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.14
Vol. 13.
RALEIGH y (N..c.) TBURHDyJ Y, $0EMMm$$ 08 1"
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irom Af Kational Intelligencer.
The Documents, accompanying the Mcs
of the PftisideBt, being too extensive for
insertion n one P3' we hVe PnSKlcrea
it most satist'uetory, in the first instance, to
polish the f bWmg, which will fuv:.ish, to
ferably correct idt a of the situation of our
foreign relations, with the ground taken by our
govtrnxpetit. In subsequent papers the
whole of the documents bhall be given.
r i
x;rar of a letter from Gen. Armstrong to the
ficcrctory.. oJ):ate - dfycd Mourbon V.irch
"umhauit, 23th Anp 1808.
jvaiBcc.myar','iVl!at'lhis place ! have been
bvouteoV by -the recent ot ryour ciispitcli
" of the 2 1st utt. and Would immediately return
to iPai't to renew rpy discussion with -M.
de.Chiiinpagny either personally, as you suj;
vc U or by writing, had I not the most sof
Umn convictiorf that any new experiment
nude at the present momeot in either form
ami of official character, .would , certainly be
useless and probably injurious:."
Fram Air. Pinckxet tTlf. tiMKiKe.
' ' ' Great, Cumberland Vaff,
Ausuitlid, 1808
Sir I have had the honour, in consequence
of the orders of the President,, to recal . your
attention, in the course of several recent in
Ua.iews, to the British orders in council of
the Ttiiof January and f Uh November, 1807,
ai,d to the. various orders founded upon or in
extt'ution of them ; and I now. take the liber
ty to renew, in the mode which I have un
dsrstood .to be indispensable,, rflfy instances on
thaf Wibject. 7, .. '"vr "'' ,Z
X tifee'd scarcely remind you, sir, that the
government .of the United . States , has never
cead 16 consider these, orders as violating
its! rights,' and atfectingmost .destructively its
ieterests upon gromvds. p holly 'inadmissible
both in pnrtcipl; ancTfact;1 r '
The letters of Mr. Madison to Mr. Erskine
Sfthe tOlh and 29th of March, 1807, proda
'.. c eel by the official commbnicatinn of that mini
ster of the; order of the 7th of January, -and-
. the answer of Mr. Msulison of the 25th of
March, 1808, to a like communication ol the
orders' 'o the 1 i Novembert contained the
inost direct renwstrance against the system,
which these orders introduce and'; execnte,
nd expressed the ccnfi'lent expectation of
the President that it would not be persisted in.
, That expectation has not yet been fulfilled,
bujt it has, notwithstanding, not been relin
quished.; The president is still persuaded
that its ' a'ccomplisemeot will result from a
careful review by his majesty's government,
nia"de..in'the-spg,it of moderation and equity,
of the facts and considerations which belong
to the occasion. . .
tt is not niy piroose to rs.capjtulate in this
note the statements and reasonings confained
in the above.ymentioned letters of Mr. Midi
son, in suppoit of the claim of the ovenment
rif tle Uniied States,, that the" British orders
-be revoked. ! content myself with.rcferririii; to
those letters for proofs .which, itis, not ne
cessarytd repeat, '"and lor argunyents which I
could not hope to improve,
;,Ilut'thire are explanations which those let
ters do not contain, and w hich it ,is pre peTfor ,
me now to make E'vai these however, may
be vry briefly given, since you have ajrea-
' dy been made acquainted in "ur lae con ver-
'satjohs with all their bearings" and details.,
f - These explanatroiis go to, shewvtba$j while
VveVy motive of jtis'tice conppiresto1 produce,
a disposition, to recal the orders, of which
Thy goyernmentcompiains,4f is become ap
parent that even thejr professed object will be
best-attained .by their revocationi "
rad-theJ-senor to state to you, sir, that it
was th intentiojri of the Pi tsidint in -ane
Great Britain repeated her jrdu;s. as rtyatd.
ed the United Stales, to exercise the power
.vested ;u him by the act of the Jast session of
Congress, entithd An act t auihorlse the
President of the United St; under cer.-.
taih conditions, to susptiid, the .eppranort' of
tliV act layfrvsr an embargo oh all .s.lvTpand
csscls In the ports and h arrets of the Lnitcci.
