Newspapers / The Weekly Raleigh Register … / Nov. 1, 1810, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
... j - . , ... . , . . . , - ;.-T . .. . - . ,r , :.;v, -.tjji. if ii in i I , i i m, .i ii . ii. " 1 1 i i r - v, . t v .yv. "j j i ' ' . . - i r. , i i ii ii.' " . - ii --"i ""i w A Will - . t . . v&- : m l'Tv f iliJ'fi ii. kl.iM.M.r- I. TTAi .f l..r i X V I lt V sLVi iWi via vvww t vf uvuviuo - K ,, ;Jf Uw&rp'd by prty rtft, to lUt Hk Brother!. p . - , . f " " t THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1, 1810. . , No. 58Q ; ; J 7 .WEST FLORIDA xnBPBXDE AT. prmtheJXatchezJ Weekly Chhnicle. MterdT receded b express, from our correipowicnv "--v .. --y- : .:hU intereiUosr communication. Vlbich we lose no time w Uing before our ToJ- Quorcri Fort of Bat m Rouge, September 24, 1810. SIRIn obedience to the order of ihe Connntion bearing date the 22d inst. I greeted Maj Johnson to assemble uch cf the catalry as might be ready M hand ind march immediately fcr the Fort Ba tjn Rouge I then proceeded to Spnng tJd, where I found 44 of the grenadier commanded by Col.Ballenger, i ing the orders of Convention ; at 1 o'clock in the morning of the 23d we kined Maj. Johnson and Capi. Gnthth, ,ith 21 of the Bayou Sara cavalry, and lor 6 other patriotic gentlemen joined u, 'on our march. At four o'clock the uroc morning, we made the Hack Mr orders were not to fire till we re ctitcd a ihotrom the garrison, and to err out in French k English, Ground tour amis and you shall not bs huru" This order was atrictly attended to by the volunteers ; we receded no damage oo our part ; of the Governor's troops, Li-uf. Louis Grind Pre wa mortalfy .curded Lt. J. B. Mttztgnes, Com ramdant of Artillery was al woundtd -one private was killed and four badly w unded ; we took twer.ty-ont puson ers, among whom is Col. Debsius, the rea escaped by flight. The magazines, rores, he. found in the garrison, have be n reported to you by James Neihon, Esq. who was appointed fo thatpurpote The. various and complicated duties dcrolring cn me from the pressing cir cumstances of the moment, forbid a more minute detail. The firmness and moderation of the totunteers who made the attack was ful ly equal to that of the best disciplined trrops.- Whole companies are daily Caking to our standaid ; and the har mony and patriotism prevailing in the i rion must br- highly gratifying to ecry friend of his country. Accept row auratces, Uc PHtl.KMON THOMAS. CommuMi UCkltf of U tort of ro KoC,ft;r. Hon J ,bn Hbea. Prendentof ihfConvention of W. Flor-da, Certified to be true copy of the origi nal in mj office. AN jREW STEELE, Src r, Fj tie neprttentativei of the People of Heti floriua, A DECLARATION. IT is known'to the World with how much fidelity the Rood People of this Territory hate pr frssed tnd maintained allegiDnce to their legitimate Sovereign, while any h ipe remained of receitrpg from him protection for their property and lires. Wthout making any unne cessary innovation in the established principles of the Government, we had Vwlunlatily adopted certain reguhthns in enncert with our first Magistrate, for the express purpose of preserving this territory, and shewing our attachment to the government which had heretofore protected us. This compact,which was entrred into with good faith on our part, will forever reman an honorable lestf moov of our upright intentions nd in violable fidelity to our King and parent Country, while so much as a shadow of Intimate authori'y rem lined to be ex ercised over us. We sought only a speedy remedy for such evils as seemed to endanger our existence and prosper! It. and were encouratrtd by cut Govt rn- or with solemn promises of assistance and co opera' ion. liut those measures which were intended for our preserva tion, he has endeavored to pervert into an engine of destruction, by encourag ing, in the moit perfidious manner, the u .lation of ordinances sanctioned and establbhtd by himself as the law of the lndV t Being thus left wt'hout any hope of rrotection from the mother country, be trayed by a Magistrate, whose duty it ws to have provided for the safety and irinqwTity of- the people and govern ment committed to his chargr, and ex , lcd to ail the evils cf a state of anar hy, which we have so long endeavor ed imvr ; it becomes our duty to pro 'e fir cur own security as a fr-e and dependent