13;
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Vol. XII.
THURSDAY, MARCH 21,
m
f 0rtr tkia rfalrdellfbtftirct ,
LETTER
TBOM Ma RHEA, OF .TENNESSEE,
WHrgtJi, fcb 25, 1811 .
It tppcart thil Ouhne ihr .yttr en-
frcr ihc 30 h Sept. 1810,8 663 861 dol
lirs 17 cents, hire been paid into the
tre5ory, making,vith 5,828936dol!irs
1 cent, the babmu. iri the treasury on
the -Ut Octobctv 1809 an aggiea'c o
14,317.797 dol tan 18c-nia, tomtethc
expenses of the year 1810 ; that the dis
burseraents dunnpr the same year, con
lUlcd of the following items : that Is ro
say, aril department and expenses inci
dent to intercourse with f reign nations
1.249.200 dollars, 4 ccnti ; military and
Indian departments 2.514,523 dollars.
75 cen a ; narr, 1 674 735 dollars, 50
cents ; interest, nn the public debt.
2.735,898 dollin, 91 cents : total cur
rent expences, 8,174,358 dollars,
centi ; payment on arccunt of the prin
cipal of the pt.btic debt, 2.884 409 del
lirs 24 cenis : amounting '. 'gethc-r. to
II 058 767 dollars, 46 cents ; leaving
in the treasury on ih- 30th of Sptem
tKf, 18 10, a balance of 3,459,029 dolli.
72 centi.
It appears, that during thr nine yesrs
and a half end-np on the 30th of bept.
io the same year, there hac been pid
near . 37 700 000 dcllars of the public
debt, exclusively t.f more than 6,000,000
of dollars, paid in cooformity with the
cenrention with Great-Britain and thr
Louisiana convention.
From the tstabfi-hment of land effi
ces in the year 1800 lor ale of public
lands north of the Ohio, to the 30 h
Sept. in the year 1810 it appears the:-.
hav brtn vUl 3 16a0G0 acres, which
h?vr prr-ducvd 6,681 100 dollars.
Aj ptcft iations fcr the srrvhe of the
vmf ikll. ire e&timaUti : that is to
say, for the civil nt, 688 36C collars 6 1
crn ; far miscelhnnu' expense
471 958 dollars, 12 cents ; for inter
course w'uh tbreicn nations, 128,192,
dollars, 67 cents j for the military and
L.dLn departments, 2,79?,609 dollars
80 cenis ; for the naval esubliihroen:
including the marine cur, 1,170.274
d liars, 5 cents: beiog 5,900,595 doila.
25 cents. '
The consideration of the locality of
that p.rt nf Louisiana lying wetol ihe
Pcrdido rirer south of the Mitissippi
terriiory, and eait of the Iberville, w I
manifest a necessity that 'he U. State
shall occupy and hold'ihat country. Ia
thi5, the S ate of Tennessee is particu
larly interested, by reason of hat coun
try -including the Mobile and other out
lets to 'the occao. Louisiana in the
hands of the French, before ihe trea-.y
ol 1762, extmed to the rivtr Pirdido ;
in the & llnwine Ter, the Bft:sh by
treaty obtained the country, whK h they
divided into two province Es& West
Forida. By thetreaiy of 173, rhe pro
vinces of East and Wrsi Florid were
cor.fiuued to Spiin, and S.?in re an
nexed the country wst of Ihe Perdido
to Louisiana : afte. wards Sr. in by he
treaty oi ri. uaeionso, oi ioiA-ctaeci o
Fr.nce the territory r.f Louisiana with
the same extent that it now has in the
hinds cf S .ain. and that ii had when
France posscsssed it and by 'he trea
tv of Puria t f 1803, France ctdtd the
territory f Louisiara to the U. Stales
Icrever, in lull sovereign-), wnn an ui
rights and appurrcnanccs, as fully and
in the same ni-M.net they have been
acqiirrd by France in virtue of the trea
ty with Spain.
A law is mrde !o enable the people of
the territory of Orleans to form a con
stitution and state government, and for
the admission of such state into th?
union on an equal footing with the ori
ginal states, and for 'other purposes
The fol owing biundaries are prescribed
fvr the State of Orlr . ns : beginning at
the mou:hofihe riv. Sabine, thence
by a line to be drawo along the middle
of said nr r, including all islands to the
32d degree o! latitude, thence due norh
to the northernmost part of the 32d de
gree of north latitude, thence, along the
said parallel of latitude to the river Mis
sisstpp-. thence down the said river to
the ritcr Iberville, and from thence a
long the middle of the said river, and
t, ,
ikcs aisurcpas ana rc-ntchartrain to
the gulph of Mexico, thence bounded by
the wid gulph to the place of begin
ning, including all islands within three
leagues of the, coast. . The sta'e, pre-scril-ed
by the law, will be, great in the
tuiior:, oy reason of large extent of terri
tciy and consequent population, and be-
eaus? it embraces ihe junction; of the
river MisMssirmi with the ocean : down.
