The constitutionalist — Exeter, N.H., 1810-10-22 00:00:00, page 2

have enjoyed a profound repose, while
the noise of armies has resounded on
all sides, and war has laid waste the rest
of Europe." And to what did Vattel
ascribe this pleasing exemption from
the calamities of sanguinary conflicts ?
Not to the pacifick disposition of sur
rounding nations, but to the superior
courage, to the better discipline of the
people. Let us then^ who are Ameri
cans, who 'glory in that appellation,
who are not destitute of any inherent
qualification—let us, I say, beware of
that laxity of discipline, which has left °
so many nations to the mercy of a ty
rant Alas! in point of discipline we
arc already notoriously deficient ; and
so, palpably so, were Spain and Italy
and Holland, and what was the conse
quence ? Had not our people the souls
of freemen, were they savage and
intractable; we had then some reasons
for this neglect ; but, at present, there
are none—there can be none—no,
—not even the shadow of an excuse.
It is time to awake from this secu
rity,—a security false and treacher
ous. Let us think upon some regula
tion, some certain mean of defence, no
longer trusting our rights to a tenure
so feeble and precarious. It becomes
us on this occasion, to keep in remem
brance that maxim of Cosmo de Medi
cis; " Defer not until tomorrow what
can and ought to be done to day."
It was this maxim, which gave Machi
arel his political importance, and it is
that which might, if put io practice,
place our liberties upon' an everlast
' ing basis. S'. D.
New-Market.
r —=or— , #
From the Connecticut Mirror.
SCIENCE OF DRAINING MON
EY FROM THE TREASURY.
4 —The accountant of the War Depart,
pent, being enquired of by the com
) mittee, relative to the purchase of hors-
For the Constitutionalist.
ADVANTAGES OF A WELL
REGULATED MILITIA.
Nothing need be said, I conceive,
on the danger of maintaining a stand
ing army under any form of govern
ment. The impracticability of keep,
ing standing forces duly submissive to
higher authority, has been long ago
sufficiently demonstrated. The point
then must be conceded that we ought
to have no soldiers for life. But upon
what are we to depend for security ?—
I answer-riz well regulated Militia,
whose use is to be seen, not only in
time of invasion, but in enforcing the
laws of their country, and quelling do
mestick broils and contentions. Mer
cenary armies are not effective in the
cause of liberty; they are generally
composed of the offscowring of the
earth, and it would be ridiculous to
suppose they would be very deeply in
terested for our liberties, who had al
ready bartered their own. The truth
is, such armies have no motive to de
fend the nation, but their pay ; and
so long as government can ensure reg
ular remittances, and no longer, are
they to rest the least dependence upon
them. Rome was mistress of the
world only while she confided in her
militia ; the moment in which, in order
to support the arbitrary power of her
emperors, she placed reliance upon
mercenary armies, her civil importance
and military glory began to decline,
till her conquering eagles were beaten
down and trampled upon, by the hardy
and unpaid barbarians of the North.
Hunniades and Matthias fought the
Turkish standing armies always with
militia; and by them performed al
most incredible deeds of valor. The
army of Alexander the Great, was al
most entirely composed of militia ; in
deed, a militia seems to be the most
natural and obvious, as well as the
most effectual mean of defence, for a
free people. The Romans had in pay
no regular forces, till about the year
of the city 347, at which time they
bad not only made their most glorious
campaigns, bdt were most remarkable
for publick virtue. “ For above two
centuries" (says Vattel) " the Swiss
" Answer. A detachment consisting
of six companies, embarked on board
of about twenty Kentucky boats, ar
rived at Louisville, in the morning
of the 27th of February, & continued
there till the evening of the 28th,
waiting the arrival of major Morrison,
with general Wilkinson's horses about
9orlo in number. This delay was
by the order of General Wilkinson.
These horses were the private proper
ty of General Wilkinson, and were
fed and taken care of at public ex
pense, till our arrival at New-Orleans,
which was the fatter part of March;
also, that a public boat was provided
for the accommodation of said horses,
at an expense of not less than one
hundred dollars. On our arrival at
New-Orleans, the said horses were de
livered to the order of Colonel Parker.
About the month of May, of the same
year, four of the same horses were
purchased by Abraham D. Abrahams,
' military agent at New-Orleans, for the
use of the United States; that three of
them were very indifferent."
No. 2. " Interrogatory 11. What
do you know relative to Gen. Wilkin
son detaining the troops at Louisville,
in the winter of 1809, for the purpose
of receiving some horses belonging to
General Wilkinson?
tis, the Secretary of War, who imme
diately wrote on to New-Orleans, and
ordered all the horses sold, that could
be done without. There was accord
ingly upwards of twenty sold, and only
four retained for the use of the army.''