state, absolved from all.al I'iancr to a government which nolong tr protects us. ' We, therefore, the Representatives aforesaid, appealing to the Supreme.Rti lerof the World for the rectitude of our intentions, do solemnly publish and de clare the several Districts composing this Territory of West-Florida to be a. FREE AND INDFPEkOENT STATE ; and that they have a right to institute for themselves such form of government as they may think conducive to their safety and happiness to form treaties to es tablish commerce to provide for their common defence and do all acts which may of right be done by a sovereign and independent nation. At the same timv declaring all acts within the said Terri tory of West-Floridj, after this date, by any tribunal or authorities not deriving their powers fiom the People, agreea bly to the Drovisios of this Convention. to be null and void ; and calling upon aii.roreign nations to respeci ui um Declaration, acknowledging our Inde pendence and giving us such aid as may be consistent with the laws and usages of Nations. This Dcclaratio i, mad in Convention at the Town of Biton Rouge, on the 26lh day of September, in ihe year of our Lord 1810, We, the Rfpiesen tatives, in the name, and on behalf of our constitut-nts, do htrtby solemnly pledge oursc-Ives to supjVort with our lives and fortunes.1 John fl Johnton, John, .Morgan, John .MU!$, Edmund Jfowet, John ft'. Leonardfhomai Ul.'ey, Militant Barrow, William Stiller Jjhihp Hickey, J so. It HE A, Pre. B v order of the Convention, ANDREW STEELE, Sety. j .Rational QuestwiL FROM IHE AURORA. NEUTRAL COMMERCE. Sir, I have shewn, ls. That the only condition upn which France ha-, consented to revoke her decrees, is, to t we shall fulfil the engagement or pro mise, which we voluntarily, and of ou. own accord, made in out Lw of May Is 1810 : and 2d!y Th a Britiln will not notj cease to violate our rights, although thr pretext, the allcdged right of retalia tion, be removed. The next paint for consideration, is. what we should do, in case Britain shall not cease to violate our rights ? But be fore I enter into this enquiry, I think ii useful to prove to the public, more par ticularly than I have yejt dorfe, tlat Bri tish minister, and their advocates in America, have sevtrally declared the orders of council to be solely retaliatory, and that they would be repealed, so soon as their alledged cause, that is, the French decrees, str uld cease. Let us ex-mine official, and therefore authentic evidence. 1. In a note from Lord3 Holland and Auckland (the Fox ministry) t" Messrs. Monroe and Pinkncy, dated Dccembti 31, 1806, they state, that Britain nevir declared any port in a state of blockade, without allotting a force competes to make the entrance into it dangerous : that France had Issued the Berlin de cree upon an unfounded assumption, that Britain had violated neutral rights : and that, if neutrals should submit to the Berlin decree. Britain would be com pelled to retaliate. 3. In a letter from Mr. Erskine to Mr. Madison, dated February 22, 1808, announcing the existence ofthc orders in council, Ar. Erskine says : ' His Majesty having been disap pointed in his just expectation, that neu tral would have interposed with effect, either to prevent the execution of the French decrees, or to procure heir abro gation ; can no Ipneer refrain from ha ving recourse to such measures, as, by retorting on the enemy the evils produ ced by his violence, may afford the only remaining chance of putting an end to a system, the existence of which, is not more injurious to his Majesty's domi nions, than to nations not parlies in the war between Great-Bri'ain and France. . The right of his Majesty to resort to retaliation, cannot be questioned the suffering occasioned to neutrals, is incidental, and not of his Majesty's seek ing, and 1 am commanded toy his Ma jesty, especially to represent to the go vcrnroent of the United States, the ear nest wish of his" Majesty, to see the commerce of th world once more re stored to that freedom, which is neces sary tois prosperity ; and his readiness to abandon the system, which has been t forced upon him, whenever the enemy rendered it necesssary." 