'that river will pass the products of the
western states.
, e F ench revolution commenced ;
antif tnighthave been bttter for other
nations, if the people of France hd been
suffer: d to havr settled thcit own go
vernment in 'heir own way. It was o
iherwise directed. The attempt to ar
rest the progress of that revolution, h3th
ventuslly been the cause of the over
throw of governments, aud of ruin to the
neutral right of nations not implicated
the war of revolution.
The king i G. Britain and the em
press of Uvtssii, on the25 h of March,
in the year 1793, made a convention,
the 4ih article whereof provides that
their majesties et.gage to unite all
'heir trtts m prevent other powert not
implica;t'd in the war, from giving, on
i his o casion of common concern to eve
ry civrized nation", any proiection what
ever directly or indirectly, in conse
quence of their neu'rahty, to the com
merce or pro; en y t.fthr trench on the
sea. or in the Frtnch noris. A s milar
m 9
ar icle is contained in the several trea
tus made in the same year, by and bc
ween thr kirg of O; eut-Britain and the
King of Spain; bttwren the King of
Great Bri ain and the K ng of Prussia;
tn;, by and between th' Kngof Great
Britair, and the Fmpcror of Au:ria.
The 4th article of the convention first
alluded ;o, fixed the principle of 'ostli-
ty against the commerce t neutral na-
. .. . . .f.
tions. Against the operation ut the nrst
convention, the French g. vtr meni re
acted, and on the 9th -f Mv the -same
year, issued: decree author zing French
armed vessels to arrtbt and bring into
the ports of ihe republic, vessels laden
uiih revisions destined for an enemy's
r rt; kndon the 23d of the same month,
r -sued an. ther decree exempting Ame
rican Vessels fr- ni the drcr-. e of the 9th.
In the month of June in the some year,
additional instructions were issued by
tht Bri'Uh government to the cemman
ders of ships of war and privateers, to
tnp and detain all vessels laden wholly
or in prt, with corn, fl-.ur or meI,
K-und to any port in France, or any port
occupied by the armies of France. The
system of hostility gaint the rights of
tieurr'l nations the.i progreswed ; seve-
ral o'her decrees and instructions re-
straining the nghls ot neutral nation)-, I
. . . . m . . '
were isurd by the bt lligeren s before .
the year 1806 ; h-y were of minor im- j
nortance in com:arion with edic's
hich the belligerents afterwards issued
The system of proclamation or nomi-;
nal b;Ockade, begun in violation of na
tural law, and of the definition of legal !
blockades laid down by the British go
vernment i'Mf, ditec'ly intended the
subversion cf all neu'ral rigl'ts,' to com-
el n-r trals to abandon the o r an,, or to
become panies in the war. Tht
krieiol May I6h, 1806, of the
The bloc-
coast,
I I Will Mit UfCI I )UV. IV S MIUUJITb f
he blockadr of Mjy 1807, of ihe Elbe,
Wcser and Ems, and the blockade cf
J nuary 1808, of Carthaguis, Cadiz and
S'.'Luc-r, and ot ad the intermediate
pons, are a part of that system.
On the 2 1st of November 1806, he
Emperor of France issued his Berlin j
decrer, nt-efixine the following declara- 1
ion thereto : The present decree shall !
be considered as the fundamental law ;
of. the cmpire until E' gland has ac-
knowh dged that the rights of war are
he same on land as at sea ; that it can-
nor be ex n ?ed to any private proper- J
y whatever, nor to persons who are not j
military : and until the right of bloc-
kade be restrained to fortified places,
. .
dually invested by a competent force.
By the1 Berlin decree the British islands
are declared in a state of blockade ; all
commerce 8c correspondence with them
is prohibited ; all magazines, merchan
dize or properly whatever, belonging
to a British subject, shall be declared
lawful prize ; the trade in English mer-
chand zeis forbidden ; all merchandize
belonging to England, or coming from
its manufactories and colonies, is de
clared lawful prize. No vessel coming
directly from England, .or from the
English colonies, or having been there
ince the publication of the present de
cree, shall be received in any port. Sve
,y vessel contravening ihe above clause
by means of a false declaration, shall be
seize I. and the vessel and cargo confis
cated as if they were English property;
The.. Berlin decree is andther p-irrof
the system or proclamation blockade.
