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[PUBLISH! D liY REQUEST.]
From the Richmond Enquirer.
BRITISH TREATY.
]t is a fact that the paper so denominated,
■will not be sc;:!, bach, mt of inspect to the Bri
tish government. Our ministers have been
directed to proceed as if no such treaty had
been draughted. What will be the ( Meet oi
tlic relations in which we now stand to Great
Iltitain ?
It sufficiently appears from the President’s
p oclamution, vvliat he hiniseii thinks oi li e
state of our relations. He recommended to
the last Congress to suspend the non-importa
tion act, because it would promote the adjust
ment of our differences. At this time, the
same reasons may have induced him to adopt
the same policy. lie still believes that the
British C bind is disposed to do injustice ; and
he the cf re conceives tiiat a temporary sus
pension of the non-importation act is calculated
to promote the same object.
The President was placed in a very differ
ent situation from what was anticipated at the
time of passing the i.urficntiion-act. There was
then every reason to presume that our net/ cia
lions with Gieat-Uiituiu would be definitively
settled one way or the other in a short time ;
time enough for Mr. Jefferson himself to have
positively determined, whether it would he
most our interest to suspend or execute the
non-importation act—but things have happen
ed contrary to these expectations. We have
As yet no definitive treaty with Great-Britain.
We have not hitherto obtained front her all
tha. we demand ; and yet she has displayed
such a spirit cf peace, as to promise the most
favourable results Irom a negociation.
The President was placed in a delicate situ
ation. This was the season of the year when
our merchants were Cos give orders to their Bri
tish correspondents for their fall importations.
The President was therefore to expose them
to all the embarrassment of giving these orders
without any knowledge of his intentions ;or at
once to suspend the non-importation act.
The President adopted the last alternative—
He determined to extend the suspension of the
non-importation act, until the 14th of Dec.
The federalists have vehemently abused him
for rejecting the treaty.
What an inconsistency between the profes
sions and cries of the federalists—and the prac
tice of Mr. Jefferson !
Mr. J. who lus been c harged with an hostil
ity to our commerce and our seamen, rejec ts a
tieaty, which does not sufficiently secure the
light, of our seamen.
And the federalists, who have hitherto pre
tended to be the exclusive friends of commerce,
have arraigned him for rejecting this very trea
ty. They first proscribe him for having aban
doned the rights of our commerce ; and then
they proscribe him for attempting to deliver
thousands of oil” seamen from British chains.
It is impossible to anticipate what may be
the effect of this measure. Perhaps not even
Mr J. with all the dispatches from our com
missioners before him, can undertake to pre
dict the consequences.
T wo objections were made to this project of
a treaty ; the one, the want of some adequate
remedy for tile impressment of our seamen ;
the other was tlie note annexed to it by the
British Cabinet.
As to the 1 ist point, we have one source of
consolation and hope.
if Deere’s letter to general Armstrong, ex
presses the spirit in which the French govern
ment. intended to interpret their own decree ;
and this sense derives noli,lie probability fiom
the guarded manner in which it has been hi
therto carried into execution no difficulty can
exist on this ground.
The question of impressment is still more
seri us, because on tins point our own princi
ples and those of Grcal-Britain arc so com
pletely discordant.
We recommend it to our readers to peruse
the ‘wei etary ol State’s letter to. Mr. Manioc,
ol the 4th <d January 1804, on this subject.
T his letter completely demonstrates that
whether we consult the law oi nations, the
tenor el treaties, or the dictates of reason and
justice no warrant, no pretext can be found for
the lit i.i-.li practice ol making impressments
leont t meric..!! v essels on the in -h.se.is ”
1 he law of nations circumscribes the light
of search and impressment within verv narrow
li.aits 1 hat law imposes but two restrictions
v.po i neutral commerce. A neutral vessel
dues not protect certain objects denominated
(■. ‘-a :and ./ including enemies serving
i.i the war. nor articles going into a blockaded
port Hut “ho where w ill England find an
exception to this freedom of the seas, and of
neutiui flags, which justifies the taking awav
ol any pet .on, not an enemy in military service,
bound on hoard a neutral vessel.”
\evoruing to these comprehensive princi
ple,, < Ire . -Britain has no right to impress
Irom A ne.icaii vessels, the captain or ant patt
of his crew.
