Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-01-28
SPEECH
OF THE
HON. JOSEPH PEARSON'
CONCLUDED

Granting toe much? Will it be contend
ed. that a neutral flag snail protect eve
~ thing that sails under 1t surely
gentlemen, will except articles dseme>'
contruband IF war, and armed enemles
of bei!igerent. They must go turthe'
they must abandoa the protection o'
native subjects of foreign po"e'' when
| thew tru,, themselves beyond our terri
| so-iaI jurisdiction. and thu, I'll INTO '',v
| a,nds of their original sovereign. II
| this is not done, this war must be in'et-
| ,ninable. at least whilst G'-"' bFilai"
| las a f1ag on the ocean Should We oe
| successful in the Contest, the f'i"Clpie
! will not be sanctioned by any nation re
gardful of its maritime poser, and POO.
baby be curse to ourselves sh'uiu
we ever possess superior naval proves
| Moreover. in the assertion ot sucn
| right, we are entering the Isl aeAliet
tao law and practice OF peri'1ps ever
| nation in the world, which. Pretenus 10
| regard c.elIizatinn or law. For, attn"
| admit that all civilized nati ms recog'
| ME. in some form or other, the rights
aid privileges Of naturalization yes the!
couaiiy agree in the doctrine OF pcrpI-
tua allegiance, and deny that na'uraA-
canon by foreign power gives I" the
person naturallzy d au new clalms ["
protection against his OWN sovereign -
Much less, therefore, are persons 20 be
nrotr Cted who are bound by 10 tie to "a
nv country, exec pit the tic resulting from
allegiance and protection which Is only
due to and from the native state
This, sir, is the doctrine OF approx.
ed writers on national law-it is thc uni
form doctrine OF Great Britain, snI l.,
recognized not only by the practice oil
France, bot by variety of statutes anJ
cdicts of that country both before ano
since the revolution-she not only q"
nies the right of protection to the natu'
ralizeo person against his own save
reign, but denies 10 neutrais the right
TO Daturalizc her enemies so as TO pro-
teot them against her arms-a,d auth"-
rizes the seizure si hSr 0Sva srdmfn on
board neutral vessels at sea. Yes, sir,
these practices and these pretens'ons
have been enforced upon us by the 9TH
Ger, OF the French government in va.
riety Of instances, and so La from those
officers considering it an offence, they
have reproached our government tor Sc.
duciny their Seamen into our service
nor have head a Whisper Of complain
on this subject against The French go
vernnent. WHO is there that has paid
any attention to the proceedings olFrancc
on this subject, t'at is ignorant OF the
rigid vigilance with which she has Ell.
deavored to secure to herself the seryl.
cas Of her own sesmen, both III peace &
war, and the little ceremony with which
neutral or naturalizcd seancn have been
treated by her--she makes IL crime In
her seamea to serve on beard vessels OF
other nations, whe die: enemies or friends
she Furnishes as hirates, all masters OF
vessels, whether natUraiized or settled
in other countries, who take commits.
sions or use any other Aas than that OF
France-if her seainen are found in TO-
reign ships in time of peace, they are
doomed TO confinement and service, 1t
in time of war they are sentenced 70
three years in the gallies. These are
some Of the regulations which exist,
and had their origin previous to the re-
volu,ion. Since that period, ard IN
the tide OF French principles for !
W i'll not prostitute the term liberty
other regulations have taken plac.
which clearly shew of what avail our
certificates of naturalization, or our pro-
lection to foreigners would have been,
mad that nation been able to keep any
thing like feet at sea. BY this mo-
dcrn champion of meritime rights, all
captains of neutral vessels we're punish
cd as sties, unless they could prove by
our minister near the French court that
they were sbnrn in an allied or neutral
country-allEnglish sailors on board neu-
traI flags in the ports OF France, were
ordered to be arrested, and every man
who spoke the English language was to
be considered English, unless he could
prove by au henic documents that he
WAS on American.
These, sir, are some Of the doctrines
and practices of France; their cruelty
and injustice, in many respects, must be
admi,,ed by all; they transcend any
Briti.h p'etensicns which have ever
come to my knowledge; they are adj
auced not to palliste the conduct of the
British government, but to shew the
conauct Of different nations on the sub.
iect for which the war is now continued,
and principally to shew, that whilst we
assert the principle that our flag shall
be the shield Of protection to every 70.
reisncr VINO may take refuge under it,
this war will be- eternal, if not universal.
One word more, sir, on this part OF
toe subject-it is this: independent of
The existence of the war, and the in,rin
SIC delicacy & perplexity Of the question