The National Register.
London, England, 1812-08-02 00:00:00

lotion to it; I cannot but trust, that no measure will, meanwhile, be
adopted by the Congress, whick would defeat the endeavour of proeur v*
a complete reconcililtion ht. tw.-en our two countries.
Should any embarrassments arice in consequence of the declarati, n
on the subject of the proposed revocation of the Orders in Council,
above alluded to, resting at presc lit upon a mere statement in news-
papers, it will no douht tit eta to yinr recollection, that on the enact-
ment o 1 tiles. (riders a measure teas tokcn by Congress for the purpose
4.)1 meeting (heat, when they were as yet but known through the public
prints. I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed)

A. J. FOSTER.

Had the pretended regard for peace, so frequently urged
by Mr. MADISON, been rea!, would not Mr. FOSTER'S
.statement, " that he shoul.l soon be the organ of some offi-
cial communication," respecting the repeal of the Orders
in Council, have obtained a suspension of the hostile mea-
sures then in a state of progressive adoption by Congress?
Would not his express reque,t, that, at least till he had
been able to make that official communication, no mea-
sure should pac, " which would defeat the endeavour of
procuring a comp'.ete reconciliation between the two
countries," have occasioned some consideration, some
delay? So far from it, Mr. MONROE, in his haste to de-
cide the question, would not wait for the arrival of the
official dispatches, but admitting the authenticity of the
newspaper copy, declared in his letter of the Gth of June,
that our act cannot be taken " as a token of just and friend-
ly sentiments in our Government towards the United States."
That " nothing can be seen in it of the character we attri-
bute to it," and that it is proposed to repeal the Orders in
Council on conditions " which Great Britain has no right to
demand." Pressed for time, the President communicated
this correspondence to Congress, on the Bth of June, not two
days after it had taken place, notwithstanding Mr. FosTEa's
repeated applications for a short delay. Congress, probably
secretly warned of the necessity of dispatch, hurried
through the discussion of such a momentous suhjcct, and
through all forms attending it, and on the loth ofJune war
was declared. To confirm it by hostilities was the next step,
and on the aid of the same month, we find a gallant little
fleet or
.five American vessels, bravely engaging, for three
hours, at a respectful distance, one British frigate, which
they never attempted to run along side, and which not only
battled all their force, skill, and courage, but immediately
after the action captured three United .:.itates' vessels, which
she car, ied safe to Flallifax.

en examining attentively the President's manifesto, it wilt
be E een that he has provided, as far as it was in his power,

against the effect which the expected repeal of our Orders
might produce on minds less obstinately bent on war than
his own. For that purpose, he has formed a list of fresh
grievances, deprived the Orders in Council of their promi-
nency, and sunk them into a common cause of complaint, so
that when this should he removed, such a host might remain
a, would afford grounds for new demands or continued hos-

tilities. According to this document, we have wantonly
violated the laws of nations, by retaliating on our enemies,

and seizing our own deserters in the service of a foreign
power; nay, unable to fight our own battles, we have
" drairgcd thousands of American citizens to risk their lives
in out cause," and to be the melancholy instruments of