Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-07-10

ders in council was the only subject OF
ssioli-aad that alone was demand
ed. as sire qua non to restoration OF
friendly intercourse. lmpressment'
though always subject OF difference
between the twonations, had neveroeen
by our government. for moment con-
sidered as a sufficient cause OF val
Hence, in the arrangement with the
British minister, Erskine. no! word is
said, not stipulation made on tina, SUD-
iect. Hence, Ia all the correspondence
which Immediately preceded tue war,
the subject of impressment Is rarely II
ever mentioned-apd hence, I'D TINS
house and the senate, the act declaring
war passed upon tie sole. but deiuslye
ground that France had modified or re-
pealed her DEGREES, end that England
refused to revoke or modify her orders
Let me appeal TO the members OF this
house who voted for the war, would they
have dared to have done that deed, upon
the subject of impressment alone !
am sure thcy would not-I speak not
from personal knowledge-l speak from
oil that preceded, that accompanied and
that followcd that dreadful! measure
The snbjectof iEpreSsment was never
swelIetl into that htieous form it now
wears it nevcr became "a dog Of war"
until when the orders in council were
revoked and an armistice demanded by
England, it was dragged forward to re-
pei tnesdemand and ia justify the admi-
abstraction for & wading deeper and deep
er in blood But, let gentlemen on
this foar answer what they will, OF this
am certain, the people of this country
would never have joined in the quixotic
expedition. The cant of (" free trade
and sailors rig Is" hcard only in the
woods of the west, where no trade exists
and no sailors are to be found, could not
have drowned the voice Of commerce,
o! agriculture, of Justice and of peace.
Let gentlemen on this floor answer what
they may, I tell them they could tot,
they burst not have plunged this nation
into war, ifthe British orders in council
had been repealed or modified But
those orders would have been repealed
or modified, ifthe French decree bad
not been concealed.
On this subject no doubt can exist.
And never was more astonishcd, than
when Yesterday heard the hon. gentle.
man from SoatIl Carolina, Mr. Calhoun)
deny this position Upon what grounds
does he place this denial First. upon
the letters Of Mr.. Fostcr,o Ns Monroe
which preceded the war. Sir, that cor
respondence have perused, and more
singular, equivocal, weak ADD indistlDct
correspondence / have never seen. Il
is undeniable that, in some paragraphs ct
Fosters letters, distracted from the resi-
due, something like the position of the
hon. gentleman n:ay be found. Bu,. c.
ven these, distracted from the rest, are
declared BY Monroe himself TO be c.
guivocai. The whole correspondence
clearly proves. that Mr. Foster, never Ia
tended to declare, s never did acfnifive-
III declare, that if so authentic instga-
sent, repeating the French DEGREES, SO
far as thew violated the neutral COM
merce Of America, should be produced,
England would not revoke her orders in
a similar manner. On tue contrary, he
throughout, disputed even tie harfiaire-
feel ofthc French Or Cfees; and says the
question whether England would re-
woke as 10 America, was premature, and
could be discussed to no purpose, until
America Should produce an Authentic in
st,unIen. efrefe2i.
IL the last letter which lie wrote to
MIR. Monroe only four days before the
final passage of The act, declaring war,
he AYERS that his preceding letters had
been misunderstood, and misconstrued
and fnally declares" I will now say,
that feel entirely Authorised TO assure
you, that if you can at any time, produce
full and unconditional repeal Of the
French DEGREES as you haze right 10
demand ii in your character ola nru,rai
marion, and that it be discngaget from a.
ny connexion with the question concern
ing our maritime rights, we shall be
ready to meet You with revocation Of
the Orders in Council"
Howerer, then, in the course Of Mr..
Fosters letters, some paragraphs may
be selected, which, uncopnccted with
what preceded and followed, might
prove the position of the hon. gentle
man, it is clear to me, that when viewed
as whole, they neither prsve or sup.
port it. / might demonstrate this, by
wading paragraph byparagraph, through
the whole correspondence. But this |
shall omit, both because the hon. gentle
man from S. Carolina has placed but
little reliance upon the letters Of Mr..
Foster, and because, in truth and in fact,
they have but little bearing upon the
question. What Is the question IL
the Frcnchsrepeaiing decree Of April,