Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-07-25

Y
spirit of the emheror Of the henitentiarv
himself; and that BoIlman is once more
doomed TO act an inferior character in the
| great frasi-comic "FARcE." The writer
! mas requested that our animadversions
| should not accompany it /: the length of the
| article Itself exacts from us what we should
| otherwise not have grauted--we shall Of
fer our remarks tomorrow.
TO TIE EDITOR OF TIE AURORA.
SIR--So much has been said of nv dis
Closures TO the executive, respecting the
! pretended conspiracy of colonel Burr, and
r. they have recently been brought into no.
tee by the counsel for the prosecution,
| against him in so extraordinary and unwar-
| rantable a manner, that think il Incumbent
| On me, 20 make few observations on that
subject, with view of removing erroneous
impress oRs which otherwise might prevail
with regard to my character.
| A few days after my arrival at New Or
leans, in September last, letters were re.
lceived in town from general Wilkinson,
( then on the Sabine river, stating that hos
ulltieS with the Spaniards were unavoid-
able, that his next letter would bring the
details OF the first engagement, and that
he hoped to give good account of the
done.
! In consequence of this information. Which
! occasonCd considerable alarm, about three
| Hundred men were dispatched from New
| Orleans, to proceed by lard to the Sabine.
/ to reinforce general Wilkinson. Some ar.
tlllcry was sent off by water TO ascend the
Red river for the same purpose, and two
/ guu boats were ordered up the Mjssissin-
| pr, to be ready tor an attack on Eaton
Rouge.
BY what magic general Wilkinson: whose
letter III so positive manner. had anI,oun-
ced hostihtles as unavoidable, wrought stlch
I q Change in the mind Of the Spanish com
lInander, who was at the head OF fifteen hum
dred men, and actually invaded the terri
tory OF the United States, as TO make him
s@bscribe toterms ofaccommodation which
general Wilkinson has termed most I'm.
initiating, and TO induce him to retreat
twenty leagues beyond the erousd i'm dis
pute-this general Wlkiason atone can
,eXpiain ~ ne fact is, that TO the as
constituent ct all the world, such NJ, &C.
/ communication did take place, and that qe
neral Wilkinson suddenly arrived at New
| Orleans, where he came. to use his own
phrase, Z" 10 play the devil -
| When in the month Of December. 7 was
seized and arrested by order of general
WILKINSON, but IN the name of the United
STATES, and was orcibly transported, left
new Orleans under the impression that CO.
klnel burr, m consequence Of the transmit
tea information To him OF the hostile COM
pleX'on of affairs on the frontiers, and Of
the supposed certainty of war, m chit find
himself with large body of volunteers. de-
termincd 70 push on towards Mexico, ard
whom perhaps it world be difficult TO di
vert from thu purpose, Notwithstanding
the unexpected pacific arrangements be-
tween the Spanish commander and gen
Wilkinson.
When arrived at Charleston, Annapo-
las, and Washington, all the newspapers re-
presented col. Burr as being at the head of
two thousand men and they were ringing
at the same time with reports of his fire.
tented treason.
: These circumstances occasioned in nv
mind great indignation, with regard to the
reports Just mentioned, and great solicitude
lest gen. Wilk;nson's conduct, and col.
Burr's situation might lead to occurrences
which col. Burr would deprecate, and
which, involuntarily, would put him in the
wrong.
Therefore requested an interview with the
President of the United States, for two de-
cided objects. l. To remove from his mind
the false impressions he had received with
regard to trea son. Q. To endeayour to
convince him that the interest of The Uni
ted States would be best consulted by 90
ling TO war with Spain. and giving counte-
nance to the expedition which Col. Burr
had planned.
il appeared to me, that this stem miebt
do some good, could do no harm, and in my
situation, ought to be ATTEMPTED
saw the President, together with Mr..
I Madison, and having first, when question:
ed on that point, declared TO the former
that l had no fersoHaL m9,iUrs for this in4
lterview, spoke to them to the effect lust
mentioned.
The day after the interview received
the following note from the President, the
original of which, in his oscn hand 7vriting
now remains in my possession.
"Ihe communications which doctor
"Boilman made yesterday to Thomas JEFF.
/ -
Urged on 'ris point zen Wilkinson has de.
-lafed before the grand ury, ,hst after ,eceivi,,y
dr. Swartwours eommunica ions on The Sabine
liver. he terrified me Spanish commander win,
~ accoun' 81 an spproachirg expedition Of 20
'uneers, sufficiently Strorg 10 crush him, and n
| march 90 Mexico IN spifc Of resistance Bythi,
( scans he made him lia'en ard subecyibc 10 D.,
| 1umilia;ing accommodation TINS peace hs
zen preserved. HyoHg5 col. Burr ard The ia,
I an ezpehi ION, Justly calculated on everis &C
| "a'iJ Impending. wiuch g. oud have rendered
4 ardi aud fy.,lf.ls. b.. .-..-:...f 49,