POLITICAL PERISCOPE.

repugnant to the law of nations; and the pretensions founded on them, though professedly directed solely against Great Britain, tend to alter the practice of war among civilized nations, and utterly to subvert the rights and independance of neutral powers. The undersigned cannot therefore believe that the enemy will ever seriously attempt to enforce such a system. If he should, they are con

Panorama Office, November 26, 1807. We submit to our readers, in the first instance, the following official documents, verbatim, which are of the utmost importance in the present situation of the country. NOTE. The undersigned Henry Rich-fident that the good sense of the American ard Vassal, Lord Holland, and William, Lord Auckland, Plenipotentiaries of his Britannic Majesty, have the honour to inform James Monroe and William Pinkney, Commissioners Extraordinary and Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America, that they are now ready to proceed to the Signature of the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, on the articles of which they have mutually agreed.-But at the same time they have it in command from his Majesty, to call the attention of the Commissioners of the United States, to some extraordinary proceedings which have lately taken place on the Continent of Europe, and to communicate to them officially the sentiments of his Majesty's Government thereupon.-The proceedings alluded to, are certain declarations and orders of the French Government, issued at Berlin, on the 21st of November last.-In those orders the French Government seeks to justify or palliate its own unjust pretensions, by imputing to Great Britain principles which she never professed, and practices which never existed. His Majesty is accused of a systematic and general disregard of the Law of Nations, recognized by civilized States, and more particularly of an unwarrantable extension of the Right of Blockade; whereas his Majesty may confidently appeal to the world, on his uniform respect for neutral rights, and his general and scrupulous adherence to the Law of Nations, without condescending to contrast his conduct in these particulars, with that of his enemy; and with regard to the only specific charge, it is notorious, that he has never declared any Ports to be in a state of blockade, without allotting to that object a force sufficient to make the entrance into them manifestly dangerous.-By such allegations, unfounded as they are, the enemy attempts to justify his pretensions of confiscating, as lawful prize, all produce of English industry or manufacture, though it be the property of neutrals-of excluding from his harbours every neutral vessel which has touched at any port of his Majesty's dominions though employed in an innocent commerce; and of declaring Great Britain to be in a state of blockade, though his own ports and arsenals are actually blockaded, and he is unable to station any naval force whatever before any port of the United Kingdom.-Such principles are in themselves extravagant, and VOL. III. [Lit. Pan. Dec. 1807.]

Government will perceive the fatal consequen
ces of such pretensions to neutral commerce,
and that its spirit and regard to national
honour, will prevent its acquiescence in such
palpable violations of its rights, and injurious
encroachments on its interests.-If, however,
the enemy should carry these threats into
execution, and if neutral nations should,
contrary to all expectation, acquiesce in such
usurpations, his Majesty might probably be
compelled, however reluctantly, to retaliate
in his own just defence, and to issue orders
to his cruizers to adopt towards the neutrals
any hostile system to which those neutrals
shall have submitted from his enemies. The
Commissioners of the United States will
therefore feel, that at a moment when his
Majesty and all the neutral nations are threa-
tened with such an extension of the beligerent
pretensions of his enemies, he cannot enter
into the stipulations of the present treaty
without an explanation from the United
States of their intentions, or a réservation
on the part of his Majesty in the case above
mentioned, if it should ever occur.-The Un-
dersigned, considering that the distance of
the American Government, renders any im-
mediate explanation on the subject impossible,
and animated by a desire of forwarding the
beneficial work in which they are engaged,
are authorized by his Majesty to conclude the
Treaty without delay.-They proceed to the
signature under the full persuasion that before
the Treaty shall be returned from America,
with the ratification of the United States, the
enemy will either have formally abandoned,
or tacitly relinquished, his unjust pretensions,
or that the Government of the United States
by its conduct or assurances, will have given
security to his Majesty, that it will not sub-
mit to such innovations in the established
system of maritime law; and the undersigned
have presented this note from an anxious wish,
that it should be clearly understood on both
sides, that without such abandonment of his
pretensions, on the part of the enemy, or such
assurances or such conduct on the part of the
United States his Majesty will not considér
himself bound by the present signature of
his Commissioners to ratify the Treaty, or
precluded from adopting such measures as
may seem necessary for counteracting the
designs of his enemy whenever they shall
occur, and be of such an extraordinary nature
Y

