United States oracle and Portsmouth advertiser — Portsmouth, N.H., 1802-08-14 00:00:00, page 2

iQFrom the Boston Gazette.
A CORRECT STATEMENT
bf the Various hurra from tebiob tie Hifory of
tie Adminif ration of Prudent Adams teas com
filed, and the motives for it, Juppreffion by Col.
.Burk; iu¥feme obfervatiane on a Narrative,
%—BY JOHN WOOD, Au&r of the fail
, Hifory.
THIS is the title of a pamphlet whfchffias
recently appeared in New-York. It would
afford us much fatisfaaion could we present the
whole work to the public through the medium
of our Gazette ; but as the copy-right is secured
we can only make a few extracts of its most im
portant parts, and give a summary of theTeft.
This we shall do with impartiality; as we feel
no defireto attach outfelves,either to Mr. Woo d,
who appears in . this work as the -champion of
Col. Burr ; or to the Clintonian party, who have
avowed themselves the inveterate enemies of the
ambitious Vice-Tretidenr. Ht is, however, but
common justice to fay, that Mr. Wood not only
appears to be Gncere in his desire to correct the
errors which he was led into in the compilation
of the " Hifery ;" but th^t he reasons pretty
"fairly and'candidly oh the fubje& of the party
quarrel between the Burrite, and Clintonian,.
In the preliminary remarks which Mr. Wood
&s attached to his" Statement, he observes :— ,
, "The politicrfof America appear to
ft Britim alien, on a fupetficial survey,
only as a firnple question refpe&ing the
preference of aristocracy ; but, after a
little experience, and a more minute
knowledge of parties, a fcehe of faction
and intrigue, pervading all ranks of fo
cieiy, gradually unfolds itfelf, in a
manner that mud excite the aftonifh
meut even of those best, versed in the
arts of European policy. Ihe unwary
foreigner, acquainted only with those
principles fixed by the constitution of
the states, readily embraces the cause
of that party which appears to show
most address, and moft' zeal in defend
ing the rights of that people among
whom he has chosen hisfuture residence.
The real patriots of this description are
most frequently men who conceal them
selves in silent obfeurity, unwilling to
mix in the bustle of the political world,.
until the invaded rights of their coun
try call them forth to a&ion, and ex
pose to view their latent virtues. The
licentious, the need, and the ambitious,
are in general the apparent patriots of
every country, whom accident most
frequently introduces to the acquaint
ance of the unknown Granger. With
these men, who daily promise relief and
improvements to the people, he con
. tra&s an acquaintance, partakes in their
career of popular applanfe, and gradu
ally imbibes tenets that, under other
circumstances, he would have spurned
with contempt.
After this candid and correct assertion, the au
thor proceeds in his flatement of particulars :—
“ On the 19th of June, 1801, I enter
ed into an agreement with Messrs. Bar
las & Ward, booksellers in New-York,
to write a Hiftory of the United States
of America during the administration
of President Adams." “By our letter
of agreement a clause was inserted at
# the desire of Mr Barlas, that the work
Ihould be finifhed by the end of August
or September. I did not object to the
clause at the instant of fubferibing the
articles, not doubting but Messrs. Barlas
and Ward would, for their own interest,
allow the period to be prolonged if ne-<
ceffary. Previous to the commence
ment of the work, I had calculated up
on my labor, rather as a field of amufe
ment,than that of laborious research ; it
was impofiible to have conceived that
the annals of a government of a new
country, such as the United States, for
four years, fliould be enveloped in mys
tery, cabal and intrigue, and that all
the public prints Should be a collection
of falfehoods fabricated by the hirelings
of party ; but I soon difeovered, that
to investigate the truth from volumes
of newspapers devoted to opposite in
terests, would require several years in
place of a few months. Beforethe ftip
iilated period was expired, I communi
cated my sentiments to Mr. Ward, and
requeued a prolongation of the period,
to which he appeared to give his cor
dial assent, but upon converting with
Mr. Barlas, they both insisted, I sup
pose from the advice of Barlas, that the
book fliould be finifhed within the time
prescribed, otherwise that I would for
feit the penalty that 1 had agreed upon
in my letter of the 19th of June.
f Thus circumstanced, I was under
the necessity of throwing together my
materials, I ma,fay without either pro
per arrangement or due consideration.
