
l.. Nymph" 1t should be recolccted that all the
DEGREES Of the French Emperor arc given strict
ly in charge TO certain public functionaries, who
are directed 20 put them in force The only
authorities 20 whom the repeal Of these DEGREES
was to bc a rule of action, the cruizcrs, courts
J and officers Of the customs remained profound