Delaware patriot & American watchman., 1828-06-03

into the correctness of your premises, or 'le s"uu
ness of your conclusions. On reperusa, anu
strict comparison Of your arguments anu asser.ohs'
the deluson will vanish; and instead OF the stern
yindicator of violated truth and insulted virtue,
YOU will appear only as an able rhetorlcan on art
fu sophiat, clumsy nesotfatoI' anu ''hu'''''e
man." =.
The following is extracted from the second let
ter:
mYou have attempted to prove-not by facts
but by assertion and prophecy, that the British
right Of navigating the Mississippi, before the late
war, was a mere phantom, OF no value TO the Brit
ish, and do injury to us, right OF travelling
highway, privilege merely nominal, enjoyed tor
80 wears without use, naked right, harmless
right to travel a western highway,a mere nominal
right, harmless to US, &c. &c. All these asser-
tons, we are compelled to say, are directly con-
tradicted by facts by the conduct OF our own gov
ernment. and by your own conduct.
"Could you, Sir, be ignorant Of Lieut.. Pixies
tour to the of the Mississippi, undertaken
by the authority of our Government, aud executed
in the wears 1905 and 1906? In all your negotia-
tions relative to the Mississippi aud the northern
boundary, have you never adverted to the account
given by that indefatigable suder, relative to the
British trading establishments on that rlvers Or,
have you confined your reseaycses wholly to the
Atlantic coast without once de nng to di ect your
attention to the rights the interests, and the honor
of the nation, on this side Of the Aleghanv Noun
tains? On this point, it appears to as, you are in
dilemma. Either you have never taken the trou-
BILE to inform Yourself, relative to the great nation
al western interests, which have been committed
to your charge, or you have mlsrepresented and
concealed facts, as you knew them to exist. 1t
will be admitted by all, that your acknowledged
habits of industry and research leave little room
for YOU to cover your errors this point, with the
mantle of ignorance.
What says Lieut.. Pike ? He found no less than
five British trading houses on the Mississippi and
its waters, within the immediate vicinity of the ri
yer itself He found British traders navigating
the river, to and fro, almost from St. Louis to its
source. He found numerous British medals a.
mong the Indians, distributed by these traders
with the express object of obtaining unbounded
influence over their savage minds. He saw the
British flag floating over British establishments on
the waters of this very river. He estimated the
duties on the British goods vended on the Missis-
sppi station, not one dollar of which was ever
paid, at thirteen thousand dollars per annum.--
That these facts are not msstated or exaggerated,
is proved by the following passages, extracted
from Pixies Journal -
The same letter thus concludes:
=" 1t was natural for Mr. Clay to think differ
emily and feel differently from what you pretend
to think and actually felt, in relation to admitting
the British to the navigation of the Missssippi.-
He could not conceal from himself the fact that
the existence and use of this right had been one of
the causes which led to the disasters of our arms
on the north western frontiers, and the exposure
of all back settlements to the relentless raya
ges of savage foe He could not forget the con-
sequent murders in Missouri illinois, Indiana and
Ohio, catalogue of enormites at which the heart
sckens. Remembering all this, he could not but
wish--nay, with his ardent and generous nature.
he could not but urge, with much earnestness--
the policy and justice Of exclaiming the instiga-
tors Of crimes 80 horrible. from every avenue of
access to their willing instruments. Nor could
lie but feel differently from you. In consequence
of the unlimited access of British emissaries to
our Indians through the Mississippi and other
channels, more Of Kentucky's precious blood was
split, than could be purchased with every fish that
swms in British waters. Many dear friends. and
one near connexion of Mr.. Clay, had fallen VIC
tins to the Indian tomahawk, made on British an
wills. When he departed for Europe, he left So
cial circle, and even family, clothed in mourning
for these victims of British influence over sayape
minds. Passing from the midst of the mourners
and the MANNED, how could lie feel as you did,
who, far distant from your bleeding country, en-.
crossed with the events of another hemisphere
and admring .the Titus his age,'. scarcely heard
the thunder OF war rolling over the heads of YOUR
countrymen, below the western horizon II was
surely natural that he and you should feel differ
emily. You ought, therefore, to have excused Mr..
Clay's zeal, against once more admitting the Brit.
ish traders among our Indians, and hazardino
renewal Of the bloody scenes Of the Pigeon Roost
the River Raisn, and Fort Meigs. He could not
calculate so cooily as you. II, in the exc,tement
caused by recent Angl Indian murders he nrc.
ferred the lives Of his fellow. citizens to air the
fish which might perchance, be caught within three
miles Of the British coast, you ought to have can
s'dered, that his mind was not in condition. cool
y to weigh dollars against blood; and surely YOU
wou.u Iatnef nave excused him as generous en-
thusiast, than censured him for compromit;ng tho