the Americans will be a very short job | lives in fighting for America against an indeed. Time will show, whether this Ally of England; suppose Englishmen to opinion be correct; but it is of great im- be thus treated, what, I ask, should we portance, that we keep steadily in mind then say?-This is the way in which we the grounds of this war; for, if it should ought to look at the matter, unless, indeed, be of any long duration, and should bring we mean to throw all considerations of jusgreat mischiefs in its train, we shall cer- tice aside; or, to consider the Americans, tainly be permitted to enquire, whether it not as an independent nation, but rather might not have been avoided. Our dis- as a species of colonists, whose interests putes with America have lasted from the are not to be put in competition with those beginning of the King's reign to the present of the mother country.-In justification of hour. But the real grounds of the present the exercise of this power on our part, we war lie in a very narrow compass. There said, that, without it, our navy would be were certain Orders in Council, of which ruined, because our sailors would desert the Americans complained, till about two and find a safe refuge in American ships, years ago, when those orders were repealed. which were to be found in every port in At the same time they complained that the world. There was something very their vessels were stopped at sea, and that humiliating in this excuse; for, what was our naval officers, at their discretion, took it but to acknowledge, at once, that our out of those vessels such persons as they sailors, forgetting their honour, their duty, looked upon, or asserted to be, British their oaths, their loyalty, and their pasubjects. It is very well known, that, in triotism, and regardless of the glory of our consequence of the exercise of this power, own navy, were at all times willing to dehundreds of Americans born, were com- sert, in very great numbers, at least, unless pelled to go on board of English men of they were deprived of all means of refuge, war, and serve in the capacity of sailors, For my part, I always felt humiliated at and be subjected to all the rules of disci- the use of this ground of defence. But pline, and, of course, to all the punish- the American Government, in order to ments making part of that discipline, on prevent hostilities upon the subject, made board of our ships. It is notorious that propositions calculated to secure us from hundreds of them were so taken, and so the danger so much apprehended. They compelled to serve. It is not necessary to said that they could not be called upon, as suppose that our officers abused their a matter of right, to adopt any measure power. It is not necessary to suppose, upon the subject; because they had a right that from any prejudice or any hostile to employ, in their service, whatever perfeeling they were inclined to abuse their sons might choose voluntarily to enter into power. But we must suppose, at least, that service, and that the law of nations that they were unable to ascertain who did not permit the ships of any power to were British subjects, and who were not stop their vessels at sea, to take out of British subjects, since it is a fact not to be them persons of any description whatever. denied, that hundreds of men have been Nevertheless, in order to give us all the discharged by our Admiralty, from our satisfaction, and all the security consistent navy, in consequence of demands made by with the safety of their own natural born the American Consul in London, repre- citizens, they were willing to agree, that, senting that such men had been impressed when any of their ships were in port, in in the manner above described. Now, it any country in the world, whether in the is very easy for us to say, that these men British dominions, or in any other domimight as well be serving in our navy as in nions, any one or more of their crew, might other ships at sea. It is very easy for us be claimed and taken away as British subto shut our ears as to complaints touching jects, the persons so claimed being first upon matters in which we have no fellow brought before, and heard by, and their feeling; but, suppose the Americans were cases decided upon by some justice of the to treat us in the same way? Suppose peace, or other civil magistrate, or civil them to be at war, and we at peace; sup- authority, as the case might be. They pose their ships of war to stop our mer- were further willing to pass a law, strictly chantmen upon the ocean, to take out prohibiting, under severe penalties, the sailors at their discretion; to subject them employing of any British subject on board to the rules and punishments of the Ame- their ships. What they objected to was, rican navy; to compel them to expose their the leaving the persons of their sea-faring 66 * citizens wholly at the discretion of the to quote from the Times newspaper; and, officers of the English navy, and that, too, I am sorry to say, though the sentiments not in port where an appeal to the govern- of this article are truly detestable, if they ment might be made, but at sea, where no come to be thoroughly examined, they are appeal could be made, where no redress but too generally entertained in this coun could be had, where discretion and power try.