The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-12-19

nave underscore,. 1t tor you; you shall
look at it; you shall know that I. AIR. Jack
son. understand and mean it. Ihave wrap.
ped 1t up in mystery and tisguise, to be sure,
but Twill rend the veil. will make an eye
let hole for you, that you shall look thro'
and behold the insult in all its front of gross
ness and impudence.
But, sir, il Mr.. Jackson had then known,
as well as he now does, the digniHed cha
racter. the high sensbility, and the Cor
rect intelligence of the Secretary of State,
he would have found it more honorable 10
himself to have sparedh his insult altoye thcr,
or at least might have s'iared himself the
trouble Misunderstanding. Sir conceive this
insult SO gross and outrageous thaeI am sur,
Prised how the Executive government could
reconcile 1t to itself to proceed another step
lin the communications with Mr. Jackson
Certainly, sir, proceeding beyond this point
tmanifests OH the part of the Executive great
| moderation. great forbearance, and "A con-
descension scarcely excusable, and. sir,
am perfectly sure. that nothing could have
INDUCED 1t, to consider such gross iGima-
tions argumcntativcly. but the ardent and
sincere desire which has invariably actua.
ted the present, as well as the last adminis-
tration, to preserve peace, and cultivate
harmony, and good understanding with
| Great Britain. And, sir, we shall see in the
course OF this investigation, how it has been
! requited for this, as we'll as for all former
acts OF moderation, forbearan5e and condo
| scension -
| Letrne now, sir, select out of the. quo
| tation. another extraordinary expression,
| idr few animadversions, in the following
words =" But the very act of substitution
evidently shews that those original condi-
tons were in fact very explicitly communi-
Gated to YOU, andbv you, of course laid be-
tore the President for his considerations"
l 1t Is somewhat curious 10 observe, what
! stress Mr.. Jackson placed through the whole
OF his correspondence, upon what he is here
pleased to term "the very act of substtu-
tion. ard demonstrates to every impartial
| mind how slender are the preteXt., with
which MIR. Jackson is furnished, to apollo
| Sise for, or rather to equivocate about the
disavowal of Mr.. Erskine's arrangement.
Let me, therefore, enquire, in what this
horrible act OF substitution, as MIR Jack son
would make 1t appear. consists? Why, sir,
, simply IN This: That the three inadmissi5le
conditions, mentioned in one ofthe despatch
es to Mr.. Erskine, were verbally commu-
nicated to Mr.. Smith, and insisted upon by
Mr.. Erskine, and that MIR. Smith in rejec
] ting those conditions verbally, and with
great propriety and fraukn-ss, told Mr..
Erskine what conditions he might obtain
Mr.. Erskne upon review OF all his letters
OF instructions, finding ii impossible TO OBJ
| tain his, the three conditions first proposed
| conceived himself fully empowered to pro
pose these which possibly might have been
intimated to him by Mr. Snlith in converse
ton and the arrangement was according
| iy and promptly made between thsse two
| gentlemen OH the part of their respective
governments. And now let me ask YOU, sir.
what is there di.honorable. unfair, or even
| unusual in this proceeding, which is the
whole amount of MIR. Jackson's very act
of substitution" Sir, it is very easy to see
that Mar. Jackson keeps his ingenuity con
stantiy upon the stretch, respecting this We
ry act OF substitution evidently with a view
OF producing an impression by the insin,a
| ton, that the Executive government of the
u. 5. had more than rs share in that ar
Engagement, and in fact was concerned i'm a
dishonorable x scandalous combinatio. with
his predecessor, Mr.. ErsI.ine, for the pnr
pose OF producing he arrangemen Which
insinuations, if true, must represent Mr..
E.rskine as fool. knave, or traitor, or
all three; and our Executive government
still further lost to every honorable ycnti-
| ment, and utterly destitute of even the most
| ordinary understanding. An insinuation so
| insidious and afiroatiDg cannot fail to excite
the indignation and contempt Of every pat
rio.ic heart in America. Bur fortunately for
the Executive government, Mr.. Erskine's
PiS''puS "a piahttlien VI tiilS point TO our 60
vernment. strips the transaction of every
shadow OF a shade of doubt, of which Mr..
jackson perhaps was not appraised at the
time he was employed in devising the gross
insiRuation. Yes, sir, this was one misera
Bile effort of Mr.. Jackson to reproach our
Executive government for an act, for which
1t merited and universally received the sin
cere applause and grateful thanks of the A.
| merican people. 1t restored the Executive
as 1t ought to have done, to universal conf.
dence and utterly rooted out every doubt OF
IT'S sincerity in its diplomatic intercourse with
Great Britain, under which some of cur
misled and mistaken citizens for a while I'm
fortunately labered. For the moment terms
were proposed on the part of Great Britain
which could with honor or propriery be nc
Icepted by the ". States, they were frankly
and promptly accepted by the Executive. re.
CARELESS OF all consequences from any other
Quarter. Sir, there is another part of this
quotation, which requires few amin adver-
s:ons.
| allude, sir, to the first solemn declaration
made to this government By Mr.. Jackson,
! res 'cciing the despatch, in which the con
ditons were prescribed to Mr.. ErskiDe. II
| is III the following words:
1t is my duty, sir, solcmhy to declare
! to you, and through YOU, to the President
that the despatch from Mr.. Canning to Mr.
Erskjne which you have made the basis of
an official correspondence with the latter
minister, ssd which was read by the former
7 To h. "A -. Il