The constitutionalist — Exeter, N.H., 1810-09-17 00:00:00, page 1

[corrected WEEKLY.]
SEPTEMIj. Qs. F.Sea r.Qs lremarks.
17 Monday. 5517 237 9 4
18 Tuesday. 5 537 327 944
19 Wednesd. 5 547 4 15 10 33
^Thursd. 5557 5 911 14
21 Friday. 5 577 550 Morn
^2 Saturday. 5 5876 36 0 5
TSUNOS, 6 06 721 1 10
''POLITICAL.
]^ From the Federal Republican.
REFLECTIONS.
1 The new order of things, which has
[risen up in Europe since the French
revolution, is exceedingly well worthy
of the observation and attention of our
countrymen. The events, which are
taking place in that quarter of the
globe, must not be considered merely
as a matter of carious speculation ; but,
as furnishing in an eminent degree a
subject for deep reflection, and deep
apprehension on our part. The for
tune and future destinies of our coun
try, will be very closely concerned in
the turn, which the affairs of Europe
will take. The new system of in
terests established in Europe, has for
its prime object, the subjugation of
other nations. And the influence of
the French politics and philosophy, is
the great instrument by which this is
to be accomplished. That there is a
sect of men among us, who are active
ly and incessantly engaged in dissemin
ating and spreading this influence, it is
a very easy matter to persuade every
impartial and observing man. * But we
cannot rouse to action, half of the
men whose understandings we con.
vince. If we do succeed in making
them think, it is still exceedingly dif
ficult to make them feel and act, on
the occasion.—The jacobins take ad
vantage of this, in two ways : in the
first place, by inflaming the animosity
between the two great rival parties :
and, in the second pi"°° oy dissemi
nating with more rf g° r an d zeal their
abominable principles.' They can
rouse the prejudices and jealousy of
the democrats ; while to us, who offer
them the light of truth, and the ten
derest advice, they always exhibit the
most senseless indifference. The jac
obins are the last men in the country,
who ought to have any concern with
its interests and public administration.
They are men whose understandings
are so exceedingly perverted and
warped out of the right course of
thinking, and whose hearts possess
such a morbid temperament, that it
is impossible they should act with any
sort of wisdom, \or uprightness, or
tenderness, for their fellow creatures
and their country. Many of them
have been trained up in the schools of
war in Europe ; and who, finding a
fine field for revolution among us, are
determined to cut their way through,
with a bloody axe, to the accomplish-•
ment of. their bold and monstrous pro
jects. The influence which the French
politics and philosophy have had over
the other nations of the world, is quite
a singular and novel thing, in the his
tory of the human race. The politi
cians of France have discovered (and'
it is certainly an admirable scheme of
policy) that the surest way to' the
subjugation of any country, is by sub
duing and ruining the minds of the
men who inhabit it. And this previ
ous step they effectually made, by
teaching the, doctrine of liberty and
equality. And, notwithstanding the
French people have established a mil
itary despotism, instead of a temper
ate and well ^gulated republican gov
ernment, as they promised the world ,
so flatteringly ; yet this doctrine has
lost none of its effect. The French
people heartily believe thg a ' repub
lic one and indivisible' will in the end,
be established. The Germans, Ital
ians, and even the Dutch believe so
too. , r
Our country has ever since the be
ginning of its existence as an independ
ent nation, been open to the full in
fluence and operation of the French
politics and philosophy; and the peo
ple are already half ruined by them.
But, English influence will not have
any dangerous effect ; at tnost, it
will only serve to counteract jacobin
principles, and to preserve our old
manners and habits uncoyupted. For
our countrymen are already too much
in love with liberty and a republican
government, to become fowl of aris-
MINIATURE ALMANACK.
Vol. I.]
THE CONSTITUTIONALIST.
AGAINST THE INSIDIOUS WILES OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE, THE JEALOUSY OF A FREE PEOPLE, OUGHT TO BE CONSTANTLY AWAKE .Washington.
tocracy and monarchy. And, what
is of immense consequence, Great
Britain does not meditate the subjuga
tion of this country. Our vast com
mercial relations with Great Britain
and the similarity of manners and
habits between the two people,
have contributed to a certain degree,
to attach us to England; while the
intolerable ignorance of half our
people, their devotedness to republican
ism, the active and vigorous efforts of
the jacobins, and the assistance which
France afforded us (under Louis
XFL) in our struggle with Great
Britain, have served much more effectu
ally to disseminate the French politics.
It is time that the people of A
merica opened their eyes upon the
views and schemes of the jacobins.
