Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-17

Dblect, IS totally unWOrtnyOI SOnstueI Asio"'
This stale article is worn out. That It was
e Just on the poin. Of doing something, was
repeated again and again during It's continu-
ance, until the 2effectof the assurance was
lost. The pressure Of present misery was
too great to be longer endured, nthe vain
!, tielusiye hope Of obtaining an object which
would benefit, not America, but France -
dts inefhcacy, except as against ourselves,
has been too recently demonstrated to be
already forgotten.
The assertion, that our losses on the con.
7 tinent of Europe, were the inevitable con-
sequences of removing the embargo, is en-
titled to more consideration.
y In the FIRST place, not even those losses.
immense as they are, equal the ruin invviolv-
: ed in continuance Of the embargo. Not
even the disgrace of submitting patiently, to
! these acts Of violence, and Of bearing with.
but complaint the opprobrious language be-
slowed upon US, can equal the still gre alter
disgrace of becoming members of that
league against commerce, which Bonaparte
senjoins as the only alternative that can sus.,
pend the punishment he has decreed That
the embargo places us in sconfeIeracv, is
"a truth too obvious for controversy. Had
ii been true therefore, that the REMOVAL of
the embargo necessarily exposed us to. the
loss We have sustained, ano to the disgrace
OF submitting to that loss, Still Its removal
would be preferable to its continuance. ).
But ii is not true, that this loss and this
disgrace are to be ascribed exclusively 10
our retaining the rights of free andin,
dept nelent nation.
Immediately after the Berlin decree, and
Hong previous to The embargo, American
property TO an immense amount WAS seized
in difrreh; paris of the continent, and held
asa pedge tor our good BEHAVIOR. When
the emhareo was impus d, every sea Of the
comIhercal world was covered with our
ships. Mans OF these came witkr, the
grasp of Bonapartt, and shared TIC com
mon fate of ssqne slration-a fate TO which
even these vessels hi,h bore national dis
patches were suhjectrd.*
An etrrnal n,bargo could not have pre-
vented this p,orer, from falling into the
hands OF the arch exterminator Of com,
.merce.
A second and very numerous class of
cases is composed OF those vessels which
under Erskine's convention, sailed for the
ports Of Holland, the north Of Germany
and the Billie.
The thl'd class consists of those vessels
which have sailed for the continent since
the removal of the embargo. Those only
who come within this DIS, ription Of case ),
have any pretext for ascribing their losse.
to the repeal ct that ,ruinous law. !,
But their losses are not sustained at sea.
| They are not sustained from Britain, or the
powers in ami,v with Britain. They are
sustained after reaching their ports of de,ti.
nation Noteven the meanness Of descend
ing from the character of ! representative oil
the American republic to that of a~French
custom house officer, or common tide wait
er in the ports OF the Baltic and the Elbe,
in order to search out cases for conhsca.ion.
could protect from the fangs Of Bonapar.e,
property which had an American owner.
10 what cause then are these losses real.
ly to be ascribed? To the folly of placing
cur property wi,hinthe power Of France.
And whence proceeds our obstinate per-
severance in this ruiuous confidence.
Nav it not be fairly ascribed to those
who nave been Nincessau,ly employed in
magnifying the hostility Of England and
coneealing the outrages of France? Had
our democratic administrations presented
fairly to the public eyethe real dispositi ons
Of each belligerent,; had our congress- in
stead of pouring one continued and furious
invective against England, truly stated the
hostile aggression of France, and the'just
cause of apprehension from that beiligereat;
had they instead of.encouraging the trade
10 the Baltic Acknowledged thu The ran.sr