as to require extraordinary remedies.-The his Majesty's enemies, shall, from henceforth, Undersigned cannot conclude, without ex- be subject to the same restrictions in point pressing their satisfaction at the prospect of of trade and navigation, with the exceptions accomplishing an object so important to the hereinafter-mentioned, as if the same were interests and friendly connections of both actually blockaded by his Majesty's naval Nations, and their just sense of the concili- forces, in the most strict and rigorous manner: atory disposition manifested by the Commis--And it is hereby further ordered and decla-sjoners of the United States during the whole course of the Negociations.-(Signed) VASSAL HOLLAND. AUCKLAND.-Dec. 31, 1806. James Monroe, &c. William Pinkney, &c. ORDERS OF COUNCIL, extracted from the London Gazette, Nov. 16, 1807. At the Court at the Queen's Palace, the 11th of November 1807, present the King's most excellent Majesty in Council.

red, that all trade in articles which are of the produce or manufacture of the said countries or colonies, shall be deemed and considered to be unlawful; and that every vessel trading from or to the said countries or colonies, together with all goods and merchandize on board, and all articles of the produce or manufacture of the said countries or colonies, shall be captured, and condemned as prize to the captors. But although his Majesty would be fully justified, by the circumstances and considerations above recited, in establishing such system of restrictions with respect to all the countries and colonies of his enemies, without exception or qualification; yet his Majesty, being nevertheless desirous not to subject neutrals to any greater inconvenience than is absolutely inseparable from the carrying into effect his Majesty's just determination to counteract the designs of his enemies, and to retort upon his enemies themselves the consequences of their own violence and injustice; and being yet willing to hope that it may be possible (consistently with that object) still to allow to neutrals the opportunity of furnishing themselves with colonial produce for their own consumption and supply; and even to leave open for the present, such trade with his Majesty's enemies as shall be carried on directly with the ports of his Majesty's dominions, or of his allies, in the manner hereinafter mentioned:-His Majesty is therefore pleased further to order, and it is hereby ordered, that nothing herein contained shall extend to subject to capture or condemnation any vessel, or the cargo of any vessel, belonging to any country not declared by this order to be subjected to the restrictions incident to a state of blockade, which shall have cleared out with such cargo from some port or place of the country to which she belongs, either in Europe or America, or from some free port in his Majesty's colonies, under circumstances in which such trade from such free ports is permitted, direct to some port or place in the colonies of his Majesty's enemies, or from those colonies direct to the country to which such vessel belongs, or to some free port in his Majesty's colonies, in such cases, and with such articles, as it may be lawful to import into such free port;-nor to any vessel, or the cargo of any vessel, belonging to any country not at war with his Majesty, which shall have cleared out under such regulations as his Majesty may think fit to prescribe, and shall be proceeding direte

Whereas certain orders, establishing an unprocedented system, of warfare against this kingdom, and aimed especially at the destruction of its commerce and resources, were, some time since, issued by the government of France, by which the British Islands "were declared to be in a state of blockade," thereby subjecting to capture and condent nation all vessels, with their cargoes, which should continue to trade with his Majesty's dominions:-And whereas by the same order, all trading in English merchandize is prohibited, and every article of merchandize "belonging to England, or coming from her "colonies, or of her Manufacture, is declared • lawful prize:"And whereas the nations in alliance with France, and under her controul, were required to give, and have given, and do give, effect to such orders :-And whereas his Majesty's order of the 7th of January last has not answered the desired purpose, either of compelling the enemy to recall those orders or of inducing neutral nations to interpose, with effect, to obtain their revocation, but, on the contrary, the same have been recently enforced with increased rigour:—And whereas his lajesty, under these circumstances, finds himself compelled to take further measures for asserting and vindicating his just rights, and for supporting that maritime power which the exertions and valour of his people have, under the blessing of providence, enabled him to establish and maintain; and the maintenance of which is not more essential to the safety and prosperity of his Majesty's domi. nions, than it is to the protection of such states as still retain their independance, and to the general intercourse and happiness of mankind-His Majesty is therefore pleased, by and with the advice of his privy council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that all the ports and places of France and her allies or of any other country at war with his Majesty, and all other ports or places in Europe, from which, although not at war with his Majesty, the british flag is excluded, and all ports or places in the colonies belonging to

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At the Court at the Queen's Palace, the 11th of November, 1807, present, the King's most excellent Majesty in Council.