These materials wereprincipally collect
ed from the Aurora, Mr. Duane's pri
vate letters, and Callender's works, be
sides some occasional hints I received
from gentlemen in New-York and Phi
ladelphia..,
“ My torrefpondence with Mr. Du
ane, or rather his letters to me, origin
ated not through Barlas and Ward, as
he has flatedin his letter in the Aurora,
but from an application which I made
to him refpeding the letters of Curtius:
This application was made about the
firft of July, and from that time until
the month of October, Mr. Duane sent
me occafionully, information as to char
aClers and events, sometimes pouched
in the form of letters, and at other times
exprefled in the form ofhiftory, leaving
it to my m*n diferetion to alter the lan
Wood's History.
guage or net. Notwithfianding this
active part which Mr. Duane had in the
compilation of the hiftory, he is pleased
to assert in the Aurora of the 12th July,
that it contains neither veracity nor
dignity. Such ap observation would
certainly have proceeded with much
more propriety from any other critic
than Mr. Duane, when the fads furnilh.
ed by him are well known to be the
moQ falfe and ftellous in the whole
book. Thfle fads, as he terms them in
his letters, xelate principally to Mr.
Adams, and compote almost all the an
ecdotes inferred in the hiftory refpeding
the late Prefident'; the fallacy of the
Tories reported to me by Mr. Duane, I
was then ignorant of, but can now af
fiwe the public, that I have been in
formed by perlons more refpe&able
than Mr. Duane, that there is not the
smallest foundation either for the anec
dote of the Atchymift, mentioned in
page 5% ° r f°f the stories refpeding
Mr. Adams, and Dr. Franklin, related
'in chapter XII. Mr. Duane was par
ticularly sedulous in his letters in re
queuing that I should by no means omit
, to describe in the mod pointed manner,
the enmity of Mr. Adams towards Dr.
Franklin ; but upon a fair ibvelligation
of this matter, I have difeovered that
Mr. Adams never displayed any marks
of hatred to Dr. Franklin himfelf, but
only towards Bache the Printer, who
raised Mr. Duane to his present emi
nence. This was certainly an a& of
gratitude in Mr. Duane, but that spe
cies of gratitude which ought to receive
the severest censure, the railing the re
putation of a friend at the expense of his
enemy, and, without having the bold
ness to execute the flratagem himfelf,
to impose the talk upon a Granger
The character given of James Ross, of
Pcnnfylvania, in page 134. was drawn
from the Aurora ; but as to the truth
of the charges there adduced against
Mr. Ross, I have not had an opportu
nity of determining. The probability,
however, is, that they are falfe, as they
have been reported by Mr. Duane
The characters given of the Members
of Congress (who voted for the alien
And sedition bills, that of Bingham and
Mr. Ross excepted) in the hiftory from
page 182 to the end of sixth chapter,
were entirely taken from Callender's
Profpeft,pages 122, 123, 124, 125, 144,
145, 146 and 147, of his firft volume.
The language is a little altered, but the
reader will perceive thatthe sentiments
are the fame. The character of Mr.
Bingham, I obtained from the friends
o£Mr. Duane when at Philadelphia.—
I however am induced to suppose by
other information, that although Mr.
Bingham is not the brightest man in
the world, his enemies have extremely
exaggerated his faults. The articles
entitled British piracy, were entirely ex
tracted from Callender's works, his
Sketches of America, and Annual Re
gister. The contents of the sixth chap
ter of the Hiftory, from the commence
ment to page 168, were drawn from
the second chapter of the firft volume
of Callender's Profpeft. The account
I have given of Blount's Conspiracy,
and the negociation of this country with
the Directory of France, were collected
from the Aurora, as also were my re
marks on the Constitution of Connec
ticut, and the characters of Mr. Trum
bull, Mr. Treadwell, Mr. Tho's Gros
venor, Mr. Thomas Seymour, Mr. Aa
ron Austin, and Mr. David Dagget.
