The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-03-21

! ~ mgr. Fed.
On Saturday the 2d inf Mr.. Burr tool, Ieav.
OF the Senate-th;s was done AT time when
the doors were clo.ed, the Senate being engag.
ed IN executive buineis, and Of courfe when
there were no fpeGtators. 1t is however uniye,
tally iaid to have been the mott dynifed, E,h
lime and impreiiive that ever was uttered; and
the effects which it produced, iuftify thofe cpl
thets. will give you the beG account have
neen able to obtain from the relation of several
Senators, as well federal as republican.
MIR. Burr began by iaying that he int nded 10
Pans the DAY with them, but the increafe of
| ii.ght indiipohton Qore throaO had determined
him then to take his leave of them. He toucb
ed lightly on iome of the rules and orders of ,ir
houie, and recommended in one or two noir,,s
alterations of which he briefly explained the
| reaions and principles.
| He then faid he was fenfbIe that he muR ar
| times, have wounded the feelings of individual
;nembers.-Iie had ever avoided entering into
any explanations at the ting; becauie a mo-
inent or irritation was not the moment for ex-
planation--becauie his petition (heinc i'm the
chalr) rendered it impoiiible to enter into ex-
plantations, without obvious danger of coa!e-
quences which might hazard the dignity of the
Senate, or prove diEagreeable and injurious in
more than one point of view; that he had
therefore preferred TO leave to their rcne Sfio.a
his publication, that on his part he had no in
luries to complain of; if any had been done or
attempted, he was ignorant of the authors.
! and if he had ever heard he had forgotten. for
he thanked God he had no memory for iniurips
lie doubted not but that they had found occa-
iion to obferve, that TO be prompt was not
therefore to be preciPitate, and that to att
without delay was not Away to act without re-
lection; that error was often to be preferred
to indecifon that his errors, whatever thev
might have been, were thoft of rule and crinci-
pie, ard not OF caprice; that it could not be
deemed arrogance IN him TO fay that in his ohi-
cial conduct he had known no partv--no cau{e
---no friend. That If in the opinion of anv the
ditcipline which had been eftabNfhed APPROACH
ed TO r1gor, they would at le&it admit thar it was
uniform and indifcrminate.
He further remarked that the ignorant and
unthinking affected TO treat as unneceiIarv and
taftidious rigid attention ia rules and deco
rum; but he thought nothing trivial which
touched, however remotely, the dignity oi that
body; and he appealed to their experience for
the juftice of this fentiment, and urged them
In language the molt impreliive, and in = man
ner the mott commanding, to avoid the fra!Icf
relaxation of the habits which he had e,ld.avor-
ed TO inculcate and eftablih.
But he challenged their attention TO conf ler-
atoms more momentous than any which re gard
ed merely their perfonal honour and character:
the preiervation of the Lazv, of Li5ertr ard the
C0nttiteton-this houfe, faid he is 4 fdntf;larv
and citadel of law, Of order, of libertv..and il
IS here-it is herein this exalted refuge
here, If any where will reliftance be made to
the itorms of popular phrenzy aud the ient arts
OF corruption and if the Contribution be def
tined ever TO PERTH by the facrilegious hand. of
the Demagogue or the U(urper, which Cod A.
vert, ITS expiring agonieS will be witnened on
this floor.
He then adverted to thofe affecting fenfations
which attended final feparation-a difoluti-
| on, perhaps forever, ofthoCe ALLEGATIONS which
| he hoped had been mutually satisfactory. He
confo!ed himtelf, however, and them with fhf.
| reflections, that, though feparated, they woud
be engaged in the common caufe of Dilemma
| ting principles of freedom and focal order. He
ihould always regard the proceedings of that
body with interef and with folicitude-bc
| mould feel for their honor and the national bo-
| nor 10 intimately connected with it-and took
| MS leave with expeditions of perfonal refpea
and with prayers and wifhes, &c. &c
In this cold relation dfant reader-efneci-
| ally one to whom Col. Burr is not perlonallv
| known, will be at a lois to difcern the canfe of
thote extraordinary emotions which were excit-
| rd--the whole Senate were in tears, and 70 I'M.
| manned, that it was half an hour before fhev
could recover themfclves efficiently to come to
order and choole Vice-Prefdent pro TEN.
AT the Prelident's on Monday two of the Sc
\ "dtolo WIG lSldtltS tntlc circumstances To a
circle which had collected round then--onr
| taid that he wiihed that the tradition roioht he
preferved as one of the mot extraordinary p
vents he had ever witneGed---arother Senator
being aiked on the day following that on which
MIR. Burr took his leave, how long he was foeak-
ing, after moments paufe, faid he could
form NJ idea-it might have been an hour and
1t might have been but moment, when he
came to his ienfes he feemed TO have awakened
| from kind of trance.
| The chara6teriilcs Of the Vice-PrcGdept's
manner, feemed to have been elevation and dig
nlty.."a confciouinefs of fuperiority, &c...no-
thing of that whining adulation, thofe canting,
hypocritical complaints of want of talents az
furnaces of his endeavours to pleafe them.
hopes of their favor, &c. &c. On the contra
ry he told them explicitly, that he had deter
mined to purfue conduct which his Judgment
thould approve, and which fhould fscure the
fufirdge Of his own confidence; and that he had
never confidered who elfe might be plealed or
Duplicated, although it was but iuRice on this
occalion to thank them for their Difference and
Irefpect to his official conduct the corRant and
uniform fupport he had received from every
member; for their prompt acquefcence in his
ldeciions; and to remark TO their honor, ttati
they had never defended to Jingle motion "a
lpaliion or embarrailmenf & 70 far was be from
~ l N. l.. IT, A