1808.] 
of the royal fleet, which, sailing under the 
full assurance of peace, were unjustly sur- 
prised, attacked, and compelled to surrender, 
determined me to break all connection with 
the British Cabinet, and to corsider myself 
as at war with a nation which had so iniquit- 
ously violated the law of nations and of hu- 
manity. 
So atrocious an aggression was a sufficient 
motive for breaking all the bonds which unite 
one nation with another ; even had I not con- 
sidered what ] owe to myself, to the honour 
and glory of my crown, and to my beloved 
subjects. Two years of war have elapsédy 
and Great Britain has not moderated her 
pride, nor renounced the unjust domination 
‘which she exercises over the seas; but, on 
the contrary, confounding at once friends, 
enemies, and neutrals, she has manifested 
the formal intention of treating them all with 
the same tyranny. 
From these considerations T determined in 
February last year, in conformity to taé- wise 
‘measures adopted by my intimate ally, the 
Emperor of the French and King of Italy, to 
declare, as I have declared, the British Isles 
in a state of blockade, in order to see if that 
measure would reduce the British Cabinet to 
abdicate its unjust supremacy over the seas, 
and to conclude a solid and durable peace. 
Far from that, the English government has 
not only rejected the propositions which were 
made on the part of my intimate ally the 
Emperor of the French and King of Italy, 
whether directly or by the mediation of dif- 
ferent powers friendly to England, but also 
having committed the most enormous of atro- 
Cities and injuries, by its scandalous attack on 
the city and harbour of Copenhagen, it has 
thrown off the mask; and no person can any 
Jonger doubt that its insatiable ambition 
‘aspires to the exclusive commerce and navi- 
gation of the seas. Nothing can prove this 
“more evidently than the measures which that 
gevernment has just adopted by its_orders of 
‘the 14th of November last ; by which it not 
only declares the coast of France, Spain, and 
their allies, ;and ail those occupied by the 
armies of either power, in a state of blockade, 
but has even subjected the ships of neutral 
‘powers, the friends, ahd even the allies of 
England, to the visits of English cruizers, 
and to be forcibly carried into an Engtish 
port, where they are to be obliged to pay a 
tax on their cargoes, the quantity of which is 
to be determined by the English legisia- 
ture. 
Authorised by a just right of reprisal to 
take the measures which shall appear to me 
proper to prevent the abuse which the British 
Cabinet makes of its power, with respect to 
neutral flags, and to see if we cannot force it 
to renounte so unjust a tyranny, I have re- 
solved to adopt, and do hereby require there 
‘Saall be adopted, in all my states, the same 
-measutes which lave beeen taken by my 
Mbimate ally, the Emperor of the French 
Staie of Public Affairs in Fanuary. 
and King of Italy, and which ate of the fol- 
67 
lowing tenor. 
[Here follows a literal copy of the decree 
of the 26th December, issued on this subject 
by his Majesty the Emperor and King. 
Gazette de France, ‘fan. 19, and Moniteur, 
Fan. 20. | 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
The Session of Parliament was opened 
by Commission on Thursday the 21st of 
January, when the following Speech was 
delivered by the Lord Chancellor: 
6 My Lords and Gentlemen, 
$6 We have received his Mayjesty’s com- 
mands to assure you, that in calling you to- 
gether at this important conjuncture of af- 
fairs, he entertains the most perfect convics, 
tion, that He shall find in you the same deter- 
mination with which his Majesty himself is 
animated, to uphold the honour of his crown, 
and the just rights and interests of his 
people. ; 
‘< We are commanded by his Majesty to 
inform you, that no sooner had the result of 
the negociations at Tilsit confirmed the in- 
fluence and controul of France over the 
powers of the continent, than his Majesty 
was apprised of the intentions of the enemy 
to combine those powers in one general con- 
federacy, to be directed either to the entire 
subjugation of this kingdom, or to the im- 
posing upon his Majesty an insecure and ignee 
minious peace. 
‘¢ That for this purpose, it was deter- 
mined to force into hostility against his Ma- 
jesty, states which had hitherto been allowed 
by France to maintain or to purchase their 
neutrality ; and to bring to bear against dif- 
ferent points.of his Majesty’s dominions, the 
whole of the naval force of Europe, and spe- 
cifically the fleets of Portugal and Denmark. 
«© To place those fleets out of the power 
of such a confederacy, became therefore the 
indispensible duty of his Majesty. 
“¢ In the execution of this duty, so far as 
related to the Danish fleet, his Majesty has 
commanded us to assure you, that it was with 
the deepest reluctance that his Majesty found 
himsclf compelled, after his earnest endea- 
yours to dpen a negotiation with the Danisa 
government had failed, to authorize his com- 
manders to resort to the extremity of force, 
but that he has the greatest satisfaction in 
congratulating you upon the successful exe- 
cution of this painful, but necessary service. 
‘¢ We are further commanded to acquaint 
you, that the course which his Majesty had 
to pursue with respect to Portugal, was hap- 
pily of a nature more congenial to his Ma- 
jesty’s feelings. The timely and unreserved 
communication by the Court of Lisbon of the 
demands and designs of France, while it con- 
firmed to his Majesty-the authenticity of the 
-Advices which he had received from other 
quarters, entitled that Court to his Majesty’s 
confidence in the sincerity of the assurances 
