The Sun.
London, England, 1812-12-15 00:00:00

.)111EIIIC.!:::7 i'il§tlE,Ti"S. AI '$AGLi.'

-? v. 4. The PresideAt
o thi United States thiS day communicated to
.Igr. Coles; hiS private SecretLT, the follow.ing
Message to Congress , •-.. .
.VeHow Citizens of the Senate
Hbuse of Represeritatyes',.
ton our present Meeting; it is MY first duty to
invite your attention to the providential favours
vliich.onr Country has experienced in tii4;!: unusual
:clegree of health(Fspensed to its inhabitatits, and
in the rid) abuMblnee With which the earth hai
iewarded the labours bestowed On it. In til;.; sue-
eSsful cultivation of other branches of induitr?,
and in the progress of general improvement fa-
Vourable to the, national prosperity, there is just
occasion also for our mutual congratulations and
thankfulness.

With these hleSsings are naturally mingled -the
PreSitires and viciSsitudeS incidental to the state
bf "%Val; into VViiich the United StateS have been
forced by the PlerSeverakice of a foreign Power in
-its system of injustice and aggression: Previous
to its declaration, it was deemed &Oiler, as a
measure of precaution and forecast; that a consi-
'ierable force should bv, placed in -the 'Michigan
territory, with , a general view to its security ;
arlt.l„,,i,n,the event of war, ‘to such operations in,
the uppermost Canada, as would intercept the
la9stile influence of Great Britain over the' sa-
vages ; obtain the-Connnand of the lake an which
that part of Canada borders ; and maintain co-
operating relations with such force' as might
be most
,convenientl7 employed against other

parts.
.Birgadier-General Hull was charged with this
Provisionalservice, having under his coandand a
body of troops, composed of regulars and of vo-
lunteers from the state of Ohio having reached
his destination, after his knowledge of the Ivar,
and possessing discretionary authority to act of-
fensively,hepassed into the neighbouring territory
of the enemy with a prospect of in easy and a.vie7
torious progress. The expedition, -nevertheless,
terminated unfortunately; not only in a retreat to
the town and fort of •Detroit, but in the surrender
of both, and the gallant corps commanded by
that Oliicer. The Causes of this painful re-
verse will be investigatefl by;- a Military Tri-
btinal. A -distinguishing feature in the opera-
tions which, preceded and followed this adverse
events is the. use made by theenemy of the merciless
Bayitp!,s under their influence. Whilst the bene-
volent policy of the United States.•invariablY re-
commended peace, and promoted civilization'
amongst that wretched portion of the human
rae,and was making exertions to dissuade them
from tailing either side in the war,' the .eneiny has'
not scrupled to call to his aid their ruthleSs fero7.
city, armed with the horrors of those instruments
t•lf carnage. nail:: torture which are knoWnto spare
neither uge ruirsex. In this-outrage.agaiust the
Laws of honourable war, and against the feelings.
sacred to humanity, the British Commanders can-
riot resort to a plea of retaliations; for it is
cu:nuriitcd in the •face••of our example. They
c:-I,,ient mitigate it -by calling it a self,defence
a; Nast wen in arms, for it embraces the most
8: ,
.:eking butcheries of defenceless. families ; nor
sn it be pretended that they are not answerable
fur the atiocities' perpetrated, .since the savages
are employed with the knowledge, and, even with
rti'enaces, that their fury could not be controlled.
'finch is the spectacle which the- deputed' atithori-
ties., of a nation boasting its religion and morality,
have not been restrained from presenting to an,
'enlightened age.
The misfortune at Detroit was not, -however,
ivithout-a consoling.etfect. It was followed by
ti,.;nal proofs, that the national spirit tises ac-
cordipg to the- pressure on it. The loss of an
important post,' and of thetrave 'men surrendered
With it, inspired every where new ardour and de-
termination. In the states and districts leastre-
inote, it was' no sooner known, than every citi-
zen was eager to 'fly with his-arms at once to pro-
tect his brethren against the blood-Ihirsty sa-
*ages let loose by th'e enemy on an extensive
frontiet; 'and to convert a partial caltimity into a•
Vource of invigorated efforts. This patriotic zeal,
Which it was necessary rather to limit than ex-
cite, has embodied an aMple foree!. from the
States of Kentucky and Ohio, anti from parts of
Pennsylvania and :Virginia. It is placed, with
the addit on of a 'few regulars; under the coat
Viand of Brigadier-General Harrison,, who pos-
tesses the entire confidence of his fellow soldiers ;
.among whom are eitizens,—some of them volun-.
teers in the rariks.,—not less distinguished by
_their political' stations, than by• their personal
merits.
The greater portion of this force is proceeding
on its destination towards 'the Michigan territory,
having succeeded in relieving an important frim-
tier post, and in several incidental operations
against hostile tribes of saVages, rendered
pens'able by the substivieney into which they had
been seduced by the enemy ; 'a seduction the More
cruel, as it could not fail to impose a necessity of
Precautionary severities against those who yielded
to it.
At a recent date, an attack was made on a post
of the enemy twat Niagara, by a detachment of
thy regului• and other forces, tinder .the cominand
of Major-General Van Rensselaer, of the Militia
of the State of New York. The attack, it ap-
irears, was ordered in compliance with the al duor
of the troops, who executed it with distinguished
„gallantry). and were for a time victorious; but •
tot receiving The-, expected -support, they were
compelled to yield to reinforcements of British
Tegulars and savages. Our loss has been consi
derable, deeply th he lamented. That of
the enemy, 'fuss i..eertaineci, will, he the more felt,
as it includes among the killed, the Commanding

General, who was also Governor cf the 0-ov:flee
and was sustair.iM by veteran troop, from
-perie
nced soldierS; who unite daily improve la the
duties of the field.