, On ihe 1 1th of NovemberV. 1807, the
British government issued O ders in
Council, declaring; that ill the-ports of
. France, of her alii , and of an other
country at war with England, and all
u'iilt jj'iri" in uiup iruu'wiiicii. si
i : i? r ... i
though not at w irwith England, : he Bri
tish ft g is excluded, and airports in
the colonies belonging to his Majesty's
enemies, should thenceforth be consi
dered as if the same were actually
blockaded ; that all trade in articles of
the produce and manufacture of the said
countries shall be unlawful, and every
vessel trading from or to the S3me coun
irirn or colonics, together with all goods
and merchandize onboard, shall be cap
tured and condemned. By the Orders
In Council of the British government of
the?5:h of November, 1807, it is pro
vided in the regula ions thereof, that the
commerce ot the United S'atesj bound
fmm their own ports to its legal and or
dinary markets, shall pass through Bri
tish ports, shall there in all cases take
clearances' from British officers, shall in
some c 'ses ob-ain special licences, and
in others pay a direct and avowed tax
or tribute to tht British government. '
On the 17 h day of December, in the
year 1807. ihe Emperor ol franre is
sued his Milan Decree, declaring eve
ry ship to whatsoever nation it may bt
lone that shall have submitted to be
searched by an English vessel, or to a
voyage to EngUnd, or shall have paid
any lax whatever to the English govern
ment; is thereby and for that alone, de
clared to be denationalized, to have for
faited the protec'ion of its King and to
have become English property : whe-
thcr the ships thus denationalized by
th arbitrary measures of the English
government enter into our ports or
those of our allies, or whether thy fall
into the hands of our ships of war or
privateers, they are declared to be good
and lawful prize. The British Islands
art decl-red to be in a state of blockade
b th hy land and sea. Every ship of
whatever nation, or whatsoever the na
ture of its cargo o may bt?, that sails
trom the prti of England or thse of
the English colonits and of countries
occupied by English troops, and pro
ceeding to England or to English colo
nies, or to countries occupied by English
throopg, is good and lawful prize, and
may be f apvtured by our ships f war
or privateers : these measures shall
erase to hive any effect with respect to
all nations whu shall have the firmness
I . - ? . I. 1- I i. . .
w comjei ine cnuso governmeni 10
iresprct their flair.
Byihese edicts ot nominal blrckade,
,;the greatest part ot the civilized world
was by the belligerents placed in a state
of blockade, against the neatral com
merce of ihf U. States .
In ihe month ol Ap n1808, Orders
in Council by the British government
were issued, encouraging citizens ofth
United State s to violate the Embargo.
The foregoing view of the edicts of
Great-B-itain and of France, is taken to
diicover how, wh.n and from what
source, originated the violation of the
rights ol neutral nations ; and by whs t
m.ans, and for what purpose they have
been continued against the neutral com
merce of the United States. Universal
commercial monopoly, and to support
it, marine sovereignty is the avowed
practical object of Great-Britain j tie
subserviency or subversion of the com
merce ot an other mantime nations is
necessary to that object : re-actiort con-
sequently is the object of all other ma-
nume nations.
In this war of edicts, hostile to the
rights of neutral nations, France de
clares his edicts are. in retaliation a
gainst Great-Britain, Sc that they would
cease to have effect and be null as soon
as the English abide again by the prin
ciples of the law of nations, which are
also the principles of justice and honor.
Great-Britain also declares his edicts
are in retaliation against France, and
that he is compelled to resort to them
in consequence of the measures adop
tea oy nis enemy, ana. wouia rcvouc
them when his enemy revoked his. .
The United States are charged by G.
Britain with subjecting their commerce
to spoliation, becausejhey do not resist
the edicts of France. The U. States
are charged by France with subjecting
their commerce to spoliation, because
they do not resist the edicts of Great
Britain. By the operation of these
hostile edicts, the neutral commerce of
tbe.U. Elates was subjected to destruc
tion and became a prey to violence and
rapine. Vessels with their cargoes a
mounting in. valueto jeveral rtfllionsf
dollars, Jbeloq ging" to citizc ns ofthe U
States, have been captured in conoV
querice of the edicts of France. Vcs-i
L- -7:.;! - ,.
sels with
tlulr
cngoes amounting in
taluc to many pillions jf dollars, owned
by titizens of the U. 9 ales, have been
captured in consequence of the edicts
of Great Britain : several thousand sea
men of the Ui States impressed y JG.
