Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1812-06-19
Enclosed in No. 81
Dir. Bdrtou to Mr. RasseH.

March 9. 1919.
1t seems from a variety of documents that |
have seen and among others, the decision OF
SIR William Scott in the case of the shin Fox
that the British government requires more
proof of the ~effectual revocation. by the
French government, of the Berlin and Milan
DEGREES. Though it is not easy to perceive
what purpose such additional proof is to an.
swer either for obtaining, justice OF for shew-
ing why it is refused, yet 1 herewith send YOU
a few cases in addition to what have already
been furnished.
Among these, | believe you will find such
as will touch every point that was contempla
ted in those DEGREES, to prove them all to have
been removed. Ii not, and still further proof
after this should be deemed necessary, / can
doubtless furnish it; for the subject is no,
exhausted, though your patience may be.
lst. The schooner Fly, Adams, of and from
New-York, loaded with cotton, sugar aud cof.
fee, bound to St. Petersburgh, taken by an
English cruiZcr and carried into Cowes.
thence released, came into Havre, declared
the facts as above, entered, sold her cargo,
re loaded with French goods, and departed
without molestation.
Cd. The brig Ann Maria, Of and from New.
York, ID. Campbell, master, bound to a port
in France, loaded with pot ash, cotton, slaves.
put into Falmouth, then came to Morlaix, en-.
tered, sold, bought, reloaded, and departed,
as above.
Sd. The ship Neptune, Hopkins, bound
from London to Charleston, in ballast, taken,
brought into Dieppe, restored by a decree of
the emperor, and departed again in ballast.
4th Ship Marquis de Someruelos, with in
digo, fish, cotton, bound to Civitta Vecchia,
boarded by a British frigate, arrived at her
port, declared the fact, entered, sold, and is
now re-loading for the United States.
9Th. Ship Phoebe, from Boston to Civitta
Vecchia, colonial produce, boarded as above,
arrived, entered, sold, and is now re loading
for departure.
9th. Ship Recovery, of Boston, with pepper,
boarded, arrived, entered, and treated as a
bove at the same place: now selling her cargo.
9TH. Brig Star, bound to Naples, with colo
NAL produce, taken and carried into Toulon,
for having touched at Gibraltar, under pre-
tence of a violation of the DEGREES, and re-
stored by the emperor, on the express ground
that the DEGREES no longer existed, as appli-
cable to the United States.
1t would be wrong TO alledge that any Of
these vessels were protected by special licen-
ccs. In the first place, only three of the Sc
| Ntu lldd uCtiiCCS tnOsS were INC Thy, the
Phoebe, and the Recovery. Secondly, it is
well known that licences are not and never
were given as projections against the effects of
those DEGREES. The object of the licences
given to vessels of the United States is dis
tinctly defined to be merely to guard against
false papers, and to prove the regularity Of
the voyage. They are used only for colonial
produce, and not at all for the produce of the
ITnitp1 Etafoc and VIC a ~ ayaru ,sto.-c
that a vessel loaded wholly with the produce
of the United States, or in ballast, is respec-
ted by the government here. Al least | know
it has been SO, in every instance, since my ar
rival in September last and there have been
| doubt not, 80 or 40 such vessels in France
within that period. But a vessel loaded with
colonial produce and sailing without a licence
would be certainly confiscated, whether she
had violated the supposed DEGREES or not
Indeed, the regulation about licences is not a
maritime regulation, and it has nothing to do
with neutral rights. 1t is, strictly speaking,
a declaration Of the French nGoigation act,
IN favor of such particular persons as obtain
them, to enable such persons TO bring goods
of an origin foreign to the United States into
France.
1t II is the same as If a vessel of the United
States should, by a special relaxation of the
English navigation act, obtain a ~licence to
bring Brazil sugars or French wines into Eng
land. Such a licence would surely not be con
sidered as a breach, on the part of England,
of our neutral rights, neither would it be a
breach of such rights 10 confiscate our vessels
carrying such articles into England without a
licence. The violation of the navigation law,
either of France or England, is not a neutral
right, and therefore the punishment of such
violation is not a breach Of neutral right.
have taken the liberty to be thus particu-
lar on this head, because in several instances.
during the discussion with the ministers of the
British government, l have seen a disposition