The Rhode-Island American, and general advertiser — Providence [R.I.], 1810-11-02 00:00:00, page 2

[ aitiens. But that of Wellesley contains A,
I doubt; it seems aa if the British govern*
| (rent were not certain ** that the Erape-
f rour would fulftl his engagement, by actu
ally e-trrying into effect the repeal of the
french decrees.*’ This is an insult to the
honour of the generoue Emperour, which,
l>y bis tpnd-caters in this country, can never
be forgotten. If any one should give it
as his opinion that, in this affair, the Eng
lish government has acted with proper
t cnution, he would immediately be stigma
tized with the epithets of British agent and
old tory. But let what will be thought, said
or sung on the subject at the present mo
ment, wo are very much mistaken if even
the most violent democrats are not satisfi
ed before the year comes about, that Great-
- Britain hto proceeded with propriety. In
national as in private afftiro, we must cal
culate from actions more than from decla
rations. Bonaparte had lately seised Ame
rican property to the amount of millions,
Witboot even a shadow of right, or even
an excuse. He had not the cover of an
unjust decree to justify the seizure. Thia
property he still holds in his possession, in
violation of all law and every idea of the
rights of nations and of humanity. This
unprecedented seizure could not have been
overlooked by the American government.
As much as they wish to be on friendly
terms with the great Emperour.they would
I have been obliged, at least, to issue a pro
! damatlon against him oa this occasion.
This the Bmpereur knew, and this the
English government knew. Now, all at
4 once, with this stolen property ta his bands,
and which by bls own letter we are to Infer
be means io retain, he comes out with a
■MI friendly letter and declares that his
decrees shall be revoked on the
Kef Nsvemher next ** It being under
ffiipd, *<. Now this kind of understand-
ooems, the British did not perfectly
understand j and having waited a twelve
■Math after the promulgation of the Berlin
itetree before they issued their Orders in
Council, they have concluded to wait until
the operation of the Decree should cease,
before they rescind those Orders. And
this is the height of their offending at this
time. We would ask every candid man
If the British government has not reason
for suspicion ? Did not the whole business
look too much like a deception? Why
does not the magnanimous Emperour be
fuel before he is so uncommonly generout ?
* Why did he not restore the stolen property
before he issued his vague letter of revoca
tion of his decrees ? These are questions
which naturally arise. And though our
government might be willing to accept of
, the Due of Cadore’s kind letter as a eet off
for milttans of property of which our citi
aons have beta robbed; It appears that,
the British did not set such a high value on
french professions.
'ffirofe the National Intelligencer qf Octo
' , ber 24.
Jwe of the situation in which Great-
Brjtain would be placed in relation to the
United States by a revocation of the French
decrees, and apprehensive that she may
be put too manifestly in the wrong, at
tempts have been made by the federal
prints to produce an impression that a bare
repeal by Great-Britain of her Orders in
Council would comprehend such a modifi
cation of her unlawful edicts as would
cqme within the meaning of the act of
Congress of May last. A slight considera
tion will shew that this impression is found
ed in errour.
The act of Congress requires such a re
vocation or modification of fluff* edicts by
the belligerents as that they shall cease to
violate the neutral commerce of the Uni
ted States. If we give credit to the letter
of the Duke of Cadore, as extracted from
the British papers, such a revocation by
Frahce, will have taken place on the first
of the reaping month, as is contemplated
by our act. If in the same manner the
British government does not, within three
months thereafter, revoke its edicts vio
lating the neotral commerce of the United
States, the non-intercourse act will proba
bly be revived as to that nation. Will the
revocation of the Ordert in Council be such
» modification of the British edicts as that
they will cease to violate the neutral com
merce of the United States ? By no means,
we reply. The British violations of our
neutral commerce have not been confined
to her Orders in Council. To place her on
such a fooling in relation to our neutral
commerce, aa would authorize the Execu
tive to issue bis proclamation declaring the
fact of her so having medified her edicts as
that they have ceased to violate the neu
tral commerce of the United States, she
must revoke her blockading proclamations,
which she has herself declared to be ille
gal; and as the impressment of our sea
men is A violation of the mealtime rights
of the United Sums, and of course of our
neutral commerce, it appears to us that
atee might even be required totally to aban
don that practice before the provisions of
She act ot May last could be considered as
complied with.
