Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-11-10
VOLUME XXXIE.--NO. "a.

iefred Mr. Armstrong 10 the Minister OF Foreign Rea-
tons without 'wever diminishing authority of this
o fcial answer.
This explicit solution of the questions afterwards
retraced in part The application of the Berlin Decree
10 American vessels and the seizure at sea of neutral
vessels going to returning from England, yet
declared legal but the right considered uncertain
Letter from tie minister IF Jsiiee the Imperial 4ttor-
neg Geasraf Of Me Council Of Prises Of September 49,
eembcr 1907 that Berlin Decree admitted of no ex
cepon IN favor of any class of neuas he deferred his
answer to the second The letter of The .7orney
GensT0t Of The Council Of Prizes, TO the Mnscr of fo-
retg" 3bairs, Of September 90 1907 His decision
however soon gwen and the provocaton afforded by the
The usurpaons of England upon the rights neutras
were in fact unboundcd All the ports Of France and its
silies and all those from which the British flag
ciuded might be declared blockadcd neutral vessels
were required to stop in England and pay duty
cargo, IN they should intend transport else
whee they forbidden under pain of confiscation
10 take the certificates of origin exaced by the French
INFORM them OF the orders in Council, and obge them
conform with them under pain of coniscation IOrders
4" consea Of Jouuary y and .Norember IL, lsOJl
The Emperor, in return for these measures declared
oy MN TO be such as might have been expected from
Agers made ,eprsals by which neutrals alone suffered
The DEGREES of Milan of November 23 December H.
ieO1 completed and made still oppressive the sys-
tenn OF which the Berlin Decree had established first
principles.
, BY the first Milan Decree, every vessel entering a
fiench port after having touched in England for any
reason whatever, liable we'll cargo TO con-
hsc0tion. The second Decree went still furt6er by lis
list article every vessel of any whatsoever which
had submitted TO be visited by an Eoli.h vessel nv which
had paid any thing the British was by snch
act decaued have forfeited its national character de
nGnotze) 1t lost the protection of its flag and
English property.
by Its third article, the blockade British Islands
by sea and land, was sanctioned Every vessel
sailing to or from the British Islands, their colonies or
the countries occupied by their troops, whatever
be ITS nation or its cargo, declared good prize.
hese severe measures vigorously enforced In
the beginning of 1897 American vessels had en-
tered the port OF Antwerp, declaring that they had touch
ed IN England BY the terms of the Berlin Decree they
should have been excluded, and they were excluded;
but their cargoes suspicion of their being English pro-
Pery were seized, notwithstanding the pTotestaons of
ue American owners, which proved by subsequent
Investigations to have been sincere Towards the end
of 1907, the executions OF the Milan DEGREES increased
the losses OF the Americans The French cruisers,
esV6 over every sea, took American for contra
ventions committed but few days after and sometimes
even before the publication of these DEGREES AS the
news of each seizure reached the American Minister at
Paris he complained with increasing energy Letters
Of Mr. .qyiastyos to ~ de Cha1npagSy the Minister of
Foreign l6airs Of January 2d and 2Jh February al.
odh, and 29h MARCH, LIST and 10Th 7pra 9th and .nag
7M, 1901 He invoked the principles of national law,
and the convention by which The lights Of neutrals were
guaraneed he invoked the principles of civil law which
forbade the application of Laws until they could been
ment and declared that such proceedings and the con-
tnuation Of such acts, could fail interrupt the
good understanding which had long subsised between
the two powers, which had been mutually advantageous
and which IT would be very unwise TO destroy, Tor the
sake OF pillaging few merchant vessels"
Far from contesting the rights of neulras the Frsnch
Minister soemniy proclaimed them all occasions,
W lhe name OF the emperor In his letter to Mr. Arm
strong OF February 18th, 1905, he says " A merchant
vessel is floating colony, any OF violence committed
against such vessel is attack upon the ndepend-
ence OF ITS government The belong to nation;
they are the common property the domain of all -
But whiIe he admitted that the Berlin and Milan De-
crees were fragrant violations of these principles he
threw the responsibility of this violation upon England
which had provoked and considering the indepcnd.
of the Tag as right common to ali Powers h. inn,
posed upon all the duty of having it respected NJ dc
ChamPagny, in his letter to MIR Armstrong of August
~ l9o9 says; The Emperor has doubt that the
United States, considering the position in which Eng
land has placed the Continent particularly since its de-
cree fNoyember II, will declare against her. He
| roc Ia r Thor aldl 81 ~..f -
England and the United States, the Emperor cons
aers having been declared the day which Eng
land issued its orders. With this view, His Majesty
willing 10 consider the United States as engaged in the
same cause with all the Powers who have defend them
selves against England has adopted 10 definite mea-
with regard TO the American which may have
been brought into our ports he has ordered 10 be
retained uder sequestraon, until determination could
be taken with regard to them, which determination would
depend upon te disposition manifested by the American
! Government
The American Minister, in reply lFe61uarv4h 1903
declared that the conduct of France towards the United
States, instead of advancing the views of the Emperor
was exactly calculated to defeat them He admitted il
to be fact that the United States were ready 10 90 to
war with Great Britain for the purpose of avengng
ton, but reminded NJ. de Champagny that France had
also Invaded those rights most grevousy showing at
the same time that the reparation of injuries by re-
evng the American property from sequestration and
by renouncng, the future the right of seizure in
such cases, would he the efficient of forming
new and more intimate connexions between the United
States and Franco
Although the Minister Of Foreign Affairs announced
would cease they shortly
ter renewed. -Four months afterwards, in June 1905
the Council OF Prizes pronounced conscaoDs the En-
pcroT had aready the 31st of March preceding made
known his determination and the motives which led 10
it, In his letter the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
March 81, $685. he says Declare the American Mi
MISTER that number Of vessels laden with colonial
goods ostensbly from America but really from London
Every vessel adcn with Colonial goods should be con-
hscaed for the embargo laid by the Americans in their
own ports gives that these vessels
come from the United States"
An embargo had in reality been laid the 22d of De-
eember, 1907 all the ports of the Union although
this determination injurousy affected the
France and its colonies, by preventing the transporta-
ton OF PROVISIONS yet it Of passive resistance
TO the dominion of England the sea- and the Empe-
applauded It'll Leueys from Me Minister of Foreign
4GarS to Mr.. Irmsfrong IF 9ugtst 22d 1905 and 4st-
rust 5M, 1910 Tie taer published in the M0niteur of M
rust 0h.
This measure was, however Intellectual The Ameri-
| can merchants as the embargo known CO.
vefed the with their ships They preferred the risks
and dangers of adventurous navigation and COM
merce, TO the idle and rnnous security imposed on them
IN the ports OF their country and nearly all remain
ed at out Of the reach of the embargo il there
fore necessary to take off the Legislature Of the Uni
ted states replaced 1t by t Of aOa Intercourse inter-
dieting all commercial intercourse with France and Eng
land, under various penalties. This act was passed on
tue LIST Of March, 1900 from that day the ports Of the
Union closed to the armed vessels of the two pow
ers, with which commerce iobidden, from both
of The following May they were shut also To their ncr.
chant vessels This Introduction temporary; the Pre-.
sdcnt Of the United States authorised 60 withdraw
in France and England should make proper modi-
hcatons Of their Orders Council. and