The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-11-03
CURSORY REFLECTIONS.
rosrkAiy 0, H1xoN nuRR.
Mo. IT


| The MEANS Of this man are not better cal
cuated than his ENDS to purchafe the charac-
ter of sreatasG, and 10 fotten the rigonrs of his
tate. Theie means may be coniidcred, for the
lake OF a convenient diftribuTion Of the fnhiect,
as To his pee uniary furds and the methods
which he employed 20 obtain accomplices. As to
The arms and ar,v,unition tina, he procured, the
reader has feen in she evidence all that is known.
rs 10 his expectation of afiGance from general
Wiikinion, this does not enter into the Ultimate
| of his s9usl means but I'VE f',sll fay fomething
oft hercafter.-Irdred our p,ircpal aim is 10
exhibit rather trsniitory view of ;hc quslitie:
wnich he, has difplsyed, thar of his phyical
means. or the latter, little is known.
| Whence all his funds have been derived. does
not appear 81 the evidence. Blu. this s certain,
that the greater part of bis blla wee drawn
on OGDEN in New. York who had G,ne funds
in his hards /: that be dfrbarged toe irft bills
that were offered and thus gave credit TO the
ref. 1T is equally UNCERTAIN, whether any oe
thofe funds came from a foreign power or whe-
Their any aiiitance WIS propifed by them. We
are inclinedhowever, to iu!pect the ~ arquis Yru.
10; and more particularly the priiih mnifter
rom the ttrong Remembrance which exits b.
tween Mirand.os plan and one of BHrr's. The
only sact which came out on this iahjsS was in
the evidence of Mr.. La Trobc before the grand
jury, who itatcd the frequent and fecret inter
views which had fulfilled between Burr and
| Herry. k1r. La Trohe ALTO hated Bnrr's arpli-
cation 10 h:mirlf 20 engage 500 labnurers to
dig out aoana at the falls of the Ohio, & that he
had engaged 900 irihmen for that purpoie.-
Burr however tailed 70 pay the fipuiaicd mo-
ptY at the Stipulated time and this part of the
| fcheme vasiilIed OF courfe. Mr. L. Trobe was
no doubt ignorant at that time OF :hc ufes to
which thefc men would hav. been applied We
fate theft facfs bscsuie Mr.. La Trobe himfelf
was not brought into court.
| As TO his means for eniiting adherents, they
are already dicribed in ne pages of SalluO.
1 No one can read the chgssGter OF Catalina, as
| diicribed by that great bin orian, without fome
imprehion, tina: aaron Burr had been initiated
in by-h::a in the means aud mytteries of cor
ruption. The resemblance is 20 ftriking that
no oEc can believe but that Burr had made him
! his model.
!: Burr tampered with every man of influence
who ieemea TO be ditconiented with the preient
Rate OF things. He iamented their injuries
! in not being placed in that Gtuation to which
they were Untitled. f!c chiroed in with their
feelings, bo,h as to their loflrs and their def
pair OF expecting any rtdrets from the govern
rnen'.
! lie eagerly fezct upon their ruling pafious
and took carr to exhibit bis fcheme in thnfe at
tndes. which were calculated to CRAFTY them.
| 1t they tell tetent ment, he promifed them re-
yeOge. If they were auhiious, % Promifed
promotion. aud IN the liuc TO which they were
accmR med. He was To make Commodore
1rrxson IN admiral, and Gen. Eaton diGin-
guifhed officer 10 the land isrvice.
! If his man was young, and had never been
! N political ierv;Ce, he knew how to catch and
pesfe the predominant, psflion of his mind. H
could throw Of the maiqnc of gravity aud talk
70 volnptuary about women and wine. He
| could captivats bis young fancy With the bright
| tale or military achievement; and iuli his vir-
| toe TO hecp by the honours of a coomiiIion
and the lutre of an epaulette.
| Wherever he went, he attempted to fcatter
| uipicion, difcontent and diiafeGtion towards
he government. He ridiculed M. Jefferson.
| He iid TIE administration was deRitme of enef-
gy. As he wiillsd TO enf the weltern people in
his plans, he defcanted upon the certain diffoi-
ution of ;he urion, and on their right TO eflsb-
h government OF their OWE. Wherever he
| eoes and wherever he dares to fbow the fecret
propen!iIes of his foul, he fsens bent, like Sa-
ran, on with-rng every bud Of virtue of depre.
eating the beauties OF the fyltem he oppoied !;
and making every other bOiom as n,oroic and
turbid IS his own.
But there is one trait in which Burr has inn
proved upon his model Bur's fyitem was
full OF dcCe ption. lie not only deceived the
government and the people, tut be lied even 10
iinpIe Blenncrhafett, that Mr.. JOHN Graham
'vas entitled ia his C:heme. We fhalI not aop
here to enqsirc who Blennerhanrtt WAS, and
the great claims which be had to honorable
treatment and fair dealing from Burr. But this
/ wac the U1an's conGant fyftem. He was con.
tinualy magnifymg the extent Of his refources
md tine numher of his friends. And indeed
throughout the whole of this traufiGion Burr
ieers to have pat nf all that ingenious temper
aud love Of truth which are iudifpen6ble to the
name and honour of gentleman,
There is another trait which thiues confoicu.
Gus ~ this tranfattOn Ec icarcc ever defended
himieit TO feduGion. He generally fported his
pernicious opinions rather as sbfra6t points than
"llh any particular reference TO his own plans.
But having once euiiaed his catfpaws in his
f'ryice, he fcreens hunfef behind the curtain
aud leaves the drudgery and the danger to them.
Burrls vain man. lie is 10 a ridiculous ex-
GELS, proud of his own talents. refources and
captivating msnners. 1t was this bind coufi-
dence iB hirfrlf which contributed to- perfuade
NIfhlm into fuch pisns.
n Burr is iaid 10 he deeply verf-d in human ma
tnre, but iurrly 10 man ever betrayed more
egrsPions ignorance than when he G.icanted
upon the apsthy and vices of the American
people. lie was to take New York with 500
mtn. ne was to throw The Psehdeni into the
Potomac, snd TO ufurp The reins of government
without mach expedition. He has perhaps
found hinifeif ni0sken aud he viii benceforth
learn NOT to judge OF the virtues of whole pco-
r. Ie lsy -