“Geographically, it seemed that the valley of the Mississippi was, by nature, formed for one nation.  The soil and climate promised to enterprise and industry untold wealth.  The territorial dimensions were fabulous.  The restless and oppressed multitudes of overstocked Europe had already commenced an emigration to the United States, which promised to increase to such an amount as would soon fill up, to a great extent, this expanded and promising region.  The Mississippi furnished an outlet to the ocean, and a navigation, uninterrupted throughout the year, for thousands of miles, and New Orleans, a market for every surplus product.  Burr saw all this, and determined to effect its separation from the Union, and there to establish a new empire, which should, ere long, control the destinies of the continent.  It was the conception of genius and daring, but required an administrative ability which he had not, to consummate this conception.  He miscalculated his material.  The people of the West were vastly more intelligent than he had supposed them.  They were not so simple as to receive his views, and blindly adopt and act upon them.  They canvassed them, and concluded for themselves.  At Pittsburgh he found a number of adventurous young men (who had nothing to lose, and who were ripe for any enterprise which promised fame or fortune,) to unite with him.

“He found Henry Clay in Kentucky, and Andrew Jackson in Tennessee, young, enterprising, and full of spirit and talent.  He supposed them to be the men he sought, and approached both, cautiously revealing his views; but, to his astonishment, the grievances of the West had not so warped their patriotism as to dispose them to engage in any schemes which threatened the dismemberment of the Union.  Clay listened and temporized, but never, for a moment, yielded assent.  Jackson, more ardent, and a military man by nature, was carried away with the idea for a time.  He was well acquainted with the people of the West, and especially with the population on the Lower Mississippi, and was the man who recommended Burr to make first a descent upon Mexico, as I have been confidentially informed, and sincerely believe.  I have also been informed that he dissuaded Burr from any attempt to excite a war of the West with the East; but first to make Mexico secure, which they and Wilkinson believed would be an easy matter.  It was when Burr, having abandoned his first enterprise, descended the Mississippi, that he was arrested.  This arrest was made by the acting Governor of Mississippi, and at some point in that Territory, where Jackson had a store or trading establishment.  He was, with three of his aides, on his way to meet Wilkinson, for the purpose of arranging matters.  He escaped, and finding things prepared for his interception, he made his way across the country; but was finally arrested, on the Tombigbee, by an officer of the United States army.  When on his trial at Richmond, Jackson went there, and was found on the street haranguing