The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 07
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 07
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
The United States of America have propagated far and wide in Europe
the ideas of the liberty of navigation and commerce. The powers of
Europe, however, cannot agree, as yet, in adopting them in their full
extent. Each one desires to maintain the exclusive dominion of some
particular sea, or river, and yet to enjoy the liberty of navigating
all others. Great Britain wishes to preserve the exclusive dominion of
the British seas, and, at the same time, to obtain of the Dutch a free
navigation of all the seas in the East Indies. France has contended
for the free use of the British and American seas; yet she wishes to
maintain the Turks in their exclusive dominion of the Black sea, and
of the Danube, which flows into it through some of their Provinces,
and of the communication between the Black Sea and the Archipelago, by
the Dardanelles. Russia aims at the free navigation of the Black Sea,
the Danube, and the passage by the Dardanelles, yet she contends, that
the nations, which border on the Baltic, have a right to control the
navigation of it. Denmark claims the command of the passage of the
Sound, and by the late Marine Treaty between the neutral powers, it
was agreed, that the privateers of all the belligerent powers should
be excluded from the Baltic. France and Spain too begin to talk of an
exclusive dominion of the Mediterranean, and of excluding the Russian
fleet from it; or, at least, France is said to have menaced Russia
with a fleet of observation in the Mediterranean, to protect her
commerce to the trading seaport towns of the Levant. But, as England
possesses Gibraltar, and the Emperor of Morocco the other side of the
Straits, France and Spain cannot command the entrance; so that it will
be difficult for them to support their pretensions to any exclusive
dominion of the Mediterranean, upon the principle on which the
northern powers claim that of the Baltic, and the Porte the passage of
the Dardanelles.
France, at present, enjoys a large share of the trade to the Levant.
England has enjoyed a share too, and wishes, no doubt, to revive it.
The Emperor and the Empress, if they succeed in their views of
throwing open the Danube, Black Sea, and Archipelago, will take away
from France and England a great part of this trade; but it is not
likely that England will join with France in any opposition to the
Emperor and Empress.
In order to judge of the object, which the two Empires have in view,
we should look a little into the geography of those countries.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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