The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-10-30

which no indcpei dent natl n can forego.
| There is on the part Of the u S. one cause
for war against Britain, which from its
transcendant enormity over all other wrongs
that have or ever can be inflicted, should
be called the INJURY. It is the impressment
OF American seamen. This is violation of
all natural and social rights the more griev-
Gus. because at the same time that it brings
on numerous and valuable portion of our
people, the severest positive suffering, it
renders our claim to national independence
mere mockery. You are not free, my
eouatrymen. and you must be the dersion
otthose who hear you say SO. and at the
same time behold you in actual and severest
bondage, subject at the will of an unfeeling
rufilan, to chdns and to stripes. Can you
even be free, when you are liable at any
time to be seized and put to the proof of
that freedom! Is not this very demand of
such proof, the presumption or rather the
assertion of Alright to judge whether you are
Tree or otherwise; and ifany have right
TO Jndge, does not this imply right to con-
denim! Whilst such pretension exists. no
true born American can wish to shea,he
the sword-and whilst our Country eompri-
ses faction or an inGvidual, willing to SUR
render the persons of our citizens, the com
forts and very existence of their families to
foreign rapacity, tie. spirit of this natio.,
will spurn them so obscutitv...
How would Britain .herAef regard such
a pretensioH in other nations LIE. us Judge
from tile past and let the a,lvo-ates IF
peace amongst US, meet the following facts.
In the reign ofGeo. I'd. the SIP ,niards had
been guilty of the great .6;cncc IF prevent
ing the English from eating loswood in the
Bay OF Cauipeachy, and of getting salt on
the Island of Tortugas-these territories
belonged TO Spain. But the Inst arian tie is
u.s. p" that the Captains of some of their
armed vessels called GGard Costas had
made practice of boar ding and plumber
ing British ships under pretence of search
ing tor contraband goods, on which occasi-
ons they had behaved with the II; ,n,st i.so-
fence, cruelty and rapine. The, mad seized
ana detained great number OF British yes
sells, imprisoned their crews and cnnfisc
ted their cargoes, in violation of treaties, i'm
dehance OF common justice and iumanity-
Not but that the Spanards had reason To
complain Of the ilficit commerce winch tie
English traders of J,maic, and ether Is
lands carried on with their subjects on The
Continent OF South A werica." Substituting
the y. >. in the place of Britain, and ex
cept that the charge ofpillage made on the
, iaUer power. a taches not TO our country -
in fine that she is without an excuse for
complaint against us, is not the above &C
count as far as it extends. Justly descrip-
1--WE OF the wrongs we have endureds l. t
1t be remembered here, that the offences
OF Spain extended not to the assertion of
rlghtto seize and habitually enslave tn.
subjects of Britain. What said the ria,ion
and the Parliament to these things "'r ;e
merchants loudly complained of these cut
RACES, the nation vas fred with resentmrn mt
and cried for vengeance" THE great Pitt ~
the celebrated Lord Lyttleton were then
members of the British house Of Commons :
listen, fellow -Citizens, to their denunciatioas
OF the proposals of men who like our peace
iui federalists would have referred the pre-
tensions ofSpain to discussion
ION the part of SPAN an lnhuman tyran.
n.y. an usurpation over the American seas.
On the part of England (said Mr. PITY an
undoubted right by treaties and from God
and nature was about to be submitted to
the discussion of plenipotentaries on the
same foot This unduubted right was to
De discussed and regulated and if to regu-
| ate De to prescribe rules. as in all construc-
ton 1t was, then was this right about TO be
given up and sacrificed, for it must cease TO
De any thing the moment it is submitted to
limitation, =" Would you (said Id. Lyttle
| toni submit to reference whether you
might travel unmolested from your house i'll
| town to your house in the country Your.
Il
have it discussed but much less would You
refer it, if (any) of your judges belonged to
| gang, which has often stopped and robbed
you in your way thither before
For these very injuries from Spain Grea
| Britain declared war;, and not because
Spain asserted right to commit them or
| continued their commission, but because hf
| ter consenting to pay for them she was not
sufficiently prompt in rendering retribu-
tons. 1t is plain then that injuries, inf
| nitely less thnn this reproach to our name.
TOR part OF what we have endured for
| years, has Britain deemed herself justified
in going to war.
Whence then this cry ofheace heace! Can
federalists wish you to believe that when
the armor of defence or offence is laid aside.
you Will obtain justice-that so soon as YOU
make yourselves defenceless, you will cease
to be assaileds Is this the practice i'm pri
vate life, or between nations, or has Britain
been recently regeneratedf Was such the
covenant sealed With the infamous Henry.
or do they infer it from her past deport
ment Look, my countrymen, at her mode
OF making war view the painted savage
see the blood of newborn infants-hear the
agonising cries Of tortured women--beholdl
your frontier settler flying in dismay, com.
putting himself to the wilderness x lighted
| py the cracking conhagration Of his little
dwelling >, view. these things and Judge
what, you. may hope from the Justice or hui
manly, OF a nation who aVows and iustifies
TINS mode of warfare against civilized
CHRISTIAN people Do. you not my coun-
! trymen, through this federal outcry, detect
the gnawing insatlatc appetite for power,
the hope that underthe pressure x privati-
II IN M ttya T..