The following is an Interrogatory
put to Capt. Peter, on this subject," by
the committee, and his answer on
both :—
“ I also found, that the eleven
horses, before any part had been sold
to the United States, had been kept
and shod at the public expense. All
of which I communicated to Mr. Eus-
No. 3. Copies of accounts from the
War Department.
%C.)
" Copy of the account of Frederick
Sandhagen, for florses sold to the
United States, and of General Wil
kinson's order for payment.
No. 6.
" The United Stages,
To Frederick Sandhagen, Dr.
1899.
May 1$ For one sorrel horse with
a star, six years old, six
teen hands high, 165
One brown bay do. five
years old, 15| hands
high, 150
One bright bay do. six
years old, 15 hands
high, 135
One do. do. seven years
old, 15^ hands high, left
hind foot white, 150
D 0115.600
Approved for payment,
(Signed) JA. WILKINSON,
\w ' J'."
^^ . . .f
No. 1. " In answer to your enquiry
relative to the purchase of horses from
Frederick Sandhagen, I observed on
the examination of the accounts of A
braham D. Abrahams, military agent
at New-Orleans, that in May, 1809,
General Wilkinson directed to be pur
chased, and approved for payment, to
Frederick Sandhagen, the sum of 800
dollars, for five horses, purchased from
him, one of which is stated to be for the
light artillery. This created somesur
prise, that more horses should be pur
chased at New-Orleans, in addition to
the artillery horses that were sent down
the river with the light artillery, when
hay was at 70 dollars per ton, and oats
at 1 dollar per bushel. The charge
for the horses was therefore suspended
till Captain Peter arrived, 'who was in
quired of resecting the horses purchas
ed. He then stated that the five horses
purchased from Sandhagen, were part
of eleven horses purchased by Major
Morrison of Kentucky for General
Wilkinson ; that the general had or
dered him (Captain Peter) when he
was about to descend the Ohio, to stop
in the river to take on board his boats,
the horses purchased for the general by
Major Morrison. He accordingly re,
ceived eleven horses ; and that by so
doing, he v, <3 detained several days
with three or four hundred men, at
a considerable expense to the United
States. That finally they were taken
on board the public boats, and until
their arrival at New-Orleans, wgre
supported out of the public foragg, of
which there was a great deal laid 18 for
the use of the horses Belonging to the
light artillery. That upon reaching
New-Orleans, the horses were deliver
ed up as the private property of the
general. That the five sold to the U
nited States were charged at an ex
travagant high price; and that Freder
ick Sandhagen was formerly an old
hack driver in this city, and was at the
time of selling the horses, a servant
to General Wilkinson, and not likely
to be owner of horses.
es from Frederick Sandhagen, makes
the following statement on oath f—
On n, subject, which sb nearly con
cerns tltem, have 4he people of the U.
States fes correct information, than
that of the expenditure of the public
money-Hind yet there is none, on
,which they ought to have more infor
mation, and over which they ought to
keep a more watchful and jealous eye.
Statements on this subject made in the
news-papers, the common vehicles of
information, are too apt to be con
sidered as the mere effusions of party
spirit, calculated merely to answer elec
tioneering purposes. They are too
often passed by as idle tales, unexaui
ined and as unworthy of notice or be
lief.—The public documents contain
ing the expenditures of the public
money, are generally too few, too
voluminous, and often too compli
cated to be read or to be understood
by the great mass of the people, with
out more expense and more time, than
they think" themselves able to bestow.
—But the time wilt come, the time
must come, when the people of this
country will find it necessary, abso
lutely necessary, to examine for them,
selves, into the conduct of their agents,
in the expenditure of their money.
Let them then begin, by examining
the above statement ; they may be as
sured, they will find it to be true ; and
on further examination they will also
find, that this is but one among the
many frauds and peculations upon the
public Treasury, practiced not only
by Gen. Wilkinson, but by other pub
lic agents. It has been selected from
the report of the committee, not so
much on account of the magnitude of
the sum obtained, as for the mode and
manner, in which it was obtained.
There can be but one opinion of the
transaction among honest and honour
able men—The people of the United
States, who do not wilfully shut their
eyes against the light of the truth, may
see and be satisfied, that the man, who
is yet suffered by the Executive to re
main at the head of the army, has (a
moug other things, which may be here
after stated) descended to the mean
and infamous employment of a horse
jockey: and that taking advantage of
his high station and military command,
he has in this low and petty traffic, and
in this mean and pitiful manner, swin
dled the people out of their money.
If the people of this country will
tamely submit to such peculations, if
they will fold their arms, and quietly
suffer their pockets to be thus robbed
and plundered, that the commander of
their armies " may riot in the spoil,"
and" ride in state," they are only fit
to be slaves of a military despot.