Our expectation of gaining the tOMintind of tlie
. •
rakeS by the invasion of Canada from betroit,
having been disappointed; measures were instant-
ly taken to provide on them a naval force superior
to that of the enemy. -From the talentS and acti-
vity of The Officer charged with this object, every
thing that can be done may be expected. Should
tbe present season not admit of complete success,
the progress Made will ensure for the next a ria-
Val ascendancy where it'is essential, to a perma-
nent peace with, and a controul over, the •Sa-
yages:

Among the incidents to the tneaSures of the war;
I am constrained to advert to the refusal of the
Governors of .Massachnssets and Connesctimit, to
furnish the required detachments of militia to-
wards the defence of the maritime frontier:-;;-,
The refusal was founded on a novel and un-
fortunate expoSition of the pro Visions of the
Constitution relating to the militia. The dor-
respOndence which will 'be before you, contains
the requisite information on the
.subject. It is
obvious, that if the the authority of the United
States .to call into service and command the mill
tia for the public defence, can he thus frustrated,
even in a state of declared war, and of course km,
der apprehensions of invasion preceding war, they
are not one nation for the purpose Most of all re-
quiring it, and that the public safety may have.no
other resource than those large and permanent •
military establishments which are forbidden by the
principles of our free Gtivernthent, and against
the necessity of 'which the militia were meant to
be a constitutional bulwark.
Oa the coasts and, on the ocean, the N:Var has
been as
,successful as circumstances inseparable
frorn its early stages could promise Our public
ships and private cruizers, by their -activity, and
where there was occasion, by their intrepidity,
have made the enemy sensible of the difference be-
tween a reciprocity of captutcs; and the ton` con-
finement'. of them to their .side Our trade; with
little exception, has safely. reached our Torts,
having been much favoured in it by the course
purined by a squadron .of our frigates under
(ht.-Command of Commodore Rodgers ; and in the
instance in which skill and bravery were more
particinatly'tried iivtla those of the enemy, the
American • flag' had an : Aspicions triumph. The
frigate Constitution, commanded by Captain Hull,
after a close and short engagement, completely
disabled and captured a British frigate; gaining
for that officer; and all on board, a praise whialt
cannot be too liberally bestowed,-.--not merely for,
the victory actually achieved, but for that prompt
,and cool exertion of commanding talents, which-,
giying•to courage its highest character, and to the
force applied its full. effect, proved that more
could have. been dime in a contest- requiring
more.

Anxious to abridge the evils from which a state
of war cannot be exempt, I lost no time after it
w.ss declared, in conveying to the British Go.
'vernment the terms on which its progress might
be. arrested, without waiting the delays of a formal
and final pacification : and our Charge d'Atfitires
at London was at the saine time authOrised
to agree to an armistice, 'founded upon
These terms required, that the Orders in Coun-
cil:should be repealed, as they affected the United
States, without a revival of the blOckades violat-
ing acknowledged rules ; that there should be an
immediate discharge of American seamen from
-sritisb ships., and a stop 'to impressments from
American ships, with an understanding that an
exclusion of the seamen Of each nation front the
ships of the other should be stipulated, and that
the.armistice should be ifriproved into a definitive
and comprehensive adjustment of depending con-
troversies.

Although a repeal of the orders susceptible of
explanations meeting the views of this govern
merit, had taken place before this pacific advance
was communicated to that of Great Britain, the
advance was declined,- from
.an avowed repugnance
to a suspension of the practice of impressment
during the armistice, and without any intimation
that the arrangement proposed with respect to
seamen
,would he aecepted. Whether the subse-
quent communicatiow from this Government, Af•-
fording an occasion for reconsidering the subject
on the part of Great Britain, will be viewed in a
More favourable light, or received in a more ac-
commodation spirit, remains to be known. It
would be unwise to release our measures, in any
respect, on a presUmption of such a result.
The documents from the Departthent ot'State,
.which relate to this subject, will give a view also
of the propositions for an Armistice; which have
been received here—one of then. from the Autho-
rities•at Halifax and in Canada, the other from
the British Government itself; through Admiral
Warren; and upon the grounds of which neither
of them could be accepted.
Our affairs with France retain the posture which
they held at my last communication to yOtil
Notwithstanding the authorised expectation of
an early as well as a favourable issue of the dis-
cussions-On foot, these have been proCraitinated
to the latest date. The only intervening occur-
rence meriting attention, is the promulgation of a
French Decree, purporting to be a definitive repeal
of the Berlin and Milan Decrees.' ,This proceed=
ing, although' made the ground of the repeal of
the British Orders in Council, is rendered; by
the time and Manner of it, liable, to many Objec-
tions, .

The final communications from our Special Mi-
nister to Denmark, afford ftirther • proofs of the
good effects of his mission, and of the amicable
dispositiba of the Danish Government. From
Aussia we have.- the satisfactioh to receive assur-
ances of continued friendship, and that it will not
be affected by the rupture between the United
States and Gre-at Britain. Sweden also professes
sentiments favourable to Sabsisting harmony.
With the Barbary Powers,* excepting that of
Algiers, our affairs remain on the ordinary fain:.
ing., The Consul-General residing with that Re-
geicy, has suddenly, and without a cause, been -
bati4:hcd, together with alt the American