Norfolk gazette and publick ledger — Norfolk [Va.], 1810-05-14 00:00:00, page 2

- Atrrieedfaer* tfe# shrp Rolla, Cap
tw» Saaferd, frou^PKs, which place be left the
fifto of April. Tb« British and Portuguese arm#
of 100,000 era »*raan the frontiers, where they
bi|t Wn far aotne time; the Freneb had nbt at
l«fltyrt*d to advance—'The day before Captain S.
tailed a fleet of transport*, with troop* and horse*
bad arrived1. Fifteen thouisnd men, were daily ex
P*cted from England to reinforce Lord Wellington’*
'Market* for core end flour were good, the for
BW two dollars per hasbel, and the latter fifteen do!
Itis pe^ barrel, and looking op.
Yesterday a number of vessels, nearly seventy
«•»!, which had been detained for some lime by a
continuation of Easterly winds, got under weigh
from^iampton Roads, ami proceeded to sea, deliver
ed from all the restrictions of non intercourse, em
bargo, and other wise measures of democratic k po
When men are selected for office, without any o
tbe* recommendation than a Hind devotion to par
ty; ignorance or vice, and oft™ both will he pro
moted in preference to wisdom and virtue—of this
truth we have unhappily tor our country but too
many"*suimp!es during the last twelve years. A
ttriklH,’ instance is furnished in the recent trials in
Connectrcutt, which are noticed jB another part of
this paper. To find in so many eases, that n<*t in
one solitary instance the prosecution should suc
ceed, and to be defeated in so many, proves as Mr.
Jefferson would say, defect in the law, or ignorance
in the Attorney of the United States. If the defect
lietiin the first, we fix the blame upon tbos* who
jjnsst-d the law ; if in the second, the puhlick are
indebted to Mr. Jefferson for the appointment of a
man loan inipoitant office, who is unequal to the
duties of that office—forgetting as he often did, his
maxim ‘it he honest, is he capable.' It is
oe» n»a:
however but candid in us to declare that the proba
bility^ that the defect was in the law as passed
by Cong"**. Ignorance is no crime, hot a misfoi
tune, when it is not associated with presumption,
which aims at stations, requiring the most mature
judgment and wisdom, .if the majority of the last
Congress bad been composed of men of understand
ing, does any one suppose, the courts would h*ve
been under the necessity of pronouncing against the
United States in so many cases, as they have done ?
What but a consciousness that the prosecutions
could aol be legally sustained, induced the govern
ment to decline directing any, after the revival of
the non intercouree by proclamation? Vessels con
s tinned to arrive toag after the proclamation was de
clared to be iu force, laden with goods prohibited by
it, and yet no seizure was made. Of the opinion
entertained of the efficacy of oar laws, some idea
may he formed from a fact, which w« shall state,
and for the truth of which we do not hesitate to
pledge our veracity-After the Non Intercourse
was revived, the Underwriters iu London did for a
premium of two and a half per rent, take the risk
Of seizure by our government of British goods and
vessels laden with British goods ! We should in the
r; order of things pass to the continuation of the Non
Intertourse by the late Congress, If we did not be
lieve that the observations, which we have copied
intd ibid day’s piper, from the American Citizen,
would b* preferred by our readers, to any remarks
of our own.
By Captain Ferguson’s packet arrived this morn
ing from Baltimore, we have papers nf that city to
Friday, but they contain not a word of intelligence.
The Blockade of Charletton, continued by the
hit account* from (bat city, but we hope the Essex
will soon arrive end raise it.
^ Pickering.-This steady, and inflexi
ble patriot, the friend, .the fellow-soldier in tbe
field, end fellow-labourer of tbe cabinet of Wasii
INGTOU, is distinguished and honoured by tbe in
Vsterato malice of factiou. Recently to serve an
alertioheeriag purpose in tbe state of New-York/'a
handbill was published and cirrulated, stating that
Sir. Pickering had appropriated to his own use se
venty thousand dollars of tbe publirk money. Tbe
Ywn— of such a charge every hottest man will
•libit, and every man of sense knows the absuidi
ty of it. For bow it could be supposed that if such
hpdbeen lh* fact, it should have never before been
divulged by Iris enemies, who have been eight years
aadmnra In office?—Out tbe story like other jaco
bin lies, went on, and had some effect. A copy of
this huudbill was sept to Washington to Mr. Em
mot, ene of therepresenuti vts of tbe state of New
York, who c<4bmuaicated it to Mr. Pickering.—
Upon this Mr. T. white to Mr. Duval the comp
troller, find who in .reply gave the most satisfactory
4antfl of the charge, and acquitted Mr. Pickering
rent. This silenced the party upon
that bead, bsi did not stop the presses employed in
IditfSrin* Mr, Pickering t let us hear what tha Hor
ton Patriot, a leading demecraurk paper says.
