Newspapers / The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, … / Aug. 30, 1811, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
mi t .7 t - IK - k; Political. ; Mr. PICKERING'S . ADDRESS : 0 THK PEOPLE OF, TH VNITXD STATKSf 1.' , ' NO. XX. ; (Concluded,) , " t have jneniioned bribery & qpe 6f the nieaos ! by I'rtnce tq gaii ana, estabiun an todu . tloliowing grqunas r i . - - . .( - j, ihe notorious profngacy oj thcLfencn go- Itmwt (Q sajcJnolhinfi of-what existed M9dr 'gjduct from an! early period of olir' reroluiion. fkftoUicIardociiments of our own . government, mder the hands of our envoys, Pinknejr, Marshall iii(lGi?ry, attest that profligacy. Doubtless (.here ilrt s mc persons who, to. gain tq important point, would offer a bilbe, who would disdain to receive ine government ot i' ranee nad no scruples (his sort. 1 ne Uirectory, by their minister ot (Orruuii'Jii i auey ranu, naa t ne consunnnaic uasc- jtjsand impudence to demand of our Envoys a faceur (m English a bribe) of hlty thousand ; pounds sterling, (upwards of two hundred and twenty thousand dollars) for the pockets of Jour I mwn : the Jiflh Director, Merlin, who had lield the office of Minister of Justice, being paid ij the owners at privateers for being the minit. ftr of iniquity in directing the decisions of the prize courts, condemning American vessels and their cargoes. And this bribe they were Inform ed was only the CUifomqry . tribute in diplomatic affaios J And even this dmceur was not to procure the acknowledgment of our Envoys in the cha- racter of public ministcrsbut only permission j'fcr them to stay in Paris, where those insoltnt rrant9 kept their court , '; 2. The confidential friend and agent ot Twley- fand 10 this business (whose information 1 alley rand told Mr- Gerry was just, and might always be rthed on) in, addition to the douceur of fifty thousand pounds, earnestly pressed for a loan to the French Republic of manv millions of dollars I to have made which would have been & violation if our duty as a neutral nation and urged various wncr unwarrantable and insolent demands of tne of the world, aiW the mines of Mexico and Pent ' ' :' The defence ot Mr. Madison in the National have been open to them..t. .Jvtgmeen.inomns ago inieingentcr, is ai once Faswaw auu jccoic j I received satisfactory'informatiort tha the French- and sa sanctions doctrines which.'TIf criticised by an was then' Bohabartel consul ceneral in . able hand, would lend tq destroy, him with the Ilia, had m the course oCone year receiv-j people, fj : , :,r ?( into the administration ai Attorney-General ; and that Mr Rodney will succeed Judge Chase on the man who Philadelnh ed about; a million of dollars, for which the French government cbujd have no j legitimate use in the United States j ''.because it then neither derived nor needed any supplies from the U. Mates. T Tlie evidences of corruption of falsehood, qf hypocrisy and deceit,, in trie men whose official or personal means and influence have for many years gven a direcHon to the public sentiment, ana ma naged iheaffairs oftbc.Ur)ited utes,it has beeD accessary to exhibit to the view of my fellowxi tizens iljbedause the only hope ;of pblitical salva tion rested on the public conviction that those men did not deserve the confidence of the nation. This exposure was anticipated with regret ; because, as I early remarked, in exposing them I should unV avoidabl expose the nakedness of my country ; when, if compatible with truth," I would infinitely rather speak the praises of both' More remains to he told. TIMOTHY PICKERING. July 29. 1811. ' " -' on the late unfortunate dispute between Madison & Smith, induces' me to be equally Jfrank in'men ' UoningwHat .roay be of use to yourself Vnd tho ' " erediof Ih'itTmixipl As yln weie bn." V reserved in speaking of the pampTilet of R Smith and Its objectionable leatresJbappenedl'iQ tallc 3. of your remarks in a certain ;democrat torrpa: " ny,whereih:Adlresi:imdR . subjects; pffree conversation. -It was hinted . td ' me by one of 'tbei gentlemen, prryatelyy that he , . h understood. Voarbad;deckred 6ur"inferiUAn nf' iii aujjqri or wison, pui main you sboUW, you , s were vulnerable- i vour cnnwrRfltinti wr in a particular- house in" Washington ' t know, not whether 5 he meant last" On m others ha ,ha;of dHng i(h f M. M a man