Newspaper Page Text
transaction to so large an amount
had been made the subject of a pri
vate letter, I remarked to him that
he would have to decide whether
Mr. Erving would be allowed to re
tain this sum of money, and that
should he be allowed, then an appli- ,
cation must necessarily be made to .
congress for an appropriation of a
like sum to enable the state depart
ment to discharge the just demands
of the claimants under the treaty. I,
moreover, at the same time, stated
to Mr. Madison that the agency of
Mr. Erving had been from Septem
ber, 1801, to September, 1805, and
that the private letter of November,
1804, giving to him 22,392 dollars,
Was in fact, allowing him a compen
sation of 7,598 dollars per annum.
As, however, it appeared to the pre
sident that consistently with this
private letter, Mr. Etving could not
in candour or in equity be called Op
en to return to the government this
money, 1 was of course instructed by
him to give his claim to it the sanc
tion of the state department, and
moreover, to consider ahd put on
file as a public letter, the private
letter of November 3, 1804. And
an application was afterwards accord
ingly made to congress for the re
quisite appropriation.
The senate having passed a resolu
tion calling upon the president for
certain information in relation to this
taibject, I frankly declared to him
that in case of his application to the
state department for a report, every
consideration of duty would constrain
me to set forth all the circumstances
of this transaction. He manifested
great perturbation, and fretfully said
that the call of the senate was evident
ly made with a view to injure him.
In connexion with this unprecedent
ed Observation, I perceived unequi
vocal indications of dissatisfaction
Vith respect to myself. And well
assured as I am, and believing as I
sincerely do, that this affair had con
tributed in a great degree to the rup
ture that has taken place between
Mr. Madison atid myself, I cannot
but consider it a proper item in the
catalogue to be exhibited on this oc
casion, to the view of our fellow citi
zens. It will suggest to every mind
the following questions :
,1. As president Jefferson in the
year 1801, with a view to save the
public money, did, with the appro
bation of Mr. Erving, appoint him
ageYit of the United States in Lon
don, with a fixed salary of 2,000 dol
lars a year, to perfom all the duties
which had been previously perfor
med by Mr. Williams, Mr. Cabbot,
and Mr. Lenox, why did Mr. Ma
dison in 1805, in - a private way,
counteract this economical policy, by
allowing to Mr. Erving a sum of
money, about the same in amount,
as the removed officers would have
been entitled to claim, had they all
remained in office l
2d. Why did Mr. Madison allow
to an afficer, having a stated salary
an extra compensation, greatly ex
ceeding .in amount his fixed salary ;
and especially, as that extra compen
sation was not for extra services;
but merely for the same services for
which the stated salary was originally
allowed ?
3d. Why was the letter, making
so unprecedented an allowance, not
an official one ? and why was there
not left in the office some trace of it ?
4th. Why did he depart so much
from established usage, as to take
the liberty of using the name of the
president in a letter granting monies,
when it was intended at the time,
not only that the letter was to be a
private one, but thaw no trace of it
should thereafter be found in the of
fice ? ,
5th. If, in November, 1804, it had
been considered that Mr. Erving
was entitled to the additional com
pensation of so large a sum as 22,392
dollars, for services past, as well as
future, why had not the case, at or
about that time, been presented to
congress for the requisite appropri
ation ? Why had it been suffered to
remain, so many years, enveloped
in secrecy and darkness ?
6th. Why did Mr. Madison au--
thorise Mr. Erving to retain this
particular sum of money, as it was
not the property of the United States;
as it was, in fact, in the hands of this
government, merely in trust for cer
tain citizens of the United States ;
•nd especially, a* he could not but
have known that the honest claims
of those suffering citizens would in
time, be presented for payment; and
that, in that case, to satisfy those
claims, the same amount of money
aesetsarily be drawn from the
treasury as was actually done at the
last session ?
Having given to my fellow-citi
zens a view of the circumstances
under which 1 have resigned the
commission of secretary of state, it
may not be amiss as therewith some
what connected, to give them a short
sketch of the circumstances under
which that commission had been re
ceived.
During the eight years of Mr.
Jefferson’* administration, Mr. Ma
dison and I were colleagues in of
fice. There wa9 between Us, wjth
out intermission, an intimate perso
nal intercourse. For the last four
or five years, he visited me in my
office, almost every day, for the pur
pose of interchanging ideas upon
some affairs of his department. Sel
dom did he write a paper of arty im-
portance, which he did not submit to
my consideration before he gave to
it its last shape. With a knowledge
of me, thus acquired, upon his be
coming the president of the United
States, he offered to me in the first
instance, the office of secretary of
the treasury. Some short time af
ter, and while I was employed in the
necessary preparatory investigations
in relation to the details of the trea
sury department, Mr. Madison a*
gain called upon me, and requested
me to take the station of the depart*
ment of state ; & at the same time, he
communicated to me the circumstan
ces, that had rendered this change in
his administration necessary; which,
as they are not at all connected with
the design of this address, it would
be improper here to recite.
