Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1813-06-07

Session OF the General Court, empow-
ering the Governor, with advice OF
Council, TO adopt certain defensive mea-
sures for the protection Of the towns *
hafbors in the Commonwealth, three
| Iudicious persons skilled IN military at.
fairs, were commissioned to carry into
eff ct lhe intentions of the Legislature,
| expressed in the Resolve. ! he Secre
tary will deliver you a report of their
proceedings under that commission.
By Law nt he United States, passed
| in April, sos, ,he annual sen oil TWO
hundred thousand dollars was appro.
pIialed for the purpose OF providing
arms for the militia OF the United
States, TO be transmitted 10 the several
States, in proportion to the number OF
effective militia III each State, and To be
distributed unGef such regulations as
should be prescribed by tie State Leg
islatures la compliance with the re
quest OF the late General Court, In their
resolve aforementioned, applied to The
Executive of The United States, and re
qlested such supply OF musk cts as
might be conveniently furnished, and as
might be considered the proportion 10
which this commonwealth was entitled.
A copy OF the answer 10 this application,
which have received from i,le oecre-
taty oil War; will also be laid before you
As we are engaged in Wal with IVA.
ton OF great maritime strength, your
attention will be directed in partiou-
lar manner to those parts Of our exten.
sive sea coasts, where the people are
most exposed TO deprcdalions and de
prised vi their usual means OF support,
have already suffered severely, aud ate
in danger oil sull greater evils. Ihave
no DOUBT you will be disposed 10 afford
them every assistance they may stand
III need OF within the power of the
Slate Government. Ii belongs 10 the
National Government to protect each of
the states liz the Union, and provide for
| the common defence but II an inva-
sion should be made or attempted On
any part ot our coast, am confident
that our militia would promptly, and
with cheeriulness, exert their utmost
endes.oIs to rePet II.
WE are bound 10 obey the laws made
| IN conformity with our Constitutions /;
but lhoss CONSTITUTIONS ensure 10 us
the freedom oil speech and al this mo
mentous period it is our right aud Gu
~ 10 inquire into The grounds and olig-
in oil the present War; TO reflect on
the state OF public affairs, and EXPIRE SIS
Our senllments concerning them with
deCency and irankness |; and TO endeay
or, as Tar as our limited influence ex-
tends, 10 promote, by temperate aud
constitutional means, an honorable rec
oncllia ion. BY an unnecessary War,
the deepest guilt is incurted 4: and
therefore every belligerent nation should
inquire which Of the contending par
ties is chargeable with that guilt.
WHEN War was declared against
| Great Bri!Gin, our complaints were
Chiefly founded upon her Orders in
Counci.; and though they were revok.
ed within four days after the D-clara-
lion was published, il will be useful TO
attend to them when we are consider.
ing the necessity OF that measure. In
| November, 1906, the French Emperor
issued bis Berlin Decree, declaring the
| British Islands in a state OF block ade, *
folbidding any commerce or correspon
dence with them. 10 this succeeded
| the British Orders in Council, and o.
Their French DEGREES, som~ OF which
were Of a still more exceptionable char.
| acter.
ALTuouoH the DEGREES OF Berlin and
Milan, and the Orders In Council, were
injurious 10 neutral rights, 1t would be
uncandid to suppose that the direct OBJ
iect of either nation was TO injure the
commerce of ncu,rals. The French
DEGREES might be thought necessary by
that Government to effect the subluga
ton of Great Britain; and the Orders
in Council were declared by the latter
to be retalialory measures, adopted III
consequence of the aggressions oil her
eneray, and to be revoked when those
aggressions ceased. In their arduous
struggles they seem to have thought
only of themselves and while those
struggles continued We must have
known that our commercial intercourse
with them would be exposed TO nnmer.
Gus ADVERTISEMENTS but we were con
soled with the reflection that these
would be counterbalanced by the advan.
tages we derived from the war in Eu-
rope. Indeed it is probsble, ii our gov
etnn ent had NJ Maintained 0 system Of I'M