Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-06-01

: civil, and religious freedom. Ifhe goes 20 wa
a II IS not m pursuit of that airy phantom pllita
fame; II is for the support and preservation
those rights which he knows TO be the best q,
OF Heaven to man. For him, conquest is nothin,
but liberty IS every thing. As well might yo
} attempt to convince malhem aticisn that III
three angles of every triangle are not equal ,
; Two right angles, rs to convince an America
that the many are made for one, or for the few
that monarchy is legitimate government, an
that Kings hold their authority immediatel
from God. Rather than assent to such absurd
Il ties, an American would die thousand deaths
1t has been said that enthusiasm alone make
martyrs; If SO, enthusiasm must be the offsprin,
of conviction For my part, prefer this calm
deliberate, and # you will call it so, stubborn am
mobility OF character, TO the ebullient, os,enta
tlous, volcanic temper 1T some European nations
Happy, My Dear F''', thrice happy would our
country have been, At the natural vivacity and nc
| quired levity of most of us, had been seasoned
with proper dose of the salutary Ingredient
| r.f ction! Frenchmen would not have been
Lions abroad, and Spaniels at home; at once the
admiration, the terror, and the scorn of the
world But this is intolerable digression-I re.
turn to my narrative.
Sinister rumours occasionally overlook me, as ]
progressed, or rather wandered, through the
Counties that lie on the eastern side of the Blue
kidge Towards the City of Washington, the
tempest OF hostility was said to direct its fury
A large British feet has assembled the Chesa
peake, entered the Patuxent, and landed a BODY
OF troops at a convenient point. Every circum
stance indicated danger, and inspired alarm. NJ
adequate preparations had been made for defence
$3.50: :: While the People along my route, were
launching into various conjectures, and giving
way to gloomy anticipations. urdoubted mteIli-
gence came OF the capture and burning Of Wash
ngton by the Enemy-an even lamentable, and
perhaps, dlsgraceful to the American nation, but
thousand times more disgraceful TO the British
themselves. Accused be hose Ministers and &C.
nerals who demoral.z re armies who Danish " the
pomp, pride, and glorious circumstance of war, %
depraye the usually generous hearts of soldiers,
and by winking at rapine, destruction, and bru.
taiity, II not by openly sanctioning them, in.
crease hundred fold the calamites which ma.
tional feuds inevitably bring in their rear TIL;
conduct of the British at Hampton. and ON the
unprotected shores of the Potomac, had taught
Vrginians that they must expect all the practi-
cable seventies, and, indeed, horrors of unmiti
gatd war-Thelr anticipations were fulfilled
| AT washington, the victorious Enemy respected
nothing-Public Ediices, Public Libraries. Mo.
numenls OF Art, all was involved in ferocous. i'm
alscrimna'e, Improbable, disgraceful ruin. TIL.
abuse OF victory stained its splendor-if howev.
CT, there be any splendor in a sudden, successful,
attempt on City situated as Washington then
was.
The advantage thus obtained by the enem,
appeared neither to surpr sc, nor to discourage
tne PEOPLE about me For my part, unable tc
divest myself ofmy European IDEAS, and concen.
tratlng IN my imagina ion all the defensive means
OF the country, or, at least the principal port o
OF those means, at Washington, L confess that
| began to DESPAIR Of this Republic The late Ca
,as'roPhe at Paris, and its consequences for al
France, were still att.ng before me--Soon, how.
ever, my apprehensons vanished-soon under
stood the difference between those countrie,
where the moral aid physical energies of IN.
teoPle are made to center at few points, ano
these countries where national vitality pervade.
the Whole body POLITICS. spread over the Who'll,
surface OF the soil 1t seemed as if the treaImen
OF w Washington had been directed by the Tutelai
spirit OF America-to rouse her sons, and harmo
lnze their effor's The torch of British incer
diaries had klndled conA grafton of which the,
were not aware; it had fred the people into /.
tre' %y. They now were, one and ali, bent o.
prompt and ample revenge
Inc proclamation issued by the Governor o
Virginia, on the 26th of August, two days aft e
, the Catastrophe at Washington, "earnestly call
ing upon all men capable bearing arms, anc
particularly such as were young and withou. ia
miles TO repair to the standard of their coun
try, to defend their homes, their property, anc
their libertytheir wives, their children, and thei
aged Parents" still added te his ardent and re
senttul feeling. Then, indeed, it was that VIZ
ginia rose in mass. The roads were literail
lowered with torrents of volunteers, hastenn,
: from the mountains, and the country below, &
! the Metropolis of the State, which was thong,
to be in danger.-This spontaneous rising. thu
S eager obedience to the sacred call of their cou
try,remnded me of the better days of Franco
those days when the impolitic insolent menaces q
: thehaughty Brunswick united, armed us ali, NJ
8 dear F's@, and sent us into the tented field 1
r humble and crush the Confederates CT Pllnitz.-
thought, too, of the woeful change which ha
since taken place-ofour late abasem emit, in tn
E eyes OF the world and in our own. / becam
more and more convinced that we should
= again inyncble only when we should again
/ free.
BY this time, had reached the heighborhood q
E your venerable friend, Mr.. J.. You may e.
: SLY conceive that was ardently DESTROYS to Sc
a Gentleman who has filed, and still fills, S
large space in the eyes Of his country, and, ir
Y deed, of the whole civilized world-the early an
: warm supporter of American rights, who share
/, with Hancock, the AdamSes, Patrick Henry, Ant
e others, the honor of beng excep ed BY the Br
fish Ministers, at an ncipient stage of the reyolu
tionary contest here, from the benefit of any ge
neral pardon the friend, colleague, and diploma
: tic successor of the lllustrious Franklin-ver
iately the chIei Executive Magistrate of this ma
: ton, whose gratitude and esteem accompany h N
: in his present retreat 70 be near such cha
:. racter, and to lose the opportunity of conversn
I with HIM, would have been objectionable
therefore, cheerfully accepted the offer Of an in
: PRODUCTION to him, by Mr. p. G., worthy ant
respectable Gentleman, residing about 8 mile
, from NJ. No time was to be lost for
$ Mr.. c. had already made every preparation t
T, obey the Governors call, and repair to Rich
> I'm A..