Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

NEW-YORK, August 13.

The Spirit of the Times.—In our paper of Thursday, we copied from the Boston papers a notice to the inhabitants of that town to assemble for the purpose of petitioning the president to remove the embargo, at least so far as relates to Spain and Portugal and their colonies. The mail of this morning furnishes the following interesting proceedings of the meeting thus called. It will be seen that the meeting was general, and not confined to any particular party; and that the petition, or memorial, was carried almost unanimously. We hope a similar meeting will be called, and a similar memorial adopted in every town and village throughout the country. Let the voice of a suffering people, pronounced respectfully, but, at the same time, in the tones of independence and energy, be heard by their rulers. The people hold the sovereign power, and their will must be obeyed.

BOSTON, August 9.

Agreeable to notification a very numerous meeting was held in Faneuil Hall, at 10 o'clock; when Stephen Codman, esq. was chosen moderator. The notification was then read, when the honorable Jonathan Mason, after a number of very pertinent remarks on the subject, offered the following motion, in the form of a vote:

Voted, That it is expedient for the town of Boston respectfully to petition the president of the U. States, to suspend the laws imposing the embargo either wholly or in part; and if any doubts as to the power vested in him by the laws should exist as to the sufficiency of those powers, that he be requested to call Congress together, as soon as may be; and that a committee of eight persons be appointed to prepare and submit to the town a petition conformable thereto.

The motion was seconded from every quarter of the hall; and a very spirited and eloquent debate ensued. In which the motion was supported by the hon. Mr. Mason, Mr. Daniel Sargent, the hon. Messrs. Otis, Benjamin Austin and Geo. Blake, Christopher Gore. And was opposed by Mr. Wm. Brown.

The debate was protracted, until 2 o'clock, when the question to adopt the motion of Mr. Mason passed by an immense majority (not more than twenty or thirty hands against it).

The following gentlemen were chosen on the committee, viz. hon. Jonathan Mason, James Perkins, Mr. Arnold Wells, Mr. Daniel Sargent, hon. Christopher Gore, the moderator; Thomas H. Perkins and hon. Wm. Brown. And adjourned to 4 o'clock, then to receive the report of the committee.

According to adjournment; when the committee at four o'clock, the town re-assembled and reported the subsequent memorial, which was read from the chair, and passed nearly unanimously. We believe there were not half a dozen hands against it in the hall.

To the President of the U. S.

The inhabitants of the town of Boston, in legal town meeting assembled, beg leave respectfully to represent

That uniformly influenced by a sense of patriotism and a respect for the constituted authorities of their country, they have sustained without opposition or complaint, the embarrassments and losses arising from the existing embargo, on the vessels and export trade of the U. States; and they trust, that the history of the revolutionary war, and the annals of the present government, will furnish ample testimony of their readiness to make any personal sacrifices, and to endure any privations, which the public welfare may truly require:

That they are fully aware of the indispensable necessity of supporting, at all times, the laws enacted by the government of their choice. Under this impression they have refrained from expressing the wishes they most sensibly feel for the removal of the embargo and but for the great events in Europe, which materially change the aspect of our Foreign Relations, they would yet silently wait for the meeting of Congress in the hope of obtaining from that honorable body, relief from the pressure of this great calamity, which bears with peculiar weight on the Eastern States.

Denied by nature those valuable and luxuriant staples which constitute the riches of the South they necessarily owe much of their prosperity, under the blessing of Heaven to their own enterprise and industry on the ocean. It is therefore a duty, as well as a right, to avail themselves of every fair occasion which offers for procuring the removal of the existing restraints upon their maritime commerce, more especially when this may be effected in a mode consistent with the laws and policy by which they were imposed.

They therefore pray, that the Embargo, in whole or in part, may be suspended, according to the powers vested in the president, by the Congress of the U. States; and if any doubt should exist of the competency of those powers, they would humbly request, that Congress may be convened as early as possible, for the purpose of taking the subject into consideration.

It was then voted, that the selectmen, in behalf of the town, transmit the Petition to the President of the U. States.

The Hon. Mr. Brown, after congratulating his fellow townsmen on the unanimity which prevailed, offered the following motion viz. That the selectmen be a committee to communicate the proceedings of the town to the Selectmen of the other towns of the Commonwealth, and to request them, if they see fit, to lay the same before their several towns for their concurrence.

This motion also passed nearly unanimously; and after a vote of thanks to the Moderator, the meeting was dissolved.