412 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



assurance that she would repeal her 

 orders, as soon as the decree on 

 which they were founded should 

 cease to exist ; as her subsequent 

 conduct leaves no doubt that she 

 would have been faithful to her 

 promise ; we can never too much 

 deplore the neglect to make known 

 this repeal, whether it be attribut- 

 able to the French government or 

 our own. 



If to the former belong the guilt 

 of this duplicity and falsehood, 

 every motive of interest, and every 

 incitement of duty, call loudly 

 upon our administration to pro- 

 claim this disgraceful imposition to 

 the American people ; not only, as 

 it would serve to develope the true 

 character and policy of France, 

 but to acquit our own officers of a 

 suppression too serious to be over- 

 looked or forgiven. 



But,whatevermaybe the true state 

 of this mysterious transaction, the 

 promptness with which Great Bri- 

 tain hastened to repeal her orders, 

 before the declaration of war by the 

 United States was made known to 

 her, and the restoration of an im- 

 mense amount of property, then 

 within her power, can leave but 

 little doubt, that the war, on our 

 part was premature, and still less 

 that the perseverance in it, after 

 that repeal was known, was impro- 

 per, impolitic, and unjust. 



It tvas improper — because it ma- 

 nifested, in this instance, a dis- 

 trust in the good faith and good 

 disposition to peace, of a nation, 

 from which we had just received a 

 signal proof of both. 



It tvas impolitic — because it gave 

 countenance to the charge, of a 

 subservience to the views of France, 

 and an ulterior design of co-oper- 

 ating with her in the profligate and 



enormous project of subjugating 

 the rest of Europe. 



It was unjust — because the evi- 

 dence afforded by the prompt re- 

 peal of the orders in council ought 

 to have satisfied us that Great Bri- 

 tain was seriously disposed to 

 maintain and preserve pacific rela- 

 tions with the United States; and 

 all wars are unjust, the objects of 

 which can be attainable by nego- 

 ciation. 



It tvas unjust — because the whole 

 history of our diplomatic inter- 

 course with Great Britain shows, 

 that we never induced her to be- 

 lieve, that we considered the im- 

 pressment of her own seamen on 

 board our merchant ships as a rea- 

 sonable ground of war ; and we 

 had never offered her the alterna- 

 tive of war, or a relinquishment of 

 this practice. 



It tvas unjust — because the pre- 

 tensions and claims, on the one 

 side and on the other, although at- 

 tended with difficulties, were not 

 irreconcilable. Great Britain did 

 not claim the right to impress our 

 native seamen ; she disavowed the 

 practice in all cases when the fact 

 was made known to her ; she re- 

 stored, on legal evidence ; she had 

 recently offered to return all who 

 were of that description, of whom 

 a list should be furnished by our 

 government ; and she had many 

 years before made such offers of 

 fair and amicable arrangement of 

 this whole subject, as to two dis- 

 tinguished members of our present 

 cabinet, appeared " both honour- 

 able and advantageous." 



It tvas unjust — because we had 

 not previously taken all the rea- 

 sonable steps on our part to re- 

 move her complaints of the se- 

 duction and employment of her 