An article, of which the following is
a translation,4has been very extensive
ly, though covertly, circulated upon
the continent, where it has made a
deep impression. The agents of France
at Hamburg have offered a reward of
600 crowns, to whoever will inform
against the writers and printers of it ;
Received, New-Orleans, 29th May,
1809, of Abraham D. Abrahams, mil
itary agent, two hundred dollars, in
full of the above. Signed duplicates.
(Signed) ,F. SANBH&EN.
\ Witness,
(Signed) P. RRIVERY.
“ I CERTIFY that the above is a
copy of voucher No. 13, for payment
made,y AWaham D. Abrahams, mil
itary ageitat New-Orleans, and charg
ed in his account to the United States.
DEPARTMENT OF WAR,
Accountant's Office,
No. 13.
“ The United States,
To Frederick Sand 1 agen, Dr.
To 1 bay horse, five years old, 15v
hands high, black tail and mane,
for use of light artillery, S2OO
" I CERTIFY that the within is a
copy of voucher No. 6, for payment
made by Abraham D. Abrahams, mil
itary agent at New-Orleans, and charg
ed in his account to the United States.
DEPARTMENT OF WAR,
Accountant's Office,
April 19th, 1810.
WM. SIMMONS,
Acct. Dep. War.
Received o Abraham D. Abrahams,
military agetty the above sum of six
hundred dollars, for which I have sign
ed duplicate eceipts.
(Signed) F. SANDHAGEN.
Witnes,
(Signed) P. PRIVERY.
The folloving endorsement is on the
account, ofwhich the foregoing is a
copy.
" Received the within number of
horses.
BONAPARTE'S COMMERCIAL
(Signed) J. GIBSON.
Lieut. <$ Brigade Quarter-Master."
From a late London Paper.
April 19th, 18(0.
WM. SIMMONS,
Acct. Dep. War."
POLICY.
" Now that this system of commer
cial warfare against England, from
which we were taught to expect such ad
vantages, has been carried on for some
years, we may be permitted to inquire
whether it has in fact been productive
of any advantages to us.
" From this inquiry we shall find,that
while the continent is every day more
and more embarrassed, impoverished
and distressed, Great Britain is advanc
ing in a course of prosperity and
wealth, and feels none of the ruinous
consequences of the restraints by which
we ar^fettered. So far from it, she
ever, year hasten able to render her
selfgporc and meffie independent of the
continent; to open to herself new chan
nels of foreign commerce, to discover
within herself new means of supplying
her wants in the same manner as the at
tempts which were made from 1793 to
1796, to starve France, by depriving
her of all foreign corn, only served to
develope her resources, and to stimu
late her to an improved cultivation of
her own soil.
" At present, England is supplied
with corn from America, Barbary,
Sicily, and from her growth at home,
where cultivation is every year extend
ed and improved. In addition to this,
she has effected a great saving in her
consumption, by prohibiting the use of
barley in her distilleries, which are now
confined to sugar. This is beneficial
to her in another way, by taking off, at
a fair price, that surplus quantity of
sugar which the continent is prohibited
from receiving.
“ Wine she obtains from Portugal,
Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Cape
of Good Hope, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain,
Greece, and indeed, through many
channels, from France itself.
“ South America furnishes her with
hides, & North America with timber ;
hemp she gets from Bengal, and
she will soon raise enough of this
article for her whole demand, in Ire
land,, where very extensive marshes
have been drained for cultivation of it.
From thence, too, she supplies herself
with yarn and linens.
' “ In fact it is proved beyond a
doubt, by the most authentick publiek
documents, and by the testimony of
of the most intelligent and impartial
travellers, that the industry, the com
merce, the publick revenue, and credit
of England, not only have not sustain
ed any diminution, but, on the contra
ry, have been increasing, and that eve
ry class of her population is in a state
of occupation, prosperity and comfort.
If we reverse the picture, what dread
ful evils are suffered on the Continent ?
Our ports are closed, our ships can no
longer be employed in carrying on that
trade between different ports which
their circumstances render indispensa
ble, and which cannot be conducted 1 by
land carriage. Thus the intercourse
which is essential to the social system
of the continent caunot be maintained—
The southern nations can no longer
exchange the wines, for their oil, their
silk, &c. for the corn, the hemp, the
linen, the timber, the iron, & the tallow
of the northern. In every country there
is an accumulation of their surplus pro
duce decaying and perishing. They
are unable to purchase with it the most
necessary foreign commodities ; and
thus they lose all motive and inclination
to exert their own powers of produc
tion. Another source of distress to
the continent is, the want of many ar.
" She has rendered herself independ,
ent of Russia for tallow, partly by the
substitution of oil, and partly by the
use of inflammable gas. From the coal
which is employed in the production
of this gas, she extracts pitch, tar and
rosin, and a sort of turpentine ; and
she has discovered that the fish of her
own seas will furnish her with as much
isinglass as she may require.'
