Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-06-16

4 Aalttls = llC4S ID q kttAitt ~ 49, 80
unfortunately happens that there mas D 8. =
and. does exist:in this house TOO much gil
| ference Of opinion. II is a fact which can
| be established conclusively by youlJournais,
land the reading Of the documents received
from the executive when he recommended
1.-The embargo will convince gentlemen o. =.
Gentlemen say that the fact Of the existence
of the orders in council was known mere
whenthe are compelled to confess the pre-
sident intimated nothing Of it in his mes
sage. Produce the National Intelligencer ;
produce the passage 50 often alluded TO IN
relation to these sorders--and what conclu-
sion is to be drawn from it? Why, sir, that
some speculation might have been hazarded
on the subject, something in the Way OF
conjecture. Do gentlemen believe that the
late president of the United States had a
peculiar diffdence in the National lntelli-
genccr Had he any peculiar dltildence IN
that paper, of all others in the world, that,
when he sent the proclamation cut out OF a
British newspaper, he would not have sent
us file of the National Intelligencer or that
article from which they say went to estah-
lish the existence of the orders in council!
Had he any cause for peculiar dlfldence IN
the National Intelligencer, that he would
not send us an extract from that paper while
he sent us extracts from others-even Brit
ish papers. Or are gentlemen prepared to
say that the conductors Of that gazette have
more certain information on the subject OF
our foreign concerns than is possessed by
the president of the United States himself!
hope not, sir. The fact of the orders IN
council being known in this country by our
government--they might have been known
BY the British minister-but their beng
known by our government and by us, and
the embargo growing out of them IS the
point at issue.
"A gentleman told me the other day You
forget that though they were not known, the
probability Of them zras k,loeon. This IS a
new discovery what kind OF knowledge IS
this same knowledge OF probability, Sir
Their probability might have been coyec-
ture--tut did hatimplya knowledge that
such orders had issued or would issue And
can you assume that fact without throw
ing on the late president of the United
States degree of odium which in my opin-
ion he is not fairly entitled to. think it is
treating him uniustly and cruellyto suppose
that they were known. For, in suPposing
it, you pre-suppose that he has failed IN his
duty in communicating it in that message
which recommended the embargo. The or
ders in council were not known in this city
or in this house when the President Of the
US. recommended the embargo. Iprotest
upon my honor that they were not known to
me; nor did hear them mentioned on
that day. As to their having been known
in New York, you might as well say that
they were known in Quebec or Hall
fax, or even London itself. What does the
fact of their having been knownin N. York
prove but that they were known IN New
York Could that knowledge in N. York
be rule Of conduct for us! 1t the orders
In council were known at the time the Pre-
sident recommended the embargo, let the
proofs be Produced; and though should
not be willing to vote either appreciation or
Misrepresentation on this subject, should be
alta loss how to refuse vote Of disapproba-
ton on the conduct of the late President OF
the us. for neglecting to apprise us OF
their existence. But he did his duty. He
knew not of any orders in council, and men
toned none the embargo grew out Of the
state Of affairs which existed when we were
in perfect ignorance of the orders in coun-
ell, out of the correspondence from Paris in
relation to the Berlin decree, and the Bril-
fish proclamation respecting seamen.
Sir, in speaking of the amendment NOV
ed by the worthy gentleman from Massa-.
chusetts whom see in his place, and my
reluctance to vote for it, my meaning may
have been misunderstood, and probably be-