Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-08-01
LETTER
From G. Mason to Richard Henry Lee.

GnnSt0n HGn, sNOCcWUcT Sos 11ous
DEAR SIR.
i should have written to you much
sooner. had + mot 10 ped to have been able
to attend this session Of assembly, and
consequently have had the pleasure of
conversin, with rou; but my health still
continues SO bad mot having missed fe-
yer, with symptoms of the goat in my head.
or stomach, three nights together, for
this month pasD that now despair of
being able to undertake a journey this
winter. beg the favor OF you to inform
nv friends (and if necessary the house,
of the cause of my absence: and you will
also oblige me in letting me know what
important business is before the assembly,
and what measures are likelytO be taken
for the common defence. inclOse you a
letter lately received from the general
upon the subject. Our fattering accounts
from Carolina seem to have vanished into
nothing. Surely the south is the region
Of falsehood. If any thing important and
authentic comes to Richmond. pray CON-
-municate it. We know nothing here Of
the situation of the enemy. in the neigh
bOrhood of Portsmouth, OF OF the strength
or motions of our own militia; not even
who commands them. For Gods sake
(for the cause of liberty and Justice must
be pleasing even to the Supreme Being
let us fill up our quota OF troops. some
how or other, for the war. l am told the
present prevalent idea at Richmond is to
do this with slaves, manumitted for the
purpose but there is no depending upon
reports; men generally giving their own
opinions, or if they have none OF their
own, the opinion of the few they converse
with, for the opinion Of the public; and
this came from "a relation Of our exeentric
friend. l most cordially wish fora gene
raj manumissiOn Of eur slaves but such
a partial one as that proposed will never
answer; besides the expense and other
difficulties Of carrying such whim into
execution. there is this capital objection ::
that the enemy would retuIt il upon us,
four-fold, and justify The measure, by our
example. / shall perhaps never see the
maier again; but with all his foibles. l
really wish hin well; being convinced
chat if ever he is able to change his OBJ
stinacy into firmness OF mind, his envy
into emulation, and his vanity into con-
scious worth, he will make valuable
member Of society; but | fear it will
take almost as long time to do this. as
Sir Isaac Newton calculates il would re-
quire to cool lump Of red hot iron, OF
the size of our globe yet upon the whole,
Ihave better opinion of the major than
] have of one half my acquaintance.
] declare would not give my expert.
once to my children, If it was in my pow
or. for the whole world: to discover, early
in life, how great proportion Of man.
kind are knaves and fools. would be real
misfortune. and give us distaste to every
thing about ms TO have the secret dis
closed. when we have one foot upon the
edge Of the grave, is an advantage. land
serves to reconcile us to our approaching
dissolution.
j think if we had our quota of troops
once raised for the war, We might keep II
full by the following method: Confirm,
Ing the exemption from future sersice
(given by the draft act Of last session. tn
any person enlisting soldier, as ss5sti-
tute, for the war. Exempting every per-
soa who shall, at any time, apprrhend a
deserter from the regular troops. anil com.
mit him to jail. OF deliver him to a proper
officer. from the aext ensuing draft, or
from his succeeding tour Of militia duty.
And passing law. in the nature OF d va
grant act, similar 10 the act of parliament
In Queen AIMS time. giving two Justices
power of calling before them all idle
dissolnte persons. aad OF sealing into the
service such as could not make il appear
they had some honest respectable way OF
supporting themselves. 'fne first ofthese
methods would be a continual fuad for
supplying the army. and it permanent,
instead of being temporary. would lower
the exharbitant hounties, which have r,i-
ined the recruiting service: people would