The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-03-16


not be shaken in a time of peace !; ani, that
necessity, therefore. drove them to seize
the crisis of public danger to extort conces-
sionS from their mobiles. I can say nothing
for the solidi,y of theexcuse. But whatever
| prete;it may be alledged for such conduct,
IN country of hereditary ranks and orders,
what shall be said for it in a country of
treemen. who stand all upon thesame level
in government whose basis is the will of
the people in simple, representative re-
public? In such country. and under such
| government as that, do not ask whether
! 1t be noble or magnanimous, nor even whe
Their it be justifable but / ask, whether it
be excusable in any individual or set of in
dividuals. to wait for, and clutch the very
Instant OF public danger, for the purpose of
furtheripg the views OF party? And in
! doing this, to cooperate with the enemy to
play into their hand, and receive their play,
! in return; and thus to encrease the Difficult.
| ties and distresses, and heigh.en the pcrilS of
their own country Yet such exactly has
been the conduct of the opponents of the ad-
mnistration. arpea! to facts
| Our government had insisted on the rights
OF Neutral commerce; and those rights were
maintained, with unrivalled ability, by
book which never has been and never will
be answered. The British government, Ell
Their convinced by the argument or awaken
, ed to a calculation of their own interests by
the resolutc tone in which our rights had
been pressed. were about to rescind their
Orders in Council when Mr.. John Randolph
became their champion on the floor of Con
gress, and declaring - thai the wire Of the
argument, in the book just mentioned, was
drawn SO flee that he could neither see nor
feel the thread" proceeded to Justify the
| commercial policy of Great Britain by the
very topics, which had been furnished by the
British author OF War in Disguise. This
| tact we learn from that author himself for
he introduces the publication OF Mr.. Ran
dolph's speech in London, by declaring his
establishment and regret in having just heard
that the British Cabinet were about to re-
scind the Orders declares, that the
Americans themselves had given up the
argument ;--and in proof of hisEasser-
ton adduces " the eloquent speech of Mr..
John Randolph, leading member in the A
merican Congress-" The orders were not
rescinded; an amicable arrangement was
for that time defeated; and that ground of
quarrel still remains.
lhe embargo law was passed. G Bri
tain felt its policy; such was the pressure
OF this measure on that Country, that her
Mechanics who had riotcd in plenty from
the fruits OF their labou-, were seen sweep
ing the streets for half pence; and the most
formidable Instructions were starting up,
over the Kingdom, on account of the scarci
ty and high price of provisions. These facts
we have on the authority of Americans, mot
of the republican party,) then resident in
England, whose letters were published in
various quarters of the union. These gen
tlemen, from observations made upon the
spot. declared that Great Britain could no.
bear the pressure Ct the measure much Ion
ger; but would be constrained to do us JUS
tlce, by restoring the freedom OF the seas
Ii was at this pinch, that their new England
friends came TO their relief and saved them
from the direfui necessity of being Just
Messrs. Pickering. Quincy and others in
their places in Congress, gave to old Eng
land and to the world the clcarest and most
direct limitations, that if the embargo was
persisted in much longer, the new England
states would quit the american contederacy
Animated and supported by this assurance,
Great Britain resolved to groan On a little
longer, and IN tue mean time, was fed with
something more substantial than words by
the violators OF the embargo: Thus the sa-
utary effect OF this measure was defeated &
the quarrel between the two countries was
again continued.
The Non Intercourse law was enacted -
and while the federalists and minority, in
and out of Congress, conspired in rcvilng it |
not only as ridiculous and inefficient, but as |
evinCive Of partiality to France the British |
minister saw it in a totally different light |
and laid hold of it as the basis of an amicable !
arrangement. That arrangement was made, !
and we learn by recent communications from |
England, would have been adhered to by the |
Government of that country, but for the |
Vaccinations of our own citizens. The Fee !
deralists (under which name include also |
the minolity,) seem to- have resolved that |
peace and good neighborhood should not be |
restored with G.. Britain by republican
administration for as often as the policy of |
the American government: succeeds in begin |
ming to dispei the clouds which hang between |
the TWO countries, the federalists with witch |
like power and malice, raise adverse winds |
to drive them back again; and restore foul !,
weather. This is the case Of the Non inter. |
course and the arrangement founded upon
1t: the stupendous uproar raised by Mr. |
Pickering IN the Senate and reverberaled by |
his echoes IN the lower house, and more par
ticuiarly the cast of their sentiments and
character OF their arguments, informed G. !
Britain not only that she had jealous party
in the American Congress. but that ii she |
would hold oft a little longer, there was strong
ground of hope that the quarrel between
the two countries might lead to dissolution
OF the union, or, at least, "a detachment of
the Eastern states. The policy OF Mr.. Pick. !
ering succeeded: c.. Britain, like the enc. |
mics of Rome, took the hint pfofted by |
the diversion in her favor; disavowed Mr.. |
Erskine's arrangement and erected the bris- |
ties of war.
The insolence of Mr.. Erskine's successor