The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-05-01

Ga intimation Of theie dehsns conveyed in the
cyphered letter of the 9th September! Two
reafous feem to oppofe this fuppo6,ion the
firR, that this very letter fpeaks Of the enter
prif-, of ccurfe, one which had already been
agiiated : he iecond, that it is ,almoN impof.
fhle to believe, that man of Burr's acknow-
lodged prudence ihond have at once developed
fuch an Infamous. projett, without having pre-
viouily felt his a1ociate's pu'fe. But if they did
thus communicate, did Wilkinfon ALTO eniruft
Il at that time, to the government ? or to fome
tliird confidential friend !
To our mind, this is the principal point in
the difpute upon which Wilkinfon's guilt or
publication mutt ref.-But upon this point it
is impoiiible for US to form decided opinion
And why G.. WIS affidavit .Rates, that A.
bout the beginning of October lat he received
this cyphered letter foon after he had decy-
phered it, he entrufted its contents and the
fcheme to Col. Culhing. his Adiutant and In
fpettor.. On the 25th of that Month, he DIFF
patched TRULY officer to the Executive, e" with
information Of what had pafIed," fuch are the
words of the Preident's mefTage. But that
meaage does not fate, whether G. w. had
previoully communicated any information ref
pceting the preliminary parts of this corref-
pondence, which we have fuppofed to exit
nor does WIS affidavit af1ert that he had ever
entrufted them to Col. Cuihing or to any con-
hdential friend of the government.
This fience would then Eten, to juftify the
fupPo6tion, that previous to the reception of
the .cyphered letter, G. w. had confined to
his own bofom the momentous fecret with
which it was charged-Seems only becaufc
there are circumstances, which may ferve 70 ex.
plain this iilence. For as TO the Prefdept's
Eetfage, II profeffedly conccals A variety of
facts, which he deemed it imprudent to unfold
as TO Wlkinfon's affidavit, it only commences
from the criis of receiving this cyphered letter,
nor does it go back upon the origin or nature
of his connection with col. Burr, nor any of the
previous incidents Of the tory.
This want Of fad absolutely precludes the for
nation of any decided opinion on the fnhjeet.
With fuch few materials before us and 70 ma
ny behind the curtain, how is it pof1ible for us
to pronounce upon his innocence or his guilt
Be it underftood, however, that the queti-
on of the innocence or guilt of Wilkinfon and
Burr are completely feparate and diftin6t.
Wkinfon may be guilty of treafon and 70
may Burr. Nor does the guilt of Wlkinfon,
be it ever 70 well eitablifhed, contribute in the
aighteft degree to the innocence or publication
of Burr.
TURKEY--feems TO be the great point A.
round which the Ruflians and French are about
to rally and on which the ifIue of the prefent
war may depend.
Each charges the other with defire of con-
quering it /; while with refpe6 to themfelyes,
they profefs none but the mott honorable de-
hgns.
The RufIians afIert that it is Bonaparte's de-
ign to introduce French army into the mdn
of Romelia, by promiing the Auguft Sultan
to fecond him in his fchemc of fuppreffiag the
sofT 4
Mufnlman to obedience, who fflaIl oppofe the
maintenance of the Miami Djedid or new or.
der of things.) They afIert that it is his real
intention to render himfeIf matter of the OF
toman Empire, when it fhal be thus reduced
to defencelefs condition, and to have himfrlf
declared Emperor of the EAT.
Bonaparte is not BAG kward in retaliating thefc
charges of ambition and intrigue. He iniifts
upon the inhdious yet daring policy, which for
twenty years has marked the meafures of the
Ruflian Cabinet: attacking Perfii on the ooe
hde, and Turkey on the other. He particu-
larly expatiates upon the events preceding the
prefent war between Ruilia ard France, which
ieemed emnentIy calculated to favour the de-
hgDs of Ruflia upon Turkey; and he inGnu-
ates that 1t is not her intention 70 much to re-
lieve the fallen fortunes of PrufIia, as to make
new acquihtions on her own account by over
running and overpowering Turkey. With al
ingenuity the more" daring, becaufe it helps TO
Juttify or to conceal his own mcditated ufurpa
tions, he iattts upon the fatal effects of this
Ruf1ian fubjection. The FALL of Poland was the
defruttion of one of thofe great bulwarks,
which food between civilized Europe and
thefe northern Barbarians. The fall of Turkey
would be the prelude to fill greater caamities
to France ; and TO the Grand children of the
pretent Frenchmen, &c would leave long inhe
ritance Of wars and misfortunes." Were the
Greek Tiara, exclaims Bonapdrte, once rail.
ed and triumphant from the Baltck TO the Me
dterranean, cur provinces would be feen at
tackled (even) in our days by fwarm of fanatics
and barbarianS."
In Bonaparte's address to his Senate, and in
the report OF TalleyraGd on the prefent fate of
the Turki!h Empire, we fee the conditions on
which France is determined to conclude
peace with Ruiiia. I" In fHch petitions, fays the
former, peace, to be fecure for us, mutt qua
rantee the entire iuaepeudence of thefe two
great empires" (Perha and Turkey. And
" we cannot iuppoie, fdys the latter, thu Ruff
ia blinds herfeIffo far as to- renounce all the be-
nefts ct peace, by refu6ng to enter into the
only engagement which your maieHy wiil,es to
require of her, that Of henceforth attaining
from enterprises which llie has carried on for
theie thirty years pah, and which The is
now Pnriung or renewing on the hates
which lie TO tie South Of her, and to re-
cognife the independence and integrity of the
Ottoman empire which imports 70 eHsntially to
the politics OF France and to the repofe of the