Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-09-16

, PiVNS OlhSt"iSC, ttlc COnCiuSiO0, agreeable
to your log C, is that il was al intro wrong.
1t the political theory under which we
have hourished since the revolution, and
which we profess to worship now, should
fail in its effects in Consequence of the vice
and corruption of the times, you are per-
fectly prepared to denounce It. If law,
no matter haw wise and necessary, should
be violated, from which not even the laws
OF God are exempt, it is sufficient reason
with you to condemn il. If an individual
should prove vicious, you would repeal the
law which Restraints him. If the seamen
were determined not tn follow the dull pur.
suits of agriculture, but would rather en-.
gage in foreign service, perhaps to fight "a
gninst their countrymen, it is confessedly an
evil without a remedy. 1t cannot be den.
ed but that every one ofthem, when we con-
s'der our prodigious bick country, m ght
nave lived IN plenty, If they had chosen tn
abandon he sea. But is this intended as A
serious argument against the embargo
when we know that if it had not been laid,
that not only our seamen would have been
taken, but our vessels and our produce. 1t
seems then evident that our seamen must be
lost at all events, with or without an en-
o'rgo. How can it therefore, be traced as
an evil howing from the embargo. But il
seems thatyo would VOID tn S alternative,
and ingeniously alleviate the evils of the
IenDarg1 when yon say But our produce
might have been carried away without the
risk ot a cert, if foreign nations had been
allowed to come to our wharves and bought
It OF US" What then would you do with
the Sc lmen Would they not as determin-
ed as they seem to be, slip away upon eve
| r. emporium ty, and would not that oppor-
tunity be constantly presented.
SHIPS AND PRODUCE.
ny simI' tr train of reason ng, you en-.
deaVor to prove that the embargo, 30 far
from being precautionary measure, is a
sacr'hci g one, and that if we had suffered
eUery one NJ orr shihs to haUc been cattur
ea' condenn@d, and .foreuer gone from rs,
we should have gained 8 IL, 100000.
| Like peter Pindar's Jevess, you have
no other feeling than that Of taking care of
the shilling. You would suffer our A ,g 20
be tatter'd, torn, and insulted, our vessels
10 be condemned, and our seamen TO be
scourged for this comparatively paltry sum
/ Feace appears tn form no item in your Cal .
cuiatlon, and national honor seems to be a
pm tntasy OF the brain. But your calrula
tons are wrong and to prove it we have
taken the following extract from the Mo-
nitcr.
lst- 1t was measure of precaution and
safety In this point OF view it has saved,
agreeably to the sta ement of the most IN
lteHigent merchants in the country, (both
republican and federal,) about one hundred
millions of dollars. This has been done by
retaining our vessels and property in our
ports as they returned from distant voy-
ages, which, had they renewed they could
not have escaped Capture by any means
aFNlxr 70 81, - {.
something has been we'd, more has been
lost by the perishing of produce ON hand
| How stands the account
1.-THE produce which is now on h and had
been sent abroad fur sale, it would have
been seized and condemned as good prize
by the British or French. Would that
have been saving2 Would it have been
preserving il from loss Certainly not. 1t
follows, then. that the emb Ergo has saved
not only our floating property from total
destruction,' but it has kept out of the clutch
es OF foreign nations, which would have
been sacrificed TO- their use, at least one
years surplus produce, or about forty eight
millions of dollars in value.
The question then presents itself, is it not
better for the farmer, planrer, and manu-
facturer to get som"thing tn IN nofhfnp2
Is 1t not better, for example, to get four
uOiidIS per OdTTCi IOr H.lur AT no ne, than
to send 1t to sea and lose he whole of il
But let US come more to the point
According to the report of the secretary
OF the treasury to congress, on the 9th Of
Feb. 1903, it appears that of articles OF
domestic growth and manufacture of the u.
). there mad been exported in one wear
preceding, 48 100000 dollars worth. We
will take this sum for standard, and cal.
culate fro it on the most liberal scale
We contend that nearly the whole of this
property would have been seized by the
French and British but, for the sake oil
meeting the opposition on their own terms
we will suppose that only twenty per cent
would have been captured ny the bellige.
rents. The vessels must have been armed
OF Course to protect the trade. The &C.
coun wOul then stand thus:
Total amount of exports of
domestic produce, S49. ZOO. o0C
Deduct twenty per cent loss, 9,74O, 0OC
3s,s6o,oOt
From this deduct also the va.
lue of the vessels in which
the property would be cap.
tured, at the same rate of20
per cent, to wit:
| Total amount of
American tom
mage engaged IN
foreign trade,
Tons. 8 1,044,oos
A. Tho