Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-03-14

the House, (for ilnpute this design,
only to few, )saw the consumation oil
all their hopes and wishes: the foun-
dations of the present government
loosened and torn up; the balance OF
Legislative powerpreponierating TO the
west /, or, in the Gushing and convulsi,
on of local interests, the state ript a
sunder, and separate government
formed beyond the Ridge.
Such is general view Of that
House, to which at the eve of their
adjournment, and after they had man.
J Tested the most marked Impotence to
rise, the long expected report of the
armory committee, was at length
brought down, and such was the state
OF mind In which that report was a.
dopted-a great part of the members
either incapable of comprehending It's
calculations and statements, or unwil
ling to take the time and trouble to do
llt-another part, believing that the re-
port contained nothing of criminal &C
cusation, but merely charged me with
neglect-Another part, prepared by the
lntrrgues and false statements of In
tccndiaries, out of doors, to believe
very thing that was Infamous of me
another, relying on the statements OF
the committee, and fired and blinded
with honest indignation, at the imagi-
nary wrongs done to their country-&
the few, the more dangerous few, who
contrived & worked the whole machi.
merry, laughing ia their sleeves at the
storm which they had raised, felicia.
ting themselves on the adroitness with
which they had masked their favorite
strasagem, behind patriotic face, AMI
lenloying, by anticipation, the down
fail OF che executive, and Of the 20
vernment. In this state of evaporation
lS feverish impotence, [ had but
little hops of a calm hearing. owed
1T, however, to myself and TO my chill.
dren, not to fall without a struggle.
prepared memorial. n very great
haste, but cloathed in language of res,
lpect, which addressed to the Spea-
ker, * in which SndeavcreJ to ava
ken sile hause to the recollection, tn Al
was Virginian, their fellow ci.r.
zen, aad according 10 the Bill O.
Rights and Constitution OF nv coun
cry, entitled % hearing before
should be condemned. l compliance
that SO far from being heard, | di,
not even know the charges which hac
been made against me, b. the com
mittee, having never so much as hearc
their report read. l stated, however
THAT | had collected from the informa
ton of those who had heard it, the
principal charges which II contained, s
L combated those charges in my me
morial.-I understood that they hat
charged me Principally-lst. Witt
neglect, in failing to procure the hes
iron: And 2ndly. With having drawn
from the public treasury, under tn,
sanction ofthe executive more mon
than was entitled TO receive. com
planned that l had, before the commit
lee, offered evidence upon those points
which they had refused to hear. Thi
evldence again rendered to the hous,
as conclusively repeiliug the charge
against me-by shewing-1. That
mad made every effort, in the power o
man, i'll Philadelphia, in Baltimore,
at various manufactures of from, il
this state, to procure the best that coulc
be obtained | offered to shew that tn,
number of gun-barrels, which hat
bursted here, upon the proof, & which
was supposed to demonstrate the bat
quality OF the iron, was not so great a,
the number which bursted at the ma
nuiactory of Springfield, in Massachu
lsetts, which is deemed the best insti
tuition on the continent, the Virgin:
mahufactory excepted; On the 2nc
point, offered witnesses, (and among
others, a magistrate Of the county oil
tIenrIco, a man who has been since
honored with most decisive testimo.
NAL OF the confidence of the legisla.
tare) to prove that every atom of the
work for which | had drawn cent oil
money, had been really and truly done,
and was richly worth the price which
had been drawnfor It. Had the evil
dence been heard, the whole fabric 'oi
| the charges AGAINST me would have