of republican: his opinion of the Secretary of the Treafury and of his fyftems was known to be unfavourable. The Secretary of this State poffeffed great influence in the Popular Society of Philadelphia, which in its turn influenced thofe of other States; of courfe he merited attention. It appears, therefore, that thefe men, with others unknown to me, all having, without doubt, Randolph at their head, were balancing to decide on their party. Two or three days before the proclamation was published, and of courfe before the Cabinet had refolved on its measures, Mr. Randolph came to fee me with an air of great eagerness, and made to me the overtures, of which I have given you an account, in my No. 6*. Thus, with fome thousands of dollars, the Republic could have decided on civil war or on peace! Thus the confciences of the pretended patriots of America have already their prices! It is very true that the certainty of these conclufions, painful to be drawn, will for ever exift in our archives! What will be the old age of this Government, if it is thus early decrepit! Such, Citizen, is the evident confequence of the fyftem of finances conceived by Mr. Hamilton. He has made of a whole nation a flock-jobbing, fpeculating, felfith people. Riches alone here fix confideration; and as no one likes to be despised, they are univerfally fought after. Nevertheless this depravity has not yet embraced the mafs of the people; the effects of this pernicious fyftem have as yet but flightly touched them. Still there are patriots, of whom I delight to entertain an idea worthy of that impofing title. Confult Monroe, he is of this number; he had apprized me of the men whom the current of

* For the purport of this dispatch (No. 6) fee the Analyfis of Randolph's Vindication, vol. ii. p. 371, from which it will appear that Randolph asked the French Ambassador for money.

VOL. I.

U

events

events had dragged along as bodies devoid of weight. His friend Madifon is alfo an honeft man. Jefferfon, on whom the patriots caft their eyes to fucceed the Prefident, had forefeen thefe crifes.He prudently retired, in order to avoid making a figure againft his inclination, in fcenes, the fecret of which will, foon or late, be brought to light.

17. As foon as it was decided that the French Republic purchafed no men to do their duty, there were to be feen individuals, about whofe conduct the Government could at least form uneafy conjectures, giving themfelves up with a fcandalous oftentation to its views, and even feconding its declarations. The Popular Societies foon emitted refolutions ftamped with the same spirit, and who, although they may have been advised by love of order, might nevertheless have omitted or uttered them with lefs folemnity. Then were feen coming from the very men whom we had been accustomed to regard as having little friendship for the system of the Treasurer, harangues without end, in order to give a new direction to the public mind. The militia, however, manifeft fome repugnance, particularly in Pennfylvania, for the fervice to which they were called. Several officers refign: at laft, by excurfions or harangues, incomplete requifitions are obtained, and scattered volunteer corps, from different parts, make up the deficiency. How much more interefting, than the changeable men whom I have painted above*, were thofe plain citizens who anfwered the folicitations which were made to them to join the volunteers If we are required, we will

*This is the point which will, by and by, arrest our attention. In the mean time, the reader will obferve, that FAUCHET Confirms my account of the arming of the militia, and completely overfets that of his good friend, the Hiflorian of the New Annual Regifter.

march,

march, because we do not wifh not to have a government, but to arm ourselves as volunteers would be in appearance fubfcribing implicitly to the excife fyftem, which we reprobate."

"18. What I have faid above, authorizes then our refting on the opinion become inconteftable, that in the crifis which has burft, and in the means employed for reftoring order, the true question was the deftruction or the triumph of the Treasurer's plans. This being once eftablished, let us pafs over the facts related in the common dispatches, and fee how the Government, or the Treasurer, will take from the very ftroke which threatened his fyftem, the fafe opportunity of humbling the adverfe party, and of filencing their enemies, whether open or concealed. The army marched-the Prefident made known that he was going to command it-he fet out for Carlifle-Hamilton, as I have understood, requested to follow him-the Prefident dared not to refufe him. It does not require much penetration to divine the object of this journey: in the Prefident it was wife; it might also be his duty. But in Mr. Hamilton it was a confequence of the profound policy which directs all his steps; a measure dictated by a perfect knowledge of the human heart. Was it not interefting for him, for his party, tottering under the weight of events without, and accufations within, to proclaim an intimacy more perfect than ever with the Prefident, whofe very name is a fufficient shield against the moft formidable attacks? Now what more evident mark could the Prefident give of his intimacy, than by fuffering Mr. Hamilton, whose name even is understood in the Weft as that of a public enemy, to go and place himself at the head of the army which went, if I may use the expreffion, to caufe his fyftem to triumph against the oppofition of the people? The prefence of Mr. Hamilton with the army muft attach it more than ever to his

party we fee what ideas these circumftances give birth to on both fides; all, however, to the advantage of the Secretary.

"19. Three weeks had they encamped in the Weft without a fingle armed man appearing. However, the Prefident, or those who wished to make the most of this new manoeuvre, made it public that he was going to command in perfon. The feffion of Congrefs being very near, it was wished to try whether there could not be obtained from the preffes, which were supposed to have changed, a filence, whence to conclude the poffibility of infringing the constitution in its most effential part; in that which fixes the relation of the Prefident with the Legiflature. But the patriotic papers laid hold of this artful attempt: I am certain that the office of the Secretary of State, which alone remained at Philadelphia (for while the Minifter of Finance was with the army, the Minister of War was on a tour to the province of Maine, 400 miles from Philadelphia), maintained the controverfy in favour of the opinion which it was defired to establish. A comparison between the Prefident and the English Monarch was introduced, who, far removed from Westminster, yet strictly fulfils his duty of fanctioning; it was much infifted on, that the Conftitution declares that the Prefident commands the armed force; this fimilitude was treated with contempt; the confequence of the power of commanding in perfon, drawn from the right to command in chief (or direct) the force of the State, was ridiculed, and reduced to an abfurdity, by fuppofing a fleet at sea and an army on land. The refult of this controverfy was, that fome days after it was announced that the Prefident would come to open the approaching feffion.

"20. During his ftay at Bedford, the Prefident doubtless concerted the plan of the campaign with Mr. Lee, to whom he left the command in chief.

The

The letter by which he delegates the command to him, is that of a virtuous man, at least as to the major part of the fentiments which it contains; he afterwards fet out for Philadelphia, where he has just arrived, and Mr. Hamilton remains with the army.

21. This laft circumftance unveils all the plan of the Secretary; he prefides over the military operations, in order to acquire, in the fight of his enemies, a formidable and impofing confideration. He and Mr. Lee, the commander in chief, agree perfectly in principles. The Governors of Jerfey and Maryland harmonize entirely with them; the Governor of Pennsylvania, of whom it never would have been fufpected, lived intimately and publicly with Hamilton, Such a union of perfons would be matter fufficient to produce refiftance in the weftern counties, even admitting they had not thought of making any.

"22. The foldiers themfelves are aftonished at the fcandalous gaiety, with which those who poffefs the fecret, proclaim their approaching triumph. It is asked, of what ufe are 15,000 men in this country, in which provifions are fcarce, and where are to be feized only fome turbulent men at their plough? Those who conducted the expedition know this; the matter is to create a great expenfe; when the fums fhall come to be affeffed, no one will be willing to pay; and, fhould each pay his affeffment, it will be done in curfing the infurgent principles of the patriots.

"23. It is impoffible to make a more able manœuvre for the opening of Congrefs. The paffions, the generous indignation, which had agitated their minds in the last feffion, were about being renewed with still more vigour; there was nothing to announce of brilliant fucceffes which they had promifed. The hoftilities of Great Britain on the Con