Britain, are detained in capuvi'y on
board his. ships of -war. The fricate
Chesapt; ke,X national ship,was attack
ed, and without resistsnc, subdued by
an armed shi d. of GreaU Britain, and in
;hat attack several innocent seamen of
i - -
the United States We're murdered.; The
impressment bf their seamf n, the un-
pr -yoked attack, on their national shipr
and the murder of 'heir citiz ns aff.ct
the sovercicrnty of the United States,
The wrongs done by the belligerents
are the more j atrocious, because? done
against an innocent neutral nation,
whose object was, and is, to beat peace
with all the world j
Whatever question Great-Britain and
France may have made rcspec'Hg he
I retaliating principle: of their edicts is
Iwi.li them to settle. In :h edi :s of
II rrance, or in the edicts of G, Britain
the United States at no time acquiesced
Frequent remonstrances have b.-en made
by the United States against the edicts,
and the extension of them, in vi lation
t their neutral commerce. The resto
ration of impressed seamen to liberty
and their country, hath been frequently
required, and th:y are vet in a state of
cnpuvity. indemnification tor spolia
tion on commerce hath ohen been de
mandtd, and il is not rendrtd. Atone
ment' for the murderous. attack on the
Chesapeake, hath been re quired-, and it
is not m.de. An arrangement was
made with the British Minister Mr,
Erskine, and the British government
refused to ratify iu Negotiations with
the British Government hath be ?n con
tinued without j prnducingany effect, ex
cept that of long experienced disap-
poimment. j J '
The violations of thr neutral rights
of the United States committed by,G.
Britain, prodnpeS the act of C nriss
of April 1806,! called the non-importation
law ; whereby certain enumerated
articles were prohibited to be imported
nto the U. States from the British do
minions. The principle effect of that
law was, it caused -the British govern
ment to use deceptive appearances of
amity, to induce a suspension of it, and
it was suspended for a lime Informa
tion having been received in the United
Spates, that a "construction was given to
he Berlin decree, in consequence of
which Ft ench) aimed vessels were au
horized to capture, without exception,
in neutr?! vessels, English property, or
merchandize of English growth or ma
nufacture, and it being well understood
about the same time, that the British i
orders in council of the I hh November
1807 had issued, the President bf the
U. States recommended an embargo,
and the law laying, the Embargo was
enacted in December in the same year.
Dunngthe existence of the emburgo, a
siate of things occurred which g-ve ns
to the non-intercourse law of the: TsfYi
March 1809, and the force and effect cf
ihat law was prevented, as if related to
G . BT-aio, by the arrangement ot jAphl.
in the same year, made with the Bri
tish Minister,! Mr. Erskine, which the
British government refused to ratify .
That law afterwards expired on the 1 st
of May 18 104 f
Disturbed and harrassed, robbed and
plundered, their, seamen captured, their
people murdered, their sovereignty at
tacked, the linited S'ates outraged be
yond all longer forbearance, determin
ed to adopt a measure that mieht have
effect ; and on the 1st of May 1810, the
memorable act was made concerningthe
commercial intercourse between the U.
States and Great Britian and France,
and their dependencies. The 1st sec
tion thereof provides, that from 'and af
ter the passage of the act, no British
or French armed vessel shall be permit
ted to enter the harbors or waters under
the jurisdiction of the United States,
except when they, shall be forced in by
distress, by the dangers -of the sea, or
wnen cnargea wnn aispaicnes or uusi-
ness from their governmept. , The 4th
section of the law provides, that in case
either Great Britian or France shrill, be-
fpre the 3d of (March next so feypke or
tnooiiy ntr euicis, as ;vnat, iney, snau
con
cease to viplate the neutral' commerce
'f theUnited States, which fact the Pre
sident of the United States shall declare
by proclamation ; .n$ if the other nation
shall not, within three months thereafi
er so. revoke'or modify her edic s in like
manner then t&e 3d, 4th, 5th f th, 7th, i
. - -. . h A
li 8rh. 9th 10 h and 18th 45tet.r!'ri 'of
li
the '
. act entitled . An act to inter cUct
interrlir.t thfc
commetcial intercrjurse be fwren the'U
States ard CreaV, 'Briton and jFai?e;
md their .dependencies, and fof vptn e '
purposesif shall, from and janerkheitx
piration of three months from ttidate
of the" proclamation aforesaid, be reviv
ed, and have full force and eflects
far as relitts to the dominions, colonies
;.nd dependencies, and to the arf irfet :t t
the owjh, prodnce or manufacture bfj
the d xmirtions, colonies anJd.'-aVpen'denr
cirs of the nation thusTriuinc or nett
lec.ting'toj revoke or modify her edjictsV!
