rders of Council, to counteract this decree, declared, on the
other hand, that only such ships as had touched at a British port should
be permitted to sail for a port of France. The American President,
Madison, being in league with the French usurper against Great Britain,
made no remonstrance against the Napoleon decrees of Berlin and Milan,
but raised a great outcry against the counter English Orders in Council,
and made them a pretext for declaring war against Great Britain. But
President Madison not only thus leagued with Napoleon to destroy British
commerce, but also to weaken the British army and navy by seducing some
10,000 British sailors and soldiers to desert on board of American
vessels, where they were claimed as American citizen sailors.

"England had always claimed the right to search and claim her deserting
sailors on board foreign vessels, and that right had never been disputed
by the United States, until now, under the teachings of Napoleon. But
though there was no occasion for the exercise of such a right in a time
of general peace, the exercise of it then was a matter vital to the
existence and strength of the British navy; but, under the promptings of
Napoleon, President Madison made it not only a subject of loud
complaint, but also an additional pretext for war. Yet, to keep up some
appearance of fairness, but in secret intrigue with Napoleon, the
Madison Administration issued a declaration to open commercial relations
with either of the belligerent powers that should first rescind the
prohibitory decrees or orders. In May, 1812, Napoleon rescinded the
Berlin and Milan decrees so far as concerned the United States, but had
the unparalleled meanness to antedate them _thirteen_ months, and even
apply them to 1810, dating them April, 1811, in order to play into the
hands of his American confederates. Within a month after Napoleon had
rescinded the Berlin and Milan decrees--June 23rd, 1812--the British
Government cancelled the Orders in Council so far as related to the
United States; but five days before that, the 18th of June, President
Madison declared war against Britain, and then when, six weeks
afterwards, he was duly informed of the cancelling of these Orders in
Council, on which he had professed to declare war, he refused to ratify
an armistice agreed upon between Sir George Prevost and General
Dearborn, until the British and American Governments could confer with a
view to prevent any further pro