Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-01-10
fGoNTINUED.I

Rr;,;sh saw they are measures of retaliation
Is be repealed as soon as the DEGREES winch
doccas;oned them shall have been Withdrawn
b1 the nartof France. Gentlemen say they
10 notbelieve their professions-but that 9.
IS. has deeper and more hostile views than
these that She is Jealous of the prosperity
ofthe United States, and fears them as 4
soror,ercial rival that she wants to crlPple
and destroy our trade.
Admitting this to be the fact, and very
s~ossibly it may be in part well ioundedI
what does your. embargo effect! lcontena
that il IS an act Of absolute submission TO
her. This is. strong ground, and wish to
have It noticed. suppose Great Britain has
thez e,:esositions you attribute to her: shc
Will not now attempt to enforce them she
dare. not attempt to drive you from the
ocean, because her own interests would at
this time be materially injured by it. Sup
nose she were &c. attempt it, what would be
the consequences Suffer even the mer-
chants to arm their vessels, and her con-
Isspys cud her minor cruizsrs would occa-
3slonaliY experience some unpleasant rem
iecatres. Ia adjusting the depending &C
eoants with the merchants of this country,-
sic would Sustain some Inconvenience; and
she would also be obliged to submitto the
loss OF her colonies on the continent OF
America, now become doubly dear to her,
l5icnl their recent prosperity, and from the
j|sappolt she is drawing from them for the
3sappcrt OF her settlements in the West-ln-
ls;es. Now, Sir, what does the embargo
le1Feet By it YOU are doing for Great
Britain, Without any Inconvenience to her,
precisely what she will venture to do for
! herself. Great Britain says you shall trade
only partially I; and you agree to trade not
at ali. The continuance of the embargo is,
therefore, complete submission to her.
Much has also hcen said about British
ssinfluence, ard certain passages have been
read from the memorial OF the merchants OF
Boston, for the purpose, as suppose, Of
demonstrating an. Inconsistency IN their Cpl
ricas in 1906, and at the present time.
have not seen the paper Cor these two
wears !: but there is no inconsistency IN It:
the sentiments entertained then are the sen
timents entertained now. Great Britain Vi
c,ated our neutral rights the merchants OF
Boston complained to their government in
pointed terms, and called on it for protec-
lion and redress against Great Britain
Was this an evidence of British influence
The charge, however, existed at that time
as wellas ar the present; but the scene IS
changed we had not then a Berlin decree,
q Milan decree, Bayonne decree; cur
vessels had not been wantonly burned on
the ocean, nor had we received any letters
from Champaguy.
And on this subject what says the secre-
ltarv OF state to General Armstrong He
tells him, that ssthe burning of neutral YES
sells detained on the high seas is the most
distressing cf all the modes by which belli.
gerents exert force contrary to right, and
In proportion as it is destitute of apology
ought at least to be the promptitude and APP
titude Of redress" Has this redress ever
been obtained? To my knowledge or be-
lief it never has. The merchants of Bos-
ton, therefore, probably think that war
with France would now be more for the ho-
nor and the interest of the United States,
than war with Great Britain. For think
ing this, are they justly chargeable with be-
ing under British influence This is an
/ old story. shall take none of it to NY
self, nor admit any of its illusions. chal-.
lenge any one to produce shadow of plau-
/ sihility Tor any such imputation. know
), they were not meant as personal illusions.
Notwithstanding all that has been said,
uhe gentleman from Virginia sill considers
che embargo as coerciye measure and if
1t is not, know not what good it can ef-
feet and if this good be not effected, then
II ought not to be persisted in.