"lations, which will, doubtless, have just "weight in any deliberations of the Legis"lature connected with the subject.". This is perfectly equivocal; but, when viewed in conjunction with the alarm expressed by the people in every part of the United States, it is well calculated to produce that effect, which it really has produced on the small politicians, who conduct some of the London newspapers, and who appear to be, at last, awakened to some sense of the danger to be apprehended from this cession. But, the manner in which they communicate their sentiments to the public is truly curious. One affects to regard the danger as something which he himself had perceived, though he had, till now, thought it proper to conceal it from the profane vulgar; while another acknowledges it to have been foreseen, but observes, that the "specula"tive politicians have hitherto considered "the cession as likely to be attended with "molestation only to the United States;" whereas, by this cession, "France has got "into her hands the key of South America and "the Spanish mines."-Now, justice to ourselves and to our cause compels us to recall to the minds of our readers what we have said upon this subject, and to refer them to a dissertation as well as a map upon the subject, in Vol. I. of this work, p. 443. One passage from that dissertation we must quote, because it so completely destroys the assertions of the Morning Chronicle respecting our having extended our views of the danger of the cession to the United States of America only. "From the cold regions of the North, from the haunts of "the martin and the beaver, let us now "turn to the glowing mines of the South.

In ceding Louisiana to France, Spain has "not stipulated for boundaries. The do

minion which France formerly claimed "(and she never recedes), extended, on "the sea-board, towards the South, as far

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of May last; and let not the "safe politi "cians" say, that the Definitive Treaty was then made and ratified, and that it was too late to prevent the evil, for, the same, in substance, was said in one of the letters to Ld. Hawkesbury, on the Peace :-" Loui "siana borders on Mexico, my lord, and "I can assure your lordship, that your march to Paris, even in 1793, would not have "been so easy as a march from New Orleans "to the city of Mexico. Ten thousand French "soldiers, inured to the hardships and fatigues of the camp and the field, accus "tomed to danger as the eagle to the tempest, and attracted by the richest prey "that ever tempted the rapacity of man, "would snatch this glittering prize from "the feeble and enervated hands of the "Spaniards, with much greater ease than

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a handful of their ferocious and sanguinary "ancestors took it from its ancient pos"gessors."-This was published on the 22d of October, 180; and yet, it is now discovered that the source of danger here spoken of, has "hitherto" escaped observation! But this is an old trick of the small politicians, who, like their great leader, Mr. Sheridan, are famous for picking up, and appropriating to their own use, sayings and opinions, which they think are forgotten. They may, indeed, say as to the present case, that they never read the Register; but this excuse will not do with respect to Lord Grenville's speech of the 4th of May, where his lordship said, that, the "cession of Louisiana gave the French an immense influence on the north as "well as the south of America. It gave "them the command of our West India "navigation, and it brought them within. (6 300 miles of the city of Mexico, the "march to which would be as easy as from "Chester to London; and, he had no "scruple to affirm, that, on the unfurling "of the first standard of an expedition "from Lousiana to Mexico, the whole of "the western inhabitants of the United "States would repair to it in arms."*And yet the small politicians never before heard it suggested, that Mexico was in any danger from the cession of Louisiana. The fact is, that they are, upon all occasions, loth to acknowledge, that the opposers of the peace, whom they sometimes call the Grenville Party, and sometimes the New Oft position; they are extremely loth to acknowledge, that these gentlemen were correct in their opinions, respecting the consequences of the peace. They feel that they are entitled to no share of the honour of that opposition; and, therefore, they are

* Register, Vol. II. p. 1222.

uncommonly anxious to derogate, in some way or other, from the merit which events are daily attaching to it.-Returning to the President's message, and the opinions of the American people, it is now acknowledged, in that country and in this, that great danger is likely to arise to them both from the cession of Louisiana to France. How clearly this was predicted, how strongly it was dwelt on by those peers and members of parliament who opposed the treaty of Amiens, must be well remembered; not, therefore, to swell this article beyond the limits which we have to allot to it, we shall content ourselves with quoting the opinions of the makers and defenders of that fatal and degrading compact; the opinions of the "prudent ministers," and the "safe politicians," beginning with that most sapient statesman, the minister of Richmond Park, who, in reply to Mr. Windham, sagaciously observed: that "His " right honorable friend laid great stress 66 on the establishment of the French in "Louisiana, and had said that the French 66 power could now put in danger the "whole of the continent of America, north "and south; but his right hon. friend could "not say, that if the French had not this "extent of territory there, they could not, "if St. Domingo were tranquil, and affairs

were at rest with them in that quarter, "become, by means of a large military "force, formidable to either North or South "America!"-His colleague, his worthy colleague, the solid young Lord Hawkesbury, the steady young man," as the shop-keepers call him; this "prudent mi"nister," expressed himself on the subject in the following "safe" and sensible manner: "As to the political advantages, which "France will derive from the possession "of Louisiana, I doubt whether they can be of "much consequence. Gentlemen have said

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great deal about the influence, which "this possession threatens to give France 66 over the United States of America. To "this I answer, that it is the policy of "America to keep an equal balance be"tween France and us, and that the pro

bability therefore is, that the possession "of Louisiana, by placing the French upon the

*It may be useful, however, to refer our readers here to some of the passages, to which we allude, in the speeches of those who opposed the peace.-Supplement to Register, Vol. II. Mr. Windham, p. 1157 and 1204; Mr. Elliot, p. 1193; Lord Gren ville, p. 1222; Mr. Elliot, p. 1231; Lord Grenville, p. 1273; Mr. Windham, p. 1295 and 1298; and Sir W. Young, p. 1328.

