Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-07-01
Mr.. TAGGART's Speech.
CONFINED.

whose benefit IS the Ca ptuiC VI Seti'V9Ftfl,
advantages are we likely to reap tronths con-
tuest VIII it secure the liberty OF The seas
or compel Great Britain to resciad her orders
IN council Did we ever know an Instance
In which Great Britain gave up iaVofaoi'
measuse for the sake of saving foreign pos
session, perhaps Of very little value 70 nc,
will the advantages 10 be derived rom ',i0
oo.oaest of Canada be an equivalent Tor the
lossan, lainage we may sustain IN other quar-
.ters What is Great Brltainto be about all
ne time that ue are Wrestling Canada out OF
her nossession? Is il consistent With TIC VI
,ror with which she usually acts to stand by
tameIy Look on? Either she will attempt a
y;,ornns defence Of Canada or she viii cot. 1t
che does some Of the difficulties OF the enter
,,r;1a haYc heea stated II she does not 1t VIII
he ,hat she may be the better able to Intllct
severe blow I'M some other quarter. Admit
mr. war 70 be sincerely intended, no course
conld be devised more inconsistent WITH the
maxims Of sound policy than that "hlca aP-
Dsars 10 be pursuing by the United Dates
While all ourattcDtion seems TO be turned 10
Canaela, because that bias been suppose to De
tie most vulnerable, if not the only Vulnerable
& noinr. if-Nybic,r we can attfcl, her with effect,
.na Gains have been taken TO guard those points
sg;a which we are the most Vulnerable. An
i,nnensc property consisting Of articles OF
Dr;tisb promth and manufacture, but which
had heco,ne tile bona fde property of citizens
nff6e ITnited States, isnow stored IN the ware
hoas6s Of Great Britain and her dependencies
How ure,t that amount is, il IS probably dlttl-
cult TO ascertain with precision, but 1t has oeeR,
estimated H. fjom SO 10 100 millions OF doisals
The detention Of this property N brldsb ports
il. besides The damage done TO the lndlVlouai
clear loss 10 the treasury OF from ~ 70 -
millions, Sum which would nave anogaeu q
very reasonable sunpl' at this time. IN the
event of a war all tp5 property will be put al
hazard II least. mel si4Gelf lost to the owner
Besides, immense 81 bneat> suh upon .the o.
cean. which were never to aiarger amount at
any one time will be exposed to cARi44Eeb a9d
taken to Secpae the property OF oar citizens
now abroad, We might IN the event OF that war
into which we. are now about TO plunge the
nation. have saved q sum equal 10 what eEsry
acre ofhiAd in Canada would sell ior % taF
nrice. In addition II this : What IS to be the
cmploynent Of the Brjdsh fleet While we are
cononerinc Canada VIII that be IDLE =! Is
II NOT a fact that nearly or quite hail OF the
immense Heets OF Great Britain are, atthls mo-
ntent, unemployed, and Can with the utmost
Glciity and with very little additional expence
be transported to our shores Such Is tie
exposed SITUATION of our maritime frontier that
haIfa dozen ships ofthe line, and twice tpat
number of Frigates aud sloops OF war, can
spread tcr ror & dismay from Maine to Goor-
ria. and even TO the mouth OF the Mississippi
(which of our sea ports is It taot is accessible
TO large ships, which may not be lald eitter
under contribution OF in ashes hy . Single snip
of the line A gentleman Of Massachusetts
Cdr. Widgery1 a colleague Of nine, wholives
In a seaport. some tine ago, when a4lnalAS 10
the subject OF var. and the exposed situation
ofour sea p2gts, observed thatthcy were IN no
danger of de Suction by tie British heet' thai
they could not destroy JhemeVen II they were
SO disposed That gentleman ough{ 10 nave
rcceleclea, and he WAS certainly oiG enough
ct the time TO notice it, that hls OVID, believe
n. tive town, certainly the town OF which he
has lnaq been an inhab;talst, was lad IN asnes
duYing therevolNtopsyy vat by one single 9
cum ship What an lS gun sap could 90
thena "a could probably DO nov, when the
town is more than FIVE, probably more than
ten times the ,alue Should 1t be objected
that Great Brian viii not be 50 lmpoiuc as
70 carry tic horrors Ut MAR to such extremity
as 10 burn and destroy or even to Plunder our
towns, answer hops SO too. But it's but
very poor security, mere forlorn nope
which rests upon the torbeerance OF an enemy,
on his not having disposition = do us all the
harm in his mower, rather than on any adequate
means Of defence or protection, especially on
the F,rheafaucc of snch an enemy as we are
fond of representing Great Britain TO be, and
as She nsy p9ove when ence she is thoroughig
provoked by an invasion and an attempted con-
auest Of Der territory, whether it's successful
or rot. War at best 1t bat the unproftable
contest about which can do the other the most
haem. We propose to attack her ~ her a.
merican professions because &c suppose her
.. k .tN ,nost vulnerable In that uuarter.