These last are found in the Aurora of
April, 1801.
" In the character of Gen. Hamilton,
which Mr. Duane thinks proper to call
a panegyric fraught with fafhood, I
have certainly committed some errors,
but the principal error is one, which
detracts from the integrity of that able
officer, in place of adding an Undue luf
tre to his virtues. The reader will ea
sily perceive that I allude to the stale
Rory of Mrs. Reynolds. Following
the miftatement of Callender, I have'
represented that woman as an amiable
and virtuous wife, seduced from the
affections of her husband by artifice and
intrigue. Ihat woriian, however, I
have been informed from the best au
thority, from the authority even of her
own acquaintances, to have been one of
those unfortunates, who, destitute of
every regard for virtue or honor, traffic
with the follies of youth, and lay their
fnarcs to entrap the feeling heart and
benevolent mind; such was the origin
of her acquaintance with Mr. Hamil
ton, whose unfufpeding generosity be
came the victim ofher art and duplici
ty. The dates in the articles of his life,
are also erroneous, as well as the island
of his birth, which was Nevis, arid not
St. Croix. The anecdote relating to
Mr. Hamilton at the capture of the re
doubts at Yorktown, I have read in sev
eral hiflories of the American war ; as
also in the Anti-Jacobin Review, in re
viewing Mr. Hamilton's letter to Mr.
Adams ; but Mr. Hamilton, himfelf, 1
am informed, denies it.
" These were in short the principal
fonrees from which I had compiled my
hiftory of the administration of Presi
dent Adams. Several trifling incidents,
which are scattered thro' -the volume, I
received from individuals ; but as they
are of no moment to one party or ano
ther, their detail would-be unnecefiary,
ana to bring Dfoie the public their au
thors would ban improper a&ion. I
fliall, however add, that from the
sources from y rich the hiftory in gene
ral has been compiled,/? ovould be improp
er for the rearia: to place any reliance on the I
faßr which it &ntains, or to regard the
work in any de ree as a corre& statement 1
of the events rwhich occurred during
the admirfiftrafon of Mr. Adams."
The author p oceeds with bis flatesnent,
by remarking, bat when the Hiftory was
nearly compleatd, fever aI concurring cir
curaftances took place, which induced him
to believe he hadbeen deceived with regard
"to the cbaraCerhand events described in bis
work ; he there)tre expired his doubts to
one of the bookfe&rs who bad contrasted for
the edition, as to the propriety of fending
forth fueb a volume to the world; in conse
quence of which it was agreed, that the Jheets
Should be fawn to fame gentleman, who
was acquainted with the political affairs
of the United States ; and chance threw
Col. Burr in $e way. To this gentleman
the work was submitted; and, as Mr.
Wood fays, woe difappreved of by him, bath
as it refeefled its many and gross errors,,
and its anti-republican tendency. The re
sult ofthi: interview with Col. Burr was
an agreement to have the book fapprefed,
for which te and his friends would indemni
fy the aßutl expense which bad accrued in
printing it.\ In the ttanfaflion of this bu
fnefs, there appears to have been created
much uneafnefs and perplexity ; tbe fubjed
of which occupies many pages of this pam
phlet ; we think the circumfances, however,
uninteresting to our readers. It may not \
be improper, however, here to remark, that ]
Mr. Wood exonerates Col. Burr from all l
felfifo or improper motives in fappreffing the
-history.
" Such was the origin and concha Tron
of a tranfadion [alluding to the business of;
the fuppreffion] which, though innocent
and praise-worthy of itfelf, and which
few men, except Mr. Burr, Would have}
had the generosity to have done, has
yet been construed and twisted into a
plot against the administration of Mr.