3. The same language or professions will be found in the preamble to the or ders of council. k 4. In a letter from Mr. Canning to Mr. Pinkney, in answer to, Mr Pink ney's letter of May 23, 1808 he said, "his Majesty 'Will be compelled to ad here to the principles, upon which the orders of council of January 7th 8c No vember 1 1th, were founded, as long as France adhrres to that system by which his Majesty's retaliatory meaures were occasioned and justified' $. In a letter from Mr. Canning to Mr. Pinkney. dated September JJ, 1808, Mr. Canning says : c To the repre sentations which yu have repeatedly made 3gainst the orders of council, 1 have uniformly maintained the unques tionable right of his Majesty, to resort to the fullest measures of retaliation, in consequence of the unparalleled aggres sion of the enemy, and to retort upon that enemy the evils of his own injus ticeand have uniformly contended hat M if third parties suffer from those 'neasures, the demand of reparation must be made to that power, which first violated the established usages of war, ind the nghts of neutral states." r5. In a dtbte in the House of Lords, February 17, 1809, Earl Bat hurst, Lord Melville, 8c the Earl of Liverpool, main tained that the origin of the orders in council, was the Berlin decree ; that umil the Berlin decree was revoked, the orders in council ought, as a matter of right and interest, to remain in. force: that the orders In council were founded on justice, approved by experience, and were the best means of retaliating upon the aggressor, the acts by which he hai violated the laws of nations " In the course ot tne aeoate, L.ora nowicK ? letter ro Mr. Rich was quoted by the Eail of Liverpool, in support of the pre- .edirig positions. 7. In a debate in the House of Com- mons, lYlircn b isu. iir. oiepncns (author of War in Disguise) contended that the orders in council were a politic r? taliation of the French decrees, and hat tnose decrees 4iad actually injured British trade : u it has been erroneously supposed (said Mr. S.) that we have not suffered from those decrees, even the British party in America has not been Id enough to state how the tact was ; Mr Pickering, who so ably defended the British cause, has not stated it. Upr rin the ground of injury done, he, there fore, maintained that the orders ought to be adhered to. 8. The letter written by Mr. Packer ing, in the winter of 1808, against the embaigo, declares, that " the orders of he British government, are retaliating the French imperial decree." 9. In Mr. F. J. Jackson's letter to Mr. Smith, dated October 11, 1809, he announced that Britain would not revoke her orders, unless the United States would break off intercourse with France, permit the Bri ish navy to enforce our nnn n ercourse law, and ivtup the co lonial trade or unless the U. States would procure the tepesl of the French decrees. 10. The New York Evening Post, of October 26-7, 1807. a paper notoriously in the pay of the British consul at New- York, declared that there is no hope of the British ministry revoking their orders as long'a Bonaparte refuses to rescind his decrees and our government choose to submit tamely to his mea sures." The following we believe is the answer, in suostance, ot tne oriusn to the American Minister. Our orders were drawn fortr by the decrees of Bo naparte, which werefquietly submitted to by you ; prticure a revocation of his decrees, or bring to a close your inter course and negociation with him, and pur orders as far as they relate to you shall be rescinded." ' - 11. The Norfolk Ledger, another fe deral print, of April 28,1809, understood to be patronized by the British consul there, also declares, that the British or ders were issued in consequence of the French decrees, and that their object ,was to procure a repeal of those decrees These facts, 1 presume, are so im pressive, and the sources of authority so authentic, that, desperate as 44 the British party in America" are, they will not have the hardihood to pretend that Britain is not pledged to rescind her:cr ders, now that the decrees of France are revoked. . i : Will she rescind those orders I I a- j : there can be no caviling at ray assent gain ask, and again say she w"dl not ij ing to the federal position. Whcn'the H she may revoke the new orders of No vember, 1807,Aand January, 1803, and thus pretend that her promise will have been fulfilled, but she will not abandon the principle (of monopoly) upon which thejr were in fact founded ; she will not cease 1. to