Phenix gazette. [volume], October 10, 1832, Image 2

About Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1832.
Published, daily, (by EDGAR SNOWDEN,) for the
Town, and thrice a week for the Country, on Knirfax
street, between King and Prince streets, 'nearly op
posite ’he Pust Oflfioe. Daily paper 88; Country pa
!>er 85 pt-r annum — Advertisements inserted at the
allowing rates: Fora square of 16 lines, inserted
daily, or every other day three times, 81; and 25
cents for evrr. subsequent inserti in On Advertise
ments inserted once or twice a week, 25 per c<*nt. ad
ditinnal No V Ivortisement considered Jess than a
sq i we. nor inserted for less than #1 All advertise
m- .its published in the Daily, appear in the Country
P*P«- _■
Office of the Courier and Enquirer, ?
A'wu York, Sunday. October 7, 1832. )
LATER FROM ENGLAND.
At dav break this morning our news schooner
boarded the London packet ship Hannibal, Capt.
Hebbard, which sailed from Portsmouth on the 3d
September.
'1 he Editor of the Courier and Enquirer has
rereived bv this vessel files of I undon papers to
the 1st and Portsmouth papers to the 2d Septem
ber.
The affairs of Don Pedro in Portugal appear
to remain much in the same situation as at the
date of our last advices, but tlie London papers
state that a feeling of confidence in his ultimate
success appears to increase among his supporters
in England. The general opinion seems to be,
that there will be no immediate collision between
(b» in., armies, that the position of Oporto IS
sufficiently strong to resist all the attac ks of Don
Mi® iel, and that as long as the communication
with that place can be kept open by sea, he will
retain secure possession of it—meantime, rein
forcements are hastening to him from different
quarter*, whilst his fon® possession of the second,
citv iu t‘ie kingdom, may be expected to exercise
a mot a: influence over the general population of
the country, highly favorable to his cause.
The Pans papers are principally filled with the
debates ol a tnal of the chiefs of the new sect
ol St. Simonians "ho have been condemned to
one year’s imprisonment and the payment of a
tine* T'te immediate dissolution of the society
won also decreed. The Minister of War had
addressed a circular to the Governors of military
posts throughout France, warning them that Ge
ntun spies were traversing the country for the
purpose of spviug into the state and strength of
the garrison*, discipline of tint Uoop*, &c. From
tin-circular the most warlike deductions had been
drawn by the speculators in Paris. Matters
were aUo again beginning to look more angry in
the West, and -nine fresh Carlist disturbances
seem to have been apprehended. Paris remained
tranquil, and toe cholera continund to decline.
These papers, as well as some journals of re
* cent date from Germany, contain further notices
of G-rman affnis, but they are too desultory to
stay the attention of the general reader. The up
shot seems to !•*■, however much we may regret
it, that the the Germans themselves have not
shown such a spirit as may be counted upon to
lead to any gr*-at emancipating result. The de
liverance of Germany, however, must couie from
the Germans themselves.
The most interesting news from the continent
is that relating Poland. It that can be called
interesting which awakens* the most painful sen
sations. Great, says the London Morning Her
ald, as has been the misfortunes, and great the
sufferings of that heroic people—whose only crime
i> tbeii loss ol liberty—under their savage con
queror, they seemed to want but this last stroke,
oow no longer tiououui, to drive mom to me ve
ry verge of human endutance. in the extracts
from the Rrunauick German Journal, will be
seen «ucb details as make the heart sick—of the
ba< barous decree of the Muscovite tyrant against
the Polish children, who are torn from their moth
ers and fitends and carried away in waggon
loads. not only fr»tn the Polish provinces, but
from Warsaw itself, to be incorporated with the
Russian hordes who garrison the military colo
nies. This barbarous m»de of attempting the
extinction c>f the Polish nation, by dragging away
the children into the Russian deserts, was previ
ously Wno'.'n in this country in a general way.
anil excited the horror which civilized people
would naturally feel on the baie mention of such
an atrocious proceeding. But there were those
wl.o wished to make it believed that such accounts
of the tyrant's desolating revenge were either
feigned or exaggerated it is therefore neces
sary, for the puipose of putting at restall doubt
upon the subject, to publish the official orders, as
given in the Brunswick paper alluded to. These
oidets, it appears, are acted upon with the most
rigid and inhuman exactness but we leave the
di-g»«ting det ills to -peak for themselves.
