Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1808-04-01

gard, to National Law, and limited by
the small number of their cruisers, have
no inflicted upon it any deep wound.
Yet in this full tide Of our success, our
CONNER &C is suddenly arrested: an a.
larm Of war sraised =: fearful apprehen-
sions are excited the merchants in par
ticular, thrown into a state OF co~nsterna.
ton, are advised, by a voluntary embar.
go, o keep their vessels at home. Aud
what is the cause Of this mighty but mis-
chevious alarm W. know it in its
whole extent. , 1t was the unauthorized
attack Of British naval officer on the
American frigste Chesapeake, o search
for and take some deserters known to
have been received ON board, who had
been often demanded, & as often refused
to be delivered up. As was expected by
all c~onsiderate men, and by the presi.
dent himself Gas have before observed)
the British Government, on the FIRST
information of the unfortunate event(a land
without waiting foe an aPplication) disa.
vowed the act Of its ofkcer-disclaimed
the principle of searching National arm.
ed vessels-and declared its readiness
to make suitable reparation, as soop as
the state Of the case should be fully
known.
Under such circumstances. Who can
justify this alarm OF war! An alarm
which greatly disquieted tbs public
mind, and occasioned an interruption of
commerce extremely injurious to our
merchants and sea-farinG citizens.
l win close this long letter by stating
all the existing pretences-Eor there are
no causes for a war with Great Britain.
1. The British ships of war, agreed.
bly, to a right claimed and exercised for
ages tight claimed and exercised du.
ring the whole Of, the. administration of
Washington, OF adams, and Of. Jefer.
son-continue to take some Of the Bri.
tish seamen found on board Of our mer.
chant vessels, and with them a small
number OF ours, from the impossibiliey
Of always distinguishing Englishmea
from citizens of the Uuited States. On
this point our government well Knows
that Great. Britain is perfectly willing 10
adopt any Arrangement that can be de-
Vised, which will secure to her service
the senmen ,oho are her ouun subjects :
and. at sse same time exempt ours from
impress ment..
2. The merchant vessels of France.
Spain and Holland, being driven from
the ocean, or destroyed, the commerce
of those countries with one another, and
with their colonies, could no longer be
carried on by themselves. -. Here the
vessels of neutral nations camein to their
aid, and carried on nearly thR whole Of
the commerce of those. nations. With
their seamen thus liberated from the
merchant service, those nations, in the
present, and preceding wars, were ina
bledt to man their ships OF war; and the
neutral vessels and seamen supplying
their places, became IN fact, though not
in name, GnxiAarie' efwar. The COM
meree Of those nations, without one
armed ship or the sea appropriated for
its protection, was intended thus to be
secured under neutral flags; while the
merchant vessels Of Great Britain, with
its numerous armed ships to guard them,
were exposed to occasional captures.
Such a course Of things Great Britain
has resisted, not in the present only.
but 10 former wars ; At least az far back
a. that of 1856. And she has claimed
and maintained a RICH. toimpose on this
commerce some. limits and restraints
because x was a commerce which was
denied BY those nations to neutrals in
time Of peace ; because il was a COM
meree Of immense value to the subjects
of her enemies i; and because it filed
their treasures with money to enable
them to carry on their wars with 6. SBri.
tain.
;. The third and only remaining pre-
tenee for war with 6. Britain, is the un-
fortunate affair 5of the Chesapeake .
which having been already stated and