The National Register.
London, England, 1808-02-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

100

possible that were he now to go to America, he would greatly
alter his opinion of the Americans ?

lie has laboured with great assiduity during the considerable
period in which oUr relations with the United States have been
matter of public attention and anxiety to render the Americans
rit once contemptible. and odious to the people of this country.
He has ascribed to them every vice and every meanness; while
he has studied to persuade us that they hated this country, and
what was still a greater crime, that they loved Fiance. About
proof Mr. Cobbett seldom troubles himself. We had all this
in good round assertion. And unfortunately asscrt:ntis with a
great portion of mankind are fully as cogent as proofs.

After abundant endeaSours to make ns believe that the Ame-
ricans are a most odious race, and that they hunget and thirst
for mischief to this country, his next object is to peptiade us,
that they arc very defenceless, and may be easily trodden down
in the dart, in short, that we may insult and abuse them, as we
please, for they cannot injure us an return. There is something
Uncommonly illiberal in the strain of Mr. Cobbet's attacks upon
the Americans ; and there is scarcely one of his assertions that is
mot unfounded.

In the first plate, the Americans have virtues and vices very
much like onrselves. They are a shoot from our nwn stock,
and they exhibit very distinct marks of their affinity with the
parent tree. They are a people of strong and manly passions,
as we ourselves are; and we are very apt to blame in them
what we applaud in ourselves. They are a most industrious
and enterprising people ; and the peculiar aspect which their
virtues and viers assume, is the effect entirely of the peculia-
rity of their situation. We are apt to designate them as a
rapacious people; but in every country, where industry is in
its infancy, where capital is extremely scarce and extremely
saleable, this appearance will invariably be exhibited. As
the scope for capital is more unbounded iu America than an)
where else ; this cause operates there with a force peculiarly
great. But effects, exactly similar, are experienced even in our
West India Islands, though these are both of limited extent, and
are fed with all the opulent capitals of oar West India mer-
merchants. As they are a people too, mostly agricultural, and
thinly spread over this immense surface, with few otcasions of
social intercourse, they exhibit but little of the polished man-
ners of European cities t and a republican familiarity is fre-
quently affected, which is found highly offensive to such Eu-
ropeans as are enamoured with aristocratical distinctions and
ceremonies.

In the next place it is perfectly untrue that the Americans are
distinguished by an aversion to this country. The contrary is
incontrovertibly the fact. One of the chief sources of their
pride is their descent from this country. It is commonly spoken
of among them by the name of The Old Country, a term, ex-
pressing at once the memory of their connexion, and their vene-
ration for the country of their fathers. Their laws, and even
their forms of legislation, as well as their fashions, customs, and
manners, are all borrowed from us. It is undoubtedly true, that
the restrictions which we ha'e imposed upon neutral trade dur-
ing our present contest with Fiance, have inflicted upon them the
greatest hardships; and it was not unnatural for them to com-
plain. They are, like ourselves, a blustering people; and wheo
they have to complain of another nation, they do it in a patty
noisy stile. They are at presort, no doubt, very much provoked
against this country ; but even at present there is among them a
large fund of esteem and good will toward this country, which
only wants a favourable season to produce the happiest etiects.
There is among them, as there is among us, two parties, one of
which is more republican than the other ; and these two parties
brand one another ; the one with the epithet of the French
party, and the othet with that of the British. But the epithet
of French is just as improperly applied among them, as it was
some years ago among us, to Mr. Fox and his party.

In the last place, the Americans ate, by no means. Ifs Mr.
Cobbett would have us believe, enemies entirely to be despised.
They cannot conquer our fleets, or invade Ireland; but, as we
do not agree with Mr. Cobbett, that our commerce is our curse,
we cannot, in the present situation of the world contemplate,
without lively emotion, the loss of our intercourse with a na-
tion, that has for a number of 'ears taken off more goods of
British produce and manufacture, than the whole continent of
Europe. As this, however, is a subject of vast importance, we
will not trespass any further beyond our limits: We have, at
present, merely entered upon the subjecte It will again come
under our attentive climatic's:woo.

lEg. ii

FOREIGN IYFELLIGENCE.

FRANCE.

PA his; J tx. 16.—The Putriote, of it guns, which left the
Chesapeake on the 16th of December, arrived at the hie of
Aix on the •Ith lir4.--Ity it we learn that Mr. Moore, the 11t13
bassarlor froll Digland, had returned on the I.lth of December.
The public papers announced that the Senate and house of Re-
presentatives had assembled without any exterior cortimunlca.
Hon. It nits said that the proposals made by England to re.
dress the grievances of the !Inked States, were of a nature to be
ill reeeiVetl, and that every thing was for war With th:tt Country,

PORTUGAL.
otcretr Oon coyttsc.iti‘u Ar.z. lIRITISiI tfiortinnr IN ?OR..

TrG.4L.

All goods, jewels, awl silver. as ncll as moveable and landed
property of any nature whatsoever, belonging to any individual
subject of Great found in any territory of the Portu-
guese dominiors, confiscaied.
All goods of manufacture) of any kind whatsoever{
shall be al-) confiscated. _ .

