Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-04-16
a LEAF FROM HISTORY.

| '"Ah ueoiaIatory hesoluuons which announced to
the world at large our resolves upon supposititious
state of things We find that Mr. BADgyR character
lied them as al least unnecessary and premature and
objected to this nHohiny rar Jyproclamafiou per-
haps no member Of the Senate has higher renpt,-
ton than the Senator from North Carolina for full
ness and accuracy Of information, SO much more
formidable in his hands from tue astuteness and
logical clearness of his mind We are. consequent
y, surprised that he should have criticized the re-
solutions in this light, if they were something
novel--an innovation upon the recognised mode Of
commencing quarrel. We can cite him noted in
stance where war not only begun, but actually
conducted BY the sole means Of this potent weapon
We shall not stop to refer the Senator TO the history
of other campaigns, both ancient and modern, in
which this dread engine has been used with signal
effect, but proceed at once to quote our prece-
dent, and overwhem the learned Senator with proof
of his singular forgetfuness Had the instance oc-
CURED to him, we cannot doubt that he woald have
appreciated its relevancy and longer have ques-
toned the propriey Of the proposed use of simple
and efcacious mode of striking terror to the hearts
Of our enemies as proclamation would probably
prove to be.
The case to which we allude occurs in the early
history of the State of New York, during the reign
Of the renowned Governor, WILLIAM THE TEsTY.
Our authority is the veracious Diedyich Kaicker-
booker, from the fourth book of whose annals we ex
tract paragraph or two, TO direct the Senator's
attention to the strongest precedent on.record
1t was upon the occasion of the worthy Governors
address to the Colony of New Netherlands that he
availed himself of what the historian calls the
glorious opportunity Governor, President, or
even an Emperor has Of drubbing his enemies in
his speeches, messages, and bulletins, where he has
the talk all on his own side"
The neighborng Yankees had intruded into the
territory of the Dutch, and had driven off their
garrisons, and vigorous measures were requisite
WILLIAM, having enlarged in terms of adequate
opprobrium upon the insolence and audacity Of
these Yankees, assumed says Dedrich, self
satisfied look, and declared, with nod Of knowing
import, that he had taken measures to put final
stop to these encroacfments; that he had been
obliged to have recourse to a dreadful engine Of
warfare, lately invented, awful in its effects but
authorized by direful necessity in word, he was
resolved to conquer the Yankees-BY PRocLAMA-
TIoN.
g For this purpose he had prepared tremendous
instrument of the kind, ordering, commanding, and
enjoinng the intruders aforesaid forthwith to re-
move, depart and withdraw from the districts re-
gions, and territories aforesaid under pain of suffer
ing all the penalties, forfeiures, and punishments
in such case made and provided This proclamation,
he assured them, would at once exterminate the
enemy from the face of the country and he pledged
his valor Governor that, within two months after
it was published, not one stone should remain on
another in any Of the towns which they had built"
Assuredly it is in spirit Of prophecy, but mere
" to complete the pertinent part of the history Of
this proclamation, that we add another extract from
cur author:
"Never was a more comprehensive more ex-
peditious or what is still better more economical
measure devised than this Of defeating the Yankees
by proclamation-an expedient, likewise, so hu-
name, so gentle and pacific there ten chances
TO one III favor of its succeeding but then there
one chance to ten that it would not succeed As the
ill-natured Faes would have it. that single chance
carried the day The proclamation was perfect in
all its parts-well-constructed wellwritten, we'll
sealed, and -published-dH that ,ras rdatiRg 70
insure is effect ros hat tie lankees should stand
ia are cit; but, provoking to relate, they treated
it with the most absolute contempt and thus did the
first warlike proclamation come 10 shameful end
fate which am crediby informed has befallen but
too many of Its successors"
Thus the issue Of WILLIAMS essay in the new
art of war disastrous, TO be sure But the fault
must be laid upon fortune, not the Governor for it
cannot be asserted that his action lacked energy
On the failure Of this first attempt he Illuminated
against his pestent neighbors a second proclama-
ton of heavier metal than the first, but all to no
purpose The Yankees had possession Of the port
Of Good Hope, and kept it. This, however, proves
only that they obstinate and intctable race,
resolutely closing their ears to conviction. Had
they been otherwise, or had the Governor had to
deal with any other people, probably his method
would have been as successful as he anticipated.
Therefore, no more modern imitators need despair,
at least before trial.
A spice Of philosophical reflection from the SEN
sible DIEDRICH will fifty terminate our quotations
and this chapter from the History Of Procamations
i" Your amazing acute politicians are forever
looking through telescopes, which only enable them
to such objects are far off and unattainabe,
but which incapactate them to see such things as
arc in their reach and obvious to all simple folks,
who are content to look with the naked eyes heaven
has given them"
MARYLAND COAL TRADE.
The coal trade upon the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
for the week ending he