But the federal prints argue that Great-
Bntaiu never will yield the principle of
blockade by proclamation, which they pro
/MMince to be a part of the old maritime
Jaw. They seem afraid lest the least mea
sure of justice should be dealt to the Uni
ted States by Great Britain; and really,
On Tuesday morning last, on the Turn
key's opening the cell door, in Horsham
gaol, of William Treble, one of the unhap
py convicts sentenced to death at the last
Assizes, he discovered him in a kneeling
posture near his bed-side ; on his wishing
the convict good morning and receiving no
answer, be approached him, and was great
ly shocked at finding that he was suspend
ed by a sort of rope made of his htmdker
chief and neckcloth, which he had tied to
the grating of his window, and that he was
quite dead and stiff. Treble was convicted
at the Assizes in March last, of having is
sued a forged note of the Forningbridge
Bank, value 101. at Worthing, but his sen
tence was**espited, for the opinion of the
twelve Judges. A number of letters were
found in the pocket of* the deceased, of
which the following are copies and ex
tracts :
There is little doubt but Groot-Britain
will revoke her Orders in Council, issued
subsequent to the French decrees; but
this boot enough. Every violation of neu
tral right is not an Order in Council, but it
is not, therefore, the less a violation. If by
a pertinacity in adhering to her infractions
of national law and neutral rights, she is
placed io a state of non-intercourse with
us, it will be her own act, deliberately per
formed, with the law of the United States
before her—a law irrevocable too. because
it will have been acted under in relation
to one of the belligerents, and could not be
repealed without such a breach of good
faith as the United States will not be guilty
of, whatever example may have been set
by other nations.
TftEBLK TO HIS SON.
Dear Tom —Before I quit this life, whfclu
I am now upon the brink of doing, a*|
when you receive this shall be no more in
this world, and in the next, God only knows.
I want to say a great deal to you, but as
fast as one idea comes into my mind another
is gone. What I feel at this moment over
pays years of enjoyment, and What I hope
and trust you will never feel! What I wish
to impress on you with my last breath is, to
love honour and virtue, never to deviate
from the trui principles, with which you
have begun life, and you will be happy. I
have taken notice of, and admired several
of your acts, wherein you have pleased me
much, but beware of flattery; let every
transaction of life be strictly honest, and
you need fear no one; never let compan
ions, nor any one else, persuade you to what
you think wrong yourself, your own con
science will dictate to you, fur no man evur
did a bad action, but something within told
him he was doing wrung. Avoid gaming
in their sad for her adherence to justice,
overleap the barriers of truth, and trample
facts under foot with the greatest indif
ference. They have undertaken, trusting
to the ignorance or short memories of their
readers, to state that the United States
have never protested against the princi
pie of paper blockades. We affirm on the
contrary the United States have never
ceased to contend for the true definition of
blockade, the legitimacy of which was in
eighteen hundred and four feudally ac
knowledged by the British government,
and the violation of it declared to be
a grievance. And is this acknowledged
grievance that which the federal editors
declare Groat-Britain never will abandon ?
Are her own official acts, disclaiming the
principle, held of no account ? Or is the
new school of publick law, one of whose
prominent features is a total disregard of
neutral rights, more to their taste ? Let
them give general publicity to the official
documents which we published a week
ago—let them apprise their readers that
the British government in 1804, through
their Minister, Mr. Merry, has denied the
legality of any blockade, unless io respect
to particular ports actually invested, even
in which case vessels bound to such ports
ought not, they acknowledge, to be cap
tured until previously warned not to enter
them ; let the people know that a violation
of this plain principle was acknowledged
to be a grievance of which the United
States had a right to complain. This sim
ple document, and it is but one of a host
of stubborn facta, selected on account of its
peculiar application, haa put to rout all the
forces of those prints, which had as umal
arrayed themselves In opposition to Ame
rican rights, and on the side of European
denomination. They have not, wife but
one or two exceptions that we have seen,
republished it, and it is probable that they
will not, and for the best of reasons, that
it falsifies the uniform tenour of their aa
sertious. It ought not here to pass unno
ticed that these editors must wilfully have
abetted injustice.and encouraged the in
struments of it, for they could not but know
of this decision of the British government
in 1804, which has been subsequently dis
regarded io practice.
We apprehend that if it shall appear,
when the official accounts shall be re
ceived, that the act of France is a bona fide
transaction, according to our law Great-
Britain must revoke her edicts, under what
ever name, violating our neutral commerce,
or by the operation of the law we are
placed tn a state of noo-intcrcouroe with
her.
From the London Courier, qf September 5.
SUICIDE.
