Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-03-16

( whole materials however are yet in
complete. We want the correspon
jdence between Mr.. Erskine and tn,
Secretary for the Foreign Depart
| ment.
JANUARY IL.
! The important news from America
contained in our papers of yesterday
and to day, relate to three subjects
! The finance of the country, with which
We have less concern: The conduct
to be pursued In relation to Mr.. lack
son; and the measures proposed upoa
the resumption Of our Orders in Coun
c1l. The last is by far the most mo.
mentous topic; for upon it will ulti-
mately depend the question of peace
or war.
TIE resolutions proposed by Mr..
Troup, a member of the House of
Representatives., if adopted as law,
'goHld, we apprehend, be decisive of
the determinatlon of the Americans to
appeal to the Sword, Exclusive of
the consideration of this melancholy
result, which must spring from the
enactment of them, it will, we appre.
bend, be evident to all dispassionate
understandings, that the resolutions
are in themselves partial and unjust,
In every way in which they can beco ne
the subjec of investigation. /. They
are uoJust, i'm protesting to deal ;ndis-
criminatsly between us & the French
p. They are unjust, in affecting TO b
d mere imitation of our Orders In
Council: g.. And they are unjust tc
the Portuguese and Spaniards.
Upon the hostile act of Congress,
resul ing from the conduct OF MIR.
Jackson, we have the less TO say, be-
cause America has certainly sustained
no ordinary provocation in this In.
stance. We have never yet given our
Iopinion upon this subject, and shall
now therefore state it.
First, then, assuming as a fact, that
lof which considerable doubt is still en-
tertained, that Mr.. Erskine did act In
a manner contrary to the spirit of his
lnstruc tons; yet whence originated
the necessity OF imputing the knowl-
edge of this, our minister's deviation
from his direc ions, to America 1t
Is sufficient, according to the doctrine
cited from Vattel by Mr.. Smith, to
Illustrate the validity of an engagement
that the minister forming it should
have violated the instructions given
him it was not necessary to prove or
10 aver that the other contracting par.
ty knew this. s'To refuse with honor
(says high authority on public law to
ratify what has beer concluded on by
sirtue of full power, it is necessary
thai thc government, should have strong
and solid reasons, and that it shew in
particular that its minister had viola
sd his Instructions Hence it APP
r'ears If this argument be well foun-
aCd, of which we have no doubt that
1he offence given to America wa per-
isctiy unnecessary and gratuitous the
real merits OF the question: being this !;
=. Did MIR. ErskiAe violate hls1nstruc-
tiohs?" Not" didthe American gov
ernment know that he violated the N s"
And in the establishments oil the for
ner position, Mr.. Jackson would have
found ample exercise fJr his Talents,
without undertaking the task OF pro.
vIdg that men knew that which they
declared that they did not know.
The last topic upon which &c shall
touch, is the financial state .nent oil the
Secretary to the American Treasury.
We omitted to observe, in ourremarks
on this yesterday, that tne thirteen
hundred thousand dollars, whereby
tie expenditure last year exceeded the
receipts, was covered by SUN already
in the treasury, the surplus of the re-
venue in the receding years yet
whoever considers that the expences
Ut America have thus, without doubt,
oecn outweighing her means, and o..
serves too, that she Acknowledges her
inability to commence a war (Which
viii impose no sensible burthen upon
- without negotiating loan, for che
bare interest OF which she cannot pro-
vide, without having recourse to 50
novel a method as iuternal taxation
must hope, at least, that she will not
hastily or unnecessarily encounter per.
is SO incalculable.
/ 4 4 i