The interminable question between Holland
and Belgium still remains in the same state as
before. It would seem however that Louis Phil
ip has at length determined to act with more vig
or in favor of his new son in law.
From England there is nothing important un- I
less it be the increase of the cholera in London.
We extract the following on this subject from .
the Medical Gazette—**The total number of bu
rials in t ondoi: within the week ending Aug 21,
was 983, of which 274 were from Cholera; an
average of neatly 40 deaths a day by that disease.
The cholera has undergone a derided and very
considerable increase during the last ten davs in
London—the cases are not only more numerous,
bu» are-upon the whole more rapidly fatal. Even I
the bills ot mortality gice us 274 deaths last week
being an increase ot 158, while the increase dur
ing the week of burials i» so great as 477.
It appears also to have reached Amsterdam,
where on the 2, th there were 52 new cases and
24 deaths. The last report of the 30th August,
published bv the Enpli-h B<uuu of Health, gives
58 new cases at Bdsiun, a small place, where
the disease has been distressingly severe; 37 in
Liverpool, 23 in Manchester, 32 in Sheffield, 43
in Glasgow, 61 in Dublin, and 47 in Limerick
agricultural"report FOR AUG.
London, Sept. 1.—This has been, as it gene
rally is, a month dedicated to the labours of the
harvest. Little was done before the beginning of
the month, but then the reapers went to work
with the wheat in earnest, and in a short tune
the greater part of it in the Southern districts of
Great Britain was cut and carried. The barley
and oats followed, and for about three weeks all
went on as prosperously as heart could wish. It
wasdrv, sunny, and warm; without mists, with
out rain, and freshened by gentle breezes. But
an entire change ha9 at length come upon us —
For these 10 days past the weather has been
threatening, and partial showers have gone about,
in some quarters heavy, in others light, and the
progress of the harvest has been considerably
impeded; but on Sunday night downright serious
heavy rain commenced, which has continued,
with some anxious intervals, up to the present
time, with a continual heavy water-charged at
mosphere. Every description ol corn that is
abroad is drenched and soaked; straw and grain
to the core. Unfortunately, even in the South
ern parts of England there is too much in the
field cut, and not carried. Of wheat, perhaps,
not a very considerable quantity; some of the
backward turnip wheat, some the produce ot
cold soils, and some the propeity of laggards.—
But oats and barley, particularly the latter, are
very generally caught. A change of wepther
J had been indicated for some days, the alteration
had been foreseen and expected, and consequent
| lv every one has been hastening to cut and carry
] as fast as he could; but in ibis latter operation
most have been baflled by the teazing flying show
ers that came drizzling over the crops, just as
they were ready to be forked or carted. Some
few, the fortunate cultivators of warm, forward
sods—some lucky ones, whom the showers, in
their caprice, passed by, with none nr only a few
drops from their skirts—have been able to secure
their spiing corn in time; but, in general, far
mers have been toiling and bustling only to pros
trate their crops before this soaking rain. There
they lie without remedy, some in cock, some in
swathe, the barley saddening, staining, sprout
:_4i. . __i . _ . l!.L 4i. . l.4_ _a.._ .4:11
HIV |JUiaV) Ul SVIIIV.il HIV ItllC sum ai V SUM
abroad, blackening, bursting, wasting; the oats
resisting the wet best, but with little chance of
being preserved from giovving, should this wea
thcr continue; and from the long period of diought
that has occurred, there is but too much reason
to apprehend that it may be succeeded by heavy
and protracted rain. We pray that our tears
mav be groundless, and that an interval at least
of dry weather, for th^ securing of our crops,
may be vouchsafed by Him who lias promised
that “Seed time and harvest shall not cease.”
In the North of course, the business of agricul
ture is not so forward, and the wheat harvest not
so far advanced; it is. however, matter of con
solation that through England, in general, a larg
er portion of wheat than usual lias been secured
in excellent condition. The produce of the har
vest, according to appearances, and accounts
from various quarters, must be large. The qua
lity of the wheat is generally good, as is likewise
the case with oats.
