Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1812-08-24

conceiving that the principal ground Of diff.
Guilty was now done away BY tie revocation
ofthe orders ia council, urged with great
force and on affecting feeling the propriety of
taking tire step proposed 10 petition the Pre-
sident for the restoration Of Pesre. That
the orders in coSncl were the grand cause
of war was demonstrated very clearlys The
sdiustme u Of this subject WAS the brNis Of
the Arrangement made with Mr. Erskine. III
which X formed the only important stinu'u.
ton, excepting the business ~ che Chesa-
peske, since happily brought 10 snissue. AS
Ia tie inpressment of seamen, besides IN 4
there was some room 20 question the great.
ness Of the grievance, although ME- Widre-
r. spoke Of documents, il was well knovn
that the practice had always been consider
ed a subject Of arrangement-never deem.
ed cause Of war and that in 1906 or s
Messrs Munroe and PInkney did make an
arrangement with the British Government
upon the subject which lhey pronounced to
be perfectly satisfactory. If then impress
ment was not the real cause Of war, il could
not with propriety stand N The way Off peace,
unless the hnglish should now refuse 10
make an equltsble adjustment. Had the Or.
ders in Council been removed before the
declaration of war, or had that declaration
been deferred ull new, The event itself I'M
doubtedly under existing circumstances
would never have taken plsce, the subject
of impressments Notwithstanding. The ac-
tual rock of offence being thus removed by
the British Government at a season too al
most cOtemporanenus with the declaration
Of war, and weeks before the news could
have been received in England, we might
well imagine that they viii expect the next
advances towards a reconciliation from us.
and that az we were the first 20 declare war.
we should be the first 70 propose peace, 1t
was upon the mere intmation that ambassa-
doris from us would be received with some
decency in France, no other ground whatever
at a time when we were IN a state of war
with that nation, that President Adams dis.
patched mission to the French government,
and his conduct in that instance received the
| praises Of every democratic press ID the
( country. This seems 10 be q similar crisis
| and presents q much more inviting op-
/ portunity for an infinitely more important
/ benefit. Now then when an express has
arrived from England bringing oflicial INTEL
/ Iigence Of the removal Of the only real ground
of difference between Tie two empires, but
| what can be easily adjusted by negotiation,
| shall our government rsshly reject the olive
/ branch, and commit the United States TO all
| the horrors of eternal war Is it pos,ible
| for men, interested as we are in the Nor.
! ;hern States in the restoration Of peace and
| the revival Of commerce, 20 stand tamely by
in submissive silence, while the great ques-
I ton is decided which is to determine the
fate of New-Englsnd perhaps forever ! Or
can there be the smallest Improperly under
heavenln assembling in peaceabIe manner
4 tJr the constitutional purpose of laying our
case before the government and petitionIng
I the President 10 appoint commissioners to ne.
! gotiste treaty It's our undoubted right
| to represent our wants and grievances to our
rulers in order for relief; and it is the duty OF
the government to afford Us protection Pc.
| titioning is not intended to embarrass the
public business. but, as the Hon Mr. Cobb
Justly observed in the course of his iudicious
remarks, it is to aid the government in The
! discharge ftheir duty-Qur earnest prayer
| to government is for Peace, and the finger OF
| heaven points 70 the present opportunity
! The necessity Of New-England is extreme
and the wounds of commerce call for imme-
| date cure.