M- * .• COL. PICKfciUMG,
W In aha W« r to Mr. Eniolt. u» taW of Coagreis from
.Now Ya*k, haa written a long Utter, atcuugsnittl
,5M^wS^5SfSSS^i.^vfSi
t h* «WMtwirtl>alW»d charged.— Ee*wi believe
doubted the ^Monel's honesty in pecuniary cow
»»y, w* ft» notnf that number. Il uhie
inordinate prejudice*, ungovernable passions anti
rmtinmiM vanity, which make*.biin dangerous in
pnaer and ridiculous without it.
In b.is letter be bdiilt ot bis tranquility of mind,
but betrays tbe secret, that like tbe bedlamite, bis
ease consists in raving; He tuaks a merit of what
ba calls his contempt of deinoraiie calumny ; but
seems not to have learnt that genuine contempt is
never foqn.ici »us, much less angry. He complains of
the unreasonableness ot this calumny with as much
apparent good feeling as though he bad not been
tbe most daring and unpardonable calumniator that
political degeneracy has ever produced in this coun
try He says he is nut ambitious, while be labours
to stick himself up as the peg on which federalism
is to hang. It ibis strange man have any thing ob
the hypocrite in his composition, his attempt at
deception is of no use—his unruly rage and swelling
vanity immediately burst toe veil which should in'1
the nnrouih qualities of his mind, and his want of
discretion excuses him from the imputation of hypo
crisy.
The Republicans of New England do not accuse
this man of cheating in dollars aud cents.— The
higher charge whirh they bring against- him is an
attempt to the extent of his’ abilities, under the
sanction of his high office -nd sell-avowed inteqn
ty, to aid (ireat Britain in b-r > nrrnarbments upon
oi.r national lights, and to enlist the prejudices
and passions of our citizens against their govern
ment.
It appears there are in the different ports in
Fr-.nrf, 30 American vess Is, in the Spunisti ports
held by tbe French 46'; at Naples 16.
Trrvf.lt truthv to American Stamm.
Yesterday Mr. William IL>gsi». Jan. passed thro’
this town, on his wav from Calms, (Fr.aire) to
Gloucester, hiv native place. Mr. Rogers was the
mate of an American schooner, some time since
reported to he captured by the French. He was
carried into Calais, wh re all the crew were in pri
soned and doomed literally to subsist on breed and
water unless they would snip on noard of French prt
vateers. To avoid this slate 01 wret ludness, ail
had shipped but one, whom Mr. Roger* saw after
he had submitted to tins i nielty eight devs, and
he was then determined to persevtre. Mr. Ro
gers likewise saw a Mr. Low, a townsman of
his, on hoard a French privateer, where he hat:
been compelled to serve, a year and a half,
with the only ahem iti\e of remaining, or going to
prison, to pine to death on bread and water. We
can depend mi our informant for the correctness of
these facts, who adds, that a great number of Ame
rican seamen were in a Slmilcr situation.
W» si ail make no comment, only that the duke
of Canute asserts that our government have made
nit complaint to the government of France !
Hasten Rtf.
A FEW CONSIDERATIONS.
France hums, plunders, destroys or seizes every
American vessel ib-it she can touch ; and this is
done tor the benefit of neutral r'gbis, and is the
practical commentary ou the expression of the etn
ptrour “ ronquar the liberty of tbe seas.”
France confiscates all the American propertv she
c«n find : this is done to help on the ruin of Eng
l .nd, as all the property a float in the world be
longs to her, according to the maritime law of Na
poleov.
French privateers when in distress, whether real
or pri tended, mine into the friendly ports of A me
ri-1. We are too rmgni.hinious to prohibit them.
“ Return good for evil,” ssys the proverb. If
Franc* seizes our vessels when they enter her ports,
that certainly is no reason why we should do the
same thing to the French in our ports. Two wrongs
never make a right. Would you have Americans to
turn robbers like the French 1
French privateersmen smuggle their plunder on
shore. Catch them if you can ; but if you seize
the goods they will take revenge. They will shoot
your citizens in the very n»»uth of your harbour.
Yon must not insult the subjects of his imperial
and royal majesty ; they aie contending for tbe
“ liberty of the seas," and they have a right to use
all means that will help to effect that great object
—such as n filling when out of repair and selliug
plunder to p*>y off the men to encourage them to
tight next time, &c. &c.
