Virginia Argus — Richmond, Va., 1810-02-02 00:00:00, page 1

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VIRGINIA ARGUS.
" XVI'Ti YEAR.]1 A PRES PRESS M AIN X A IKS THE SOVERS*GNTY OF THE PEOPLE. r\r 7^
* m.. ■ ■■ -.. — . , --—__ _J__ _ j_r> o. 1728.»j
__AN,> F.i.3vYVBrS\MJat. PC'S A3r>, J^.o,. Pa,.reITJ ~ Cogto^e^xa.' '
W [For DM,rt Per Ann-nt—PaiJU A,loner.] FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8, 1ft 10. fl2 ,.2 Cenl, ^~T~
FOR THE ARGUS.
To T8E Honorable John UandoLpti
25th January, 1810.
Srn, " -
The ?--*tIuct»on of Philo Laos in the
^Spirit of Seventy Six of the 12th in.
foi* fu ly compensated the public
' tor Vo.'Vbdnc o n »ti t u ti o nal absence from
your seat-in Congress. Although I
donot expressly charge you with being
t’d'^^^thor of* that perfor nance, yet
we perceive i i it much of yaur genius,
and all the malignity erf your passions.
The sentiments it breathes correspond
s » precisely with our political views,
that I am justified in ascribing it to
one, of your bosom friends ; and, with
EohV-t a’lbwance fur a difference be
tween speaking and writing, ir is just
such an invective as the world expect
ed from you at the pres< nt period.
To speak with discretion, your re-,
mainiug at home under the pretence
of indi«pos’tion, is extremely prudent.
Your inconsistency of conduct had be
come so palpable that it was exceed
-ingly difficult lor you to make out o
.plausibl e story for your cons ituents;
^nd, for once in your life, vou tacitly
•confessed that there it a point iu poli
tics at which imposture must ceasr-.
Even the power* of your fjee could no i
longer fumhh a mask for the uagra
cious contrivances of cunning; and <
• ;• you wisely confined yourself to your i
phn*n:»ou, waiting, like a i unholy a- ,
th®i"t, for some fortuitous coocoursr ;
of political atom% which might place t
the affairs of the nation in a postu-e <
mo»e concr mini W vonr unirit. At .
convenient season we s'.ill find you
creeping forth from your retrent to ;
scatter the seeds of discontent among <
the people, anjl to wi;her ths nerve of .
government. Such a common excr. .
tion*.f your faculties will create no i
surnrize ; and must serve moat admi
rably to illustrate the complexion o‘
your patriotism. In the mean time vre <
are, it seem*', to be amused-nnd rdifi- 1
•ed by occasion'd sallies from a news
paper which claims the honor of being
under your particular patronage and
dircc.vnn. j
Your opposition to Mr. Madison,*
previously to his late election, was .
marked by nn intemperate personal (
hostility. In the gratification of your ,
?i»leen you violated every rule r.f de- |
corutb, and forfeited ranch of your ,
pretension to the character of a geu- ;
tleirnn. But you failed in j > ar at- ,
tempt to crush him, and only rendered (
yourself ridiculous. Your sarcasms (
>*n<] your declamation were alike una- ,
'ailing. We admired your eloquence, ,
f'lU we smiled at your logic. You (
v rre considered as a spoiled child,
•tv hose'mind a* wella* constitution had
injured by indulgence, and
tvho«e temper was too irritabl
to iwook either manly admoniti
on or reasonable chastisement. To
^gxiin your standing wth the public
eml to propagate an honorah1 - opinion
of vourcr.rdor, the first act of Mr Ma
dison’s ad n ini strati on met with von:
unbounded approbation: You bro\
i reward and advocated a resolution un
equivocally commending th* arrange
ment made with Mr. Erskineraod, so
rapidly had you grown upon the es
teem of a certain party, that the fede
rdiots on that occasion were volant:*
rily your auxiliaries. The fervor of
? rut- nt w-born zeal for the president,
however, was suspected. There was
i o occasion for yo-tr vote of thanks,
because there was nn impending dnu
,f,tr to the country. It was the d iwn
t» p^ace with England, for which
r.Ir. J., i,\ rson asw?;) as Mr. Madison
1 ad l mg sought in vain ; n fact which
your proposed rtso’ution to the house
»>! representatives tended to contradict
hv implying that Mr. Madison had
♦'one ir»oie than Mr. Jefferson was wil
ling to do; and, as fir as it went, this
vas nn eul mium on yourself for the
cnrv.itv you had manifested against the
vtn rablc patriarch ot Virginia. The
lepublte ms understood yon, sir. They
insisted with fortitude the m ilcvolence
<f your denunciations and the incens
< fjoaf flattery. In the former the)
^ I f ht-ld the vindictive tamper of a dis
f ^painted polticiin ; and in the latter,
wothir.g but the cunning of a jesuit.
