Newspaper Page Text
A/ears Starnes id Cs.
On looking over the National
Intelligencer of the 17th ult, I
was much gratified with the pc- !
rufal of an exuafit from a late
London paper, which To hap
pily illustrates the rejcQion of
the proposition made by this
country to Great Britain —l
mull therefore request you to in.
fert it in your next paper, being
convinced it will he read with
plcafurc by your fublcnbcrs;
many of whom perhaps would
not otherwise have an oppoi tu
nny of feeing it*
While fonie of our good citij
zeni so loudly condemn the
measures of government, and it
seems, would willingly reduce
country to a (fate of colo
nization, the enlightened auf)
libe r al put of (even) the nation
whole rights and whole majelly
they arc lo tenatious of olfiend.
ing, arc difpofedto app'aud and
give due credit lo the mealurea
pursued by our government.
. A SUBSCRIBER.
From a late London Paper.
THE AMERICAN PROPOSITION.
Unprecedented in a military view
as it the situation of the modern
world, its commercial state pre
sent* a spectacle no less cairaor.
dinsiy.—While there is no medi
um between subjugation and hosti
lity the word “ neutral” is only
known as the sign of what once
existed. France excludes from
the Continent of Europe all who
would trade w’uh the British do
minions. Great Britain confirms
the woik of her cm my by for
cing all nations who would trade
with the Contiucnt of Europe to
pay her tribute and to do every
act which insures their exclusion.
Amrica disgusted and harrassed
with these proceedings, shuts up
her ports and put an end to all
maritime intercourse between civi
lized nations. The ravages of
war by a refinement of destruction,
arc thus accompanied with the
annihilation of one of the chief
means rs their reparation. The
embargo, which could never have
been tolerated in America, had
it not been tor our orders of coun
cil, i t unglv favored the views of
France. 1 hat commerce which
toiler was comparatively of little
consequence, was nearly ruined
before, and the embargo coaid not
maieii.dly alter her situation. To
Great Britain, whose strength, and
even existence, depends in a great
measure, on Inr commerce, the
measntv was like cuttiug off the
right baud. England, therefore, by
the ordtrs of council gave the last
blow to the intercourse of the ci
vilized world, and that blow fell
heaviest on hercsit.
In this state of things, a propo
sal is made, that i! Great Britain
would rescind her orders of
council, Amctica would either
trocure the revocation of th tf
rench decrees or continue the
embargo with respect to the ene
my, k renew the intercourse with
Great Britain. The effect of the
acceptance of this proposition
mu.t necessarily be either the
restoration of that commercial
intercourse w hich, though advan
tageous to the enemy, would be,
out of all proportion, more favor
able to the interests of G. Britain,
or the renewal of the intercourse
between G. Britain, nnd Ameri
ca, to the total exclusion of France
and her allies m thu war.—The
Fremh decrees formed the whole
pretence for the orders ot council,
and the revocation of ihe decrees
must, therefore, folly arwntr the
purpose for which these orders
were originally framed. If the
other alternative should be the
result of our closing with the Ame
rican proposition, our ralative si
tuation would not only be equal to
what it was before die issuing of
the decree, but even in some
respects highly unproved. lire
rescinding of the though,
irom the present state of the Eu
ropean Continent, the same faci
lity, as formerly would not exist
for the practice ol neutralizing,
xpoicd <u .vlr- bteven’s pamphlet,
entitled, ** The Frauds of Neu
tral Flags,” would still revive
some important differences respec
ting the right* of neutrals which
hvve never been adjusted, and
afford the enemy considerable ad
vantages. The continuation of
the embargo with respect to
France, while the intercourse
would be opened between Ameri
ca and Great Britain, would secure
all the objects which were expect
ed front the orders of council, & a
great deal more. The Americans
arc at present permitted by these
orders to crade with the Continent
through the medium of Great Bri
*iu aud to carry on a direct
intercourse with the enemy's
colonies. The embargo would
deprive the enemy even of these
rernaming advantages, and thus
insure, as far as regards the Con.
tment of Europe, the monopoly
of the American market to Great
Britain, which would raise ihe
British commerce upon the ab
solute destruction of that of the
enemy, a nd effectually retaliate
upon France the evil* of her own
injustice. America would th«-u
be almost as completely embarked
with ii 9 i n respect of all useful
purposes as if »h«» had declared
war against France ; fit from the
intemperance of the enemy, die
probability is that actual war would
haye been the result, at no v«ry
distant period.