It is cxpres:.yr ordained, that nny prrou, of whatever class,
who shall iinve in his possession any sum or gomls belonging to
subjects of Great Britain, shall appear and declare the same, in
the coarse of three days, at the Secretary's Office, Zl. Legoy,
appointed Commissary ad i;atcrinti is hose residence is at No. 10,
opposite the Fountain of the !Arent): and in the interior parts
of Portor;al these declarations are to be made before the Magit4
train of the place.
Any person who shall not Make a true and exact declaration,
shall forfeit ten times the suns of the object so declared, and shall
receive besides corporal punishment, if the object should deser% e
such.
Any goods or property *Ma may have been arty way con-
cealed by either Portugncse or rtench merchants, or those of
any other Natian, shall Be declared 1n the saute manner under the
like penalties,
The Administrator-General of the Finanteg, and the Regency
Council, are charged with the execution of this Decree.
Dated in the Palace of the General Quarters, Lisbon, the
of December. (Signed) Jusor.

LISBO*, JAN. Y7.—The new Decrees and Orders of the
French General .lunot, have been rr;nlarly transmitted to the
Regency, and by them put Into execution. The furniture of the
British Assembly Room has been sold by Juno for MO/. mei,.
ling; the lower apartments were immediately afterwards dim
rected to be converted into stables; and the upper rooms, vi bleb
are very elegantly construned and furnished, were presented to
Beauharnois, who has taken up his residence Caere.
The Wm of British property, w hick, by virtue of the De-
cree of the sth of Decemlwr, had been entered with Mons. Le
goy, did not amount to 1.10,000/. sterling, and no efforts on the
part of the people were attemptl4l to be made to increase the
amount. The seals had not been rated from the doors of the
Office-: Of Cu-toul, ; but this is daily eN peeled, wider the super-
intendance of officers, who had been thatged to inquire into the
nature and value of the property. Such as Arnold be found to
be in any manner connected w ith British subiects is to be confis-
cated as British propert , and such as shall clearly appear to be-
long to tqe nthjects of Portugal, is to be restored, and allowed
to be sold for their benefit."

AM LIM'

110(1SB OP REPREs'ENTJTY PS4

4ftiVnTrtti, fhlr. 29 --Mr. Newton (Va.) from file Com-
mittee of Commerce and Nl;:nuf.‘ettires, reported a Bill Supple,
mentary to the Act laying an Embargo, w hich wa* tw ice read,
—The follow lug is the Bill :

A 1311.1,,
Supplementary to the Act, cntiti,el •' an Act !aging eta EmbarJ
gu on all Ships and Teasels is the poets and harbours of the
United •Slates,"

Sec. T. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represents•
tie of the I: cited States of America, in Congress assembled,
that during the continuance of the art to which this act is sup-
plementary, no vesq.l licensed for the coasting trade and fish-
eries, (ships engaged in the whole or ether fisheries were ex.
esspted iu toe Cuattnittte on the Bill), having on board' good ,;1

FEB. 13.

wares, and merchandize, either of foreign or domestic gross t:►
or manufacture, fishing ve-srls with salt fur their flshiar.:- fares
excepted, shall be allowed to depart from any port of tl►e United
Slates, or shall receive a clearance until the owner, consignee,
agent or factor, shall, w ith the master, give bmal with one or
snore sureties to the United States, In a RUM double the value of
the vessel and cargo, that the vessel k not destined fur any foreito
port or place, and that the said goat! wares, :Lod merchatulihe
♦hall he re-In; (led in some port of the Litt;ted States
See. '2. And be it further enacted, That ii' any ship or vN,AeI
shall, during the continuance of the act to which tit is act is a sup-
plement, depart from any port of the United States without a
clearance, or if any ship or sessel shall, contrary, to tin• provi-
sions of this act, or the act to which this is a supplement, pro-
ceed to a foreign port or place, such ship or vessel and cargo
shall be wholly forfeited ; and if the same shall not he seized",
she miner or such ship or vessel sh al, fur every such offence,
forfeit and pay a sum equal to double t:ti value of the ship or
vessel and cargo, and the master or commander of such ship of
vessel, as well as all other persooi concerned in such prol;ibited
foreign voyage, shall each respectively forfeit and pay the sum
of not more than 20,000 dollar, nor less than 1000 dollars for
every such °knee, whether the vessel he seized and condemned
G r not.

See. 3. And he it further enacted, That the exception made
by the act, to which this act is a supplement, in fav our of armed
vessels, possessing public commis ions from foreign pow ers, shall
apply only to public armed vessels, and shall not be construed to
embrace either privateers, vessels having letters of marque, or
any other private sinned vessel,: ; but such private armed vessels
shall he permitted to depart in the same tnanner, and on the same
condition,,, as is provided for other private foreign ships or vessel,.

Dt:c•. al.—This day 11r. Randolph, made—a
motion in the
llonse of Representatives against General Wilkinson. Ile said,
he Should first state certain facts, find those facts would he the
ground of his motion, on which he should offer tm argument.—
.Mr. It. then t•Csid the following documents 1—