Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1810-03-19


Its floating capital ought to be protected on the
sea, the common highway OF nations. Without
commerce, agriculture will decay. They are the
landmarks and supporters OF each other In vain
you are told that the Chinese have ilourished for
centuries without commerce. Ii is nothing to
the purpose, for you are not Chinese. Your hab.
It's OF commercial enterprise are fixed and cannot
be rooted out. Your canvas, that has whitened
every ocean, and waited wealth and strength to
your Shores is at this time 10 be furled forev-
er. Yet commescia restrictions have ever been
the darling policy tue present and last admins.
trations. 4 hey are the decided enemies Of com.
merce. The, dismantleti me ships which Wash
ington and Adams built to protect your merchant
men and repei lawless attack SO that the fruits
Of your Iabours were left at the mercy of every
pirate that chose TO take them. The plan was
deeply and aruully laid first to expose commerce
to spoliation, and then to abandon it because il
Was exposed Embargo, first pretendedto be on
~ temporary, but soon discovered to be designed
perpetual, was the next step. You were told
that Embargo was to preserve the energies of the
nation for future exigencies. Equally absurd
would it be 10 stop your nostrils lest your breath
be wasted. The people were not quite ripe fol
this. and began to discover symptoms of uneasi
ness. 1t opened the eyes of thousands. Non-in
tercourse succeeded. The same system il
| kept up, though the name is changed. Non-in
tercourse now must De repealed For what
Why, for hing called navigation-law," for
soothi This law was at first intended 10 exclude
all British and French vessels from your waters
III this form il passed the house Of Represents
lives but the Senate has modified it, to exclude
public vessels only. Nothing but the virtue o.
the minority il congress has hitherto prevented
the passage Of this law with all its original delor
mites Where then is the difference between
| the Embargo, the Non-intercourse, and the new
tangled Navigation law, as il was first designed
The principle, and nc effect are the same 1t i
the manifest intention Of your democratic ruler:
to continue the restrictions on commerce, under
various names, till the recollection of your forme
prosperity IS in some degree effaced keeping a
| the same time a most terrible camor about or
ders, DeereeS, BeifgerentS, and SO FORTH to amust
you, and then 10 make your commercial bondage
eternal.
Be not deceived by the clamor about British
Orders in Council. All agree that though they
were passed long time after the French De
crees and as retaliation them, yet neither the
| Orders nor DEGREES are justiiiable by the laws
of nations. But had MIR. Jefferson support
ed your little navy had he cherished the nation
al spirit had he given free scope to your ener
gies, forcing nothing )" no foreign nation would
have dared to insult you with its Orders or De.
crees
! am not the apologist of Britain. But you
will recollect that with France you have a treaty
now in force signed by Napolean when first Con
| sui, which is every day grossly violated. With
| England you have no treaty. A treaty IN the
| highest degree beneficial has been offered you
which Mr.. Jefferson cavilled at and sent back
He did not even lay it before your Senate, tor fear
| its advantageous terms should induce them to &C
ccpt it, to the utter displrasure OF Napoleon, the
grand Pacihcator, protector of America. France
| has openly commissioned her captains to " burn
| sink, and destroy" all American vessels. Eng
and has issued no such commission (; and when
her officers have violated your rights, she has OF
tered you ample PREPARATIONS. France has offered
no reparation. And yet your rulers utter ne
con, plalne against France. But OF England
what evil has not been said Much OF 1t deserved
to be sure, but why not complain OF eOery aggres
sor ? The truth is, your national rulers wish t
provoke England TO make war on you. They
dare not adjust any differences with her, for fea
of offending that arch enemy of liberty, Bona
parte.
The British minister has been dismissed for
| pretended insult to your government, which i
said to appear in the printed documents. | have
asked many democrats 10 shew me this insult
Some have referred me to of his letters t,
Mr. Smith others, to two of them others sa,
, it appears from all the correspondence taken to
eether others thinkithe insult consisted lnsendin!
I" Copenhagen Jackson" here. In short no tive
| of them agree in the charge. MIR. Jackson ha
| positively told your government that no insul
was ever intended I; but Mr.. Smith said he fount
one, and they are willing to take his word fer it.
But enough of Mr.. Jackson. / should no
! have mentioned him but to shew that your ruler
are consistent in this one thing they will hav
no accommodation with England, because Franc
| has forbid il.
| Ifyou look at the management of your domes