The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1830-03-04

'saot avoWeoiy sNrVSen0o VI PsS's Se"ss-
ment, and the gentleman called the writer's
"pious and good men" So do not !. Sir,
they were infuriaied fonaiics ,polltical mad
men; condemned by the sober minded Of
their own party; and would as soon pro-
duce the outpourings of Bedlam as proof Of
public opinion as illusions such as theirs
The honorable Senator told MS, with
great emphasis, thai the enemy was permit
tea to establish himself. and TO open Gus
tom house upon the soil of Massachusetts; !;
and so much reliance did he plhce upon
This, as cause Of reproach. that IL was re-
Iterated three times in the course Of his
speech. II is most unjust. The people Of
that State, without distinction of party,
were at all times resolved to defend their
territory, and prompt in resisting the op
proach of the enemy. The gen,lcman's al
luson could not be misunderstood; it was
to the capture and detention Of Castine. n
small village situated on little peninsula,
on the eastern side Of the Penobscot river,
in the remote parts of Maine where the
adjacent country contains but a spare pop
U alton. 1t is connected With the main
land only by narrow neck, and is sur.
rounded on its various sides by water deep
enough 10 float ship Of the largest class,
which might, within point blank shot, com
mand every part Of The village. | verify
believe that large naval force might bring
more guns to bear on that place than were
men in il at the time of It's capture. So sit
nated and destitute ofthe means Of feficient
defence, an Overwhelming British feet cap
tured and took possession Of it. ! would
acE ba In hat ~ hn i'm,
self would have made? Could he have
wihs,ood the batteries Of that feet with
nothing but his word or his musket? The
idea Of success ,ful resistance would have
been mere faulty. But it is said the enc
my retained the place and opened custom
house. IL vas not taken until about the
first day Of September, 1914 and the treaty
Of peace was signed in December Of the
same year, Of which, information reached
US in February following. Could it have
been retaken? The British had there a
large military and naval force. The neck
which connects the peninsula with the
main land is so low and narrow, that ca
nal was dug across il, and Castine was
thereby converted into an island. All ac-
cess TO il was completely commanded by
the guns Of the enemy's fleet, and we had
not q single ship 10 aid Us: beside which,
the whole scaboad Of Maine, for more
than two hundred miles, and its numerous
rivers, bays and inets, containing millions
Of shipping, were constantly harrasscd by
The enemy ranging along the coast, and re-
qurug the presence Of The militia al every
pon, to repel his threatened Gepredations.
And even If the militia could have been
spared for the enterprise, and it had been
possible to rccap,ure the place, the British
might easily have taken possession of any
of the numerous adj djacent islands in the Pc.
nobscot bay and carried on all his opera.
tons with great facility
The gentleman from South Carolina.
himself told us, would not otherwise have
alluded TO the fact, that bis own State was
completely overrun during the war Of III e
revolution. II was so indeed. The British
considered il ent irely subdued, and, for a
time, he'd over il rcslslless sway. men.
ton 1t not as 4 reproach; il was inevitable
But that gentleman should have been the
last to suggest the idea that the presence
of an enemy upon the soil is a necessary
impeachment OF the patriotism or gallanlry
Of the people.
Notwithstanding all that has been said
OF the late war as derogating from the
character Of New England, boldly ask
from what portion Of the country was i,
sustained with moro efficient aid? The
gentleman tells Us that money was with
held by a combination Of all the banking
interest One Bank, sir, in the town OF
Boston alone advanced the governmcn mt tive
millions Of dollars; and asinglo individual
there million more. The large amount
loaned in III town Of Salem, my friend from
Massac chusstts now before me, (Mr.SrLs.
BEE,) whose ample fortune was entrusted
to his country, can well attest. Sir, with
out the hard money--nOl the deprecated
paper Of broken banks--but tho gold and
silver which tho citizens OF New England
caused to be paid into the Treasury from
loans and the customs, your totteung cred
it must have fallen completely postrate.
And when clouds Of despair lowered n
round you, and thick darkness envcoped
your whole horizon. it was the CLEANS o,
glory from the ocean that dispclled the
gloom and ilumined your path. That sun
Of glory arose in the east, and was lighted
up by the Mariners Of New England. You
manned not a ship--you fred not gun up.
on the lakes, or upon the ocean, withou,
The aid Of tho sons of New Englsnd; and
in every battle upon the water they poured
out their blood in your defence. Upon land
too, their achievements were unequslled
Those who, having voluntarily rendered
their services, were not permitted to de-.
fend their own homes, but marched to the
frontiers Of New York, constituted the
regiment which well earned their expires.
sive appellalion ofthe bloody ninih-which
stood alone against twice their force oi