Indeed am,you will ru*u none hut
your friendi. Yon calumniated Mr.
Aladison, he is pr< Videot : You
t>L.awtl .Mr. Smith, and he is sc
37 %
cretaty of state ': You reviled Mr.
| Giles, and he enjoys the undr.ninish
-d. confidence of republicans. You
espoused the cause of Col. Monroe,
ind he instantly became unpopular:
You praised Mr. Macon, till his poli-1
tical standing has become contempti
ble i and your secret connivance wi.-h
Albert Gallatin is already ominous of
iiis disgrace. So pernicious is t ie in
fluence of your panegyric, that, were
l inclined to superstition, { might at
tribute the failure of Mr. Erskinc7'
arrangement to the malignant fatality
ol your friendship, ostensibly avowed
far that compact. ' From the pestt.
lence of vour applause there is no e3-’
caping with honor; no ref jgc* but ir
lltght from the sphere of its contagi
on.
The report of the secretary of the
treasury appears to be a subject of e:c
ultatio i with your few adherents a?.
w*ll ns with the federalists. It has,
indeed, sir, not a lb tie surprised the
friends of the country and of the ad
ministration, that Mr. Gallatin, whom
ro jr newspaper proiounre* “the great
?st financier now living,” should no
aave been able to produce a more re. i
ipectable budget of the national r.-- i
lourcc'. At a time like the present, i
vhen the kingdoms of Eufope appear
;o have conspired to do us wrong, it i
vas naturally to have been expected 1
hht the boasted talents of the sccrcta
Y of the treasury would have produced i
l system ot finance commensurate to i
he occasion- The report which he «
>y* made is probably the performance t
it oae of h:a clerks, and the public arc i
•e: to be astonished, perhaps, with <
omsthing more praise-wort ly from i
he fruitful invention of the honorable
iscreyiry. I am loth to suspec thi *
opacity j but if he does not speedil-/ *
iroduce some respectable evidence ol !
lis ability, his tale its or his integrity' i
vill undoubtedly be questioned.— i
[t must he confessed, that his official ;
!3ti mates, daring the e nbargo and i
Jox, give great s-ope for the impeach <
nfjnt of hii intellectual vigor; and the' {
hidden growth ot his privice fortune is ,
mfr.voraole to the supposition th it he {
3 the most disinterested of ministers. <
>Vnen a secretary of the treasury, <
ram a yearly salary ol four or live (
ho as and, amasses ii the short com- j
>us* of eight y^ars the enormous for- ,
one ol two hundred than sand dollars,
Y- are autnorised to enqair- how h. (
ias effected it? If this were a go-,,
•eminent of England, an l Mr. Gall.i i
in a lord Melville, there would be no
lilficulU' in accounting for thacircum ,
itunce ; but it would be too hasty a ,
letcnnination to decide, without dur
her investigation, th .t Mr, Ga latia t
iad made use of the opportunities i
which his station afford j, to spe
culate in the funds for his individual ,
icneht; or, that he avail:d himself of ,
the same opportunities, to become the ]
proprietor ot lauds which have bcea|]
sacrificed by the artful representations';
af the man who purchased from the!
public. If the honorable secretary ha3:
recently transmitted the interest of the j
Dutch loan to Holland, in specie, we
may be assured that he h.13 hii reasons
fori.; aniic will require, all your
ing.-n<;iv, sir, to demonstrate that1
Albert Gallatin, who has drained the!
cou2 ry of hard dollars to pay them(
ia o the hands of one of tiie liana
pares, would have been a proper cha
racter to fi.l the office of Secretary ot
stat;’, to which he aspired ? I am not
fcariul of contradiction when I affirm
that he did this act coatrary to the in
din itions ot the president.
