Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-11-17
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complete reiuialion Of the objection above cited
In it5' and 1884, Spain, then member Of the Euro
P"' iiace against France. committed numerous acts
OF violence against The reura! flag Of the United States
On the 2ih OF Oct bcr 1875 she concluded treaty OF
aultr and navsa.nn with the United States. by the 9th
article OF which, each party engaged 10 protect the
ss ana property OF the subjects citizens Of the other,
within It's own jurisdiction llnd or sea- and 10
cause restitution Of The 10 lie made in case they
should have been taken. In l17, Spain became the al.
II of France. and the French Government was at that
time exceedingly irratcd against the Government Of
the United States French and Spanish privateers in
great numbers were making American COM
Lercr, and many prizes carried into the ports Of
Spain and there adjudgcd 10 their respective captors
The United States and Spain became friendly 10.
wards each other, and Convention in consequence
signed in 1862 which restored harmony between them,
and III which promise Of indemni6caton made in
ftvor Of the United States. In execution Of this pro.
mise, the Federal Government demanded ndcmnica-
ton not only for the prizes taken by tile Spanish cruisers
but also for those taken by the French and adadged in
the ports Of Spain, in contempt Of the guarantee pro-
missed BY Spain to the American flag, all PLACES nnder
ills jurisdiction. The negotiation TO which this deriand
gave RISE continued for several years. was opened
at Madrid in 1905 resumed at philadelphia in ls4 and
it terminated the 22d Of February 1919. by the
treaty e.. cession Of the Fl3rlGas.
In order to appnron the of FIVE millions, whick
retained n:ennifcaon out of the price paid Tor
Ibis ccssion list Of claims made out, and COM
mission appointed for their examination. The owners OF
vessels seized by French cruisers, and adjudgrd in the
ports OF Spain BY the French authorities, produced their
proo!s and their claims were allowed The owners Of
the vessels seized Saint Sebastian and sold at Bay0nne,
also brought forward their claims Their names appear
in the list formed from documents sent by the President
Congress the FIST OF May, 1920 but by decision
Of The commission made in Ju!c, 1924, they were re-
jectcd. The commission based its decision the fact,
that Spain could have afforded the promised pro.cG-
ton in ports occupied by foreign power, aud could not
be- responsible r injuries committed in It's territory ~
its declared enemies. The owners subsequently
claimed their share Of the ndemnication OF TWENTY-FIVE
millions promised hv France and their right was eninlt'
Ted without difficulty
Thus in t.: opinion Of the United States, manifested
two ms the vessels sricscrcd at SAINT Sebas'
tian4 not ccrprehended under the Florla treaty
Let what the opinion Of Spain on the SUBJECT
1t is evident that if Spain had considered herself as
paying for the vessels segnrsttrrd at Saint Sebastian 3,
she would have required France to repay her out no
demand Of this kind has been made. In the treaty OF
December :}Ih, ISIS. by which the debt OF Spain to
France was fixed at eighty millions all the claims oil the
powers already asserted or which RAY er asserted
are limited to the expenses of the campaign OF i92 anu
of the occupation Gf Spain ny the Frcnc! forces flha!'
w. the Minister Of Foreign Affairs has presented 10 us
the accounts brought forward by Spain, after the treaty
c lS2!; and they contain no claim whaeVer ciauHe 10
the ships srqncslr.rd At Saint Sebastian >.
We have therefore admitted ust. the restitution OF
the prices of the vessels srIStced at Saint Sebastian
We haze however. subracled three vessels with their
carrres fer reasons which have given in the slate"
I,e:.l.
Class TnRn.
vrsss. .scyrsfsrrd in L0apJ. and rtdcd to France, by
TIE ircaty d .Uarrh lGh, 1910.
