The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-12-19

At kuS u01c d inc QeS4vOW44, y new
Coalition had been formed; Austria had
boldly entered intro the war .gains, Francs,
and the Spaniards had been animated into
fartherc6orts Al resistance. which excited
ne hopes Of success, SC &c.
In this country too, SIR, it pains my heart
to bc compelled TO rScite the circumstances,
our contemplated measures 81 resistance had
been relaxed, and the Shols country ex-
hibited such .cenes of divisions and disaffec-
tions rs Paralized IN some degree the move
insnts nj the government. / wish, sir, /
could throw a shade of oblivion over these
unfortunate scenes, or recoliect them only,
~s they furnish the strongest argument
Indeed, sir, they point with an infaiiible
index to the course il now becomes us to
pursue. Yes, sir. it is IL These changes in
the state OF things you are TO look tor the re-
n causes Ut the disavowal, and not to the
want Of competent instructions on the part OF
Mr.. Erskine, and it weu!d have been more
Nigni6ed on the part Of the Britifh govern
ment to have told US SO at once. She would
then have said to US, the state of things is
1hapged-at the time of giving the instruc
tions, ] was depressed from combination
of untoward events-I am now flushed with
new hopes of elevation and of triumph.
aides, yau have convinced me that you are un-
true TO yourselves-that you will shrink from
the assertion and support of your own
respect them, &c. Slc.-1 WAS then down.
am now up. and therefore caunor' grant
yeu, In spirit OF triumph, what soiemnly
promised in spirit of despondency-l now
find this the most favorable moment for esta-
blishing my favorite doctrine of the tlespo
tism of the ocean and l cannot, will not
deprive myself of the advantage merely to
aveid the impusation Of bad faith. Yes. sir,
this would have been much more correct
and dignihva course on the part of Great
Bri ain, than the miserable effort made by
Mr. Canning in devsing an ingenious mem
tal retort, for converting the bad faith of his
own government, in the disavowai of the ar
rapgement, into reproach upon ours, for
the circumstances under which that arrange
nncnt was pretended to have been made
1t il true, sif, that in the one case. there
would have been an admission of nnaic fdes.
which is bAseiy attempted to be avoided by
miserable subtsrfuge in the other; but
then the British cabinet would have had
the COMPILATION of having told the truth,
taken tie responsibility upon themselves and
set as defiance; and we should have been
left qhur o.n remedy with perfect under.
standing Of the case. She would also have
hadthe plea of necessity, the old fashioned
pl@ of tyrants, and indeed of every body
eBe, who has no better-but this is not Mr..
Earnings mode of doing business-he chuses
q
the case of the disavewal, by a mental re-
tort, flowing solely from his own visionary
mental conceits, without fact or prete1t
Tor its support.
Mr. President, am told that Mr.. Can.
ming is protested punster-but, sir, I would
not condescend to make the observation here,
had he not, after heaping upon us, during
the whole of his administration, every injury
and insult in his power, at the cloe of 1t
placed US in a ludicrous situation by imposing
on us an obligation, in grave and serious
concern to the nation, o. expounding his G.
qnivGques, and unriddling his riddles-I re
ally teel some ccndescepsion in being COM
PEELED in my place to hunt out for his and
MIR. Jackson's meaning, through transition
OF sentences, collocatien of words and a
shittinglof verbage-and indulge me, sir,
with renarking, that conceive the situati
On o. nation never can be more disastrous.
caiamitous and lamentabic, than when its
great ans serious affairs are placed in the
hands of a parcel of punsters. For, sir,
men OF minds of that description are too much
employed in the pleasing amusement of
locking out for corrnscations of wit and sen
timeht, to have any leisure for the more
dull and unpleasurable business of observing
and marking the great occurrences in human
affairs. and of devising means of giving them
direction favorable to their own views. OF
to their cosntry's interests. No, sir this is
too dull and piodding pursuit for men of
such light, Hitting, brilliant imaginations.
and 1t ever they unfortunately undertake
it. they soon find the wseful misapplication
Of talents. If, sir, any Illustration were
wanting of the correctness Of these obser-
vations, it could no where be found better
than in an attentive review of the histori-
cal events, which occurred during the late
British administration administration
of the energctic-the brilliant-the sarcas
tIc--the face tious-the joking Mr.. Canning.
He has carried his joking propensites far
indeed-it may be truly said, he jests at scars
OF the blacklist disgrace and ruin inflicted
upon his bleeding country--upon great
nation. which probably would have received
and certainly msrited better fate, if it had
fortunately placed its destinies ia better
hands.
Sir. it appears to me that ali the military
enterprises during his whole administration.
from the abominable attack on Copenhagen
down to the last expedition against the is.
lands OF Zealand, were nothing more than
belliserent puns aud cepuDdrums 1t has
been constantly announced that some Grand.
secret expedition was on hand, ana each
succeeding one grander than the preceding.
until the last expedition to Walcheren, which
was the grandest Of All, and VIXEN the Sc
sret really came out, it appeared either hat
the object was abominable, or contemplate.
ard tie means OF executing even the con-
tenfptible object, upon experiment, were ge-