The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-05
American Trade Ruined

a little island that lay off in the fog of the North Atlantic like "a wart on the nose of Europe as he contemptuously described it. But he was confident he could conquer England in bloodless cam paign without firing another gun and without leaving his capital.
 Since the day England and France went to war fin 1868, the British navy had been gunning for the French flag at sea, while .' Napoleon had been tirelessly marching and battling to seal the harbors of Europe against British trade. With the flags of France and her allied nations thus swept from tte ocean and English vessels ex- cluded from the harbors of the continent the American flag became the favorite refuge and protector of great commerce. I To prevent the infant republic of the west taking from them the lead in the ! carrying trade the British ministers adopted the watchword, "No trade except through Engand," and forbade neutral ships to enter any port of Napoleons em- pre unless they first visited an English port and paid a heavy tribute to the British treasury. Napoleon thereupon re- torted with a decree which condemned to seizure any vessel submitting to that ex- action. With that stroke the doom of the commerce of the seas was complete. The great waters all but reverted to the track less wastes they were before the voyags of Columbus, Gama and Magellan, while Napoleon undertook to reopen the ancient overland routes to the east.
 The new world was involved with the old in a universal conflict It was es- timated that only one in eight American vessels crossing tho Atlantic escaped cap- ture at the hands of France or England.
 The United States. seeking at once to protect its ships and retaliate on both or the belligerent powers, adopted the em bargo act. which forbade American ves- Gpls tn clear for E,urODeau D0rts and which cut off Europe from American supplies. But Europe was not then dependent on American cereals, and indeed had yet hardly begun to draw on the new world for foodstuffs. English manufacturers, therefore became the principal sufferers from the embargo. and in Manchester alone 31 mills were reduced to half time for lack of American cotton, and A were closed entirely Meanwhile the masts of idle ships rose like forests in front of the wharves of New York, Boston and Salem.
 Nevertheless the Stars and Stripes con- tinued to appear in European waters. many American ships eluding the embargo act by staying away from home and en- gazing In the carrying trade between for eign ports But by further decree Ma poleon condemned all vessels of the United States entering his harbors, since they had .Auo right under American law to be ab- yent from their own ports. Obedient to 4 Ythis last decree, 134 American ships were seized in a year, and their cargoes, ag- gregating in value s10,00o.000, were confis- oated.
 A Barbed Wire Fence
 When England saw the bayonets of Ma poleon, like a barbed wire fence, inclos- ing the shores of the Atlantic and the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Adr1- attic. she sought to keep the port of Co., penhagen open to her trade by bombard- ing that city and carrying off the Danish navy. Napoleon at the same time was menacing a feeble nation at the other extremity of Europe and demanding that Lisbon, the only southern port where the British flag still found welcome, should be closed If Portugal does not do as I wish.' he stormed at the Portuguese am bassador, the House of Braganza will cease to reign in two months. I will no Nlonger tolerate English ambassador in Europe. but will declare war against any hoyer that receives one at it's court"
 S4 was determined to plant his guns
 h very harbor mouth on the continent .3khnr England from the land as effec-
 4E as she was barring France from ys sea. The few poor little ports of the Apal states did not escape his atten- stfion. Pope Plus VII being sternly com manded to close them to British trade and join the continental alliance against Great Britain. In letter to Prince Eu- gene viosroy q Italy, which hs vas iu-