Because the secertary of the treasu
ry has mad;: a feeble representation o',
me funds of .the uation, you awkwardly
conclude (hat it ii impossible to make
a butter one ; an.l will) y >ur usual lo.
gical prer.i«ion, you atttribute the po
verty oi the treasury to the proceedings
ol the ad m;".strati .in* If we had n.»t
some experience of the duplicity oi
Vlr. Gallatin, we might be deluded by
your sophistry. But, sir, alter the
collusion between you and that tn an to
dishonor Air. Jefferson, men of di»-'
comment hive regarded Air. Gall* in!
with suspicion. You certa n.y have
not forgotten the declaration which
voj made upon the floor of the houst
d representatives, tiiat the seer clary of
the treasury hat informed you that tli
president h id atte npte /, conti ary to
ImUy t) draw two millions of dollar»
from the public p'/rse jor a secret pur
%
Poeej and you must also remember
low meaalv the honorable secretary
,escaped from the odium of that act of
oerfidy to Mr. Je.Ters m and from the
| disgrace in which he involved you bv
making you his dupe, ft was perfect
ly understood at the time, that he pa
cified your r sing vengeance by suita
ile explanations and ardent promises
of future atonement. He would have,
duped vou again, sir, had not hi3 pri-i
vate resentments corresponded withl
your factious designs; and you owe it
-lore to his passions than to his fideli
ty that he -has submitted to Congress a!
financial rep art which has palsied the
vigor ot administr ition and given co
lor and currency to your owa ungraci
ous reproaches.
Your friends do not seem to be ap
prized of t’v: ridiculous situation in
which they place Mr. Gallatin, when
they p onounce him “the great-.st fi
ll aoci'-r now living,” and yet de l ire
that his last annual rep irt “is the fair
est view which he can present of tiie
•tate ot the nation.” It that document
s to he received ai the re ml-,ot the ut
most exertion of his abilities, I have
w repugn mce to denouncing the se
:retary of the Treasury as the most
:oasu nmat3 of political impostors.
•Vrdst the revenue from commerce
vis ah mdant, a.i accurate know
edge of the common rules of arith
oetic was sufficient to enable him
o discharge the duties of his office,
t was only when that revenue failed,
hat he had an opportunity to display
he plascic power of his talents, da;
.-bar h-»c K#. ? a ____
Unary specimen of finaaliul genius, i
ndeed! A choice of wretched expe„ i
Uents; submission to foreign aggres„ |
ipns in front; and loans toilowei by
l.rect taxes, as the only alternstiv .. i
lad Air. Gallatin presented a liberal
md just view ol the wealth of the na
ion, it would neitner have answered i
'aur expectations aor h<ve gratified
us malice. Like the utterance of
:ert.iM wiity repartee $. waica wc j
inj in the dialogues of comedies, <
vfieri the first spe tx.;r is made to any i
icrtain weak and absurd t dogs in or- i
ler that the second m *y say s.narc .
mes, the annual repur: of tne secretary i
if the Treasury has been timidly and :
ahely constructed to afford you an <
ippurtuniiy of carping at at. When I
VI:. Gdlatin i; treacherous to his da- i
v to corroborate your spleen, you
nay be as satirical and as scrupulous :
is you pleasf. I
There are curious rumors abroad !
hat the Secretary of the trea-ury I
neans to resign the post he occupies.
[ beg of you, sir, nut to be alarmed by j
his sarcastic report. . Depend upon it i
fiat he will never leave the cabinet 1
vfiilst there is tne charter of a nation
d bank to be sold^ or a possibility of i
iestro/ing tfie reputation of Mr. Mad*
son. I know the ruling passion of
tis heart and should be sorry to thwart
t 0 hllf f (trail »/** .. m-A.
ah endeavors to rain a virtuous pre
sident.
The situation of our foreign affairs
irises neither from the imbecility nor
rom the wickedness of ad ministration.
D and id men can perceive in the unpar
tlielcd events of modern Europe the
r'al causes of our present embarrass
ments , and your own conduct for four
y e irs past, has in no s.naH degree in«
creased the perplexities of govern*
meat. You purloined the affections of
the public bv your artful professions
of patriott* ra at the co n meucement of
your j»«itic<d career, and you betrav
ed tite vOj^ilir confidence when your
country Tequiyed tne utmost exertion
of your facTJTries. Your first desertion
of your f riends was distinguished by a
peculiar intimacy with a J’ritish en
voy* Whi sr your acrimonious limno; s
so11gilt it taint the character-of Mr.
JeffersoA and to poison, the repu a'ion
of Mr. imdison, your wounded pride
pursued A>.isolation in the chariot of
Mr. Merry. Die city of Washington
beheld your eccentric tangent with sur
prize : Bat, sir, neither toe cheer
ing smiles of an English dame, nor
the brilliant ministerial equipage of
her lord, could sooth the asperity o
your temper nor assuage the pangs oi
a hcarnjffiat raged for the graufica
mn of igdnwful vengeance. What a
triumphant day was it for the friend*
at threat Britain,wnenyou were belief
exhausting your Irain- to the verge o
Juulilti >a by a torrent of invew iv !
