threatening to rival, sooner or later, the Navy of England.

latter grain is the utmost that can, even with difficulty, be raised in the Northern part of the United States. 11. But amongst the articles, In the Division of New Grenada in which Mexico, and more espeand Venezuela, which approaches cially New Grenada and Venemore towards the South, all the zuela would supplant the United products of Mexico abound. Here, States, there is one, which your as to the Mines, silver and gold Petitioner humbly presumes to receive the addition of platina me- point out as worthy of the partital. Tobacco is here produced, long cular notice of your Royal Highacknowledged to be the finest in the ness. The articles of rice, flour, world. The vine and the olive and tobacco are, each of them, of have been forbidden by Despotism great importance, but that of cotto produce wine and oil in this their ton far surpasses any description favourite climate, lest these coun- within the humble powers of your tries should, in this respect, injure Petitioner to give. The annual Old Spain. At Chili, where the amount of this article of raw mapeople have been permitted to terial, imported into England from make wine for their own use only, the United States, great as that a proof has been afforded of the amount is, bears no proportion in eminence to which almost every point of consequence to the cir part of these territories would, if cumstances of its being the matefree and independent, speedily ar- rial of one of the greatest English rive, to the great injury, no doubt, manufactures, giving employment of France and Spain and some other to a multitude of hands, causing of the nations of Europe, but to the an immense capital to be producincalculable benefit of England. tively employed, and the interrupIn the Division of Buenos Ayres tion of a sufficient supply of which and Chili; in that of Peru; in every raw material must of necessity be part of these territories, are pro-attended with injuries too obvious duced all that the United States to be detailed and too great not produce, with a small portion of to be, if possible, provided against. the labour required in the latter. In the territories which are the Hides and Tallow, from droves subject of this Petition, and esperoaming at pleasure, unfed and un- cially in those which border on the sheltered, are even now an object Gulf of Mexico, and on the West of considerable traffic, and, under Indian Sea, cotton is not only naindependent governments, would turally of a quality greatly supenaturally become such to an im- rior to that of the United States; mense extent. Lumber, and all but it is produced at a small por the articles in wood, together with tion of the expense demanded by flour, rice, and all the articles of the cultivation of that of the lastfood, occasionally necessary to mentioned country. So that, if England or to her West India Co- the territories of (Spanish America lonies, and which articles are now were freed from the monopoly, chiefly supplied by the United the restrictions, and all the selfish States, would, at a much cheaper and oppressive shackles imposed rate, all be supplied from Mexico by Spain; if industry and enterand the other countries bordering prise were left to take their naon the West India Seas, while the tural course, those countries would resources arising therefrom to these furnish the English manufactures new nations could not possibly, at with the most essential article of any period of time, be employed, raw material at a price greatly like the resources of the United reduced, and the close friendship States, in the formation of a marine which must necessarily exist be

tween England and those territo- | matter as appears to him necesries would prevent the supply sary to exhibit a clear view of all from being interrupted by any of the bearings and intentions of this the clashings of interest or any of singular and most important docuthe casualties of war. ment.

"An Act more effectually to pre

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serve the neutral relations of the "United States.

12. If your Royal Highness's Ministers, too busily engaged in the promoting of Holy Alliances abroad and in sacrificing the freedom of the people to the interest "Section 1. Be it enacted by the of an usurping Borough faction" Senate and House of Represenat home, have overlooked these "tatives of the United States of obvious commercial consequences" America, in Congress assembled, of the success of the Revolution in "That if any person shall, within Spanish America, and have also the limits of the United States, overlooked those still more import-fit out and arm, or attempt to ant consequences of a military" fit out and arm, or procure to be and naval character, of which your “fitted out and armed, or shall Petitioner will by-and-by beg to "knowingly be concerned in the be permitted to speak, the Rulers" furnishing, fitting out or arming of the United States, have, as he “of any ship or vessel, with intent will now humbly proceed to show," that such ship shall be employed overlooked neither the one nor the" in the service of any foreignother, but seem to have had all "prince or state, or of any colony, those consequences clearly in their" district, or people, to cruise or view, and to have done all that lay" commit hostilities, or to aid or in their power to prevent them ac- "co-operate in any warlike meacordingly. sure whatever against the sub13. Your Petitioner will not so "jects, citizens, or property of any far presume the existence of per- "prince or state, or of any colony, fidy in your Royal Highness's En-" district, or people, with whom the voys, or Ministers, as to suppose "United States are at peace, every your Royal Highness not to have" such person so offending shall, been informed, that the Envoys upon conviction, be adjudged from the Patriot Governments guilty of a high misdemeanor, have been refused to be received," and shall be punished and imin that capacity, by the Govern-"prisoned at the discretion of the ment of the United States; but "court in which the conviction he does presume, that perfidy, or "shall be had, so as the fine to be at least, criminal negligence, must" imposed shall in no case be more have existed somewhere, because, "than ten thousand dollars, and the otherwise, an Act, which was "term of imprisonment shall not passed by the Congress on the "exceed ten years; and every such third day of March last, would, ship or vessel, with her tackle, with all possible speed, have been" apparel and furniture, together laid before your Royal Highness, "with all materials, arms, ammuand in which case your Petitioner" nition and stores, which may is sure that the said Act would have been procured for the have been, by your Royal High- building and equipment thereof, ness's order, communicated to the" shall be forfeited, one half to the two Houses of Parliament. This" use of any person who shall give being the firm conviction of your information, and the other half to Petitioner, he deems it his duty to "the use of the United States. recite here the words of this Act, and to subjoin to the recital such"