impress our seamen J 2. to interrupt our trade in innocent,oods ; 5. to prevent us from goir g ts Bourbon, Mauritius, or any other colony ; nor will she abandon her paper blockades If what I said in my last letter is not suf ficient to satisfy the public, thatour neu tral rights will be violated hereafter as grossly as ever, I here quote, from thr letter written by Mr. Monroe to Mr. Madison, dated February 28, 1808, a single paragraph, which speaks a lan guage no one can misunderstand ; " In every case which involved a ques tion of neutral right, or even of commer cial accommodation, Gteat Britain was resolved to yield no ground, which sh could avoid, and was evidently prepared to hazard tdar rather than yield much. There seemed to beno other mode to compel her to yield, than tfiat of emx bat king (with herein the war with th opposite belligerent, on which greai question it belonged to the (American) national council to decide. We, (Mon roe arid Pinkney) had pressed the claim of the; United States, in the negociation. to the utmost limit that we could go? w'uhout provoking that issue (war.) It is most certain thai better terms xouhi not have been obtained at the time wt signed the treaty, than.it contains' Here lb a volume of instruction,which should always be open before us i. thi.s ii a warning, which if attended to, o.y, ago, would have savecl to our country much reputation, thousands of citiz ns and millions of property: Yet, I f ar, that we shall not profit by it even now. At the time the above mentioned po licy prevailed in Britam (1806) the Fox administration was in power, and the Berlin and Milan decrees were not is sued ; who can suppose, then, that Bri tain will now, wholly ruled by the Pi !policy, consent to do what she refused to do, when iuled by Fox,? If she pre ferred war then, will sh.8 not hazard it now rather than respect our neutrality ? If Mr.Monroe could not get better term; than those of 1806 (when the Fox mi nistry; refused to eease impressment, to defiue blockades, or to abandon the rule of '56) can any; man expect to get as good from Lord Wetlesley l; I think that we might with as much propriety expect to obtain the wholeBri tish fleet as a free gift, as anticipate any pacific arrangement, calculated to heal our wounded honor or to save it from furthef injury. . As therefore, we 'are pledged by our own act, to cease all intercourse wiih Britain, in case she should not respect our neutral rights, now that the French decrees are rescinded.; and as there is no sort of likelihood that Britain will per form What she has so often expressed her willingness to do ; what should we do, ov, rather, what will be the issue ? According to our law of May 1, 1810, the President is bound, as soon as : he ascertains that the French decrees will cease to exist on the 1st of next month, to issue a proclamation announcing tht' fact. jHe may hourly expect; tho he has not yet received the official notifica tion, and will speedily m ke it known ; so that, in three months thereafter,, Bri tain must determine, either to revoke her edicts so that they shall cease to vi olate the neutral commerce of the Unit ed Stales," or to refuse to revoke them. Until this shall be decided, there will of course be as much hazard as there is a present in going to the continent, but from France .we shall henceforth have nothing to dread. ; Should Britain recede from her mari time policy and principles, her professed desire J as expressed by Mr. Ej skint. will be gratified, as "the commerce of the world will then be, once more, resto red to j that freedom which is necessary to its prosperfty." - Should Britain not recede and I con tend that she will not, we shall cease t' hold any intercourse whatever with her, and sball be at liberty td trade to in continent of Europe, as we forme'rly did if the British will not interrupt us. But, as it is evident, that, if Britain refuses to recede, and we stop all inter course with her, she will endeavor to prevent our going -to the continent-r what, should we then do ? Vefyortunately, this is answered al ready I by a federal print, and therefort news of Mr. Erskine's arranpfement (of April 1809) for the repeal. pftKe brewers' iti council, was received at Norfblk, jthe j Ledger, a high-toned federal print pnb--Jished the following remarks (April,28, 810.) - . r : ; We think