American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1824-08-31
VOL. LII.

ieclua for the poses il was meant to secure a
single day will suffice to unbar the doors Still be-
lieving it measure justified by the circumstances
of the time, | am ready to admit that those who
thought otherwise may have had wiser foresight
of events, and sounder udgme Of the then
listing state of things than the ma iority of the nations
al Legislature and the president Ii has been approx
ed by several OF the state legislatures, and among
the rest by Yet of all its effects still
unable TO Judge with certainty. 1t must still abide
the test of tutury | shall add that there
other motives which had their operation in contri-
buting to the passage of the act unnoticed by Mr..
Pickering, and which having ceased, will also
be lett uDnoticed by me. The orders OF council OF
the lth Nov still subsis 10 all their for,e and
are now confirmed, with the addition of taGat0n,
| by act Of Parliament
As they stand in front Of the real causes for the
lepbargo, so they are entitled to the same pre- EN-
nence In enumerang the causes of hostility,
which the British ministers accommodating upon
our torbearance. They strike at the root Of our
independence. They assume the principle that we
shall have no commerce in time OF war; but with
her dominlons, and as tributaries TO her. The excu
sive confinement Of commerce to The mother coun-
try, IS the great principle of the modern colonial
system and should we by derelic,ion of our
rights at this momentous stride OF encroachment,
surrender our commercial freedom without strug.
gle, britain has but single step more to take,
and she brings back 10 the stamp act and the tea
tao.
Yet these orders-thus fatal to the liberties for
which the heroes OF our revolution toed and bled-
thus sudiously concealed until the moment when
they burst upon our heads-thus Issued at the very
instant when mission of atoDement was profess
sedy sent--in these orders TO nothing
but " retaliating order upon France''-in these
orders, we must not find SO much cause-nsyo
not so much as pretence, for complaint against
4 Great Britain.
To my mind, sir in comparison with those orr
Iders, the three causes to which Mr. Pickering ex-
Ipllcitly limits our grounds for a rupture with Eng
Hand, might indeed be Justly denominaed preencpS
lin comparison with them former aggressions sink
into inslgnifcance. TO argue upon the subject Of
our disputes with Britain, upon the embargo,
and 20 keep them out of sight, is like laying your
finger over the unit before series OF noughts. and
then automatically proving that they are all no.
thing.
81 1t is not however IN mere omission, nor yet in
the history OF the embargo that the Inaccuracies OF
the statement am examining have gwen me The
d, most serious concern. 1t is in the view taken os
1.-The questions in controversy between aud Rglt-
Jain. The wisdom OF the embargo is question oG
fIgreat but transient magnitude. and omission sacgi
lfices national rghs Mr.. Pickering's oSiete
was to dissuade he nation from war with + r.
land into which he suspected the administrators
J was plungng us, under French compulslon. Bus
the tendency of his pamphlet is to reconcile the
vilude of British protection, and war with all the
E rest of Europe Hence England is represented IS
contendlng for the common liberties of mankind
e and our only safeguard against The ambition and
Injustice of France Hence all our sensihilities are
invoked in her favor, and all antpathies against
her antagonist. Hence too all the subjects Of dit
ference between us and Britain alleged 10 be ON
our part mere pretenceS, OF which the right is I'M
! equivocay pronounced to be on her side Pro-
ceedng from a senator of the United States, spe-
al caily charged as member OF the executive with
the maintenance OF the nations rights against for
v egn powers ard at moment extremely crltica! Of
pending negotiation upon all the points thus deine
Y laed, this formal abandonment OF the american
cause, this of unconditional surrender to
t the preensions of our antagonist, is in my mind
N highly alarming. II becomes therefore duty TO
S which every other consideration must yield point
t out the errors OF his representation Beforp zee
strike the sandardot the nation, let us at least ec-
, anime the parport Of the summons.
RI And 6rst, with respect the impressment of our
c seamen.--We are told that " the taking of British
seamen found on board merchant vessels, by
c British ships of war, is agreeaby to right. claim
ed and exercised for ages' 1t is obvious that this
: claim and exercise of ages. could not apply to US,
as an independent people II the right was claimed
e and exercised while our vessels were navigating
under the British flag, it could not authorize the
It same claim when their owners have become the
lclizens of sovereign state. As reict of c0t0-
NAL Serritude whatever may be the claim Of Great
n Britain, it surely can be no ground for contendng
q that it is entitled to our submission.
r iii be meant that the right has been claimed
and exercised for ages the merchant vessels of
Z other nations apprehend it is mistake The
. case never occurred with sufficient frequency to
. constitute even practice much less right. If
it had been either, il would have been noticed by
d some of the writer's the laws OF nations. The
truth is, the question arose out of American indie