The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1813-07-09
.he has violated the law, of nations by

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usurping the sovereignty of the seas, and
permitting those nations alone 10 enjoy
commercial privileges, who pay tribute to
her--Envious oil our rising commercial
prosperity she wished 10 check our career
and, under pretence OF retaliating upon her
rival, she enacted restrictive edicts 10 in.
jure our commerce and in pursuance
Of powell doctrine of blockade, her ships
have lowered on our coast and taken Gu,
ycssels-She has extended the jurisdiction
of her municipal law over the bosom of the
deep, and claiming right of search TO,
her subjects, not sanctioned by the laws Of
nations, she has taken .dmericau citizen,
into cap,ivity-And these injuries have
been done US, not because the plumber o.
our commerce held out any Involvement to
her cupidity or avarice or that she want
ed the subjects she was so industriousl,
pursuing but because she looked will
envy upon our commercial greatness, ant
she was determined to arrest our eagle il
It's fight and damp our naval glory-Ane
this will plainly appear when we recollec
that pacific proposition was made to her
which only required the revocation of bel
orders in council as the basis OF an accom-
modation-If she had teen governed il
her policy towards this country only b,
her aUosyed motives, this Proposition wouls
have seconded her views, by involving III
in war with France. But she was actual
, cd by other motives than those Of retalia
ton upon her adversary, and she, no, onl,
rejected the profferc3 accommodation, bu
did not permit to entertain the most dis
tant hope of change in her policy ant
we were compelled TO appeal TO arms in or
der to redress our grievances.
But while, fellow citizens, we are suffer
ing all the privations of war, it is matter o
no small consolation to bear in mind that i
was not Of our own seeking; that ambition
or desire TO enlarge our territolia l limits
were not the inducements which led TO the
declaration Of 1t but that it has been fore
ed upon us by long and systematic serie.
Of injuries painful and degrading bcyont
human forbearance--lt must be known te
you my countrymen that negotiation was
tried as long as II afforded the most distant
prospect of success; that our ministers
were sighted and the negotiation protract.
ed, while, with wanton cruelty and rapaci.
ty, our vessels were taken and condemned
and our seamen torn from their country
and constrained TO abandon their lawful
and choice pursuits; to drag out misera.
bic and loathed existence in the British
dungeons of the ocean to bear perpetual
and heartrending reproaches and to risque
their lives in fighting for country which
had claims HE these on their courage and
excrtions. And to aggravate, if possible
the suffcrings Of our bleeding seamen
they were seized by British captains on the
slightest prctence unsupported by the
least vestige Of evidence, and without any
responsibility OF the captain for the abuse
OF this high and delicate exercise of power
The malefactor become the Judge, and
then executed his own sentence-By the
laws of England (and perhaps Of every free
country the party who claims property is
required to produce proof; but when the
liberty of an American is at stake, haagh-
ty, petulant British officer calls upon him
10 prove a negative, that lie is not British
subject; and often has it happened that the
ships papers, by which be might have
proved bis national character, have been
cruelty and insolen,ly torn from him and
thrown overboard-For wrongs and indig-
mites like these, British feeling and re-
sentiment would have reused against any
aggressor-And can there be found among
us man so lost TO all sense of national
right, so void Of sympathy for his ensaved
countrymen, as to say that we have nc
grounds Of complaint But for this de-
grading practice no apology has been made
by the British government--on the contra
ry, although the Americans, as sufferers,
had reasonable cause to expect that they
would have suggested a remedy, we have
had the modification 10 discover that in
the last communication between Mr.. Rus
sell and the British minister, an offer was
made by the former that law would be
passed, which would exclude British sea-