Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-03-27

their independence; he endeavored to
show BY stating, amongst otke' things
that the exports Of Spanish America were
.;rL+v ONE millions Of dollars. o which
| three fourths were OF the precious metal
and that the far greater part OF that
would, in the commercial intercou Sc be-
tween that country and this. fall to the
share of the United States What We
should give in return Tor that sum he en-
deavored to account for, by saying, that
tho our manufactures at present scarce
Inv amounted 20 three millions of our own,
vet as the house was then legis atlng tor
future ages, it was reasonable to conclude
that we should have. in time, abundance
of manufactures to meet it. Brsldes. we
~e,e not, he said, to confne our estimate
to what we could supply by our own IN
dastry aud soil since by commerce, as
it was now understood and practised,
every quarter of the globe was tributary
to our trade. aud one cargo Of our ex-
ports often contained the products OF sii
parts of the world. And this led to the
consideration OF our tonnage, the en-
ployment of which in transporting the
traffic of all parts of the world to South
America in exchange for the precious me-
tails, would make an important augmen-
tation il our navigating interest. AS the
powers Of Europe, and particularly Great
Britain and France were, generally
speaking, a much larger portion of their
tine at war than in peace, it vas certain
that during their contests, the ships OF the
United States would be the sole carrier,
of the Spanish American provinces,which
from the want of haroors lthe proper nur-
series of seamen) and the want OF that
spirit Of enterprise peculiar to our north
ern states, could never become a great
maritime power, Besides these advan-
tlges, the friendly dispositr ms of persons
enjoying forms of government like our
own. aud therefore animated by frat rnal
feelings towards US, being placed upon
the south boundary of our territories,
would operate as defence to tie coun'
try in that quarter, and be barrier to
guard the Mississippi and our southern
aud western states from European ma
tons while if Ferdinand we're in PTS
session Of those provinces, we should be
continually exposed to his attacks. Were
those provinces to choose Tor Themselves
monarchical governments, still Mr. Clay
| thought that we might look to them Tor a.
micable partial feelings, if we deserved
them BY our friendly conduct u them:-
but he believed that they would more pro-
baby be republican; since they had &c
morally adopted in all their public VII
tugs and manitestocs the principles "i
our government, and in Venezuela even
taken the words of our cOnst'tution-tO
prove this he read some passages from
their maniieStocs.
Mr.. Clay said that he did not think it
necessary or advisable for US to 60 to
war for the purpose OF aiding those pro-
yincss-but all that we could do, consist
emily with our obligations of neutrality.
we ought 10 do. We ought to acknow-
ledge their indnpendence--we were
bound to be the first to take them by the
hand, and not wait for the example Of O.
Their powers to recognize them.-By our
own practice he said, we were bound to
do 50. When the FIRST minister came
from the French Republic, Washington
did not wait for other powers to chow the
example.-So too, Mr.. Madison, in the
case OF Spain acknowledged the govern
ment then subsis:ing de .faeto by receiv'
ing its ambassador. lie thence turned to
the question OF probable danger arising
from our recognition Of those govern
ments: and said that Spain was SO far
from beiug able to 60 to war with US, that
she had net even chance of reducing hel
insurgent colonics-since in four years
which had elapsed from the return Of Fer
dinand to the throne, he had not been a.
bic torecoyer his dominion over Vene.
zuela alone, though the weakest Of them
all. 1t nas absurd then to suppose that
he would venture TO undertake war a