us to the "MENACES" of the French; but while it continues to preserve us from their POWER, we shall feel little inclination to change it.

NEUTRAL NAVIGATION.

THE following paragraph on this interesting subject, appeared in the Morning Chronicle of the 15th instant: and the same writer has inserted articles of a similar nature in his subsequent Papers.

"THE new measures of the Directory against English Manufac"tures and Commerce, will be felt as severely by Lloyd's Coffee"house, as by the Weavers of Lancashire. It is impossible, "under such an Anathema to insure any Ship, since an English "pocket-handkerchief would ensure the Confiscation of the « Cargo.

It is a most dreadful blow to our Trade, but it is ridiculous to "charge it upon the Enemy as a thing unprecedented-It is our "Maritime Maxim returned upon us-It is that assertion of power

which we have always made, when we were able; which gave "rise to the Armed Neutrality in the last War; and made us ob"noxious to all the Commercial Powers at the outset of our mad "career in this War."

The unparalleled effrontery with which the writer of this Paper scatters his falsehoods, was never more conspieuous than in this statement; and it the more deserves animadversion, because it embraces, in a narrow compass the three leading objects which are aimed at in all truly Jacobin compositions. Ist, To misrepresent the conduct, and traduce the character of their own Country. 2d, To support our enemies, by justifying, under some false pretext or other, every measure which they adopt, however unprecedented or outrageous. And, 3d, To endeavour to depress the spirit of the people, by exaggerating the evils which they pretend we must incur, from those

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those measures on the part of our enemies which they are at the same moment labouring to defend.

We shall examine the paragraph quoted above, in these three points of view, after shortly stating what is the nature of the measure taken by the French Directory, to which it applies.

The French Directory have proposed to the two councils, that every ship found at sea, having on-board a cargo which consists either entirely or in part of English Commodities and Merchandize, shall be declared lawful prize, whoever may be the owner of these commodities or merchandize, which are to be deemed contraband goods, on this sole ground that they either come from England, or from her possessions.

And that no foreign ships which, in the prosecution of their voyage, have entered an English port, shall be admitted into any of the ports of France, unless in case of distress.

Such are the Maritime Maxims which the writer in the Morning Chronicle imputes to the Government of this Country, and which he says, are now returned upon, us; and in order to justify the conduct of the French. Government on this occasion, he adds, that it is an assertion of power which we have always made, when we were able.

We will now state, from the highest authority, what is the Maritime Law of England, with respect to the trade of neutral nations.

Ist, That the goods of an enemy, on-board the ship of a nation in amity, may be taken.

2d, That the lawful goods of a nation in amity on-board the ships of an enemy, ought to be restored.

3d, That

3d, That contraband goods going to the enemy, though the property of a nation in amity, may be taken as prize; because the supplying the enemy with what enables him better to carry on the war, is a departure from neutrality*.

The British Courts of Admiralty do not condemn the neutral ship on-board which enemy's goods may be laden

They do not even condemn the remainder of the cargo which can be proved to be neutral property. They moreover allow the freight of the goods so condemned, and all expences occasioned by the seizure and detention, if the conduct of the owners and the master of the vessel, has been conformable to the acknowledged rules of the law of nations. And if such neutral ships have been brought in without just cause of seizure, a full indemnification is made to the owners both of ship and cargo.

There may be cases justified by grounds arising out of particular circumstances, that furnish exceptions, i. e. such as relate to the trade of colonies belonging to an enemy, which had been subject to a close monopoly on the part of the mother country, in time of peace, and had only been opened by the enemy to neutrals, in order to relieve himself from the difficulties of the war. A neutral ship trading to an enemy's colony, of this description, with all the privileges enjoyed by the ships of the enemy concerned in the same branch of commerce, is, from this circumstance, considered as adopted and naturalized, and must be looked upon as an enemy's ship, and liable to be taken.

See a Report made to His late Majesty, GEO. III. on this subject, by Sir GEO. LEE, Sir GEO. PAUL, Sir DUDLEY RYDER, and Mr. MuxRAY, afterwards Earl of MANSFIELD.

Such

Such is the law in this respect, as laid down by Lord MANSFIELD, not in the present war, nor in the last, but in the war that commenced in 1756. This last principle of law arises out of circumstances, and the Courts of Maritime Jurisdiction may depart from its rigour, as circumstances vary; and from the singular situation of the commerce of all the world, in consequence of the French Revolution, the Government of Great Britain does not at present enforce it, in its utmost extent.

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The British Courts of Admiralty NEVER CONDEMNED, IN ANY PERIOD OF OUR HISTORY, the ships of neutral nations found at sea, on the sole ground of their having on-board a cargo consisting, either in whole or in part, of any sort of commodities or merchandize manufactured or produced in an enemy's country, or coming from thence.

These principles have been long admitted to be founded on the known and general law of nations, in all cases where it has not been otherwise stipulated by particular treaties.

Let them now be compared with the new French principle of maritime law, of which we have already stated the substance, and by which even the writer in the Morning Chronicle acknowledges, that a neutral ship, having only an English pocket-handkerchief on-board, would be liable to confiscation without regard to whether the property be English or neutral.

The British Government never shuts its ports against the ships of neutral nations, on the sole ground of their having entered a French or enemy's port in the prosecution of their voyage.

We desire now, any impartial judge will compare the principles of our maritime law, as before stated, with

VOL. I.

D d

those

those of the French Directory, which they propose to have established as the present maritime law of France; and determine whether the writer in the Morning Chronicle has not, in the paragraphs placed at the head of this Paper, libelled not only the present Government of this Country, but the Government of it in former times, which he may perhaps prefer to the present? for he, in effect, imputes a conduct similar to that of the French Directory to the Government of England, at all times. whenever their power was sufficient to enable them to carry such principles into execution. Let this impartial judge next determine, whether this writer has not libelled also our Courts of Maritime Jurisdiction, by supposing that they have ever founded their decisions on principles similar to those laid down by the French Directory? And, lastly, whether he has not also libelled the whole of our naval service, which must (if the assertions of the Morning Chronicle be true) have acted on such principles, and thereby become, what the French Directory are pleased to call them, the tyrants of the ocean?

This libeller of his Country also asserts, that this measure of the French Directory against English commerce and manufactures, will be felt as severely by Lloyd's Coffee-house as by the weavers of Lancashire. He calls it an Anathema which will deter our merchants from insuring; and he adds, that it is a most dreadful blow to our trade.

From his assertion, that this measure will be felt severely by Lloyd's Coffee-house, we must infer, that in his judgement it will tend either to diminish our navigation, or the insurances made at Lloyd's Coffee-house; or to expose the underwriters to a heavier loss than at present, in proportion to the premium.