STATE PAPERS. 



335 



5th of August, 1810, or even the 

 dav named therein, viz. the 1st 

 November following, when the 

 operation of the French decrees 

 was to cease. The instrument ex- 

 pressly declared that these French 

 decrees were repealed in conse- 

 quence of the American legisla- 

 ture having, by their act of the 1st 

 of March, 1811, provided, that 

 British ships and merchandise 

 should be excluded from the ports 

 and harbours of the United States. 

 By tliis instrument, the only do- 

 cument produced by America as a 

 repeal of the French decree^, it ap- 

 pears beyond a possibility of doubt 

 or cavil, that the alleged repeal of 

 the French decrees wasconditional, 

 as Great Britain had asserted ; and 

 not absolute or final, as had been 

 maintained by America : that they 

 were not repealed at the time 

 they were stated to be repealed by 

 the American government : that 

 they were not repealed in confor- 

 mity with a proposition, simultane- 

 ously made to both Belligerents, 

 but that in consequence of a pre- 

 vious act on the part of the Ame- 

 rican government, they were re- 

 pealed in favour of one Belligerent, 

 to the prejudice of the other : that 

 the American government hav- 

 ing adopted measures restrictive 

 upon the commerce of both Belli- 

 gerents, in consequence of edicts 

 issued by both, rescinded thesemea- 

 sures, as they affected that power 

 which was the aggressor, whilst 

 they put them in full operation 

 against the party aggrieved, al- 

 though the edicts of both powers 

 continued in force ; and, lastly, that 

 they excluded the ships of war be- 

 longing to one Belligerent, whilst 

 they admitted into their ports and 



harbours the ships of war belong- 

 ing to the other, in violation of one 

 of the plainest and most essential 

 duties of a neutral nation. 



Although the instrument thus 

 produced was by no means that 

 general and unqualified revoca- 

 tion of the BerHn and Milan de- 

 crees which Great Britain had 

 continually demanded, and had a 

 full right to claim ; and although 

 this instrument, under all the cir- 

 cumstances of its appearance at 

 that moment, for the first time, was 

 open to the strongest suspicions of 

 its authenticity ; yet as the mi- 

 nister of the United States produc- 

 ed it, as purporting to be a copy 

 of the instrument of revocation, 

 the government of Great Britain, 

 desirous of reverting, if possible, 

 to the ancient and accustomed 

 principles of maritime war, de- 

 termined upon revoking condi- 

 tionally the orders in council. 

 Accordingly in the month of June 

 last, his royal highness the prince 

 Regent was pleased to declare in 

 council, in the name and on 

 the behalf of his majesty, that the 

 orders in council should be re- 

 voked, as far as respected the ships 

 and property of the United States, 

 from the first of August following. 

 This revocation was to continue in 

 force, provided the government 

 of the United States should, within 

 a time to be limited, repeal their 

 restrictive laws against British 

 commerce. His majesty's minister 

 in America was expressly ordered 

 to declare to the government of 

 the United States, '♦ that this mea- 

 sure had been adopted by the 

 prince regent, in the earnest wish 

 and hope, either that the govern- 

 ment of France, by further relaxa- 



