Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

Character of Jefferson.

The late Judge Ellsworth of Connecticut was universally considered one of the most profound men of our country. He was one of the real "nobles of nature." It may be wrong, strictly speaking, to call any man a political prophet but the following perfect description, by anticipation, of the administration of Mr. Jefferson, certainly entitles Mr. Ellsworth to the character of a prophetic politician. It evinces that he had a perfect knowledge of human nature and the characters and dispositions of conspicuous statesmen. It is taken from a letter of Mr. Buck to Mr. Fisk, both of whom have been members of congress from Vermont.

"When I was at congress in the winter of 1797, Mr. Ellsworth was a member of the senate, and we boarded in the same house. At the election the fall before, Mr. Jefferson was the competitor to Mr. Adams for the presidency, came near to gain the office, and the circumstance excited much anxiety and alarm amongst the federal members in congress. I was one evening sitting alone with Mr. Ellsworth, when I asked the question, why the apprehension of Mr. Jefferson's being president should occasion so much alarm : At the same time observing that it could not be supposed he was an enemy to his country or would designedly do any thing to injure the government, as constitutionally established. "Mr. Ellsworth after a short pause replied ; " No, it is not apprehended that Mr. Jefferson is an enemy to his country or that he would designedly do any thing wrong; but it is known that he is a visionary man, an enthusiastic disciple of the French revolution, and an enemy to whatever would encourage commercial enterprise or give energy to the government. It is apprehended, that if he were to be president, he would take little or no responsibility upon himself; the nation would be as it were without a head; every thing would be referred to congress; a lax, intriguing kind of policy would be adopted, and, while arts were practised to give direction to popular sentiment, Mr. Jefferson would affect to be directed by the will of the nation. There would be no national energy; our character would sink, and our weakness invite contempt and insult. Though Mr. Jefferson would have no thoughts of war, his zeal in the French cause, and enmity to G. Britain, would render him liable to a secret British influence, that would tend to the adoption of measures calculated to produce war with England, though it was not intended; and the nation might be plunged into a war wholly unprepared."