Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-01-19

items, she letloose her crulzers upon our
commerce.
We urged the obligations of treaties, VI
olated Nv these captures. She answered,
.slhas she fund oaly a real aisadpantesse ~
those o5featsods!s and continued her depre-
dations. Repeated missions Of respectable
ministers to Paris endeavored to propitiate
her rulers, and prevail on her to put q stop
to such erormities. But they were deaf to
the voice Of justice. Then it was that our
government authorised an armed commerce,
and equipped small. but gallant navy Tor
;fs nrotection and made other defensive
preparations, such as have been stated by
tho gentleman from Connecticut.
If, Sir, our country is now placed IN
situation more g critical, difficult, and dan
gerous,' = than at any of the periods 70 which
/ have adverted, though am very far from
adopting that opinion, where shall we !ooss
for the cause Fin 1894, when England
had powerful associates in her war with
France, and the LITTER had been compare
lively but little extended beyond her natu-
raj limits, the United States with perhaps
two thirds of their present population and
less than half her present revenue, were d
bic to induce England to accede to herJust
demands, and to close ali differences by an
advantageous treaty: how has it happened,
that the present administration, with al the
accession Of power from an encreased po-
pulation, and more than doubled revc-
nue., when too, gigantic France welded the
force and the resources OF contlnental Eu-
rope, and England, single handed, was lett
TO meet world In arMs, how has 1t hap
pened, that witn these superior advantages,
and more powerful means, all the negocl-
ations of the present Administrations with
England Tone excepted, of local rather than
General application have failed Had titey
been conducted with equal ability, candor
and dignity, must they not have produced
rs early and at least as advantageous re-
suits? Was this a cause OF their failure,
that points OF questionable right, because
net settled By the universally Acknowledged
law of nations, and therefore o. doubtful or
hopeless attainment, were pertinaciotsiy IN
sisted on
Mr.. Prssident-so find remedy for e
wis as well in the body polite as in the ma
tvral body, it Is necessary TO investigate
their causes.
Nearly eight years have elapsed since we
were told, By the highest authority in the
nation, that under the auspices OF the !e-
deral government, the United States were
then 6 In the full tide of successful expert
nent." And the report on our tables, to
which I have before alluded, declares, in
grave and solemn language that during a
period Of FIVE AMI twenty years, which
brings us down to he embargo, the United
States have enjoyed a prosperity nncxan-
pied in thehistory oFnations." Yet during
the whole Of this period of uneqnalrd pros
perity, arising from the ac:tioe pursuits OF
commerce aid agriculture, eaeh giving hFs
and oig'or to tie other, that commerce has
been exposed to the aggressions Of the bel
lgerent nations. For those Of Great-Bri-
tain up to near the close Of 81, coupon
sation was made, pursuant to the provisions
Of Mr.. Jaws treaty. For the Ike aggfes-
sions BY Spain, The Ike indemnity was Civ
en- by virtue Of the treaty with that power.
concluded in October, 1895. For Preach
spolia.icels during the whole period Of the
revolutionary war (spol;asi9as which have
bse.l estimated at not less thsn millions q
dollais9 we have received n0!tingef Nor
have We q ,..incd any. reimbufsements from
Spain for the ssoliagions committed by her
cruisers, alter sig became TIC ally France.
Captures and condennnations, h3sscvey,
more or less extended, have. never ceased !:
Notwithstanding all which, and The CONT
nned hnpressmene Of scamen from ouymer-
chant vessels, the same uneyanpled pros
Perity has attended US until suddenly, and
to the astonishment Of the natioa, this low.