Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-01-06

they nave 10 Posa'St
cite usjust suspicious OF the integrity Oh the
British cabinet.
Sine. however some importance IS thus
,,t,ch.d to the letters of ar. E:skias, It
w;ll he we'll to consider lis situation and
n. weigh, to which nis testimony IS enti-
lied. say nothing at present OF the mart
ner in which these letters were obtained,
nor the suggestion in one OF the southern
naper. that they were frs, submitted 20 ou'
ministers for their appreciation, but | do
maintain that Mr.. Erskine's own interest
owing TO his misconduct has become iden'
tilted with the interest OF CUR eah'net-'tha'
he is party and no, a witness is y eui.
pri, convicted and punished by his own ga
Observation-Disclosures character as sNrsman
il completely destroyed in Great l'nI.'in,
AMI whose only hops is to ree""c''' h'ms'''
20 the opposition IN his own country a"d
,hs American government and people, 20
whom he Ia attached BY the ties OF proper
" AMI marriagr.
Mr.. Erskine had represented 90 his own
government that our adminisaR .ion were
ready to aeeede to certain proposi,iors..- -
When tho authority arrived 70 close with
those proposals, and when he found tha.
the rnr,ies with whom he had treated, dc.
MED or shrunk from the supposed agree.
ment, how natural was Ii to rnd,ayur TO
Justify himself Ly qualifying the language
he had used to his own government, espe.
eiall, after It was ascrtta,ned that he hal
nothing further TO hope from them, anal
might calculate on some portion OF respect
from this cuuatry and from the minority in
his own.
There was another par. of the nego,ia.
ton which equally adapted him to q repre-.
sentation favorable TO the views OF our adj
minis,raton. The violation OF the letter
and spirit of the instruction, OF Mr.. Can.
mag of the 23I Of January, was so glarlng
as to leave no hope of justification either
to him or our ministers. The only possible
excuse was to suggest that there were alter
instructions. lis remarks OH this head
are vague and inexplicis. O!her mstrnc-
tions he undoubtedly had previously to this
arrangement, because the subjects had been
often discussed and had been pending for
several ycars-.but all OF them had been
emerged and buried in the orders Of Janu-
ary esd, which a.on , as the British 60
vernment assure US, contained the whole
authority On this particular topic.
lie, distempered jealousy exert its ut
most powers-it can never persuade an i'm.
partial man, that Great Britain or any o.
ther nation in the act gfAssracinS minis
ter would dare to a!lrdGe, that nc had vi
olsted his instructions, and that 4 part!cu-
lar letter contained the 7vho!c Gfthem, when
the dissvaced minister, supported by pow
erful friends, was possessed Of evidence to
reiute the charge. If such a nation as
France, who silcnces the voice of com.
plant by confinement in the temple, or the
castle Of St. Nlargarita, could adopt such
a course, the thing would be mE ract!cable
in Grca. Britain against man O! noble ex-
traction-the son Of distinguished peer,
Of ci.dcvant chancellor, and the most G.
loquent man in the kingdom.
One other circumstance goes very much
against the weight OF Mr.. Erskine's state.
m,n.. As soon AZ the dsavowal Of his ar
rangcmens was known, an apologyior him,
feeble and defective enough TO he sure, was
published ia the GaIc,t: OF tn. United
States. 1t was soon understood, allied ICED,
aud never eontradicIed 70 have been writ
ten by him. In that apology, full Of CEN
sure against his own government, he docs
no, pretend that he had any ether insiruc.
items, by. he concluded with u threat, that
shsws he already conceived his own ~.
tcrest 70 be opposed 70 thar OF his gov ern.
men,. The intlmasion IL that he had set.
tied the difficulties with this country, and
that these, lnr.ning his own masters, the
British minister must look 20 il, who had
stirred . hornets nss. about their ea,s by
disavowing his grvernmsrh Such were
his feelings before our government called
! upon him iot his aid in exciting the pub.
lie resentment against his own country. II
from these causes he was biassrd in his
.,.,..~.s, L.. ...,,,it ~, l.. Al. G.. a..