“ In her silk manufactories, theraw
material of India and Chili is sod,
capable of being used withoNtthe inter
mixture of any other; and her clothiers
have been equally successful' With Brit
ish wool.
" With respect to the exportation
of her own produce, the European
blockade affects Great Britain so little,
that her manufacturers are scarcely
sensible of it. Such is the prodigiously
increased and increasing demand for
her goods throughout India and Amer
ica.
" Deign to listen to the complaints
extorted from us by that universal sys
tem of prohibition to which our com
merce is subjected. The justice and
high importance of these complaints
are sufficiently demonstrated by the af
flicting condition to which the people
of the continent are reduced.
" Lamentations of the continental na
tions of Europe, upon the inter
ruption of their commerce: ad
dressed to all the princes of that
part of the world.
and the possession of a copy is subject,
ed to a penalty of 300 crowns.
" Sovereigns, Princes, Fathers of
7 Nations,
" But more than this how is it to
be imagined that nations can continue
to pay taxes, impositions and contri
butions, after the channels of income
have been closed ? It was a wise obser
vation of prince Eugene of Savoy.
*'' Nobody complained of a very great,
but a very equitable distributed tax,
which I proposed throughout the
whole kingdom, because I at the same
time afforded it means of increasing its
commerce, which had not before been
thought of."
“ Thus then it is to the interrup
tion of commerce that we must re
fer the extreme distress under which
the continent of Europe, from one
extremity to the other, at present
suffers ; distress which a continental
peace alone cannot suffice to relieve.
“ Even those countries of the conti
nent, in which the frightful cry of war
is not immediately heard, feel them
selves oppressed aud deprived of their
strength ; they are without resources
for the present, without hope for the
future. All persons who have the
means, propose to emigrate to England
and America ; and among those to
whom this plan of relief is denied, how
many have already perished under their
sufferings?
“ There is one other consideration
which it cannot be believed that gov
ernment will regard with indifference
—the shocking want of integrity and
good faith which these privations and
distresses are rapidly introducing.
Heretofore a ready obedience was
paid to laws, because the tendency of
those laws was to promote the welfare
of the people; but the new system,
which denies to them the means & pro
viding for their subsistence, reduces
them to a sort of stupefaction ; they
can scarcely believe in the reality of
such prohibitions and they alledge tteir
disbe)ief as an excuse for their disobe
dience. In this way they habituate
themselves to a contempt of the laws
aud the public authority. What a
host of criminals must such' a state of
things create! How many under the
influence of want and desperation,
will have resource to fraud and robbe-
tides which England furnishes, and
the privation of which has thrown ma
ny industrious persons out of employ
ment. Raw cotton and yarn, dying
goods, and different drugs, were articles
of this sort & what adds to the evil is, that
the continentis not suffered to purchase
from America those of them which
she could supply. The mischievous .
effects of this prohibitory system do
not confine themselves to one or to a
few branches of the trade, and industry
throughout the whole continent are
affected by it; every department is
pervaded by embarassments, obstruc
tions, and oppressions of various sorts.
The very means of correspondence by
the post offices, whether upon topicks
of trade, of literature, or of private
business or friendship, are restrained
by it. Upon the coast, the inhabitants
are precluded from their occupation
in the fishery ; they lose their maritime
skill and habits ; the natural nursery
of seamen is rendered unproductive,
and all hope is taken from the conti
nent of again becoming able to estab
lish a navy, military or commercial,
capable of contending with that of
England.
“ It is by no means the merchants
alone who suffer by these multiplied
and Wmpkcated restraints. Every
person*connected, however remotely,
with commerce, or who has directed any
portion of his capital or industry to
any of its various branches, partici
pates in the calamity ; & by the opera
tion of these measures, in restraint of
freedom, we see the very sources of
wealth arid prosperty, one after anoth
er, dried up. Thus persons of every
description, monied men, manufactu
rers, brokers, clerks, agents of every
kind, persons connected with the sea,
barge owners, packers, carriers, and
persons of other occupations, whose
bread is taken from them, those who
were employed in the manufacture of
clothing, furniture, &c. in short the
whole of that numerous set of persons
who subsist upon the wages of the la
bour which the rich have been accus
tomed to require from them, sensibly
feel the interruption of the circulations
of commerce, and are already involved
by it in different degrees of distress.
Nor is the agricultural part ofthe com
munity by any means exempt from this
distress; the husbandman in vain looks
for those customers who heretofore
flocked to him with ready money, to
purchase his wine, and the other pro
duce of his soil.
“It cannot be wondered at that in
such circumstances, the countryman is
disheartened from sowing his fields, and
planting his vineyard, and that this ne
glect of cultivation should prejudice,
for years, the productive powers of the
soil. It would be easy to enlarge upon
these topicks, but surely enough baa
been already said to prove, that the
continent cannot continue to support
the stagnation which has taken place
in the ordinary intercourses of life.