-After inserting a List of the Ame were the only things to be heard of. We, rican Navy, which list I have subjoined in however, would not agree to give up the a note, the writer proceeds thus:—“ In use of this discretion and power. We" another part of this paper our readers persevered in what the Americans deemed "will see a document calculated to call acts of hostility; they resorted to arms in" forth the most serious reflections. We what they deemed their defence, and thus "allude to the official statement of the we are at war with them.-This was the " American marine force, which may now, real ground of the war; and as the dis- "ALAS! without irony, be termed a navy. pute naturally terminated with the war in" It consists (including three seventy-fours Europe; as our being at peace with all "likely soon to be launched) of 33 vessels the rest of the world at once put an end to "of war for the ocean, carrying 947 guns, the cause of these impressments from Ame-" and 32 vessels for the lakes, carrying 265 rican ships, the Americans, having no guns, besides 203 gun-boats, barges, &c. longer any thing to complain of, the matter "This force, we have no hesitation in saying might have been dropped at once, the ques"MUST BE ANNIHILATED. To tion of right to exercise such a power" dream of making peace, until we have permight have been waved, harmony between" formed that ESSENTIAL DUTY to the two countries might have been restored," ourselves and our posterity, would be a their commercial connections re-established, "folly too deplorable for common repreand peace might, for once, have extended "hension. It would betray a wilful and her wings over the habitable globe. Why "voluntary disregard of the NATIONAL this has not taken place has never yet been " SAFETY. Let us never forget that distinctly stated in any public communica-" the present war is an unprovoked attack tion or document, coming from authority. on the very existence of Great Britain. A report of a speech made in the House of "The arch CONSPIRATORS, of whom Commons, by one of the Lords of the Ad- "Madison is the ostensible, and Jefferson miralty, has represented the object of the "the real head, fancied that, whilst our war now to be the deposition of Mr. Ma-" army was employed in Spain, they could dison; which, of course, embraces, or "with ease wrest Canada from our domiwould embrace, something little short of" nion. To any considerable naval succonquering that country, and the taking of" cesses they did not even lift their hopes; its government into our own hands. The "but the fatal surrender of the Guerrire wise men who conduct the London news- opened new prospects to them. papers, are continually urging the necessity"cated with delight at beholding the of destroying the American nation; of" British flag struck to the American, the taking advantage of the present favourable" DEMOCRATIC Government seriously moment for crushing that nation, which" set about the task, which they had before seems destined to become a dangerous rival" considered hopeless, of forming a navy. upon the seas; there are men in this coun- "It is painful to reflect how far they have try who would murder all the Americans," proceeded in this undertaking. It is merely because they enjoy real freedom, "infinitely more painful to consider that and are, what such men deem, a dangerous " even the gallant affair of the Chesapeake example to the world. But these men are "has hardly served to check the full tide shy in avowing their abominable principles. " of their presumptuous hopes. They are They disguise them, and endeavour to now persuaded that the sea is THEIR seize hold of better feelings, by alarming" ELEMENT, and NOT OUR'S.the patriotic fears of the people, whom" Defeated and disgraced by land, they they stimulate to this war by holding out "turn with pride and confidence toward the idea, that, unless America.be now put "the ocean. Their very avarice is hushed; down, or, at least, put back, she will, in a few years, be able, in conjunction with France, to beat us upon the ocean. An article of this description, I am now about 66 66 Intoxi "their despicable economy is overcome; "and in peace or war, they will henceforth "leok to one great object-the wresting "the trident from the hand of Britain. 66 66 66 "It is IDLE TO TALK OF DIS- | naval power, and of the greatest conse"PUTING WITH THEM ABOUT quence in the world? If he be beast "PRINCIPLES. They will give up enough to entertain any such expectations any principle to-day, and re-assert it to- or hopes, he must be, and that is saying a morrow; and whether they do or not, is great deal, a greater beast than any of his "totally insignificant: but the struggle brother-conductors of newspapers. Yet, "with them is for actual power-power it is in this blessed enterprize; it is in this actually employed towards our destruc-enterprise to stay the hand of nature, to "tion. There is but one way to turn the raise a barrier against the natural progress current of their thoughts and efforts from of things, to stop the effects of the heat of "their present direction, and that is, TO the sun, that