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Yol. III.)
ATHENS, GEORGIA: PRINTED BY ALEXANDER M-DONNELL, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, iSio.
NEUTRAL COMMERCE.
i 1 ,n “*
To the Editor of the Aurora.
Sir—l think it .proper to keep
in view the res! fee of our preterit
fitiiation, and else true grounds on
which vve now (land, with the bel
ligerents of .Europe-—I have ihsw
ed,
lit. That w; held out to the
belligerents —favor to that power
which Ihould fteft refpert cur rights
and —penalty to that power which
fhoulci refute to refpert them after
the other had crated to violate
them.
id. That France has revolted
her decrees in compliance with
this-, eur proffer; tha: ihe row (fends
upon the fpirit and letter of our law
—our national e&gageau nt ft and
that Fiance does not require any
diver condition, than £j,iat which our
law tiffin cd .
3i. I hat we have now only to
fay to Britain, Cf you have violated
cur rights upon the plea of retalia
tion again ft France j you have fa’d
that if France would abandon her
decrees, you would rtvoke yours.
France has abandoned her decrees,
the plea of retaliation, therefore, no
longer avails you, fulfil your pr j
iniies now by doing us juftice V :
Thefe art* the sdtual grounds
upon which \vc now ft and.
The next queftion for confider -
stioil is, will Brfen new do wha:
her own minifters & her env.ftkries
in Amet ica have lo often laid fhe
would do t
In this place, it may be well to
fhew what arc the rtfln&ions of
I the Berlin and Milan decrees, and
what change their removal will
produce. Thofe decrees fubjerted
Ameiicans to feizures —if taken go
ing to or returning from a Britifh
port —if they pa’d a tax to Eng
land, or otherwife fubnfitted to her
regulations—if they* conveyed Rri
tifh manufartured goods or Britifh
colonial produce—-If they failed
Britifh convoy—and if they
| even touched at a Briiifh port, they
1 were forbidden to enter France.--
| Of courfc, horn the fitfl Novem
ber next, ©ur vefteU may trade &s
k fully and as freely, if the Fa it ifh will
I not mslejt them , as they did before
I any French decree was pai fed, or
* before the French revolution itfclf.
This freedom to trade to and
and many Eftgifii
j goods, has been la-id to be the Jcle
I die dr of Britain. But vve ft, ail now,
lat h ngth, find what has been lo
a ftencfiiy predicted by democratic
jf writers, that ail this talk abcut.rv
-1 i ana. ion, &c. has been falte. Vve
I tea'-- fted that Britain never intended
! | to rsfpecl gut rights, and that we
amuit nov;, a: the eleventh hour , ta.ee
mother means to make her refptct
jfcthctn., or link into everlaft-ng dif
jfcracc as a nation.
Foreign Correspondent
*X‘
C®. ■ • . :
GEORGIA EXPRESS.
“MANY SHALL RUN TO AND TRO, AN O KNOWLEDGE SHALL US INCX2ASS&.”
That Britain will not now do,
whac it has been fo often pretended
Jhe W'pjed to do, I contend, from a
cos ii icr.T ion cf her eftablifhed po
licy, her uniform conduct, and the
avowals now metre by her mimjigritl
nc-mfptipers in London, and in Bof
ron, and in New-York, and other of
our fea-ports.
The policy of Britain is wriren
in bloody chsrarters upon the pa
ges, cv- h of her own kifiorians : by
the fan ! of nature deilined to be a
nation only of the ftcond or third
order, it has b ?n her fteacly pur
pofe to rite above her deftiny, and
to fupport by force or fraud, .1 pre
dominancy amorgft ca for.s. Had
her efforts been governed by a ge
nerous ambition, by chute ennob
ling pafiions which coniiirure glory
or the {. cH :q, happirofi, and ci
vilization of the world ; upon.the
difflifiou cf Fiance end the promo
tion of vis cos j had her enterprises
beeh e nay r-nctured with the chi
valrous fpirit of emancipating na
tions, a< i r/'rj.i l ii-i(-,,v the uruv’crle
into a forte t communion cf inr*Tcfts
aid enjoyrarr.rs 5 the gcncrofi:-’ of
the intention would have palliated
the cxir&v%ance of the undertak
ing ; but Hi an her ate oft policy is
route bred, s-.nd w. an.fi ize it, vt-iac
a defign and what a cataftrophe
Goy r k ;; ffifiihndi* is every
wh re ; >-:c< • ;nina : r, a• ■ li rail■ lons
are famiftu f, m-.fiftc.-ed, or enflav
ed, in order that a few theufand
parfbny* occupying only part cf an
iflanc! of about 400 by 300 square
miles ki die n >nh of Europe, ihouki
lire in luxury and vi ; eab:h, nt the
ex pence and to the tebjnft'on of
the reft of the world. Where is
there a commercial ftate in Europe
that has idee pH the fed addon of
her geld or the rapacity of her
fquadrons : deftitute of refources
for nianuraftwres, fhe has prevented
the fuperibrity which the pr TfTions
cf thofe re four ces naturally gave to
her'nttglbnrs, by involving them
in cor.fl.ant wars with each other,
and hence has contri /cd to tec ure
one means ol eftabufhing her mo
nooclv, and prolpenng in wealth
upon the mite fieri of ocher nations ;
hy-fim iar m ‘ans, bv fotnsnrng in
teftire broil*, <0 citing j cal’ elks,
by temprahons ad b ibes, fhe has
arr.r H rhe naticna of two-quarters
of again ft each otner ; in
one or which, ftis has lubjedled 60
millions ft peepie to her rapacity ;
on the European continent, by
gran'ing fubfitess,’ fhe has taken
care to employ cowtmental nations
in wars with each other upon the
land, wh en h?.ve laft terminated
in her expoMion fiom it 5 vvhi.ft
fhe has raiteci a ravy upon the ocean
capable cf cnifiling all commercial
enterprise, or what fhe fears raoft,
commercial competition.
ho lccure this monopoly of jname
failures and commerce and coibaial
rap>?, flie has been ccvr.cnding
for above five centuries ; is it like
ly then, (lie will new flop in her
career, to enable us to enter into a
competition with her, or what fhe
fears, to flip the foundation of her
monopoly ? Do not our merchants
know the deadly jealoufy, with
which our commercial prog refs ha*
bf en viewed throughout the war ?
