MSS 93 Box 5 F1 Item 1, Page 3

to do, by oppression, Injustice and [Menaces?], and by alarm
ing [alarming] us with a Destruction of our commercial Interests; that is
an abandonment of our neutral Position. As these two
Nations have jostled us out of this safe honorable and
reasonable Position, we have to assume another. The
Embargo System is perhaps the safest we could chuse, but
is it honorable, & will our People submit to is. O It may
be & I think is honorable & I believe wise to a certain
Extent, but it seems that to continue in this state for
more than a few months, and after we shall have made
our Enemies feel the Effects of it, if it does not operate
a Revocation of their arbitrary Restorants upon our
commerce that we must resort to some more energetic
measure. And what is that measure. For my Part altho'
extremely adverse to this [ultima R??], I see no Resolution
of the existing State of Things but in War; and
with whom. My feelings, my Pride, & my Resentment
wd. say with England - But we must not act under
the Influence of such motives - The Contest with England
would certainly be much more formidable during the
Conflict than with France - But we should gain by
it great objects - This [???king deleterious?] Remnant of
English Influence, which has infected our Country ever
since the Peace of 1783, and which has flourished at
one