If thco tbe American propositirnl
would have cither secured n« all
the advantages which we enjoyed,
previous to the decree of the 21st
November 1806, or plated us in
a better situation than we could
have expected from our orders
of council, how comes it that this
proposition ha 9 been rejected l
From the character of the min
isters, k their advisers, it it not at
all improbable that they have for
med the resolution, in case of the
renewal of neutral intercourse, to
insit upon the nile of 175 ti, and
thus exclude the Americans from
the enemy’s colonies, which unless
some relaxation tgok place m our
own colonial system, would in
the present situation of thw world,
subject them to almost intolerable
hardships. Our government have
been seniible, that the Ameri
cans would scarcely come to any
accommodation on these terms,
and thatihe enemy would certain*
ly refuse to rescind his decrees, if
he found us resolved upon a mea
sure which would deprive him of
the principal benefit winch he might
expect from his concession. Ihe
propositron may therefor# have
been rejected, because ministers
bad determined to accept j t ou | v
on condition which they were
awar would not be admitted. 'I he
inconsistency of this rule with the
old established law of uations was
obvious. But as Bonaparte hzs set
them the example of violating that
code they probably consider them
sclvssaa free from all the obliga.
tions that should prevrnt their
aenug upon this principle, while
they are cautious at the same time
about communicating their pur.
pose to the Americans, lest its
exposure, which is unnecessary
while the decrees and orders of
council continue, should only have
the cllcct of forcing them to take
common cause with tbe enemy.
It this is the ground upon which
the proposition was rejected, the
policy of the proceeding may be
justly estimated when it is consi
dcied, that at a time when we
are called upon to make extraor
dinary exertions—to 6 C nd subii.
dies and armies to Spain, in audi
tion to the immense ordinary ex
penditure ol the country, we are
depriving ourselves of a great and
essential benefit, in order, to sub
ject the enemy to a comparatively
uifling disadvanatge* But whe
-1 ther a resolution 10 enfocc the
I rtde ol ’56, or some other cir
cumstance, formed the objection
1 to this proposal it is difficult 10 con
i teive any teal injury winch coulu
[ have resulted to us from usaccep-
I tance. it i» on the contrary,
hardly possible to regard it in any
view in which tt would not have ,
been highly beneficial.
A neutral, \vc say, is c»ly hurt
be cause it is impossible by may
othtr expedient to come at the
cut ray. iicre a neutral offers
us another cxptdieur, certainly ’
equal, perhaps, superior, to that
I uiiicU wc out stives have adopted.
In rejecting that proposition, «<ir
government have not only ,-r red
in their policy, hut appear to have
committed a flagrant injustice ;
for whatever may be our title in
certain circumstances, to alter
what may be called the positive law
of nations, we cannot cither by
the rule of ’J6, or under any other
pretence, hive a r'ght to violate
the law of nation*, tvh:ch forbids
us. to do an innocent nation a great
harm in order to reduce an ene»
mv to a small inconvenience.
Our late commercial regulations,
whether viewed as to their poli*
cy or their justice are all very
happy illustration* of the fable of
the Dog in the Manger. In or
der to prevent ct’iers trom feeding,
we are starving ourselves ot death
■ ■ ... 11 - "."XJ
Trom tbe Evangelical Intelligencer.
R&v. Sir.
The peried has at last ar
rived, on which I have long
fixed my eager eye.
The Cherokee nation has ai
length determined to become
rnen and citizens. Towards
thii my exertions have been un
remittingly direflrd since the
commencement of my miflion
to them. A few days ago in
full council, they adopted a con
dilution, which embraces a fun.
pie principle of government.