Jefferfon. When I mention the name
of our President, I trust it will not be
supposed that I include Mr. Jefferfon in
that band who have raised the voice of
calumny, not only against Mr. Burr,
but against every honest man, and every
virtuous deed. The promoters of this
villainous scheme, it is to be hoped, are
only confined to the State of Newyork:
their views are not to fopport Mr. Jef
ferfon more than Mr. Burr ; nor, in
ffiort, any one individual, but the idol
of their party, Mr. Dewitt Clinton—
This is not denied, but proudly confef
fed in their private meetings and secret
circles ; and at the tables of their politi
cal debauch, the name of Dewitt Clin
ton, and success to his election as Vice-
President, frequently precede asa toast,
either the constitution of the dates; or
the statesman of Monticello. It is not
my intention, in these pages, either to
be an advocate of Mr. Burr, or Mr. Jef
ferfon ; but candor requires it, that
when malice provokes popular resent
ment against any individual, by unjust
and crafty means, the dander (hould be
checked, and the lurking assassin of
character, with his fawning treachery,
exposed to view.",
" There are many persons who have
been a&ive in deceiving me ; but the
champion and hero of duplicity is,how
ever, Mr. Duane. To recite the vari
ous tricks and schemes this fellow has
pradifed, since the death of Bache left
him the editorship of theAurora,would
compose a nauseous detail of several
volumes, but I (hall here reftri& my
felf solely to those circumstances in his
condud which are connected with the
Hiftory of the Administration of Presi
dent Adams. I have already Rated
that, in general, all the circumstances
furnifhed by Mr. Duane in his fetters
to me, proved afterwards to be the
grossest falfehoods, most probably fab
ricated by himfelf, like his stupid tale
refpeding an intercourse which General
Hamilton and I are said to have carri
ed on by the meaps of a Scotchman, a
tutor in Mr. Hamilton's family, as if
Mr. Hamilton, were he even inclined
to communicate his sentiments to ano
ther living in the fame place, could not
do it but by the medium of a third per
son. Mr. Duane was particularly un
fortunate in this invention, as it hap
pens Mr. Hamilton never employed a
tutor in his family either Scotch or
Irish, his children have been educated
at the public schools at New-York.
" Duane, being afraid that the con
tents of his private letters would be
made public after the Hiftory was said
to be luppreffed, wrote me the follow
ing letter from Washington.
Warrington, Feb. 7, 1802.
"sir,
^ Several applications having been
made to me forthe Hiftory of John
Adams's Administration, which was to
have been sent no long since for sale,
and as the delay has tended to imputa
tion on my veracity, I think it proper
to apply to you to give me such infor
mation on the nature of the delay as
may enable me to juftify myfelf.
" Should you have relinquished the
design of publishing, Shall confider it
as a matter of justice to me, that you
return such Utters as I have addressed
k "In lad Wednesday's paper, a de
'fire was fignified of dropping the dis
pute with Jones. This has produced, in
last Friday's Examiner, a long answer
from the two brothers.—The advanced
guard is conduced by Meriwether him
felf. Instead of remarking upon his
•wonted elegance of style, we ihall ask
him a short queftioh. In the winter of
December, 1799, Jones printed for the
assembly a small pamphlet, in defence
of their opposition to the alien and se
dition act. The executive council paid
him fifteen hundred dollars for the job.
We ask Jones whether it was true that
Thomas Nicholson offered to do the
work for three hundred ? We dare him
to fay, whether he thinks that three hun
dred dollars were not an ample com
pensation, at the common price of print
and paper ? We ask him whether such
an executive council are worthy to be
trusted with public money, and wheth
er he thinks that the assembly put them
into their places, in order that public
money might be fefcandaloufy wafted ;
When the curtain of corruption has
been once torn asunder, as by God's
blessing, the Recorder shall tear it, we
ask him whether he fancies that the next
assembly will fuffer, or will dare to fuf
fer, the farther progress of such feloni
ous depredations on the treasury ? Will
the assembly continue to give him three
thousand dollars per annum, over and a
bove the common rates of a printer ?