My Ever Dear Wife — For the last time
I shall ever call you by that endearing
name, forgive this act. and accept my pray
ers for the happiness and prosperity of you
and my dear family. May Almighty God
bless, protect, and be a father to the widow
and fatherless, and guide you all in the
paths of righteousness: and oh I may my
errours be a warning to you an, not to neg
lect your religious duties ; from that evil
has sprung all my misery; careless about
God, I have ran from one sin to another,
till I have brought destruction upon my
self, and all you that Are innocent; could
I carry away with me al! the infamy I have
attached to my dear family, my last mo
ments would ba much happier than they
are; aa ft fe I hope Oat) will provide for
you al! ? My fate is what I have expected,
therefore has not the effect it otherwise
would have. Yon, my dear, have thought,
when at times Ihare been from byme, 1
was enjoying myself; but ah! sad reverse !
God will forgive me every sin I have com
mitted; my only grief is parting from you,
and my dear family. We must, however,
have parted, for in this world oo true hap
piness is to be found!. God be praised that
this dreadful misfortune did not happen*
earlier in my life ; they will feel the trou
bles and disgrace more actually, but will
be better able to bear them then when
younger; this is a consolation in the midst
of my troubles. Mr. 8. the keeper of this
gaol will take care to send you whatever
belongs to me, for which he has my sincere
thanks. 1 have given orders for my fune
ral, which he will see done in a decent
manner. Receive this as my particular
desire, that you, nor any of the family, at
tempt to come to Horsham. If there is mo
ney left after every thing is paid, Mr. S.
will send it with my clothes. I beg you will
attend to this my request, and on no consid
eration go into mourning, as I wish to be
forgotten with my troubles. I have noth
ing, my dear, to leave, but what you will
dispose of as you think fit. [He then men
tions the money at Arundel, aa in the pre.
ceeding letter.] I know not what I say,
or write, a long life of affluence is pur
chased at a dear rate, If at the end we
have the trouble and misery I now feel. I
am looking at eternity, oh dread bourne! It
must not, cannot be so r I cannot, will not
be dragged*tore effifedtlwr? Oftf Oodfov
gtee, if there is pardon for crime of Judas,
V r *y grant it me* Oh God! the thought
of never meeting there I love, is not to be
borne, and I truck to a dreadful alternative.
Beath by my efen hands! The Lord be
Tnerciful upon say caul!
Then follows a vary tender and affection
ate letter to his eldest daughter, Jane,
with a letter to bis wife’s brother, Mr. Ben
nett.
Love your poor mother, sisters, and
brother, and the Lord will bless
Make them as comfortable as you can,
never mind difficulties; keep yourself
just and honest, and you will surely be hap
py. God of his infinite goodness bless and
protect you, and all my dear family'! What
little money I have left, Mr. S. the keeper
of this place, with whatever belongs to me,
will make up hi a parcel, and direct them
for your mother, to th* care of your uncle.
Whenever you want aivice, apply to him,
for he is a sincere frleld, and will advise
you for the heat May the Almighty pros
per him and all his feiqily. There is some
money of mine in thfebabds of Mr. Lane
of Arundel, If /could get ft lor your poor
mother, it would be of great use to you all;
*tis near fifty pounds; 1 shall write to him
about it, and hope for your sakes he will
return it. I shall wrim the particulars to
your uncle, who I know will advise your
mother for the best; forget not my last ad
vice to you, and never attempt to vindicate
my conduct in any shape, as the further
the inquiry goes, the more wtlfebe your
trouble. May the Almighty bless and pro
tect you, is the fervent prayer of your wick
ed and miserable father.
Another epkftfe to addressed to a clergy
man who had kindly attended him during
hie confinement* and to whom he returns
his most heartfelt thanks.
And lastly, c short, but pathetick ad
dress to his fellow-convicts, whom he re
emnmeuds to meet their fate with more
fbrtitude than he had been able to do.
The Coroner’s Jury having returned a
virdlct of /cJ4 de ee, on the body of the un
fortunate deceased, it was, on Thursday,
interred, attended by a large concourse of
commisoratingspectators, near a crossway
on Horsham Common.
and drenkerem to every stage; but as
I have wrote yas before oa these sub
jects, shell only say, remember *twas yoer
father’s destruction. I think you at present
know no games, therefore nevet learn any,
you may always find pastime much more
agreeable than gaming. When at leisure,
read that book I have copied lor you, and
the rest with attention, and you will find
much entertainment in itj it will Improve
you in your religious duties; oo no account
ever grow inattentive to religion ; for all
sin springs from a neglect of that, to my
shame and sorrow I know it.
