The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-07-18
POLITICAL.
Mr.. ADAMS'S.
CORRESPONDENTS CONTINUED.
70 The Printers IF the 6os,en Patriot:


70 the Printers IF ,he 6osscr Patriot.
SIas, a.
lnpage 90. is strain Of Aimsy rant, as silly
as It is indecent. The supplement to the de-
claration was a blaineabie excess. It waved
the point ofhonor, which after two reflections OF
our ministers, required that the next mission,
should pryccea from France
Where did he find this point of honor If any
such pointhsd existed, it had its full force a
Rah'st the second mission ; and its principal force
consisted in The formal declaration Of The direc.
tory, that II :" would never receive another
plenipotentiary without apologies for the pre-
sidents speeches, and answers to addresses"
1t we had right to wave this point of honor in
one instance, we had in two, especially as one
member of the. second mission was the same
man who had been rejected in the irst--But at.
serthe explicit retraction ofthe declaration that
they would not receive a minister without apol-
ogies, the point OF honor was completely done a.
way. To give thom an Opportunity ofretractng
that declaration. declared in my message to
Congress, that would not send another minis.
ter to France, till this declaration was retracted
ny assurances that he should be received in cha.
racter. They embraced the opportunity cordi.
ally when they might have avoided the huma.
lion by sending minister here And whatever
Hamiton's opinion might be, knew that they
might have neHociated more to their advantage
here than at Paris. Hamilton's fingers had
Ter, ofthe public pulse.
In page 81, he argues the probability that
france would have sent minister here from the
tact that she did afterwards ste her resentmehts,
and invite the renewal of negotiation I know
not whether this IS an example of Mr.. Hamil-
toms" Analysis of investigation" or not. 1t is
I an argument a posteyiori-It is reasoning up
ward or backward.
These invitations were not known, nor made
when pledged myself, by implication at least,
20 send minister, when such invitations should
be made. When they were made, considered
my honor and the honor of the government COM
mttcd--And have not doubt that Hamilton
thought so too: and that one of his principal
veXations was that neither himself nor his PRIV
counsellors could have influence enough with me
70 persuade or ntimidate me to disgrace myself
An the eyes of the people of America and the
world, by violating my parole.
This he might think would assist him in his
caucuses at New: York and Phiiadelphia, where
the honor, not only of every member, but ofeve-
~ state and every elector was to be pledged, to
give an equal vote for Pnkney and Adams, that
The choice of President should be left to the H.
otRePresentatiyes. whose members, on the day
OF election, or the day before, were to be furnish.
ed with a pamphlet, spick and span, to make
sure OF the Saoyifce of Adams-But more of this
hereafter -
In the mean time, what reasons had we to eS
pect that the French government would send
An private conversation perhaps, by DR.. Logan
and some others but we had not color of Of
hcial information to that effect that remember
What motives had the French 10 send minister.
They bad committed depredatims u-on our com.
Hlerce to the amount it has been said, of twenty
millions OF dollars. Would the Directory have
been animated with any great zeal to send an
ambassador to sffer us compensation for these
sPoliatons, at time when they were driven to
their wits ends to find resources to carry on the
war IN Europe, and break the considerations 4.
gainst them /.
We had declared the treaty of alliance and all
treaties between France and the United States.
null and void. Do we suppose the French COW
eminent would have been in haste to send an EN-.
oassador to offer us solemn revocation, by
treaty, OF all former treaties What urgent mo-
tve could the Frencll have to be in haste to send
minister They could not be apprehcnsiye
that we should send an army to Euroie TO con-
quer france, or assist her enemies. Wehad no
naval power sufEcient to combat their navy in
Europe, which was then far from being reduced
as 1t mas been since. They hadno commerce or
mercantile navigation, upon which our little navy
or Prvatesrs could have made reprisals
mere IS but one motive that car imagine
should have stimulated them very much, and
that is, the apprehension that wa might enter in
TO an alliance offensive and defensive with Great
Britain. This they might have considered as a
serious affair to them in course Of time, though
tney might not fear any immediate harm fromit
Bat doubt not the French had information from
a thousand emissaries, & Talleyrand Nnew, from
personal observation, in various parts of Ameri-
ca, and Hamilton mnst have known, if he had any
1eeing for the popular pulse, that q vast matori-
~ of the people of America dreaded an alliance
with Great Britain more than they did a war with
France It would have taken long time, il
would have REQUIRED a long and bloody war with
france, and violent evaporation of the public
mmd to have reconciled the people to any such
neasure-No, Hamilton and his associates could
not beve seriously believed that the French
would soon send a minister here. If they had
not, OF If they had delayed it, Hamilton would
have continued at the head of his army-contin-
Aai provocatioDa End irritations would have taken
place between the two nations, till one or the o.
Hher would have declared war. In the mean
time 1t was my opinion then, and has been ever
since, that the two parties in the United States
would have broken out in a civil war a MAORI
fy OF all the states to the southwark of Hudson ri-
yer, united with nearly half New.k,opland
would have raised an army under Aaron Burr
a majority of New England might have raised
smother under Hamiton--Burr would have beat
Hamilton all to pieces, and what would haze
followed next, let the prophets foretel Yut
such would have been the result of Hamilton's
enterprises Of great pith and moment" 1 say
TINS would probably have been the cour:e and re-
suit OF things, had a minority OF New England
continued 70 be attached to Hamilton, his men
and measures. But ara far from believing this
On the contrary. had not our ENJOYS proceeded
had not the people expected peace with France
from that negotiation England herself
st the election of 1900, would have turned out
HamtOns whole pariy and limited With tle