The National Register. — London, England, 1814-10-30 00:00:00

1 . • . „„ ”. t 11. . 7% . THE .NATIONAL REG-ISTE•i.. Cur rag, eastitutiolt, In tattle: PVDLISHED AT NO. Fl J NEW,C4StLE •STREET, STR AND! No. T. 9. NDA Y, C:7' 1814. P ”cr Pd POLITIC:eI DIS.II.IISII'ION. 8 rATIT. OE AFFAIRS WITH THE UNITED STATES. In every transaction of l:fe, the intimate knowle(l , ,e Of the chat acter of the individual, with whom We either hare, or are to have an intercourse, is es,entially necessary to suc- ce. , s, in any transaction or negociation•with In the Cabinet, this knowledge of an adveisary's charae ter • is not less necessary than in the field, where it is con sidered, and with truth, one of the gt.eat points of good • It pe hap; a lamentable fact, that wilt British S!ates• Dien, in gent-ral, ibis is the last subject to which the least at tention is paid. This ignorance of the character of our opponents, clearly 0r, 2 %%, d itself in the rise, progre , s and termination of the late American war. The talents of an Hancock or an Otis, far carrying on intrigue, and obtaining influence at home - tivise of a Franklin and an. Adams for ingratiating themselves Arith foreign Powers—those of a Washington either, for the senitr, the cabiret, or the held—all were overlooked, And tined the gritisli Clown had not a possession in the valua ble part of America, did either the Ministers, or the people of Finglo.nd. think that immense continent worth a moment's fp-lions :ti ,ration. We eir in saying that Ministers did not think it worthy attention. The as.ertion is incorrect. They (! eume d th e patrorage, the patrmage worthy their notice— they uniformly exercised this patronage in such a way as to ht faillee • all the evils of oppression, without any alleviating benefit- , --ther made a perpetual war on the feelings of the pee of the Colonies, and thus . rendered them ripe to throw off their tdh!giance. At the peace of 1783, the me. (la; was reversed. Washinoon, who in 1758, was not deetned sot thy a commission signed by the Royal hand, and, of c , :ur.e obliged, either to submit to the orders of a subal• tern: or quit his Sovereign's service, became, in 179!, an ob ject of respect and ?eneration. Under his atispicos the fit treats of e( mmerce was made with the United States. The respect and veneration in . w hid' the character of this excellent man was held, have led to a grievous error in our c•timates of that of the mass of A mei icans. Some, it should seem, have esm,blered them as a nation of Washingtons, and have attempted to palliate their grossct errors—while others ha\ e placed them in a -,ituation benc.tth contempt. In short, our annals, whether diplomatic or Otherwise, uniformly bear testimony t(i , our being utter} ignorant of the Ainern an character. To th;s twer ignorance may be traced the fa!al •aolthr of Ministers, which has prech:dcd the equipment Man Remy nropeilv volunandt d and satficiently numerous to. .7) ~~~1 " • • us such a hoi,i in tii3t countrv:as wou'ld hive eual,led us to repay ourselves in the new world, for the losses acs Lave sustaitied supporting the constitution of the o:d. This, however, is a subject of a most delicate nature, and paiticulatly when it recollected, that although the opi nion.Of the feigning Sovereign is said to be favourable to our making au attempt to regain the footing lost by the Mi nisters of his predecessor, there is a strong. and powerfA party, not only in the Country, but in the Cabinet acid the Legislature, determinedly oppised to such a step. With theta the cant is " we are sui - licientiv nowerful." " It is an expression, in the mouth of all people of super " ficial information, that we have already m ,, re territories " than we can we'l govern. Perhaps the crsertion may carry " with it a gleat deal of ti uth, were all the would so peaceably inclined, las not to wish to pull us down " from that pinnacle of prosperity aud grandeur tO which 4, we have arm ived. But we shotill remember. what every " p2ge of history tells us, that there is oo fixability in hu " man afiairs, that an empire is ever progressive, and that to "--attempt to render it stationary at any given epoch. is the " highest proof of linman folly ; that it is the sathe as arrest " ing the Colli2 of-time, or fixing the sun in the meridian." But to this disposition alone is to be asctibed the feeble mode in , which the war Ms hitherto been waged. However, i: is to be hoped, perhaps rather hoped than believed, that we have beard of all ihe disasters which are to befall the British Aims on the western Continent fol the present campaign. ‘'Je say rather hoped, than believed, on account of• General Drummond's situation at Nirt4ara. Should be be compelled to abandon the neck of land be tween the lakr..s, the (onsequences wbl be di eadful. To return to our main subject : the state of parties in tile United States.. No one can be ignorant how completely Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison bare, for tire past 13 }ears, placed the fedeml party at &fiance. • The y , - , ry name of federal:st made a man worthy of nothing but politi , al exile. The Barlow's, the Armstrongs, the Crawfords, &c. &c. have been selected as the Representatives of the United Sacs in the Courts of Europe. At home, the lowest mfflans frnrn• Europe have in some instances been known to st,pefsecie narive of the most respectable class and estimable charac:er. Indeed, such was the raurour of Mr. Jefreison against his political opponent , , that a who had inter 'opted the tratiquiliity of a sacred ed and insul , ed the venerable Mihis'tcr who oiliciated, was, immediately after be had beea punished by the 'M un i c ipal Awhority of the Stare of Co:1- necticut, taken under his protection, and given 4 ctailklllV . slog in the At my, • • ll*