Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1807-12-29
g. q N G r E s S.
HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES,.
TursDar DereHbsr 9.

J. DEBATE
: on The bin from ksrs Senats for ns0kiAg io7o'
aroby;affon far building On adasfs0uc'
number Of en-, BEATS. for fas pyofrcsso''
of ar pats and fasbgrs.
TcosTINuEDtl
Mr.. Snzvper said, i was not his ,uFen'
ton 20 trouble the house often with his
observations fer being busa Young mem
her. he ga, there more for the purpose CT
6 ACQUIRING iaforma.ioo fhau Of giving nj;
nor. should he have risen at this Time, had
NOT his duty compelled hla, % reply 20
some remarks, and 10 oppose he amend.
mept offered by the gcn;lrman from New
sHsmpshire Mr.. Dursll). The gentleman
wished thr S. S. to have feet; 10 have
four Al quo frigaies 70 assist IN the defence
of New York. For bis own rafs, Mr. 5.
wished the L.. S. were ii such SITUATION
as 20 enable them 20 asher into existence
Gee: capable CT annihilasing AT one blow
she whcle nsvsl power Of England, which
had so long proved scouf8e 70 all pa.
tions, and 10 this ns.ion 10 particular, that
such consdun aasion was drycusly 10 be
wished; bul tie attainment of euch al %.
jscs BY The II. S. was utterly impossible;
! they had nos means wherewsb 70 do IT.
and an attsmp' which shculdtaA short OF
the eDd, wousa do the na;iou more injary
than good, by tending 10 swell ;he already
oycrgrcwn natal power of Great Britain.
At present, be must say. he was entirely
oprosess 10 q naval essablishmsnt, and dit
fered entirely wish The gentleman from
Massachusetts, upon the ptcpriesy of any
such essablishmen.in the present situation
of affairs: be wished to have nothing to
do with any establishment unconnecsed
with system oil land defence. There
was time when naval establishment
might have been cousisseRt wiki rational
policy; when naval armamens, such ess
could then Sayc been constructed, might
have been ipssrumenfal, by proper manage
tnent, 10 maintaining the bziancc Of naval
power in Europe; thar time was. when.
The combined atess Of France, Spain and
HOLLAND, were nearly q match for ihe' Brit.
ish naval force; but that time was now
elapsed; that opportunity, which night
have been so advantagcous!r seized. was,
through an unior,unate prejudice ie fsvors
-of one nation AID against another, suffer
ed 70 escape unheeded. They now saw
sshr effects cf that policy the fleets ofF
France, Spain asd Holland were swept
from the ocean the British rary retained
~she uDdisputed possession of every sea-
and it would be an exlravagansnndsrtaking
10 the II. S. 10 attempt the creation of
naval force calculated 10 make a serious
imEessicn upon g.. Britain; they would
become the mere ship virgins OF Great
Britain, who would be ready 10 receive,
Stheie ships as fastsas they could Be larnchs
ed. Gould they erect navy equal 20 that
which Denmark Rad possessed! Could
they build ADD equip "a sail of the line at
once? If they could do This, experience
had fatally shswn, that 50 far from aiding
in the defence Of the nation, this force
gwopld soon be turned agairstit; England,
with superior force, wenld,soon convert
them iD,oaa means of offence agaiost this
& nation. But it would not be in the power
of the u. S. encountered as they were by
great national debt, and crsmp. in their
resources by inserrupssons of their trade,
&c. provide navy as respectable IS that of
Denmark was; and surely any smaller
force could DOT be contemplated. Let as
lhsD. said he. apply our limited msans to
"a mode of defence on which more reliance
May be placed let US in the FIRST place put
our ports and harhors 10 such q state OF
defence as will, IN a great degree, prevent
Dur feeling the want Of navy. 10 effec.
this objec, be said they must have recourse
60 gun-boa,s. He did not conceive this
means of defence 10 be 80 trivial as the
gentlemen from New Hampshire Mr..