Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-08-09

hausted his superficial talents in his ssp.t
port, whom he had never even seen, and
whose political character he could not
know, was instantly rewarded in mag.
ner never before heard OF. This your,
Iascuer, unacquainted with our commerce
Indifferent to our welfare, stranger 70
our laws, and to the people Tor whom he
was to act, was appointed instantly On
.Jefferson's accession. Consul at London,
in the place of Mr.. Williams, a native
citizen. whose ancestors had been loyal
to the country. and who. being an intelli.
rent and skilful merchant, and man Of
liberal and enlarged mind and education,
was perhaps the fittest man in the na'iea
for commercial Office oil that Importance
Not satisfied with committing to The
care of a young English lawyer the I'M.
nortant commerce Of the United States
with the capital of the British empire,
Mr.. Jefferson. knowing that no salary
could be attached by law to the Office Of
consul. and knowing that Mr.. ErviBg',
love of money was perhaps equal to his
ambition, displaced two other officers,
colonel LenoX, who had the agency Of
American seamen, and Mr.. Cabot, who
had the commercial agency for prize ca.
ses then pending-and appointed MIR. Er-
wing. untitled by his education for either,
to fiji them all. So that this hopeful
Young tory held the four following inn
portant offices-the consulate at London;
the agency for American claims, in behalf
of the government the agency for sea-
men and the agency before the court Of
admiralty. or the law agency as it was
called. 1t is even admitted in Madison's
apology that he appointed him to fifth
office, to appraise the sugar and molasses
Of the American merchants. The pre-
text for this subversion of Washington's
measures (for Jefferson and Madison
never want pretexD was the saving Of
the public money :-and SO they granted
to Mr.. Erving round salary of two theu-
sand dollars in lieu of the salaries before
granted TO three other gentlemen whose
duties he was not competent to fulfil
Nor was this all they soon after secret
ly allowed him to charge the Z. States
$4,000 dollars for services which, shall
hereafter shew. he never performed.
think now the public, if they will but
read, will be perfectly competent to un-
derstand Mr.. Erving's prefenficns.
l pledge myself for the truth of these
facts, and hold myself responsible to
prove them all to be true.
We proceed. 2dly, to state the serious
charges advanced and indeed proved by
Mr.. Smith against Mr.. Madison Oh this
subject.
We say proved, because his charges on
this head are accompanied by documents,
the truth and force of which are not de.
MED by Mr.. Madison, in his friend Bar
lows defence. The ground taken by Bsr-
low shall be fully examined in another
number; but it sufices at present TO state,
that he does not contradict the following
facts alleged by Mr.. Smith
1sdy, That when Mr.. Smith, IS secre-
tary of state. wished to pay certain un-
fortunate claimants under the British
treaty, and when he applied to the trea-
sury for the money, he was informed by
that department, that the amount Of These
claims had been retained by Mr.. Erriug,
upon what ground the treasury officers
were ignorant. This, it will be recolIeui-
ed, happened several years after the sup
preston of this money from the treasury.
A curious and important fact that e2.CuO
dollars could. by executive management,
be withheld from the treasury, and the
accounting and accountable officers be
wholly Ignorant Of the cause.
IDLY. That Mr.. Madison, who autho.
rised this speculation, when applied to,
affected total ignorance of the fact, or
OF the reasons Of the fact.
Sdly. That when lie found Smith re-
solved TO look into it, he defended En-
Wings claim, which shall hereafter shew
TO be wholly nnfounded, and urged his
own private letter as founding an honora-
bic claim in favor Of Erying.
A singular view this of our financial
affairs An authorised on;.op writes a