Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-06-17

are sung on all Occasions their sen,i.
ments are purely republican. This, To-.
gether with the number Of persons who
are called forth trnm the mist humble
and obscure situations, tn act considera.
BILE parts. surely must tend to elevate
and enligl.trn. Tie number Of per.ons,
more or less connected with tie civil
and military, is necessarily great. A.
mongst the feproaches heaped on these
people by strangers, what appeared to
me vecy curious, heard them reproached
With national vanity! One Of these "a.
triots, l vas told, declared TIA. North
America had produced but one WASH.
IxeTos, while the Suvth had produced
8 hundred! There is one thing univer.
sally admitted, and that is, the great e.
quality existing throughout the society,
an equality which ha. not been enforced,
but exists in the same manner as in the
United States. Here is certainly the
basis on which to build republican 20.
vernment. As did not come here TO
look for miracles, I am not disappointed.
with respect to the administration Of the
government, the state Of finance, the ir.
regularities Of these in offce, from the
want OF powers being properly defined.
the deficiency in general knowledge. &c.
these are topics upon which much may be
justly said against the country. There
is one thing certain, that all have heard
allege, against ii, would have excited
no particular attention at Rio, as being
Of course.
| The shortness Of the time which has
elapsed since my sr.isal, will not enable
me to say any thing worth writing down
on the subject 81 the government. Its
enemies call it military republic, butt
assure you it is nothing but republic
and believe can be nothing wise. The
story OF their wi,hing a king yCu may
rely upon it, IS absolutely ridiculous. In
the vessel which brought US up from MOr.
te Viedo, there were several persons
in the lower walks OF life who talked
politics aud sung their national song,
something like our Hail Columbia
These people who can hardly be presu.
md to speak any Other than the sent;-
mtnts o! the hundreds, which compose
the class Of society in which they move,
had quite IS rational and as enthusiastic
cal notions on the subject Of COVE nment.
as people OF the same occupations and
education in our own country. One Of
them told me tina! he thought Rosseau's
Social Compact visionary thing, but
that Paine's Common Sense and Rights If
Man were sober and rational productions.
The priests are all natives, ard all re-
pubIicans. Their inGrenc. is much di.
minished the younger part OF the con-
tnunity are becoming perhaps, too careless
on the subject of their religion There
is TO religious into essnce every Que
is free to worship in his own way.
Our arrival. am Informed, has excl
ted the most extravagant JOY to be no
ticed in any manner BY respectable go
veronent, aud more particularly by US,
whom they admire more than any people
in the world, is highly gratifying. In
the present state Of the orld, tie feel
Ing Of one republican nation wards g.
uother republican nation, is not tn be
described, and cannot be known to kings
aud their servants. We have It in cur
power to direct aud fix the ,lestinies Of
! a great people. Good Heaven is it pos
siO!e that our enlightened statesmen can
not lit up their minds 10 the magnitude
81 the subjectl
With respect to the capacity Of these
people fer defence sgainst any force that
can be sent against them, it is admitted
, by all. To aDy one who has been an
hour on the spot. the attempt OF Spain
with the assistance Of any nation In En-
. rope, 10 subjugate them, must APPEAR al
most ridiculous, when we see that at
: ,Msnte Viedo the whole Portuguese force
is shut up by two hundred men Thirty
thousand men can be brought to the de-
fence Ut tbi, capital, every house OF
which is a comPl.ts fortress. The difft.
cultics Of the navigation are also Of such
a nature as 10 render it difficult fir any
large body Cf troops to be transported
with safety. The Portuguese are vast.
ing their lpen and money in the most
childish manner. ANY one on tie spot
will see in Ave minutes that II is utterly
impossible for them to make tie slightest
progress. The disputes between hrG-
gas and this government, will endea-
your to explain when ! shall bscome bet
ter acquainted with them.
The people here are under The impress
sion, that Ensland is only waiting for the
United States to acknowledge Buenos
Ayres, in order to follow the example,
The simple Acknowledgements If these
people will be productive Of conssquen.
ces Of which YOU can scarcely form an