+ Debate of 3d May, 1802. Register, Vol. II. p. 1211.

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"back of America, every maxim of sound" "policy will incline the latter to cultivate' a more intimate connexion with this "country." He next observed, that Mr. Windham, by supposing the danger to' America to be so great, "under-rated the "population and power of the United States, and "forgot the successful exertions, which they,' "when colonies of this country, made' "against the French in 1756, though the "latter were then in possession of both Louisiana "and Canada!"*-The Saint Domingo General followed next. This gentleman, who appears to be not less able in the senate than in the field, and who shone not less in the debate on the treaty than at Port-auPrince, or before the walls of Ferrol, said, that, "of Louisiana he had heard, that it "would enable France to attack the United "States on one side and Mexico on the "other; but, when Louisiana was formerly "in possession of France, it was totally "imbécile; and it had not increased in "population since it came into the hands "of Spain. But it was contended, that "the possession of Louisiana would give "the French great influence eventually 66 over the councils and measures of the "United States: here there was one ob"servation that naturally occurred to the "mind of every man, which was this a "We possess Canada, yet that possession does not "enable us to influence the United States; and, "if this be the case, with how much more force "does the argument apply to Louisiana!"-The Master of the Rolls, whose name we mention here with deep regret, said, that "With respect to the cession of Louisiana, "the value and importance of that cession "had been only discovered within a few nights "preceding. It was formerly in the possession "of France; but she had not been able to draw "from it those advantages, which, it was con"tended, she would derive from it now. With "respect to danger arising from it, he could "not perceive that degree of injury to "this country, which had been pourtrayed. "The only danger likely to result from it "that he could discover, arose from bring"ing France in contact with the United "States of America," [which was the very thing that Lord Hawkesbury rejoiced at]. "It might happen, that, in the course of ages, some danger would result from this con "nexion, but it could not be soon."‡ Such were the opinions of the "safe poli

"ticians:" such were the opinions of the makers and defenders of the peace of Amiens; of that peace, which the " witty "senator" said every man was glad of but man was proud of; that blessed peace, at which Mr. Fox, the "patriot Fox," rejoiced, because it was "glorious to France

and to the First Consul:" such were the opinions, such were the words, of those men, to whom we are to look for the preservation of the country from the fearful dangers that now menace it! The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs talks of placing the French upon the back of the Americans in order to attach the latter to England, while the Master of the Rolls apprehends no danger from it except bringing the French and Americans into contact. The very circumstance, on which one of these statesmen builds his hope, is the only circumstance which excites fear in the other! Then, to see them producing the history of the war of 1756, when the now United States were colonies of England, when the people were devoted to England, and were aided by an English army on their frontier, and by an English fleet in the river St. Laurence; when there was hardly a single settler to the westward of the Appalachian mountains, when the river Mississippi was known to the Anglo-Americans by name only, and when no man ever dreamt of sending four and beef down that river to the sea: to see the resistance made to the French by the Anglo-Americans, in this state of things, produced as a proof of the resistance they will now be able and willing to make; to see this argument seriously urged in the British Parliament, and that too by the minister whose peculiar duty it was to understand and to watch over the foreign affairs of the nation, must have created in the minds of all intelligent foreigners a considerable portion of that contempt, with which this miserable country is now spoken of, in all parts of the world. Yet, was even this surpassed by the Richmond-Park minister, who, in order to convince the House of Commons, that Mr. Windham was deceived, and that the cession of Louisiana to France was a thing of little or no consequence, observed, that, if that nation had a mind to attack Spanish America, or the United States, she might do it equally well from Sr. DoMINGO!!!!!! Poor man! Wretched country, to be committed to a guide like this! To argue with such a thing would disgrace the name of reason; to expose its ignorance would be a libel on the eye-sight and the hearing of our readers. Attack Mexico and Kentucky by the way of St. Domingo, as

easily as from the mouth and the banks of the Mississippi! Gracious God! why dost thou... .... but we will not complain: we have no right to complain : the simple fact that such a man has been minister for two years together, to say no. thing of the acts of his ignorant and selfish administration, is, of itself, a sufficient proof, that the country is unworthy of remaining independent. Having reminded our readers of the opinions entertained, respecting Louisiana, we should now offer them some remarks on President Jefferson's views, as to this particular point; but these we must reserve till our next. We must, however, not delay to observe, that our American letters, of the 27th of December, inform us, that the States of Kentucky, Tennesse, and the North Western Territory, had presented a memorial to the Congress of the United States, complaining against the measures adopted by the Spanirds at New Orleans, the object of which was to deprive the said states of the navigation of the Mississippi, a freedom," say they," absolutely necessary "to our existence."-Why, so we said last year about this time. The " ages," of which the Master of the Rolls was pleased to talk, have already rolled away! The importance of the possession of Louisiana, which he said Mr. Windham had" discovered only a few nights before," now appears not to have been a chimerical notion.

