Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1808-11-28
Icy t9c @aiIs.
From the United States Gazette.
POLITICAL. REVIEW.

" { have now the presidents mes
sage, and such parts of the correspon-
dence as nc has been pleased to COM
municate. At this epocha we have
been hattering ourselves with a relief
from our cruel and oppressed situation,
or at least prospect Of being restored
within some reasonable time to our
commercial and maratime rights
but, alas, it turns out, that we have In
deed been flaltering ourselves, for no.
thing real opens to our view. At home
tie prospect is more gloomy, impene-
trable and hopeless than it has yet APP
peared. Abroad more complex, diff
cult and critical than at any former pc
Rod. With such weakness and wick
edness have the administrators of our
government conducted the affairs Of the
country, that they can neither advance,
recede, nor maintain their actual posi-
ton. This deplorable and perIloLs sit
nation cannot, however, excite much
establishment in the rejecting intelli-
gent mind it will there be viewed as
the natural result of the vice and folly
which has obviously prevailed in every
measure of our executive for some
time past. Previous to their really at
tempting any thing for the good OF the
country they are sure by some ta1-r
fas Of their own to have rendered the
particular measure impracticable.
Thus in the sffair Of the Chesapeake
the only condition of the proifered re-
paration was removal of the proela-
nation now that demonstrating been
founded on number of complaints, Of
which the os,ensible one involved less
difficulty perhaps, than any other, it
was evident that the proclamation
could not be recalled, upon a single
complaint being satished,without yield
ing up the other subjects. This diff
Guilty although obviously insurmounta-
bic they attempted to get over by slight
, ofha1d, that being run through, nothing
was done, the legerdenain was however
successfully practised upon the pnblic,
which answered the present purpose.
Again with respect to the British or
ders in Council, our minister at the
court Of St. James were apprized on the
PRONUNCIATION of the Berlin decree, that
the English ministry considered them
selves bound to retaliate upon their en-
emies the violent injusticeof that mea-
sure, and this object could only be rea-
ched through the same medium as
that adopted by the French, namely,
neutral commerce, unless those neu-
trails resisted this Invasion oftheir com
mercial rights. No such resistance
was made on the part Of the United
States, and after waiting till the said
Berlin decreeNyas carried into rigorous
execution Great Britain issued her or
ders of council, and the United States
resorted to an embargo. In this situa-
ton which yielded to Great Britain a
monopoly Of the commerce OF
the world, and reduced us to
self destroying inactivity, has things
remained for near twelve month,
when behold this embargo, which was
not only to cure The orders of council
but 70 be the nepenthe of all our politi.
cal pains, proves to be wholly inefIica.
ciods, and to use homely phrase, LII.
orally goes begging through Europe
To Bonaparte 1t il proposed to WELD il
with all its horrors against his enemies
if he will but repeal his Berlin decree
to which q threatening admonition tic
say no more about i'll is returned. Tc
Great Britain similar proposition ha:
been rendered, if she viii only rescind
her orders in council but SO complete.
ly has this diplomatick weapon lost al
potency that the proposition is scarce
~ entertained with decent gravity
and as, if to add to the modification OF
refusal, we. are informed by Mr.. JEFF
ferson that his offer is substantially &c
assume thevt y attitude which our de-
clining to assume in the outset gave
occasion to the issuing Of the orders.
From this view of the subject, the
correctness of which admits ofno qnes
ton, il is hardly possible to conceive 81
any situation more truly contemplate
than the one into which we are brought
After languishing for almost year IN
der theiRtolerable grievance of an EN-
barge, We now, in order to relieve our
selves from a continuance of its evils
meanly solicit permission to adopt IL,
policy, which if embraced at the prone
tune, would have secured our govern
mentfom all present emharrassnien,s
this permission is sarcastically denie,
us.