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3. Having been employed in the coasting fishery two years.

4. Having served two years apprenticeship to the sea.

Art. 5. All foreign sailors residing in the territory of the empire, who have married French women, and sailed in French merchant-ships, are subject to the maritime inscription.

Art. 6. The already mentioned sailors are bound to present themselves at the office of maritime inscription, in the district where they reside, and have their names inscribed.

Art. 7. Carpenters, sail-makers, &c. exercising their professions in the maritime ports and places, shall be called to the military posts in the event of war, preparations for war, or of extraordinary or considerable works. There shall be kept an exact registry in the offices of inscription, and they shall be exempt from all other requisitions than those relative to the maritime service.

Art. 8. Every French citizen comprehended in the maritime inscription is exempt from all other services, than those of the navy, marine, arsenals, and the national guard, in the arondissement of their districts.

Art. 9. Every sailor who has attained the full age of 50 years, is, by right, exempt from the requisition for the ships or arsenals of the empire; without, however, losing the power of continuing the employment of fishing, or even serving in the ships of the state. Art. 10. There shall be granted to enrolled sailors, pensions, according to their rank, age, wounds, or infirmities. These pensions will be fixed ac cording to their services on board the

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ships and arsenals of the empire, and the merchants' vessels.

Art. 11. The length of service in the three departments, either in the merchants' service, or on board ships of war, shall be computed agreeably to article 205 of the imperial decree of the 4th of July, 1811, as if it had taken place on board French ships, and give the same right to half-pay and pensions upon the invalid marine

chest.

Art. 12. The widows and children of sailors shall have the same claims to assistance and succours, as those of military men who died in the service.

Art. 13. All captains, &c. naviga. ting the rivers, or on the coasts of the 32d military division, will from hence to the 1st of November next, provide themselves with a role d'equipage, at the maritime office of inscription.

Art. 14. Every captain, &c. who, after the 1st of November, sails upon the rivers, coasts, &c. of the 32d military division, and has not conformed to the dispositions of the present decree, shall be punished with eight days imprisonment, without prejudice to still greater penalties, should there be occasion to inflict them.

Given at the palace at Hamburgh, Sept. 17.

(Signed) The Marshal Prince of

ECKMUHL.

Lisbon, October 28th.

ROYAL EDICT.

It having been represented to the Prince Regent, our Lord, that many persons, forgetful that the defence of their country is a sacred duty dictated by reason and nature, resort to all means in order to escape from the recruiting service, even retiring from this kingdom in vessels which leave its ports, on board which they are admit

ted without the necessary passports, or with such passports as are inconsiderately given to them, notwithstanding the laws and proclamations which have repeatedly prohibited the same; and his Royal Highness being desirous of preventing such a shameful and pernicious abuse, particularly at a moment when the greatest efforts are necessary to repel and frustrate the attempts of the common enemy:

He has thought fit, in conformity to the regulation of the 9th of January, 1792, to direct, that during the continuance of the present war, the edicts of the 6th of September, 1645, of the 8th of February, the 4th of July, and the 5th of September, 1646, and of the 6th of December, 1660, be strictly and entirely observed; and he has resolved in consequence,

1st. That no minister resident in this capital, or in the provinces, shall grant passports to leave the kingdom; and that persons who claim them shall apply only to his Royal Highness,

through his secretaries of state for

foreign affairs and for war, or for the

naval service, conformably to every such applicant's situation in life.

2. That all and every person, a subject of this kingdom, who leaves it without a passport from one or other of the above secretaries of state, shall incur the punishment of denaturalization, and the loss of his property and honours; the simple fact of departure sufficing to incur such pains, without any sentence or declaration what

ever.

3. That the captains and masters of Portugueze vessels shall be bound to make declaration on oath, that the individuals named in their respective ship-lists really belong to their crew, under a penalty of 200,000 reis.

4. That the consuls of foreign nations oblige the captains of foreign ships to give security that they will not carry away natives of this king

dom without passports from the above secretaries of state; and that a copy of the present edict shall be sent to each of the said consuls, signed by the intendant-general of police.

