Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-04-24

55Sof every genuine: friend Of Slibef,y.e speak
mot of thar spurious liberty whose votaries
{ are enrolled in the code Of the eonseriP-.
lion !; who rejoice in the subiaeasion sof
Switzerland and the Tyrol, who exsit IN the
sovesahrow Of The Spanish patriots andoffsr
NIB shrirdaiiy vows az The shrine Of the
grim Mol6ch Of French ambition. s.
=. -ss bbesmea,ed with ,bIoed" - : !;
"Of haman soer;fcs, and parents tears ~
Il were devoutiy to be wished that the ter.
rife power of ti,e modern Zingis rested on
no firmer basis Than. the prayers of his Cal
( 10: American ,vosaries 8 bur the talents
which he has embodied IN his service are not
less appalling than the tremendous physical
; force which he yields. WhenAe employs
blockheads, il is not to his own. councils,
but in those of other nations. He would
spurn with contempt from bis presence Tor
evertthe spiritless creatures, with their at.
.surd, imhecile measures, who have 50 long
figured ss leaders in our legislative coun-
ellis. The blunt, untameable. honesty OF
Macon, would as soon find employment in
his service, as the pert loquaci,y Of {,
che empty. sarrulity Of the tro,hy
nonsense OF or the impenetrable Stu
pidity of + And yet, these are the
Statesmen on whom we are to rely to cope
with Bonapar,e, when every obstacle to his
power shall have been removed! Alas
sir, his TaIleyrauds, and Champagnys, and
Berth,ers. and Lefsbvres, and Neys, and
Souls, opposed to our Doctor Steps in
council, and CAPTAIN Hesselst in the field,
arc fearful odds Although in the "eurses
loud but not Deep" which our patriotic
legislators have impreca,ed CD the belllse-
rents, they seem 20 have availcd themselves
Of the famous precedent of the sage and pi.
Gus Ernulphus,& yet, to their establishment
and dismay, neither words nor proclana-
tons. nol re solutions however angry, or
unidentified, or scurrilous, have brought
those srea. offenders to ajust sense of,heir
t,anseressions. What then remains to DC
done H.
Without pretending 10 instruct much
less TO dictate or to prescribe TO you, sir,
may I be permitted 70 sugses, whether the
mos, lofty language and p'etensisns com
port with the resources of second, and
third rate powers whether circumstances
ought not, and will no, (in spite Of all we
can do) govern ", instead Of our govern
inc them ; whether there are, or can be a.
nv rights SO absolute as not 10 be limited
and modified by the posture Of affairs and
the existing state Of things? In other
words, sir, whether in the ".,gestion" Of
our concerns with the other nations of the
earth, we should look to our own resources
and to theirs to the actual situation Of the
world or turn to the statute book /; or 10
the musty authorities on national law, for
GU. rule of conduct !? And on this subject,
sir, if you will pardon the liberty, I will
relate one ether anecdote., ..
An irritable Virginia gen,lemen arrived
one cold and dark winters night at ferry
on Iames river. The boat was kept on the
other side and our impatient squire voeifc-
rated most loudly for the ferryman. Un-
luckily it was Saturday night and Charon
had gone about a mile off to the next plan
ta,ion to assist at a dance. A boy however
was despatched fox him, but the very cir.
cums.ance which aggravated the gentle.
mans Impotence. viz. the darkness and the
GOODNESS of the night--served but to retard
instead of accelrrating the movements of
roor Charon. At last however with slow
and reluctant steps he came. when, as he
wa. loosins the boat from her moorinss, our
unfortunate traveller salutsd him with a
voliey of curses, as choice as Ernulphus
himself could have coined-threatening him
with instan. chas,isement rs soon as he
should reach the opposite shore. Our he.
70 was a justice of the peace, he we'll knew
The rights of q virginia colonel. and what
the tights of poor black ferryman. Liks
,oms of our members Of congress he was
too maguauimous to consider the real state
Of ,hins.. Like s.srus's judieisus critic,
no though. only Of the stop: watch. Mean.
while Il occurred 70 poor charon, (for ..
NOTES.
And vat theae mGn call alternatives re.