S,io h is no right to impress passengers, un
less they be enemies, in military service,
she has no right to impress any one protcc-
In the American (lag, whether !,c be an
V le.ican by birth : ora British subject natu
■ < -.1 by our laws ; or even a British subject,
nas not even set his foot on our shores ;
a they arc respectively enlisted in the mi
’ ‘ ‘ service, and destined for the service of
enemies.
i a word, Great-Britain lias no right to in
■ ute a search or an impressment from our
w ;sels, unless the person so sought and im
■s .ed bein military service bound to the cn
nuy’s ports, ana destined for the enemy’s aid.
In tvn h r. r:,se only, can he incur the name and
incidents ci contraband of war.
Is this the doctrine for which our adminis
tra,i'"i are now contending ?If so, it is com
pletely at war with the Biiush practice. It is
not enough for them to think that “ or.ee a
subject, always a subject they even carry
ihe maxim into the most vexatious execution ;
even to • iie act oi searchini- for, aitd seF.ino
their subjects, wherever they may he found.
But even on this ground it may he possible
to come to some compromise. Such was once
likely to have tak* n place, as appear, from the
following e . tract oi Mr. Madison’s letter of the
sth of January.
“The Biitish pretensions to domain over
the narrow : eas arc so absolute and so inrlcsen
niblc that they never would have occurred as a
probable objection in this case, if thev had not
frustrated an arrangement settled by Mr. King
with the BritHi ministry on the subject of im
pressments from American vessels on the high,
sens. At the moment tiic article were expec
ted to he signed, an cxceptiofi of the ‘narrow
seas” was urged and insisted on by Lord St.
Vincent ; and being uttcily inadmissible on
our part, the negotiation was abandoned.”
From C-obbctt's JFeekhj Register.
continental ween.
It was my intention to have given, in this
sheet, extracts from the daily newspapers,
shewing the progress of the belligerent iie,
tvtfh which the senseless metropolis was amus
ed and agitated during the eight days that end
ed on the lit si of this month ; hut, though I am
still ol opinion that it would be useful to put
those samples of news-paper veracity and wis
dom upon record, 1 have not the loom, without
excluding the excellent letter upon the state of
Ireland, to which my motto applies, and w hich,
when it has been read, lan sure all my cor
respondents, whose productions are kept back
will readily excuse the delay. I cannot how
ever, refrain from stating the substance ol this
long-lived and hard dying lie. \\ hen I was a
hoy, we used, in order to drawoff the tamers
fiom the trail of a lmrc that we had bet down as
our own piivate property, gel to her haunt
early in the morning, and drag a red-herring,
tied to a string, four or live miles over hedges
and ditches, across fields and th ough coppices,
tiff we got to a.point, whence we were pretty
sine the hunters would not return to the spot
where they h.al thrown off; and though i
would by no means, be understood, as compar
ingthe editors and proprietors of the London
daily press, to r.nnimuls half so sagacious and
so fi.ithful as hounds, 1 c.ainot help thinking,
that, in the cast to which we were referring,
they must have been misled, at fitwt, by some
politic ! deceiver. It was on Saturday, the
- tth of January, that the Morning Chronicle,,
the leader ol the pack, came all at once ath
wart the drag. Scarcely had his well known
voice reached the cars of his vide ranging
bretheren, when they, knowing him to be, ci
late, held in high esteem bv the huntsman at
\\ hitchalh joined in the jovial cry, while, from
Downing-street to St. James’s and from St.
Janie’s to the ’Change, there burst fourth one
universal bark-forward, and every fool you met
shook you by the hand, and laughingly told
you, that the French had been defeated by the
Russians with the loss 0f.40,000 men, all their ‘
baggage and artillery, with 10 generals nude
prisoners, and Bonaparte mortally wounded.