who was acting a double part with me, 1 1 4 i : " T-. ? ; . " most contemptuous style of Madisoti, and lad af ii iinu ui.i iwubTT, nunc ccniiii measures were- mujJciauyH mi piumiiu ma (lominauon or ejec- r - lion, Thia fian 6 theJetter'ivw'tMiuiQH-y'' - I will thank you for a pamphlet copy, of your Address to thef people, to be transmitted to me by mail, with one eiidopen, like a newspaper1, which lessens the postage. ' : 7;' 7; ' ,' . T- i .1 have theonor tbc it-'lLiU' ;-. Sir, , V vi:v ' . .' ? ' Very respectfully,;:,; J, ' " . Your very ob. servant, ' j.b. coLViJr. fen. i?oicr; 5wfA. admit it would have been wrong to have written in stich away as I did to Mr. Smith : But, in ad--i dition to my other reasons, I was carious to learn Mr. Smith s real political intentions. My letter to him, nevertheless, is chiefly" justified by facts. ,CoIvin againft Robert Smith. . From the National Intelligencer, TO THE PEOPLE OF THE U. STATES. concluded " too execrable "pr; n.sertiun i the aUuiion vat' ni . ,j .:. r. ..... a . -i ---zirz !.l wrff tofiTtvettt the fiubltcation 6f ike tetter- ioiu no ne, lor mr- omun nuu noi mc viie merit . iA1. . -4 . . . .j.-- ?, , , of procuring his place by intrigue, por.-dSd hejf ?T'w30Tv.h write the paragraph announcing'the ofler of the m- wblc 1 s0 "h astonish- Russian embassy : I wrote it myself, and handed rtsorta to Colvin's testimony in it to the press; and I did it to lesson the anguish i ..etf8 ,,let iimJw.pW,lreo,"wgity of Mf: Smith's mortification. 1 always th5iKht ! th8hout- A. fcr this matter knoothinff' ui us accuracy ur inaccuracv u is ne&r&ar in , My confidence in Mr. Smith had long been, the review in the National Intelligencer feebteJfJri shaken : and about the period he left the depart and passionate, and some of its doctrines are con :" ' T lZ" . L v its vet)geahce on failure of their comDliance. Oof Envoys remaining firm and invincible, the wnfiqential agent said to them . Perhaps you -wuevc iiiM in returning ana exposing to your 'countrymen the unreasonableness of the de. roanas ot tms government, you will unite them fin 'resistance 'to those derrriinds : you aremista fkeft'ryou ought to know that the diplomatic illof France, and the means she hostesses f in t your iountry are sufficient to enable her,! with W-w& of the French ,'itirty in America to throw the blame which will attend the rupture of the negotiations on the Federalists, as you term your. wives, but on the British party, as France terms vqu': and you may assure yourselves that this Mil be done." ' . ; - . '3. I'he testimony of Fauchet. the minister of France to the United States, in his famous'Tet ttr of October 31, 1794 ; the time of the great limirrcction in the western part bf Pennsylvania, fimiliarl known by the name of the Whiskey tawrection. ; Referring tocertain overtures which m been made to him by one of the ext Imivc fcriott, vwhom he namer) and which h- had be tot communicated to his government, Fauchet Hjt ..m thus with seme -thousands of dollars the 'Republic could have decided on civil war or peace. " Thus the consciences oj the pretended patriots of America have already their price " f The hotoricras treachery of many officers avij and military of the countries which have been wer-ran, by the arms bPFrance ; and whose trea m--nt cf state it was altogether annihilated. I trary to my political creed As to the mforma- still endeavored to respect him;" but I could Uon in the article about Messrs. Pinkney and Rod noUTheimmediute cause of it was this; on go- ney, it was the current conversation of the, city, iug bu of office he said to me " Mr. Colvin, I and 1 was,- thefefore, telliag no secret. r gie you my honor that they will turn you out ' On Saturday, the 13th of July, I proceeded to of place : they w ill invent gainst you "some scan-1 Baltimore $ from the tirn "of riif w riting to Mr. dalous storv, and make1 itia pretext for your tx-1 Smith until my departure irom Washington, my pulsion : I therefore advise you immediately to conversation was in general, calculated to conceal ask leave of absence, go off to New-York, and set my real sentiments; and many were of opinion up a paper. The public will think you can say a , that I was going to Baltimore to take a stand in gret deal about the president, and every body ( Mr. Smith's behalf. This course was