Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1808-11-28

an attempt not merely to cheek or
impair the PROPERTY Of Great Britain
bur utterly to anpihilate her political
-exifence, through the ruin OF her
comnlercisEprofperiyy that in this
attempt almolt all the powers of
the European eoptirsent have been
compelled more.9r 1efs TO cooper
a,e aud that the AMERICAN Embar-
60. though NOT aGuredly not i.rten-
ded TO that end, {fGf America can
have no real intereR in the fubver-
fon of the Britilh power, and her ru-
lers are, too enlightened to act from
any impulfe againft the real inter
efs of their country but>py fome
unfortunate concurrence of circum.
! frances, without any hottie intention,
the American embargo did come in
aid Of " the blockade Of the Europe
an continent pfecifely at the very
momeat when, if the blockade could
have fucceeded at all, this Interpret
ton Of the American government
would mott efedually have coutrlbu-
ted to its sucoeis.
To this universal combination, his
n,ajefty has oppofed temperate but
determined retaliation upon the Gu
envy /; truiting that firm reliitance
would defeat this project, but know
ing that the fmalleft conceiiion
would infallibly encourage a Perie-
verance il it.
The ifruggle has been viewed by
/ other powers not without an aPPre-
henfion that,it might be fatal to this
country. The Britifh government
has not difguited from iifelf that the
! trial Of fuch an experiment might be
a:duous and long though it has
! never doubted of the final ifiue. Such
as the Britiih government confident
ly anticipated, has proyidentially ar
rived much fooner than could have
been hoped. If I" the blockade Of
the continent az IL has been tri-t
umphantly filled by the enemy, is
RATED even before it bad been well
eftabhfhed and if that fytem, Of
which extent and continuity were
the vital principles, is broken up in
10 fragments utterly harmless and
contemplate it is nevertheless i'm
portant to the higheft degree to the
reputation Of this country, IA rePu-
tation which contributes great part OF
her powcr) that this difappointment
of the hopes of her enemies fhould
not have been purchafed by any
conceiicA that not doubt fhould
remain to diftaDt times OF. her deter
mination and OF her ability to have
continued her reGltapce |; and that
no ftep which could even miitakenly
be confirmed into concehion ihould
be taken on her part, whit the
| fnalleff lir'. of the confederacy re-
mains undif1oIved or while K can
be a qutitiou- whether the plan de-
vilcd for her dclfru6tion has or has
not either completely failed or been
unequiyocally abandoned.
Thefe considerations compel his
maicftY 10 adhere to the principles
on which the orders in council OF
the 9TH January, and the IItE No
vember are founded, 70 long as
France adhcres to that fytfem By
which his majelfy's retaliatory meat
ures were occafoned and juitihed.
1t is not improbable, indeed, that
fome alterations may DC made in the
orders in couaciI, as they are at pref
ent framed ], alterations calculated
not to abate their fpirit or impair
| their principle, but to adapt them
more exactly TO the different fate Of
things which has fortunately grown
up in Europe. and to combine all
practicable relief to neutrals, with a
more feverc preilure upon the enemy.
But of alterations TO be made with
this view only, it would be uncandid
to take any advantage in the Frefent
difcuiIion however il might be no.
ped, that in their practical effect,
they might prove beneficial to A
merica, provided the operation CT
the embargo were nor to prevent her
from reaping that benefit.
| 1t remains for the underligned 70
take notice Of the Taft paragraph OF
MIR. Pinckney's letter. There can