In this way the chase continued until the next
day about noon, when the French Bulletins, 1
down the 48th in number ami in date so low as i
t!*’ 3d of January, three days later than tue ‘•
date of the battles, arrived ; and, as they spoke I
of no battle, after live -G.’fioi December, w .ficfi j
the news-papers had acknowledged vv.as in in- j
vor ot the French, the pack seemed rather to ,
slacken in the pursuit. What thev wanted in 1
pace, ho.vcver they amply made tip for in !
tongue, lx having by Monday morning, had time j
to turn their wind, the cry was revived, and, j
though in tones somewhat let S’ expressive of |
eagerness, it was, 1 think, rather louder than j
before. On Tuesday, however, the ; cent ew- j
dentlv began to grow cold. Part of the pack
gave tongue only here ai.d there upon a favora
ble spot; and the Morning Chronicle, who Imd
led off in such stile on the first dav, began to
run mute, and iveie it not lor the fear ql being
thoug!k*rm/r.vv, I would say, that he seemed to
keep up with tile p .ck only from dread of the
\\ hippc’-in ; and on Wednesday, though the j
puppy soil kept on with as much glee and
noise as ever, he not only ran mute, but turned
short about, and in spite ol the terrors of the
whip- began to hunt heel. But on Thursday,
niter a tedious lault, and when only now and
then a disrcgarlcd yelp was to be heard, the
whole pack, as if their months hail been open
ed by one and the same wire, set up a full and
most melodious cry, upon the arrival of sundry
letters from various poits in the Baltic, Holland,
France and elsewhere, all pcriectiy concurring
in the important facts, that the French had been
defeated with the loss of 80,000 men, 80 pieces
ot artillery, and that they were retreating
through the Prussian states with the utmost
precipitation, greutcly dreading the Austrians,
who under the Archduke C liarlcs, were push
ing on to cut off their retreat, “ thus exhibit
ing-to insulted Europe the reverses and the
speedily approaching fall of the scourge of hu
man race insomuch,that on FTidavv“Notwith
standing the solemnity of the day, it being the
anniversary of the death of the blessed Martyr ,”
(I quote nearly word for word) “the ’Change
was as much crouded as if it had not been a
b.Oiyc.ay ; and people seemed absolutely beside
themselves, with joy, the news of the defeat
ol the 1 rcnch coming together with the pro
mulgation ol the Finance Plan, appearing to
have overpowered the feeling of a greatful and
loyal people.” Alas 1 , it v.a a mere transitory
effect of the political ted-hening; for, on the
■ Saturday, the sccr.t became as cold as a stone ;
and, on die Monday, the Mottling Chronicle
solemnly assured its readers, that the little
bulletin, which it had published itself under
the name of Lord Hovvick, never had been
promulgated by, or received the sanction of i
his Majesty’s ministers l Some miserable at-!
tempts have been made, and are vet making, [
to ward off the charge of wilful falsehood, or cf {
unparalleled folly, so justly alleged against the ’
daily newspapers; but, the whole of their
statements upon this subject, w i bout the least
exception, are now fully proved to have been
false ; and to one or the other ot the charges
they must plead guilty. And yet it is to this
press; to the at once silly and venal, wretches
that conduct and that own tiiis press, that we
are to look for facts and opinions 1 Is it any
wonder, that, under such teachers, the nation
L kept in such profound ignorance as to its si
tuation and its interests ? ii a thousand of the
most crafty viliiains that the world ever be
held, had been shut up for one half of their
lives to devise the means of keeping a nation
in darkness,atthe same time that it should think
itself the most enlightened in the world, it is
impossible that they should have discovered
any thing more effectual for the purpose, than
the London daily press, aideci bv the mere so
lemn hirelings cf the Magazines and Reviews.
As to the real situation of the armies, it is not,
perhaps, easy to come at an account i* From
every thing that I have seen, however, I am of
opinion, that the Russian Emperor does not
feel very confident, that a French army will
not be seen at St. Petersbnrgh, during the next
summer. Ilis paoclaination for a levy of irre
gular troops ; his talk about defending the em
pire ; lus appeal to the patriotism of his peo
ple; all seem to argue, that he is greatlv afraid
the war will reach his own frontier. The Rus
sian account of “ the victory,” as it is called,
clearly shews that the French weie victorious
on the 26th December.
* ~ „
NEW-YORK, April 24.
By the ship Eliza, captain Smith, in 29 days
from Bordeaux, we have received papers from
France, containing accoun s from the srmies
several days later than those via England, per
the George arid Gold Hunter—hut we find no
news in them—no exultation on account of
French victories over the Russians. This cir
cumstance is a proof that the French army has
at least been “ worsted.”