It is an undoubted truth, that Napoi.eon is the
best friend we have abroad, notwithstanding that
he burns and plunders our ships and cacecrates our
fellow citizens. He proves his Inendship every
day—he is to “ conquer the liberty of the seas”
whenever some other powers will consent to it—
and then we tbe Americans are to have a wonderful
trade !
Upon an enure and complete view or oar nation*
<*1 standing in the world, it would seem, that it
requires a lew resolves of congress and town-meet
ings to assure us, that we are really a grreut, free
and independent nation. ,
We will venlnre to say, that, a gross national
insult and personal injury like the wounding of Mr.
Follin, on hoard the Dolphin, by the French pri
vateer on Thursday nioruing last, wera never pass
ed off with more indifference in any place than tbyy
were in this city. Not one publick expression or
n^ovement was made to revenge this atrocity of
conduct in the Frenchman, or to prevent him from
committing the same enormities in future.
Where are oar men ef war, our gun boats, and
our cutlers t Where are our hundred thousand mili
tia which were marshalled against the CktsapeakeV
Where the expression of national indignity which
mused the nation to-arms upon that insulting occa
sion—lost in the apathy of parly feeling; it is the
French who have done this thing ! 1!
(Cbnrtciton Courier.)
The docunaents respecting our foreign relations,
recently communicated to congress, present some
gleams uf hope that the two great belligerent pow
ers are at length about to awake to a more correct
perception of their Uue interests. Our readers
will recollect tbst Fraareh.il steadily justified her
Berlin decree, as a retaliation for previous violati
ons of neutral rights by Great Britain, and that
Great Britain has as invariably justified tier orders
in council»retaliatory of the Berlin decree; while
each igowumtnt has nil along avowed its neg
m.
SSA
. H* «£?(% provided its goemy'
instance set the om^ of rrvo
"Hi*' &
M o**t. ceatc^l U» protest against the
defence by Urging that neither be)
,%w™i *n retaliating on the other, possessed the
>•» P*%r to prostrate the rights of ao honest om.f
fending neutral. Bat oar remonstrance, tho’ unan
Steerable, has prosed unavailing.
! Tbe letters of general Armstrong and Ur. Pink
uey to the secretary of state shew that the sinceri
ty ot both governments is likely lobe pat to the
test. France has unequivocally declared her readi
i ness to rescind her Berlin decree, in case England
previously revokes her [proclamation] blockades of
; kranee, and ISlr. Pinkney has addressed lord Welles
ley on the subject, whose answer may be expected
I oy tbe John Adams. If such blockades do ntu
1 no*1 exist, and the British government shall offici
ally say so, France will be bound in honour to re
voke her Berlin decree ; with that decree tbe pre
text for the orders in council will be removed,
| which, as soon us revokad, will lead to repeal of the
Lilian derrer, thus involving the demolition of near,
| ly the whole labile of restriction and violation of
neutral roomier, e.
! If suru British blockades [of anterior date to the
Berlin beeree] still exist, trie li. ittsh government is
hot nd by every dictate of justice, as well as regard
h r Her awn pligbleu word, instantly to withdraw'
them, when she is made distinctly to perceive thut
they are the only exist.ng cause of the French edicts
now ,n fi.rce.
If then, England sillier revoke her blockade or
ders, of dale anterior to the Berlin decree, or for
mally d, rlnre tl'rt i none sorb exist, and France re
fuses lo revolt her Berlin decree, siie will stand aelf
cude limed before the world as the violator of neu
tral rights. If, on the other h.u.d, England refuses
to take f .s step, alter g,» fair an offer, she will
st.mo iu the attitude .>( the original aggressor, and
must l»e viewcu as an inexorable oppressor, who,
under felse pretexts, is aiming a deadly blow at our
maritime existence.
In eithei event we can be at no loss to decide
which government is to be viewed as most hostile
to »s. JVaf. lnt.
From tie American Citizen—May 1.
Non Intercourse system—This Day congress
adjourns, and with the adjournment of that august
bouy lit illustrious men will expire the act of French
dictation ami national dugrare, coimnonly called
the Non Intercourse Law.
On Inis im no,ruble event, in which the intelli
gence, the \ntue, and the impoverishment of the
nation gloriously triumph over ill designs and des
tructive arts, we congratulate, most heartily, both
friends and adversaries. Commerce, in regaid to
our own laws, is once more free. The new birth
ol this precious freedom strangles, iind, 1 hope to all
earthly purposes, everlasting damns, in our country
and coum ils, the pernicious mtfuenrt ol the man,
who lu the gnif. 01 humility is a hypocrite, and
who under the mask ut a devotion to freedom, has
Jieen tmsely subservient to the basest ends of the
Great Tyrant.
