Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-03-18

| the account be true, he took the who's
fleet before he had killed and wounded Z
| fifth part of its men. and before he hat lost
10 killed and wounded, only about an eighth
part of his own men. Mr. Madison, in his
account, If it may be so called. of the bas
,tle1 Is still more provokinglv lacopic and re,
served. He says :"1'he British.squadroa
| lately came into action with the American
on Lake Champaign; it issued in the cap
ture of the whole Of the eHemy's ships
The best praise of Captain Macdonough,
| and his intrepid comrades. is the Heestess
| ottis triumph to the illustrious victory
| which inmortalized another officer on au i.
other lake" Thus hitting % the world /.
mat such events as this are nothing new
Mr.. Madison, it was anticipated by the Sd
tges, who write in the Tines newspaps,..
would talk very big about this victory, ia
thereby blind the people with regard 10
| their dasgers. He seems to have been
t2tFaihsd TO make them false rhrophets -
he si'ss b1r just uotice this victory 10 a
transient SORT of way and dUeils -;th
| great force and with studjous care CO S.e
dangers which the people of the Repnalic
| have to meet
Nov, Sir, this reDubIicaa account Is eli
ther t''tse oTfatse- do not pretend to say
that 1t is true, though it has not been oEici.
ally cuntradicted in any one particular! and
/ though my brother Journalists seem, By tra.
ptcation, at least, to admit the truth # it.
| 1 nave not. DO not, and I will not say,
that 1t IS true, eves should every other man
IN the Kingdom say il. But, humbly pre-
.ume, that may venture to assert, t..at it
| Is either true or false. IF looked on as true.
II certainly must produce, and must alrea>
ay nave produced, very great eject on
the minds OF thinking men in all those parts
! OF the world, to which a knowledge Of it
| mas extended. 1t Will produce this effect :;
u VIII cause it to be believed. that a ship
OF the royal navy of Great Britain is not e.
| guar TO the task of combat ing a sip of'e-
| qpat force belonging to the Reprbli. of A.
! merica' commanded by officers ara man
| hea by men of that Republic. 1t Is ;mpos>
sio'e ior any man, not a fool or nos blinded
! ny some'sort Of passion, to be ieno ant, that
ssch must be the eject of this battle. if the
Repu6hcan account of it piss for teue Il
| IS equally impossible Tor any man Ia hope.
that 1t viii not pass for true, anti. il he e1x-
piicitiY and officially stated to be false, and
| nftli 1t be proved also to be fS,se The
Woria viii naturally ask how il has hap
Pened' That the British government, who
are SO exact IN publishing every account OF
| our naval operations, who do not omit the
cagSute OF merchant ship, whereof a his
| tory is sent to John Wilson Grocer. ESQ
| should haVe been SO backward upon this
particnlar occasion that the .neople who
witnessed the anticipating representations
on the Sefpeltine river, and who are SO
easerfor news from America, Should not
- we oesn 9hirlafiy fstormed OF liz BAT
! .Ie OK Lake Champlain, though mention
81 it mas reached Europe, and even Eng
iand' In the Presidents speech. The world
wili NATURALLY ask how This has happened.
Inc world, Sir, LOOKS very anxiously to-
wards the Republic They see in her a
power rising fast to a rivalship with us -,
ihey look towards her with rather more
.Aan the eyes of impartiality. Our navy
mas excited great Jealousy and envy in the
word. That navy the world wishes to
see matched, or AZ least, held in check
ms ~ not at all wonderful but, for nv
part, shall not state what look upan as
the true causes of it. As proof of tht;
sentIments prevalent npon this subject in
france, he.e quote an article from a
French paper of the 5Oth of September.
| . IN the situation Of The United States.
(" The capture Of Washington has made
a great dea! of noise in Europe. 1t was
| generally believed, on the credit of the
| London newspapers. that that event would
have decisive influence on the war which
/ RACES between Great Britain and the Uni-
| ted States Already people were exgec.
ting to see the American Government hum,
| bly, soliciting peace, and submitting to all
| the conditions which it might please the
| Cabinet of St. James to impose upon it,
Some persons, who judge of the u. States
from the old nations OF Europe, confident.
! ly announced the dissolution of the hmeri.
| can Republic, and did not conceive what
could exist after the every way repre- ben-
| sible destruction of the Capitol aud other
public buildings of Washington. 1t seemed
70 them that that rising city was the Pal!a
! dunn of America, and that its fall must
! draw along witA it that of all the states
! which compose this great and hnc Confed
| Grafton. Profound alarm, il was said, had
| seized all the inhabitants OF the u. States ;
! every province was fastening to depfecate
| British vengeance, by detaching itself from
the Federal Union. Boston, Philadelphia.
| Baltimore, New York, Charleston, Slvan
nan, were on the point of opeuing their
| gates to the co queror, and re entering the
colonial system OF England. The better N
formed, however, were far from particIpa a.
ting in this opinion, They knew that the
| great majority of the Americans we're at
| tached TO their governments, and would
deem no effort too painful TO support their
independence. There is much talk Of the
parties which exist 10 the United States
but these parties are not iactious they me-