Slides, ai)d the,, several supplementary: acts
tber-eto?rtiy suspsWewhar4Jaw.
and its sunbUnnhts; as rscards Great-Hvi'; in;
- I"arrf 'aufh"6rfe'd;1o -giver ybtt -ihis-a'ssuuSdq
- iu the most fjrint .mariner ; and 1 trus tua
i;?on impart ial enquiry it - will be ). Jound to
levjpol ijid tccment to ' perseverahce in the
. 33ritish ortlers, white it creates the most .pow.
vr ci-ful lipeititeTnents of'equity and policy to a
V n the score of Justice it does. ' not seem
" 'possible to mistake the footing upn. which
th;3 overture places the subject ; and I ..venture,
to believe that in any'other view there is as
little room for doubt. 1 . . ; -
llv-avl proposery our orders should be re
scinded -asTjto the U.- States, and our erubar--go
rescinded as'teLG feat Britain, the effect jofj
these concurrent acts will be that the cm-'
incmaUjnjercourse of the tvfo 'countries' will
"I s immediately resumed wfail, f Pra-ice
: sho-.!d aHer-o rTxim and ro'ingt ncroga
cur in r'-specting those rights, and commerce
should thus regain : its fair1 immunities and
the law of nations its just dominion, allt' e i !
leged purposes of the British orders will
have betfn at once Fulfilled. .
If I forbear to pursue these ideas through all
the illustrations of which they are uscepti7
ble, it is because the per6otal conferences to
which I have before alludetl, as"well as ti e
.obvious nature of the ideas themselves, rtndtr
it unnecessary. - -
I-cahnot 6cnclurlc "this note without ex
pressing my sincere wish that what I have
now suggested, in conformity .with the liberal
sentiment and enlightened views of the Pre
sident, may contribute not only to remove
the more immediate obstacles to the ordinary
. intercourse of trade between your country and
mine, in a manner consistent with the honor
of both, but. to prepare the way for a satisfactory-adjustment
of every q-uestion important
to their future friendship.
Ihave the honor to be,
With the highest consideration,
Sir, . ,
t Yor most obed't humble sen t.
(Signed) - . Wm. PINKNKY.
Extract of a fatirr from Mr. Pixckney to the
Secretary cf V:atet dated 24ti Srittmicr,
1808, London
' I am fowenabled to transmit to you a
copy of; Mr. Canning's answer, received only
last night, to my note of the 23d of August.
" I regret extremely that the views which
I have been instructed to lay-before this go
vernment have not been met by it as I had at
first been Jed to expect. The overture cannot
fail, however, to place in a strong fight the
tand-JiffLstmtiments"'by which our go
vernmcntsls animated, and m other respects
i , - .
; viewed in'this light, his majesty .;
OHceive that he has the rife ht-or the
cern
not conceive that he has the riigl:
tension ' ;o make any complaint of it
has made none; But in this light there ap
pears not -only no reciprocity, but no assiena
does
pre-
and he
the fembargg, contirmmg- as to her, willv fake
the'place of your orders, nd lead with an effi
cacy,' not merely equal to theirs, but -prolia-bly
much greater, to all the consequences that
ought to result from thn. ,
On the other hand, it ! ranee sliould conr--Lble relation, betWeen the repeal by the Uni
ii rtate ol a measure oF volvt4ry seufe
striction, and the surrender by his majesty of
his right fef retajiat'lrn;Sasi'4iis enemies. ...
The government of the Uniteif States is
not now tp be in teamed fjat the "Berlin decree
of November 2 1 1806, was the practical Com
mencement of an attempt jfiot merely to
tdieck-or impair ..the prosperity of Great Bri
tain, but uverly to annihilate her political ex
istence, thro' the rUin of her commercial prosi
perity ; that in this attempt almost all the
powers. of the European continent have been
compelled more or less to co operate ; and that
the American embargo, though most assured
ly not intended to that end (for America
can have no real interest in the subvei sion Of
the British; power, and ' ;r raltTs are too en
lightened to act from any impulse against the
real Interests of their country) but by some !Jn-t
fortunate concurrence df circumstances,
without any -hostile intention, the American
;mbargo did come in aid of " the blockade
of the European continent'' precisely at ' the
very moment when, if that Blockade could
have succeeded at all, this .interposition of the
American government would most effectually
have contributed to it success.
To this universal combination, his majesty
has opposed a te-mperate hot a determined
retaliation upon the enemy ; trusting that a
firm resistance-would defeat this project, Ihk
knowing that tire smallest concession would
infallibly encourage a perseverance in it.