ST. DOMINGO.-Much has lately been said and written about this island. We have always thought, that the French would finally subdue the blacks, and make the country at once a productive colony and a rendezvous for their army, a point d'appui, whence to stretch forth their power as occasion might offer against our colonies, beginning with Jamaica. There has hitherto been more difficulty than we expected, attending this project; and, if flying reports from America and Jamaica are to be believed, the complete subjugation of the French part of the island will yet cost many thousands of troops; but not nearly so many as it would have cost, if our ministers had loved their country more and their places less; if they had refused to suffer the French armament to sail, 'till the signing of the definitive treaty, which would have given Toussaint time to fill his magazines, to repair his fortifications, and to embody his troops; and which would also have brought the armament to land at a moment when the yellow fever would have aided the blacks. But, say the ministers, "we wished for the French to succeed." Did you so? Why, then, your wishes have hitherto been defeated.-But, referring our

readers to what we have said before on this subject, we have now to call their attention to a circumstance, which, though not entirely unforetold, will appear somewhat surprizing to those who have not watched the progress of national degradation. It is proposed to lend or let English ships for the purpose of carrying out troops to assist in the subjugation of St. Domingo: it is said, that ships have, by the permission of government, actually been hired for this purpose, and, from the language of the demi-official paper, we should not be at all surprized to find, that the ministry had, in one way or another, very considerably contributed to the forming of a depository of men and of arms, which will, at no very distant period be employed against our colonies. stated, some time ago, that the provisions, supplied by the Americans to the army of St. Domingo, were paid for in London; and we shall not be surprized, if, upon enquiry (which certainly ought to be instituted), it should appear, that the British government was, and is, the guarantee for repayment to the House of Baring and Co. †. The demiofficial paper takes great pains to prepare the public for some such discovery as this, as well as for the hire of the shipping. "It" [the subjugation of St. Domingo]" is, in some degree, a common cause, and it might be wise and prudent, in the British Go vernment, to aid, in some measure, this undertaking.". In answer to every

We

honour and independence of England, or in their own property? Is it in preventing that property from falling into the bands of the French, or from being totally destroyed? Every one, and particularly every West Indian, must know that France, with a military power well established at St. Domingo, must soon become the mistress of all that part of the world, particularly when she has esta blished herself at the mouth of the Mississippi. "If we have the policy," said the Mercure de France," to unite the industry "of the colonist with the warlike spirit of the "buccaneer, the West India islands will soon "become to her [St. Domingo] what Eu

rope is to France." This may be, perhaps, no very great cause of alarm to some of the proprietors of sugar plantations, who would, probably, rather spend their revenue in France than in Eugland. We are really afraid, that many of them have made their calculation, have reconciled themselves to the necessity of transferring their allegiance. Not that, in general, they love, the French; not that they would not rather remain under the British Government; but they begin to regard it as being not so much a question of choice between the British and the French governments, as between the French government and the Blacks, and they would rather enjoy even a small portion of their property under the former, than lose it entirely under the latter. Shocking as is the thought, we greatly fear, too, that the same sort of feel

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of the Blacks. This may be good argu"ment in Jamaica, but it is most pernicious

reasoning in London. If once our colo"nial subjects are allowed to calculate the "prudence of their allegiance, there is an end "of our colonial empire."-This is true, and very well said, and it certainly has not the less merit for being a faithful repetition of the statement and opinion of Mr. Windham in the debate of the 13th of May, 1802 §. Yes, the West India merchants are the " persons most interested," but in what are they most interested? Is it in the

Particularly in Vol. II, p. 784, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
See Vol. II. p. 698.

True Briton, 29. January.
See Register, Vol, II. p. 1297,

the mother country. The merchants, the manufacturers, the dealers, the stock-holders and the money-holders of every description, have, for some time, been looking to the possibility of becoming the subjects of Buonaparté. They have not, indeed, promulgated the sentiment to the world; they have not probably yet debated on it, in their clubs or committees; they have refrained, perhaps, from talking of it in their cups; they may possibly have hidden it from the partners of their bed, and even from the partners of their purse: but, they have in their dreams, kneeled at the feet of the Consul, whom, to their great astonishment, they found to be a mighty good sort of a man; they have, in their waking moments, thought about subjection to him; they have mooted the question in their minds; in a word, they have looked, and they do look, to the power of Buonaparté, as a dernier resort, as a last refuge for their wealth.

THE CONDUCT OF THE ADMIRALTY. This was a topic on which we had much to say, but for want of room, we are obliged to defer it 'till another opportunity. We can not, however, refrain from congratulating