Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1842-06-11

''~ N'N St'S FIJI '~'t''fr fA''~
bly,, say the committee, that the letter must
suffice to answer the two BumInolses from
the committee.
We subjoin a correct transcript Of this pre-
clous document.
l. "At the Camp, 9TH Jan. 1916.
"Gentlcmen of the two Legislative Houses.
"The apprehension Of an attack from the
enemy on this bank, which keeps me day
and night on foot, does not permit me to quit
my post without a special order from The Ge-
neral-in-chief; but DESTROYS Of answering 10
your resolution, | am going TO do IT, as fob
lows. On the day from The 9th to 18th of last
month, slept on the plantation of one Of my
brothers, and after having perceived the alarm
depicted on the countenaa6ss of the afflicted
Of this city, ! had a conversation with one of
the respectable OF your house, whom the
scourge OF war made to apprehend the un-
happy consequences that have been but TOO
much realised. From that moment | appre-
hended d capiiulation Of the Legislature, which
could not but have occasioned a division in
the colony as ruinons as disastrous ! set out
on the 2Sth to impart my apprehension to Ge-
neral Jackson, but before | arrived there was
an engagement, which did not permit me to
see him. | met his aid-de-camp N, and | re-
guested him TO act for me with General Jack
son. Nobody, sir,sof your body, has commu-
nicated to me that the Intentions we're TO do
any thing positive; my steps were founded
only on apprehensions Of a division which |
have always feared since we were menaced
with war. I own to you that il / had been
| sooner apprised Of the good Intentions and Of
the bcneficent conduct Of the legislature, nay
apprehensioHs would not have been the same.
III have been in an error on this OCCASION, 1t
Is only through an excess oil patriotic zeal
with which yoti are animated yourselves, and
which Is proved by the conduct Of The two
houses, which | was ignorant of al that time.
What remains for us 10 do now To concur
together towards the continuation Of a defence
no less Supported than well combined, as we
have done till this moment This, gentlemen,
is my answer, which, fatter myself, must
suffice TO any well intentioned body, as you
have demonstrated al your last sitting.
| am, with considerations,
YGuI adectionatc servant,
Signed, r.
A portion of the comments of the commit
tee on this letter, are too apt and pithy to
admit of abbreviation. 1t is remarked.
alt is doubtless very f~attering for the Sc
nate and house Of representatives Of the state
of Louisiana to see Col. T. become at last the
panegyrist Of their patriotic zeal, from the tar
dy knowledge he has acquired of their good
intentions and of their benefcent conduct and
it is matter Of regret that whilst, even prior to
the arrival OF General Jackson, the general
assembly was employed in ascertaining all
the means Of defence that could be derived
both from our resources and our local advar-
tages, and in for ing a plan of measures az
cordlngly, no one thought Of informing this
colonel of those proceedings Nor is it less
deplorable that he was not sp~eciallyaDformed
of the sums which the legislature had COM
mitted 10 the disposal Of the Governor Of the
state towards providing for resisting the enc
my, and to clothe such Of orr brave fellow
citizens Of the neighboring states as had flown
to our assistance aud were destitute Of cloth
ing. These precautions, had it been practi-
cable to observe them, with regard to Col. T.,
would have prevented his judging so unfayor.
ably of the senate and house Of representa-.
tivess He apprehsnded that We would deliver
over the country to the enemy, only because
he knew not in what concerns we had been
engaged. Generous avowal noble candor!
On the reading Of this letter, the committee,
little satisfied with its contents, not being able
to discover in it any glimpse Of :he truth after
which they were appointed to inquire !; not
finding any means to reconcile the assertions
of its author with'those tidiBgs transmitted by
Mr.. N. to Mr.. Fortier, and by the latter to the
Governor, as appears from their respective
declarations, The legislature are to meet for
the purpose of delivering over the country to
the enemy General Jackson has been inform,
ed of the FACT tidings which MIN. had said
he received from Mr. r. himself, as Governor
Claiborne's misunderstanding to the above
mentioned answer from General Jackson; the
committee thought proper to apply a second
time to the General, sending him a copy Of
Mr.. It's letter, and requesting him to give or
cause to be given such an order as would
compel that gentleman 70 appear before them"
Cen. Jackson gave the order, and Mr.. r.
made his first appearance on fhe 18th Janu-
airy. In his examination lie declares on oath,
that she does not know whether be told Mr..
N. that Legislature were about 10 deliver over
the country to the British, Or only that he had
apprehensions lest they should do so but he
knows that his sole intention was to charge
him 10 impart his approximations to General
Jackson, such as he wrote in his letter, which
Gays he) ~contains the whole truth" The
committee thus happily notice this testimony.
Behold, then, Col. T., who on the 18th of
January, no longer knows what he said ON the
2sth of December, but who well remembers
the intention heahad that day In speaking to
Mr.. ~, and who refers on that subject to his
letter Of the 7th of January, which contains
the whole truth! Now, on reperusing that
letter, we see that he SAYS he intended only
to impart his apprehensions We see nothing
positive, nothing declaring that the legislature
were about 70 capitBlate, and, in a daStardly
spirit, to deliver over the country to the
enemy" ~
Col. T. further declared on oath, that no trea-
sonable proposal had ever been made to him,
nor in bis hearing, nor did he know Of such
proposal having been made to any other per-
son. Yet he confessed himseifthe author Of
the report on which the representatives Of the
people had been arrested III their functions,
and stigalatized as towards and traitors and
upon what grounds had he consented to be-
come the author of such a c~alulGnyS He
could give no better grounds to the comnait-
tee than his ualounded apprehsnsions-ap-I
prehensions for which he offered only the
beggarly excuse, athat in republics, it was
very COMMON for legislative assemblies to
Disagree" and he thought, the representa-
tives of the people OF Louisiana people
who focked en- mGsSe TO the standard of tleiL
country-a people among whom no dissent
ing yoics was heard-sho. although of difFe-
rent tongues and nations, united as one man
against the eoasmen foe-he thought the re-
preaentatises Of sneh a people, DARED divide
the question whether they should fight and
be free. or surrender and be slaves!
But were we to enter into all the conflict
ing statements Of Col T., Opposite as they
were-often fatty eontradicting each other
he suore to them ain, we should force up
on the reader such a mass of ineongruities,