Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-01-09

|s.' = 81 70. >
and p.r.u,ptory asseverat'on Il. at this 60
rnment had no such knowied5s, and HAT
with ,uch knowledge no such arrangement
wo.,ld have been entered into, the vley,
which you have again presented Of the sao.
iec,, makes i. my duty to apprizs 700, tna'
sueh insinua,ions arc inadmissibls inS tn
intercourse Of foreign tnmistsr.wita ago
vern,nen, that understands what d owss to
ITSELF" 80.
Shall I say, cir, that 10 this part Of the
letter the secretary shews such want OF
temper, che sxpressions used ny him are
40 har:h, that As an American, have to
regret that he ever suffered the:psprr t.
pass the threshold of his Office. admire
: firmness; and when the occasion demands
i, our public functionaries ough, u use the
language OF complaint and expostulaiion,
nav, even that Of elimination, bat then it
ourh. to be done in terms which are d. cor.
Gus. To tell minister in terms that he
has made ",everai irrelevan. and improper
allusiou. 10 his letter." without specifying
wherein, is not using the language even OF
disniEed resentment. And while a nego-
citation is pending, the adoption of such
language must irritate, and however intend
I'd, can have the effect only OF bringing it to
. disastrous close.
am now come to Mr.. JaUkson's last
letter, and you will here permi, me to re-
peat, that I feel no inclination to justify
the manner in which the correspondence.
WAS conducted On. his part. The close Of
this letter in particular is so uncoureous,
that but for the letter Of Mr.. Smith, to
which it is in answer, should call !, rude.
The charges however made against the Bri.
fish minister, Of conduct unbceoming and
improper, in the plainest terms, and with
out coloring or qualification, invited re-
ply out of the ordinary course of diplo.
matte eivility.
Mr.. Jackson, in his letter of the 4;h of
November, thus expresses himself:
~" am concerted, sir, to be obliged
second time TO appeal to those principles of
public law under the sanction and protection
Of which was seat to this country. Where
there is not freedom Of communication in
the term substituted for tic more usual one
Of verbal discussion, there can bc little use.
full intercourse between ministers and one
at least, Of the epnhets which you have
thought proper to apply to my las. letters.
is such as necessarily abridgss that freedom.
That any thing therein Contained may be
irrelevant 10 the subject, it is Of course
competent in you to endeavor to shew, and
IS far A. you succeed in 90 doing, in so far
will my argument lose of its validity bu,
az to the propriety Of my illusions, you
must, allow ME to acknowledge only the de.
eision Of my own sovereign, whose com.
mands obey, and 10 whom atone I can
consider myself responsible. Beyond this
it su0ices that I do not dsvia,e from the re.
sPect due to the government to which am
accredited.
=" You will End that in my correspond.
enee with you, have carefully avoided
drawing conclusions that did not neeessari.
ly follow from the premises advanced by
me, and least Of all should think Of Ut.
tering an insinualion, where I was unable
to substautia.e fact. To facts. such 40
have become acquainted with them, l have
scrupulously adhered, and in so doing
must continue, whenever the good faith Of
his majesty's government is calls in ques-
ton, to rindicate its honor and dignity in
the manner that appears to me bes, ealcu.
lated for that purl ose." .a~.f ~
Now, what are the insinuations which
Mr.. Jackson "'i,ad uttered" and the fact.
he had stated? I find it no where said tina,
>he had uttered the insinuation complained
Of, the charge on The contrary is that he
has used language which By Implication
is said to convey the idea SO offensive to
Our governments And what, sir, is this
language? I have already given !. to you
in detail, and viii only here remark gene.
rally, thas,I see nothing in it ba. an s1lhe.
renee to two facts, that the despatch of the
$50 OF January, was the only authority
which MIR. Erskine had 70 conclude an ar.
rangement, and that the three conditions
forming the substance Of that despatch.
were known to our government. Permit