Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-10-01
aatea jTostigli gntaGlgenff.
By arrivals al Bosfon.
IsfPoRTANr CONSIDERATIONS
FOR THE
PEOPLE of this KINGDOM.
(ConehIed.

AI NJ A1A- o'6So
Goncluded.
Not. however, to the deeds OF Buona-
parte alone, must our recollection be con-
fined. Not only Italy and Egypt. Bat
Holland, Switzerland and Germany, and
indeed, salmest every country IN Europe
have been the scenes oFF'rench raplne, IN
suit and cruelty. Holland formally the
seat of freedom, commerce, industry, and
afluence, presents atthis moment, the sad
spectacle of country divided against 1T
self, torn TO pieces by factions, contendlng
not for the SURFACES ofthe people, but tor
the favor of France; a country. governed
by the naughty mandates of foreign pow
err; awed by foreign arms; holding the
remains of its wealth, together with the re-
sidue of its military and naval means IN
constant readiness to be disposed OF IN the
service of another nation, and that nation
its ancient and applicable enemy, and now
isinexorable oppressor. When the French
armies entered the territories of Holland,
their motto was I" War 10 the palace but
becce to The cottage" They came to deli
yer the people from their ralers, and from
the burthens those rulers imposed. lile
Dutch like the Italians, lent an ear to those
artful and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., believing
that the cottages would be spared, and cars
less of the fate Of the palace. But, alas
they soon found, that French rapacity, like
the hail and the thunder, fell alike on the
thatched ROOF, and the guided dome. The
palaces once seized on the cottages soon.
followed while all those who were found
in the intermediate space, the merchant,
the manufacture, the farmer andthc trades
man, were sunk IN one common rum; hap
py, if bythe loss ofthelr property, they had
the good fortune to preserve their lives.
Buonaparte is, indeed now, not the only
sovereign Of the country, not only does he
exercise the pewers Of dominion, but he is,
as to every practical effect, the master and
the owner Of all the property, and OF all the
people in Holland. These miserable be
ings possess nothing of their own theycan
acquire nothing with the hope Of enjoying
or bequeathing it; they can make no provi-
sion for the weakness of disease, the fee
bleness of old age or the heiplessness OF in
fancy they are the mere political drudges
of a rd-hearted tyrant, who suffers them
to live, only while their labors Administered.
his projects of ambition, and who, when ms
purposes demand it, puts an end at once to
their tolls and their existence.
In Switzerland, where high rank and
great riches were unknown, where men
were nearer upon an equality thar in any
other country in the world in country
having no commerce, scarcely any manufac-
lures, and possessing few of the sources OF
wealth and distinction; country OF shep-
herds and laborers q country which might
be truly said to contain nation OF poor
men in such country to cry' 1car 10 pa
Laces" seemed useless and absurd. Yet
did the French find pretext for war with
this poor and harmless race, and for invad-
ing and laying waste their territory. The
Swiss, frem theiranxiety to preservepeace,
consented to every sacrifice demanded Of
chem by France, they exposed themselves to
the hostility of other nations, by sending
away the ambassadors of those nations !;
they broke of their connexion with some
of the most powerful allies (; they Danish
ed the lawful subjects of their ancient pro-
tector the king of France, men whom the
| ties of gratitude and the laws of hospitali-
ty bound them to cherish: and when they
had thus exhausted the source Of concessl-
on when they could grant no more, be-
cause France could find nothing more to
demand when they had hunbled them
selves in the dust, and degraded the cha
racter of their country in the eyes OF. all
Europe; when they had thus done and
suffered, rather tllan see their country, the
scene of war, then did the French invade
their territory then did thesercstless dis
turbers of the world march an army into