The Arkansas advocate., 1835-01-23

Tor the territory on which France exercised her reprisals, every day became more and more extended. The British opposed this decree with the orders of council of No Der Il. 1907. To this Napoleon answer ed in the decrees the same year, November 23, and December IT. This last decree declared every ship outawed that submitted to the oppressive acts of England. A gov ernment may, if 1t choose, put up with in- suits and expressions, but when the re:ac- ton of those insults and expressions affect the honor and interests of other nations, these last have a right to resist and 10 legis- late ln their own defence against the neutral party, who has dishonorably submitted, as was the case of America, to the enormous. and unjust exactlons of England. This was the argument Napoleon used. Napo- leon said 10 the Americans, "you admit these pretensions-you allow your vessels to be searched and eonfscated, and thus you become the vassals and subjects of En- gland-you are, therefore, no longer Ame- rcans; your ships are English ships-your cargoes English cargoes-yon are dena- tsonzed.o And the expression was as just as the punishment. Notwithstanding the rigor of Napoleon's decrees, they were elu- ded by the Americans. They brought their produce, for example 10 Madeira, where re- ceiving English goods in exchange, they carried them to the ports of Europe. Also they suffered their ships to be purposely ta- ken to England. and when afterwards cap tured and carried to France, they pretended to have been taken to England by force. The proportion of these fraudulent cases to unjust captures, was at least as tasentg 10 one! However, the hostile acts of the Brl- tlsh towards tne Americans, impressment ot their seamen, and especially the attack on the Chesapeake, aroused spirit of ndigna- tion which promised not easily to be tram quilized. They had the most legitimate cause possible for war. Jefferson demand ed satisfaction, but the American people did not long support him. The resentment was soon calmed. The spirit of specula- ton would not make any sacrifices to the national dignity. Private interest was loud- CT than national honor. Jefferson, thus frustrated, on the 22d December, 1907, five days after Napoleon had signed the Milan decree, lad an embargo on all American vessels. His voice was not heard. There remained in all the seas of Europe, an i'm, mense American colony, floating and ad venturous, which covered all the coasts and sought to penetrate into every port, a tue risk c0siffiscsitoIi siii5 it the
 gain. Ii was truly said that the American flag was every where, the American com meree no where. Carriers of all nations 1 they became, especially, the hawkers o British merchandise. All that the French government admits in favor of the Ameri cans from the date of embargo, t admits from a pure spirit of liberality. It might without an excess of injustice, have refused any of those claims.
 There are facts that cannot be contro- verted Towards the end of 1908, out O
 l2 or 5 vessels seized at Rochefort and Rochelle, an American Consul himself re. 1 cognized that the papers of at least one hat of them had been fabricated at Lenden, anc the remainder were supposed to be English with old American papers.
 So also, there arrived in the ports O Spain, American vessels which pretendec to come from neutral colonies, and had or board English passengers. A great mum. Der of these sailed under English escort tc Gibraltar, where they dispersed into al parts of the Mediterranean.
 All the ports of Italy and Austria were shut up to the English flag, and the Ameri- can supplied its place. Vessels left Trieste | at the end of January, 1908, and returned there with new cargoes in the month oi May following. Their voyage was not long; they went from Malta to Trieste, and from Trieste to Malta. Thus, during the continuance of the embargo, while the Ame- rican aag should have been absent from Eu- rope, 1t was seen every where, transporting the merchandise of England from the en- trepots of that country into every place into which they could introduce 1t. If Austria had not in 1909 declared war against France, and had ceased the sequestration of American vessels, the United States, in proceeding with that Government as they have us, would have had 10 demand fifteen to twenty millions of an indemnity, though there was nothing American in the Austrian seizures but the vessel, and sometimes mo- thing but the flag.
 In the midst of these discussions the I'ni- ted States declared war against Great Brl- tain. Napoleon, then in Russia, invited MT. Barlow to Wilma to put the seal to a treaty which would have been true alli- anca hetween fhe two nations His death interrupted the negotiations, and Ill 1913. when they were renewed, the American Government gave the French to understand