5. Lastly, that the masters of foreign ships, who carry out any Portugueze without the above-mentioned passport, shall be liable to a fine of 1000 cruzadoes, to be paid into the exchequer; that the boatmen who take them on board the said ships, below the tower of Belem, shall be condemned to the loss of their boats, sails, &c. for a period of two years: and, that no one may plead ignorance of the present edict, it shall be published by the intendant of police, both in this capital and in the provinces; the said intendant being charged with the execution of the same, as well as all the civil and military authorities in their several departments.

Signed by the Four Lords Go-
vernors of the Kingdom.

Palace of Government,
Oct. 10th, 1811.

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At the close of the last session of congress, it was hoped that the successive confirmations of the extinction of the French decrees, so far as they violated our neutral commerce, would have induced the government of Great Britain to repeal its orders in council; and thereby authorize a removal of the existing obstructions to her commerce with the United States.

Instead of this reasonable step to wards satisfaction and friendship be tween the two nations, the orders were, at a moment when least to have been expected, put into more rigorous execution; and it was communicated, through the British envoy just arrived, that, whilst the revocation of the edicts of France, as officially made known to the British government, was denied to have taken place, it was an indispensable condition of the repeal of the British orders, that commerce should be restored to a footing, that would admit the productions and manufactures of Great Britain, when owned by neutrals, into markets shut against them by her enemy; the United States being given to understand, that, in the mean time, a continuance of their nonimportation act would lead to measures of retaliation.

At a later date, it has, indeed, appeared, that a communication to the British government, of fresh evidence of the repeal of the French decrees against our neutral trade, was follow ed by an intimation, that it had been transmitted to the British plenipotentiary here, in order that it might receive full consideration in the depend. ing discussions. This communication appears not to have been received; but the transmission of it hither, instead of founding on it an actual repeal of the orders, or assurances that the repeal would ensue, will not permit us to rely on any effective change in the British cabinet. To be ready to meet with cordiality satisfactory

proofs of such a change, and to proceed, in the mean time, in adapting our measures to the views which have been disclosed through that minister, will best consult our whole duty.

In the unfriendly spirit of those disclosures, indemnity and redress for other wrongs have continued to be withheld; and our coasts and the mouths of our harbours have again witnessed scenes, not less derogatory to the dearest of our national rights than vexatious to the regular course of our trade.

Among the occurrences produced by the conduct of British ships of war hovering on our coasts, was an encounter between one of them and the Ame rican frigate commanded by Captain Rodgers, rendered unavoidable on the part of the latter, by a fire commenced without cause by the former; whose commander is, therefore, alone chargeable with the blood unfortunately shed in maintaining the honour of the American flag. The proceedings of a court of enquiry, requested by Capt. Rodgers, are communicated; together with the correspondence relating to the occurrence, between the Secretary of State and his Britannic Majesty's envoy. To these are added, the several correspondences which have passed on the subject of the British orders in council; and to both, the correspondence relating to the Floridas, in which Congress will be made acquainted with the interposition which the government of Great Britain has thought proper to make against the proceedings of the United States.

The justice and fairness which have been evinced on the part of the United States towards France, both before and since the revocation of her decrees, authorized an expectation that her government would have followed up that measure by all such others as were due to our reasonable claims, as well as dictated by its amicable pro

fessions. No proof, however, is yet given of an intention to repair the other wrongs done to the United States; and, particularly, to restore, the great amount of American property seized and condemned under edicts, which, though not affecting our neutral relations, and therefore, not entering into questions between the United States and other bellige rents, were nevertheless founded in such unjust principles, that the reparation ought to have been prompt and ample.

In addition to this and other demands of strict right on that nation, the United States have much reason to be dissatisfied with the rigorous and unexpected restrictions to which their trade with the French dominions has been subjected; and which, if not dis continued, will require at least corresponding restrictions on importations from France into the United States.

On all those subjects our minister plenipotentiary, lately sent to Paris, has carried with him the necessary instructions; the result of which will be communicated to you; and by ascertaining the ulterior policy of the French government towards the United States, will enable you to adapt to it that of the United States towards France.

Our other foreign relations remain without unfavourable changes. With Russia, they are on the best footing of friendship. The ports of Sweden have afforded proofs of friendly dispositions towards our commerce in the councils of that nation also. And the informa tion from our special minister to Denmark, shews, that the mission had been attended with valuable effects to our citizens, whose property had been so extensively violated and endangered by cruisers under the Danish flag.