.f 1 r.e struggle has oeen viewed iy otner
st'j-r
to be ustful and honourable to our country."
rwi Mr. Canning to Wv. 'Pinckney;
j . FotiEior ( FricE,
September zZJ, 1808.
The -nrlderslcnetl his'majesty's priniipal'
Secretary of State for foreign affairs, had the !
hi nor to receive the official letter addressed to
him by Mr. Pinkne), minister plenipoten
tiary of the United Stales, rtspei;tirg the or
ders in council issued by b;s maj.-sty on the
7lh of Jarruiry and 1 Ith ' vi ml er, 1307.- k
He has laid that letter I et'oic the; k'n, aftd
he is commanded to assure Mr. Pinckr.ty'tat j
the answer to the proposal! to . whit n Ivlr.
Finckney ipas instructed to bring forward,
has been deferred only in the hope that the
renewed application which was niidns.ocd 4to
have he'jn tecently. made by the oxemment
of the Ui.ited Statetotbatf rra. re, might
Ji) the new state of 'things', which ;. as arisen
itiEtuope, have met with such a reception in
'Praiicet as would have rendered" the rorbpli-
j arce of his majt sty .with that prc'pfts?! consas-
tent as much w.ith ; hisniajsy's owji dignify
ii-nd i with the interest of his people, tig it would
have been with ,hts majesty.. tii,positio:i W
w arc's the United Stateii. Unhappily there is
noWriio Icnp er any vet'son to believe l hat such
a hope is likely to be real'zrd ; tuul the un
dersigned, is theiefoie commanccd to com
municate To Mr. I'inckney the decision which
u'l.der the circumstances as they 'sta'hd, his
majesty feels himself 'compilled, however
unwill nsly to adopt.
The mitigated measure of 'retaliation en
ncinccd.by his majesty in the crdv-rs :i coun
cil of the 7th Jc.Miary,aiid th furthei ex
tenjion of that measure (an extensrin ;n r'pe
rat ion .'but not to-jrinCiple) - by the orders in
council of November," were' founded (as, has
leen already repeatedly avowed 'by Hr-ma-;
jesty) on the. unquestionable right of his
irii4eBiy. to rjeiort upon the enemy the evils of
Lis ovn injustice" and i upon the considera.
powers net without an opprehtnsion that it
might be fatal to thi country. The British
government has not disguised from itself
that the trial of s'H.h an experiment
might be 'afduous and lonp ; though it has
never douhiejjof the final issue, lut if that
f issue, sucn as. the liruisn governmeijt con
fidently ant icipate!, lias providentially arriv
etl mtich sooner than could have been hoped ;
if" the blockade of the continent," as it lias
been tiiumphantly ; stiled by' the enemy, is
raised even before ; it had been well esta
blished; and if that system, of whidi -'extent
continuity were the vital principles, is
broken up into fragments utte rly hat'mless
and" Contemptible ; it, is nevertheless (impor
tant in the higl.-.st degree to the reputation
of this country (a ltputatn.n which constitutes
great part of her power) that this disappoint
ment of the hopes Of her enemies should not
ntve been purchased by at y concession ; that
not a doubt should remain to cutU'nt times of
i- her tlete't mina'.mn and of her al.ility to have
continued her resistance y an.ct that no step
w hich could- even misiaheilly be construed
into concession s!:oai"d1c taken o:i her pari,
whife the smallest link of -the confederacy re
mains undissolved ; or while it can be a quts
tion v.htthcr flic plan
i r .
tt iiciu n nas cr na:
mji
ul by these.
devi'.eel for er de s
c it nt. i " ail
ed or btcti unequivocally ahandoned '"i
Th'efce1 considcraiions comptl iifs majesty
.W.x if; it, iMir i r1c C. vl h tr K nv.
tiers iri cctiticil of the Ftli Janii;.iy and the
;,l:rvbToyemhei are ftxinded.so loiv as France
adheres to that systfepi by which his majes
ty's rtt,ii'atery measures were' 'occasioned and
justified. .. - - ..
It is not improbable, indeed, that some al
terations may. be made in the. orders in coun
cil, as they are at pressnt framed; alterati
ons calculated not to abate their spirit or
impair "their principle,' but to-adapt Jhem
more extcly to the tiiftWent state cf" things
which' has lot tunately grownup, in Europe,
and to combine ,all pi aisaWej relief . to neu
trals, witli a rnore severe pressure upon-4he-
enemy. .- . , ,. .