The 64th bulletin is dated Osterode, March
2d, It states that the wounded on the part of
the French amounting to 5000 have been trans
ported from the field of battle to Thorn, and to
their hospitals on the left bank of the Vistula.
That more than 9000 slain on both sides and
near 5000 horses, besides an immense quanti
ty of military equipage were left on the field,
w ithin the compass of a square ieague.
sxxrr roup.ru t,viLp.vip op mu csapd army.
Os i erode, March 2, 1807.
The city of Elbing furnished great resources
to the army. T here was four.u in it a great
quantity oi nine and Inanely. The country of
the lower Vistula is very let tile.
i lie ambassadors of Constantinople and of
Persia, have entered Poland, and approach
YV arsaw.
; Alter the battle of Eylau the emperor pas
sed every day several hours on the field of
I b.itt.o. A horrid spectacle, but duty rendered
■j it necessary, it required much labour to bu
}ry an Ute dead. A great number of bodies of
j ivus tan officers were found with their decara
• lams. It appears there was among them a
j prince hepimi. Forty eight hours after the
, bati.e, inure than 500 wounded Russians re
; unfilled ou ihc ground that they had not been
| ab.e to cany, off. Brandy and bread was
| brought them, and tr.cy were successively
j transported to their hospitals.
Let one figure to himself upon the surface
t ol a square league 9 or 10,000 dead bodies, 4
i or 5000 horses slain, lines of Russian knap
sacks, pieces el muskets and swords, the earth
covered with bullets—Obus’s monitions, 24
pieces of cannon near which were the bodies of
the conductors killed at the moment they were
making-efforts to drag them oft’, till which ap
pealed upon a ground of snow—A spectacle
calculated to inspire princes with the love of
i peace and the horrors ol war.
1 he 5000 tha. we had wounded have been
all filed off or sent to Thom and our hospitals
on the leit batik of,the Vistula upon sleighs.
Ihe surgeons have remarked with surptise
that the tatiguc oi this conveyance has not in
jured the wounded.
Here are some details of the battle of I
Bruunsherg. General Dupont marched against
tne enemy in two columns. Gen. Bray ate,
who commanded the right column, met the
enemy at Ragern, and forced him into the tiv
er, which runs in the front of this village. The
leti column pushed the enemy upon Villen
bergh, and the whole of the division did not
delay sallying out of the wood. the enemy
driven from his first position, was obliged to
foil back, upon the river which covers the city
ot Brauns berg ; at first he stood firm, but gen.
Dupont'marched up to him—ov cv. et him by a I
brisk charge, and entered with him into the
city, which was strewed with the Russian dead.
T he 9th of light infantry, the 32d tndthe
9th ol the line which composed this division,
have signalized themselves. Generals Barvois
Lahoressave. Scmele of the 24th of the line
—Col. Meunierof the 9th of light infantry—
The duel of battalion Bouge of the 32d of the
fine ; and the chief of a squadron liubluct.
hat e meritedparticular eulogiums.
. “ ‘ ‘M
Since ‘he aritval of the French nrmr on the
Vistula, we have taken ficm the Russians in
the affairs ofPuitusk Golymin 89 pieces of
cam,on, at the battle ol Berg filed 4 pieces 4
at the retreat ol D’Allens'etn 5 pieces; at U.e
battle ct Dip; ill 16 pieces; , t the battle of
Hull’ 12 pieces; atthe battle of Fyiau 24 pie*
tes ; at the battle of Btaurslerg 16 pieces;
■ atthe battle of Ostrolenka 9 pieics—total 175*
; pieces of cannon.
The rental k has been made on this subject’
that ‘he Emperor has never lost any cannon
in the armies which l.e has commanded, when
in the first campaigns ofltalv and Egypt, or in,
those of the arn y of reserve, v. bethel in tlioser
of Austria and Moravia, or in those of Prussia
and Boland.
PARIS, March 14.
Them memorable battle of Eylau has con*
founded the attempts made by the lvussians, to
dietutb our winter-quartets; and the Laities
of the 16th and 22d of February, have finished
to entirely disconcert their projects IF S. H.
arch chancellor, prince of the empire, has em
braced the occasion of these fortunate successes
to supplicate H. M. empress and queen to ap
prove of a festival, which she has condescend*
ed’to accept of This festival is to take places
to-morrow the 15th at the palace of the great
elector, that her majesty, the queen of Aap.cs
has kindly ceded for that purpose.
