THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 83 



Another maritime encounter between the American 44-gun frigate 

 President and the British i8-gun sloop Little Belt, which was 

 destroyed on this occasion, added to the complications already exist- 

 ing. The American captain was tried by court-martial and acquitted. 

 Great Britain accepted the official statement that no hostility was 

 intended on the part of the American Government. The Americans 

 had made an offer that 'if France would withdraw her decrees, or 

 I*2ngland the Orders-in-Council, she would prohibit her commerce 

 from the other. Napoleon promised to revoke the " Berlin " and 

 " Milan Decrees " if the Americans would carry out the policy of 

 non-intercourse with Britain. This they did, but Napoleon failed 

 to fulfil his promises. 



The downfall of the Percival Ministry in Great Britain brought 

 Lord Liverpool to the Premiership. With him was associated Lord 

 Castlereagh, as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Twelve days after this 

 Ministry was formed the obnoxious "Orders-in-Council" were revoked. 

 But it was too late; Congress had already declared war. against Great 

 Britain, and was massing her armies along the frontier of Canada. 



From the tone of the President's message, and the tenor of the 

 speeches delivered in Congress by some of the leading members of 

 the Democratic party, it was clearly foreshadowed that Canada would 

 be the objective point. They were quite confident of an easy con- 

 quest, as may be seen from the following extracts from speeches made 

 in Congress prior to the declaration of war. Dr. Eustis, United 

 States Secretary of War, said: "We can take Canada without sol- 

 diers ; we have only to send officers into the Provinces, and the 

 people, disaffected towards their own government, will rally round 

 our standard." The Hon. Henry Clay, who in 1814 signed the 

 treaty of peace as one of the Commissioners, expressed himself still 

 more strongly : " It is absurd to suppose we shall not succeed in our 

 enterprise against the enemy's provinces. We have the Canadas as 

 much under our command as Great Britain has the ocean, and the 

 way to conquer her on the ocean is to drive her from the land. We 

 must take the continent from them. I wish never to see a peace till 

 we do. God has given us the power and the means ; we are to 

 blame if we do not use them. If we get the continent she must allow 

 us the freedom of the seas." 