Their government, however beautiful
and well constructed, will hardly en
dure another twenty years, if those
men are suffered to have so much in
fluence among us. They are themselves
hastening a revolution, which will ef
fectually destroy so much Os liberty &
equality, as now exists among them ;
and which !am sure, if it could be
opened in vision before them, would
make them shudder, and call down the
wrath of heaven upon the men who
deluded them. It is obvious, that
public sentiment, where it has such
vast influence in the administration of
the government, as in our country,
ought to- be generally enlightened and
virtuous. The fact is however, that
the great mass of the people in many
of our states, are not half as well in
formed as in Scotland and the north of
England. Ilow is it to be expected
then, that our government will be per
manent and stable? That legislation
and manners go together, is one of
thqse immutable principles in politics,
winch is equally well confirmed by
speculative reasoning, and by the
experience of all the nations on the
globe. Wemay talk and brag as much
as we please about our government,
but the trutb ^ that our stain nf soci
ety is declining so rapidly, that it will
pass out of our hands, in less than a
minute's warning; and another infi-
L nitely worse for the people will suc
ceed, before we have done panting from
our astonishment. It is clearly settled
in the minds of all reflecting men, that
the present state of things cannot eon
tinuohalf a century longer. It may
be well therefore, to open the minds
of so many of the community as under
stand and feel the interests of their coun.
try, to a consideration of this subject.
We would hardly go so far as Mr.
Ames, in saying that " the* revolution
will proceed exactly in the same way
as that of France, only not with so.
rapid a pace." For it may be observ
ed, that there will be a great differ
ence between the circumstances of the
two countries, and between the char
acter of the two people. g?his is a
fact, which no man ought to be un
willing to conceal or deny, that the
old French monarchy, was, in many"
• respects, a Very ill constructed and un
wieldy government, and that the pub
lic administration was conducted in a
very irregular and oppressive manner.
The people there had much ground
for complaint. And, when once a
prospect of establishing liberty was
opened, it inflamed their zeal and resent
ment so much, that they became exor
bitant and merciless in their demands.
The throne which they subverted, with
all the glory and splendor which sur
rounded it, did infinitely better to up
hold the government and to preserve its
peace and stability, than any new or
der of things which they proposed to
establish, after the year 'B9.—ln our
country, the revolution will not be so
violent and bloody, because the people
have very little reason to be exasperat
ed at the government, and because they
will have hardly any obstacle in their
way to dominion, except the opinion
of the world and posterity. Besides
this, our countrymen are not as cor
rupt (if they arte as ignorant) as the
people of France. They have not
been injured, as that people had been
before the revolution. They are not
a nation of soldiers accustomed to sieg
es & battles ; they have no massacre of
St. Bartholomews to avenge upon their
enemies. The situation of our coun
try, our genius and habits, together
with the spirit and temper of our gov
ernment, have all equally concurred to
render us wholly unfit for the hardships
and terrors of a bloody revolution,
—, —
* Works—Dangers of American
Liberty,
EXETER, (N.H.) MONDAY, SEPTEMBER. 17, 1810.
But the jacobins among us are as cor
rupt and desperate now, as those who
dethroned Louis ; and they constitute
a large body. True, but the federalists
area respectable and large body of men,
• and have talents and love of country,
and wealth on their side, and are ca
pable of awing a multitude of ignorant
men into good behavior.
The revolution which will take
state of society will have rendered neces
sary : which will indeed be accomplish
ed by the head-strong passions of the
people.—We do not wish that\our
government should have any more en
ergy than it now has. But we are cer
tain that the people are hastening a
revolution, which will ultimately ren
,der the government much more ener
getic than it is now.•
Whether these observations are
calculated to lead my countrymen to
serious reflection on this subject, I
cannot answer.—But it is certainly
time that they were awakened out of
ject too delicate to be laid open.—Far
fromit ; if it were thoroughly exam
ined and understood, even now, we
should be saved from half the calam
ities, which threaten to overwhelm us
long before the end of the present cen
tury.• AN AMERICAN.
" By adverting to the Rambouillet
" decree, our readers will see that the
" condemnation of American property
" in France is not final, since the pro
" ceeds of the sales are to be deposited
" in the caisc d'amortissment, where
" it will be subject to future disposi
" tions. This decree bears a contem
" poraneous effect with our noninter,
" course law, and it remains to be seen
" whether it will have a collateral
" existence."
"We find this article in the Enquirer
said to be Extracted, rom the Baltimore
American —if we had met with it in
some other paper, we should have taken
it, for a stroke of irony, though we.
should have considered it as very un
seasonable levity upon serious subjects.