we, according to him, are to "CRUSH THEIR GROWING NAVY expend many more hundred millions of "TO ATOMS. The enterprize may be pounds, and cause torrents of blood to be "twice as difficult now, as it would Lave shed. It is not, I must confess, at first "been (had our means then permitted it,) blush, a pleasing reflection, that England "in the first month of the war; but it is, one day or other, to be eclipsed in naval "will infallibly be ten times as difficult, power. But upon what ground can any nay, it may become absolutely impossible, man justify, or attempt to justify a war for "if it is delayed till a future war. NOW the purpose of devastating a country upon "America stands ALONE; hereafter the bare presumption, that, first or last, "she may have ALLIES. Let us that country will exceed our own in power? "STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS The chances are, that the States of Ame“HOT.”————Here it is, then, all come rica wiil divide at some future period. In out. Whoever remembers the jesting and that case, they will become enemies, occa taunting of this man about the " American sionally; and, perhaps, no one of them Navy," about two years ago, must now will ever equal England in point of power. laugh at his "serious reflections," and at If any thing could possibly preserve their that "alas!" which the bare sight of this union beyond its natural duration, it would navy list brought up from the bottom of his be a war against them all upon the principle stomach. And why should the wise man avowed by this weak and wicked writer, cry alas at this sight? Does he think whose publications will do more in support that the eight millions of people, who in- of Mr. Madison than any thing which habit the United States, and whose country that gentleman or his friends could say or contains many rivers, compared to the do. For, here the object is stated to be to smaller branches of which the Thames at crush America, now that she has no ally, London Bridge is a gutter; does he think in order to prevent her at any future period that such a people, inhabiting a country from possessing the means of defence that produces Indian corn, melons in the against England. It is not a question of natural earth, a crop of wheat, and then a right of the present moment that this wise crop of buck-wheat in the same field in the gentleman agitates; it is a question of same year, and both carried into the barn futurity. America may be a dangerous by the middle of September, and where the rival at sea, at some future time, and, peaches grow in greater abundance, and therefore, we are now to make war upon with a tenth part of the trouble, than the her; therefore her navy must be annihiapples in Somersetshire? Does he imagine lated; therefore we are to strike while the that a country where the timber of the iron is hot. He calls the American best quality stands on the side of the rivers, President and the Congress conspirators. and where ships of the first size can sail, What shall we hear called a conspiracy by invites the shipwright to convert it into the and bye? What sort of sentence he means means of navigating the ocean? Is he to pass upon Mr. Madison and Mr. Jefbeast enough to suppose that a country ferson, he has not told us, and he may as where the very fields are enclosed and se- well keep that to himself, till he has them parated by posts of cedar and rails of ches- in his clutches. It is something new this, nut? Is he, I say, beast enough to sup- to hear the chief magistrate of an indes pose, or to hope, that such a country, in- pendent nation called a conspirator, merely habited by the descendants of the most because he is at war with us. The King enterprising and most laborious of this and of Prussia, the Fmperor of Russia, the of every other European nation, can pos- Emperor of Austria, the King of Spains sibly be prevented from becoming a great have all been at war with us within the - last eleven years; but no one ever thought | about Mr. Jeffrays, and, coming through of calling them conspirators. Yet, surely, that channel, I have little doubt of the acthe term was as applicable to either of count having proceeded from Mr. Jeffrays them as it is now to Mr. Madison, who himself. That he dined with Mr. Madison is the chief magistrate of a nation as inde- I have no difficulty in believing, the cuspendent of us as Prussia or Russia. But toms of that country admitting of such an since the fall of Napoleon, these saucy intercourse; but that Mr. Madison ever slaves have always talked of America in a put such a question to him I think to be way which authorizes us to believe, that very improbable. At any rate, to publish they still look upon her as a revolted co- such an anecdote was no very suitable relony, and that they have actually formed turn for the hospitality and condescension the project of bringing her back to her of the President. But, I dare say, that allegiance. If the slaves could but be in this puffed up Scotch Reviewer looked upon America for one twenty-four hours, these himself as a much greater man than Mr. thoughts would soon be dissipated. But, Madison. Kings and Princes are in the in the meanwhile, they find people to de- right of it to keep themselves aloof, to ride lude; they find a soil genial for the errors in gilded carriages, and wear big wigs and which they spread abroad, and nothing but long robes. These are the things that insad experience will extirpate them. spire respect in vulgar minds, and that The newspapers contained, some few days keep the slavish multitude in awe.