The National Register. — London, England, 1811-07-28 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. on a cowl, or would, like Louis the Pious, place me In a convent,, or banish me to Africa. What ignorant ideots you are !—Prove me out of the Gospel that Jesus Christ has appointed the Pope his substitute or succe•_sor of St.,Peter, and that be has the right to excommunicate a Sovereign. —(From these repeated expres• .sions one might almost suppose the Pope actually excommuni cated the Emperor.) 4 If you care about my protection, then, preach ihe Go-pel as the Apostles did. I will protect you if you ar^ good citizens ; if not, I will banish you from my Empire, and will di-perse you over the world like Jews. You belong to the Bi.ihlptic of Moulines : appear before your Bishop, n.ake your confessions to him, and sign the Concordat. The Bishop will inform you of my will. I will appoint another Bishop at Her zegenhuch. Is there a seminary at Breda ?' An affirmative was given. Well, then, Mr. Prefect, you will make the necessary preparations that these people may swear to the Concordat. Attend at the seminary, and be it your care that the Oithodox Gospel be preached there, in order that more et lightened men should conic forth than those ideots, who preach a strange kind •f doctrine." AMERICAN PAPERS. CONFIDENTIAL. COMMUNICATION BY THE PRESI DENT TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. GOVERNOR FOLCII TO MR. SMITH. _ .. SIR—I will not detain myself in giving to your Excellency information relative to the letter which I directed to his Ex cellency Governor Holmes, being persuaded it will be in the hands of your Excellency long before this ; but I will add to its contents for your Government, that I have decided on deliver ing this province to the United States, under an equitable capi tuhnion, provided Ido not receive succour front the Havannah or Vera Cruz during the present month, or that his Excellency Adarquis Somernelos, on whom I depend, should not have open ed directly a negotiation on this point. The incomprehensible abandonment in which I see myself, and the afflicted situation to which this province seer; itself reduced, not only authorise me, but force me to have r: course to this determination, the only one to save it from that ruin which. threatens it. The United States are also authorised to accept it, as the disturb auces which now afflict this province so near to them must increase every day—they cannot but have an influence on their tranquillity, an object which merits the first care of every Go vernment. The inhabitants of Baton Rouge may figure to themselves many teotives which may in their conception justify the deter mill ohm they have adopted ; but they cannot produce even a sitTle one which can make tolerable the tyrannical, illegal, and unjust obstinacy with which they insist, that the other districts • of the province should subject themselves to their will. Jhe United States, which profess the exercise of equity, cannot ex empt themselves from taking part with the party unjustly op pressed. In this belief I recur to its Executive through the medium of your Excellency, supplicating him, that he will be please(', to send orders to the Commandant at Fort Stoddard, that he should as-Ist with the troops which he has under his orders for the purpose of forcing t• .• party under the command of Ruchen Kempir to retire within the district of Baton Roa2e, intimating to him, that if in future lie should repeat his incur sionsin the di-itrict of Nlobille andYensacola, tl.e troops of the Utrited States, jAned to the Spanish troops, will be forced to keep them heck. These districts have the more reason to expect, from the rec titude of the Unit d the assistance I ask, as the party which Kemper commands ha; been recruited, armed, and pro vkioned, within the limits of their sovereignty. At the same time, if any proposition is accepted, orders may be given, au thorising some person to meet with me for regulating the eva cuation of the province, and what ou.ght to precede it. I conclude, &c. /Vlobille, Dec. '2., 1 31 0 . V. FOLCH. MR. MORIER TO MR. SMITH. Washington, Dec. 15, 1810. deem it to be a duty incumbent on me, considering the strict and close alliance which subsists between his Majesty s Government and that of Spain, to express to the Government of the United States, through you, the deep regret with which I have seen that part of the President's Message to Congress, in whi,•ll the determination of this Government to take pusseshion of West Florida is avowed. 