1808.] 
‘the next week. The French are evacu- 
ating Peniche—a part of the garrison left 
it on the 11th, and joined the other 
French troops in the district of Pazo. 
The Joss of the French in the battles 
fought previous to the capitulation, 
were as fellows:—Killed, 2 colonels, 
34 officers, 140 inferior officers, and 2050 
soldiers. —W ouided, 2 generals, 22 offi- 
cers, 35 inferior officers, and 1644 sol- 
- diers.—Prisoners in the two actions, 1 
general, 1 chief of battalion, 42 officers, 
and 2590 soldiers; in the whole 6639; 
pieces of artillery lost. 38.—Delivered by 
capitulation, Junot, general in chief, and 
8 generals of division, 667 officers, 55 
surgeons, 118 assistant surgeons, 2808 
.Waggons, 12 tumbrils, 20 cannons, 17 
gun. carriages, 82 boxes of cartridges, 
23,526 soldiers, infantry, and 1063 ca- 
valry, and 161 conductors of artillery. 
The Portuguese colours are now dis- 
played froin all the castles, churches, and 
many private houses. Repeated dis- 
charges of artillery were fired, and the 
bells rung on the departure of the French, 
The day was passed in congratulations 
and mutual embraces between Portu- 
‘guese, English, and Spaniards, The mili- 
tary government till the regency is organ- 
ized, is under the direction of the English 
General Hope, who superintends the po- 
lice of the city. During five days from the 
14th to the 20th, there were constant re- 
joicings, music, and entertainments, with 
acclaniations of “ Long live the Prince 
Regent, and the Kings Ferdinand VII. 
and George III.” and a general illumi- 
' nation followed every night. 
- 
; 
AMERICA, 
The inhabitants of Boston having 
presented a remonstrance against the 
embargo, to the. President -of the 
United States, he returned an answer 
which expresses the present sentiments 
of the American government. 
To the Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, 
“Your representation and request were 
received on the 42d instant, and have been 
considered with the attention due td every 
expression of the sentiments and feelings of 
$0 respectable a body of my fellow citizens. 
*€ No person has seen with more concern 
than myself the inconveniences brought on 
Our country in general by the circumstances 
of the times in which we happen to live ; 
times to which the history of nations presents 
no parallel, For years we have been looking 
as spectators on our brethren of Europe, af- 
flicted with all those evils which necessarily 
follow an abando»ment of the moral rules 
which bind inen and nations together, Con- 
nected with them in friendship and commerce, 
we have happily so far kept aluof from their 
State of Public Affairs in October. 
819 
calamitous conflicts, by a steady observance 
of justice tgwards all, hy much forbearance, 
and multiplied sacrifices. At length, how- 
ever, allregard to the rights of others havin 
been thrown aside, the Belligerent powers 
have beset the highway of commenti teers 
course with edicts, which, taken together, 
expose our commerce and mariners, under 
almost every destination, a prey to their flects 
and armies. Each’ party, indeed, would ade 
mit our commerce with themselves, with the 
view of associdting us in their war against 
the other. But we have wished war with 
neither. Under these circumstances were 
passed the laws of which you complain, by 
those delegated to exercise the power of levise 
lation for you, with every sympathy of a com- 
mon interest in exercising them faithfully, 
‘¢ In reviewing these measures, therefore, 
we should advert to the difficulties out of 
which a choice was of necessity to be made. 
To have submitted our rightful commerce to 
prohibitions and tributary exactions from 
others, would have been to surrender our in- 
dependence.. To resist them by arms was 
war, without consulting the state of things, 
or the choice of the nation. The alternative 
preferred by the legislature, of suspending a 
commerce placed under such unexampled 
difficulties, besides saving to our citizens their 
property, and our mariners to their country, 
has the peculiar advantage of giving time to 
the Belligerent nations to revise a conduct as 
contrary to their interests as it is to our 
rights. 
“ In the event of such peace, or suspension 
of hostilities, between the Belligerent powers 
of Europe, or of such change in their mea- 
sures affecting neutral commerce, as may ren- 
der that of the United States sufficiently safe, 
In the judgment of the President, he is autho- 
rized tosuspend the embargo. But no peace 
or suspension of hostilitics—no change af- 
fecting neutral commerce, is known to have 
taken place. . The orders of England, and the 
decrees of France and Spain, existing at the 
date of those laws, are still unrepealed, as far 
as we know. In Spain, indeed, a contest for 
the government appears to hgve arisen; but 
of its course or prospects-we have no informa- 
tion on which. prudence would undertake a 
hasty change in our policy, even were the au- 
thority of the executive competent to euch 2 
decision. 
*¢ You desire, that ia the defect of power, 
congress may be specially convened. It is 
unnecessary to examine the evidence, or the 
character of the facts which are supposed to. 
dictate such a call ; because you will be sen- 
sible, on an attention to dates, that the legal 
period of their meeting is as early as, in this 
extensive country, they could be fully con- 
vened by a special call. y 
I should with great willingness have exe- 
cuted the wishes of the inhabitants of the 
town of Boston, had peace, or a repeal of the 
obnoxious edicts, or other changes, produced 
the cas¢ ia which along she laws have given 
me 
