Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-11-17
GENERAL WASHINGTON.
ICounuae1.1

j - y
was i1it iurh letter as his conduit ap-
peared 10 me TO merit, and every thing
on bis part fnce has isrved to confirm that
opinion. Had | wanted a commentary on
his ilence with reipcef to my imfrlion-
ment ii France, foale of his faction has
furnilhed me with il. What | here al
lude 10, is a publication in Philadelphia
paper, copied afterwards into a New
York paper, both under the patronage OF
the Waiting too faction, fin witch the wri
ter, fill luppofng me in prilon in France,
wonders at my lengthy refplte from the
lcafold !; and he marks his politics Gill
further by iaying-" Il appears nnoreo-
yer, that the people Of England did not
reIlh his (Thomas Paine's) opinions quite
70 we'll as be expected, and thar from one
Of his lat pieces, as dearuttive to the
peace ard happinefs Of their country
meaning | fuppole, the Rights of Man
they threatened our knight errant with
fuch ferrous vengeance, that TO avoid
trip to Botany bay, he fed over to
France, as lef5 dangerous voyage"
/ am not retuJing or contraditting the
falfhood of this publications for it is iut-
hciently notorious neither am censur
ing the writer; on the contrary thank
him for the explanation he has incautloui
ly given Of the principles OF the Waihlng-
ron faction. Iniignifcant, however, as
the piece is, il was capable Of having
had 70 ne i'll efea, bad it arrived il
France during NY imprilonment and in
the time of Robeipierre and | am not
.uncharitaole in (uppodng that this was
the Intention Of the writer
have now done with Mr.. Walhing
ton on the icore of private affairs. 1t
would have been far more agreeable to
me, had his conduit been fuch as not to
have merited thele reproaches. Errors
or caprices Of the temper can be pardoned
and forgotten; bit cool deliberate crime
Of the heart, iuch as Mr.. Warrington IS
capable Of acting, is not to be wafhed
away. now proceed TO other matter.
After lays note to Grenviile arrived
in Paris from America, the character of
every thing that was TO follow might be
ealily forfeen; and it was upon this anti :
cipation that my letter of February I'D
was founded. The event has proved,
that was not mifaken, except that II
has been much worie than expected.
Itwould naturally occur TO MIR. Wafh
ing,on, that the fecrecy Of jays milton
TO England, where there was already ar
American minitter, conld not but create
fome fnlpcion in the French government
Especially as the conduit Of Morris had
been notorious, and the intimacy Of Mr..
Warrington with Morris was known.
The character which Mr.. Warrington
has attempted to att in the world, is
fort of non defcribabIe, cameleon coloured
thing, called prudence. It is, in many
cafes, fubsti'ate for principle, and is 70
nearly allied to hyPocrify, that it eafiy
Aides into it. His genius for prudence
furniihed him in this inaance with an ex.
pedient, that ierved, as is the natural and
general character OF all cxPedients, TO,
diminifh the embarraf1ments of the moment
and multiply them afterwards !; fer he au-
thorifed it TO be made known to the
French government, as confidential mat
ter (Mr. Warrington fhould reoollect that
I was member of the convention, and had
the means of knowing what | here fate)
he authorized it, I fay, to be made known
and that for the purpofe of preventing any
uneainefs to France on the icore OF MIR.
lays milton TO England, that the object
Of that milton, and of Mr.. Jays authori
thy, was rei9rit9ed to that OF demanding
the {urrender Of the welern pets and IN
Identification fer the cargoes captured in
American veiIels. Mr.. Walhingtonknows
that this was untrue ana knowing this,
he had GOOD reafon to himfelf for reFu-