The National Register. — London, England, 1814-02-06 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. -, • Om Zing, Catutitution, ann tabs. 7 PUBLISHER AT NO. I NEWCASTLE-STREET, STRAND. SUNDAY, F EBIt (IA RY 6.1811. POLITICAL 1)1S2UISIIIO4V. NATIONAL AMERICAN SUICIDE. Tired of waging an inglorious land unavailing contest 1 v,ith the Lords of the Ocean, Mr. MaolsoN has lately , eltenged his system. The disasters of France have hum bled his tone, and.whilst the dangers of his situation corn- I . pel h im to geve a reluctant acceptance to our pacific over- i tures, he revenges himself ; on the unhappy beings who have blindly renewed his administrative authority and t subjectcl themselves to the caorice of as ambitious mad man. He no sooner treats for p etc with us, than he de- I dares war to the prosperity of his country. The activity of 1 our cruisers, and tae blockade of her harbours had not re- 1 . e duced the trade of America, at least that portiot, or it which had survived former embargoes, to a sufficiently low ebb ! It continued to vegetate, and through the cle mency of a generous foe, promised to weather the f.torm which the rash imbecility or corrupt instru mentality of the PILESTDENT had caused to bunt on the Atlantic : but this was not matter of satisfaction te this sincere and noisy patriot. He perceivoil ne advan tage in allow in . ; the people to profit by the vent which frequently offered itself for their commodities. He was %trilling to oppress them with taxes, but to allow them the means of paying thOse imposts' without disposing of their landed property, would, in his opinion, be too mild a treatment. Like NAPOLEON, he wished to be a sublime genius, and, like him, thought a total sacrifice ofthe true interests of his subject'; a certain sign of the depth and sub. Utility of his conceptions. Jealous of the celeleity of the Continental System, of which, however, he pri vately decieved himself the real inventor, he set his mind on producing a measure of equal folly and danger, which he vainly thought would create as much astonish ment and adrairation arout-hout the world. Hence sprang the Non-Importation Act, which h time of peace, *eemed destined to draw down upon his couutry the hos tility of every nation. Finding, hoirever, that other Powers knew how to chastise his presumption without going the length of war, and that the American ships, which he bed blindly conceived would become the sole carriers of the world, were not allowed any more liberty of trade than he granted, he perceived that in his eagerness to prove himself a great and profound politician he had missed his object. He saw that he had not only sacrificed ail the advantages with which the cor v litiou or neutrals supplied the Un'ted States, but that he had created a host of enemies who rendered trading even Ft Aeeeriean articles insecure. R. Vol. vi T. No CC C'X VII. had been adopted in Europa which made it difficuit for the most experienced trader to esca?e, either cap teire or seizure. Under these circumstances, Mr. MA.DISON once more drew upon his genius and in vention, and a general embargo tame forth. Thu first measure had excited the hostility of the world against him, th^ latter added that of his own countrymen. Por sisting in his ruinous course With the pertinacity c ignorance, he saw in little more than a year, a com plete revolution take place in the condition and for- tunes of the citizens of the United Status. chaliti whose capital and enterpris? supported the ho nour and encreased the wealth of the coulitty, now sunk from their eminence, by degr..es experienced the evils of poverty. Their wharfs crowded with goodi which they conid not export, only served to augment their expemes. Their vessels rotted inactive, for the smms which would have been requisite to repair them, wore spent to obtain the common nocessarios of life. Ou the other Land, the farmers and land-hcldrirs assuming a Om porary cousequNioc!, as they wore enriched tv the ruin of those whom they bad once consider ed as their superiors, added insult to their mis2rv, In suet) a situatiou the 3 public mind could not 1, - 41 , 4 rata ti its tranquillity. Thc•violence of parties, at all times littlz cheek etl in a land where men mistake impunity for freedom, rose to an alarming height, and at laq made the G-overnment sensible that it; overthrow might be the consequence of its ob. stinacy. The term of Mr. T ant Presidence drew 404 wards its close; he saw that popularity alone could restore to his hands that idol, Power, which be hail male his ged, and which an indignant people might now dish at his feet. What the ruin of his couatry had not effected, the apPrehensiou of sinking in cia. : insignificance produced. The embargo was repealed, the ceuntry bres.thed, erul. in the momentary impulse of its- inconsiderate greti. slide restored him years of autlicrity... What have been the consequences of his renewed and confirmed power? An impolitic war with England was the first, and .a new and still more ruinous embargo the second. We say stilt more ruinous, because during the former, America though torn by internal factions, was at peace with the world, whilot in the present instance it is at the very time that all the disasters and burdens of war fall with cornNued and accumulated weight upon her that , ho is rabball ; by the blind folly of her Government, of the small portion of her remaining trade. However Fhe haF deseri - ecl her fete, and unle4N she should turn the prOSP tit negotiatio,;s to tic. count, and by due concessions purchase poi co, let her know that her existence as r. nation cannot ions suevivethe of which she has been the victim. egu i 0 5 4 7411Ftq . itle • .; i ~AA,..:NL. t I ; . -: 7.'•`kiy, / 2,: . a. -4 .4 1 L4:‘, , , , i , - • - f...:.-': L t.... :.-._. • N. 317. 1•1••-•1=0 .4 . PRICE 9d. '