The National Register. — London, England, 1812-11-08 00:00:00

TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. 4' ur ttng, Couritution, anb PLAILISIIED AT NO 357, STRAND, CORNER OF EXETER .CMANGE. No. (254. POLII IC.4L 1)12 asilsworm- AME . .tIUA \V AR. It is in the nature of rear to Magnifv the evil it dreads, an d t o iociea , e by is sseak alarms the danger it shudders to encounter. Some individuals have expressed as much al rm at a war with Ametica.. as if our very existence were at stake, and we should hardly expect mote &iron(' fatty from men of ordinary courage, if the French had dected a landing at Dover, than certain patriotic wrimis love in their wisdom thought proper to avow on the present occasion The hobgoblins which cause them terrors, like those which cross the sunerstitious traveller's path, requi , e only to be calmly looked at and they vanish; and as that ,%Inch in thet one case gave rise to sensations of con stet nation and honor as a ghost, turns out to be but the stump of a tier, of a peaceable well disposed cow, so in the other, that which was contemplated as a hopeless and de structive contest to us, is proved. to be a war fatal to the best interests of the enemy, but comparatively harmless to this Country. For a long time it has been the practice of those in oppo sition to paint the consequences of an American war in the most gloomy colours which imagination could supply. It was in reply .to such representations, that on one occasion the late lamented CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, to whom now that he is unhappily no more, even his political enemies do not refuse a tribute of warm admiration, asserted that a war with America, however to be deplored, was not to be viessed with such extreme alarm as it excited in them. if we were compelled to engage in it, to England it would be " injurious, but to America it would be annihilation." Here he was interrupted by the exclamation of " Annihilate .America!" from Mr. W HITDREAD, uttered with all that gent/e iliavify of manner fur which that gentleman is so re markable. " I do not mean to say" Mr. PERCEYA L went On, " when I speak of the annihilation of America, that it will cease to exist, but I mean to say that her resources, her trade, and all that constitutes her greatness will he annihilated Iv a war with England " Such an opinion from such a statesman would be sufficient to allay our feats, if we had 4 "Y , but our opponents will answer that this was toerely the language of a Prime Minister, and ought therefore to stand fur nothing. All that has been written on the same side in flgland will of course be thou ;ht to equally light, a 5 it will be set down as emanating from Ministerial Writers, Treasury Hirelings, &c. re it so.—For once we will sub scribe to this calumny, and treat it as if it were entitled to all the respect due to truth. We will unite with the professtd reformers, in the cry that every thing of this sort has origi nated with Ministers to keep their places, or ministerial Vol, h No. ccxur. rENIBER 8. isie. sec ibes to preserve their pattonage. Thus taising our voice* in concert with those who would have it believed, that hey only ate the friends of the people, whose humanity leads them invariably to dist) ess, and never to console, surely it must be adtniited that we act with tairties d impartiality if we a. e cimtent to ground our reasonintts on fa( is which inc►eclui',y itselt cat not question, and on statements made within the walls of the American Senate, by persons to the full as clear-sighted and as wise as the great Mr. MADISON. A speech made by General GER MAI 4 in the Amei icing Senate has reached us In the conr , e of the week, the leading points of which we think entitled to particular attention, a•d therefore proceed to lay them before ►e ide's. Ia speaking of tire consequences t•f a war with England, he contends that it wou-d be no difficult task for our forces to possess themselves of New Orlcan., from which they could not be d.slod,ml, witl.out a great sacrifice of blood and trea su►e. P. ssing northe►ly along the American coast, Charles ton and Norfolk, as wail as many other places of less conse quence, are found exposed to marine attack, " and whets we reach the city of New York (the nation's great emporium of trade) he asks, do we find it in a state of security? No; unless the greatest part of our hates are stitioned there, in aid of the fortifications and gun-boats, it will fall a prey to the enemy. It can be assailed by a small fleet with every prosi,ect of suc- The only resistance it would meet with would be in passing Staten Island, and perhaps a few shots from Bed low's and Ellis's Isla►.ds. The English ships might soon place themselves abreast the works, at the upper end of the city, which lie had no doubt two seventy-fours would be able to silence in twenty minutes or half an hour. The result would most probably be, that the city would Le set on fire or a contribution extorted f►otn its inhabitants." Rhode Island, he declared to be in a state equally defenceless; and. Boston was, perhaps, the only secure place of any consider, able consequence on the sea board. cess. Here then we have it on the authority of a menrher of the American Senate, that Nevr Orleans, Chat lesion, Norfolk, Rhode Island, New York, and almost every other place of any considerable consequence on the seaboard, with the single exception of Poston, ate exposed t, marine attacks. This must stalely satisfy the most desponding, that our means of annoying America, are much more formidable than any at her command to annoy us ; and if this be admitted, the irju. ries the must necessarily sustain in such a cot - vest, cal.not fail to lead her to recognize our lights and her own interests, by returning to that hollow al.de line 01 policy, final which she has so foolishly and so wickedly de!,arted. But th! statement of Gencial GLItNIAN may not be cons ;vet, iI. will perhaps, be utgi.d. Possibly it is nut. in every part. but when we find vile p.at of his s i :vecti SP QPiupletellt SUNDAY, No\ PRICE Ulf• ,