Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-03-14

!. Hard. hard, is my fate once free
dom enjoyed,
Was as happy as happy eOula pc
Oh how hard is my tate, how gaining
these chains"
Yw;ll slot imagine the dreadful catas-
.-,,,hs to which he would be driven by
. abandonment of him to his cppressor,
+ siIl not bes it cannot be, thsthis eOun-
:. I'll! refuse him protection" " An
sss,,,oFable PEACE IS attainable only by an
ss,e;eut war. My plan would be to call
=. tbe ample resources sof the c0untry,
s:ve them a iudieious direction, prose
sste fbe war with the utmost yigor,
ss,;ke wherever we can reach the enemy
:, sea or on land, and negotiate the
ssr,os- or a peace at Quebec or Halifax
, are told that England is proud and
lofty nation, that disdaining to wait for
dsrser, meets il half war. Naughty as
che IS. we.once triumphed over her, and
Ave do not listen to the counsels oftimi-
,d;ty and despair, we shall again prevail.
n such . cause with the aid,Of Provi-
aence. We must come out crowned with
success but If we fail, let US fail like
zen. lash ourselves to- our gallant tars,
ana expire tOgetherin one common strug-
sIe. fighting for :. seamen's rights and
free trade
8 Is thy servant a dog''-said the mes
seuger Of the Syrian monarch, to the pro-
rhef Of Israel, who had tcretold to him
Els future cruelty and wickedness--s:. Is
NV sefyanta dog, that he should do this
Z fling 20 :. And yet" says Or. South,
& the dog did it.s The foregoing, and a
vast deal more, much ike it, was the Ian
gage Of Nir. Clay, just before he vent
70 Europe. When be was in Europe he
made peace, and did not lash himself to
those gallant tars, but did abandon them
---but so far flsn negotiating peace at
Qaebcc or Halifax, ne did that service at
Client, and never once mentioned the
n0iectof 8 free trade and sailors rights
in the treaty; aud to crown the whole,
he has now entered into this commercial
convention, In which there is not the
slightest allusion to that touching topic,
which be said and suag so patheticaliy,
m the aforesaid speech---a speech made
on so cold a day, we learn from Mr..
Gales, that SIR. Clay, with all his vehe.
meace Of gesture, aud heat OF elOquence,
. was not able to keep himself warm while
delivering it, and yet, such was its won
derful effect, I" that there were but few
eyes that Gid not testify to tho sensibiLity
sIcited."
Tie truth is, that notwithstanding all
the gasconade which was displayed by
The friends of the war on the subject
Of impresSment, there was no sincerity
10 their professions. Impressment was
not the real ground ofthe war. 1t was
pressed iato the manifesto for sinister
purposes. The war was made for far
dlifssent object than the vindicatian OF
nationaI rights, aad Mr.. Clay knew it.
If, however, this assertion should be tho't
harsh, if it was, in fact, declared, for the
assertion Of those rights, which the mani
festD professed, what's now the situation
ofthose rights 2 Mr. Clay, himself, in
the same speech, has answered this cues
ton. .sWheR nations are engaged in
war;" says he, & those rights IN eontro
ytrsy, which are not acknswledgcdby the
treaty of peace are all Abandoned Not
one Of the rights which we prolessedly
ssntended for, is {: acknowledged ia the
treaty Of peace. = ner in the conventieo,
dsoarse, according to Mr.. Clay's doc
time, .they are abandoned.n Impress,
nent, then, at tie idea oil WHICH, this yos
cferous orator could rave, of whine, as
occasion might require, is now given NJ.
and that perplexing and irritating sub
ject, which couId before have been made
subject Of negotiation, is now left to
the chapter Of accidents (; and those poor
sailors, whose security cost this country
somany scores ofmillions of dollars, and
such . destruction OF humaR beings, are
worse, tar worse OF now, than they were
before the war.
And yet,stk0se men, who profess
Cd SO much, and did so litttle-whO
set themselves up as the champions
Of" free trade, and sailors rights"
and voluntarily abandoned them both.
--claim still to be the friends of.
their cosntry, and the protectors of
those rights, thus sacrificed. This
Is foreverthe case with demagogues !
and the people who will erthem-
selves to be hood winked, and cheat.