244 
the province should be settled by 
authority. 
A conspiracy was formed, during 
the present year, by some private in- 
dividuals in the back settlements’ of 
the United States, to make war on the 
Spaniards, without waiting for orders 
from the federal government,and arms 
were collected and other preparations 
made for this extraordinary under- 
taking. But information of the de- 
sign having been given to the Ame- 
rican government, effectual mea- 
sures were taken for preventing 
and suppressing the enterprize. 
Colonel Aaron Burr, late vice 
president of the United States, was 
accused of being the leader of this 
conspiracy, and the object of it 
was supposed to be no less hostile 
to the federal government than 
to the Spaniards. Indictments 
for treasonable practices were pre- 
ferred to the grand jury of Ken- 
tucky against colonel Burr and 
general Adair, one of his associ- 
ates, but both bills were rejected 
for want of evidence.* The sub- 
Sequent proceedings against Mr. 
Burr fall not within the limits of our 
present volume, but afford a striking 
example either of the inadequacy of 
American courts of law for the at- 
tainment of justice, or of a spirit of 
inveterate hostility in his political 
adversaries, which reflects little cre— 
dit on the good sense or moderation 
of our Trans-Atlantic brethren. 
The complaints of the United 
States against Great Britain rela- 
ted to our practice of impressing 
British seamen found on board of 
their merchant. vessels upon the 
high seas; to our violation of their 
neutral rights by seizing and con- 
demnuing their merchantmen, though 
“ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
engaged in a lawful commerce 5 
and to our infringement of their 
maritime jurisdiction upen their 
coasts. 
The first they contended was a 
practice derogatory to the honour 
of their flag, and inconsistent with 
their rights as an independent na- 
tion ; and with better reason ‘they 
argued, that it led to great outrages 
and abuses, and that while it lasted; 
there could be no sincere or cordial 
friendship between Great Britain 
and the United States. It continu+ 
ally happened, that native Ameri 
cans were impressed by our sea 
officers on pretence of their being 
Englishmen, and forced to serve in 
the English navy; and such was 
the similarity of language and ex. 
ternal appearance between individu- 
als of the two nations, that with 
the fairest intentions, these mistakes 
could not always be avoided. Buta 
practice, that led necessarily to such 
an intolerable abuse, however it 
might be justified in the abstract on 
the principles of public law, could 
not be endured by any independent 
state, unless from inability to resist 
the injury. It was the duty of 
the United States to protect 
their lawful trade from interrup- 
tion and outrage, and to vindicate 
their citizens from’ compulsory ser- 
vice in the battles’ of a foreign 
power. They were ready to ac- 
quiesce in any measures that could 
be devised, to prevent deserters from, 
the British navy from finding refuge 
in the American territory,or shelter 
on board of American ships, but 
they could no longer permit the li- 
berty of their citizens todepend on 
the interested or capricious sentence 
of a British officer. 
* Dec. 5th. - 
Is 
