Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-03-13
FROM THE BOSTON cENTINEL.


Sheculations ON the Debates in Congress ON
tile Interesting subject eta
BRITISH WAR.
owe are pledged to France to continue the
Non-Intercourse. Mr.. Grundy's Steech.
To the hon Felix Grundy-the hon. Daniel
ShefFes-and the hon. Hugh Nelson-three
Of the most independent democratic or g re-
republican Members of Congress.
GENTLEMEN,
The independence which you have seve-
rally displayed in the late debates ON the OK
pediency Of British War embodens me to
address you. | am, gentlemen, like your
selves, an independent citizen, connected
with no profession, having in view nothing
but the maintenance Of the honor and dignity
o. the United States. Itappesrs evidently to
ne, that you are .ctuated by the same honor
able feelings, and that if one Of your number
.ppears to De convinced that we are honorabiy
pledged to France to continue the non-inter-
course, or to adopt the dreadful alternative OF
war, yet it has arisen whollyafron> the mistake
into which you have been led by the cursory
examination Of the documents submitted to
you by the president; and | feel convinced
That if you could be satisfied that France has
been wholly perfdlous IN her late offers to re-
peal her DEGREES, you wouid all OF you concur
in the opinion, that upon such offers, so per-
ldiUusly violated, 10 pledge could possibly be
founded and that however honest politicians
might concur Ill the opinion, that both the
beIlgcrents arc in hari deiictu in equal fault,
sun that there is no new reason for rouslng
The resentment ofthe nation against G. Britain
xciusively.
Ii is 10 reproach to you, gentlemen, COM
ing as you all do from states not especially
commercial, to presume that you have no I'M
mediate and personal knowledge of the true
state of our relations with France, and that
,ou derive all your information from the very
Imperfect documents which it has pleased
ur. Madison to lay before congress.
1t shall be nay business, in the present es-
say to disclose 10 you out of a great
number which goes to prove that the French
decrees are stl! in force against our rade, and
rely on your patriotism and spirit, that you
viii cause a full inquiry to ne had into these
cases. For this purpose | shall send to each
otyou individually copy OF this essay. Let
It not be SAID, gentlemen, that an anonymous
writer is undescrving your attention. Facts,
important facts, touching our foreign relations,
CA, never be beneath the attention of wise and
great statesmen, let the quarter from which
they come be ever SO humble.
1t may be- promised, that if the French Ber-
lin and Milan DEGREES are still in X,force we
have no further or additional cause of com
plant against Great Britain, than we had in
the year 1907, and surely if such should turn
out to be the fact, there is no reason why we
should favor the views of France.
TO statesmen like you, gentlemen, it would
be needless to observe, that whether we form
direct and open alliance with France, or whe-
ther We attack her enemy by commercial re-
strictions or by arms, we as cffectually Sub
serve and promote her views as if we openly
entered into an alliance with her.
The case which l Shall select among many
others -four of which met the same fate on the
same day. and by the same means; to wit, the
personal decree of the Emperor) is that of the
brig Catharine Of Boston, Captain Ockington;
both vessel and cargo owned by John Parker,
Esq. citizen of Boston, and by other citizens
of the United States, and OF which vessel Mr.
Ephraim Thayer, Jun. was supercargo
shall not, gentlemen, rely on the declara-
tons of the concerned, fer whom have the
highest respect, but shall confne myself to
the oGcial declarations and hroces ver6al Of
the French government which Mr. Madison
Gf not you, gentlemen will treat with re-
shect.
You will observe that the last communica-
tons to congress are dated the 18th of July
bat the President must have been, in Novcm-
Der, in possession of the outrageous and peril
dous decision of the Emperor of the 10th of
Sentenlaer. to which I shall hereafter allude