The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-03-24

ne'o 4" suspehcc not however, from any now
, dangers WINCH officarcd but from tile m, y
ferrous conduct or our affairs, after the attack
ON the Chesapeak and from a painful annrc-
hension that the course the prrS;dcn, m
pursuing, would terminate i'm war. Tho NJ,
tionai lnteligencer CASUALLY cons islcred nc -.
executive hewsp"per) gave the alarm and
IL was echoed through the United States
war, PROBABLE or inevitable war, was th.
constant theme OF the newspapers, and of tho
conversation, as was reported, of pcr, ons
supposed to be best informed of EXecn,;,e
designs Yet AMID this din of war. made
quate preparations were seen making RI
meet it. :"
The orders to detach hundred Thousand
i,iih1ia 10 night the British navy flor no ~
Their appearance of an enemy In anv o,bsr
shape) was SO completely absurd. as TO CIV
cite, with men of common sense. no otb,, a.
ihotlon thah ridicue Not the shadow of !,
reason that could operate on the mind of
man or common understanding can h, of
tered III its Justification The refusal of ~.
brush ofhcer TO receive the frigute Ch.so.
Peake as h'1ze, when rendered nv her
commander, is demonstration that the ar
e"oh upon ner was exclusively for the pur-
pose OF taking their deserters and NOT i,
tended as commencement of a s.o,. H.,
tween the two nations. The President tnn,r
that the British had no invading army 70
iano on our shores ; and the detached militia
would De useless, against standing forces
"hy tnen was this order for the Militia pi
ven The nature of the cause. and the 70
tual state of things, authorize the inference
that It's immediate, if not it's only object voc
20 increase the public alarm, to aggrivate the
Puoiick resentment against Great Britain. to
excite war pulse and in the height of this
artificial fever of the publick mind wb;ch
was to be made known in Great Britain ~
renew the demands on her government :. in
the poor expectation of extorting in that state
OF thinSs, concessions of points which she
mad always considered as he, RIGHTS and
which at all times and under all circum-
stances, she had uniformly refused to re-
ilnquish. The result of the subsequent ne
Sociation at london has shown how utterly
un1oundsd was the Presidents expectation
now perfectly useless all this buster of war.
WINE no well informed man doubted that
the British Government would make s,;ta
bic reparation for the attack on the Chess.
peake, the President himself, in his nro
clamation, had placed the affair on the same
Iootihg. a rupture between the two nations.
SAID he, is equally opposed to the interests
oI ooth, as 1t is TO assurances of the most
friendly dispositions on the part of the Bri
tish Government, IN the midst of which this
outrage was committed
III thlS llght the subject cannot but present
Itself to that Government, and strengthen the
motives to an honorable repatriation for tho.
wrong which has been done.'' And it is now
well known that such reparaton might have
been promptly obtained In London, had the
PRESIDENTS instructions to Mr. Monroe been
compatible with such an adjustment. He
was required not to negotiate on this single.
transient act (Which when once adjusted
was forever settleG) but in connection with
another claim of long standing, and, to saw
the least, OF doubtful right to wit, the ex
emptlon from impressment of British sea-
men found on American merchant vessels
10 remedy an evil arising from its exercise.
by which our own citizens we-e some times
impressed, the attention of our government.
under every administration had been earnest
ly engaged; but no practicable plan has vet
been contrived: while no man who regards
the truth, will question the disposition of the
British government to adopt the services of
her oson SUBJECTS. And now, when the I'M
exampled situation of that country Cleft alone
to'maintain the conflict with France and her
numerous dependent States--left alone I'd
withstand the power which menaees the Ii
berries of the worid) rendered the aid of all
her subjects more than ever needful there
was no reasonable ground to expect that she
would yield the right to take them when
found on board the merchant vessels of any
nation. Thus to insist on her Welding this
point, and inseparably to Connect it with
the affair of the Chesapeake, was tanta-
mount to determination not to negotiate at
all.
To be committed in our ,,erf.l