When a real plentiful harvest is in progress,
with rumors of abundance far beyond the reality,
with favorable accounts of the crops on the Con
tinent, and more than a million of quarters of
bonded grain in our warehouses, it is not surpris
ing that prices should fall. Accordingly it ap
pears that wheat has very considerably declined,
with the expectation of a farther depression,
which, however, the continuance of rainv wea
ther may have a tendency to elevnte. But then
comes the serious question, U'hat is to be <lone
with the millions of quarters of foreign corn now
in the warehouses? The importers have got a
wolf by the ear, which they know not whether
to hold or to let loose. W henever he is liberat
ed it is probable that both merchants and farm
ers may be pretty severely bitten. If this large
stock be now thrown into the market, in conjunc
tion with the supply of a plentiful harvest, it
will probably lower prices to a degree that will
bear hard both on the importer and the British
fanner, that will achieve ibe ruin of manv now
struggling with a long succession of difficulties
and will convert that plenty, which ought to prove
a blessing, into a fruitful source of misery and
disaster.
Ir the importer will not consent to pay the pre*
cnt high duty, he must make up his mind to keep
a large capital unproductive! v locked up for a
considerable lime: or he may be compelled bve
ami bye to submit to the payment of a still high
er duty, and to dispose of his commodity even
on worse terms than at present. In the mean
time it is a fearful Uung for the farmer to have
this enormous mas* of grain hanging over the
market, and ready to overwhelm it whenever it \
may chance to be let loose upon it. The Reve- '■
nue would certainly receive a considerable addi
tion by the payment of the present duty on so
large a stock of grain, but it would be more than
counterbalanced bv the ruin of numerous indi-!
'•duals Ou the whole, the present crisis seems I
to demonstrate that our system of corn laws pus- j
sesses too muih of a speculative & gambling cha-1
racter to be salutary for the merchant, and that
it also tends to produce too great an accutnuia- I
tion of grain in the warehouses to be safe for the |
British grower. Present circumstances lead to
the conclusion that a permanent fixed duty would
do beiier for all parties in the community.
|Uj** There will be a Protracted Meeting at
the B ptist Meeting House at Long Branch, in Fau
quier County, near Hock Hill, about 5 miles south of
Uiddlfburg, and about 17 miles north of Warrenton,
commencing on the Friday before the 4th Lord’s Day
in tins month F.ldera William F Uroaddus, (the
Pastor of the Church) Samuel Cornelius, and other
Ministers, are expected to attend. oct 8
Uulrict oi l3o\un\bih,
County oj Alexandria* Set.
JOHN W. BARKKK lias applied to the Honora
ble William Cranch, Chief Judge of the United
States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, to be
discharged from imprisonment, under the act for the
relie* ot insolvent debtors within the District of Colum
bia. on Monday, the 29th of October instant, at 9 o’
clock, A. M , at the Court House*ih Alexandria, when
and where hiS creditors are required to attend.
oct 9—3t_EDM, t LEE, C- C.
Wlieat Wanted, .
A ND the highest market price given, by
A oct ♦—6t W. H. MILLER.
UrtDs.
PIRACY AND MURDER
On Thursday evening, about 10 o’clock, Mr.
Dunlap, U. S. Dist. Attorney, received infor
mation that two sailors who arrived in this ehv
about ten days ago, and took lodgings in Ann-st.
had thrown out sundry bints against each other,
which, combined with the fact that each had se
veral hundred dollars in his possession, excited
fearful apprehension? that they had been engag
ed in some nefarious and bloody transactions.—
Measures were promptly taken by the District
Attorney to secure their persons, and cause them
to be brought before His Honor Judge Davis,
yesterday morning, for examination.
Upon their arrest, they gave their names as
Joachim Antonio, and Jnathim Silva, and stated
that they arrived at this port on Sunday, the 22d
of September last, in the brig Sarah Louisa,
from Point Petre, Guadaloupe.