However unnecessary it may ap
pear to those who know me, I deem
it proper on this occasion to declare,
that at no time did I, nor, as I am
well assured, did any relation, or o-
ther friend of mine, give or convey
directly to Mr. Madison, or indi
rectly to him, through any other per
son, in any manner or form, the
slightest intimation, that I wished to
be either secretary of the treasury or
secretary of state.
Many despicable tales, as I have
since understood, were last winter
covertly conveyed to Mr. Madison,
by certain abject, designing syco
phants, with a view not only to pre
judice, but to alarm his mind ; and
among others, one that the vice-pre
sident, general Armstrong, and my
self, had been employed in concert
ing a plan to oppose him at the next
presidential election. This paltry
story, I had considered as utterly
unworthy of notice : and perhaps, f
at this time, attach to it too much im
portance, in avowing, as I now do,
that while I was secretary of state, I
never had in conversation or in wri
ting, any communication whatever,
directly* or indirectly, upon any such
subject, with either the vice presi
dent or general Armstrong, or with
either of them, through any person.
But being at this time, a private citi
zen, I may, I trust, be allowed to
declare to my countrymen, as I must
sincerely do, that to ensure the du
ration of the republican party as well
as to preserve the honour and best
interest of the United States, it has
become indispensably necessary that
our president be a man of energetic
mind, of enlarged and liberal views,
of temperate and dignified deport
ment, of honorable and manly feel
ings, and as efficient in maintaining,
as sagacious in discerning the rights
of our much injured and insulted
country.
R. SMITH.
Baltimore, June 7, 1811.
P. S. It is, I trust, not expected
by any person, that I should enume
rate the particular nominations to the
senate which I disapproved. Such
an undertaking would, at this time,
be as unjustifiable, as it would be in
vidious*
public cares I have been so mucW^<
indebted. I do it with sincere affec
tion and gratitude, and look back
with peculiar satisfaction on the har
mony and cordial good will, Which to
ourselves and our brethren of the ca
binet, so much sweetened our toils.
From the characters now associated
in the administration, I have no
doubt of the continuance of the same
cordiality, * so intej^sting to them
'blic
-
•vcj
selves and to the*
and great
APPENDIX*
The following letters and extracts
are here published, merely to shew
how unfounded are the tales, with
respect to Mr. Jefferson, to which
certain underlings of Mr. Madison,
for the purpose of sustaining him,
have found it expedient to resort,
tt Monticello, June 10th, 1809.
•* Dear Sir.—1 enclose you a let
ter from one of the mem-
as are the difficulties and dangers en
vironing our camp, I sleep with per
fect composure, knowing who are
watching for us.
“ I pray you to present me respect-
to Mrs. Smith, and accept my
flyers that you may long continue
in the enjoyment of health, and the
public esteega, in return for your
useful senrietn, past and to come.
“ TH. JEFFERSON.
" The Hen. it. Smith Secretary of stale'*
Extract of a letter from Mr. Jeffer
son to R. Smith, dated Monticello,
September 23, 1810, enclosing a
work in manuscript, intended for
publication at some future day.
“ You will see what I have made
of it (the subject) by' the enclosed,
which I forward in the hope you
will consider and correct it. Will
you do me the favor to put on paper
such corrections as you would ad
vise and forward them to me. 1 pray
you to be assured of my constant af
fection and rtspect.”
“ Monticello, April 30, 1811.
“ Dear Sir—I have learned with
sincere concern the circumstances
which have taken place at Washing
ton. Their first confirmation to me
was from the National Intelligencer.
Still my hopes 8t confidence were that
your retirement was purely a mat
ter of choice on ^our.part*^ A let
ter I haw recced makes me sup
pose there was a more serious mis
understanding thaii I had apprehen
ded. No one feels more painful than
I do the seperatian of friends, and
suffering myself under whatever in
flicts sufferance on, them, I condole
with them mutually and ask the mu
tual permission to tsteem all, as I e-
ver did ; not to kn«W their differen
ces or ask the causes of them. The
harmony which made me happy
while at Washington, is a3 dear to
me now as it was then ; and I should
be equally afflicted were it by any
circumstances to bp impaired as to
myself. I have so much confidence
in the candour and liberality of both
parties, as to trust 4iat the misunder
standing will not be permitted to
lead to any sinister effects, and my
constant prayer will be for blessings
on you all.
TH.JEFFRSON
Robert Smith, Esq. Baltimore.
“ Baltimore, May—, 1811
“ Dear Sir,—With great satis
faction I have Just received your
friendly letter of the 30th ult. Of
the occurrence as Washington I had
as little suspicion as you had. And,
at this moment, I know not to what
kind of infatuation to attribute it.
