صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

Quest. What conversation have you ever had with the said Daniel Clark concerning a Mexican expedition, or Burr's conspiracy?

Answ. There have some communications passed between Mr. Clark and myself, which I would not wish, without an indispensable necessity, to make public, on account of their bearing upon some delicate points in relation to a foreign nation. I will, however, relate the substance of what passed, and leave it to the discretion of the Court and the Judge-Advocate to decide, whether it would necessarily advance the purpose of justice to use it as evidence, and under what reserves and restrictions as to the publicity to be given to it.

In the winter of 1805-6, while I was acting as the Secretary of the Orleans Territory, a gentleman of New Orleans informed me that Mr. Daniel Clark, of that city, had some important information, which he wished to communicate to the government, but which he did not choose to communicate through governor Claiborne. This produced an acquaintance between Mr. Clark and myself. He gave me some papers, extracts of which I copied, and sent to the Secretary of State. These papers related to the affairs of Mexico, and gave rise to a conversation about that country.

Quest. Of what did those papers principally

consist?

Answ. That is a part of the subject, which, I confess, I could have wished in particular not to

speak of, as it might be disagreeable to Mr. Clark to have it known to the Spanish government he had been engaged in making such observations, while passing through their territory, as these papers seemed to indicate. I will, however, not hesitate to submit it to the discretion of the Court, upon the principles before mentioned.

Among those papers were estimates of the military force of the country, both the regulars and the militia, particularly of the garrison towns between Vera Cruz and Mexico; also of the naval force at Vera Cruz. Mr. Clark, at the same time, showed me the Baron Humbold's statistical tables, in the Spanish language.

Quest. Had Mr. Clark then lately returned from a journey through the Spanish provinces?

Answ. I understood he had lately returned from Vera Cruz. I was induced, by the apparent probability of a war with Spain, and by belief that Mr. Clark's acquaintance with the situation of the country would enable him to give important information on the subject, to make several enquiries of Mr. Clark concerning Mexico. He was of opinion that it might be invaded, with every prospect of success. I asked him, whether, if the United States should undertake the invasion, he would bear a part? He evinced an unwillingness to have any thing to do with an expedition carried on by government, but expressed himself willing to join in such an enterprize, undertaken and carried on by individuals. He said, all they would want would be the permission, not the aid, of govern

ment; that they would cut off all communication with the country they left, and establish a new empire of their own. He mentioned, hypothetically, addressing himself to me-Now suppose such a person as yourself should join in the expedition, you might be made a duke? I answered, that my republican notions would not allow me to aspire to any such situation, and that I would have nothing to do with any expedition not conducted by the government. Here the conversation on the subject ended. He asked several questions, what Burr was doing?-Col. Burr had been in New Orleans the summer preceding. I have endeavoured to give a faithful statement rather of the substance and ef- . fect of what passed, without pretending to a minute detail of every circumstance as it occurred, or of the precise language used. It did not strike me, at the time, as evidencing the real existence of any such design, but as being the wild talk of an eccentric restless man. Afterwards, however, when I was informed at Lexington (Kentucky) that Burr had drawn bills to a large amount on Mr. Clark at New Orleans, this circumstance combined itself in my mind with the preceding conversation, and appeared so suspicious, that I wrote to the Secretary of State the intelligence I received of the drawing of these bills. When I arrived at New Orleans, and found that no such bills had been taken up by Chew and Relf, I became uneasy at the apprehension of being instrumental in raising unjust suspicions against Mr. Clark, by my former communication to the Secretary of State, and I wrote a letter

to Mr. Clark, at ——, informing him of the suspicious intelligence I had received at Lexington, of my proceeding thereupon, and assuring him of the satisfaction with which I had received, at New Orleans, information doing away those grounds of suspicion.

In May, 1807, Mr. Clark arrived at New Orleans. He took me one side, and said I would recollect he had formerly told me of the existence of the Mexican Society, and of Doctor Watkins being a member. I denied his ever telling me so, and expressed my utter astonishment at being charged with being a member. He insisted he had given me the information, but I was confident, and still am, that he never did. I recollect the surprize with which I first heard of the existence of the Mexican Society, which was subsequent to my former conversation with Mr. Clark. Blennerhasset was the first who told me of it. I proposed giving information of the charge made against him,-to which Mr. Clark seemed unwilling. I, however, did inform Doctor Watkins, who had some correspondence with Mr. Clark about it, but I do not know precisely how it ended. Mr. Clark at the same time remarked, that he would himself have nothing to do with the Association, from which I understood that he had been applied to.

to

Quest. Did not Aaron Burr visit New Orleans some time in the month of June, and leave there some time in the month of July, 1805? and was not Daniel Clark there at the same time?

Answ. Yes.

The first part of this deposition relates to a paper published in general Wilkinson's plain tale. (See Note No. 1.) It is an extract from a memoir sent by me to Mr. Secretary Pickering, in the year 1798, on the trade of New Orleans with the country on the Ohio; and because in this paper I do not speak of the general's treason, he infers that I knew nothing of it. But I have a word or two of explanation to give on this point, which I believe will take away every argument to be drawn from it.

Shortly previous to this time I had been extremely active in protecting the Americans against the rapacity of the French privateers, and had used my influence with the Spanish government with so much effect in their favour, that though I was not then an American citizen, capt. Guion, the commander of the troops in the Missisippi territory, and Mr. Ellicott, the commissioner for establishing the boundary, wrote to governor Gayoso, requesting that I might be allowed to exercise the functions of Consul until one should be appointed by the President. This was granted. I prosecuted the owners of French privateers, put an end to their depredations in that quarter, and succeeded in obtaining from the Spanish government the reduction of duties on imports, in American vessels, from 21 per cent. on dry goods, and 26 per cent. on liquors, to 6 per cent. I thought it my duty not only to act, but to give information to the government which employed me; and I therefore wrote the memoir in question. Major

« السابقةمتابعة »