Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-05-31

"Tbe NJ Y Evening Post aid the Baltimore Re
publican contain the following articles upon this ques-
From tho Now-York Evening pOs,)
,lhe following appears in The r edmond Enquirer
Aithough the fact CT the French Commissioner hav.
ing decided against the claims Of the American ms,-
chant is only alphabetically stated, We, as ID is frs,
menhoneo' go lar as we are aware, in The Richmond pa
respondent in France.
l,Here JoHO,os the article from the Enquirer.)
Siihe declaration that The Berlin aud Milan D.c,ess
were In conformity TO ths laws Of nations, ia on,
whieh eanno, be maintained, and il IL has been made
ny tbe French Commissioners, We should certainly. with
inc richmond Enquirer, hope tina, il will moi be persist
ed III Oy the Government. The proce edinps of The
commissioners are by no means final; the Government
OF course has The power OF revising Them and of rectifv-
ing any hJis'lce ihey may commit. Blu, even if they
nave asserted ths iiE ht!ulness Of the Berlin and Milan
DEGREES, the proce ediugs under those decress in a mul.
utuue OF cases,weie most palpably contrary TO the laws
OF hahons. In the cases TO which we aliude, tn YES
sells te!Z,d under the DEGREES in question were sold.
ana Tue money placed in the cdisSe dGiuorftssemeu
untI tie pfopEiety OF the seizure should be Sc titled bv a
proper tribunal. The money should have been held a
saeree deposit until it was decided, after lekal investi-
gauoh' whether "a should be paid TO the oap.ors or TO
the owner. In 1912, however, Bonapart, wan inc
ne money Tor MS fnssian campaign, appropriated it
without ceremony, and The cases were never a~diutica,-
ed UPON. Hete was a most manifest violation OF the
laws oil nations, the circumstances OF which do not leave
the least opportunity FIR invenung a deem p,etyx, 10,
not compromising the claim ants. Hlw large a propor.
Nn o! The claims wa' 10 this condiijn, we have not the
means oil esiiDaiing.. la the mesn time il il & clear
mt'eT " more mas been obtained of the Efenrh INV.
eminent by MIR. RIves. than by either of his predece,.
sors' MIR. GELATIN was constantly met by the counter
claim set up by the French Cabinet uudsr the Louis
lana tresty, ard justice was denied the American
claimants IN The mos, courly aud polite manner under
a frivolous but convenien, pretext. Undo. he mis- ion
oil Mr.. Brown, the negotiation seems to have slept 4.
together. IL strikes us that 10 have got the Louisiana
claim out oil the way, TO have procured the appoinlmeu,
Of ConhnissioneTs aud an examination of the claims, all
which MIR Rives has done, is 10 have made some pro.
gre"'. We are not aware tina. in the negotiations gyi h
WI u itidtlU, HE DONrH0na RHnr rnnnadaA "a. 90
iioh Ia The Berlin and Milan DEGREES were conifa'v
TO the laws OF na,ions-ihs dis :u.sioos, IL we recolI, ct
flgh', were iogeniously directed 10 a different sutisct.
From the Baltimore Republican.
FRENCH CLAIMS.
III IS known that the French Government appointed
a Coinmis'ion, Cad to be friendly to examine and re.
port on the the claims OF the American Merchants. for
dePredations committed on their commerce by France.
aud on claims set up by France, sgains, the Unite
safes. Iht CjmmissioD, IL appears, divided the
claims oil our merchants MO pine elasses Oh those.
u Is believed, only heee have been admitted. Those
three, 1t ls supposed, are the Antwerp and 81. Sebasian
cases, and The burDines a. SEES. The commmisson
made rs report on the 9Th March, to he Government.
and, agreeably to he latest accounts from Paris, were
engaged on 'he claim. set up by France under the
Louisiana treaty, and the claims OF Baum rebais.
IL was undeTstoOj IN Pafis, that the Commission had de-
IernInsd against the cases Of capture made under Inc
befi'n aud MILAN DEGREES, on the ground tat those lie
cfees were ecn'ofmsble with the lave OF nationy. and
core pouding with the Brush orders in Council. under
which the British Courts Of Admiralty bad condemned
our vefsell"
- NOEFA0 'NNah Jul " TUHt0N W. a nE
will acqriesce in a decision that would make val d a
pilne re ash's lie 10 common homes az 10 the rigbt.Ci
neutral powers. CLAIMANT"
These statements appear 10 have the stamp of autben-
ncity-we fear theyzare too true. The decision of the
French Commissioners is unjust. Can their Govern.
fnent confirm II! We are perfectly sure, that our own
government will not acquiesce in such a decision-Nc
other Administration had succeeded even in getting the
matter before a Comm ssioner. I'll he pTesent French
Government has iallen short Of the just expectations Of
our People. ~ kn0O, th { our Minister at Paris EN-.
tertained the strongest hopes that il the Bourbons had
remained only TWO weeks more in power, the claims o
our Merchants would have been sadsfacforiIv seuIeJ
Who could have believed that a government. bounded y,
more liberal principles, would act dinerendy?-It is tru,
tina, Lafayette seems at present rather out of favor a
Court-lBut a new Chamber of Deputies is about n
beelected-and we trust that a more liberal Sc, of De
legates will be returned and that iuster principIe,
will be infused into tie French Administration We hav,
no fear that our government or It's Minister will not dc
their duty at such a time.
The last Evenings mail brings us, in a ". York Ga
Zete, the following article-whici confirms our owl
statement OF Mr.. Riyes's negotiations with the mInislr,
of Charles 1Oth, sc.
FkENCH CLAIMS-Messrs Editors " Mr.
Riyes bad nearly arranged with the French Govern.
ment, under the Polignac ministry, for a settlement Of
the claims; and certainly, under the new order of things
We had reason 20 hope lT an upright termination of
years OF negotiation for just debis. The property seques.
tered II and AntweTp,St. Sebastian delivered up by Hol.
land, &c. was by a decree Of Napoleon appropriated "a