“ From one of your old and uni
form friends, I some days since re
ceived a letter, requesting informa
tion, as to the ground there was for
the opinion, that you had been privy
to this transaction, stating, at the
same time, that he could not for a
moment allow himself to give any
kind of credit to so improbable a
tale. I at once assured him, that it
was to be referred to the numerous
Class of fabrications, and that, so far
from entertaining myselt spelt a sus
picion, I was confident there was not
the slightest ground for the imputa
tion, and, by Way of illustration
I transmitted to him lor his indivi
dual satisfaction, copies of two let
ters I had received from you after
my accession to the department of
state.
« I entreat you sir, to remain as
sured that with sentiments, as grateful
as pleasing, I at this time do, and, I
trust, I ever will retain a just sense
of your dignified, liberal, frank de
portment towards me on every oc
casion during your administration,
and that however disposed I may be
to forgive an enemy, I never dida-
banden a friend.
»» 1 have tWo honor to be*
R. SMITH.
«* The bon. Thomas JeJferfon, MenticeUo.*’
k
bers from Pennsylvania, which you
readily perceive ought to have been
addressed to you. 1 am, however,
gratified by his mistake in sending it
to me, inasmuch as it gives me an op
portunity of abstracting myself from
my rural occupations, and of saluting
one with whom I have been connec
ted in service and in society so ma
ny years, and to whose aid and re
lief oo an important portion of the
Fbti and lamented effects: about half
past 4 o’clock, the bake-house of Mr.
John Young was struck With light
ning—it entered the roof on the front
facing the west, injuring in and de
stroying several of the rafters—it
then took its course immediately
down the front, about the centre,
leaving the marks of its passage on a
range 'of doors placed immediately
over each other—at this juncture a
very promising young man, Mr. John
Bowie, unfortunately happened to be
at the lower door, he was struck on
the neck, passing off down the left
side—every exertion was made to
produce resuscitation, but without
effect—a young man behind him at
the time was knocked down by the
shock but soon after recovered—a*
bput one tninute after, a second flash
entered the dwelling house of Mr.
Young (adjoining) on the eastern
side of the roof, and in a direction
towards the north ; after its entry it
agaih took a south east, direction till
it reached a partition vVhen it ran
down each side to the second stofy.
Mr. Yohng himself at this time on
the top of the stairs, near the pas
sage in the second story, was knock
ed down but we are happy to hear
that there is no doubt entertained of
his perfect recovery ; it then passed
on to ah end window immediately
facing the east—the main body how
ever, after entering the second story
took a south direction, entering the
chimney on the north side in the se
cond story coming into the counting
room on the south side about seven
feet above the floor, and wa3 con
ducted from thence by the spout
of an old ehgine standing by the
chimney wall, supposed to have at
tracted it, to the hearth, which is
considerably sunk oh the side it en
tered.—Capt. Pitts, Mr. Marsellfcr
and Mr. Taylor were in the count
ing room at the time—they were all
shocked and the former so violently
as to be thrown out of his chair—it is
worthy of remark that he had not re
tired a bove a minute from the fire
place where he had been sitting.
Alexandria, Julv n.
AWFUL CALAMITY.
On Thursday, eveningly we were
visited with a gust of wind and rain
accompanied with the most severe
flashes of lightning ever known, stri
king awe and dismay on the stout
est heart, imposing on us the unplea
sant task of recording the following
melancholy narration of its devasta
te English pilr.ts announce the
restoration of the Duke of York to
the command of all the British land
forces, by his brother the Prince Re
gent. This fact, among fnany others,
tends to prove that a Prince of Wales
and a King of Great Britain are, in
politics, two very different creatures.
The Duke of York is, of all men, the
most odious to the English nation,
as well on account of his military in-
capacity as for his voluptuous course
of life. Yet we find the Prince oF
Wales* in his restoration, treading
precisely in the track of the known
sentiments ol' the old king. Will he
not pursue the path of his father ia
other particulars? Will he yield a-
ny further than the old king, to
the jusf requisitions of the .jfkmeri-
cafc government ? Will he . consent
to relinquish the scandalous and op*
pressive practice of seiging our citi
zens on the high seas ? Will he even
forego the orders in council ? We
confess that we fear he will not. We
have seen nothing, thus far, that in
dicates such honest dispositions. A
man who, scarely seated on the
throne, presumes so greatly to in
sult the people of England as to re
appoint to the first military .post iif
the kingdom a depraved brother, will
not, we apprehend consult with grea-.
ter delicacy the feelings and the inte-
rest of his subjects, by pursuing the
onlly policy that can fairly open and
fuly secure to them the most exten
sive and lucrative markets that Bri
tish manufacturers and merchants
ever enjoyed. However, time and
Mr. Foster may, throw more.light
upon the subject} for the .appear
ance of which, with all becoming
patience, the public wait.
