The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-12-29 00:00:00

AMERICA.

THE AFF4III OF THE CHESAPEUCE.
vrAstitmotort, Nov. 17.

Mr. Blount, from a Committee of the blouse
of Representatives on a part of the President's
Message, reported, this day, on the sabjeet of the
attack on the Chesapeake. The report commences
with an expression of sensihility at this outrage ;
states the receipt of information relative thereto,
from the State and Navy Departments; presents a
gereral view of the circumstances, observing that it
might be said to have been incontestibly proved,
that Wm. Ware, John Strachan, and Dan. Martin
(three of the four persons taken out of the CiSe-
sapeol,), are citizens of the United States ; but the
Committee add, that they conceive it unnecessary
for them or the House to go into any inquiry on
that part of the sobjeft, as in their opinion, whe-
ther the men taken from the Chesapeake were, or
were not Citiaetu of the United States, and whether
the Chesapeake was or was not within the acknow-
ledged limits of the United. States, at the time they
were taken, the charatter of the aft of taking them
remains the same.

• " From the foregoing Gifts, it appears to your
Committee, that the outrage committed on the fri.
gate CArrarreake, has been stamped with circular
stances of indignity and insult, of which there is
scarcely to be found a parallel in the history of et-
•ilized nations, and iequiies only the senators of the
Government, under colour of whom authority it was
perpetrated, to make it just cause of. if not an irre-
sistible call for, instant and severe retaliation
Whether it will receive that santlion, or be di,avow-
ed, and declared an unauthorised ac' of a subordi-
nate officer, remains to be determined by the answer
shall
which be given to the demand of explanation ;
that answer, now daily expected, will tither sink
the detestable ac' into piracy, or expand it to the
magnitude of premeditated' hostility against the
sovereignty and independence of this nation ; and
until its true charafter shall be flied and known,
your Committee deem it expedient to decline ex-
pressing any opinion as to the measures proper to be
adopted in retaliation to it. But the Committee
add, as other alts of aggression have been com-
mitted within our ports and waters, such as these
mentioned in the President's Message, the Com-
mittee are of opinion, that it is expedient to provide
more effeaually for the protedion of our ports and
harbours; but not being prepared to report speci•
fically on that subjedh, they ask further indulgence
of the House; and submit the following Resolu-
tion :
" Keeolved—That the attack of the Stitiih ship of wu
Leopard. on the UaUed States frigate Chesspeake. was a /le-
-1 grant violation of the 1.1164i/bon of the United States; sad
that that continuance of the British squedron (of whirls the
Ler/paid ors. one) in their waters, after being notified of the
Prottainatioa of the President of the limited States, ordering
them to depot the sante, wasa blither titillation ilistetif.

NOV. 20.

A motion was made by Mr. Williams to adjourn
until Monday. This was opposed by Mr. Crownin-
shield, who, among other observations. said. " he
hoped the House would not lose two days is the
week, when we were perhaps on the eve of a war."
—This motion was lost.
iscressisaa 41.

hie curiosity, not unmixed with *suspicion, which
seems priAcipally to save 'arisen from the place to
which he is said to be going. •
(Ftora 7Fe ty.twk I.r44er, Not. SO.)
Congress hag passed a Bill of Indemnity for the
payment of naval and military stores, purchased en
the late emergercy by the President, for which there
was no appropriation by law.

A letter from New Orleans, dated Sept. 17th,
mentions a disturbance with the inhabitants having
taken place, about a lot of ground in the suburbs of
New Orleans, called Batture ; it was claimed by
the city and an individual, and the Supreme Court
gave a Decree in favour of the latter, who was put
into possession by the Sheriff, and afterwards sold it
to a Mr. Livingston. The inhabitants forcibly
disputed his taking possession ; and assembled by
beat of drum on the spot, in defiance of the Civil
Authority. They were harangued by Governor
Claibeurne, on which they dispersed, far from being
satisfied. The next day they had advertisements
posted up in all the public parts of the city, hold-
ing out menaces that they would apply to the Em-
peror of the French, who they were confident would
not leave them to the mercy of the plodding Greeks,
as they call Ilse Americans.