Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-01-13

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ought Immediately TO obtain it thar we
may not be laundering at our potts on an
infrsesion of our rights.
Mr.. Lowndes futpetted gentlemen had
not correctly attended TO the reiolutlon.
II only requests the PRECEDENT TO lay iuch
Information before the houle as be may
think proper. Are gentlemen then afraid
10 truh TO rhe difcrelion Of the Prefident
Are they apprehenfve leaf he ihouid com
mun;cate that which is improper ! de
hoped they had more confidence ins,he ex-
ecusive. IIe thcughf this call ihould
precede any reiolulions. he could not
difconnea the hutting Of the port ct
New Orleans from the csilion OF Louiii-
ana. There appeared 70 be natural
connection between lhsie two events. ne
wss afraid thatthc lhutting the port was
ominous of the difpolition Of Spain to cede
the province TO France independently OF
any membranes the may have impoied
up "a herfeIf. He was afraid France 10.
this tranfsstion would coniult her inteFeit
and convenience, and not our rights. We
well knew the grounds on which that ma
ton interpreted treaties, and we bad no
resfon from that knowledge 10 repreis our.
fears. An obfervasion OF the gentleman
from Virginia had given him great Unea
iineis. That gentleman had told Us, It
Spain had ceded Louihana TO France,
lhe had a right to cede il. This Mr..
Lowndes was not prepared to fay. He
did not Thick Spain had right TO give
TO America what ihe plcaled; mnch lefs
TO give her new neighbour, under cir
cu.nitances different from thofe by which
Che held the province. He was not, how
ever then difpofed TO diicuts the abaratf
queiion involvedin this fubjea. He 1ruf-
ed the refolution, calling for information,
would be agreed TO. The houle need not
fear that in aiking this information, they
would not fpeak the fenfe of The people
and if other meafures were necehaiy, they
would ALTO in adopting them iPeak the
ienfe of the nation.
Mr.. Bacon faid it was not uncommon
to hear of extraordinary occurrences in
that honfe. One mode of reckoning YET
terday had great weight, that a6srted a
connection between the reiolution and the
fuhiett Of New Orleans, which had been
taken Up and referred to committee with
clof.d doors. One fubjed appeared TO him
TO be not only nearly connected, but TO
form an eH'en,ial part of the other, For
what purpoie this refolution lhonld be fe-
parated from the general fubjctt, he could
NOT conceive. Why do we want iniorma-
ton, but that we may have more clear
view Of the general fubjett He could not
Zee any detached puTpofe for which it was
required. Why then divide it Into little
detached parts? Until he could hear rea-
fons for fnch diviion, be fnculd be a.
gainf the reference.
MI. Hemphill obferved that the gentle
man was miitaken inwhat paaed yeiterday.
The gentleman from Maryland had irft
itated the fubjests as Gmilar, that ground
was Afterwards abandoned & they were
conGdered as diainet. There were only
two points connected with the fubjea be-
fore the houfe in which documents could
be required or fecrecy neceaary. The one
related TO the cefion of Louihana; the
other TO the fhutting the port of New
Orleans. The former, tho not referred
10 a committee, was as important as the
latter, which had been referred. In the
laf cafe we deemed it important to have
and to requea papers. The relolution be-.
fore them related to the hrf point il had
beer deemed Of fuaicient importance to
refer it to committee, and this afforded
good resfons for calling for papers re-
fpetfing the ceiiion. He begged leave
to refer to the meGage, which fays the
ceGlon "wiIl, j; carried INTO e6sa, make
change in the afpett of our foreign rela-