Whereas the sale of ships by a Belligerent to a neutral is considered by France to be illegal.-And whereas a great part of the shipping of France and her allies has been protected from capture during the present hostilities by transfers, or pretended transfers to neutrals. And whereas, it is fully justifiable to adopt the same rule, in this respect, towards to the enemy, which is applied by the enemy to this country. His Majesty is pleased, by and with the advice of his privy council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that in future the sale to a neutral 'of any vessel belonging to his Majesty's enemies, shall not be deemed to be legal, nor in any manner to transfer the property, nor to alter the character of such vessel: and all vessels now belonging, or which shall hereafter belong to any enemy of his Majesty, notwithstanding any sale, or pretended sale to a neutral, after a reasonable time shall have elapsed, for receiving information of this his Majesty's order at the place where such sale, or pretended sale, was effected, shall be captured and brought in, and shall be adjudged as lawful prize to the captors.-And the right honourable the lords commissioners of his Majesty's treasury, his Majesty's principal secretaries of state, the lords commissioners of the Admiralty, and the judges of the high court of Admiralty and courts of Vice-Admialty, are to take the necessary measures herein as to them shall respectively appertain, -W. FAWKENER.

of his present Majesty's reign, intituled "An [ of Admiralty and courts of Vice-Admiralty, "act for permitting certain goods imported are to take the necessary measures herein as to them shall respectively appertain.——W. "into Great Britain, to be secured in ware"houses without payment of duty," subject FAWKENER. to all the regulations of the said last-mentioned act; and with respect to all articles which are prohibited by law from being imported into this country, it is ordered, that the same shall be reported for exportation to any country in amity or alliance with his Majesty. And his Majesty is further pleased, by and with the advice of his privy council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that all vessels which shall arrive at any port of the United Kingdom, or the port of Gibraltar or Malta, in consequence of having been warned pursuant to the aforesaid order, or in consequence of receiving information, in any other manner, of the said order subsequent to their having taken on board any part of their cargoes, whether previous or subsequent to their sailing, shall be permitted to report their cargoes for exportation, and shall be allowed to proceed upon their voyages to their original ports of destination (if not unlawful before the issuing of the said order), or to any port at amity with his Majesty, upon receiving a certificate from the collector or comptroller of the customs at the port at which they shall so enter (which certificate the said collectors and comptrollers of the customs are hereby authorised and required to give), setting forth that such vessels came into such port in consequence of being so warned, or of receiving such information as aforesaid; and that they were permitted to sail from such port under the regulations which his Majesty has been pleased to establish in respect to such vessels. But in case any vessel so arriving shall prefer to import her cargo, then such vessel shall be allowed such to enter and import the same, upon terms and conditions as the said cargo might have been imported upon, according to law, in case the said vessel had sailed after having received notice of the said order, and in conformity thereto.-And it is further ordered, that all vessels which shall arrive at any port of the United Kingdom, or at Gibraltar or Malta, in conformity and obedience to the said order, shall be allowed, in respect to all articles which may be on board the same, except sugar, coffee, wine, brandy, snuff, and tobacco, to clear out to any port whatever, To repeat those observations which every to be specified in such clearance; and, with respect to the last-mentioned articles, to ex-speaker makes an hundred times a day, on the port the same to such ports, and under such preponderance of France on the Continent, conditions and regulations only, as his Ma- or on the spirit of further aggrandizement jesty, by any licence to be granted for that cherished and displayed by her despotic ruler, purpose, may direct. And the right ho- is to give up at once, every pretention to nonourable the lords commissioners of his Ma-velty, and is not altogether respectful to the jesty's treasury, his Majesty's principal secretaries of state, the lords commissioners of the Admiralty, and the judges of the high court

Politicians are, at present, pretty much in the state of Milton's Satan, when exploring the regions of Chaos and old Night; their conjectures are reduced to the character of mere guesses, as to facts, and if possible, less than guesses as to future events: they have no guiding star, to direct them in their course, but they must

"Through the palpable obscure "Find out their uncouth way," as well as their vacillating judgments will suffer them.

sources from whence the Panorama derives information. Yet we cannot avoid alluding to this fact, because the unhappy fate of no