Virginia Argus

The "Western World."

Extract of a letter from a gentleman in St. Louis, to his friend in Baltimore, dated August 5, 1806.

"The governor has been for some time past busily engaged in preparing for publication, a work intended to lash, refute, and expose a most infernal scheme, put on foot in Kentucky by a newspaper entitled the Western World," to criminate Wilkinson Brown, judges, Jones and Sebastian, and a great number of highly

respectable characters, as having joined in a conspiracy to sell Kentucky to Spain, in the years 84, 95, and 86..This plan is undertaken by a Certain John Wood, author of a work on the affairs of Switzerland, stolen from Mallet du Pan, and of a work entitled the History of the Administration of John Adams. This man's character is notorious; but he has contrived to weave the web of accusation with so much cunning. that it will be no easy matter to disentangle it.--By connecting together ingeniously, slight and distant circumstances--bringing forward the testimony of deceased persons--he has contrived to dress up a tale calculated to obtain popular belief. The accusation is supposed to originate in the malice of an ancient family in Kentucky, that of the Marshalls, to which the present chief justice of the United States belongs; who have long entertained a deadly antipathy against the persons implicated--have attracted this Wood to Kentucky, and established this newspaper, and have the rancor and invention necessary to such an undertaking ; but they little dream that Wilkinson is justified by the most positive and unequivocal vouchers from those very deceased persons whose names and testimony are unblushingly introduced to the contrary of what they are made to state, that the only person who had ever been made to criminate him, upon his knees implored the general's forgiveness--& that a scene of diabolical villany, as black as treachery ever devised, will be laid open to the public in the development of the business. The charge had been exhibited at Philadelphia, (then the seat of government) long ago, and after being shifted had been treated with the contempt it merits. The most ample justification, and the most dreadful exposition of character will soon take place."
Balt. Tel.

{This development and reply were certainly to be coveted, and is as it relates to the characters involved, indisputable--But before the public can be completely satisfied, the papers in the hands of chief justice Marshall of Virginia, and Mr. Isaac Wayne of Pennsylvania, would seem to be necessary; they are due to the public, whatever may be right or wrong ]-Aurora.