The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-05-01
FROM TIE AURORA.
AMERICANS IN FRANCE.

AHSre appeared last year IN the new
York Evening Post, and in the papers which
generally palliate British outrages aud sup
port her influence and policy. in opposition to
the American interest and policy, several
atrocious libcls on the American ambassa-
dor at Paris. These libels in the sequel prov
ed to be forgeries in many instances, and
such as were not forgeries were fabrications
OF persons who had forfeited by their perju-
rics and frauds in Europe. all claim to conf
dence or credit; and who appeared to be &C !,
tuatedby the same spirit of incorrigiole vii =
lainy which had been their practice. and cast
q clond Of disgrace oil the American name
abroad.
Something of the same kind has la,eiy an.
peared in paper called the Norfolk Le.lg
err, in which it is further insinuated that the
Americans who have been carriSd into
France as prisoners, under whatever cause
or pretenSe, have been sold out of prison to
go on board privateers. The Ledger has
not, it is true, said that these alledged sales
were made by the minister at Paris, nor for
his profit nor with his concurrence but the
insinuation is so loose aud general, that il
appears to have been left open to such an
Inference.
The forgeries & calumnies of the N. Y. E..
Post, were rebutted and refutcd by authentic
docum ents and the calumniator sought, as
in his recent vindication of the insolent Co"
penhagen missionary, to find shelter in an
endless series of petty togging bubbles and
shabby sophistry in which those who had pa
thence to read them, could discover nothing
but encreased motives FOL. despsing and pi~
tying the degraded state of mind which could
grovel at such foul aud fruit!css work.
We have 1t however in our power, and we
have been possessed of the, information for
several months, to enable the American
RIO frV tfNn
the Kind Of .An1ericane who have been pri
soners in France /; the real conduct of the
American ambassador; and the real DISPOSE
ton OF the French government towards the u
,. g further there may be some light thrown
on these alledged sales of Americans, from
which fit should appear that there are Ger.
tain description Of .imericans in France, who
are VIGOROUSLY hostile to the existing ad
ministation of the United States, who are
engaged in smuggling trade, who are en-
gagged in privateers which they left out in
France and carry on system of smuggling
with other nations, and depreciation on their
own countrymen if it should at length ap-
pear that among these are none else but
such as were when in America, called good
JederaHsts, & that the American ambassador
at Paris, has been the scourge of these mis-
creants, the American public will then un-.
derstand the subject batter. We give the
following without more than a few words of
comment passing.
Mn DUANE,
Since my letter by the Wasp, I
have seen another of Mr., Coicmans labors
or the 18th OF August last in which besides
applying to the minister of the u. S. at Pa
ris, the we'll bred terms of I" miserable mi
mon OF Bonaparte," vile and insolent
cai.iff &c. &c. he eDdeavors To nrove that
this minister has shewn nothing but ndif.
ference or hostility towards the Americans
who have been confined in France, under the
denominauon OF British prisoners. The
specihc Charges to be drawn from this vul-
gar, abusive, aud libellous publication are
lat mat General Armstrong has refused
; 10 interfere for these Prisoners,
ID. That MS plea for so refusing was, that
the persons in question were not IDlericcas
but EngAshH,en ; and
Sd. That ne even ohhoSed the exertions
made by Isaac Cox Barnet, in favor of these
unfortunate men. The truth of these char
ses Mr. Coleman endeavors to make out by
two letters---the one of the eighth, the o.
Their of the goth of June, 1908, which he as.
cribes to Isaac Doolitsle, late mate of the
Neptune.
What degree OF credit may be due to a
man, who like Isaac Doolittle, has been con
Uictea in a court Of iazv of having made false
deciarationa-is a question which I am saw
ed the trouble of discussing by Doolittle him
self, who as will appear by the following de.
claration OF Captain Stephen Merrihsw, de-
MES that ne is either fabricator or circulator
OF these ialshoods.
| CAPT. MERRIHEws' DECLARATIONS
his exceilency General Armstrong. minister