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


it, becaufe fear an opportunity OF full
confederation will not be pre!ented, ana it
is Of ali urgency & of magnitude that
forbid il to be overlooked mean, III,
the faIsly called fyfem of retaliation,
which threatens to impart to the var a
character of barbari,y which has not It's
parallel in the modern annals Of chriifen-
dora. rwenty-,hrec peaons of our In
vading army, who were taken prifoners
by the enemy at The battle OF Queenitown
in Canada, have been ienr to England as
Bsitiih fupjects, TO BE- tried for treafon.--
To deter the enemy from, executing the
law upon theie unhappy men, our execu,
tive has ordered into clofe cuitody an
c9aai aupber-- not Of American citizens
ipsadine cur country (shis woald, IN
deed, De rctaliation)- - bu: of Britlfll plit
oness Who have committed no crime. 1t
is avowed that thefe fhall be put to in
Hartsneous death, if the men fent to
Engiand mould be convicted and exccu
ted. The Britiih government have pro
ceeded in return, to con6ne acorrefpon-
ding number Of Americans as hoffsges
for the iafcty of thefe Briti(h prifoners,
under the fame discrimination and avow
al ! his has been again retaliated on our
Eide, and the retaliation rciortsd by the
enemy, 20 that an indifcriminate and uni.
ve'fai deltrudion Of the prifoners OH each
hde, is the menaced conieqnence Of the
execution of one Of rhc prciumed En-
glilhnen ordered home for trial.
Before we enter upon this career of
cold-b'ooded mailacrc, it hehoyes US, by
every obligation which we owe TO God,
to our fellow men. and to ourlclvss, TO
be certain that the right is with US,
and that the duy is Imperative. If in a
moment of excited feeling we thould
hesdlefly enact the fatal deed which con-
iigns thoufands Of the gallant and brave,
Americans and Bri,ons, 10 an ignomini-
Gus death. aud Ea3uld afterwards diicover
that the deed was criminal, that the blood
OF the innocent is upon us, and the cries
of their fathericfs infants have
attended againlt us to the throne of
the Mott High; how fhai. we GIence the
reproaches Of confidence how atone for
the ~idc fpresd and ;TsrpasabIc roifcA;tf
---or how eface from the American
name, the Infamous itain that vii. be
aamped upon IL. With motiyes thus
awfui!y obligatory TO correct decifion,
we are in ininent danger of error, from
caulcs which we are not aware A per-
ton Of our population, uncomfortable in
number, as compared with the whole
MATS. but influential. becaufe Of the ac-
tivity, violence. bolaneis and their cor
rral If tt. popular prx9cl--I mean, fir,
tha; parr OF our naturalized citizens, who,
not content with purfuing the private &C.
equations of induitry, undertake to man
age the affairs Of lfase, or teach US how
they should be managed. have iyitemati.
cally and zeaIonily labouredto difismin-
ate falfr principles. and excite prciudices
and paaions calculated TO miflcad the pub
lie mind. Dwelling ourirlves, as far as
pollible, from all haity impreHions, let US
examine upou what foundation relts the
right to put our priioncrs to death, ia re-
vengc for the execution Of the men who
are to be tried in England for treafon. If
il fhall be, thar thefc men are native
fnbje6ts Of Great Britain, who have never
pretended to fhakc cffheir allegiance by
naturalization here. their crime in making
var againft their acknowledged country,
and actually invading It's territories, is
70 manifeltly treafon, and the right of
their country to punifh fuch treafon, is
70 complete, that will not preinme it
neceTary to argue upon thefe topics. IF
the enemy has perfect right to regard
them as traitors, we cannot have the in.
confident right to avenge, with innocent
blood, their juH doom. But It may be,
that fome Of them are Britih fubicas,
naturalized in America. Ibelievc this is
NOT the fact. We have no official infor-
nation but from the mof respectable
Unofficial fources, learn it is not the fact
IF it ihould be, however, very insereit
ing inquiry prefen,s ittelf.-Whas is the
effect Of naturalization in fevering the
ties which bind man to his native coun.
try, and in requiring, as againa i.s claims.