'Without or. sliming to discuss the validity of the United States to Wcst Florida, a titlp which is manifestly doubtful, since, according to the President's Proclamation, it is left open to discu >mon, but has nevertheless been brought forward as one of the pleas to justify the occupation of these provinces, may it not be asked why that province could not have been as lair!), a su!) . j..et of negotiation and adjustment in the hands of the Spaniards, who possess the actual sovereignty there, as in the hands of the Americans, who, to obtain possession, must begin by committing an act of hoitility towards Spain. But it may be said that die SPaniiii Rotes in Mexico, in Cuba, or in Pensacola, are unequal to quell the rebellious ass elation of a band of desperaciees who are known by the con• temptuous appellation o land-jobbers, allowing as much (which you will agree with me, Sir, is allowing a great deal), would it nor have been worthy of the generosity of a free nation like this, bearing as it chub:less does, a respect for the rights of a gallant people, at this moment engaged in a noble struggle for its liberty—would it not have been an act on the part of this coun try dictated by the soundest ties of good neighbourhood and friendship, which exists between it and Spain, to have simply offered his assistance to crush the common enemy of both, than to have made such interference the pretext of wresting a provisice from a frigidly Power, and that at a time of her adversity. For, allow me, Sir, to inquire, how can the declaration in the President's Proclamation, that in the hands of the United States, that that territory will not cease to be a subject of fair and friendly adjustment, be made to accord with the declara. tion in his message to Congress (implying permanent possession) of the adoption of that people. into the bosom of the American family ? The act, consequently, of sending a force to West Florida, to secure, by arms, what was before a subject of friendly negotiation, cannot, much fear, under any palliation, be considered as any other than his act of open hostility against Spain. Whilst, therefore, it is impossible to disguise the deep and lively interest which his Majesty takes in every thing that relates to Spain, which would, I am convinced, induce him to meditate between Spain and the United States on any point of controversy which may exist between them, with the utmost impartiality and good-will towards both parties, I think it due to the sincere wish of his Majesty to maintain unimpaired the friendship which at this moment happily exists between Great Britain and the United States, to say that such are the ties by which hi , . Majesty is bound to Spain, that he cannot see with indifference any attack upon her interests in America ; and as I have no doubt that the Government of the United States will attribute this representation to the most conciliatory motives, I am induced to request in answer to it such explanation on the subject as will at once convince his Majesty's government of tFe lisp sitian of the United Stat. s towards his Majesty's allies, the Spaniards, and will remove the contrary impression, which, I fear, the President's message is likely to make. I have the honour to be, &c. J. P. MORIER. , MR. AfORIF:R TO Alit. SMITH. Mr. Morier presents his compliments to Mr. Smith, and begs the favour to be informed when he may expect an answer to the letter which he had the honour to address to Mr. Smith on the 13th instant. Mr. Morier at the same time hopes that Mr. Smith, concur ring in the opinion that it would be desireable that his Majesty's Government should, as soon as possible after the receipt of the President's Message, be furnished with the explanation which Mr. Nlorier has requested in the above letter on the occupation of West Florida in the name of the United Sta es, will readily excuse the solicitude with which he again presses this subject upon the attention of this Government. Washington, Dec. 22, 1810. MR. SMITH TO MR. MORIER. Department of State, Dec. 29, 1810. . SlR—Taking into view the subject and circumstances of your letter of the 15ill instant, I have ►n acknowledging it only to remark to you, although it is sufficiently evident from the fac'e of the documents before the Public, that no hostile or unfriendly purpose is entertained towards Spain, the only Power known to the United States in the transaction, yet our Functionary at London has been enabli d to give your Government whatever explanations may comport with the frankness and the spirit of conciliation which have been invariably manifested on the part of the United States. I have, &c. (Signed) R. SMITH. John Philip Morier, Esq. Charge d'Affaires, &c. Letters from the River Plate, to the 25th of April, have been received. They do not refer to any pare ticular acts of hostility which had taken place be tween the governments of Monte Video and Buenos A ores ; but state in general terms, that the greatest animosity prevailed between them, and was likely to occasion a great deal of bloodshed.