it requires no: great re flection to perceive the policy of Great Britain at this time in making thenar-f rangement, which was, afterwards dis- . covered it is certainly both' wise and u;. : beral, and must be beneficial in almost , any event; , The laws of ? the U. States ' having placed Great Britain and France ; j upon the same footing, the former has K srizsd the occasion of com pell mgFrance ei'ner to revoke ner decrees, or to meet, the resentment "of the United States., It '' France revokes her BerUn and other de- ; .. rrees, Britain has gained her object, - f for her orders were issued in conse- H quence of these decrees alone ; itFranc? doe's not revoke Her decrees, we pre- sume their execution will, be .resisted by, foi.ee, for we canrtot believe that the U. ( I States will permit so large a portion of v her commerce, as that with Great-Bri- ( ' tain and her dependencies, to bei inter-; dieted or interrunfed. withnnt rpsis- . , t tance" i'?( - j ' This emphatic federal argument, which i-. I pray my readt rs axxamine and bear ' in mind, I fully adopt in answer to 4 he ijui viuii wriai snouia zoc ao if rsritain will not now revoke her orders ? '-'There could not, in fact, be any argument ntore .o the purpose orto my likincr, and in order to shewr how admirably it applies -to one case as well as to the other, t will now use it, onlycfiangingthe' naines': " We think -it requires no ffreatre flection, to perceive the policy of France a this time in revoking the Berlin ahfl Milan decrees'! iit is certainlv hofh and liberal, and she must be benefited in almost any event. The IawsbC the wuui-u vjioics uariiJjj piatCU V. Dill a 111' , and France upon the same footing, i,he latter has seized the occasion of. com pelling Britain eitherto revoke her e- dicts Violating neutral rights, or toieet tne resemment or the united States.;: ' If Britain shall revoke her.edicts,Fra'nce will have gained her object, for hef de crees were actually and avowedly issued in consequence ot those edicts alone if Bi itain shall not revoke her edicts, we presume their execution will be resisted ' t)T;f6rcef for we cannot 'oelieve-tbtthe ' United States will permit so large a p'ofi tioh of her commerce, as that 4 witlv France and her dependenciesfmore '.han double the amount of that with Britain and her dependences) to .v be interdicted or interrupted without re- sistance." ,r ' v: What the advocates of Britain recom. mended in 1 08, was never objected to C he justice of resis ing France, in cSwefV it refused to revoke 'its decrees, after therU' repeal ot the orders of council, was not " disputed : all bartie wnuH v,av ported that system, nad Mr. Erskine's engagement heen fulfilled. Let us noV see, whether the.British party in A- nicnca win now tlVinre thf snmP h.: ional spirit ; let us now mark whether those who call themselves American re- " publicans, will support the administra- - tion, in case of necessity. inVpsktino.fei. x "in .by-, force, as they called, upop. the, country, to do, , in case of necessity, io' i auo, against t ranee. As to the course to be pursued in the? vent of Britain's refusal to revoke her edicts, nd'other. can be adooied thari that whirh. nrt4a :.1 - 'S ...T wUU. x yiuti tirtumsiances the British party" recommended- we must resist, and I say we shall compaied to do so ; arid therefore, the sooner our people prepare for ihaf event. me ucuer,, r ranee has out 'an nd trv negociation and caviling about trifles ; we have a straight course before W and if we pursue iti we : cannot Ibift be bene- htted ; w are so eituated', that we cari no longer adopt expedients, hor' enter into a cbmpfomisei we rnustsi onceia the eyes of the W(;rldt tak! pVr statrd, & act i a. free nation, or give up all pre tensions to iha t charatCtef; -i '.bScW? my sentiments tipon this important subjec;- France has out our ppjesstonsnd engagements; few months the public jvilibe abteto' decide whethe I have not anticipate; the result, with accuracythey - illf ; ihen find, that- we have no iiltefpiiye between resistance ani absolule?diiho- - nor. A - - v:tnxrc' H'- 7 . CASH OR BOOKS ' Given at this Office for clean Litcu or Cotton BAGS. u-4 II -( 1 s. .A J! i-t. ft I, --' . - 4 'i SM ;.. ... : '. .. :,. s''
The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 1, 1810, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75