I against the neutral policvof A. nerica?
f he author ot *« lV"ar in Disburse"
was from that instant freed from tn^
labor of inventing soohis ns to over
turn the law of nations ; he found in
your speeches the arguments he wan
te<l; an J the declamation of John llan
. dulph became on a sudden the theme
I of applause at St. James. Sir, you
h ive been the bane of you** country’.
Weak men, dazzled by the tinsel of
your wit, have been delude.I into the
ranks of opposition ; cunning men, a
vailing themselves of the impetuosity
‘>f your mind, have made you an in
strument to increasjjdisaffection among
republicans ; and foreign nations per- ,
ceiving the prevalence of factions and !
parties in our councils, have trifled
with our honor and despoiled us of
our right1*.
You have grown extrem-Jy tender
of the presiden t reputation ; and vou
tremble for hi3 fate because you ima
agine that he is surrounded by a junto ,
of unprincipled individuals ! Believe {,
me, sir. that Mr. M idi'.on's expansion \
of mind and fortitude of soul are a j j
sufficient securi*v against th: cabals j j
of any combination: He views with ,
equal composure the op-n hostility of
Pickering and the* perfidious admoni- *
dons of Randolph. Relying uprm f
that band of patriots who *yill never t
Jeceive him, he c.eta for the good of *
iis country and will cove.* himself with £
imperishable renown*
I congratulate you upon the im- ,
irovement of your natural sagacitv.
Ifou had already astonished the world i
.vitla your astute discoveries in polL >
:ics ; but how is our a-'v.izemerit in- ^
treased whin you declare that yon .
>erceive in the matrimonial connexion ) J
>f an amiable lady with a member ol|s
;he Bonaparte family, the co mnsocc- t
nent of Frenah domination over the ,
United States; treasonable designs <
u the resignation of his sea. in con- ,
jress by Mr. Nicholas,- arid the en- j
ire ruin of our free institutions in the j
rigorous efforts of Mr. Giles to vin- j
ti'.ata the rights of the country! To t
lorrobjrate the perspicacity cf your
ntellect, your friends quote your own £
ircdictions, and in the true spirit of l*,
mpostors hail you as a p ophet. Like ^
ill other false prophets you will, I
Ioubt not, endeavor to fulfil your own r
brebodings. A3 to the mean«, you ,
vill not, of course, be very delicate. ! j
l’o revile Mr. Jefferson, to depreci- j %
ite Mr# Madison, to defame Mr.;{
diles, to inculcate suspicions of the|*(
imiths, to collude with Mr. Gallatin,! 4.
o flatter Mr. Macon, or to use little | 4(
Mr. Stanford, are modes of conduc-. j tl
>erfectly indifferent to you, and alter-1 tl
lately preferred as the progress of 4
;our machinations requires. Sir, you 4
leceivc yoursel . This is not the land c
>f the Arabs nor are you a Mahomet. 4
rhe Americans are an enlightened 4
people, and you a very differ tut kind 4
if hero from the fugitive of Mecca. t
It is true, you faintly resemble nim 4
in th- passive part of his character; 4
for, like him, you retreat from tht
jusUtt of life t;> court in retirement ^
the pleasures of inspiration. Y >u'
na!oral constitution will preclud you 1
fr>m some of the raptures which Mj- *
h im:t experienced in his cave ; bu ,
then your envious disposition will i>t
amply gratified by incidents of another
complexion which your chaste im.i.'i
nation na* created. “ Hoyle’s gain's,
ordinaries, cross-roads, brothels ano
giming-houses,” with ihe scenes o'
which you appear to be so very fami
liar, alForcl you great scope for vul
gar detraction. Whilst Mr. Giles is
laboring for his country’s good, ano
steadily pursues the path of glory, hi.
will not deny you the honor of retail
ing'persoaal anecdotes at second h.ind,
wmch you might have obtained in a
more correct and authentic shape from
the mouth of his valet. And, sir, I
can assure you, that when his coun
try’s weitare is at stake, he will not
stop to resent the servile approbrium
ol a mile gossip; nor retort, at any
ti ne, by enquiring whether you go to
»ed *' sorrowful or soberor whe
ther your present ghas iv appearai.ee
has been occasioned by the cxcc*> of
abstemiousness or tne excess of ditai*
pat ion*
l ainire the facility with which
you quote JLatin: it is sy ub ilical of
• our political co.o acter ; lur^ in nvorrlr i
• on are quite a Cato, b it in action***)
.jreat « tyrant as ;our anilities an.lj
I power will permit you to be. W ids*
I you are fluent in the Roman iungu i'je,
you are destitute of every patriotic
virtue ofthat brave and illustrious peo
ple .
