Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-08-29

on this stupid luea, ami the event mas SheWI
to the world the ipDeciiity of navies agains,
cannon on shore. Constartinople was not
fortified any more than our American
towns are now; hut the Turks, on the APP
pearance OF the British feet, got FIVE hun
dred Cannon and hundred mortars down
from the arsenals to the shore, and the
clustering heroes OF the navy seeing this,
ned like hound with rattle at his tail.
The gallant people of Norfolk and its neigh
borhood have sent Douglass off in similar
manner An Indian who studies nature is
a better judge of naval power than an En-
( glish minister.
In March, IVY, soon after taking the
Hessians at Trenton, | was at a treaty held
with the I'VE northern nations of Indians at
East Town, IN Pennsylvania, and was often
pleased with the sagacious remarks of those
original people. The chief of one of the
tribes, who went by the name of King
! Lnstmght, because his tribe had sold their
lands, had seen some English men of war in
some o. the waters ofCanada S was impress
sed with the idea OF the power of these great
canoes; but he saw that the English made
no progress against us by land. 1 his was
enough for an Indian to form an opinion
by. lie could speak some English, and
IN conversation with me, alluding to the
great canoes, he gave me an idea of the
power of king of England by the follow
ing metaphor.
"Thc k.ng of England" said he, els like
ga fish. When he is in the water ne can
"wag his tail. When he comes on land
"he lays ON his side" Now, If the En-
| gsish government had but half the sense
this Indian had, they would not have sent
Dl kworth to Constantinople, and Dou-
glass to Norfolk, to lay on their side.
Accounts from Halifax state, that admi
raj Berkeley has aIledged in writing, that
'his orders Ito Dnuglass) were not issued
"untii every application to restore the mu-
"tlneers and deserters Gas he calls them)
I" had been made by h S Britannia maiestv's
minister, consul, and officer, and had
"heen refused by the government of the
"United States"
II this account be true. it shews that
Berkeley is an ideot in governmental af-
fairs; for if the matter WAS in the hands
Of the British minister, who is the imme
| diate representative of his government,
! berkeley Could have no interference in it.
| mat minister would report To his govern
| ment the demand he made if he made anv,
* the answer he received, il he received
| any, * Berkeley could act only in conse-
| puence of orders received aftcrw ,rds. 1t
does not belong to subordinate officers of
any government to commence hostilities
at their own discretion.
| l. now come to sneak Of the politics of
the day as they arise cut of the circum-
stances that have takca place.
The injustice of the British government,
ana the insolence of its naval officers, are no
! longer to be borne. That injustice, and thar
lnsoience, grow out of 4 presumption the
British government has set up. which il
4 ILyst JurIf of
nor ever was, such T. ght appertaning to
nation in consequence of it's being in war
with another nation. Wherever such a
RICH; existed it has been by treaty, and
where no such treaty exist, no such right
can exist, and to assume the exercise of il
IS All act of hostility, which If not abandon
ed, must be repealed until il be abandoned
The United States cannot even cede such
a right to England, without ceding the
same right to France, Spain, Holland, Ma
pies, Italy, and Turkey, or they will take
it, and the United States must take the
consequence. 1t is very difficult matter,
and requires great political wisdom, for a
lneutrai nation to make treaty during a
time of war with one belligerent nation,
that shall not commit her with the other.
The best way then, since matters are come
TO the extremity they are, is to resist this
stance. The u. States are able to do il, and
she is the only neutral nation that is able.
We are not the dminutive people now
that VIC were when the revolution began
Our population then was two millions and
an half, it is now between six and seven mil
lions and in less than ten years will exceed
the population Of England The United
States nave Increased more in power, abb,
lily, and wealth within the last twenty or
TWENTY-FIVE years than size did for two hun
dyed years before, while the states were
British colonies.
She owes this TO two things, indchen-
lde1ice and the Representative system, oTgo-
UeJnment. 1t was always the ill-iudeed
and impracticable system of the British
government to- keep the colonies in a state
ofnonage They never were TO be of full age
that she might always controul them.
While the United States have been 90
ing forward in this unparalleled manner,
England has been going backward Her
government is bankrupt, and her people
miserable. More than a million of them
are pampers. Her king is mad, and her
parliament corrupt. We have yet TO see
what the present new elected parliament
will be-There is one man ia It, whom
proudly call friend, from whom there
will be great expectations but 7Ohat can
one hnnest iHdehcHdcnt Eirbihe5' do, sur
rounded by such mass Of ignorance and
corruption as have for many years past
governed that unfortunate nation.
The great dependence of England has