Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-21

..oo5 and incorrectly stated ana from lf0m
's'g I. calls my manner and shgns lns'nu.
hat n !, Nj MI. Erskine infers that | thought
lon =. PRESIDENT Mr.. Jeaerson) had act act,
a ;Is rartiality towards France, and that =
WIN ! r,nted to contrast Mr.. Madison's
r,u in that respect with those OF tue
TO- Ts Mr.. Erskine's object was touse the
10 Of presidency as an argument to m
aaS he British ministry to alter their mea :.
~ ' awards America and that the Cpl
- =. I'M. acribed to me were his own, IS
o . s;snflv obvious from the whole tenor OF
lls sssnsteh. But the inference as It re-
~ = me is totally erroneous and Mr..
~ IL. must have mistaken my assent to-
81 se .v;strpce of surmises OF Partially IN
sTrffrrsan towards France for an acqui-
rsoee in the truth OF them.
q T m;obr with truth have spoken, of Mr..
s.6;;;sf,. not as feeling any particular adj
,e,;on for the British constitution and IN
.;;n,tioas, but as having neither bias or en-
- towafds France or England. But |
.asr could or did contrast his sentiments
i that respect, or ascribe to him opinions
], ,he subject Of our foreign relations az
ar;ance with those Of Mr.. Jeffersoe.
knew those surmises respecting Mr..
1 .He,son TO be altogether destitute OF foun-
fIation. To have, in the most indirect
manner. suggested or countenanced a belief
) Them would have been direct falsehood.
80 far from having, even by my silence, &C
En;esced in insinuations OF that nature
klhen Mr.. Erskine, once, and once only,
E,ont one hint to that effect intinlating a
[npoosed hostility TO England, and that the
president had not placed her conduct IN
Kin light before Ihe public, Immediately
E,ss.,Isd the charge, and, amongst other
observations, reminded him that the only.
nine when the British government had,. by
hhe proposed equalisatlon of duties, made
'an approach of liberal and conciliatory
nature towards America, it was immedi-
|ateIy met BY the president who had express
BY recommended the subject TO congress in
bis message; and char the plan had been
defeated by the clamor Of that party in A.
|merica, which was considered the .h-sr dis
posed towards Great Britain. That, on
lhat occasion, change took place in my
manner is very probable; but Mr.. Erskine
has .ascribed it 20 a source very different
from that which occasionedit. had very
lately been zealously employed in rePelans
the charge; charge which | never conId
hear without indignation. Eight years. OF.
The most intimate intercourse, during which
not an act, nor hardly thought respecting
she foreign relations of Amefica was cor
eealed, enable me confidently &c say, that
AIR. Jefferson never had in that respect any:
other objecr inview but the protection OF
The rights of the u S. against every foreign
aggression or injury from whatever nation
il proceeded, and has, in every instance,
observed towards all the besiigerents the
most strict Justice and. the most serupulous
impartiality. His character stands not in
need of this declaration It is due to N.Y.
seg.
The groundless accusations Of foretgn
bras and influence have been generated
solely by the viruIence of party spirit and;
they were adopted abroad as au apology or
pretsnce for unprovoked aggressions. A
just sense of the injuries received,~ and the
most temperate Efforts to obtain redress con.
siltute Partially. And it seems to have
been forgotten that, from the time when
1lr. Jefferson became president till the
month Of August 1907, no actual aggres-
SION on the neutral rights of America had
been committed by France whilst, during
the same period, the nominal blockade of
g enemies ports BY England, and the actual
ol0ckades, as they may be called, of our
own the renewal, contrary to express and
mutual explanations, of the depredations
On the indirect colonial trade, the continu-
"a lmpressments of our seamen and the at