The National Register.
London, England, 1812-12-20 00:00:00

1)1,,,e. to,

more cruel, as 0: could not fail to impose a necessity of precautionary
severities against those who yielded to it.
At 3 remit date, an attaelsawas made on a post of the enemy near
Natears, hy a detachment of the regular aed other forces under the
commend of Mejor-General Van Rensseleer, et the Militia ofthe
state of New York. The attack, it apears, was ordered in compli-
:nee with the ardour of the troops, who executed it with distinguished
Feliaittry, and were for a time vaetorious ; but not receiving the ex-
pect:el support, they were compelled to yiel.l to reinforcements of
Blitish regulars and savages. Our loss has een csiderable, ant' be
d is
to he lamented. That of the enemy,b less aoscnertained, wi
deeply
the more telt, as it ineludee among the killed, tlic Commanding Ge-
nail, who was also Goveresor al the' proviine ,• and was stistaiiied by
serer,
troops, from inexperienced soldiers, who must doily improve
in the duties of the he'd.
oer expectation of gaining the command of the Loans by the in-
salon of Canada from Detioit, having been disappointed, measures
weie iestaialy taken to provide on them a naval force superior to that
of the enemy. From the talents and activity of the Officer chaired
with this object, every thing that can be done may be ex peeted.
Should the preseut season not admit of corro tete eaecess, the Negress
made will ensure for the next a naval ascendancy where it is essential
to a permanent peace with, and a controul over the savages.
Among the incidenla to the measures of the war, I ant constrainel
to advert to the refusal of the Governors of Massachusetts and Con-
n.cticut, to tarnish the required detachments cf nalitia towards the
deteeee of t' Inaritime frontier. The refueal was founded on a novel
and unit-wit ate-exposition of the provision,: of the Constitution re-
lating to the militia. The conic :pcmdence, which will he before you,
contains the 'Geri- he inthrmetien on the subject. It is obvious, that
it the. aethorily of the United States to call into service anti command
the militia for the public defence, can be thus .frustrated, even in a
state of declared war, and of course meter apprehensions of invasion
preceding war, they are not one nation for the purpose most of all re-
wilting it, and that the public safety may have no other resource than
those large and permanent natitaty establishments which are for-
bidden by the principles of gur tree Governmeirt, and against the
necessity of which the. militia were meant to be a conetttutiectal
bulwark.
On the coast and on the ocean, the war has been as successful
as circumstances inseparable from its early steges craild promise.
Our public shies and private cruisers, by their activity, and, where
there was occasion, by their intrepidity, have made the enemy sensi-
ble of the difference between a reciprocity of captures, the long ema-
il iement of them to their side. Our trade, with little exceptien, has
safely reached our ports, having been much favoured in• it by the
course pursued by a squadron of our frigates, under the command of
Commodore Rogers; and in the instance in which skill and bravery
were more particularly tried with those of the eitetny, the American
flag halm auspicious triumph. The frigate Constitution, command-
ed by Captain dull, after a close and short engagement, completely
disabled and captured a British frigate : gaining for that Officer, and
for all on board, a praise which cannot be too liberally bestowed—net
merely for the victory actteefy achieved, but for that prom at and cool
exertion of commanding talents, which, giving to coorage its highest
character, and to the force applied its full elfeet, proved that more
could have been done in a ernitest tequiring mare.
Anxious to abridge the evils from which a state of war cannot he
exempt, I lost no time after it was declared, in conveying to the Bri-
tish Government the terms on which its progress might be arrested,
without waiting the delays of a formal and fiord pacification ; and our
Charge d'Atiaires at London was at-the same time authorised to agree
to an armistice, feunded upon them. These terms require:l, that the
Orders in Council should be repealed, as they acted the United
etates, without a revival, of the blonlettaes vioatting aeknowleaged
rules ; and there should be an inintediete discharge of Aloe:jean
seamen Corn British ships, and a stop to irnpressments from Ameri-
ca t ships, with an understanding that an exclasion of the seamen of
each nation from the ships of the other should be stipulated, and that
the armistice should be improved into a defiititive and comprehensive
adjustment of depending controversies.
Although a repeal of the Order. susceptible of explanations meet-
Although the views of this Government, had taken place before this pacific
advance was communicated to that of Great Britain, the advaeae was
declined from an avowedreptignance to a suspension of the practice of
imeressnient during the armistice, and withent any intimation that
ahe arrangement proposed with respect to seamen would be accepted.
Whether the subsequent communications from this Government,
afforded an occasion for re-consklering the subject on'the part of Great
Britain, will be viewed in a more faeourable light, or received in a
ituare accomMotlating spirit, rerniihs to be known. It wou!d be un-
vise to release our measure, in any reeleect, on a presumption of such
a t.
resul
The documents from the Departments of State, which relate to this
subject, will give a view also of the 'propositions far an armistice
%alech have been received here—one of them from the authorities at
Halifax and in Canada, the other tfotn the British Governmeet its:ea f,
through Admiral Warren and of the grounds upon Which neither• of
them could be accepted.
, Our affairs with Treace retain the posttire which they tie:'at my
last t:Qmmttnkatttm t« yuu•