Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1809-08-28

readers.
- ADAMS hss i vera! months been
engaged IN wriiiog,. a. lie dvu@s. IN de-
fence Of his oN.n administration, against
,Ie exposi.i5ns ofils dis;ingushea fea-
,erss by thesllts Gen. l.4nii,on. In
lis le,ter To the Boston latfiot Editor,
dated May 26. Mr.. Adams makes the
following ohservsions
In these circumstances, It was lie
he.gh, Of foi'v 10 say = Hemillon says,
,i,at it would have beer safer to nsgo-
tiato It Philadelphia than at Poris. As
~ our Ambassadors being ovsrawel in
! Paris. hy as,y hnesss ct politicians, OF
,riumphs of 3he Ffeaen arms, We must
lake Care Il synd men gho are equal 10
such Il ias Ciuy.asays WEI precisely
s. i,14syre.ea l'veiy article was pfesc1i-
bed that Nas 10 be insisted on IA an III
tim atm. liz = treaty they could MOI
erJ,.rf from GaatH.io. A convention
they might ms. as they did, at their
own risk. Bot the President and SEN
etc were under M obligation 10 rally az.
Had il betrayed d single point Of essen
tisl hep1ar or intcrrs., would have sent
il back, as Mr.. Jefferson did the treaty
with England, without laying i! before
the Senate
There can be no doubt of the right of
a government to reject negotiation in
cases where its minister, as Mr. ADAMS
remarks, departs from his instructions
even in a punctilio." This is the
law of nations il is the practice Of all
governments il has been that OF our
own 1t would have been that of Mr..
Adams.
The National Intelligencer,s surviving
the FIRST moments of irritation, advoca-
ted, after Mr.. Madison's arrival at
Washington, the same Just doctrine -
Whether,it says,thc agreement made
10y Mr. ErsEine with our government
be in any and what degree binding on
the British government, has occasioned
much discussion. The solution OF this
point certainly depends on the powers
vested in MIR. Erskine. Hthose pow
ers were such as Mr. Erskine most un-
cquivocally alledges them to be, the a.
greement would have been absolutely
sinding in all its parts"
1t is certainly true, that Ii Mr.. Err
skine has conformed to his instruct
IONS" the British Government is bound
by the agreement, and that if he has
not, it is not bound by it. 1t is equally
plain that Mr. Erskine assured Mr..
Madison, who so far has wotthily sd-
m;histercd the government, that be
was authorized to conclude the neeo-
oiation. But the British Government
denies his authority. What then is
our duty VIVA! our interest To get
into a passion ! 10 sco,d To call
hard names ! To indulge prejudice
and malice VIII this relieve us Is
it manly ! know that we have "a
mongst us men who call all these
things republcanism, but do they par
take Of any Gifts good qualities!
If Mr. Erskine has not coniormed to
his Instructions, our government, our
guardian, the power which we have
chosen and appointed to superiate.d
all our interests, will in due time be
satisfied of the fact and when SO salts
fed, how greatly soeyer It's own good
wishes may be disappointed, will own
and acknowledge that there is nothing
irregular in the disa,owal. On the
other hand, if on tha, investigation
which mast and will take place, it
should appear thai Mr.. Erskioe has
acted N conformity with his instruct
ions, and that to answer some Temporal
ry purpose the British government has
oishonourably and perfaious!y disa-
vowed what il has authorized, then our
orators may let lose their tongues,
our public writers their pens, and our
generals their " dogs of war;" for IN
act 50 infamous, should call forth TO
revenge it all the faculties ci the pa
ton. But in the mean time what shall
We do! Aggravate ! Are we aware of
the consequences"
Some time since dreadful explosion
was card 81 Twyford, on The padding
ton caoal, England. On proceeding to
The spot, il was discovered that cast. of
Gun powder on boafl barge had ex.
ploded,; two mn were found dead oii
the ground at SONS distance, and one of
them had piml,,ct in MS hand, from
which circumstance it is oonJec'ured
tina, he had been boaring the casS, think
log 1t contained liquor
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