Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1809-05-08

4
conceive itnow dut, 10 assist the public
mind III obtaining tho only good we can de-
rive from MIR. Ieiierson's policy, which has
been prolifck in incalculabl. evil. lie has
given politicians lesson psilich 1t properly
improved, may be a lasting security, in the
management of our naicaal concerns, a.
gsinst ever fall ig into sirnlar embarrass-
mems, or our t, er experiencing similar Ca
| lamities.
To prevent all csyils, to silence all tho
fro,hy ooastmgs Of a party who wish 10
make this country forget its sulierings by
delusiye appearance of complete triumph,
let US look back to the pretended causes OF
the several impolitic and Gistsessing mea-
sures, which our government adopted let
us enquire what they asked aud sea what
they have gained.
| Before the British Orders OF Council, all
friendship was at an end between our gov
eminent and that of Great Britain, at least
on the part Of the former. Our merchants
were appalled,; they knew not what to ex'
pect their enterprise was checked and the
| circle Of commercial transactions complete
ly broken. Our government set out TO re
sst the principles Of British maritime law,
with respect to the Colonial trade-and
they set out to MAINTAIN that the American
flas should protect all who sailed under 1t.
1t was with these views, we first began that
system ofhostility, which ended in all the
! miseries of fifteen months Embargo. II
is true some other difficulties superyened ;
and what were they What is fhsiy h'sto-
ry The Chesapeake was attacked, and
we now receive that atonemcnt which we
might have received immediately.--ln fact
the essential part of the atoncm.nt was vol
unfairly made at the time. The King disa.
vowed the act, and the agsressor was pun.
ished.
! The Orders of Council likewise superve.
ned--and what is the result After two
years pickering and sclf-puni,ion, we are
now bound by the most solemn Obligations
OF faith and honor to take that ground
which should have been taken, when the
Milan decree was published.--We are low
pledged to do what we then ought to have
done from regard to our national rights
and honor. This pledge has been given
without the least concession Of say point
which was in controversy between Great
Britain and our government. There was a
point of honor between them and France,
but with US, they had never asserted any
condition on which they would repeal their
Orders, for they uniformly professed and
maintained, that those Orders were adop.
ted with respect TO their enemy alone, and
a large portion of their statesmen always
maintained, that in point Of true policy. as
il respected their own interests, these Or
ders were inyudicious. Here then, unless
we were positively con,Una,ng Cor France,
Though we have acquired m advantage by
the resembling ofthe Orders, we have gain.
ed no victory. The British were not pledg.
cd to their Orders, as it respected US.
With respect TO the atom. ment for the
chesapeake alone, they have yielded point
in punctilio, in some measurement altoseth-
Ter, for their ships Of war were no longer
Exclusively interdicted, which was consid.
|eration that laboured. Say however, that
in this affair Of punctilio. we have kept our
ground, and have now gotten the rerara-
ton we might have had before, on our own
terns--we ask the advocates Of the Jeffer-
son pclicy-we ask those who have witness
SEQ the ssfTerings Of this country, for fl.
teen months past, whether the advantage
of having aionement made before the inter.
dietion Of British vessels was removed, is
sufficient 10 justify the monstrous sacrifices
we have sustained, in maintaining that
ground.
This we repeat and maintain is the only
consolatior, our on'y Loon for all the ca,arn-
tiles we have experienced, the only step we
have advanced by our mighty struggle.
For by becoming now pledged to resist
the decrees Of France, we must do what
would have prevented the Orders of Coun.
Gil. Great Britain stands Just where she
did, before her orders we're issued, and has
gained oius a solemn assurance that we
will maintain our neutrality against France.
But we return TO the first causes of that
hostile attitude which we assumed toward
England. Our boastad weapons arc laid a.
slde.--our intercourse with that nation is
restored, and the laws which respect colo.
NAL trade, and the right ofimpress.ng Brit.
ish subjects from American merchantmen,
remain just as they were. For this Iesier.
son wagcd his war of commercial restrc-
tons, and Mr.. Madison has very wisely re.
jected his plan. We are happy to fad that