But of alterations to be nvade w'rtF"tTs view
only, it wotdd,be uncandid to tane any ad
vantage inv thcrpreseut. 'tilscusioii.: however
4t-jwght 4 hoped, that in their practical effect
they might pxovenen'uarTo: Ahierica, pro
vided the opeiHiion of .the embargo were not
torer;ther from' reaping that bent fit.'
X It remains for the undersigned, to take no
tfcl of the last purigrap.b. of Mr; Pinkfjey's.
KeT, neverthele cfa6enJi&6fc Jot
ward ; it will perhaps be no insefcufe pledge .
for the continuarice.of the good yndetstanding
betweien the two countiies, that they will have , '
learnt duly to appreciate TeachJbthefs friendi;2 f
ship and that it will rki lreafter beimpuu '
ed to GTtHtliritairv either-nfthjtne lunej . .-.
that she nvieS American indiistry 4ii peju- 1
dicial to British enimmerseor, .01 the other ,
jliand, thftt- sh'e' is coiapelLef to court an inter- f
course with America, as absolutely necessary
His yiajesty would not hesitate to cortf ribuW ?
r in any manner in his power to restpre to the v
I commerce of the United States, its wonted ,aa A i
tivuy; ana 11 u were possio.s to make any sa
crifice for the repeal of thc-embargo, without
; appearing 'o fdeprecate it as atneasufe.of h'bs "-
tility, he woiild gladly have facilitated It re' ,
moval as a meusure of Inconvenient rcStrictioa
upon the A m eric ah people. ;u " - ' j . -,--
'Jhe tindersiejnedliscommandcch In conclu- !
sion, to observe, that nothing js said in Mr. ;
Pinknty's letter, of any jhteiition to repeal, ther
proclamation by 'which the ships of war pf
Great-Britain are interdicted from all. those
rights of hbspitalTly in the ports 'of the Unite
States, which are freely allowed to thehjii.
of his majesty's enemies. y .
The contincance of an interdiction' which
under Mich circumstances, aino'unts SO nearly . .
to direct hostility, after the willingness pro-
feSsed, and the attempt made by his majesty
to remove-the cause on vvhich thst measure
harTbeen originnlly founded, would uflbrd but
an inauspicious omeri for the commencement --
of a system of mutual conciliation ; and the
omission, ofany notice of t-ltat measure in the V
pi opos?.l which Mr Pinkney has been instruct
ed to bring forward, would have been of itself
a material defect in the overture of the Presi
dent. v , .v -' '-
But i!ne unders'gn.1 13 commandeel no fur
ther to' dwell upon this subject than for the
purpose, of assuring Mr. Pinkney rhat on thia .
and every-other pci'it iu discussion between
-tbcrTwo-tfjove rn -mrHt-fi-is-m a j est yt arne stly
desires the restoration of it perfect good unrjer
staiidjfig, and that his majesty woulel decJio '
no measure for the attainment of that, object,.
Vthich should be compatible with his own ho
nor and just rights, and with the, interests of
his people.' - ' j-
The undersmed requests Mr. Pinkney will
accept the assurances ol hw high cnnsideratiotH
-(Signed) GEORGE -CANNING.-
jpon
.ion that " it third pavties incidetitarMt- suher- !
e retalratorv-jmeasurts, they were ton
1 t I . I
atafeK tneir leuresfi ironi.ine power uy wnwse
'miginal, aggression' .thaW-pelaliationwasocca
"sipped." -.'
AJu.AAjlr iS?lfcr-Tjiere'-cannot ex;ston the part of Mr
.-t'iiJjsy..irLEL'tr -(iSIl Ull'.il IkCIt
of America, which varies this oiigihat 'aTid,
sin-ple stfte of the question.
