The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-04-29
Mr.. cAILATTN's LETTER-.o Congress

MIR. GAI.LATIN's LETTER-to Congrefs
OF the 18th init. has excited no lefs curioiity
than interett; for Whit it denies that any ap-
pIication had been made to draw money from
the treafury for the purchafe of the Flordas be-
:oie AN appropriation made by law" it admits
that there spere certain " ciyeumAanres, which
may have produced an imprefiion that iuch an
application had been made" Every one has
been therefore anxious to difcover, what suere
the circumstances alluded to in Mr.. Callatin's
letter. The enemies of the Administration have
attempted, AS ufnal, to extract from it new
matter for accuiation aud reproach its friends
not mifruaing in the leaf the d(cernment or
veracity of MIR. GalIatin, not doubling that
there were in reality certain circumstances
which might have produced that impreiIion,
have fill agreed in thinking that thefe circum.
ftances had been mifundernood by thofe who
made the inference. They have not doubted
that when thefe circumstances were fully deve-
lopeti, they would not fail to demonttra,e tina.
facred regard 70 the law and the contribution,
which had uniformly marked the meafures of
the prefent executive.
AS for ourfeives, we have AS vet feen nothing
which furniihes key to MIR. Galatians letter:
nothing which utilities the predictions of the
friends or the enemies of the administration,
uniefs the following itatement from the "Alcx-
andr'a Expolitor' be entitled to this character
before our readers, accompanied by this hum
BILE cauton-that the editor of tine Expoftor,
inftead Of maintaining that fnperiorty oftalents
which he potlefies over his M,tariou. patron has
conde!cended to become the obfcquious fateI
lite OF Matthew Lyon, the inveterate bu.
puny opponent of John Randolph; and that
his paper has lately teemed with ininuations
and farcafms againf him which reflect no dill.
credit but on the man who uies them, and wea.
ken the force of every aGertion, which relates
to MIR. RANDOLPH The fecond paragraph of
the fecretary' sle.ter," faysthe Expofitor "notbe
ing deemed fufficenty explicit, induced mem.
Der OF Congreis to rcqueit an explanation thereof
from Mr.. Gallatn. The anf,ver has been feen
by one of the mott Respectable citizens of Alex
andria, and having been by him tated in mix
ed company, we deem it no breach of conf :
dence to lay the facts before our readers Ii
will enable them not only to judge of the
luftce of the eternal enmlty avowed againlt our
but, of the confidence which
the a!lertions of Mr.. John Randolph merit from
every lover Of character, country and truth"
Mr.. Gal'atin, in this letter, difavows any
knowledge of any attempt to induce him to part
with any monies, under his controul, unappro-
priated by law; he fuppotes that any idea of
tuch intention NUT have ariien from the circum-
ftance of its having been ftated at n Cabinet
Council, held about ten days previous TO the
commencement of the prefent FELTON, of Con-
grets, in confcquence of advices received from
our Ambalador at the Court of Madrid.-Thefe
adviccs fated that Spain would fell US the liti-
gated territory and Florida for two millions of
dollars, and that without this purch7fe, 70 adj
vautageous to the u. S. it would be impolIible
to fette the controversy otherwife than by arms.
A queition arofe in the Cabinet, whether it
would be proper tbrn to fanetion fuch negocia-
ton, Congrefs being 70 foon to meet, which was
determined in the negative, and on this bafelefs
fabric has Mr.. John Randolph grounded his op-
petition 70 the administration, and hurls his ana
the'nas at the mott tagacious, the mod upright
and the mott benevolent men that ever directed
the affairs of any nation"