The legillative and judicial
powers arc veiled in a general
council, and the lesser ones fub
ordinary. All criminal acou
fations mud be edablifhed by
tedimony, and no more execu.
lions mud be made by the aven
ger of blood ; the infliction of
punilbmcnt is made a govern
mental tranfa£t«m. Small com.
panies in each djfiriH are lo
have the power of our fheriff,
to apprehend supposed crim
inals, and to execute according
to the decree of the council.—
This could not be done as with
us by an individual, there being
no way properly to bind him ;
it rauft therefore be done by a
company, that one may be a
check on another.
They have aftualfy made
fame law's, and entered them
on record, to (land as written
laws of the nadon ; and you
would have been adonifhed at
the etiquette with which they
performed business ; from
council to council meflagcs were
palling and re-palling, accord
ing* to the rules of parliament.
One law is, that no murderer
shall be punished until he (hail
have been proved guilty before
the council. Another, that all
Indians who have Hock to acer.
tain number fpccified, shall pay
two dollars annually to fuppon
their national government,—
that every white man in the na.
tion of every defeription, fliali
pay one dollar per annum for
the fame purpose, and some
whose names arc mentioned, as
high as five.
That all Indians shall be ob
iiged to pay for eroding of fer
ries in the nation as the whites
do; that all ferries are to be
taxed for the fame purpose,
some as high as fifty dollars,
some thirty, fotne twenty, &c.
Laws are likewise enacted to
eftabiifli their companies as
mentioned above, and give
them their proper power. The
laws are in the following dile :
enabled by the General
Council of the Cherokee Na
tion Si c.
I fufpeft their next step will
be the partitioning out their
lands, and entering into regu
lar habits of hulbandrv. Thus
¥
far are the Cherokccs advanced,
further, I believe, than any
oiborjnation of Indians in Ame
rica. The lie advantages, they
cannot loie ; and as (oon as
they are civilized, their way will
be open for the cftabiifhmcm
of regular religious focicty ;
may the Lord soon haden it.
This is the mod critical ard
eventiful period I have ever
seen ; it is a time of anxiety
to my mind, and a time which
calls forth all the eneagies in
the minds of the Indians. I
feel, my fiiends that I need
mote grace, and more drenght
of body and mind lor this great
business. Money will ailo be
needed. The support of this
miifiottmay seem to be at agreat
ex pence, btrt let it be recollect
ed that the objetl is great; and
I hope it will not be lod for
w'ant of a little of that treasure
which God has so abundantly
bellowed on his people. I
would cheerfully facrifice my
little all, but it is too inconflder.
able to add momentum to this
machine. I have one of my
Ichools at a facratTient this day;
O ! that it may be a day of pow
er amongd them. Excule
hade, excule bltmifhes, pray
for me, a(iid me all you can.
fell your female focicties to
pray for me and my iittie In
dians.
Yours in the Gofple
of Chrid,
GIDEON BLACKBOURN.
From Long and Turner's Marine
unci C ommercial Hegi tier.
Arrived Is(t evening the brig
Batavian, filkettas, 66 days
from Rochelle, with some fur
niture for General Moreau,
package of dry goods to the
captain, and paffengeri—reflel
to V. E. Proted—having es
caped from Rochelle on the
night of the 14th of January,
between the forts and a French
squadron of four (hips of the
line and two frigates, with
troops on board, ready for sea.
January 16, was boarded by
the Biitifh frigate Comet; they
took out all the Batavian’s
crew except the Captain and
Cook, including two paflengerj,
and put on board an officer
and fix rnen, and ordered her
for Plymouth. The next day,
off Brett, the rest of the paf
iengers of the Batavian, with
the captain, cook and steward,
(8 in number) retook the brig.
Gn the 26th of February in
fat. 32, long. 57, the Batavian
was again taken by the Britifo
letter of marque (hip Irlam capt.
Geo. Keefer, from Barbadoes
bound to Liverpool—they put
on board four more men, to as
fifl the other prize crew rn
carrying the brig into Bermu
da ; but on the Bih mil. in lat.
34, 30, long. 63, the captain,
cook and fieward retook the
Batavian again, and brought
her fafe into port !!! Left only
one American vessel under sei
zure.
