Near the close of 1806 Mr. Clay received an application from Aaron Burr to appear in his behalf. Burr had been arrested on a charge of being engaged in illegal military operations. The popular mind was much agitated by the belief of his treasonable designs, founded on various rumors of his projected invasion of the Mexican provinces, in which the whole western territory was implicated. While these rumors were occasioning much public anxiety, two men, named John Wood and J. M. Street, arrived from Virginia and located at Frankfort. Their object seemed to be to publish a weekly paper, which they styled the ‘Western World,’ in which they revived an old political controversy which had slumbered nearly twenty years. The subject of the rumors was also introduced into its columns, and several statements made in reference thereto, which seemed, if true, to make out the evidence of treason and conspiracy as more than probable. They were however, for the most part assumptive, and not substantiated by any well authenticated testimony, besides appearing under a very questionable character, being contained in communications over the signature of ‘an observer.’ It was subsequently ascertained that these were written by one of the most violent federalists of the day――notorious for his antipathy toward the democratic party, of which at that time Mr. Burr was a distinguished member. His name was Humphrey Marshall. He and his emissaries, to accomplish their purposes, resorted to the most base and dishonorable means. In an address prepared by Mr. Marshall, he reiterated the statements of ‘an observer,’ of which he himself was the author, and also charged the leading members of the Jefferson party in Kentucky, among whom were Mr. Clay’s most intimate friends, with the treasonable design of annexing that state to the Spanish dominions in North America. The address was laid before the legislature, who investigated the matter; but not succeeding in eliciting any thing to corroborate the charges made, it was dropped. The public mind was wrought up to a high degree of indignation at these attempts to ruin some of the most worthy and talented men in the community. While the public was still under the influence of the sympathetic feelings excited in behalf of those against whom such gross accusations had been made, Mr. Burr was charged with a conspiracy of more recent date, and in course was regarded with the same sympathy extended to those previously criminated. He was esteemed a persecuted patriot, and his innocence was matter of popular belief. It was thought pretty generally, that his arrest originated in deep-rooted prejudice existing in the mind of colonel Daviess, the district attorney, a warm admirer of colonel Alexander Hamilton, who was killed in a duel by Mr. Burr. There was good ground for believing that the attorney was prompted more by revengeful feelings than a desire of promoting the administration of justice. During the same year, soon after Mr.