Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-23
Fyos sss Essswans saraai.
Letters upon French Influence.
No. VILE.
No. Wiz.
To lie Psspis q tie United States.


The expectation Of aapy that this i'm.
sporsant subject woald be investigated with
great rapidly was unreasonable ia the ex-
sreme. And it ough. not 70 have been ente.-
tanned, except by those who had a 0soTr
perfect Gnosvkdge Of the subject, and had
assumed . greaterye.p aasibikty ia relation
TO il than the writer of these letters.
Whenever an individual is placed 10 such
a situation as to render i: probable that the
information which he may have 1t in his
powerto communicate, or the arguments
which he may be able to urge, will be at
teeded with at least some small degree os
influence upon the public mind, tits beyond
all doubt his interest, and iswould seem to
be his duty, to convince the public that the
course he is pursuing results from no sinis-
ter views, but is dictated by purity of prin.
ciple. Mankind are at all times sufficiently
jealous of those who profess to be able to
enlighsen them. individuals may acknow-
ledge ,hem.elyesin the dark, but the public
will never descend TO confession so humi-
liating. The public mind, in the estima-
ton of the mass of individuals who cons,i.
su,e (" The Public" is always luminous as
welIas comprehensive. Pretensions to an
extraordinary portion of the spirit of pa
triotism, are, also, and Justly too, susplcl-
Gus and suspected. In republican, go.
vsrnment, however, all have equal rights,
and it is no less RICH. than a duty to
communicate to others information which
may have been obtained by an individual
Under circumstances Of peculiar character.
When the information communicated tends
10 crimna.e those with whom the @authop
has been politically associated; when it re.
proaches those to whose policy he has him
self been devoted; whea,it details his own
political experiences and convictions s+when
it vindicales few seceders from great
party from the charge Of having abandoned
their old connexions FROM improper and inn
pure views; and when it rends The mask
from successful hypocrisy, and displays
msn hitherto venerated for patriotism in the
odious colors. of deception and villainy
the course Of argument which shall be a
dopted to prove the purity OF heart with
which all this is done, cannot be zoo clear
and conclusive.
The power, ofthe human miad, however
boundless in the aggregate, are extremely
limited in,every'individual, excepttEe few,
the very few, upon whom the Sun 'of Gr-
Mus has darted Its most vivifyin5 beams.
A man may faacy that heis conveying his
ideas to others with great clearness, when
those to whom. he is addressing himself may
regard him. ifsthe expression be g proper
one, as the very paragon of dulIness. SEhe
public, also, has its moments OF uneasi1'ess'
as well as satisfaction, Of gloom as we'll as.
gsiety. 1t sometimes 'indulges without rea'
son. and sometimes censures with injustice.
Il is, sometimes satisfied with much less
THANH. ough, tosrcquire, and sometimes de-
mands much more than it has right TO ex-
.pecs.
Menin powercangive no better evidence
of integrity than the cool-a nd inasxlble pur-
SUIT of a course which tends to deprive
them of power. Men in the iull possession
.of popularity cannot more clearly eylnce