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"Section 2. And be it further enacted, That the owners of all

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"armed ships, sailing out of the "or of any colony, district, or ports of the United States, and" people, with whom the United "owned wholly or in part by citi-"States are at peace. "zens thereof, shall enter into bond to "Section 4. And be it further "the United States, with sufficient" enacted, That if any person shall, "sureties, prior to clearing out the within the territory or jurisdicsame, in double the amount of tion of the United States, increase "the value of the vessel and cargo or augment, or procure to be in"on board, including her arma“ment, that the said ship or vesselbe knowingly concerned in increas"creased or augmented, or shall "shall not be employed by such «ing or augmenting the force of 66 owners, in cruising or committing "hostilities, or in aiding or co68 operating in any warklike measure "against the subjects, citizens, or property of any prince or state, or of any colony, district, or "people, with whom the United "States are at peace.

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any ship of war, cruiser, or other "armed vessel, which at the time "of her arrival within the United “States, was a ship of war, cruiser, or other armed vessel, in the ser"vice of a foreign prince, or state, or of any colony, district, or people, 66 or belonging to the subjects, or "citizens of any such prince, "state, colony, district, or people, "the same being at war with any foreign prince or state, with whom "the United States are at peace,

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by adding to the number or size "of the guns of such vessels pre"pared for use, or by the addition "thereto of any equipment, solely "applicable to war, every such

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person so offending shall, upon "conviction, be adjudged guilty "of a misdemeanor, and shall be "fined and imprisoned, at the dis"cretion of the court in which the "conviction shall be had, so as "that such fines shall not exceed one thousand dollars, nor the "term of imprisonment be more "than one year.

"Section 3. And be it further σε enacted, That the collectors of "the customs be, and they are "hereby respectively authorized "and required to detain any vessel "manifestly built for warlike purand about to depart from poses, "the United States, of which the cargo shall principally consist of "arms and munitions of war, when "the number of men shipped on "board, or other circumstances, shall "render it probable that such ves"sel is intended to be employed "by the owner or owners to cruise "or commit hostilities upon the "subjects, citizens, or property of 66 any prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people, with "whom the United States are at 66 peace, until the decision of the "Section 5. And be it further "President be had thereupon, or "enacted, That this Act shall con"until the owner enters into bond,“ tinue in force for the term of two " and sureties to the United States" "prior to clearing out the same, "in double the amount of the "value of the vessel and cargo on "board, including her armanent, "that the said ship or vessel shall "not be employed by the owner or "owners, in cruising or committing "hostilities, or in aiding or co"operating in any warlike measure

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years.

"H. CLAY,

"Speaker of the House of "Representatives.

"JOHN GAILLARD, "President of the Senate, 66 "pro tempore.

"Approved,

"against the subjects, citizens or "May 3, 1817."

"property of any prince or state,

"JAMES MADISON."

14. With regard to the Title of 15. It appears, therefore, evithis Act, your Petitioner begs leave dent to your Petitioner, and he humbly to represent to your Royal ventures humbly to express his Highness, that it is a perfect no- conviction, that it will appear evivelty, in the history of nations, for dent to your Royal Highness and any Government to pass laws to to the whole English People (for punish its citizens or subjects for whose benefit, as your Royal Highviolating the public laws of neu-ness has publicly and truly detrality; that the law of nations clared, your Royal Father wears provides the punishment which, his crown), that the above-recited upon this score, nations have Act of the American Congress was deemed to be amply sufficient; not called for by any neutral duty that, in virtue of this law, every known to the law of nations, and citizen, or subject, of a neutral that it could not, in any wise, posState is, if he trade to a bellige- sibly be necessary to the preservarent State in articles contraband tion of the neutral relations of the of war and such as are enume-United States. Besides, it will at rated in this Act, liable to have once occur to your Royal Highthose articles seized and condem-ness and to the People of the ned by the belligerent with whose whole Kingdom to ask, how it hapenemy he so trades; that this ge- pens, that, in order to preserve its neral law of nations has rendered neutral relations, an anxiety on the any interference in such cases, on part of the American Government, the part of neutral governments, so extreme as to produce this sigwholly unnecessary; that if indi-nal work of supererogation, has vidual citizens or subjects, belonging to a neutral State, supply one of the belligerent Powers with arms, or other munitions of war, the other belligerent has no ground of complaint against the neutral State, seeing that such offended belligerent has, by the law of nations, the right, lodged in its own hands, of punishing such individuals. That, the matter has been, thus, wisely settled by the law of nations; for, if neutral States were to acknowledge, as a duty, the passing of laws to punish their citizens or subjects for violations of the laws of neutrality, neutral States would, by such acknowledg-servation of its neutral relations, ment, give to any and to every belligerent a right to demand of them the passing of such laws, and, thus, would one nation have a right to dictate to another nation not only punishments, but the measure of punishments, to be inflicted on that other nation's citizens or subjects; and this, as your Royal Highness need not be reminded, is a species of degradation, to which no really independent nation has

