Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1809-04-17

clamation. Another circumitance
which made fome imprenion, was
the unceafng effort, during the lail
FELTON, of Congrefs, to convert the
Embargo into nonintercourie. Ex'
peaing, no doubt, tina, by cutting of
all remittance by land as well as fea,
the merchants would ceafe to fend
out their goods. y this bill pailes,
we lhall have adopted the very mea.
fures which have been required by
the French Emperor ofother leutral
nations, and it will be con6dered az
furnifhing irre6ltable evidence to
confirm thofe exiting fufpicions.
There are other circumstances
which have excited alarm. mutt
fpeak Outlines have become too
ferrous to conceal any thing; for !
conGder the vote which is about to
be given, on this bill, as deciding the
all important queftion Of peace or
war. When an opinion feemed to
prevail, lstle time fnce, that it
would be neceiIary to repeal the en-
barge, thole who are confdered as
the mott confidential organs Of the
administration, itrenuouily urged the
III of June for the time of the re-
peal. And why Not certainly on
account of any advantage it could
be to the people Of the U. States to
poffpone the repeal to that time. The
real caufe why the IT Of June was
fixed on is not for me to fay; but |
can tell you what is fufpeeted by
fome ofthe people to be the reafon !;
it is, that there may be time for our
difpatch vedel to go to France and
return 70 that fome arrangement
may be made as to fubititute as.
the embargo. tia. .ne Emperor "ay
No. ,.s ..Is Smbrage at the repeal.
Ihefe fufpicions are much increaied
by report which is in circulation,
for the truth of which, however l
cannot vouch. that the private fecre-
tary of the PreGdent is to be the
bearer of the dispatches. Ii can
hardly be fuppofed that this conf.
dental agent of the Prefident fhoulc
be fent on the mere GRAND Of a p,lf-
boy. People fear fome private agen-
cy, fome jScret negotiation which may
ultimate in linking the deitinies OF
our country to thofe of France. An
idea which is terrifying to them; for
as it regards our liberties and our tree
government, the embrace of France
would be the grafp of death. Boz
naparte will never reit iatished to
fee the people of any country in the
enjoyment of liberty. The name OF
fire.. -4A.,kE-- 49, living reProach to
him. Other queftions are afked
which | am not able TO a-f;ver fush
as, why the next Meeting of Con-
greis is hsed on the fourth MopI..
of Mayf Whether il is Pr e"S
time for the difpatcb 'eiiel to 90 ana
return ! Whether The plan OF gong
to war with both the belligerents
was not with an understanding with
one nation that i was to be merely
a nominal war And whether, IN
any other point ofview, the idea OF
going to war with swo fueh power
full belligerents. at the fame ume'
was not too ridiculous TO be leriouiy
entertained for a moment ! On the
laft point have information per-
feetly satisfactory to my mind, that
fuch a war would not be Objected to
on the part of France.
Sir, the bill before you is war. Ii
is to fufpend all intercourie, to put
an cad to all the relations of amity'
What is that but war ! war OF the
WORT kind war under the difguiie
of Nom Inteyeowjf, which is only a
milder mode of declaring it. 1t we
muit have way, let it be an open
war. Let gentlemen come forward
with bold and manly front, and
declare war; and not attempt, IN
this covert manner, to decoy and de-
ceive the people into war. l honor
the open conduit of the gentleman
from Virginia, he has not hei'tated
=. laol,re thar his fentimen;s and
wilhes are for war. If | entertained
the fame opinion Of the conduct oil
our administration, and of foreign
nations, as he has declared | would
;o;n him heart and hard for decla-
| H.. -. 10 ,,ottcv