CWP*'Airgus'j t
Herkimer, N. T. July 4.
Atrocious Murder. We do not
recollect of haying seen a more wick
ed and diabolical deed, recorded in
the annals of history, than the follow
ing : On Thursday last, John Bow'
man, a boy of about eleven years old
living with Mr. James White, mur
dered Ann Eliza White, (daugh
ter of Mr. White,) aged four years
the lad decoyed the child to the bank
of the river, where he procured him
self a club, beat her on the head till
her skull was broken, and her face
lacerated in a most shocking man
after killing her, to conceal the
body, he hove it into the river, and
then deliberately went to the house
and eat his dinner. When the child
was missed he denied knowing where
she was. The body was fould after
being in the water about four hours
The Coroner summoned a jury o
ver the body, who gave a verdict of
wilful murder by the said John Bow
man. The boy is committed to the
county jail.
Chillicothe, Ohio, June 26.
“ Here, commerce too, the goddeM we adore,
Hear* bufy murmun float along the fliore,
Sees huddled ftorether far-brought wealth difplay.
And crowds unwieldly. glut the noify way;
Along the coafl, bids leafless fofefts rife,
And hangs her whitening fail in Indian skies"
We are happy to state, by the re
turn of the pilot, Mr. Davis, that the
ship Three Sisters, owned by col
Simmons and built at Alexandria, at
the mouth of Scioto river, has safely
descended the Mississippi ahd arri
ved at New-Orleans, whence she
will sail for New-York. This ves
sel being 450 tons) is supposed to be
the largest'that ever descended the
Ohio, and we cannot but congratu
late the friends of commercial enter
prise, upon the flattering prospects
already exhibited in this part of the
western country.
Poughkeepsie, R. Y. July 10.
The Weather. The intensity of heat,
during Wednefilay, Thurfday and Fri*
day Jail, ii fuppofed nor to have been
equalled in tins village fince the fettle-
ment of tire country. We regret that it
is not in our power to give the degrees
of hrat during thefe three days j but
fuch was the variation of the thermome
ters here, that an attempt of this kind
would be extremely ha zardous. One re •
. markable circumllance, however, is this,
that the water in the Fillkill, a clear, run
ning dream, of confidcrahle magnitude, a
little norlhof this village, became soheat-
ed, that cattle refufed to drink thereof,
and the filh therein died and floated in
large quantities upon th? top of the wa
ter.
Public curiosity is alive to hear
what proposals the new British min
ister has to make to our government,
but as yet nothing official on the sub
ject has transpired. Whether his in-'
tents be wicked or charitable, it is to
be hoped that our government will
require something more substantial'
than the mere declaration of a Brit-
ish minister of the intentions of his
government. England feels severe
ly the effects of the continental sys
tem, and the distresses of the man
ufacturing class of her citizens is nv
doubt greatly increased by the ex
clusion of her merchandize from thiw
country. Always arrogant in pros
perity, and her arms at this time vic
torious in Spain and Portugal^ it’is
impossible to judge how far the dis
tresses of her citizens at home,
which are great beyond parallel, may
dispose her to an accommodation
with us on equitable terms.—ib.
Spain and Portugal, for some years
past, have presented a spectacle over
which humanity weeps, and which
can only be comtemplated with hor
ror. Modern history does not pre
sent Us with such another scene of
blood and devastation. Pestilence,
earthquakes, famine, and the sword,
have laid these ill-fated countries
waste i and their prospects at this
moment, perhaps, if impartially judg
ed, are not brightening. For though
the hostile legions of Bonaparte may
.he driven out, is it to be supposed
that they will not return ? Will Bo
naparte, whose trade is war, suffer
his numerous armies to eat the bread
of idleness ? We think not. And
if, as it appears by the latest accounts,
the northern powers are not disposed
to a war with France, these unhappy
people may shortly have to experi
ence a repetition of those calamities,
with which they have now almost b©»
come familiar.—Columbian.
THE COUNTRY ON tAe COLUMBIA* '
The Columbia, next to the Missis
sippi, waters a greater extent of coun
try than any river in America.- ■ ■»
From its northern source, to the
head of Multomack, is no less than
fifteen hundred miles in a direct line.
This country ii on a much larger
scale, than the tract east of the Alle
ghany mountains, and that in fertility
of soil much superior. About sixty
miles from the coast there is a range
of mountains, • which for a long dis
tance prevents the Columbia from
entering the ocean ; and when it
breaks through the most dreadful
rapids are formed. Its principal
branches are,
Rocky River %
Lewis's River,
Koos koss ktr, t .
Multnomack.
This last was discovered by Lew
is and Clark on their ascending the
Columbia, its mouth being concealed
by an island on their descending. It
is a nobb river, and caters the Co-