The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1815-01-11


policy OF fomenting the contests and confu-
SONS OF the continent, rs conducive to her
own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
All parties seem to have agreed, that at
the commencement of the French Revolutions
she entered INTO the war more with n view of
cr'pphns, perhaps Remembering, an ancient
rival, than from any other consideration and
that but for her interposition in the support of
other powers, the Revolutionary commissions
OF France would have been of short continu-
ance. and OF little effect beyond the .imi1s Of
France herself. $50
1t was in the progress of the Revolution
only, during which the enthusiasm, or ra-
ther pnrenzy, generated by a combination of
internal and external causes. was CONVERTED
into spirit OF conquest, that any doubt could
arise, IN relation to Great Britain, whether
size was actually making the sacrifices, and
was threatened with the dangers alledged by
her, or whether she yelled under these pre-
fences, her own schemes of ambition and ag-
grandizement.
Without enquiring how far she may have
Intentionally imposed OIL others, OF in certain
moments deceived herself, all must at present
concur in the opinion not only that she never
was in any real danger of being conquered,
but that with the exception of her increase
OF public debt, which she seems not to re-
gard, she has made no sacrifice of her great
national interests by the part she bore in the
contest which grew out of the French Reyo-
luton.
On the contrary, it Is now certain, that she
has been constantly gaining wealth & strength
throughout the whole period, whatever NAV
nave been the losses or gains of the other
parties. That she has added many millions
OF saoJects to the very many before held un-
der her dominion in India, is known to every
one. That she invaded and subdued, from
tune TO time, many of the insular and other
distant possessions of other powers, as in the
'lcissitudes of the war, these powers were
thrown INTO the scale against her, < that she
permanently retains such of the possessions as
| Systematically favor her commercial inter
ests, and her maritime power, is also well
known.
ltmay be new to some, however, that the
extent OF the Royal Navy, which in 1888 a
| mounted to little m ore than four hundred
| thousand tons, had at no later date in the
war than 1908, reached the unexampled a.
| mount OF eight hundred thousand tons. This
fact rests on an official report made by com
| mlssioners to the British House of Com
mons.
But there is another fact, resting on the
same authority, which may be equally new,
ana still more surprising namely that the
| mercantile marine OF Great-Britain, the re-
| al source OF her maritime power, and the best
test OF her commercial prosperity, which at
the beginning of the war amounted to thir-
feen hundred thousand only, was found in
1872 to have increased to the enormous ton
| mage ct tzvenfy. fve hundred Thousand. The
deduction to be made from this amount on
account OF prize-vessels included in it, is too
lnconslderable to require notice.
he conclusion from the whole is obvious
and irresistible that this war in Europe of
twenty years, during which Great Britain
| mas been so often represented as struggling for
I'm ace1Vxr
to SO many appeals to the sympathy of the
world in her behalf, has been silently feed
| ing her resources and extending her posses
sions and having at the same time banished
| from the ocean the navigation of the rest of
Europe, mas vested in her an uncontrolled DOW
er on that element, and the undivided COM
'ncrCe of the world.
30 much is this the case, that we now hear
from the same quarters which have courted
sympathy and support for that nation, as
hghtng Tor its own existence, and for the
protection OF all others, admontions and ex-
hortations to bow to its usurparions, as being
armed with force against which it must be
III vain 20 Contend Nat. Ilt.
January 6.
The Bill for laying Direct Tax of six
millions OF dollars upon the u States, yester-
DAY passed its third reading in the Senate,
and wants only the signature of the President
to become law.
debate of some interest took place on
Its passage; in the course of which, we were
much gratihed at the accidental opportunity
OF hearing ser1e honorable sentiments uttered
on the occasion by MIR. King of N Y. Much
as he deprecated the state of war in which
the nation was placed, he said he should con
tribute his vote, by all constitutional means.
to make 1t effective, by affording to the ex-
ecutiye men and money to carry it on. 1t
might be, and no doubt was true that blame
was IN degree imputable to the executive
department, as well for the fiscal as military
conduct OF the war /; but it beloved CONGRESS-.
he justly remarked, to examine how far thew
were culpable OF omissions to furnish the
means to enable the Executive to act. It
was their duty to raise armies, 90 provide
the ways and means to support them. 1t
was well worthy of their consideration, he
SAID, how far the omission OF delay to perform
these duties had disabled the Executive from
performing his duty in the most efficient man
ner.
i hese were generally the ideas very hand
somely expressed by Mr. King. Ifso liberal
IA course had always been pursued by that
gentleman, we should not have had occasion
to withhold from his conduct the tribute of
our respect. On this occasion his observati-
ons gained additional force, from the vivid
contrast, which they exhibited to the areu-
ments OF his political friends, who had pre-
coded him in debate. H.
An important bill has passed TO a third rea-