The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1809-11-15

The sight If Few such vessels and osronu.
would. DO more than many long re1son;,,, ~
and negotiations fE .t ~ q
Another method may be takine byC Cono r..<s
Make contract with private merchants =,
Philadelphia, Boston, Maryland, Virginia mr.
else where, to export produce annually to a
certain amount 10 Amsterdam, or ST. Fus,a-
tia, or both, to be sold for the payment of in
tcrest The Merchants or houses contracted
with should be responsible, and known in E,,-
rope, at least some of them f.l
ms country has been grossly deceived. 1t
mas little knowledge OF the numbcss, wealth
and resources OF the United States, and
less faith in their finally supporting their in
dependence, upon which alone a credit de-
Pends. They have also an opinion of the
power OF England, vastly higher than the
truth. Measures must be taken, but with
great caution and dclicacy, to undcceiyc
them. At 4 t.tf
On the same l4th Of Aug. 1880, wrote to
my correspondent in London, g Yours of the
9th and 10th are received. Upon what prin-
ciple is it, that they conhnc Mr.. Laurcns, as q
prisoner of state !--aftcr so many precedents
have been set Sullivan, Sterling, Lee, Low
ci and many others have been exchanged as
prisoners of war.
MIR. Laurens was in England when hostili-
ties commenced. He came into publick, in
America, after the declaration OF indcpen-
dcnce, after the extinction of all civil author
ity under the crown, and after the formation
OF complete new governments in every state
10 treat citizen OF state thus completely
in possession of sovereignty dc facto, is very
extraordinary. Do they mean to exasperate
Americans and drive them to retaliation Arc
these people governed by reason at all, or by
any principle, or do they conduct according to
any system, or DO they deliver themselves up
to the guidance of their passions and their
caprice saw SO many contradictions in the
papers, about Mr.. Laurens, that hoped your
first account was mistakc-but your letter
OF the 10th makes me think the first account
right. Pray inform me constantly OF every
thing relative to him, and let me know if any
thing can be done for him, by way Of France
or any other. i
CornwaIlis's and Tarlton's gasconadc serves
to diminish the esteem of mankind for the
people Of England, by giving fuel to their
passions, and making thcm throw off the
mask. do not believe that their advantage
is half SO great, nor tho American loss half
SO much as they represent. Time, you know,
is the mother Of truth. Audi aiteram partem,
and wait the consequences. Fighting is the
thing. Fighting will do the business. De-
fcats will pave the way to victories Patience!
Patience II y en- bcaIcoup en- Amerique.
There will be no inhumanity, now, in leav-
ing Mr.. Laurens, in the Tower, for a short
time, in order to introduce some other things
which occurred in this month of October.
We shall soon return to Mr.. Laurcns.
At dinner one day, with large company at
tho housc OF great capitalist, r. met the gi-
ant of the law in Amsterdam, Mr.. Kalk ocn.
He was very inquisitive concerning tho affairs
Of America, and asked me many ingenious
questions. But he had spent his life in such
ardent study of his Institutes, codes, novelties
and pandects, with his immensely yolun,in.
Gus commentators upon them, that lie had
neglected entirely the English language, and
was very inexpert in the French Intcrprc-
ters were therefore necessary but conversa-
ton that requires interpreters on both sides, is
very dull amusement. Though his qucs-
tons were always ready, and my answers not
less SO, yet the Interpretation was very slow
and confused. After some time, one of the
gentlemen asked me II had any objection to
answering Mr.. Kalkoen's questions in writing.
answered, none at all. II was sooh agreed,
that the questions and answers should he
written. Accordingly, in a few days, Mr..
Kalkocn sent me his questions in Dutch. Mr.
lie Roy, now Of New York, was obliging
enough to translate them for me into English,
and wrote an answer to each question in
separate letter. ] now send them to you al
together. You may print as many, or as few
OF them, at time, in your paper us you
plcasc--only be SO good as to preserve the
dates. They gave SO much satisfaction to
Mr.. Kalkeon, that he composed from the in.
formation contained in them, a comparison
between the revolt Of the Low Countries
from Spain, and the Revolution of the United
States OF America, in which his conclusion
was, that as it was kind of miracle that the
former succeeded, it would be greater mir.
aclc, still, il the latter should not. This
composition was read by him to society Of |
gentlemen of letters, about forty irfnuh,Bef,