As van rail at the Smiths because
a female relation of theirs is matri • >♦
nially allied to the Bonaparte*, it is
singular that yoil h ive not discoverer!
in a late marriage of the Genera!’.*
diughter more i nmcdia.e danger to
the commonwealth from s > close ao
affinity to the nobility -o<* England._
Can vo j not perceive, *t>, in the soft
of lord Mansfied, ttn- g-r j of ana
ristocracy tha: is to ruin the A neracait
constitutions I I J ) n-,t d•sp.-ur of se«>
ing, at some future day, a very severe
philippic from you upon this theme*
for, as you* are ot the lineage of the
princess Pocahontas, you will hardly
suffer any other dynasty to reign over .+ j
the land oFoneofyour ancestors than " *
;our own. in this you display a *
:o:n n? ridable ambition/ and your ex
tr.ions to gain a throne convince u»
hat you are serinn in the p irsuit of
t. If you should succeed, permit me
o recommend Air. Gdii.in as prime
ninistor. I know ot no ixi m jo ca
uble o'ser . ing an Indi m king. He
las very tew scruples of conscience,
md is never dis urbed bv those sensa
ions wiich hu-nadze the h art.—,
four secret acquaintance with *h - ami*
ble^ Secretar., v/It convince you of
hejustavsi o’, mv panegyric. E:ps>
ience ougnt to convince you, tiiat wti»
n m will bestow thdr he iris an i .heir
lands where they pi a 3 ; aid that no
'lame can attach to the S.ni ha for a
lymeneal connection which they nei.
her sought nor promoted. A:cusa.
ions of p trtiality to France have be a
trenuously advanced agiinst the se*
retary of state and his brother,
:ause the emperor of the French had
lap cured their prop rtv: if this be * '
iruerion whereby to judge them, H nr
riendly ought they to e to G~ea. 15 n
aiu, considering that her cruisers h iv*
at ly seized in Asi 1 severd hundred
houi rnd dollars w .rth of tU-ir pro
'-rtv ! And, sir, what Will even your
artizans say to the rumored friend
hip of the Smiths for France, (a ca
r-nny watch they have enj oyed in coin
ion with Mr. J iferson,) when thy
ead the rec-nt o.iicial decla atio j of
ie Secretary of S ate in relation to
Prenc . captures, wh rein he distinctly
cates, that “ property to a con i ‘era
blj amount, belongingto cu'Zen* of
the United Sta.es, has been captu
r red and seized by the F-each, for
violations ot the Berlin au.i Milan
decrees and under other pretexts ;
that in some instances the merchant
’ vessels of the United States have
' been burnt at sea ov French crui
ser*. and,in others, the indemnity of
1 the vessels and property ha . beep
* purchased by the means of bids of
1 exchange drawn by the cicpc rias -of*
1 the American vessels upon their
‘ owners at a rate i mposed by toe cip
1 tors.” This, sir, is not the language?
if a man partial to the court of S\.
.loud. Ana, l must remind yoj, that
he Sm thmava neither paid the intr
st of t ie Dutch lo in in hard cbha*
o Louis Napoleon, nor pro niscd \l .
irslcme t;jat the carrying trade should
M&m up.
I liope^ sir, that I have notlrri at-J.
•ourteuip-r, nor been o h >11 as to
ve^cen the tar ness of vo ir studi ci
sarcasms. Biulet me solicit von to
spare your friends. A x>v u jdi' so:i e
the kfeai n~d and profound Mr. Macons
f ir although his celebrated bill which
ie modestly styles a “ navigation law,*
s notonousL the performance of m
ingenious pediur in expedient* hehinl
tne cur air^ y» t it is cruet in you t»
;ir#fliiin that the manufacture of
“ our laws should be entrusted only to
'**’ the master workmen of the covLurv.*'
\Ir. Macon feels tne severity of t.m
reproach, and will think it unkind**
a man who has flattered him into his
present ridiculous course of p./h.i
mmusmsgBg!fllmmm^'A ;vJ 1LLV *
F*r sale at this
HENIX Or* S
New Virginia Justice^
CONTAINIHO
The Duties of a Justice ot Hero*, fec.tr’*>
•her Wit a a variety of useful prc-trd-Ti
• lupted to the:uws now m force. A.so
forms o-f conveyancing, such as Pi-jo, of
tiarg mi a.id sale,leaaeand rr.lt isc. m j
b .b<a trust, Utc,