The National Register.
London, England, 1811-07-21 00:00:00

448

rssponsibility of such an unconstitutional act. But it appears
the Pa Es I nEN r has deevcd it his duty to issue the order, and is wil-
ling to run the hazard of impeachment. Should he have Federal
judges, we arc co,tfidet.t they will acquit hien, if his sole object
.etall appear to have b eu the liberation of American seamen :
And if his Judges are democratic, he will only have to put to
the test the sincerity of those who have by words and dreds so
• often admitted, that their I'IESIDENT can do ?co wrong. Their
creed

. -
44 Tr) one sole monarch Jove commit; the away,
46 His are the laws, uud Him let all obe::."
It is a fact Commodore RoDGERS has put to sea, and as it is
suppos,d the Guerricre is now off the coat, there c.,:mot be a
doubt but the Commodore's vigilance and activity will find her ;
and that he, will execute his orders, whatever they ingy be, yeilh
fir:nnesS 3nd completeness. •‘ When Greek /sleets Greek,then comes
th • tug- ()Timm" Both frigates are warnt vessels. The President has
the udv....ntin!e in welit of metal. La Guerriere was captu:cd
from the French by the blanche, of 38 guns, in 1806. Captain
Pecu ELL was made Post-Captain last year.
Letters from Baltimore, by yesterday's mails, stated the pre-
• valence there of a report that the two t„:;.ates had met and hid
a combat. We think the report pronatu:-.L—(Columbian Cen•
tin!)
Here we find a plain avowal of the object of the

American Government in sending the President in
clvce of our cruizers. It was, in the words of the

extract, to do something "tantamount to an act of
war," or in reality that would fulfil the chief condi-
tion of the secret treaty entered into with France,
and lead to an immediate rupture with this country.
So eager was the PRESIDENT to display his subservi-
ency to NAPOLEON'S designs, that it appears " he
has taken upon himself the high responsibility" of
an act, tantamount to a declaration of war," for
which he is liable to be impeached, " as Congress
alone are authorised by the Constitution to declare
and make war." His acquittal, however, should
he be brought to trial on this ground, is confi-
d.:ntly anticipated, as well as the result of the
expected contests, which the execution of Com-
modore RODGERS'S orders, " whatever they might
• be," might occasion. Here the horrors of ap-
proaching war are contemplated with seeming
complacency, but the jny of those who thus court
hostilities, will be short. They will find, and that
we trust Shortly, unless a prompt, full, and, now
we may say, unhoped-for reparation be made, that
they have brought down disgrace and ruin upon
their own country, instead, as they vainly hope, of
effectually assisting our inveterate enemy in his at-
tempts against our commercial wealth and national
i...dcpendence.

Extract of a Letter from Lisbon, dated July 4 :
g: Our army remains in the Fame positions as
w:ien the last packet sailed. Sottur has followed
BLAKE towards Seville, with a considerable corps,
leaving a great force, chiefly of cavalry, to cover
his march. MARMONT continues in the neigh-
- bouthood of Merida, in short all is in .ctatu quo,
and it seems as if the important work of this
campaign vas over ; though inckec-1 it is impossi-
ble to say what is now a carnp;.ign, as the work
of marching, fighting, &c. continues throughout all
the year." •