Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-10-30
Dlrelilla Nrnu9.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 80, 1907.
r &c II NJ 0 n ID :

C,eavOr 20 account tor the apparent lncOn- !
siStencv both % the motives and actions |
which rhev attribute to him, by saying that |
lis heart failed him when the great enter !
prize Of Barr and himself was about to- he !
carried into effect. But the General never |
has been charged with cowardice except |
by the illustrouS Mir. Samuel STU1rsgvons |
in his late clcruent address, in which the |
extravaganza Of the abuse defeats its own |
object. .Ee has, on a multitude OF honora- |
BILE occasions, displayed hrmness and valor !
fully sufficient to evince, that, ifhe had been !
guilty of the darIng viilainv Of projecting !
such a scheme rs that Of Burr, he would
have boldly pcrscvcred, and either sue
ceeded or perishcd in the attempt. The
~igor and energy displayed by him in de-
featiHg the conspiracy, his undauDted bra
vary in defyins the Vaccinations CT host
OF Traitors, ard the fortitude with which
lie toak an immense burthen of responsibi-
lity on himsclfto save his country, are proofs
OF his possessing qualities very different
from those of man whose timidity would
induce him to desert his associates, or be-
tray his trust. The Burrites indeed know
that his courage is as great as his honesty
and, for that re ason, they fear, hate, and
traduce him.
But II, as Col Burr and his friends pre-
tend, his design was lawful, and he only in
tended to attack the territories Of Spain in
he cUcnt ofd zyar, how can Wilkinson lie
said To have defeated that design! War had
never been declared between the United
States and Spain. The Government Of the
United States thought proper to consider
the two nations in state al peace; and
Col Burr had surely no right to declare
war instead of the government. 1t his in-
tention was to strike blow immediately,
that intention was plainly unlawful and
unless the blow was 10 have been struck i'm
nediatcly, Wilkinson did not counterfeit or
repel It, The war, in the event only of
which il is ludicrousiy pretended that Burr'S
preparations were To be put i'll action, has
never vet occurred. OF course. whenever
that war Shall actually take place, it will
still be in the power OF the Colonel and his
associates to offer their services as volun-
teers to the government, and to display
their heroism in the brilliant achievement
of the conquest of Mexico; IN which case,
it is to be hoped thar their victories will be
for their country, not FOR themselves, Ito
gain additiona! territory for the United
States, not a diadem for their leader. In
fact, if their design was only to serve their
country as e0ut, Citizens, Gen. Wilkinson
never did and never can prevent their &C
complishlng it. Yet, such are the absur-
dities into which bad men are necessarily
betrayed; they at one and the same time
pretend that their enterprise WAS lawful ;
yet wish to destroy the character of the G =
neral by accusing hin Of being concerned
In it; they assert that they intended 10 set
tie Washita lands, and, in case Of a qoar,
&c attack the Spanish dorninions; yet accuse
the General of trcachery 20 themselves
and OF being influenced by Spanish gold &c
prevent by violence their making the at
tack ia time Of heace!!
The story of the Generals receiving mo.
ney from the King of Spain is sufficiently
refuted by the certificate OF Mr.. Power
which is now before the public. That gen.
tleman, (whosc honorable department ant
firm adherence to his duty 20 his King de.
serve applause even from republicans, VIII,
love and admire virtue tho in monarch
ist,) has plainly and positively declared TIT
innocence of Ten. Wilkinson Of those very
CHARGES, to support which against him he
was forced to come hither from New-Or
leans; and has sufficiently explained anC
obviated any eject which nigh: otherwis,
have been produced BY the obscure insiEu
ations and hcar-say stories contained in tn
erRarfe afiidavits of bfercier s. Dcr5iSay
1t is a little remarkable that Mr.. Po7ve
was compelled by Col. Rurr's agent to tax,
so long journey (when it must have bee
known that he could prove nothing agains
Gen. WilklnSon), and that MERCER an
Derbigny, whose affdavi,s were so vasti
important, were permitted to stay behind
The object must have been, (since it pro
badly was understood that Mr.. Powe
would refuse to reveal the political transac
tons in which he had been employed), t
injure the reputation of the General %
making the public believe, that if Mr. Pow
er would tell all that he knew, terribl
things would come to light, and thus ~ al
tempt to gain greater advantage by hi
silence than by any thing he could say
This crafty stratagem of Col. Burr ha
however, been defeated, like all the re-
of the same sort, and his friends may cor
dole with him for his very bad luck.
They are not content, however, wit
accusing Gen. Wilkinson Of fraud and tire;
cherry, but presume to charge him also wit
perjury and forgery.
The first of these heavy accusations
supported only by the lcng-winded tales
Major James BrnG, who, in open court, a
knowledged himself to be the bitter pcrso
al enemy Of the general; by the opposlI
oath of Mr. S7varfWoat, the same pers'
who wrote the extract of letter from
"gentle man of honor and Ueractfy in Il
getty Of Richmond, to his friend in Ne
"York," which extract contained almc
rs many falsehoods as words and by q
circumstance that the general, in the cour
of his cross examination, in answer to