The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1809-08-02

ioI l)dtiiClisiif; 'FiCu lHi<snt DC CncdpEy phi-
chased, without cndangering the interests Of
bis Britanick majesty, or bctraying their old
friends, or rcnouncing their anti-repubIican
and JefIcrsonian principles.
But 81. Eritain did reject this offer, to the
astonishmen; Of all parties. in this country,
and for reasons (;fthc true were assigned by
Mr.. Canning) the most absurd, ridiculous and
duixotical, that ever Influenced coracil
which directed and controlled the interest and
happiness of great nation. What then
were the opposition to do They were
pledged Cf their assertions and promises are
any pledge) to renouncc G.'Eritain and all
her works, upon the manifestation ofEuch a
hostile disposition OF hers towards us, as would
be furnished by rejection e. such an offer.
But they never expected to be called upon to
redeem this pledge. There were but two
courses for them TO pursue, the honest one Of
doing as they had promised and rallying in
support Of their country; and the dishonest
and shameful one, of still opposing their own
government, and still justifying G. Britain.
They chose the latter ; and to save appearan-
ccs, to cover their disgrace, to draw away
with them, into the downward road, those
who had SO often been the victims Of their
deceptive arts, they boldly end bravey came
light which manifested their shame and false
hood, and denied that this offer was ever
made to &. Baitain. Those vino we're in
the habit Of giving more credit to the asser-
tons Of British minions, and to the profess
sions ofa corrupt British minislry,tnan TO the
language and assurances Of their own Govern
ment,found a sufficient reason to believe that
this offer was never made, in tilati was ne
yer accepted notwithstanding The obvious
suggestion of common sense, that before an
offer can be rejected, it must be made. The
logick of the opposition (if logick it may be
csllcd) ran thus /: G.. Britain will accept Of
your offer, if.ma1e, but she has not accepted
of it, therefore itwas never made. To do
away all the effect which the documents,
mentioned, might have upon the pubiick
mind, in some Of the opposition papers, and
particularly in the Boston Z" Centinel, they
were given to the people in garbled extracts,
under the head Of" An Analysis" accompan-
MED by explanations and false assertions, by
which they were made, like the witness
upon rack, to speak and bear testimony as
suited the pious and holy inquisitor. 1t was
not thought safe to let the members Of their
catholick church read the text for themselves,
and make their own reflections and commen-
taries, this might lead to political heresies
and divisions the example therefore of the
church of Rome was followed, and the ortho-
dox commentaries of the fathers, took place
Of the writings OF the Evangelists and Apos-
ties. They were thus fed with milk, for fear
that republican meet might prove injurious
to their anglo federal constitutions.
Mr. Canning refused to comply with our
Offer to raise the embargo as to G.. Britain, if
the British orders in Council should be re-
scinded as to us, and to keep it ON as to
France, if France refused to repeal, as to MS,
her DEGREES, for fear, as he states, that if G..
Britain should do it, before France repealed
her DEGREES; the world might mistakenly
construe it into " concession. made, not to
America, but TO France" The sentence of
this long and insulting letter of Mr.. Canning
is sufficient evidence that this offer was made,
and that it was rejected, it is as follows
These considerations compel his majesty
to adhere to the principles, on which the or
ders in council, of the 7th January and the
] lth November, are founded, so long as
France adhercs to that system by which his
majesty's retaliatory measures were occasion
ed and justified" Ifthere were no other tcst-
mony of the fact but this, it ought to be suf-
hcient to convince the most crcdulous, that
at the time this offer was made, nothing short
of repeal Of the French DEGREES, obtained
by us, or done voluntarily, could have pro.
cured for us a repeal Of the British orders in
council. The reason why (" these considera-
tions," do not now I" compel his majesty to
adhere to the &c Orders in Council," is be-
cause other" considerations compel" him to
abandon them, which are to be found in our
embargo and non-intercoursc measures,
which the opposition told us, tended only to
the injury of ourselves, and to the benefit of
G.. Britain. We have also now received
Offers of rcparation for the attack on the
Chcsapeak, notwithstanding the existence of
the restriction upon British armed vessels,
concerning which the British ministry made
formerly SO much difficulty. This restric-
tion continued, according to the terms Of the
non-ntercourse law, until the rising of the