The account given by Antonia Silva to the
District Attorney was ns follows: that he and
his comrade were two of the crew of the Portu
guese brig El Triumph (Triumph) that sailed
about two months ago }rwn the port of Para, in
Brazil, bound to the Western Islands and Lis
bon—that the vessel had on board eighteen thous
and dollars in specie, and a valuable cargo —
that there were five passengers, and two chil
dren, one white and the other black, each about
18 months old—that the passengers were a law
yer and his wife by the name of Marte, a Portu
guese supercargo by the name Justinn, a black
woman the mother of the black child, and a Por
tuguese merchant named Joaquim Lawrence the
father of the white child—that about a fortnight
alter thev sailed, the crew took forcible posses
sion of the vessel, murdered the captain and one
of the crew, and all the passengers except the
two women and the white child—that they kept
the two women about a week, forced them to
submit to their horrid embraces, during that time
and then rut their throats and threw them over
board—that they directed their course to Point
Petre. Guadaloupe, where they stated that they
had lost tinir captain, who had been knocked
overboard by the boom of the vessel.
W hert questioned by Mr. Dunlap why he had
not made known the circumstances of the murder
| to the civil authorities at Point P»*tre when lie ar
• rived there, he answered that he was afraid of
his life, as the crew had threatened to destroy
anv one who should give information against
them. Tne vessel and cargo were sold, he said,
at that place.
The life of the white child was saved, and he
supposed was still alive. He further stated, they
took passage from Point Petre, in the Inig Sarah
Louisa, working their passage, but paying for
their provisions. Kach of them had about 8500
in specie, when they landed here.
! Upon their examination before Judge Davis
yesteidav morning, Silva narrated the same sto
rv. His companion, Joachim Antonio, main
tained a sullen silence; hut «# understand, that
he declares he was never on board any such ves
sel, and. that the money in Iii3 possession is the
fruit of hi* own labor.
Several of the crew of tlio brig Sarah Louisa
were examined, who testified that these two indi
viduals came along side the brig in the harbor of
Point Petre, and engaging passage, were brought
bv the brig to this port One of the crew stated
that they told him about the captain's being
knocked overboard bv the boom, but that they
said noth'ng about anv murder. They were both
committed to prison bv Judge Davis, Antonio,
to take his trial for the piracy and murder, and
Silva, to be used as States’ evidence.
It is highly important that publicity should he
given to the transaction, in order that early in
formation mav be communicated to Point Petre,
with a view to the apprehension, if possible, of
the other murderers. — Boston Atlas.
I Dreadful Destruction of a Ship by Fire.—
The ship Susan, Onterbridge, from New Yoik,
bound to New Orleans, with 2.000 casks of lime,
and 200 kegs of gunpowder, was on the 27th of
June, thrown on her beam ends in a gale; the
foremast was cut a wav, \$hen the main and miz
en mast went by the board, and the ship righted,
jurymasts were rigged, and t >eyj endeavored to
make a port. The powder was thrown overboard
during the gale.' On the 16th July the ship was
discovered !o be on fire from a quantity of water
i having passed down the c •mpaniun. Two hours
had elapserl from the first discovery of the fire
it* hrnxkinu out on ilnclc. The Cantain and
crew, hi all eleven persons, much exhausted from
fatigu* and ex; o>iire. ai rited at North Island,
having been three days ami nights at sea in an
open boat, the greater part of which the wind
blew a gale, and remaining without food and wa
ter. Two bottles of claret and a part of a bottle
of brandv, the whole of the liquids saved, were
. Kooon exhausted, and die provisions were all salt
i ed; thus eating them only increased their thirst.
'Someof the crew succeeded in saving their
clothps on their backs The inhabitants of North
Island extended to them such assistance as their
| necessities required-—-'V. T. Courier.
Health of the Ci'y. — \s far as can be ascer
tained from returns already iec>‘ived at the City
Inspector’s Olfic*, it i- believed that the number
of deaths during the past week did not exceed 130,
of which not more than ~5 were bv cholera.—
Should this prove to be correct, we may consider
the usual healthiness of our city as really re-es- (
tablished. The average number of deaths in a
week at this season of the year in time of health
is about 120.—Ibid.
Look VLa\—$50 Ltowatd.
RANAWAY from the subscriber, a likely, black,
smooth skinned Negro I .ad, called
Hi XSOX,
about 20 years old, of a moderate active aize, and has a !
•car in hia forehead, very plain to be seen, caused by a
fall from a horse He absconded about the 28th of]
August last, and hat been aeen in Alexandria since, on
board of a atnad vessel He ia a very smart, active,
artful fellow, ami will evade detection if possible
1 will give the above reward, if taken sixty miles
from my residence, or #20 any shorter distance, if se
cured in jail so that I get him again, sod all reasonable
charges if brought home to me.