Under the ominous indications which commanded attention, it became a duty to exert the means committed to the executive department, in providing for

the general security. The works of defence on our maritime frontier have accordingly been prosecuted with an activity leaving little to be added for the completion of the most important ones; and, as particularly suited for co-operation in emergencies, a portion. of the gun-boats have, in particular harbours, been ordered into use. The ships of war before in commission, with the addition of a frigate, have been chiefly employed as a cruising. guard to the rights of our coast; and such a disposition has been made of our land forces, as was thought to promise the services most appropriate and important: In this disposition is included a force, consisting of regulars and militia, embodied in the Indiana territory, and marched towards our north-western frontier. This measure was made requisite by several murders and depredations committed by Indians; but more especially by the menacing preparations and aspect of a combination of them on the Wabash, under the influence and direction of a fanatic of the Shawanese tribe. With these exceptions, the Indian tribes retain their peaceable dispositions towards us, and their usual pursuits.

I must now add, that the period is arrived, which claims from the legisla tive guardians of the national rights a system of more ample provisions for maintaining them-Notwithstanding the scrupulous justice, the protracted moderation, and the multiplied efforts: on the part of the United States, to substitute, for the accumulating dangers to the peace of the two countries, all the mutual advantages of re-established friendship and confidence, we have seen that the British cabinet perseveres, not only in withholding a remedy for other wrongs, so long and so loudly calling for it, but in the execution brought home to the threshold of our territory, of measures which, under existing circumstances, have the cha

racter as well as the effect of war on our lawful commerce.

With this evidence of hostile inflexibility, in trampling on rights which no independent nation can relinquish, congress will feel the duty of putting the United States into an armour and an attitude demanded by the crisis, and corresponding with the national spirit and expectations.

I recommend, accordingly, that adequate provision be made for filling the ranks and prolonging the enlistments of the regular troops; for an auxiliary force, to be engaged for a more limited time; for the acceptance of volunteer corps, whose patriotic ardour may court a participation in urgent services; for detachments, as they may be wanted, of other portions of the militia; and for such a preparation of the great body, as will proportion its usefulness to its intrinsic capacities. Nor can the occasion fail to remind you of the importance of those military seminaries, which, in every event, will form a valuable and frugal part of our military establishment.

The manufacture of cannon and small arms has proceeded with due success, and the stock and resources of all the necessary munitions are adequate to emergencies. It will not be inexpedient, however, for congress to authorize an enlargement of them.

Your attention will of course be drawn to such provisions, on the subject of our naval force, as may be required for the services to which it may be best adapted. I submit to congress the seasonableness, also, of an authority to augment the stock of such materials as are imperishable in their nature, or may not at once be attainable.

In contemplating the scenes which distinguish this momentous epoch, and estimating their claims to our attention, it is impossible to overlook those developing themselves among the great communities which occupy the south

ern portion of our own hemisphere, and extend into our neighbourhood. An enlarged philanthropy, and an enlightened forecast, concur in imposing on the national councils an obliga tion to take a deep interest in their destinies; to cherish reciprocal sentiments of good-will; to regard the progress of events; and not to be unpre pared for whatever order of things may be ultimately established.

Under another aspect of our situation, the early attention of congress will be due to the expediency of further guards against evasions and infractions of our commercial laws. The practice of smuggling, which is odious every where, and particularly criminal in free governments, where, the laws being made by all for the good of all, a fraud is committed on every individual as well as on the state, attains its utmost guilt, when it blends, with a pursuit of ignominious gain, a treacherous subser viency, in the transgressors, to a foreign policy adverse to that of their own country. It is then that the virtuous indignation of the public should be enabled to manifest itself, through the regular animadversions of the most competent laws.

To secure greater respect to our mercantile flag, and to the honest interests which it covers, it is expedient, also, that it be made punishable in our citizens to accept licences from foreign governments, for a trade unlawfully interdicted by them to other American citizens; or to trade under false colours or papers of any sort.

A prohibition is equally called for against the acceptance, by our citizens, of special licences, to be used in a trade with the United States; and against the admission into particular ports of the United States, of vessels from foreign countries, authorised to trade with particular ports only.

Although other subjects will press more immediately on your delibera

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