However inimical to France, muft
they if ; 1 admit that our commer
cial prosperity is decreed by Britain
to be incompatible with her in ter this ?
If th is be admitted, a; k muft be
openly by every Uursrft American
merchant who has a g<um of under
flHiding, and cot vJv by every
ft itifh partizan or agent, I’ t me
:il;c what would be the f - fie els, if
Britain were to <£ refpsel cur neutral
riyhts l”
la die fir ft place, one grf at teurre
cv n ;r revenue would bedeftroyed 5
v/ cannot now take our cargoes to
tin? continent without,tete calling at
ai Englijh port, iaiziag out licence and
paying duties for me perrrfift.on;
this tribute helps ro Jupport the
na-'v, which eomocls us to fubmit
to 1: j is it likely that this tribute
will be given up 1
In the next place, we Ihould be
ahl.-, according co lord Sheflidd, to
erftroy the whole merchant trade,
now carried on under licence,
f cuggllng, &e. becaufe we cun
build jhips cheaper and we can navi
gate them cheaper than Britain— is it
likely that we pall be allowed to do
h-
France at all times aft >rded a
belter mar hi than Britain for our
llaple commodities, aed therefore
Britain obliges us to make her ports
the medium of trade, in order that,
by impofi ig duties on our produc
tions, her own might b fold s
cheap as ours) and in order that,
by enhancing the price of cotton,
&c. France might not be able to
manufacture fo cheaply to fecure
our trade—will Britain abandon . this
policyA Can any man of teafe fup
poie fhe will voluntarily enable us
to excel her in iaanufe&urirg ?
Although France is ii peace with
the north, our timber, tar, turpen
tine, &*c. would be highly ac epc
abic ro her, on account; of her fleers
—will is* train con lent to abandon
paper bl >< Fades, which are the on
ly übliruitiors to'our entrance v uh
thofe articles ?
France now poffeßing, every de
fcription of new machinery, and
having the command cf her own
Merino wool and of that of 10me \ i
the flocks of Spain can fi pplye fine
woollen cloths a-: a lower rate, than
the Britifh mamra&ures, ard her
fine woollens are already teper.or :n
every refpcil to the Britiih : If we
furr.ifn cotton, France can enter into
comcetition in cotton goods—viii
Britain allow this rivalry to go ua
mokft-d ?
France and Spain con fumes large
quantities cf fifh, now* fmuggled in
to thole countries by Britain—cart
we reafenably expert that fhe will
lec us, who have the ability to fup
ply them, in legitimate pofTcffion of
tha: crude, to her ext lwlion !
France can fupply us with w‘n*s,
brandies, fruits, oils, cloths, filks,
r bbords, laces, linr.ens, jewellery,
haberdafhtfry, and fancy articles,
cheaper than Britain can furaifli
them ; her manufartures in iron and
other metals, are progrtfling
and rrtiul) m Flanders ur.il No inanely,
a .and the qi.-ahty of ma v fuperior to
the Bntilh, yet we are compelled
to buy thr g.r.rer parr of thfin in
Ivngiund—will (he content ro let us
cft-mge Ihe channel of trade ?
Ah tnefe queftions arc fo plain,
that no ducernmg man enn hrti ate
ro anfwcr /; the negative —and to
iucli as doubt, I offer the condurt -
of Britain, prior to, this
war, us- the lac ft latistedYu y evt
cience, that we fball li lcde our
flives by anticipating the abandon
ment of the Britifh maritimefyflem; ’
i fay her markime lyftem, because
tr.c mere repeal of the orders in
cruncil would afheunt to nothing
cfpecially as the marquis Welltfley
li*j declared that if the orders in
council were revoked, the prior
art infringing our rights, vvouki not
therefore ceaie to be m operation.
Let any perfon review the con
cert of Britain to the Flemings, to
the llmfe■ towns to the Dutch %
french, Spaniards , Portuguefe , Ruf
fians, Turks, Genctfe, Swedes, and
Danes, even to the drifts, and cnen
fay whether we have aught tot;x
pt rt from her; why fhooid fhe re
gard our rights and mtcrtfts any
more than flic valued thete of eve
ry oilier commercial flare ? Why
ihould we alone be /pared, who are
more likely than any other nation
to tieftroy her commercialftprema
cy ?
There is no ncceflky for long;
explanatory anfvvcrs to thefe quei
tirnis ■, thty were anfwered 101793,
and have been repHd to every year
ftnee with accumulation of infulence
auv fevericy. Wc have been more
abated, if not openly much more
ignominioufly, than any other com
mercial ftate that ever cxifted ; ar-d
this fhews that we are juftiy confid
< red as the mojl dangerens rival
Britain ever had to contend within
trade and mercantile refourcts.
Az die ccmmenceinent of the
wr.r, tte: policy cf B*-itain was de
veloped, ftie had not then, fhe cbd
not pretend to have, any right to
retaliate; for a: that time Fiance
had ro; a fing’e decree in force a
fenft: neutraJs; who then can cx
p:yCl that Britain will now corffent
to adandon the policy which fhe a
tiopted ir* 1793 ft The lame m
nves which i. uced her to :;d Jp: r,
before any prolext for rctaliaticn cx.
(No. 124.