Louisiana and Aaron Burr 329 



invasion of the Spanish dominions under no matter 

 what pretext ; but even those men of note who were 

 willing to lead such a movement were not willing to 

 enter into it if it was complicated with open disloy- 

 alty to the United States. 



Burr began his treasonable scheming before he 

 ceased to be Vice-President. He was an old friend 

 and crony of Wilkinson; and he knew much about 

 the disloyal agitations which had convulsed the West 

 during the previous two decades. These agitations 

 a'lways took one or the other of two forms that at 

 first sight would seem diametrically opposed. Their 

 end was always either to bring about secession of 

 the West from the East by the aid of Spain or some 

 other foreign power ; or else a conquest of the Span- 

 ish dominions by the West, in defiance of the wishes 

 of the East and of the Central Government. Burr 

 proposed to carry out both of these plans. 



The exact shape which his proposals took would 

 be difficult to tell. Seemingly they remained nebu- 

 lous even in his own mind. They certainly so re- 

 mained in the minds of those to whom he confided 

 them. .At any rate, his schemes, though in reality 

 less dangerous than those of his predecessors in 

 Western treason, were in theory much more com- 

 prehensive. He planned the seizure of Washing- 

 +on, the kidnapping of the President, and the corrup- 

 tion of the United States Navy. He also endeavored 

 to enlist foreign powers on his side. His first ad- 

 vances were made to the British. He proposed to 

 put the new empire, no matter what shape it might 