The system of hockades established IL France BY the
DEGREES m b. Rim and Milan also established in tiol.
land by 4 decree OF January c,I, lcCS The prohibitions
OF this decree being eudcI the Emperor exacted more
severe and efficient decree Of the 25d OF
October following closed the ports of lloland national
as well as Sren s ysStsS Hsa!RFst
81 ,e duration Of this voluntary blockade 10 inc :'ist u
March ISEl Al the beginning o March, lH0' thd de-
cree rendered the system less severe; vessels WheleF M
tiona neutral belonging to countries IN alliance WIN
France allowed 10 export and import Prc''o'a
confined themselves TO articles enumerated IN taFH,
which vigorously excluded ali colonial goods, or those
coming from Great Britain -,
resolution of June Seth 800, confirmed the right
previously granted for the period following Inc '!s' u
March, aud also extended it three months longer, IN Ia
vor of American vessels The cargoes were to be placed
at the disposition CT tho consIgnces they
consisted Of goods, the importation OF which was allow"
ed: if otherwise, they TO be scqurSlercd But
r. restitution of the day reduced the list O! prohibited
articles and permitted the importation OF cotton from
the United States and of sugar and coffee IRON java
The suspension q" rigorous measures a.o no. las' o's
tr Il month after, the King o. Holland was forced 10 re-
pea! the resolution Of June Oh by decree issued on
iie 2:lth Of July 1909. number OF American vessels
had taken advantage oil ti:i temporary suspension;
they had Lrcn particularly induced II do so, ny inc
circumstance that the British Orders in Council
we're at thu time, temporarily suspended, with re-
gard to American Vessels going TO- HOLLAND &C.
veral Of these vessels were IN Holland, wheh INC
| treaty Of March lG, 1870 was concluded between
France and Holland. In execution OF THIS treaty inc
csrpnrs were seqrrsrrcd and placed al the disposition
Of France. the vessels being ordered away 1ae cur
rocs were carried Antwerp or laris, wrc hcy were
sold and the price paid into The puo!!c treasury, as
onoeors from the statements Of the Custom House.
Should the produced by the sale ot these casSes
be repaid These cargo"s or at least the greater part OF
them had entered at period when by the Decfees VI
March and June 1909 the ports oil Holland were legal
" open to vessels which had had no communication win
the enemy Blu. these cargocs consisted almost chufey
of colonial goods, amd the resolution OF June ~ ohiy
permitted the importation OF articles coming rom N
RIGA or Holland. Whence did these co!oh'a so"as Io
Or this n1ui we are uncertain, and nave, at present,
| no means OF a.crrta!ninG Tie TACT
h, assimilation Of The Holland cargoes TO those OF
&, Sebastian $ is not therefore evidently esaoslcd-
Narrower the treaty Of crs$on agreed to by Holland,
differs from the Rrta!Iory Decree Of liambouilet Inc
execution Of the Retaaioy Decree IS only 10 DC hpu
d ~ France: whereas the Treaty OF Crsson appears 10
hay. u,nsrd the responsibility of the sequestrauon,
rather upon The ccdng party lan on that 10 "nich inc
crssan was made. Ii may indeed be rcplieo, lhul 'hs
crsson was only made on the conditioh lat ue 'e
nrpertv should disposed OF according 10 the STATE oi
no,ica relations between France and the Cnta sta'es,
and that these relations having become acabic since
in, st of Nav cl0 aud more so since inc ISL oi W.
vrtcr following the safe OF the cargoes Tor lhe pehe
a. France was vO!uon not gl Tic clter, d. eas'o "
| the spirit Ut Tie treaty. n.. ~
con fox admitting the Holland cargoes into the rigorous
estimate which have undertaken TO makc bht way
impossibe to reject them, and we have c!assed them
| apart as subjects for compromise
CATEGORY ~
essscIs seized and condemned after iorem6er Isl lolo
The principle OF this category does not require discus
SION The most solemn promises, the avowals OF tne
Empire and the Restoration, the favorable opinions Of
all the commissions, place the question beyond cohn s
yersy The statement annexed to the bill no" oeio
you places fifteen vessels in this category; we ne c.
tracted two, (the ROhns"n-nora ana the oeHU 49,
motives witch have been explained in our own state
en Il had been proposed admit for f mo-
ton the vessels seized before ts ,. " nrnoo,on
1na Condemnation does not decree the right
. o Jor,ars IL the right is derived from capture
o condemnation establishes the lrgaiiiy II the