The National Register.
London, England, 1814-02-06 00:00:00

SUNDAY, F EBIt (IA RY 6.1811.

POLITICAL 1)1S2UISIIIO4V.

NATIONAL AMERICAN SUICIDE.

Tired of waging an inglorious land unavailing contest 1
v,ith the Lords of the Ocean, Mr. MaolsoN has lately
,eltenged his system. The disasters of France have hum-
bled his tone, and.whilst the dangers of his situation corn- I
.
pel him to geve a reluctant acceptance to our pacific over- i
tures, he revenges himself; on the unhappy beings who
have blindly renewed his administrative authority and t
subjectcl themselves to the caorice of as ambitious mad-
man.
He no sooner treats for p etc with us, than he de- I
dares war to the prosperity of his country. The activity of 1
our cruisers, and tae blockade of her harbours had not re- 1
. e
duced the trade of America, at least that portiot, or it
which had survived former embargoes, to a sufficiently
low ebb ! It continued to vegetate, and through the cle-
mency of a generous foe, promised to weather the
f.torm which the rash imbecility or corrupt instru-
mentality of the PILESTDENT had caused to bunt on
the Atlantic : but this was not matter of satisfaction
te this sincere and noisy patriot. He perceivoil ne advan-
tage in allow in.; the people to profit by the vent which
frequently offered itself for their commodities. He was
%trilling to oppress them with taxes, but to allow them the
means of paying thOse imposts' without disposing of their
landed property, would, in his opinion, be too mild a
treatment. Like NAPOLEON, he wished to be a sublime
genius, and, like him, thought a total sacrifice ofthe true
interests of his subject'; a certain sign of the depth and sub.
Utility of his conceptions. Jealous of the celeleity of
the Continental System, of which, however, he pri-
vately decieved himself the real inventor, he set his
mind on producing a measure of equal folly and danger,
which he vainly thought would create as much astonish-
ment and adrairation arout-hout the world. Hence
sprang the Non-Importation Act, which h time of peace,
*eemed destined to draw down upon his couutry the hos-
tility of every nation. Finding, hoirever, that other Powers
knew how to chastise his presumption without going the
length of war, and that the American ships, which he
bed blindly conceived would become the sole carriers
of the world, were not allowed any more liberty
of trade than he granted, he perceived that in his
eagerness to prove himself a great and profound
politician he had missed his object. He saw that
he had not only sacrificed ail the advantages with which
the corvlitiou or neutrals supplied the Un'ted States, but
that he had created a host of enemies who rendered
trading even Ft Aeeeriean articles insecure. R.
Vol. vi T. No CC C'X VII.

had been adopted in Europa which made it difficuit
for the most experienced trader to esca?e, either cap-
teire or seizure. Under these circumstances, Mr.
MA.DISON once more drew upon his genius and in-
vention, and a general embargo tame forth. Thu first
measure had excited the hostility of the world against
him, th^ latter added that of his own countrymen. Por-
sisting in his ruinous course With the pertinacity c
ignorance, he saw in little more than a year, a com-
plete revolution take place in the condition and for-

tunes of the citizens of the United Status.
chaliti whose capital and enterpris? supported the ho-
nour and encreased the wealth of the coulitty, now
sunk from their eminence, by degr..es experienced
the evils of poverty. Their wharfs crowded with goodi
which they conid not export, only served to augment their
expemes. Their vessels rotted inactive, for the smms
which would have been requisite to repair them, wore spent
to obtain the common nocessarios of life. Ou the other

Land, the farmers and land-hcldrirs assuming a Om-
porary cousequNioc!, as they wore enriched tv
the ruin of those whom they bad once consider-
ed as their superiors, added insult to their mis2rv,