New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-26
Attitude of England Toward America Dur
ing WashingtOn's First Presidency.

Mr.. Parton says, in his biography of JEFF
ferson, in the 4Aa,ttic Monthly for Febru-
airy: ~
President Washington's chief difficulties,
after the public debt had been provided for,
arose from the relations of the young re-
public with foreign powers. To weakness
everything is difficult. The necessity of
keeping the peace was so manifest and so
urgent, that the government could not meet
the representatives of an unfriendly power
on equal terms. The United States then
signifed merely a thin line of settlements
along the Atlantic coast; open on the side
of the ocean to hostile fleet and on the
western boundary to the Indian Tribes
Spain holding New Orleans and Great
Britain Canada. There was no armye no
navy. no surplus Sevenues and the country
was Hu. Just recovering from the eShaus.
ton and ravage OF an eight years. war.
When General Washington came 30 the
Presidency in I7S9, six years had elapsed
since the peace. In the treaty of 1873,
Great Britain had agreed to evacuates withe
out needless delay every fortified place
within the boundaries of the United States:
and yet British garrisons still held seven
American posts of little use TO her. but OF
vital Importance both to the honor and the
safety OF this eountry--posts the retention
of which was menace as well as an in.
jHry. fOt they kept open the great natural
highways from Canada into the United
States.
To these substantial wrongs was added
neglect. an indifference, a silence. that
looked like systematic discourtesy. Cone
gress sent Mr.. Adams 30 London, in 1873,
to represent the new member in the family
of nations near the court of one of the old
est. No English Minister was sent to
America till six years after. Mr.. Adams.
81
kept haunting antechambers for three
months before he began to get any certainty
as to the geasoH why the posts were re.
tanned.
Great Britain imposed such restriction.
upon American commerce. as seem. ~
present, teo preposterOus for belief. From
hey West India Islands American vessels
were utterly excluded; and only .uch
American produces were admitted as could
not be dispense! with grain. horses. live.
animals used fox food, timber, tar and FUR.
pentine. But neither an American yessei
nor American products Of any kind
whatever were admitted into one British
possession which could do without chem:
not into Newfoundland, Canada OF India
From Great Britain itself whals oil. salt
fish. salt provisions were excluded and
grain only admitted when the people must
have it or go hungry.
The American people might not be up in
tn r Puffendorf, nor was Vattel often seen
Vn the family table. but the ST. Clair mas
sacre struck hoJro. 20 the coolest heart, and
excited reflections in the dullese head.
Every one could enter into such cases as
that of Hugh Purdie, a native Of Virginia.
impressed in London streets, carried to sea
in "a man of-war, ordered to be released by
the admiralty, put in irons and logged after
these orders had been received. and set on
shore in a strange land without the means
of subsisting for day. 1t took fifty years
to get the hatred out of the hearts of the
American people which was engendered,
not so much by the war, as by this insolent
persistence in outrage after the war