H. D HATTON,
Hatton’s Hill*, near Piscataway, Maryland.
_aept 28 -tf _
THERE will be no Butchers’ Meat at Market on
Sunday morninga, until the first day of April next;
G. CORYELL, Clerk oftfcc Market
oct 6—3t
BLANNERHASSE t*’S ISLAND & BURR’S
CONSPIRACY —By Judge Hall.
Wt left Parkersburg early in the morning, and
in the course of the day passed B'annerhassef’a
Island, a spot which the intrigues of one distin
guished individual, the misfortunes of another,
and the eloquence of a third, have made classic
ground. I would gladly have loitered here for
i a few hours; but •* time and tide,” says the old
' saw, •< wait for no man.” How piovoking.—
i but time, and tide, and captains of keel boats,
! know nothing of the solicitudes of sentimental
i travellers,and hurry us away from a famous spot,
■ with as litfle ceremony as from a half finished
breakfast.
| We approached the Island in fine style, the
1 boatmen tugging manfully at the oar, and strain-.
1 ing their voices in concert. As we reached the
upper end of it, they ceased their labors, and al*
, lowing the boat to float with the current amused
i each other with stories of Burt & his confederates*
An event has seldom occurred, so intrinsically
insignificant in its results, which ha« created so
greats sensation as the conspiracy ol Burr; which
I indeed, derives its consequence principally from
| the celebrity of the names attached to it, and the
! ignorance of the world as to its final object.—
Burr was the rival of Hamilton; Hamilton the
friend of Washington—his military aid, his poli
tical adviser, his social companion —equally emi
nent as a soldier, an orator, a writer, a financier,
and a lawyer. The man who could make Ham
ilton experience or even counterfeit,
•• The *t|rn joys tint uxtriors
In foeman worthy oft heir steel,"
must have stood far above mediocrity. Colonel
Burr wan the son of a gentleman, eminent for
his learning and piety, for many years president
of the most celebrated college in America: and
was himself a man of transcendent genius, and
great attainments. He was remarkable (or the
elegance of his manners, the seductiveness of his
address, the power and sweetness of his elo
quence; but more so, perhaps, for the boldness
and energy of his mind. Burr had contended
unsuccessfully with Jeffeison for the presidential
chair, which he lost by a single vote; but while he
filled the second place in point of dignity, lew
at that time would have assigned him an inferi
or station in point of talents.
The tluel between Hamilton and Burr filled
the nation with astonishment and grief—grief for
the death of a great and useful man. and aston
ishment at the delusion which occasioned it.—
Burr, with the corpse of Hamilton at his feet,
might have felt the triumph of conquest; hut it
was a momentary fluih: the laurels of the hero,
watered by the tears of his country, retained
their verdure, and even those who might have re
joiced at Ins political fall, execrated the destiny
er of his existence.
Shortly affer this bloody catastrophe, the con
duct of Burr began to excite the attention of the
public. He had resigned his former employ
ments, forsaken his usual haunts, and was lead
ing an erratic and mysterious life. He frequent
ly travelled incognito, performed long and rapid
journeys, and remained but a short lime at any
one place This restlessness was attributed to
j uneasiness of mind, and many began to sympa- j
j thize with him whom they supposed to be thus j
! tormented with the stings of conscience. But
i whatever might have been the workings of his
' mind, he soon evinced that his fire was not
quenched, nor his ambition sated. He was now
Been traversing the western wilds, eagerly seek
sing out the distinguished men of that country
: particularly those who possessed military experi
ence, or had hearts alive to the stirring impulses
of ambition.
These indications were quickly succeeded by
others of a more decided character. Secret as
j his intentions were, the first movements towards
their execution awakened suspicion. The assent
i bling or men, and collecting munitions of war,
| roused the government to action. Burr was ar
' rested, his plans defeated, his adherents di-pers
1 ed, and his reputation blasted. He became an
exile, and a wanderer, and alter years of suffer
ing, returned to his native land, to become an
insignificant member of that liar of which he had
been among the highest ornaments; an obsure cl
; tizen of the country over whose councils he had
1 presided; and to add another to the list of splen
did men who have been great without benefit to
, themselves or others, and whose names will be
preserved only
To point a moral, or adorn a talc."