1 who inr opinion's sake have hern subjected to a
pel set utn,n, perhaps all things considered, unexam
pled in nature and degree, may be allowed, in a
temper add tone »f wrath and decision, to take a
brief retrospect oi trie past, not in order to justify
myself, mr congress has furnished an ample justifi
cation, but with the view, though not, I confess,
the hope, of convincing the public, how utterly in
competent, if uot unworthy, Mr. Madison, his pre
decessor, and their supporters are to govern this
nation.
He who in a spirit of hostility attempts to do
that to the achievement of which his power is ma
nifestly inadequate betrays, with a lark of amity,
a want of wisdom. So of a nation, with,howe
ver, this difference, that while an individual, having
discovered his erroor, may retreat without injury,
a nation cannot go back without disgrace; and
what is nearly as humiliating and mischievous,
without having wantonly demonstrated the most
important and delicate of all national si elects—the
secrets of bis own internal weakness.
So sensible was the immortal Washington of this
truth—so iriemily to his country—so solicitous for
its aggrandizement—so “ clear in his great office”
—so admirably acquainted with its concerns—with
the spirit of his country—ils prejudices—its re
sources—its factions—its demagogues—its energy
—its imbecility, and its welfare, that although he
never abandoned one of its dubious rights, for dubi
ous are many of those for which we have latterly
contended,yet he never made astundfrom which he
knew we must eventually recede, and by the recessi
on expose ourselves, by exposing our weakness, to
additional mortification, u not of insult. Shall I
illustrate? More Aineurau seamen, as we impro
perly call them, were impressed during the adminis
tration of Washington than have ever been since.
Did he relinquish them? No, not those who were
Americans, and I sjy it and challenge refutation,
the British never claimed the right of impressing
Americans. 1 go farther and assert, that if such a
pretence was set up, it ought to be resisted to the
last dollar and to the last man in America. Wash
ington remonstrated and neguriaied, for he was a
ware that it was a subject for remonstrance and ne
irotitttion only.
Where the impressed were clearly .Imericnn, they
were given up ; where they were American by adop
tion and British by birtn, the claims of the two
governments lessstrong on the one side than on the
other; weaker, I mean, on the side of adoption,
were repugnant, and, therefore, matter for amica
ble arrangement. Again. The provision orders
of November, 1793, were in theory as well as fact
more sweeping than the orders of 1807. They
were too unprovoked and uncalled for by Berlin de
crees and American acquiescence. Did he, like
the Sage, order congress to enregisleran embargo
heiore he had official information of their existence?
No. Did He, when he koew that our vessels were
actually swept into British ports, direct ait obedi
ent and slavish congress to impose a perpetual and
partial embargo? He did mot. An embargo, was
indeed, ultimately laid for thirty day*, but when
Washington concluded to negotiate through Mr.
Jay, it was taken off. He was uo modern philo
sopher—no Frenchman—no abject minion yf a fo
reign tyrant, but he was a man of spirit and gal
lantry ; be was discreet and wise, and he therefore
knew, that a powerful nation, whose genius and
bravery are neither to be repressed nor applied,
tutd to whose resource* there u bo limit but tha cir
k. *
*4
cntxtfprence wJ imilb tf thr unlVen* pool^not
be coerced, ami would not negotiate under the an.
pearauce of roiicr. Hwafcerctore arranged all (fur
differences without a |JBhn«^em!.nroo~ without
aJorcmg act—witbourWdtffllterrourye. wiihw.t
national distress and natirtbtl disgrace, to" an ad
vantage, wbirh every day becomes enhanced £y con
trast with our present degraded situation.
Torn now, with what pleasure you may, to .Ttf_
ferson and bis lineal successor; to the worshippers
of the sage and the sycophants of tb» hero.
“ Can you on that fair mountain have to feed,
And batten on thit moor Y*
In January 1804, Mr. Madison instructed Mr.
Monroe peremptorily to insist on art unqualified and
immediate relinquishmeut of impressments, not of
American seamen, but of British seamen, and in
ease of refusal, to leave the court in dudgeon. The
demand was not complied with by the British gov
ernment, and yet Mr. Monroe's mission was con
tinued !
In the same genius of indecision and ridiculous
hostility the nonimportation art of 1805—6 was
passed. I then remarked to the annoyance of tire
Den, that this philosophical measure was like a
musqueto upon the bark of an ox.—It might tea»>
and (ret «ud provoke John Boll to some uncouth
antis ks, hut could do us no good. Yet it whs Jef
fersonian, end that was sufficient. Our rulers said
it was coercive, the people shouted, and the dema
gogues bowed obedience.
