Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1807-07-15

with its wiisdon, aAighi make hersslf the
envy and admiration ofshe whole world"
9 The neeessitv Of naval profession &c
external or mGFatimescommsree, and the
/ coAduciyensss Of that species Of comrncFcs
70 the prosperity sfa navy. are points too
manifea. 70 require Calculation. They by
j kind Of re.aetion mutually beneficial pre-.
mote each other"
Thus wrote the great Alexsuder Hamii.
ton when Recommending the adoption OF
the federal constitutions 30 his fellow citi.
gems.
But, il is possible that this paper may
fall into the hands Of some Who have not
yet ceased TO regard with 4 Jealous eye,the
sentiments Of this departed patriot, andl
therefore will now, In aid Of my purpose,
Offer 70 their particular attention the fol.
lowing extracts from one whom they have
beeaia the habit Of respecsing-Ihsna
Paine.
They are taken from one Of these cele.
brated papers of his, eatisled "Common
Sense - which though not uotincsured with
a.c~onsiderable share Of sophistry, possess
no ordinary merit either as forcible ADD IN.
genious discussions. or beautiful pieces Of
competition. Let Us then shew Thomas
Paine the courtesy to forget some things
that have fallen from his pen ia his old age,
and go back TO his prime Of life, when he
advocated the cause Of America in seventy
six.
In the purpose of persuading US to build
a navy then, thus he wrote
1.-THE debt we may contract doth got
deserve our regard, if the work be but ac-
complished. No nation ou2httsde suithant
debt; a national de1t is q national band, and
when il bears no interest, il in no case a
grievance. Britain is oppressed with a
debt of upwards of one hundred and Fifty
millions sterling, for which she pays up.
wards CT four millions interest. As a
cempensatioa for her debt, she has aarge
nauy; America is withou, a debr, and with
out a navy /; yet for the twentieth part of
the English national debt, could have 4
navy as large again.
"No country On the globe is SO heppiiy
situated, or so internally capable of raising
a fleet as America. Tar, timber, iroo ard
cordsge, are her natural produce. We
need go abroad tor nothing. Whereas the
Dutch, who make large profits by hiring
out their ships of war 50 the Spaniards and
Portuguese, are obliged TO import most Of
the materials they use. We ought to view
the building a feet as an article Of con.
merce, il being the natural manufac,ory of
this country. Il IS the best Money ne can
layout. Navy, whenJ finished is zv0rth
more then it cost: and is that nice boin. in
national poAcy, in zvhich commerce. and PRE-
lection are united"
"Ship building is Americas grea'es.
pride and in which she will, in time, excel
the whole woili."
"Iu point Of seffty, ought WI to be
without a acet? We are not the p.ople
now which we were sixty years ago al
thar time we might have trusted our pro-
perry in the stresss, or fields rather, aud
slept securely without locks or bolss to our
daors or windows. The case is now alter
ed, aud our methods Of defence ought 10
improve with our Increase Of props,sy a,
commsn pirate, twelve months ago., might
have come up the Delaware and laid the
city OF Philadelphia under instant conttlbu.
ton for what sum he pleased and the same
might have happened TO o:her places. Nay,
any daring fellow in a brig of ~ or l6
guns, might have robbed the who!e CONT.
nent aud carried off half a milliou Of me
MY. These are circumstances which de-
mand our attention and point out the neces.
sity Of tuual protection"
Icannot conceal the pleasure feel IN
being able to answer by the pen Of the
same writer, the principal objection which
the enemies of navy, ia and out Of con-
gress, urge sgainst it. They tell US that