in the manner aforesaid, land the? Iek. I
trictions imposed by.nhis'ac shall frcftt
the date of the proclamation, cfasr, rd
be discontinued in relation) the nat'n a
revoking or morliving her enicts itifthe
manner aforesaid ? S- ;
The President of the U. States m ptif
suance c that law, .'issued his pnla-r
mat ion on the 2d day November, in
the
4th
year lb" 10, and afteh reciting -the
section of he law. states : And wber
as it ha been officidfly made kitowp to
11 IS
government, that the edicts of
France violaing the neutral commerce
of th'v United States have been si ?eA
voked as to cease to have effect ort the
1st of thi present mon" h ) NohecV
fore, I James Madison, President of the
United States, do hereby proclaim, jthat
the said edicts of France have, been 'so
revoked as that they ceased,ron thed
1st d .y of the present month, to violate
the neutral commerce of the Uv States ;
and that from, the date of these presents,
all the restrictions imposed : by the a
fbresaid act shall cease, and bej discoji
tinued in relation to France and: her de-'
pendtneiea. . ' !J.i'vj
The secretary of the trcasuryi prj the
2d day ofjNoyember, issded a circular
to the collectors of he customs, vhlefe- i
in, after notifying them of the' procla !
nation ofl th& President of the Urlited f
Slates, and that Frtnch airmeof vtssels i
may be admitted into thefharboifsfar;4 ;
waters of j the United .State viinthiSrfl
m the acticf the first cf May jlasiif to
the contrary notwithstanding, he states,
' it also foows that if Great! .Brj.taDji.
hall net, on the second i of ! FeprMf
next have i evoked or modified jn like
manner, hier edicts violating thef'neiwal
commerce of the United States, ! the
3d, 4th, 5h, 6th. 7ih, 8th, 9th, 1 Oth and
i sih sections of the act to interdict the
4.. . . .... .1 .-
uimnifrcai intercourse between ( the
United States aridGreat Britaiud
France and their de endencies, and for
"ber pnpdses,M shall," in confenitf
wi ? h theT act fii st above mentioned be
revived, and have full force and effect
her dependencies; from and aftif rhe .'
said 2d day ef.Febroary.nexUn
cre :im-cj you snan, oeiore mat day, be
officially notified by this department of
?uch re vocai ion br rnbdifieatitff ybu
will, f ' om and after the said dy,, carry...
?n;offf ct the abovementicned seciiotis
vhich prohibit both the entrance-bf
British vessels of every descrimionTin
to the hajbofs and watersbf the? United
States, and the importatkln tnortn; U
States of any . jarticfei the! grwthf.prpV:
uce or manufacture of theibn4im6fs
celoni's and'deDendencics' of Gfp r
tain, and cf L-ny articles wh-ter fob.
trom ;the said dominions, coloief xahd
tie pendencies." : . . , ;.
Jhc law of 1st b Ivlav
is bottomed
orr prircipiesl of strict JDetttralitylAt
the time jit was, enacted wnether Great"
Britain and France or eiteSiemV
wiiuld agree tbthe rjroi&sft
by offered, was Unknown knat'flaw
t he re fo re i s i napa t list I. C A pies of vc re
immediately sent to the jnihisters: of
he United Stateat:JriVii:bM-
don, witlvntenf:thrthe'by
of Great Britain and France migKt(have
the earliest notice thereof, landrtake the
measures; thereon" they' .l esectivfjy
"6"i;vvi& prupcr. vireat Draam ana ,
t ranee had tquarrwet dettiojri ei-
ther a friendly, imercovrse br nbn : ; ' t
cdujse'wiib the UitatesJ KThexfesi-i
dent of the United-States fUtfHslhS- t
ed ' theiict, ;.tliraffranceath;.
r modified his edicts'so that the v! have :
ceased lb violate theheutr il commerce
v'uic unuca oiaces. t oe conrciors, ,v
of f live cbstoms have:been - instructeii ,
.?Diy increio, in pursuaDceoi jine
bw. Tht 2d day February isjpas jj;
doth not annear that Greatt Britain; on U.
that day, ;hd., revoked -or
edicts sbihat' tyfiavlasedcjirj $
late, the'nentralcbmmerctbnfc '
-d Statpsiit'fbllovvs'tbatjc'saidl ;sect.'-i',;
uuus oi me act anuuca 10 :.arc revival. ?'&?. -f'S'h-
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