Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-20

Upon this subject some rhpofssn COM
municaeioas have been made 20 s,e oy mr..
Madison, and severa Of the a'cnabers on
e.,i;s royersmmeut, which I wifi accordingly
lag before, vou as consistently believe they
were delivered from an safetgned desire,
chat they might prodace the eject OF aeat:-
nng If possible TO some adjustment OF their
difFe rences with Greas. Britain, 50 az TO e
enabie the government and the aataon TO ex-
tricase themselves from s9,e present very
Distressing dlemana ia which they are M
wolved.
,.Nsr. Madison expressed Arm rosvic-
sion ths, when the documents filtered to ~
the presidents message, Ahouh be seen ~
his majesty's governments, and the cores
ponleasces between their minister III Z rance
with the Frenc!s minister respecting the DC :
crees Of Berlio anG Milan, should De deli
beratefy considered: particularly tie strong
reo,ons,rance of Mr.. Armstrong TO the
French government, of the 18th Ncv. 1907,
that it would be acknowledged taat the y.
States had exerted all the efforts wsstct' re-
noustrances could have been supposed to
be capable Of producing, and that IN failure
of+any effect from them, in persaadang the
French government to withdraw their IN
Just restrictions upon neutral commerce, re-
course might have been hat by thu United
States 60 measures Of more activity and de-
cision against France bus that Ia the mean
time Great Britain had issued her orders in
council, before it was known whether the
United States would acquiesce in the ag.
eressions of France, and thereby rendered
It impossible to distinguish between the coz.
duc, Of the TWO belligerents, who had e.
qually committed aggressions against the
United States.
He went also into all the argurentsupon
that subject which are detailed in his cor
responsiveness with the American ministers
la Loudcn and Paris, as published in the
documents referred to in the presidents
message, bat which do not now repeat, as
my Object is merely TO inform you OF the
result Of his observations, which was, that
as the world must be convinced that Anne
RIGA had in vain taken Ill the means in her
power 10 obtain from Great Britain and
France q just attention to her rights as a
neutral power, by representations and re-
monstfances, thar che would be fully JUST.
fed in having recourse to hossili,ies' with
ei,her belligerent, and thar she only hesitas-
ed 10 do so, from the difficulty of contend
ing with both but that she must be driven
even to endeayor to maintain her rights a.
gainst the two greatest powers in the world,
unless either of them should relax their re-
strictions upot, neutral commerce, id which
case the u. S. would at once side with that
power against the other which might CONT
nue. its argressions.
Mr. Madison observed TO me that It must
be evident that the y. S. would enter upon
measures of hostility with great reluctance,
" a. he acknowledged that they are not at all
prepared for war, much less with power
so irresi.tably strong as Great Britain, and
that nothing would be thought to be too
great sacrifice 20 the preservation OF peace,
except their independence and their honor
He said that he did not believe that any
Americans would be found willing to sub.
nit to (what he serme6) the encroachmcnts
upon the liberty of the rights of the u. S.
by she heIligererts, and therefore the alter.
natives were embargo or war. He confess
ed that the people of this country were be.
ginning to think the former alternative TOO
passive, and would perhaps soon prefer the
latter as even less injurious to the interests
and more congtnial with the spirit of free
people.
.'He declared Il" III ne that every opinion
which he entertained respecting the best In
terests of his country lee him to wish that
a good understanding should take place be-
tween Great Britain and the y. S. and that
he thought that the obvious advantages
which would thereby result oboth countries