Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-08-16
From Co66es's Weekkey Register Of
Man. 90

From Co66esI's Weekkey Register Of
May 90.
american War.-II appears thatthe Loan,
which our hireling prints assured us the a
merican President was unable to raise, has
6een raised, and that too in the Single city of
Philadelphia. Il is also stated that Mr..
Madison has actually named plenipotentia-
ries to negotiate peace with us, under the
mediation of Russia. hope we shall accept
OF the mediation, and put AN end to this the
worst OF all our wars. But the hireling press
is against such acceptance. It labors hard
to perpetuate this war and to make il as
cruel aspossible,by adding to the amin. osity on
both sides There is a circumstance, which
have heard of, relating TO Americans who
were serving on board of our ships, which 1t
will be sufficient / am sure barely to state
The Americans always asserted, that we
detained MANY OF their native seamen on
board OF our slips Of war. This now ap-
pears to have been true. For since the war
has been going on our government have
thought it prudent (and il was certainly just)
to put these men, or some of them at least
or Of our service. it not being at all proba-
BILE that an American would without force
light against his country. Ihave only to add.
that the meE / allude to have, as / under
stand, been, not discharged, not sent home.
but made prisoners IF .var, to be exchanges
against persons whom the Americans NAV
have taken from us in 0ctaL oar. do no,
positively assert this to be fact. but have
| heard it stated as such, & do think that it i,
matter which calls for public attention.
Being upon the subject of America, I can
not refrain from noticing certain letters
which appeared in the Courier, the Morning
Post, and Other newspapers, a few DAYS a
go, purporSins to be letters written by Mr..
| Joel Barlow to Mr.. Madison from France.
These letters cur newspapers say they have
copied from American papers; and the A.
meTican papers say that they copied them
| from London paper The letters ave
sheer fabrications, intended to make peo
pie believe that Mr.. Jefferson was in nero-
citation with Napoleon, or at least that the
latter made HIN an offer, the end of which
was to make Mr.. Jefferson military despot
over the people of America. This is ONLY
worthy of any notice at all. as it shows the
lengths TO which the vile hrelings of the
Press will goto effect any purpose which il
IS their interest To pursue. Ii is very true.
that we never saw any such letters in any
London paper. Ii II Certain that no such
letters were ever Published here but will
not assert that they had not their origin here
that they were not fabricated here; thar
too IN some newspaper Nothing is more
easy than to put such letters into some oue
cohy OF an edition of a newspaper, and to
leave them out of all the other copies. That
silgie copy might be sent off to America
while the rest OF the edition were circulated
here. There are not wanting tnen TO do
such thing on this side of the wa,er. and
dare say there are not wanting men to re-
ceIye and republsh on the other side. Back
came these letters in the American paoers.
and in republishing of them here, not word
is said to aPprise the people of the fact of
their having been fabricated, dare say that
a very considerable part of the people of
England will take them for auihs ntic docu.
ments, and will of course believe that Napo-
leon actually proposed TO Mr.. jefferson to
make m despot. The propositions said
TO have been made to him, are these:
l. That on condition of his declaration. Of
war against England, the presidency shonId
be guaranteed to him by his majesty the
Emperor for life. 2. That one million OF
Francs, and even more, if found necessary.
should be annually placed at his DISPOSAL
during the war, To be repaid after it was
ended, or soon as the iuteude alterations I'm
nthe form OF government were effected
That three thousand French officers. in
structed TO obey the President implicitly.
should be sent out to serve in the army of
the United States. 4. That ten ships of ths
line, with their proportion of frigates, should
be dispatched to the United States to he
manned and oficered exclusively by Ame
rican seamen."
The corrupt wretch. who published the
letters Nv America, had not the impudence
20 pretend to believe them to be authentic /.
but, he puts this question to ais readers |.
Who will deny that 1t is, in the highest
degree, singular how such fabricationss car.
ry'ng such evidence on the face of them. #
an intimate knowledge of the subject an
persons TO which they relate, sh0u 6nd
their way into All Ens bh ne~ spaperl" )
that repeat my surmist, that the base &,
Irrigation had It's origin here, aud found il,
way into the American newspapers in Ne
way that / have described. After this.san
we believe that 4 hireling Of the press will
stick at any thing The people OF America
would rot bo deceived by SO clumsy a fraud
but, not to the " most thinking people" ot
England for whom nothing is too gross and,
have not the smallest doubt, that thsrs .agr