Or if they could be bale enough to ven
ture upon such profligacy, with what
face would they go home to meet their
constituents ? We ask Jones, whether
he supposes that the nextaffemby has a
chance of containingjfive members that
will support such a sinecure ? No ! no!
They are a quite different kind of men.
They have both mpre sense, and more
honesty."
[ln answer to the above, Jones (who
was once a democratic Senator,but nev
er was bred a printer) fays, the assertion
that he received 1500 dollars for the
pamphlet, is falfe, for he had only
1250!! The pamphlet made 104 pages
—SOOO were printed. The price was
5 cents each. It is not probable the
to you, communicating hints and faces
on the fubje&.<
" You will learn all that panes here
from the public papers, as well as it
could be conveyed in any way but the
eyes and ears.— Strange occurrences have
arisen here, but they tend to an ultimate
good. Do the republicans in New-
York not mean to memorial on the ju
diciary repeal ? Some influential men
ffiould stimulate Dr. Mitchell on the
imbecility of the naturalization bill,pro
duced by the committee of which he is
chairman : M, friend Cheetham ffiould
touch that fubje&, and enter as much
into details of arguments and princi
ples as possible, for the committee will
otherwise deep over it. Smilie, from
v Pennfylvama, an Iri&an, is the only
member on it zealous and aftive."
" Concerning the president and his
present race of editors, the Recorder
has more to fay than what can be com
prized within this and some succeeding
papers. Perhaps it may be affirmed
without presumption, that the public
have still much to learn both about him
& them. In the seventh letter to Jones,
it was Rated, that Mr. Jefferfon had
unsolicited, sent an hundred dollars to
assist in printing the two volumes of the
Brofped. The money was paid at two
different times by his relation, Mr.
George Jefferfon, who is ready to attest
the fad. This anecdote hasmade an
unreasonable noise. Much censure has
been cast upon Mr. Jefferfon, as brib
ing a person to libel Mr. Adams."
" There ffiould not have been any
furprize at the remittance of these hun
dred dollars. There was one reason,
and that but a small one, for being fur
prized about it. Mr. Jefferfon is a rig
id economic. He holds with Dr. Swift,
that aJhilling is a serious thing. —One of
his acquaintances has witnessed the half
suppressed pang of sorrow,;& the halfaf
fe&ed fmiie of ostentation, with which
he could part with a petty sum. He
looked for applause. He could scarce
avoid perceiving that he did not succeed.
But with Mr. Jefferfon, the deftru&rion
of Mr. Adam's character must have
been a favorite objed. Mr. Adams
flood betwixt him and twenty five thou
sand dollars per anum, betides a presi
dential palace, and the gratification of
personal felf importance. In the aft of
conferring official favors, however,
Mr. Jefferfon can possess but moderate
enjoyment. His nature is incapable of
commanding the homage of intelligent
gratitude ; and ifhoneft ignorance were
to bellow its babble of thankfulnefs, he
is alike incapable of tailing the fleets
of it."
From Callender's (Richmond) Recorder
"IXT~ must once more take leave
VV to express our furprize that
Mr. Jefferfon fhouid think it proper to
employ in his service a small circle of
notorious, and even blasted characters
on the continent, such as Jones, Cheet
ham and Duane."
Miscellany.
(To be continued.)
EX TRACTS
paper was of a very good quality,—
Jones is printer to the State of Virtri
nia.] 0 °
“Some years ago Mr. Jefferfon re
marked in converfatiOT; that, although,
Virginia was a Republican Stxe, (he
had a tory Governor, a tor. Speaker
of the House of Delegates a tory re
publican Printer, and 2 tory Clerk.
