As our home-built vessels are adequate to but a small proportion
of our transportation, if we could not suddenly augment the stock of our
shipping, our produce would be subject to war-insurance in the vessels
of the belligerent powers, though we remain at peace ourselves.
In one of your letters of March the 13th, you express your apprehension
that some of the belligerent powers may stop our vessels going with
grain to the ports of their enemies, and ask instructions which may meet
the question in various points of view, intending, however, in the
mean time, to contend for the amplest freedom of neutral nations. Your
intention in this is perfectly proper, and coincides with the ideas of
our own government in the particular case you put, as in general cases.
Such a stoppage to an unblockaded port would be so unequivocal an
infringement of the neutral rights, that we cannot conceive it will
be attempted. With respect to our conduct, as a neutral nation, it
is marked out in our treaties with France and Holland, two of the
belligerent powers: and as the duties of neutrality require an equal
conduct to both parties, we should, on that ground, act on the same
principles towards Great Britain. We presume that this would be
satisfactory to her, because of its equality, and because she too has
sanctioned the same principles in her treaty with France.
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