PHILADELPHIA, March 13.
Yesterday morning Mr. Par*
ifh of this city opened a policy
i at the coffee house. 50 per cent.
’ premium to injure a jree trade
with England and her depen
dencies by the 15th of next A_
pril. He has already 10,000
dollars on this policy. This cir
cumstance has caused confider.
ablejpeculation in the mercan
tile circles, as Mr. Parish is a
man of confidcrable property
and repeatability.
A disgraceful riot has lately ta
, ken place at New Haven, Connec
ticut. On the 4th inst. a reven
ue cutter, commanded bv capiain
Lee, captured and took into New
Haven a sloop, which had gone
out ot Milford Harbor in viola,
tion of the embargo laws, by which
act she be cam* forfeited to the
U. Sutes. On the 7th, in the af
ternoon, a number of meu assem
ble a, by force drove the crew from
the cutler, and took possession of ,
her prize, carried her into the
GIDEON BLACKBOURN.
j stream, and burnt her. A* t |y
burning a vessel is by the law*,:
Connecticut Arson the ca'.e w j
doubtless be lt'(l before the ( \
jury, then in session at New
ven.
(National Jiteliigeucsr.)
To the Legislature of the State cj
Georgia. T A
The addrels, which the ) e «Tf
lature of Georgia, the immedi
ate organ of the will of th Cir
constituents, has been plcafed to
present to me, is received with
that high (atisfaßion, which the
approbation of so repeßabte a
ttate is calculated to inl'pire.
During the unexampled con.
test which has so long aftli&er
Europe, which has proltratec
all the laws which have hitherto
been deemed (acred among na.
dons, and have (o long confti
tuted the rule of their inter
course, we had vainly hope*
that cur distance from the feent
of carriage, and the invariable
judice with which we have con
dutied ourselves towards ai
parties, would fhicld us from it
baleful effeßs ; but that com,
merce indilpenfibly neceffary*
for the exchange of the produce
of this gfeat agricultural coun.
try for the things which w<
want, increased by a temporary
fucceilion to-thc commerce o
other nations, as being out felvc,
the only neutrals, has brought
us into coma ft with the lawlcf
bellige'ents in every sea, auc
threatens to involve us in the
vortex of their contefls.
The privations, from th<
want ot a vent for our produce
have been the unavoidable re
lull of the edißs of the bclliger.
ent powers. Should the mea
sure adopted inconfequence of
them, and which meets youi
approbation, (ball save the lives
and property of our brethren
(rom the insults and rapacity
of these powers, it will be a for
tunate addition to the other ben«
efits derived from it. On th<
other hand, (hould our present
embarrairments eventuate in war
I am (atisfied that the ftaie ol
Georgia will zealously emulatt
her filter ltates in supporting
the government of their choice,
and maintaining the rights and
mterefts of the nation j our foil,
our indultry, and our numbers,
with the bravery which will be
engaged in the cause, can ne
ver reave us without refourccs
to maintain such a contest.
i o no events which can con
cern the future welfare of my
country, can I ever become an
indifferent fpebfator. Herprof
perity, will be my joy ; her ca
lambics, tny afflifction.
Thankful for thft indulgence
with which my conduß has been
viewed by the legislature of
Georgia, and for the kind ex'
preffion of their good will, I
lupplicate the favor of heaven
towards them and our beloved
country.
> Thomas Jefferson.
February 3 1809.
The spotted fever rages 1
in Hartford, Connecticut with
great violence. Numbers have
already fallen victims to its ra
vages. 111 three days three
filters were grasped in the cold
arms of death, in the bloom of
life and beauty, and both, two
days before in the vigor of health.
The Hartford Mercury gives
us the following additional no*
mento of the grim tyrant’s (lem
embraces:— Republican.
On Wedneiday died Mrs.
Mary Dodd, w ife of Mr. John
r Dodd, polt-mafter, after an ill
nets of tour days, aged 56 years.,
The day preceding her death
Mr. Dodd himfeifwas taken in
and expired on Sunday morn*
mg in the 66th year ot his age.