The Sun.
London, England, 1812-11-05 00:00:00

LINI'fBD sr..vrEB..

17,:c foll Owing observations 'so entirely, cor
revond with our own sentiments upon the sub-
and
are „so Well written, tlult We re:tdily
avail ohn;elves of
.them. -They are tikes! frt.,l:l
respectlble.Proviticial Journal, entitled The Sluf-
field M 6 cur.]

Every arrival, from that miagoverned and ill-di-
rected :Country' disnlays in -stronger termil than
thelpveceding the divided .state of public opinion,
and the strong opposition to the measures of. the-
Government which ia, oeganizing in different
places.
,If the oppositionists of Ainerica, like the
Oppositions of, this country', opposed their rulers
in. carrying on a war justified by necessity, a good
cause, and waged for legitimate ends) if, like our
patriots at home, they discovered only a morbid
sensibility to the evils of War,,and rated Without
a discriminating application 'over the: common
places of afiected_hunianity afibrded by the novels
and sickly sentimental writings of the 'day, we
should despise them, though their voices were.
lifted
,up in favour of England. If for 'a mere
commercial consideration, or to gratify the
ings of party. zeal, they were insensible to the.
honour and just and permanent interests of their
country, we should class them with the faction
which has in-this country so frequently disgraced
itself by its selfishness, egotism, and want ofpa-
•triotisin. But the federalists of America are men
of a very different character. That party -em-
braces by far the greater proportion of the talent,
virtue,' and public spirit of the ,country. They
oppose the war because it wants every reason
whi-ch can justify nit to Men of reflection ; and
they se} ;themselves: against the Government, be-
canse that-Govetinnant has evidently betrayed the
country into a corrupt connexion with France,
and under the influence of that power laa.sanot
:stay assunied 'to protect its supposed rights, but
'to lend its aid to force from England the rights
guaranteed to her by the. law of nations, and to
assist in'. turning the fortunes of the important
contest in which she is engaged against her. In
America the scum is at the, top; democracy,
which in that country exists in all its fero-
cious, and _immoral forms and principles, fills both
the seats of _office and the wiscw-ams of the mob;
andthe governors themselves are but the leaders
of a faction, which can both furnish bullies and
murderers at honie, and an -unprincipled engine
for the use of the detestable Government of
France abroad. The 'men at the helm of affairs
there, are those -Who gave joy to Buonaparte on
his invasion of Spain and Portugal ; who tamely
surrendered to his rapacity many Millions of the
prOperty of t.4,e Citizens which they ought to have
protected ; -the robbers who seized Florida, and
for their own advantage have fomented the revO-
lutinn in. the Spanish' dominions in the hope of
sharing the plunder. Firmest and virtuous men
have, therefore, no choice, They must in justice
to their very fame Scher- to the world, that- with a
'Government so young in years, but so old in
wickedness,- they cannot act.
To every man, exoept to him who was too ig-
norant to: discern, or too factious to suffer himself
to see, the connexion between the -American Go-
vernnient and Fiaarice was evident long before the
declaration of war. A- wish for war was indulged, ,
and opportunities were long sought for, and when
the moderation of the: British Government pre--
N 4 n tea the war faction there front fastening upon
a single act of her's which could have any ten-
dency to unite the Americans in a-common-cause,
they made war without acause, in equal opposition
=to justice and to the sentiments of the most re-
spectable part of the American population. The
patience of those whoivishedfor war, and of him,
.W.ho commanded the Americans to make war, on
pain of- his displeasure, were both exhausted by
the forbearance of England ; and war was de-
clared according to a previous; but long frustrated
-intention: This intention- on the part of the'
American EXecntive we have all alongused as the
key to -the conduct they, have pursued; and he
that reads-that conduct by the help of this short.
comment-will be able. to explain satisfactorily the
failure of our succeSsive negotiations, the unhand -
some treatment ofour Ambassadors, and the par-
tiality With which the laws restrictive of commer-
cial intercourse have been established. At the
moment that Mr: Madison accepted the repeal of
the French Decrees along with the appended con-
. dition, that America Shouldsmake-herarights re-
speeted by England, he signed atreaty with France, .
one provision of which was that he •would de-
, Clare against England in case her maritime rights
were not renounced. From that time it became
evident, that the rescinding of the Orders in
Council would not effect an acijustment, for the
President had pledged himself to France to pursue
the same;O:tii-et Ivitit her, " a maritime peace."
It is true that, to blink the affair, he affected to say
tln France- had' no right to prescribe conditions
of this kind,' hat this could not deceiive-any but
the most ignorant or infatuated; when the condi-
tionS Were, neither positively. refused by Mr.
Madison-, nor an iota in them given,up by France.
This- act would have' opened the eyes of every
man-in England, had 'we not had a- party deter-
Mined tosea eniiiing but fairness' on the part of
America, and injustice and pride- on the part of
England.. Never, perhaps, did the blinding power
of thiS spirit,exhibit itself go fully as' thiS
The Orders in Connell alone, said these miser-
able politicians,' stood in the Way of -adjustment;
though it is to be remarked, that immediately
after this union of the American-and French go-
vernments, the Ministers of the former consigned
the Orders in Council: to silence, and made,their
stand only on our maritime rights and practice. "
The very first communication the President
made to the Congress after his treaty with France;
for so it was, was to complain not of the Orders
in Council, but of the blockading act of Mr. Fox's
administration. Thus the ground was shifted;
and the question has never since that time rested
upon the Orders in Council. The repeal could
not, therefore, effect a change- in the attitude of
America, and the adoption of that measure under
this idea, was both an instance of the deplorable
weakness of Government, and of the childish folly
of the Opposition: That folly has been fully
ex-
posed by the events which have followed, and in