Governor Wood, or the Speaker, wrote
to Mr. Jefferfon, to enquire what be
meant by this exbreffion. He returned
an answer that made it nerfeaD harm-
If." /
" About a fortnight ago, William
Giles was in Richmond. He had a
conversation upon the fubjea of Pick
ering, with Mr. George Picket of this
city. To our subscribers at Baltimore,
Boston, New-York, Philadelphia, and
other distant places, it may be necessa
ry to fay, that Mr. Picket is a gentle-'
man of very independent ci^curoftan
ces, and very much above the fidpicion
of fibbing. To the citizens of Rich
mond it is not necchty to far so But
it his name had nor been introduced,
our subscribers in the r+JdT and ex
tern dates might perhaps, have fanci
ed that we vete dobing and raving
like Duane. 6
" T ? h ^ Ticket, Giles said; that
Picketing had proved to be a v^py
honest MAN,—W e presume that Giles,
in this exprefhoH, ,„ < a „ excinfive re
f erence to the riubjeft ^public ^ney. —
But Giles added that Dayton was a
rabal. Mr. Picket ie,fed in these
words:
' "oy last year, Mr. Giles, you
know you toldms:that i'lckering was
a rascal. If you give Davton another
twelve month's time to cleat himfelf,
pemaps you wp! nnJ that he nas Deen
just as honed a's % Mr. Pickering ”
—^ ? —
Articles per Mails
a
WASHINGTON, , GUST 4, 1802.
MR. Pichon as, \,e arc inform
ed received orders trom Franca
to collect the votes ot the French citi
zens refidipg in the United States, on
the question of the re-election of the
First Consul for life ; aqd registers are
opened to that pnrpofe in the Fiench
consular offices in the United States.
[Njtfonat Intelligencer.
ROBBERY!
new-jekseV, JULY jr.
A Robbery, one of the most bold and
daring, at the fame time the moll cow
ardly and malignant, was committed
on Friday last near the New Mills, in
the county of Burlington. An old and
feeble man, named Daniel Parker, liv
ing near Cedar Bridge, about 30 miles
from the New Mills, blind of one eye,|
and almost deaf, had with unceasing
industry collided about 113 dollars';
but not without felling a valuable pair
of oxen and a milch cow, the chief sup
port of his family much under their
value—which money he,fecured as well
as he could in a wallet, and placing it
upon his back, the only conveyance he
had, set off on foot to carry the money
to the fheriff of Burlington county, to
pay an unjust debt for which he had
made himfelf accountable. On his wpq
he met with one Thomas Stewart, an
old culprit, on'whom the humane Gov
ernor of this Rate (Bloomfield) in the
plenitude of his democratic power, had
bellowed his favor, by remitting part
of the sentence of the court which had
convided him ; and sent the assassin free
from the Rate prison, to rove unrestrain
ed among the peaceable citizens of New
Jeriey. Stewar met theold man about
a mile from the New Mills, and travel
ling together, discovered his money—•
but several people passing in fight along
the said road, he had no opportunity
to commit the horrid aft contemplated.
The old man lodged that night at a re
lations in the New Mills, and next morn
ing pursued his way to Mount Holly to
pay the money to the Sheriff—but (hock
ing to relate, the vile al@ffin and rob
ber, Stewart, way laid him, and about
nine of the clock in the morning, not:
half a mile from the New Mills, and
not more than a hundred paces from
the baptist meeting house, and within
fight of the air furnace, by a sudden
stroke brought him to che ground.—the
old man, partly deaf and blind, saw
nothing of the assassin, and only remem
bered receiving the blow which flunned
him. The villain seized the wallet that:
contained the money, tore it from his
bleeding back, and left him weltering'
in his blood, no doubt supposing he had
given him a mortal wound. Hehow
ever recovered a little, and was found ,
Handing up a ffiort time after by Wm.
Mirers, son of Capt. Mirers, whe^ W
passing the fame road ; he was wild
and senseless, and his face in a gore of
blood—a pointed knot on the club,
(which was found) that gave the blow,
had pierced the scull above the right
temple, but how deep or how fatal is
yet undetermined. The old man wag
fafely conduced to the New Mills, where
he still remains very ill, and his life des
paired of. Search was immediate!,
made for the robber-^Stewart was fufc
pe&ed, apprehended, searched, and a
part qf the money found in his porfeb
son ; the bag which eontmned,the %„
mamder was found hid in the & o< ^