If consideVed as a measure of impartial
"hostility ugainst. both .belligerents, the -em-bartro
.appears to His majesty to have been
m anifestly-unju stT -s, accoMLnMpe-ery,
principle of justice that redress ;ought to j
have been first sought fixm the partyorigi-'
nating tlie wrong. And his majesty canned
sho'tdd a'
torv;;j tl
consent to buy oft that liosiility which Amui
ca ought not to have extencled 4to,him, at the
"TXprence of a concession niaJe not te Ameri
ca but to France ' " r, -J,
..If, as it Kas more generilly been-riresenN j
ed by the govetnment ot the United butes
the embargo is only to be tofcuidered as an
innocent mntiicipalrepulatroiv . wtucl: affects
none bnt. tl'e. United .States themselves, end
ie neiiUuT'ilRutstlte-Utiite'd StateV ,wilh which to foreign state has' anyT
ccn v 't-wi
f. 1 ,iay arsirc-pgeiL v, j s
that of tjte urdersigncoL, and.Jt the isriusn
government, for the adjustment of all th;eclif-
ifefencts soJistingbetw'-fcn the two countries.
His niatvsly lias r.o other dtspositipn than
to cultivate the most friendly intcrcoursewith
the United States, - .. -- ..-' , "-:
The undersigned is persuaded, that Mr.'
Pinkney- would be orrs'of the lasl to imagine,
Avhat h often i'dlv. asserted, that the depres
sion of any other country is hecessary.;$fier
ticeauic to the prosperity w. wi3"F- c VY?:
peTjty ofAmerica is essentially the prosperity
of Great Britain, and the v rength.and.pJ we r
of Great'Hritain arc not' for herself .nly, but
jfor the worlds- When those adjdsVmenjs Jhall
take place, to which, though urrfortgoattlj not
practicableSi t tVi 5 moment, nor tinder thjr soji
iypiH nresci i'x-d by Mr. rtnkney, tne vnncr-
From the Secretary of Slate to Mr. '' Enkine
- : ' ' ; Department of .State, ? .
. , Marc.ii 25," 1 808. $
Sni-Having laid before the President your
' letter ot- the lid of February, explaining the
character of -certain British orders of counci
iv ued in November last, I proceed to com
numicate the obscrvatipns and representations
hicli will .miniiest to vour guytrnment the
sentiments of the President on so deep a vidr "
lation of the commerce and rights of the .
nited States. '
-1 Tiiese- onlers"inte'.?ict td neutral nations or 1
rather to-the C hi tod States now. the only com
meiial nation in a stale of neutrality, all eom
mirce with the enemies of GreatTjBtitain" notv.
iiearly the v hole commercial World, "with cer
lain exceptionsionly, and under certain regu
lations, but - too evidently, fashioned to the.
commerciah the manufacturing end the. fisbal
polity of Great-Britain ; and on that account,
the more derogatory from, the honor and inde
pendence of neutral nations,'. .
The, orders are the more calculated to ex
cite surprise in the United states as they have
disregarded the remonstrances conveyed ia
my letters offh 20th antfittlf -March, 1807, ,
against another" order of council issued oil a ' .
similar plea, in the month of January, 1867.
To those just remonstrances ho ahswer was
indeed ever givei'fwhiltlbe oftjer hasbeen,
continued in -its pernicious 'operation against
the lawful commerce of the, Unitodl State,
and w'cjQdvv find edded to it others, jhstitutJ
still more ruinovsxlepredal
the additioTt bt'any new pretext : anejwbeit,.'
njoreoverlt'.' .wJtorjous; . thai .the ordef of JiJ- ' ,
nuary" was bt-a hature greatly, to overbalance
in its effexts any injuries to Great-Britain that.
".could be apprehended from the 1 Megal opera-
"ifon 'of the Prehf h decree on Which llw ordeal jl
ytq retail are, n.vfi.uwrecreennTUiITegai
ro'pewlDnJCen:acluailyntilied to the Umt4d:
jbtates, andTbeen acquiescec in by them,
i Theylasorderj, like that of January, . prc
.ceed on the,mosc" unubstnti'ai foundatton-MT-They
assume for fact an jacquTcscehe' of the'
.MsiteCStates 'JnJ-.ahun!awfuT application" tr "
; them of the Frenclrdecree : arjdbeyssuma
for a principle that the right prreUliatton ac-.
crui to one belligerent against" a neutra',
through whom an injnry is" done b'y another,
belligerent, "isjrnVe fo its measure that
of tlie injury received, but may; be ixtrcisid'
in any' extent, and under "any. 3p6UScs.tic'i'!
which: may suit the pleasure Xr the policy of '
nhe;complaiiin.gariy.. - V
1 lib '-.IV'l vtti v-M I i I W f KJ T I H as
his not true that the Um! Sanies have a;-
-.r
I
CLi
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vWiC '1V.W