necessary will take your paper," This declaration, ex to preserve me from bring betrayed by informers. pressed with great earnestness, made me un-!Mr. Rounsavell, one of the editors of the Alexan liencHgbvern'ment .: Enforcing them by. threatsf8 ; but Mr S ha"d scarcely left the city, when;I'dria Ueraldi was the orJy person to whom I fully uaij uccaMUiitu 10 icaril nisi liicic w.is iu liueil- ittcu iiic icmuiuuii. ui umj juuiiicjr. ... tic was tioh of dismissing me, and that Mr. Smith's in-1 in VV ashington the evening before my departure : telligence was false. I then began ro perceive i he had formerly lived with me ; I knew him to the cunning ol his advice : it was, that by taking ;to be discreet and a man of probity, and I could such a rash step under the influence of fear, 1 1 therefore rcor.de in him. , On my arrival in Baltimore, "on Saturday even ing, I saw some edilors of newspapers, andjl found them and the whole city in a high fever trom the publication ot Mr. Smith's pamphlet. I said nothing to awake their suspicions that even, ing, and the next morning I waited on Mr. Smith. Our interview did not xontinue more than fifteen sue should lose my post, be placed in a hostile attitude with respect to the government, he would be safe, and I might be ruined. '1 his insidious counsel, given with great artfulness and with apparent sin. cerity, was, J have .since thought, very cruel in Mr. Smith. Just such another attempt did I con. sider the letter from hint of the 1 st ult, which I have inserted. Under all the circumstances, ha vinp 1 minutes, and would not have continued half that taken two dya to deliberate, I resolved to answer time, if ht had not pressed me to stay after I him in a style that should impress him with had risen to go. He touched the subject of his an idea of ray friendliness and yet should contain ! ! pamphlet of the approaching presidential' elec- no expression of approbation of his pamphlet, norUion stated his opinions on that subject, Sec. He of his conduct in. relation to it : Agreeably to this spoke to me of my removing to Baltimore to pre determination I wroteWrnon the 5lh'of July tlie itice the , laiv. T now peremptorily declined the proposition, and stated several, reasons hsup.' port of my determination. As 1 rose 'to depart, he said to me, " Well, sir, whether you remove to Baltimore or remain at Washington you are welcome to the use ot my library : if at any time following answer : ': .''1; Washington City July 5th, 1811. Sia I received your letter of the first of this month oh the 3d, by a private" hand, and cordial ly' thank you for the proof which it xontains of tlte continuance of your favornd friendship. D stitute as I am of Dronertv. and of the means of current support forMrs. Colvin and myself, (apart from my salary in the clerkship which I at present enjoy,), my first intention has been to glide imo practice7 here, if possible, before I ab dicate my placein the department of State : But I candidly confess, that to remain in this citv. or fcncsn be ascribed to no cause but the distribu-jin my present situation, is merely a matter of com -vu ui ircucn gia, ox me aeiuive promises ot venience, very repugnant to my Jeehngs, and tlcvatbn to higher employments and dignities,-will in the sequel, I am apprehensive," not be-ve Htathe case of Godoy the Prince or Peace; who,ry conducive to the advancement of rfty fortune, grayed Spain into the hands of Bonaparte ; Or tallf, therefore, T could, in any certain way assure ...ow v.uH.1, ovvwiuiHKiy me uuiiuun is wric loia ueceni sunsistanr.e Tor a vear nr iwn teral that this sort of corruption has been the jj8icu.nt pioneer to the French armies, and opined ir way to conquest. , The open avowal of the fact bv a French ynt, at the time, that Adet (the- successor of cuei; was ttie f rench minister in Philadelphia, is agent was Mr Letombe, the consul general the French Republic, a person well known to ttat numbers of my fellow citizens, as welLas to W, Letombe had previously been French con- at Boston; had lived some years in the Uni States; and wa3 doubtless much better in wraed concerning them than the minister Ada. "Uhhifr! ,r -T"."i. i. bj iiim ikiukiH ui me uiiiieo tS i and nrrkKahtv f.frniTiKo rtora!iDl . u "Be had k..!l ' . ' ' " 1 "iiucrv to rain an effectual asrenrienrv m th. tA... : J ' u -T ..iv "CUS ol our national fctombe accord molv mm. - . J" " J WAS ined the fact in a tone of complaint and vexation: 3StO a verv !ntfliirent and re'inpMahl. irxntl. . r ' r-". b""- than ' V ' ' " """ -UIUUt BH1U, Mr. Adet had foolishly thrown awav a P-rat ot monev in bribing members of j although tiey Lf tombe and the minister were J N to muj:h difficulty in raising it-j and that ' Jhey had, at a great loss to the r rench republic , a e negciation procured eighty of ninety "lOuiarirT drills . PnoiAr, T r.. ' Hofandum made at the tinie'the information j?, given a me. ; Mr. Adet'slrnisslnrrto the 1 U ?,el terminated near the close of the vear I79fi. t5'' tin1clhe Fremjh governinent..has fotit.d 7? SW&jt b procwrin mqnej,'.. The plunder in uaiumore, 1 wouta most cheettuliy repair thither and venture my . future prosperity on the success of my professional exertions Tn that e vent, the offer of your-occasional instruction, and the use of your law library would be extremely useful tome. ; J; In order to ascertain the' fk& whether J can procure for myself such current support in the ti. ty of Baltimore for aiyear or two, until I can get into a lucrative practice of the law there, I will, on baturday the lath of this month, gothith er, with the intention of remaining-thereon Sun day and returning to Washington on Monday. On Sunday, the 14th, therefore, if you can con venierttly be at home, I will do myself the 'honor to call upon you. "'.' ; It is hardly necessary to assure you, tbat I have no concern in the-strictures upon your late pamphlet, now going on iii the NationarMelli gencer. On the contrary, I, yesterday morning af our breakrastable, told MrL Gales that the writer of those strictures was mistaken when he asserted that the late Secretary of State had hand ed to the press a paragraph announcing his n'omi. nation to the Russian mission ; that the assertion was untrue in two particulars i 1st. That the late Secretary did not hand it to he press ; and, 2d. That the'paragraph did not announce the'-nomiua. . fiSftty ( which, ' as you were on the spot, would im ply an acceptance,) but merely stated the offer ol the bmeassy. I moreover observed, that 1 did n t believe that you canje into office by means of iQtngue. r you want a law-book, you havTnolntniJnWeTio do than than to write to me, and 1 will send it round by water!" I could hardly help lauchine aloud at the proposal. We parted in a very friend. ly way. It has been insinuated in the Baltimore prints that I solicited Mr. Smith for money Nothing of that kind is true. The letter of mine here inserted is the only one l ever wrote to Mr. Smith after he went out of office, and I should not have written that, had be. not .written to me in the first instance. Befoie I left Baltimore, I told the editor of the Whig that Mr. Smiths pamphlet- was full of errors and' that I wrote the letters to Generals Armstrongs and Turreau i I told the editor of the Sun that I thought I should answer the pamphlet under my owrt name i and several other of my acquaintances were by me in formed in the same way. lnimediately after my return to Washington, I received the following letter from the editor of the Whig, It shews that the alarm was taken a Baltimore, that I was me naced with abuse if I should utter any thing a gainst Mr. Smith, and, that the editor of the Whig became the channel for conveying the menace un der the mask of friendship. This was soTmuch the more reprehensible jn Mr. Irvine, as I had never done him the least injury r. The letter also proves an indirect, if hot a direct, connection between Mr. Smith and the editor of the Whig t And what will the world think of the one and of the o. ther, when it is known that long ago they both had heard insinuated against tne all the silly tales which the Whig has lust revived, with embellish ments ; and that the-one, notwithstanding, pro. posed to become my patrdn, jahd the other,, in the language of friendship, solicited form me confi dential communications of 'so private a nature that even his own partner was not to be enttust with them It must be confessed that their private sentiments do pot correspond with their public de clarations i or, that they have botlr been-playing the knave with me.' The latter is the point of view in which! have considered the letter of Mr. Smith and that bf Mr. Irvine r and I have acted towards them accordingly. But it is time to, in sert the letter of the editor of the Whig, with my answer (to tt.: in history.'' You are in posession of my motive for communicating itwithout injunction or re - ' straint. ... ..'"' 