Nixt followed with congenial energv and impro
ved humanity Wright's bill, dtfering a reward to
every American for the murder of Englishmen on
the high seas ! Here the savages set up a veil of ap
probation. Wright and his full wer- popular —
Every jacobin concluded that this civilized measure
would sink the two little islands.
Ansi now the Berlin decree came in which the
sage acquirsced. and Mr. Motor's treaty, which
without submitting it to the senate he indignantly
rejected. •
(To be continued, J
From the Connecticut Courant.
Addition to Jefferson t “ Surplus Revenue.”
Oa Tuesday Iasi, the circuit court of the United
States terminated its session at New Haven. At th«
commencement of the terra there were pending
twenty three indictments end civil suits in favour of
the U. States, chiefly for pretended violations oi the
embargo laws. In five of the cases, the defendants
had not been served with process—one was discon
tinued, and one continued by agreement of the
parties one other was continued on motion of tks
defendant, and four on motion of the district attor
ney. In three the “learned attorney” entered k
nolle PitosEijui.and the other eight were' tried and
issued against the United States.
If it should be asked how it happened that the
district attorney was so unsuccessful in these prose
cutions, arm^d as he is with the purse and thesword
ot the nation, it may be replied, that it arose prin
cipally from certain prejudices of the court against
convicting prisons of offences without law or evi
dence.—Judge Livingston who preaid-d and whd
amne decided most of the case9, seemed to cw/ei*
twn an opinion that the United States were bounn to
prove the guilt of the accused, and that if they did
.not,or if their witnesses proved his innocence, that
it was the duty of the jury to acquit. He also
thought that certain rules ol law devised for the pro
tection of the rights of citizens, and sanctioned
by the experience of ages, were worth preserving.
These ideas appeared strange to the district attnr
ney. They had never once occurred to him while
instituting these prosecutions. His only enquiry
was, are the embargo laws glorious displays ol de
mocratick wisdom, and can I get fees lor harassing
people with eudless suits for suspected violations of
them ? With these motives he exerted histransrrg
dant talents, those talents, forni»rly put in requisi
tion to punish our printers our clergy anil our judges
for soiling ihe spotless fame of Mr. Jefferson, nnd
the result, in both rases, was alike honourable to
the prosecutor, and alike worthy of the party to
whirh he belongs.
It any inquisitive being should enquire as to the
expenses attending thrs<- high efforts of the district
attorney, be may enquire in vain. V'ulgar eyes can
not discriminate between economy in the conduct
ing of puhlick offices and swindling. What if our
merchants are taxed with great sums of costs in de
fending agaiust frivolous and vexatious suits ? Do
not these suits fill the pockets of tba attoruies, th*
marshals and the clerks? and did not Jefferson ap
point these men to office because their pockets w*r*
empty ?
The United States pay whether they gain or lose
their causes, and the whole avails of all these and a
host of similar suits will enure to the increase of
of Mr. Jefleisons’* “ surplus revenue.” Z.
April 25, 18J0.
From RelJ '$ Philadelphia Gazette of May 8. '
FROM A CORRESPONDENT,
■At JVtuhington.
I understand that col Duane, or his son who hat.
teen down here, is desirous of serving the public iu
the office of Quarter master General, which wit
to have been created by a bill originating in the Se
nate. It did not however pass the lower house, for
want of time. As gen. Leih from your state was on®
of the committee to which the hill was recommitted
lor amendment, it is not impossible that his claims
to this office may interfere, with those of your r«
doubtable colonel.
Some of the late nominations by the president,
have been rejected by the senate : among them is
one Mr. Wilkinson, a relative to the General, to
some appointment in the Mississippi or Orleans
territory.
The committee on the conds-tof gen. Wilkinson
were violently opposed on the last day of the sessi
on, by Roger Nelson, Smilieand Findley, who oc
cupied three hours on that day in endeavouring is
prevent the report from being read. In this they
unfortunately failed. Had they succeeded the gene,
ral would probably have returned to Nenr.Qrleans
(where he has lately married) and by Sending in brs
resignation would have defied further investigation,
and endeavoured to have sheltered himself under s
clamorous outcry against an ungrateful country ; r
farce in which be has been busily engaged ever sine®
his arrival ut Washington—Tht report of the Com
mittee is very short-, acd refeifcApthe documents te
reived by them in evidenedjjpfhout giving up o*
pinion or drawing uuy inferences; bet j understood -
. ' * . . / • '