Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-04-03
Ma PINxNEY's LETTER.

Mr. ivermore offered the following re-
solution:
Resolved, That the esidentiof the u,
nited States be requested TO cause 20 be
laid before has House copy OF any LETT
! ters or despao hes which may have bsoa
received in the Oepar ment Of S,a's, aud
do not require secrecy fco'n Mr. Piuknes,
our minister al the ccur, Of London. since
his receipt of the letter OF tn. 23d Of No
vember, 1909, from The SECRETARY OF State,
communicated 10 (hls House by the Pre-.
sidenr on the 29,h of said November.
Mr. Smile said he saw What was inten.
dsd by The mover Of he solu ion. Ii was
wi, he'd hs' ihe House would deny he cali,
|, had already been denied in Massachu
sets that such a letter existed and If the
call was refused, they would produces The
refusal as p.oef of their ASSERTION. IF it
was proper TO publish private letter, he
said he wished TO see IL, 10 put to silence
those people in Massachusetts,.
Mr. Cock wished The resolution 10 pass.
He said it would be inferred from a Iefu.
sal TO pass il that there had been no such
letter or that it @as not OF the purport
which il was said 10 be. 1t might be an
unofficial without being a confidential lie.
ter. Whether it WAS occidental or not,
some answer would be received.
| Mr. Lirermote said that he had been
told by gentlemen in conversation that in.
formation had been received by the Sc.
cretagy ot State that the doiugs of The
British minister here were disapproyed
| by his government, and that new min.
! lister would be sent. II his was the fact,
il was very important that the House
should know il. The gentleman from
Pennsylvania seemed 10 suppose that The
mover wished the resolution not to be q.
dopted. How in the name If Common
sense or candor, Mr. L. asked could i,
be supposed that the resolution was in.
troduced for the parpose Of being rejeGed /
he said it gave him happiness that he
should make any motion for tue good oil
I his country which should lie advocated BY
gentleman who Sss 10 influential, from
the powers of his sloquence, from his
standing in Socie'y, aad ether consider.
atoms, as his colleague Mr. 'Ceok.) Nh
L. said he had soma time ago expressed
tbs Satisfaction ne felt in Anticipating ths,
/ he should be IN tbs maio,lty before lhe
end of The present session; and ho should
| be glad to fiud himself IN that rreoics,
men, in relation 10 this resolution
| mir Van Dyke sa,d ne hAd heard il said
that leuer had been received by tins Sc.
crsIary cf Stale eeing 20 this objects vhat
Notwithstanding The dismission OF Mr. Jack
son, The British governments retained at
ainicabie disposition, that Mr JacksSn's
conduct WAS disapproyed, that he would
be recalled, and that another nninis,e
would be sent. A motion had been SUB.
n,itied to reduce Jhe army and navy
was it not proper, previous 10 a decsi.
on enIhis motion, 10 know what was the
situation of affairs and if such a letter
was in existence, ought not the repre-.
ser.at,ves oflhe people to have it for Their
information
Mr h'Kim saia he had not seen the let.
ter, bat he had Understood The purporl of il,
he believed correctly, aud satisfactorily to
himself. Others might not have had the
same satisfactory account, aud he had no
objection lha, ii should 60 10 he public. 1t
could not be got except called lor, being
an unofficial letter, because it would be
indecoroUs in the President 10 submit it to
the Houss without call Tor il.
MIR Dana was no, disposed TO call upon
the President 10 violate private confidence.
lie did not imagine, where the President
or Secretary Of Stale in their private "a.
peciy received letters as private gentle
men, thai the House could call for them.
Bul If information from public minister
as TO the manner IN which he had done
his public duty he'd been received in a
letter at the Department Of STATE, II was
an abuse Of te ms 10 cali it private letter,
And il such letter had been received,
he vas decidedly for calling for it.
Mr. Basset. ssiS he he'd st first view
been oppoSed 10 the resolution, conceiving
il 70 propose going step further than
they bad ever gone 5sfSre. Bu, on 70
hseiiOn ha conceived tha, Inc letter in
QUESTION s,ood much ia The same relation
As other papers ths- bad been hers,ofotc
called for by The tiuu.eJ sna should here
fore 70 e for tae rssoip ion,
Mr. Burweil sad ne had not seen the
letter OF any extract from Il; bUt as far
az he understood rs character, il was a
letter intended more TO give the govern
mcnt OF the United States an idea Of the
temper and disposition Of some cfficel 3
/ OF the British government than to make
aov etensent Of iacts. II efstsS q cor