He was entirely abandoned. Never was a
man more studiously avoided, more unanimously
condemned. The voice of eulogy was silent,
the breath of party was hushed. Of the many
who had once admired and loved him, none ven
tured to express their love or admiration. One
fatal act of folly, or of crime, had obscured all
: the brilliance of a splendid career; and although
cquitted of treason by a court of justice, a ,
higher tribunal, that of public opinion, refuse j
to reverse the sentence which consigned hun to j
disgrace.
Such was the fate of Bure; but l*iw plans are ;
yet enveloped in mystery. A descent upon some
part of Spanish America, and the establishment
j of an independant government, has been stated
' to have been the object; but it is alleged that a
separation of the western states from the Union I
formed a part of the project. The latter charge
rests almost entirely upon the evidence of Gen- j
eral Eaton, a gentleman whose chivalrous dispo
sition led him through many singular adventures,
and whose history, as recorded bv himself, pre-.’
sents a more favourable picture of his heart and
genius than of his judgment. He was a man of
warm temperament, who adopted hasty and vivid
impressions, from the impulse of the moment.—
From his testimony, I should be inclined to be
lieve that Colonel Burr had cherished some vague
ideas respecting a disjunction of the Union; but
it does not appear that those speculations were
ever matured into any settled plan, or confided
to his adherents. I am led to this conclusion by
the characters of Colonei Burr and the gentle
men who were implicated with him in his disas
trous expedition. Burr was a man of extended
views, a cfose observer of men and manners, and
it is not to be presumed that he would have light
ly embraced a scheme so fraught with treason,
madness, and folly. He knew the American
people well. He had studied them with the eye 1
of a statesman, and with the intense interest of '
an ambitious political aspiraot. His rank in so
ciety, his political station, and his extensive prac
tice at the bar, threw open a wide and varied ^
scene to his observation, and exhibited his coun- I
try men to him in a variety of lights and shades. '
Nor was Burr the man upon whom such oppor- i I
: (unifies would be lost. To him the svenuti r.
the human heart were all familiar, and l.e C0l'
penetrate with ea*e into its secret recesses, t'
study man was his delight—to study his count/
men, his business. Could he then ’have t*^'
stranger to their intelligence, their sense of f,ori *
their habits of calculation, and their hive %
their republican institutions? Could he
to transform at once the habits, feelings,
and morals of a people conspicuous for their c,^'
rage and political integrity?—for such are t?
people of the western states. It has been
posed, and with some plausibility, th.it
hopes were founded on the dissatisfaction e,lu
ed by the western people at the time of iIi.mIi.,.,,
sion of our rights to navigate the Mississippi
It is true that the rude and unprovoked u0\
tion of ou p utleges on that river, bv Spain.,*
cited an • .mi»*M>it! burst of indignation throu
out tin- Uni ei It is also true, that this
was wdrmlv displayed in the west In i!k p
lantto states, tV insult was felt as implicit,
out national honor; in the we^t it wa, » nil,,*
of vital imports' cl* to gil, and of personal jf|.
rest to everv imi. v utunl, and as micIi it t5r,
home to t.un's busmens and bosoms. *|*i„. \j (
sissippl oas the iijioi n outlet, and NV- U.ici.,
the mart for »he proilace of the west; anil «u
that maikei, to which they believed they hadae
indefeasible right of access, was barml to tin,
it was but the natural and common itiipulseif
the human mind w hich induced a people, at i
times proud, impetuous and tenacious, to call k
1 vengeance anti redress, with a sternness and is
'patience commensurate with their injuries—
Tlie conciliatory spirir and tardy pnlirv uf Mr
Jefl'erson, neither satisfied their feeling*,*nor fti*.
ed their exigent iesj and they were willing t«in
pute to tameness in tin* executive, that
might have been the result of parental sulkiiuj*.
