Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-06-14
[NUMBER IS.

4
panperzs; We came LAYING the crown OF England
az The foot OF an American President, and asking
hlm to grant to our weakness what we had not
expected to gam by our strength We came wit,
this admirable diplomatic address, we came de.
ciarng ourselves weak, and petitionng them to
give us protection against their own arrogance
and ambition but farther, when the commissi
oners asked was this sine ora NON. We answered
we would not tell them whether it was or not -.
thcy SAID, we have already give YOU one SINE o,t
nom manage that first, then we shall tell YOU
ABOUT The other. And yet in the end this sjn-
qua non was completely retracted. This condi-
I.on uen was absolutely necessary, and absolute
y dispensed with. But was it to be said that
inns was IN consequence of the principle of tax
r II All precedent Tor divine authority because a
~" eminent negociators had done il on partcu.
"a, IA OCCASIONS, we were to follow it on all But
.ns principle brought into negotiation another.
I sy nut above all, it was not to be adopt
81 rom ,he stronger to the weaker. He would
say that those concessions were not necessarv Far,
us, ahd II should cover the face of any minister
win shame to humble the crown of England ut
une feet OF Mr.. Madison for them. The next
SUBJECT was, the Indian boundary. Let hehouse.
tN for moment the ground of our claims
acre cfe; IN l703, a line of demaication was drawn
,or tlie United States. The line OH the north
was 10 pass through the centre of the lakes. and
'ien nom the lake of the woods TO be led till it
supGk the Mississippi. There was slight geo.
graphical error in the direction OF the lme-it
'uSnt 10 nave been drawn to the south eastwardto
r ,.s the MISSISSIPPI In this boundary there
were many tribes OF Indians. Lands were OBJ ain-
e ..n rom them by cession and by purchase but
United States
All questions ofpossession within that bounda.
y must nave been settledunder the previous def
iiuo ,, OF ther relation TO the United States. He
would now give AN idea of that relation from the
highest authority, Marquis Wellesley here read
an extract from the kings proclamation at the
close OF the war of the year l763, bv which l.
was declared that the Indians should not be mo.
ies,ed IN Their properties and hunting grounds,
u,uer .ie kings sovereignty; and that in conseI
4uehoe Oh injuries done to the Indians by pur-
ciAses, no person should be permitted 10 purchase
from them but by the roval leave and that ifthe
INDIANS desired to sell Their lands, the purchase
should be made for the king In this, said the
nopie lord, the right of sovereignty was distinct.
kept up, and II was this right which was trans
.erred TO the American government. There could
mus ne no stronger error than to suppose the;
.hose Indians we're to be treated with on the foo,
ing OF independent possessors. We had, by ne
treaty OF l783, given up the whole right of Egg
land over them, and that right was conclusiyeas
10 tnelr independence. There was one obsega-
uon which he could not repress. 1t touched or
the employment of the Indians in war He nust
suppose 1t to arise from necessity but il WIS f.,
tai necessity
This necessity had already awoke the sttsntion
o. the house I: it had, in its earliest statt swok.
me eloquent Indignation of the wisest aHi most
osoquent statesman that ever charmed that house
- 1 great earl OF Chatham. lie (marqlis Well
ssiey) would have reioiced to see the pactice at
once done away. 1t would have been Nth him
Almost ike second abolition of the slay, trade
lie would have been rejoiced if we lad clo-
sed at once with that proposal to the COMMISSIONS
ers' never to employ the Indians AGAIN: but did
tne noble lord forget that this territory wlch he
CLAIMED TOR his independent Indians was actually
oNioeu INTO American states--that it actually
sent members TO Congress-that it was pledged
Tor share of the national debt--and was it to be
expected that they would consent to give
boundary thus out of their own bosom against
themselves But the American government
iad made frequent treaties with them, undoubt-
edly and so had we done but we had not,
therefore, relnqushed the full possession and
feeling our sovereignty. The fact was, that
however the Americans might have been dis
gusted by the demands of our negociators. the
treaty restored things to exactly the same state
IN which they were before. He had also 10 no.
uce another most curious intimation on our part.
Ministers thought proper to propose IS it seem.
ed to them desirable to MAINTAIN the excellent
state OF society which existed among the Indians.
that the Americans should assent, never TO pur.
chase any lands ofther Indians, while we did the
same with regard TO ours; that the Indians
shoulu Ohly dispose OF their lands to third par
~ Who was this third partyI Was it France
ALI these propositions were said to be grounded
on the necessity of checking a spirit of aggran-
dizement on the part of America, but what were
Their effects on the public mind when theyreach.
ed America 1t was we'll known that there ORE.
vailed among numerous party in that country.
a strong sentiment that the war with England. If
not absolutely unjust in its origin, was at least
impolitic and unnecessary
The whole nation also had begun 20 feal its
disastrous effects, and would have hailed with
pleasure any really pacific proposals but when
these propositions arrived out, their tendency
was the very reverse of accellerating peace
! he noble lord had indeed blamed The president
Tor giving them publicity during pending ncro.
CATIONS but the American negociators decl9r.
ed IN their dispatch, that they thought the pres,
pect OF peace at an end and he bel eyed that
the noble lord, who was so niggardly in theipro.
iuction Of papers, had ne been situated as Inc
president was, would Immediately have submit.
ted to parliament such claims Of an enemy, with
The view of arousing any tagging spirit OF hos.
tity IN the country The effect Of the propo-
sails was instantaneous in America the detern.
nation to resist them was unanimous and strong.
to degree almost incredible under a government
10 constituted. They excited a general military
spirit means were adopted for raising an eff
Gent army, and attention had been paid 10 the
ola navy on Irregular systematic plan,
which no man in this country can look forward 10
but with the deepest regret If the proposals