Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-10-23
WEDNESDAY MORNING, October rs

The following witty remarks are copied
from the Balance of January last: they are
none the worse for being old. The poetlcal
part of the extract has no small application
TO the Comet which now blazes in terrorem
above US.
Ever since the publication of the Presidents
! Proclamation respecting Florida, and SecreIa-
ry Smiths instructions to Governor Cial-
borne to take possession oft, our papers have
been Ginning hosannas to the administration
; for their frmness and decision. Now, say
they, now Madison has mounted his old IRON
sided, wardrobe, revolutionary charger; and,
good lord, how
"High rais'd, he snuffs the battle from afar,
4" And burns to plunge amidst the raging war;
6 And mocks at death, and throws his foam
around,
/" And in storm of fury shakes -HIs
TAILu
To be sure, Mr.. Secretary, in his instruc-
tons, "talks'it largely :" every period roAs IN
all the pomp of war. Yet, after all which Is
said about men, money, arms, ammunition,
regular forces, militia, pressing horses. sc.
sc. &c. enough to frighten old Mars himself
into hysteric fits, and drive him, bootless, souse
all over head and ears into horsepond; then,
as the devil must have it, then comes this con-
GLIDING and characteristic sentence, and the
whole awful war charge, loaded with so much
decision and rammed down with with so much
/" frmness" frizzles out at the touch-hole, In
smoke. Here we have it, fair play, and with
out the least garbiing: Gan sileam; an To-
hTrf
hiece, however the second snail, remain IN
| The Possession q The Spanish force, you 70H
nor proceed TO EMPLOY FORCE againstn !; 6nf
you zoW make immediate REPORT thereof TO This
dehartment 20 Blood and thunder! And
what then? Why, undoubtedly, another
Proclamation Z! BOUNDS
We are sorry to see it announced by the Ed
| itor of the Balance that his useful paper is
about to be discontinued. The labors Of Mr.
| Croswel have been of great service to the
casse of Truth, and well deserved solid COM
pcnsation.
Washington, lOth mo. 22a. 1911.
| Friend Samuel,
perceive with Infinite concern that thou
continuest to insist upon it that Congress will
| lay an Embargo at the approaching session.
formerly endeavored to dissuade thee from
INDUCING in that prophetic spirit with which
thou seemest animated occasionally. 1t may
be attended with the worst consequences. No
predictions should come from any of thy po-
litical cast. Should they be of favorable ma
ture, mere malice or revenge might induce
our prime movers to effect disappointment.
For the same reason, when they are of an op-
posite tendency, thy expectations will be
thwartcd, III order that thou mayest be accus-
cd of attrbuting worse designs to men in pow
er than they ever entertained. In this point
of view, thou niaycst say, these prognosdca-
tons might have gcad effect; but this is
reasoning upon the supposition that in aban-
doning the Embargo, no measures more per-
nicious, or even as bad, could be substituted
Flatter not myself with such hope, in this
age of wonders VINO ever thought of so ru-
nous scheme as the Embargo itself, until
that was adopted Rely upon it, many idle ex-
periments remain untried, and even unthought
ofasy yet: The true policy of government, like
good state of health, always was and always
will be, but one thing; while visionary theo-
ries, like diseases, Can assume thousand diff
ferent appearances.
We have been much pleased here with the
answer of Napolean Bonaparte to the speech
of the Ionian Deputies, Speaking of the is
lands which formerly belonged to France, he
saith, "Conquered by the enemy by the vicis
STUDIES of war, they shall return into the en-
pire by the other.events of the war, or by the
stipuiations of peace. should always consi-
der it as an eternal blot upon my reign if e
yer sanctioned the abandonment of single
Frenchman." This seemeth to imply that he