The degradation of national character,
in submitting without a shew of resis.
tance, to seizure of property without
any pretext, the consequent contempt
of the world, andjhe ruin of thousands
of our countrymen, are not subjects
for jesting. We acquit the American
of any such intention, but we would
however take the liberty of asking
the editor of that paper, and also his
friend the Editor of the Enquirer, if
they seriously do believe that the propv
erty, or its value, will ever be restored
br paid to the citizens of our country ?
and if.they have no such belief, that
they will say what is the meaning or
intention of the article in question ?
In the Enquirer also, we find anoth
er article extracted from the same re
spectable source, in these words :
" No American property has been
" seized in France by the order of the
" Emperonr, except American vessels
" and their cargoes.—No American
" in Francehas had property disturbed;
"unless situated as above. The offi
" ciousness of our editors in giving to
" their readers garbled inforp^tioo,
" consisting of a torture of truth and
" falsehood, does in Europe much
" mischief, since they regale their rea
" ders at the serious expense of others."
" We are here very gravely told
that no other species of American
property, except vessels and cargoes
have been seized in France. We would
be glad to know what other species of
property^ it likely could be seized—
The Americans have no lands in France,
and if they have money, it is hardly to
be presumed that they would make a
public exposition of it. The plain
translation of this French paragraph
is this. "No American property has
" been seized in France by orders of
“ the Emperour, except such as could
" be found," . "'
plactfin this country, will not we con
ceive, remain half as long in favour of
the people, as it did in France. It will
be a revolution which a change in the
FROM THE NORFOLK LEDGER.
The Continental System, or the
system of Corsican rapacity, is ex
tending itself in the North of Europe,
nor will it in all probability, have any
limitation, where French power can
be applied.-—The seizure of American
property at Stralsund, was to be ex
pected under tie Rambouillet decree.
Speaking of this same Rambouillet
decree, a democratic paper, says,
the lethargy in which they have been
so long sleeping. We are not, it must
be remembered, to consider this a sub-
About three years ago the Indians
were devising a pte for attacking the
whites on the frontiers, also at the
same time to take all the forts belong
ing to the United states to the west
ward. It appears to have originated
with the Shawanese Prophet and his
band, and the Sacks. My brother
told me (he secret at Winemack's town,
and said that the British had taken a
party of Socks into the woods and
had a council with them, and told
them they must take up the tomahawk
against the Americans, and to this
day the thing is alive against them, al
though kept a great secret—-it is made
known to none but such as they think
The white persons at the town in
formed me that not one of the chiefs
would go into the council with the
prophet's brother, arid that it was a
preacher named Riddle, who took the
letter to have it interpreted, and that
the brother of the prophet took it
from his hand and threw it in the fire,
declaring, that if governor Harrison
was there,he would serve him so, he told
the Indians that the white people and the
government were deceiving them, and
for his part he never would believe
them, or put any confidence in them,
that he never would be quiet until he
had effected his purposes, and that if
ho was dead, the cause Would not die
with him—he urged the Indians to
move qff, to the Mississippi with him,
and that there he would assemble his
forces—all his arguments seemed to be
bottomed on the prospect of hostili
ties against our people—he made no
impression bn the Shawanese, and went
away much dissatisfied at their not
coming into his views. I indirectly
encouraged their emigration westward,
and told them that their annuity
should follow them —they appear de
termined to remain, and are much at
tached to the town and their improve,
ments (which are considerable.)
I am very sorry I was not here when
Mr. OneiUe passed. la, *ee from all
the information I can co., ~t, that the
prophet is endeavouring o form a
combination among the Indians hostile
to us, I Shall be on the alert, and will
take special care to apprise you of ev
ery thing that may be material until
the crisis passes away. The Indians
in any numbers you know cannot sub
sist long in any place, we may there
fore calculate On hearing of their dis
persion soon, br doitig something
worse.
Hendrick writes that a deputation
from White River is gone to the proph
et, and he thinks it will have the desir
ed effect. I hope to hear the result
soon. If this incendiary is not silen
ced soon in an amicable manner—l
think forbearance on our part no lon
ger prudent—it is not for me to say
what steps ought to be taken, but one
thing is certain, if he is not put down
soon some district of our country will
receive a blow. The information con
tained in the enclosed paper procured
from , although in some respects
improbable, taken in connection with
the prophet's conduct, deserves some
consideration —it is sent to you as we
received—there is no possible induce
ment with , to contrive as a false-'
hood."
The following information was
told to me as a great secret by an In--
dian.