3 . I pray God we may have aff settlement witVl f , France ; but, realiyj when I lqpk at our spiritless ' behavior, Lhave doubts :and :fears: If? Madison makes concessions to England and ''persuade T'he Senate to sanction them, we ate undone. Buti surely, he has too many warnings before him to allow him to swerve from the right tract. Should he deviate, however, it is not in tne power (I hopej of coalitions between Virginia and Massachu " r set is or of' bargain in Pennsylvania, to "re-elect him. But, in all vicissitudes and shillings of pre cedents and parties and partisans, pur rule, shall (I trust) be principles, " leasureSr not men or, if you will, measures the standard of men. 1 verily believe if England were revolutionized,' '' or subjugated, we couJU enjoy more harmony on , r this side the water. ' ; V'' ;-- " r : .. Should you write a line, when you have leisure'. ' let it be endorsed " (Private.") In tha case, my. partner would not open it, but deposit it in my "private" drawer, r should I be out of town- If not improper on your $art, can you tteiitioli -when Barlow departs for France ? - Yours truly (and hastily) Mn. Colvin. ; B. I. ' '.".' Washington City, July Y9th, 18 1 1 DEAR SIR, W f I thank you for your friendly hint, under dateof the 17th instant. Viewing k as genuine mark of , sincere regard, it merits my warmest acknow ledgements. Permit me, however, to assure ybu that the .burthen of the 'gentleman's whisper is 1 untrue i-andthat-whether w?" . or :umnel. low, I never spoke of Mr. Madison with contempt &c kcjT have ' heard, to be sure, yery Vile tale repeated &c. &c. by men who ought to have had more delicacy ; but I never believed them, and if I ever alluded to them it was" for the purpose of reprobating them. T am against ail coalitions, from any quarter, and would oppose them. What ever.l may, do in the case pf Mr. Smith, It will t only be to promote the cause of truth. Perhaps it may be well for, the, republican party that 1 '' should be ;silent--i-Mr. BarIow,T belieV'e, will be off next week : but the precise day I cannot. tdl v Believe m: yours, in great haste, . : 7 J. B. COLVIJT. I was neither duped by Mr. Smith nor inti- y midated by the artful menace of Mr. Irvine ; but finding great prejudices, from groundless causes T prevailing at. Baltimore, against the executive of jS the United States ; having ascertained that Mr. ; ' bmnh cherished and fomented those prejudices. and that his views of vengeance were not limitted , to the piibhcation of his pamphlet, but extended '., ', into the next presidential election and having been apprized that a new edition of .Mn Smith's "V address was printing off for circulation through tho state of Maryland, by the federal party, I decided; to come out before the public in my. own name, and put down the pamphlet at once. I expected ' r " a storm would burst upon my head for my inter ; ference, but I did not think it would be so foul as it has been. I did," indeed, most seriously regret ' ' appearing against ivir. - omun i noi sp muui uu v account of any extrabrSinary5 respect or gratitude -;;.5 X- owed him, J3uLbec8UseJwasfJUcted.atb jing; jfv under the necessity of humbling a man Who had : once, stood towards me, in the eye of the wprldv in . :(; the relation of a friend, and who had been first mK. ; nister of state. But that regret is now banished' f, from my breast ;.for Mr. Smith has, for seven . days at least, remaineda silent observer of the , Scurrilous career of the Whig, and has not checfc-:;" ed it. It, has been oh hisaccqunt that abuse.ha 1 been heaped upon me in. that newspaper,, and hi not arresting it at the outset, is proof to me tha ' he sanctions it. . I have bofne as much as any man ought to bear. X will endure deramation of me ffoni that quartet no longer In fsUenc.. Nq , combination Wealth or family influence hallt' with impunity, sacrifice me to cover fhJr ejri' i "'1.: , .. .' - : ' '.V t" r. ...,-. - f i .'4 ' ' 'V'
The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 30, 1811, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75