and

me in my deposition before the house of represent atives as being laden, by special permission understood to be for Wilkinson, by Mr. Le Cassagne, in the year '93 or '94; the other is the general's purchase of sugars at New-Orleans in 1804. It is proved by the deposition of Mr. M'Donough, (No. 24,) that while at New-Orleans, as one of the commis sioners, Wilkinson purchased sugars to the amount of 9640 dollars, which were paid for in dollars con tained in such bags as they are brought in from La Vera Cruz. And this affidavit, as well as the one before referred to of Mr. Peter Derbigny, prove that the circumstance was considered as an extraordinary one. Wilkinson was always known to have lived extravagantly. The savings out of his pay emoluments could not have amounted to 10,000 dollars. And it seems to have excited not only the attention of those who were in the secret of his for mer connection, but even of governor Claiborne, who, according to Mr. Bradford's declaration, appears to have entertained suspicions not very honourable to the integrity of his colleague, until he found means to remove his doubts by an assurance that the money was received from lieutenant Taylor, the military agent at New-Orleans. The public, however, will not, I believe, be quite so indulgent as governor Claiborne. They will ask something more than the mere assertion of general Wilkinson. He has by his own admission, reduced the question on this hand to a single point. It would have been difficult without the proof of his conversations with Mr.Bradford and governor Claiborne, (Note No. 25,)

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to have excited any thing more than suspicion but for this he might have pointed to a variety of sources, from either of which a possibility would result of its being honestly acquired. But he has made his election-it must have been received either from lieutenant Taylor, for the general's drafts on the treasury for extra services, or in direct payment of those services-or it must have been received from some other person for a purpose which he is ashamed to avow. Now if received from Mr. Taylor, nothing would have been more easy than to have silenced his accusers by producing the accounts. If Taylor made the payments, he could then have been resorted to; and though he is since dead, a reference may be had to his books. If he only advanced the money on the general's drafts, a copy of these bills from the accountant's office, if drawn in Taylor's favour, and dated at the time of his residence in New-Orleans, would have been strong evidence in favour of his explanation. But when it is remembered that the charge has been already publicly discussed, and that this proof so easily obtained if it really existed has never been produced, the general's silence affords the strongest reason to believe, that he cannot support the excuse which he gave to Mr. Bradford and governor Claiborne; at any rate, the officers of government may easily determine whether it be well founded. The books of the proper department, will in a moment show whether this large sum of money was actually paid during the winter or spring of 1804, when the purchase of sugars was made. If it were not, I repeat, that the proof, though

otherwise light, is now conclusive. He has hung up his defence on that point, and unless he shows it to have been received from Taylor, there will be no doubt that the Mexican dollars in the Mexican bags, were received from the Marquis de Casa Caivo, who then, and for along time after, resided at New-Orleans, and who, while the general staid, was on the most intimate terms of friendship with him. In the mean time I give this rather as a subject of suspicion for further inquiry, than as a positive charge; not wishing to confound it with the decisive proofs I have already adduced.

Having established the receipt of the money, let us now inquire to what account it is placed by the general and his friends. Here every one who has at all attended to the nature of his defence, must have remarked a studied obscurity, a confusion of dates, sums and circumstances, that evidently show a design to avoid inquiry.

This charge was a serious one. It came forward in a respectable shape; it merited an answer. The general thought so too. He clamoured for inquiry, but never sought it. Instead of defending his own character, he attacked that of his accusers, and flattered himself that the public attention was withdrawn from his infamy, while it was only astonished at the boldness of his calumny. If the monies received from the Spanish government were the proceeds of a commercial speculation, how easily might his accusers have been covered with confusion. All that would have been necessary was the exhibition of an account, designating the sums he had received,

and showing how they had become due. I have received, he might have said, 6000 dollars by Ballinger, 6000 by Collins, 9640 by Power; but they were the proceeds of a fair trade, and here are the accounts to support it. This is so natural a course for innocence to have pursued, that we cannot but suspect guilt when we see it departed from: a balance sheet for each year would have humbled his enemies in the dust, and his character would have been the more firmly established from the impotent attack.

Instead of this, what is done? Why the general publishes his Plain Tale, where, in answer to the charge of having received specific sums of money from the Spanish government, all he says is this: "his [gen. Wilkinson's] commercial engagements were exclusively with the Spanish government of Louisiana, as he never sold a cent's worth of property in the market after his first voyage; of course, the cash he received was from the government of the country, and this he received in person, on his bills or by remittance through various channels. The last payment was made him in the year 1796, through his agent Philip Nolan, being a balance which had arisen on the re covery of some tobacco, which it had been believed was damaged and lost in the year 1789." This is the only passage of his justification in which he ever alludes to any sums received, or endeavours to give any account of the consideration for which they were paid. If he received money as he says in person, he can tell the amount. If he drew bills, the sums and the parties may be shown. If he received remittances, there can be no difficulty in designating them,

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and showing by the other side of the account the consideration for which they were paid. These vouchers would have been infinitely more satisfactory to the public than general Knox's letters, or than my memoire to the secretary of state, with which he has enriched his defence.

General Wilkinson did not do this because HE DID

NOT DARE TO EXHIBIT HIS ACCOUNT.

He knew the original accounts were in my hands, that they were signed by him and his agents, and that the result of their examination would destroy him forever. It appears, however, that before the court of inquiry he did produce some accounts which have been carefully kept from the public eye. The result, however, is stated in the sentence, and is extremely important in this investigation. The sentence (No. 26) states, 1st. That it does not appear that he received any money from the Spanish government, or any of its officers, since the year 1791.

2d. That it does appear by the general's statement, that his agents several years after '91, received and remitted to him several sums for tobacco, which had been stored as damaged in the year 1789. It is to be remembered that the court of inquiry did not think proper to state the amount of these several sums, or to designate at least the years in which they were paid, that we might have compared them with other payments. Not having the aid which the account exhibited to the court of inquiry would have afforded, I must use the materials I have; they will, I believe, be amply sufficient. We have it from the general's admission, as stated in the sentence, that he received