GENERAL HISTORY. 



[19.3 



CHAPTER XIX. 



United States of America — Resolutions in favour of War — Mr. Gat" 

 latin's Budget — Currespondence between 3Jess. Foster and Monroe — > 

 Animosity increased by Henry's Mission — Act for an Embargo — > 

 Other War Measures — Opposition — War declared — Slate of 

 Votes— Action tvith the Beloidere Frigate — Disturbance near Mon- 

 treal — Congress adjourned — Riot and Massacre at Baltimore — Ge- 

 neral Hull's Incursion into Canada, and Capture — Rqfusal of the 

 President to confirm an Armistice — Capture of the Guerriere-— 

 Letters of Marque issued by England — American Anligallican Par- 

 ties — Defeat and Capture of General Wadsworth — Congress re- 

 assembled—President's Message — Engagements between the Frolic 

 and Wasp, and the Macedonian and United Stales — General Dear- 

 born's Advance to Champlain — Blockade of the Chesapeak and Dela- 

 ware. 



FROM the temper manifested 

 by the President and Congress 

 of the United States towards 

 the close of last year, it was evi- 

 dent that nothing could prevent a 

 war between tliat country and 

 Great Britain, but either a change 

 in the system pursued by the latter, 

 or a dread in the former to come 

 to the poiut of actual hostilities, 

 under the prospect of much suffer- 

 ing from abroad, and much dis- 

 content at home. That, however, 

 the America*! Government might 

 calculate upon a support of their 

 measures from public opinion, suf- 

 ficient to ensure tiie compliance 

 necessary for their execution, 

 might be inferred from the man- 

 ner in which the resolutions of the 

 committee of foreign relations 

 were received by th'e House of Re- 

 presentatives, the most popular 

 part of the constitution. On the 

 division, which took place in this 

 Vol. LIV. 



discussion, the several resolutions 

 were carried by majorities, of 

 which the lowest was 109 to 22, 

 and the highest 110 to 11. A 

 motion in the same house for the 

 indefinite postponement of a bill 

 for raising 25,000 additional troops 

 was rejected by a majority of 98 to 

 29 — a division which might be re- 

 garded as almost the immediate 

 forerunner of hostile proceedings. 

 It appeared at this time, that the 

 advocates for war, besides the lure 

 of rich prizes to be made by the 

 American privateers, threw out 

 confident expectations of the eon- 

 quest of Canada. 



Mr, Gallatin's budget was laid 

 before Congress on Janiiaiy the 

 12th. It recommended a loan of 

 10 millions of dollars, to meet the 

 exigencies of the present year, and 

 calculated that a like loan would 

 be necessary for several years to 

 come. It also gave the comforta- 



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