Believing themselves to be abandoned bv r!,e
neral government, they felt it a duly to protect
their own invaded ri ght •: and if the govnumm
had not interposed with effect, they would dnq't
less have drawn the sword—Hgairist whoni? i ,
government? No, b- t against the common f:.,
my. In this there was no treason nor diwlSv
tion—no estrangement from their si-t.*r state,
no breach of faith with the government, nor t>
' latinnof (he compact. It was saying oulv t.
their federal head—“ Defend us, or we wiiitk
r_i _i.... •»
If Col. Burr expected to fan these feeli::;-* :a
to rebellion, he had either more boldness or Ire
wisdom than has commonly been placed to to
credit: and had he openly avowed this prnj- -,
he would have called down upon his head the in
1 prerations of the people, who, if they had spar
i ed Ins life, would not have forgiven so foul an in
1 suit to their virtue and understanding. Bit It:
j us usk who were the adherents of Col. llurrr
' Who were they who were to share his foitunes.
; to reap with him the proud laurels of puccewfs!
valor, or the infamy of foul rebellion? Writ
they persons of obscure name and desperate f<r
tune, or were they men of good blood and fair
fame—“ the darlings of the nation?” Then
questions arc embarrassed with some unceruie
tv, because most of the gentlemen who have b<ft
accused of adhering to Colonel Burr, “giun*
him aid and comfort,” have denied the fa.t; n.d
as I am writing only for amusement, and specu
lating on events gone by, for speculation’s sake,
I wish not to assume any thing as a fact on this
delicate subject, which is, or has been controvert
ed. But it is not denied that many “ prospers
gentlemen” were engaged in this enterprise; and
manv others suspected, with a belief so »lror,»
as to amount almost to certainty; and among
these were men whom the people have since ri
alttd to the most important trusts, and couliN
with the most implicit reliance. Among tVm
were men of high standing, who had reputation
to he tarnished, fortunes to be lost, and faroiiir
to be embarrassed; and many high-souled vou*1 ■=.
whose proud aspirings after fame could ww
have been gratified amid the horrors of am I
war, and the guiitv scenes of rebellion.
It is argued against these gentlemen, that'
have uniformly denied their connexion v» itiv H'i
— which it is supposed they would not have if-'
hsd thev known his designs to be innocent. Bit
this I do not conceive to be a lair argument -
The united voice of the whole nation has ilec'i
ed Bum- to be a traitor, and his adherents s'af'J
the obloquy which was heaped upon tlieir tm
guided leader. Even admitting their innocrt.it
or their own belief of it, still it would have !»•“
a hopeless task fot this handful of men '
tlu-ir feeble asseverations to the “ voice p'ti"
tial” of a whole people. Many of them, a*,
were candidates for office, and they found t .
avenues to preferment closed by the anatlienu»
pronounced by the people against all who *fff
concerned in what they believed to haveli
rank conspiracy. They might, therefore, ha“
bent to the current which they could not iter
The apostle Peter denied his master thrice!—
but was, nevei theless, jl good honest apostlri1
ter all.
But f know that you are, bv this time, r<»h I
tj a*k me, whether I am seiinusly emleuvn ii j
to convince you that Burr was a true ami
subject to the sovereign people of thfsc L'm’nl |
States? 1 have no such design; though l «5-:
confess, that il I had the power to execute *J
difficult a project, I would with pleasure empy
it. i should be happy to obliterate a staio If1"
the annals of my country, and a blot Irointt-t
fame if a fellow.citizen. I should be glad *‘‘6
to i>e always victorious in argument, il I f"0'*
admit that success was the test of truth. Hut t :
i do not believe. I will tell you what I d"
lieve. 1 believe that nine-tenths ol Hun’* »'lv
rents kncv no more about his project than y°®*
and I, and all the world; and that those «hn do
know any thing to his or their ow n disadvantir
will be wise enough to keep their own council
But if I cannot tell what Colonel Burr intended
to do, I ran relate what he did; for here I»"
in sight of the deserted fields and dilap»i!a|fU
mansion of the unfortunate Blannerhassot —
That this fairy spot, created bv Nature in one«•
her kindest moods, and embeliished by the lu^
of art, was once the elegant retreat of a philoso
phic mind, has already been told, in langui;'
which I need not attempt to emulate. But J'U!
I cannot now recognize the taste of lilantierha?
set, or realize the paradise of Wirt. All isruiy
solitude, and silence!—They are gone who tna«'
the wilderness to smile.
Blannerhasset was an Irish gentleman of «**?
fortune—a man devoted to science, who retire
from the world, in the hope of finding hip|Xnf,;
in the union of literary and rural occupation.-;
He selected this island as his retreat, and