The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-03-19

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ef that hostile power With ~hon, VIC would not al
low them "a vsly limited standardization! Sach Is
the object and pc,text ct the war--and such its i'm
mediate and necessary eject.
Other o',ieet preteNt IT. can have none. A
merica h,s possessions that can take from her
none, W. believe, that we have even desire 10
obtain. We have no hope, therefore, Of acquiring
any thing whatsoever by perssting in this contest
and We 1t war sor the naked and barren pow e,
ct asserting our beliigerent rights in cwn way
or, to speak more properly, we have turned the
last neatral into AN enemy, rather than submit To
an amcab!e discussion upon the least Oppressive
way of exercising right, the OF which is
no, much disputed. Such is the utmost am cunt
OF car possible gans-our losses, certain and pro-
babe, do not admit, fear, ct short an
ration. We shalt speak only of the former.
| In the frSt place, then. lose our whole trade
with Ameriea-ai,aoss tae only foreign trade that
Was lett To us--and at all times worth infinitely
than all the rest put together. After what said
in our last number this subject--and while the
universal and sgnnizing distress into which the
country has relarsed speaks in accents too piercing
10 be borne. IN every quarter of tho 'aad for
bear 20 add one word upon theme copious and
80 conclusive. IN the second place, lose all the
men \ the money that must be sacrificed to the car
ry'ng on OF this war--at moment when our fnan-
ees are eonessedly almost Inadequate to the prose.
| sution oi the other wars in which we engaged
and when the of those great and ,;loriou
exertions appears TO be almost desperate from the
| mere circumstance Of the inpcssibty Of finiing
men TO supply the place OF those who perish In
the third place, take il to be OF the certain
consequences of the Continuance of this war, tina I
we shall either lose Canads forever, the great dis
grace and msrtiheatinn Of the country--or be oh.
| !iged to abandon the peninsula, ard carry en- a
still nicre angunarY and expensive for is pre-
servation. In the fourth psce, our W. India colo
MES viii be starved and their trade, which
other causes have coucurred to depress almost ca
tireiy ruined by the swarms of privateers which will
issne from every point Of the al Joining continent
Whine cur own supplies of grain, in the event Of
lpf af and Of 81 al.
Oh disasters in the North viii be almost entirely cut
or. Finally we shall excite not only n spirit of
rooted hostility among people obviously destined
10 outnumber any European nation-but shall
tram them before their day to The cultivation s their
home manufactures, and lose forever that trade
which il is our most obvious interest to retain.
But 1t may be said we did not make the war The
defiance was given, and the blow struck by Amer
iee I; and row are under the absolute necessity
OF hghtng, or giving up the honor andIthe sabstsut
alnerests OF the nation. We cannot bring Ourselves
to admit this but if the fact were made out. We
should concur most heartily in the conclusion
nation like England should submit 20 any thing ra-
Their than TO the slightest impeachment OF her honor
II IL not only her pride and her enjoyment-but
her actua! strength and security, and the vital
spring OF all her prosperity. Ii our honor is really
committed IN this contestant If America will lis.
ten 10 no terms OF paci6caon which it is fitting for
us to cohcede--then the contest must 20 on and
every thing else must be sacrificed to maintain il
with spirit and effect. But if matters are come AT
last to tins deploreble eAtremity-if i be true
that we are now under the necessity of Welding up
the national honor, or of perssting in such war as
we have described, it cannot, at least, be de-
MED, that il IL crisis which has been very re-
Gently produced; and that it has been produced
by men, and by measures that are sufficiently noto-
rious. There is not a man in the kingdom who can
doubt, that il the orders in council had been rescin-
ded six months sooner, the war raieht have been
entirely avoided. and all other points of difference
between the countries adjusted upon an amicable
!ooting Nsr is there an individual who has atten.
hed at all to the progress of the dispute who does
not see that it embittered from the first. and
wshton urged to its present fatal issue, by the in
soent petuant and preposterous tone of those very
individuals WHO insisted upon that miserable expert
ment--and plunged their country in wretched-
ness only to bring down upon it the reluctant hos
UNITY OF ITS best customers and allies If those mis-
chievous and despcable councils were once cordially
rehounced-if this paltry and Irritating tone wer,.
iorever ,nterdieted at o,e public ofises--if the
! negotiation were committed to a man accountable
to the Americans, and free from the suspicion OF in
sincerity which the character of our late dDopa tc
communications with her have naturally excited A.;
we are fuiy persuaded that speedy and an honora-
Ole termination might yet be put to this unnatural
contest, which ii it be purely ruinous dsreputabie
10 us promises also TO be SO much more detrimen-
tai than beneficial to opponent.
At present, however, confess that we Look in
vain for the indications OF such sautary change of
pohcy--aad are even disposed to fear that the
same spirit of luminosity aud unconciliang coptempt
winch has evidently pervadc6 the whole proceedings
- va prevails 10 considerable
| extent among the body of people. The pres.
sure oil present. distress too heavy indeed to allow
the war itself to be popuar-,iut we suspeet that
the temper and disposition which have provoked il
are sui pretty general--and such are the ART :
W whcfI cUurtiy preJudIces have been famented
aud ancient grudges kept alive, that no,sma part OF
the nation look with feelings of peculiar hostility 10.
wards the people to Which they bear the nearest re-
sem6isnee and willingly abet their rulers in treat.
ing the Americans with less respect and less cordial
ny than any other foreign nation. IT this proceeds
rom considering them as weaker than any other
na'lon, we cannot say il very magnanim ous---if
FROM regarding them as our own rebe!iious off.
spring, It IS neither very generous nor very wise
lhey asserted their independence upon principles
which they derived from us, and upon which we
stu make IT our boast and our glory to act Their
revolt WAS the real evidence OF their consanguinity
their rebellion against US the slrest proof az
their genuine descent: & while all rational men
! are now satisfied that their independence is muck
more advantageous to US than any form of their
submHson could have been, surely there is nothing
IN their having established free governments tina.
ought to give rise to any feelings OF repugnance or
hostility in use They are descended from our loin.
they speak our lsnguage----they have adopt.
ed our ia"s---they retain our usages and manner,
they read our oCks---they have copjed our
I~eeaom-----they rival our courage; And yet they
are less popular and less esteemed among US than
| the base and bigoted Portuguese or the ferociou.
and ignorant Russians.
From what does this afise---or on what pretext i,
1t justified We can hear but one answer to this
and it is really weak aud so absurd an answer
that 1t 1t iad not met Us in so many quarters we
should not have believed that it coald ever have
been seriously given. Their manners, it seems, are
not greeable-soeiety with them is not on good
| foOting--aRd upon the whole they are far fro m