Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-02-08
From the Connecticut CoTant.

The American Republic, it would SEEM
has been laboring under great mistake
Scores and hundreds of thousands OF PEG
ple, and ourselves with them, did think, IN
the simplicity of our hears, that bonapar'e
acted the tyrant when he sslztd so many
mil!sns of American property, and 'mmur
ed the free. born citizcns OF our country IN
his dungeons, for no other aPParen: reason
but their going to his dsm'n'ons Tor trade,
and that too by express invitation. we DID
think that he acted in defiance OF all law,
right, and equity that he acted with his
ewes open, and that his views aud motives
were as corrupt as his conduct was aael'
,iou.. But, alas how little capable are
plain ecmmoa people, of Discerning the
! motives or estimating the conduct OF the
great. We are Informed from high ausho.
ritv, that Bonapar.t's deeds Of violence and
robbery are not attributable to obi'quty OF
trmDer or corruption of heart, but merely
to an error Of Judgment. His seizure OF
the properly of our citizens (says mr..
Madison in his last mes:ag~) was "under
! a misappiic atiun Of the principle OF reprlsa!,
combined with misconstruction ot the
law of the United Safes The frsneh
emperor meant nor TO transgress any law
Of nations or rule Of equity. He acted IN
the integrity Of his heart. There IS no
mortal but is liable to err, not even bona
par,e himself. Ga the point in question,
he misiudged There, and ,:her" only, Icy
his fault, if faul. we may presume 10 Call
it.
Bnt to be serious, Mr.. Madison, in the
abundanc. of his candor, has offered an a
polaqy. which the French emperor would
scorn 70 offer for himself. The letter OF
the duke Of Galore to general Armstrong,
oi the s h of las, August, says, the en-
peror apnlau!-d the general embargo laid
| Nv the United States on all their vessels"
There was good reason for his hsstowing
this applause upon the embargo tor 1t Is
now understood on all hauds, to have been
| a part al hi. continental system for the dss-
truc,ion of British commerce. Again, he
saws, 6 the act of the first of March rems-
! we'd the embargo, and substituted measure
! Which must haze been particularly injurious
| to the interests Of france" What was
| hi, measure ?-1he intercourse law,
which put rance on the same footing with
England. Bonaparte understood this law
| as we'll As any man and he pronounced It
70 be com lete justification tor all the vi.
! olence he had committed upon the persons
and property of American citizens. The
| letter goes on to say" reprisal was mat
ter Of right, and commanded by the d'gni-
tv of France,a circumstance upon which
| i, was impossible to make ANY compromise.
The representation CT all the American YES
sells in France was the necessary result OF
the measure taken by congress. rea.
der vii! observe that this IS the arrogant
Languages of the very letter which promised
the revocal Of the DEGREES Of Berlin and
! Milan language that has in it nothing
like apology, or acknowledgement Of mis-.
take on the part of the French emperor.-
| And what was the reason given for revok-
! ing the Berlin and Milan DEGREES Was
! it that the Emperor had been under a mis-
! take, and had seen his error? Nothing
! like it. 1t WAS that congress had submitted
4
! the letter in question: congress ,reads back
| its steps 1t r.vokes the act Of the FIRST oI
March,
Bunaparta knew with what men he had
to deal. He had, in effect, told them &c
shape their course according to his direc.
.ons, or "to tear to pieces the act Of their
; independence, and to become again as be-
! fore the revolution, the subjects Of Eng.
land :" and that they were "more tlepen-
dant than Jamaica, which at least has il.
assembly Of representatives and lie privi
lrges this he found had been borne
| with patience. Hence he was encouraged
10 proceed to the last extremities Of VIC
lence and injustice. His ports and thos.
Of his allies Of vassal kingdoms were crowd
ed With American vessels, ricAly laden.
!