[Lowell, John]. Thoughts upon the Conduct of our Administration, in relation both to Great Britain and France, more especially in reference to the late Negotiation, concerning the Attack on the Chesapeake. By a Friend to Peace. Boston: Printed at the Repertory Office, 1808. First Edition. [12579]
Tall pamphlet, no wrapper, newly sewn, 8 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches, 28 pp. Good. Pamphlet.
Howes L535. Attributed to John Lowell, with his name faintly written in pencil at the top of the title page of this copy.
On June 22, 1807 the frigate USS Chesapeake was attacked by the British ship HMS Leopard off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia. The British were searching for deserters, and caught the Chesapeake unprepared for battle. A broadside into the Chesapeake resulted in the deaths of several American sailors and the wounding of some twenty more. The British boarded her and carried off four men, three of whom were Americans.
The response by President Thomas Jefferson was considered too weak by many, and the outrage engendered by this conflict increased the tensions that led to the War of 1812. Commodore Barron, the ranking officer of the Chesapeake, was court-martialed for being unprepared and was suspended from service for five years.
This pamphlet seeks to ease the public outcry against the British by claiming that the individual in charge of the Leopard acted alone, without authority, and that it would be a mistake to go to war with Britain over the incident.
"...the great offending individual, Admiral Berkley, by the manner in which things are conducted, stands a chance of escaping all adequate punishment whatever. If the acts of this officer, however, were those of an individual, the acts of Mr. Jefferson are those of a government; and having been deliberately adopted and continued, will be considered as such, by the British and by posterity." - p. 2.
He goes on to say that the United States should take the side of Great Britain against France, and that if Napoleon were to prevail, he would make the United States subservient to France. Thomas Jefferson, of course, was a great Francophile.
"The United States, in a word, must have cause of apprehension from Bonaparte, for Bonaparte has cause of apprehension from the United States. But Bonaparte has uses for all our resources, as he has uses for all his dependents. Americans, if conquered, will be called upon to man his navy; to furnish him with transports to convoy his troops to places most distant; to yield him provisions; to give supplies to his colonies; to aid him with recruits and horses for his armies, and to pay him taxes. Yes, the nation which fought Great Britain for a stamp Act, must be called upon to pay military taxes, of a magnitude which will deprive them of their very capitals. Portugal, after paying tribute and shutting her ports, was not the less called upon to abandon to France its publick governments, as well as the fortune of its individuals. Can any thing of this kind be expected or feared from England?" - p. 22.
John Lowell, Jr., LL.D. (1769-1840), b. Newburyport, Mass., son of the statesman John Lowell (1743-1802), who, among other important roles, was a member of the Continental Congress. John Jr. was a Harvard graduate, successful lawyer, and a writer on various topics. He was an opponent of the War of 1812 and an ardent Federalist. He wrote on politics, agriculture, theology under his own name and under several pseudonyms. He was for eighteen years a member of the corporation of Harvard and for many years president of the State Agricultural Society.
