The National Intelligencer And Washington Advertiser

WASHINGTON CITY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11

President's Message--We have forborne, for a short time past, pressing upon our readers any allegations or suggestions relative to the state of our foreign relations. Sufficient light having been previously shed upon them to frustrate extensive misconception, we considered it perfectly harmless to suffer the idle misrepresentations of faction to pass unnoticed, satisfied that a day of reckoning could not fail to arrive, whenever the Executive laid before Congress a full statement of its measures and the dispositions of foreign powers.

It has been the singular good fortune of the annual message of the President ever since the accession of the present Chief Magistrate, to overwhelm and confound a thousand groundless libels, which have regularly during the recess of the Legislature, been propagated with indefatigable industry. But on no antecedent occasion had the hardihood of falsehood raised its front with more arrogant hopes. Notwithstanding the repeated declaration, on the part of the friends of the administration, that it had manifested "an exact and equal justice" to both of the belligerent nations, it has been unblushingly asserted and persisted in, in most of the federal prints, that the measures taken by our government were as hostile to England, as they were partial to France. It seemed as if its adversaries, sensible that the government would not itself come forward with a denial of such a charge, expected that their assertions would from their frequency and violence be extensively credited. But the day of deception is past. The message has given it its death warrant; has either determined many a wavering friend, if not converted many a foe; and convinced the nation that every honorable effort has been made to preserve our peace with England as well as France

So far from the power given by Congress to the Executive to suspend the Embargo having been used as an instrument of hostility to England, it appears that our government has made stronger offers to her than to her enemy. Viewing our commerce as principally endangered by the outrages of Britain, from her ascendancy on the ocean, and considering the suspending power as vested with a view to its exercise in case of such a change in the measures of the belligerents as would rescue it from this danger, the President, it appears, actually made a more unconditional offer to suspend the Embargo to England than to France. He offered, in fact, to do everything which she had a right to expect, even on her own professions and principles. But the government of that nation, as though resolved ab initio on refusing every measure that should tend to restore the commerce of the United States, have rejected the proposition. And to aggravate if possible, their outrage upon our rights and invasion of our interests, the affair of the Chesapeake, the entering wedge of the whole transaction is permitted to remain unatoned, nay is placed on a footing, which, if persisted in, must eternally bar the door of adjustment. Topics not only irrelevant in themselves are introduced into the discussion, but concessions required which it would be disgraceful for us to make.

The hostile temper of France towards our commerce appears to remain unshaken. With whatever nicety, therefore, we may originally have weighed the degrees of injury inflicted upon us by those two powers, or the considerations which dictated them, now the outrages of both are persisted in, we are called upon impartially to view each as guilty of the same violation of our rights; and, we do not here extend our remarks, in detail, equally to France as to England, it is not from less indignation felt for the one than the other : but from our unacquaintance, until an examination of the documents, with the precise situation in which our affairs with France stand.

What then remains for us, in this disordered state of the world, when justice and reason are exiled from Europe, but to think, to feel, and to act like Americans; to dismiss all partial feeling, and to know no difference between Frenchmen and Englishmen, while they attempt to scourge us with all the evils in their power to inflict. While the wisdom of our rulers is engaged in unavailing efforts to maintain peace, let the nation be ready to defend itself with an energy that shall convince foreign injustice of our power.

A solicitude to give the documents referred to in the Message, as early as possible, prevents our dilating on this part of it, or of noticing its other interesting features. This shall be done hereafter. In the mean time we cannot refrain from particularly inviting the attention of our readers to the