Treble was a man of genteel appear
ai»cc aud address, was nearly sixty years
W. TREBLE.
Hortham, JuguetH, 1810.
TREBLE VO HIS WIFI.
The firmness and moderation of the vol
unteers who made the attack was fully
equal to the best disciplined troops.—
Whole companies are daily flocking to our
standard, and the harmony and patriotism
prevailing in the garrison must be highly
gratifying to every friend of his country.
Accept for yourself and your body, as
surances of my high esteem and regard.
(Signed) PHILEMON THOMAS,
Commander in Chief of the Fort qf
Baton Rouge and lie dependencies
The Honourable John Rhea, President
qf the Convention of West-Florida.
It is known to the world with how much
fidelity the good people of this Territory
have professed and maintained allegiance
to their legitimate Sovereign while any
hope remained of receiving from him pro
tection for their property and lives.—
Without making any unnecessary innova
tion in the established principles of the
Government, we had voluntarily adopted
certain regulations in concert with our
first magistrate for the express purpose of
preserving this Territory and shewing our
attachment to the Government which had
heretofore protected us. This compact
which was entered into with good faith on
our part, will forever remain an honourable
testimony of our upright intentions and in
violable fidelity to our King and Parent
Country, while so much as a shadow of
legitimate authourity remained to be ex
ercised over us—-We sought only a speedy
remedy for such evils as seemed to endan
ger our existence and prosperity, and were
encouraged by our Governour with solemn
promises of assistance and co-operation.—
But those measures which were intended
for our preservation, he has endeavoured
to pervert into an engine of destruction by
encouraging in the most perfidious manner,
the violation of ordinances sanctioned and
established by bimsqjf as the law of the
land.
Sin—ln obedience to the order of the
convention bearing date the 22d inst. I di
rected Major Johnson to assemble such of
the cavalry as might be ready at hand and
march immediately for the Fort of Baton
Rouge; I then proceeded to Springfield
where I found forty-four of the grenadier
company, commanded by Colonel Ballen
ger, waiting the orders convention;
at one o’clock in the moWng of the 23d,
we joined Major Johnson and Captain Grif
fith, with 21 of the Bayon Saco cavalry,
and five or six other patriotick gentlemen
joined us on our march ; at four o’clock the
same we’made the attack. My
orders were not to fire till we received a
shut from the garrison, and to cry out In
French and English " ground your armt,
and you ehall not be hurt f* this order
was strictly attended to by the volunteers
till we received a discharge of musketry
from the guard-house where the Govern
our was, which was briskly returned by the
volunteers; we received no damage on
our part; of the Governour’a troops. Lieu
tenant Louis Grand Pre was mortally
wounded, Lieutenant J. B. Metzgnes, com
mandant of artillery, was also wounded,
one private was killed and four badly
wounded; we took twenty-one prisoners,
among whom was Colonel Delassus, the
rest of the garrison escaped by flight. The
magazines, stores, &c. found io the garri
son have been reported to you by James
Neilson, Esq. who was appointed for that
purpose.
The various and complicated duties de
volving on me from the pressing circum
stances of the moment forbid a more minute
detail.
By the Repreeentativee of the people qf
Being thus left without any hope of pro
tection from the mother Country, by being
betrayed by a magistrate whose duty it
was to have provided for the safety and
tranquillity of the people and government
committed to his charge, and exposed to
all the evils of a state of anarchy, which
we. have so long endeavoured to avert; it
becomes our duty to provide for our own
security as a free and independent state,
absolved from all allegiance to a Govern
ment which no longer protects us.
We, therefore, the Representatives afore
said, appealing to the Supreme Ruler of
the world for the rectitude of our intentions,
do solemnly publish and declare the seve
ral districts composing this Territory of
West-Florida to be a free and independent
State, and that they have a right to insti
tute for themselves such a form of Govern
ment as they may think conducive to their
safety and happiness—to form treaties—to
establish commerce—to provide for their
common defence, and do all acts which
may of right be done by a sovereign and ih-
of age; anfe as appeared by one of hl
letters, baa formerly lived, we suppose a
a clerk, ajjthe house of Hankey and Co.
w. yesterday received by express the
following highly interesting Communica
tions:—
NATCHES, October 1.
Weet-Florida declared Independent.
Head-quartert, Fort qf Baton Rouge,
September 24.
23p tfe JfeaflK.
