Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1814-04-11

chief,ains Of slaue hier of which they were
ignorant ! Shall it seek to protect foreign
crsfrom the vengeance Of their soveregrs
at the cost of immolating its own native
citizens /? Shall il doom revolutionary
Winchester, or gallant Winder, to
shameful death, because it cannot save
alien traitors from their legal fate
Think for moment, sir, on the con-
sequences, and deem it not unworthy Of
you to regard them. True courage shuts
not its eyes upon danger or its result.
1t views them steadily, & calmly resolves
whether they ought to be encountered.
Already has this Canadian war charac
ter sufficiently cruel, as Newark, Bufa-
loe, and Niagara can testify. But when
rhe spirit of fsrocity shall have been mad
dened BY the vapour steaming from the
innocent blood that shall stAgnate around
every depot of prisoners, then will it be-
come war. not Of savage, but Of demo.
MAC character. Your part OF it may,
perhaps, be. ably sustained-Your way
through the Canadas may be traced afsr
off BY the smoke Of their burning villages
Your path may be marked by the
blood Of their furious peasantry You
may render yaur course audible By the
frantic shricks of their women and chill
dren. But your own sacred soil will also
be the scene of this drama Of 6ends.
Your exposed and defenclcss sea board
the sea-Doard of the south. will invite
terrible vengeance. That sea. board which
has been shamefully neglected, and is at
this mqpent without protection, has been
already invaded. But an Invasion, after
the war shall have assumed It's unmi,iga-
ted form of carnage, and woe, and wick.
edness, must be followed with horrors
which imagination can but family con-
ceive. l will not trust myself to tell you
all feel, all my constituents feel, upon
this subjecr-Bur | will say to the gen
tlsman from Pennsylvania, that when he
aIudes to the probability that an intestine
foe may be reused to assassination and
brutality, he touches chord that vibrates
to the very heart. Yes, sir, live in a
state whose misfortune it is to contain
the materials out of which may be made
such foe. A foe that will be found eve
ry wherein our fields, our kitchens and
our chambers; foe, ignorant, degraded
BY habits o! servi,ude, urcurbtd by NOR.
raj restraints-whom no recollections of
former kindness will soften, and whom
the remembrance of severity will goad to
phrenzy from whom nor age, nor infan
cy, nor beauty. will find reverence or pity
land whose subjugation will be but a.
mother word for extermination-Such
a foe, sir, may be added to fill up the
measure OF our calamities Let me not
be misunders,ood-Let no gentleman
misconceive my meaning. DO state
these consequences to intimidate or deter
you think better of my counrymen
| hope and believe in the language Of
Wilkinson to Provost, that Americans
will not be deferred from pursuing what
is right by any dread of consequences.
No, sir, ! state them to rouse your at,en
ton and wake your scrutiny into the cor
recsness Of the course you are pursuing.
If en- mature elaboration you are suye
that you are right, proceed, regardless of
what may happen.
But reflect we'll, | conjurc you, before
reflection is too late-Lct not passion or
prejudice dictate the decision II errone-
Gus its reversal may be decreed BY
nations miscries, and by the worlds
adherence.