ever submitted.

now, for the first time, made its appearance to the world? The Government of the United States has had to preserve its neutrality during many years of war amongst the European States, and, which is exactly in point, during a long and sanguinary struggle between France and her important colony of St. Domingo; and yet, as your Petitioner begs leave to state, the Congress has never before passed an Act to punish its citizens for trading in articles contraband of war; and, of course, it has now, for the first time, discovered, that such Acts are necessary to the pre

which discovery appears, too, to be the more extraordinary, as its effects manifestly tend to prevent a people, groaning under the worst of Despotisms, from obtaining any share of that freedom and that happiness, to have obtained which by an open war against the Mother Country is the boast of the People of these United States.

16. Moreover, with regard to the principle of this law of the

Congress, finds himself compelled to express his confident belief, that your Royal Highness will, in the three first Sections of the Act, clearly perceive all that impartiality

American Congress, your Peti-free, as legislators whose seats are tioner begs leave humbly to ob- not obtained by the base means serve to your Royal Highness, of bribery and corruption, as men that, it not only imposes a new, and whose votes are not the price of hitherto unheard-of, duty, and a wealth wrung from the hard hands most weighty responsibility, on the of a toiling and starving nation; Governments which shall adopt it and feeling, too, great gratitude as a precedent; but that cases towards the whole American peomay frequently arise, in which to ple for that protection which the act upon this principle, would be, effects of their wisdom, virtue and in substance, though not in form, valour now afford him against the to take a part in the war, and, of power of the Borough-faction, who course, to commit hostility on one so daringly oppress and insult his or the other of the belligerents; native country: with these feelings for, if one of the belligerent na- in his breast, it is with unaffected tions have, within herself, or, at grief, that your Petitioner, in proher command, an ample supply of ceeding most humbly to solicit the arms and of all the munitions of attention of your Royal Highness war, and if the other must neces- to the provisions of this Act of the sarily depend upon neutrals for such supply, your Petitioner humbly conceives that there can be no doubt in the mind of your Royal Highness, that a neutral nation, 'who should pass an Act, com- in words and all that partiality manding her people to carry arms, in tendency and in object, so maor munitions of war, to neither of nifest in the above-supposed case; the belligerents, would, under the and of which supposed case of preoutward show of impartiality, be- tended neutrality and of real hosin fact, guilty of obvious partial, tility, this Act of Congress is, it 'lity in favour of the well-armed and appears to your Petitioner, nothing well-provided belligerent; would, short of a full, practical illustrain reality, join that belligerent in tion. But while, in the three first hostility against the un-armed and Sections, the Act assumes, and un-provided belligerent, and would closely wears, the garb of imparthus afford full justification to the tiality, in the fourth Section, which latter to consider, and act towards, is the most material, this garb besuch neutral nation as an enemy. comes loosened, and renders visiSo that the principle, upon which ble the real character of the Act. this law of the American Congress For, while this Section forbids the professes to proceed, instead of augmentation of the force of any tending to preserve the neutral vessel belonging to any foreign relations of States, must, as ap- prince, state, colony, district, or people, pears to your Petitioner, naturally if such prince, state, colony, distend to make such States, sooner trict, or people be at war with any or later, parties in every contest foreign prince or state, with whom between other nations, and, in- the United States are at peace; stead of repressing and confining, while this Section forbids this, it must tend to render boundless the does not forbid the augmentation extent, the duration and the mi- of the force of any vessel belonging series of war. to any prince, state, colony, dis17. Feeling, as your Petitioner trict, or people, if neither of these does, profound respect for the be at war with a prince or state; American Congress, as the real so that, as Old Spain is not at war {representatives of a people truly with a prince or state, but with colo