Dear sir,
" A person just arrived, who it ap
pears has lost himself on his route to
Vincennes, affords me an opportunity
of announcing to you my return to
this post. I was delayed on my jour
ney in attending to the transportation
of the public foods, and on my arri
val in the state of Ohio, I had learned
that the prophet's brother had lately
been at work among the Shawanese,
on the An Claize, and among other
things, had burned your letter deliv
ered to the chiefs at this place last fall.
I accordingly took Wapaglikonette in
my rout home, assembled the chiefs,
and demanded the reasons why they
had suffered such an improper act to
be committed at their door; they dis
avowed all agency in the transaction,
& their disapprobation of the prophet's
conduct, concurring circumstances sat
isfied me that they were sincere.
FROM the freeman's JOURNAL.
OF THE INDIANS.
Extract of a letter from John
Johnson, India* agent at fort
Wayne,, to Gov. Harrison, dated
for) Wayne, June 21, 1810.
General Miscellany.
General Sarrazin was on duty when
Napoleon and his new empress were at
Boulogne. After viewing the fortifi
cations, and every thing interesting in
the town, they went to the height to
take a peep at the ocean. The Aus
trian princess had a telescope in her
hand, and observing a vessel cruising atl
some distance, she inquired what it was,
and was informed that it was an En
glish vessel. Perceiving five others in
the harbour, She asked what they were,
and was told that they belonged to thei
Emperor. She then asked why thei
five vessels did not go and take that ,
belonging to the enenly? At this mo
ment Bonaparte, who had shewn a:
restless impatience, could restrain his
feelings no longer; but snatching tha
glass out of her hand, exclaimed in tha
French language, with great impetuos
ity.—" Because the Hindis not fair.™
Lond. Paper.
One good substantial reason why
the democrats view with such stupid!
indifference the robberies committed!
by Napoleon, is because one out o^ '
ten thousand only have felt the effects
of it. Need we ask why ? Because
nine thousand nine hundred and nine-I
ty nine, ip every ten thousand, had na
property to lose! Tickler.
Bony finds his interest so nearly aft
lied to his pleasure, that he wishes to
give us another proof of his imperial
affection. He therefore by a new
decree, is graciously pleased to open
his mouth, that the Americans ma,'
have another opportunity of inspect
iog his • beautiful jaws—we doubt
their acceptance of his kind invitation,/
lest he be also pleased to decree it shut ,;
again. ' ibid.
confidence can be placed in. This
spring a chief came from White river
to Winemack's town, and said that **
an Englishman who lived at the former
place had told him that the Americans
were cheating them, and taking their
lands from them.—.pie chief asked
liberty of the Putawatamies to let the
Delawares come and live With them,
to prepare to defend their country—
I have heard the Indians say, that the,
would take all that they could get fronz
the Americans, and lay it up in store
to aid them in attack against the A
mericans—and by what I can discover,
it is intended before long, perhaps
when the green corn is fit to eat,
and perhaps it may not happen before
spring. It has been contemplated to
Attack the frontier settlements first,
hut some of them will not agree to it,
because it would give the alarm to the
whites and they would be discovered.
They say that Fort-Wayne may be
taken very easy, but Chicago, or Fort-
Dearborn, would be more difficult, by
reason they say of there being so ma
ny spikes on the tops of the pickets-
The plan is laid thus : the Miamiesi
and Putawatamies is to attack Forte
Wayne : the Shawanese, Kickapoos
is to attack Vincennes ; and Marpock:
the great Patawatamie, and his people,
is to attack Fort-Dearborn : the Chip
pewas and Ottowas, is to attack De
troit ; the Socks is to attack the near
est post to them, probably Michilli
mackinac. The Indians have been
secretly councilling respecting thi^
business for three years past, and most
ly go into the woods for fear of being
discovered. It was in the minds of some
of thelndians to commence an attack on
of Fort- Wayiie last fall during the trea
ty —there are but few Indians to"
wards the St. Joseph that know any
thing of this plan. Tophtenipee and
Moguoge are in the secret, and I am
not certain of any other of the chiefs
—I do not know whether Winemack
knows any thing of it or net ; he seems
to be very uneasy, more So than
usual. The Indians that will not
join this expedition are to be killed
first. There is none of the Miamies
as yet that I knowof that is in the
secret, except a chief at Massasin way.
—Marpock was sent for by the Brit
ish last summer, but at that time he did
not go, but said that when he did go, her
did not know what might happen as he
passed Fort Wayne on his feturn. A
little time before the attack is to take
place, the French people are to be no
tified to retire, so that they may not be
injured.
I certify that the substance of the*
above was delivered to me by ^
JOHN SHAW,
Assistant Indian Agent.
Fort-Wayne, June 24, I'Blo.
* The name of theperson is omitted
for prudential reasons.
[No. 18.