s to heal."

The clear, calm sunshine of a mind illumined by piety, and a firm
reliance upon Supreme wisdom, crowns all other divine blessings. It
irradiates the progress of life, and dispels the evils attendant on our
nature; it renders the mind calm and pacific, and promotes that
cheerfulness and resignation which has its foundation in a life of
rectitude and charity; and in the full exercise of Christian principles
we may find still increasing happiness.

CHAPTER IV.

Still may the soaring eagle's quenchless eye,
Watch o'er our favour'd country, brave and free,
Where the bright stars and stripes in honour wave,
The sacred emblems of our liberty.

Many disagreeable circumstances now combined to disturb the happy
tranquillity of the American government. "A war had for some time
existed between France and England. America had endeavoured to maintain
a neutrality, and peacefully to continue a commerce with both nations.
Jealousies, however, arose between the contending powers with respect to
the conduct of America, and events occurred calculated to injure her
commerce and disturb her peace.

"Decrees were first issued by the French government preventing the
American flag from trading with the enemy; these were followed by the
British orders in council, no less extensive than the former in design,
and equally repugnant to the laws of nations. In addition to these
circumstances, a cause of irritation existed sometime between the United
States and Great Britain. This was the right of search claimed by Great
Britain as one of her prerogatives. To take her native subjects,
wherever found, for her navy, and to search American vessels for that
purpose. Notwithstanding the remonstrances of the American government,
the officers of the British navy were not unfrequently seen seizing
native British subjects who had voluntarily enlisted on board our
vessels, and had also impressed into the British service some thousands
of American seamen.

"In consequence of the British and French decrees, a general capture of
all American property on the seas seemed almost inevitable. Congress,
therefore, on the recommendation of the president, laid an embargo on
all vessels within the jurisdiction of the United States.

"In a moment, the commerce of the American republic, from being, in
point of extent, the second in the world, was reduced to a coasting
trade between the individual states. The opposition to the act in