Several French, who were in Russia; fiavo
quitted that empire, to avoid the vexatious’ ob
ligations prescribed by the Ukase, relating to
them.— already, many have passed by Nsntz,
in their way to t atis V. Marten French in
Moldavia, levs also pasted through the same'city
returning to Paris.
PHILADELPHIA, April 20,
Extract from the .private journal cf \afitai*
William Vicary. from Batavia.
Saturday, October 18, 1806—This afternoon
the English iiigate Caroline, ol 38 guns, com
manded by captain Rmiicr, came into >. lie
roads after having captured two small Dutch,
vessels to the westward ; and, although aka ra
guns had been fired at Ouusst, und it was
known to be an enemy approaching, yet the
officers on board the Batavia frigate Mmia
Re) gersburg, ot 44 guns, kept her at anchor,
with the topsails on the caps, uni fired their
bow guns and such as they could bling to hear
at Ute Caroline, w hen at a great distance. “
At tins time most ot the other Dutch ships
slipped their cables and run ashore. The C..-
loiiiic s. lOl tiv alter passed amongst the neu
tral vessels which generally anchor kutlr st
out, and in crossing the bows of the Maiii
Ucygersburg, gave her a broad-side wnich ra
keu I.cr loic and ait. 1 lie Dutch ripen this,
cut their cables, but by this time the CaroHne
had passed bv tween them and the land, and
hove all their topsHfo aback on the Dutch ship’s
larboard quartet . In this position they coni
nued to engage for some time. ‘J he Dutch,
vessci was unuer a great disadvantage, not be
ing in a condition to work the ship. Ho- h.ivL.g
more than about seventy white men on board,
and it was lot now in their power to run
ashore as the Caroline kept between them aiui
the land. 1 hey however continued the action.
15 or 20 minutes, when they struck the coioss,
and wet e instantly boarded and taken possession
of by tnc Caroline’s people, who quickly vna. e.
sail, and carried the ptizeand their own si q>
out of the icacli of the lire fiom the batlei.it *.
ami some sloops of war, which had annovecl
them during the whole action.
Captain Lanier did not fire a gun until with*
in half pistol, shot of the Mai ia Reyi en burn ,
nor did he pay the smallest attention to the fiio
from the shoie or the other Dutch ships, hi
tualed as he was, with his single ship, all h a
could hope for was to capture or destroy cue
vessel, and he succeeded very weli; but had
the Dutch laid ti-eir vessels broadside on the
hank, they would h. ve defeated all the attempts
he coul-J have made ; for he could not have,
carried his own ship near enough to do execu
tion, and the Dutch fire would have sunk all
the boats he could have sent to burn their ves
sels. None of the American ships receh Sd
any injury, though the shot flew very thiefv
among them.
Thursday, November ,27th. Being ready
for sea, captain Smith, of the Bellair, and Mr.
Ridgely, ol the Rebecca, came on board with
their boats’crews very early, and assisted to
get the anchor up and run the ship further oitt,
to a clear birth for sailing. This was effected
by day-light, but an accident which occurred to
mv self-at this time, determined me to defer
sailing until the following morning.
About 9 o’clock three alarm guns were fired
at Ourust, and shortly after, several large Fin;--
lFh ships made their appearance ; some cf
which, after a short cannonade, silenced th*
Fort at Ourust, and took possession of it and a
corvette lying there, which they immediately
manned and brought in with the-fleet. Ail tha
Dutch ships and one Prussian, then slipped
their cables and ran ashore near the Eastern
Batteries, under all the sails they could set.
At this time the Powerful, of 74 guns, was
dispatched to the eastward, in chase of a forgo
Swedish ship which had sailed early in the
morning. At half past 10. a. m. the Sea-Flow,
et’brig passed in shore of us, and went in rhaset
of seme Dutch ships on the east side of the
Bay, which had just sailed for Samarang. Di*
tectly after the Terpsicore, followed by the
Culloden, Drake, Russel, Belliqueux, the Cor
vette Williams, and a brig which had been
captured the dav before, bound from Bantam
to Batavia, with powder, Sec. came into thb
roads in the order mentioned, and took their
• sl a‘j° us a* follows The Cullcden, Adrmrqjj