-The ago, an account of a conversation said to people of America have not yet furnished have taken place between the Scotch Re- their chief Magistrate with the means of viewer, Mr. Jeffrays, and Mr. Madison, riding many miles in a day within park some months ago. The public were told, walls. His whole salary would not mainthat the latter asked the former, while they tain a gilded coach and its appurtenances. were at table together, what the people in But in some sort to make up for this, Mr. this country thought about the war with Jeffrays might, of a Saturday morning, America; to which Mr. Jeffrays is said to about seven o'clock, have seen in the city have replied, that he believed, that he of Philadelphia, or New York, five hunheard some person at Liverpool say some-dred labouring men, each of them going thing about it, but that, with that exception, home from market with a turkey or a goose he had never heard it even mentioned. for his Sunday's dinner, and not one out of This was a cut of contempt at America. the five hundred to give him the wall, or As much as to say, that a war with Ame-pull off his hat to him. This was an object rica was a thing of so little consequence to this great big nation, that the people hardly knew that it was going on. They will know it by the intimations of the taxgatherers, if through no other channel. These gentry will tell them what it is to have a war with America. But the hypocrisy of this contempt is, by the article on which I am commenting, made manifest; for here we are told, that the list of the American navy is a document calculated to call forth the most serious reflections. It is no longer a subject of irony; and the writer says, "alas!" it may be termed a navy. Nay, he says, that our national safety depends upon our war against America. If this paragraph meet the eye of Mr. Madison, how must that gentleman laugh at the account given him by the Scotch Reviewer, who, I suppose, came home in disgust with a people, amongst the meanest of whom, if a native American, he would not, I am sure, find one to pull off his hat to him.- -It was in the Morning Chronicle that I read this paragraph ships and vessels of the Navy of the Un.ted worthy the attention of a philosopher and a writer upon political economy, and to have mentioned it in the Morning Chronicle would have done much more credit to Mr. Jeffrays than the little foolish spiteful anecdote above mentioned. However, the Americans have, at any rate, cured us of this contempt; and, I trust, their conduct will be such as to make us respect them every day more and more. If the question was, whether England should give up any unquestionable right-I would rather have war and taxation for years yet to come, than advise her to yield; but there appears. to me to be no obstacle in the way of peace, and, as to a war for the purpose of preventing America from being formidable in time to come, it is an idea that never can be seriously entertained by any man not destitute of all sense as well as of all principle. *AMERICAN NAVY. Navy Department, March 4, 1814. STR,-Agreeably to your intimation, I have the bonour to transmit herewith a list of the States, with the rate, station, and name of the Hon. John Gaillard, Chairman of the List of the Naval Force of the United States. 74, building at Charleston, Mass. President, 44, New York, John Rodgers, capt. Mary bomb, do. Lawrence brig, 18, Lake Erie, Jesse D. Elliott, Niagara brig, 18, Lake Erie, Jesse D. Elliott, United States, 44, New London, Stephen De-Queen Charlotte ship, 20, Erie, catur, captain. Constitution, 44, cruizing, Charles Stewart, Guerrier, 14, building at Philadelphia. Congress, 30, Portsmouth, N. II. fitting, John Macedonian, 35, New London, Jacob Jones, captain. Essex, 32, cruizing, David Porter, captain. John Adams, do. 24, cartel to Gottenburgh. Was do. 18, Portsmouth, N. H. under sailing ant Enterprize do. 14, cruizing, James Renshaw, lieut.-com. Carolina schr. 14, Charleston (S. C.) J. D. Hen- Nonsuch brig, 13, Charleston (S. C.) Lawrence United States Naval Force on the Lakes. Madison ship, 20 guns, Ontario, W. M. Crane, mast.-com. Detroit do. do, do Scorpion do. 2, do. 2, do. Porcupine do. I, do. President sloop, 8, Lake Champlain, Thomas Com. Preble, do. 8, do. Gun-Beats, Barges, &c. New Orleans, 6 gun-boats, barges, building- Georgia, 5 gun-boats, 6 barges, building. Potomack, 3 gun-boats, 3 barges, equipped; 1 Asp. Baltimore, 1 gun-boat, 13 barges, equipped, 10 Delaware, 19 gun-boats, 6 barges, equipped, 2 Lake Champlain, 2 gun-boats, 2 barges, equip New London, 2 gun-boats. 2 do. 2 do. 2 do. WILLIAM JONES, Navy Department, March 4, 1814. ONTINUATION OF THE DEBATE IN THE [It was my intention to have continued the whole of this debate, but its great length, and the pressure of other interest Oneida briz, 16, Ontario, Thomas Brown, licut,-ing matter, precludes the insertion of the |