Wett-Florida,
A DECLARATION.
dependent nation. At the same time de
claring all acts within the said Territory
of West-Florida after this date, by any
tribunal or authourities not deriving their
powers from the people agreeable to the
provisions of this convention, to be null and ‘
void—and calling upon all foreign nations
to respect this our declaration, acknow
ledging our independence, and giving us
such aid as may be consistent with the
laws and usages of nations.
This declaration made in convention, at
**• town of Baton Rouge, on the 26th of
September, io the year of our Lord, one
thousand eight hundred and ten—We the
Representatives, in the name, and on be
half of our constituents, do hereby so
lemnly pledge ourselves to support with
our lives and fortunes.
JOHN RHEA, President.
(Signed) John H. Johnton,
John Millt,
John W. Leonard,
William Barrow,
Philip Hie by,
John Morgan,
Edmund Hawee,
Thomae
William Spiller.
• Andrew Steele, Set'ry.
t ; -,'4
posjscNZpr, <
Just as our paper was going to press, ww
were informed by a gentleman direct ftxku 4
the tqwn of Washington, that his Excel
lency David Holmes, Governcur of this
Territory, had received intelligence by an
express, that Colonel James Calller, of
Washington county, with a party of forty
or fifty men, had taken possession of th*
garrison and Spanish settlement on the
Mobille. We give this as we received it;
we cannot vouch for its authenticity. /
To this article the National Intelligencer
affixes the following remark:— ** We ain
cerely hope the intelligence conveyed in
this article is not to be relied on. If it be,
the precautions taken by government to I
prevent the evil will have failed of succcv. I
and those concerned in the enterprise may I
find themselves involved in very serious I
difficulty.” I
BALTIMORE, October 24. I
“ Get money, honeetly \f you can—but get I
money.** I
A few days since there died in a neigh- ■ I
bouring State a valuable merino—an artful I
fellow obtained possession of the akin; and * I
after preparing one of our common sheep I
for the purpose, neatly sewed ,it on—and ' I
then sold it for fifty dollars. The cheat, I
however, was soon discovered, and the in- I
genius maker of merinace conducted to his I
winter lodgings free of expense. > ' I
NEW-YORK, October 24. I
It is said, on the authority of letters front ft I
Washington, and we believe correctly, that I
Mr. Pinkney, our Minister at London, has I
written a letter to the Secretary of State, I
containing the strongest assurances that the ' I
British government will rescind the Orders I
in Council, as soon as it shall have bead. ; W I
ascertained that the Berlin and Mihtede-- I
crees have been repealed, by a suspension I
of their execution la Cases to which they ‘ I
have heretofore been applied. fl
The National Intelligencer, of Monday I
last, contains no other remarks on the cor-. H
respondence between Mr. Pinkney and I
Lord Wellesley, than, that the lettera are I
duplicates, and, (says the Editor,) to the I
hurry in copying must be attributed the I
circumstance of the letter from Mr. Pink- |
ney to Mr. Smith, and that from the Mar- I
quis Wellesly to Mr. Pinkney, appearing I
without date.” / H
October 30. H
From our Philadelphia Corrtefiondeni. I
A pilot has just-arrived/ who left tbb I
ship Caledonia, Leylor, 4o days from Lon—
don, below. He landed the letter-bag afel H
Messenger with despatches at New-Castfe. H
. London, September 12. I
Mr. Powell, the American Secretary of< H
Legation, who sailed on Sunday in a flag of
truce for Calais, has been obliged to return g|
to Dover, in consequence of the French re- I
fusing to let him land. After a shot had I
been fired upon the vessel from Calais, the H
Commissary came off, and told Mr. Postil |
that if the vessel attempted to enter the
harbour she would be sank. Mr. P. thdh H
directed the flag of truce to proceed to H
Boulogne, which she did, and made direct
ly for the harbour; but had nearly repent
ed this bold measure, for a heavy fire of
shot and shells was instantly opened upon H
her, and it was only by an immediate flight B
that the crew and vessel were saved from B
destruction. Mr. Powell, in consequence,
returned to Dover, where he arrived on S
Monday afternoon., B
Sir Francis Baring died the Uth of Sep- B
tember. B
The ship Cato, Horn, sailed from Lon*
don for New-York, (a full ship,) about the
time the Caledonia came away. B
UTICA, (N. Y.) October 10. , H
We are informed, that a small trian'gu*- ( |||
.for lot on the corner of Genesaee and
Wh'iteborough Streets, to this village, has H
been lately sold after the rate of three
hundred thoueand dollart an acre ; which |||
same land, twenty-five years since, might M
have been purchased for one dollar
acre ! ! ! M