Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-02-27

I butary streams Of wealth pour their ..
bundant riches. The East sctains her
spices, and her gorgeou. treasures
fhe golden South in, exchange no Ion.
ger receives the products OF our soil.
The genius Of commerce has flei to dis.
tant climes, and the san Of our prosperi-
~ has risen to warm and fert.lize some
ether favored region.
That the interests of country and
the method OF pursuing them, are great-
| iy dependant Oh the local situation OF
that country, the nature Of the govern.
ment, the character of its people, and
IN minor degree its climate and soil,
isa position cohdeded by every en!ight-
ened author on the polity Of nations. 1t
follows therefore that u people should
never be moulded and fashioned by the
laws, but that these should be the off.
spring OF the constitutional tendencies
and lnclinations of the people. AS our
| geographical situation, the genius of
| our government, and our predominant
dispositions peculiarly fit Us for all ex-
tended commerce does not the anticom.
mercial spirit which has for some time
| prevailed, seem like perverse and 70.
luntary alteration from the very paths to
which the finger Of Heaven itself ap-
pears to direct! How ph!iosophieally
beautiful was the idea of the ancient sto-
ries, which has beenrevived & charming.
ly illustrated by the estiInable Fenelon,
that the human species, however sepa-
rated by rivers and mountains, by seas
aad oceans, and divided aud subdlvided
into empires and kingdoms, are never
theless in the eye otsur Creator csnten-
plated as one grand rehu6Hc, mutually mi
nistering to each othecs comfort, hap
plness and refinement!
As society owes its anelioration to an
harmonious and reciprocal communica-
ton, so nations, by the maintenance of
a continued and friendly interchange,
attain their polish. wealth and power
We accordingly find mat commercial
nations have from the earliest ages been
distinguished in polily and refinement,
whilst those which desplscd commerce,
or from their local situation were unable
to pursue it, remained In pristine igns-
rance and rudcncss.
To the Egyptians, Pheaicians, Ara
bans, and tue commercial states OF
Greece, are we u look for the prlnci-
pies of most of the sciences & tine arts,
and, as, Cicero Justly observes, we are
to EXPECT wealth, Influence and ctvillzl.
ton where trade and commerce tl)urlsh.
His,o ry and MS own gvud mind mad
taught the Roman the value OF COM
MERGE; but pride and prejudice, AID
the free Of early habits, prevented his
countrymcn from pursuing poilcy
which would have rendered their coun-
try permanently free and powerful, and
the neglect of which laid the foundation
of their final ruin.
But Rome & Buonaparte, without the
aid of commerce, could do much better
than we or other nations; for, having
devoted themselves almost exclusively
to war, and by most unprecedented
and uninterrupted series of conquets OF
the richest Countries oi tae world, hlied
their Golfer, with the treasures long ac-
curnuating by the industry OF others,
tie necessity Of commerce was not So
urgent. We read of the rich donali'es
OF Nero. the immense wealth OF Lentu-
ius, the great estates o! Cr"ssus, the
splendid wardrobe OF PauI'Ia, aud the
vessels If gold and silver, and The ex-
gu site pantings and statues whoa De,
corated the palaces OF the PToco''suls
But alas! these were no; the products
of Successful commerce! Trey we're
the il.g ten riches OF iesalz' Il robbie,
~, Of u principied piu"dsr But moi
wi,hstanding this lmmnse Wealth, ti'w-
ing from conquered provinces, R1me
herself was at length Obliged, Ia orGer
to keep in Continued motion ell the
wheels IF that vast empire, to have re
course to commerce. The civil and NIL
litary establishments grew to such an
innrdinate bulk az would soon have ter
minated in national bankruptcy, had not
the sluiccs of commerce been opened,
and her provinces, particularly Egypt,
been encouraged 10 the pursuit OF COM
mereiai gain.
This country therefore, in order to be
great and powerful, without commerce.
must bid adieu to principle, disregard
the dictates of reason aud justice, devote
herself to arms, and setting aside the
mo,aI. direct her entire energies to the
physical education of her people tbs
done. who Knows, but ike the Romans,
we may have conquered countries sufti
cient to give a principally to every ~!
I;,arv chief. We shall then have unln-
,errnpted.overeignty over intermInable
deserts and woods, over numerous ma