The constitutionalist — Exeter, N.H., 1810-09-17 00:00:00, page 2

LISBON, JULY 31.
The news from the frontiers of Por
tugal, are glorious for the arms of our
country ; a great part of the proghos
tick that we published some time ago
begins to be verified, that is, that the
Portuguese troops would not disband
and disperse, when the enemy should
charge them, and that there would not
be renewed among us such scenes as
happened at Melchite an&Ocuna. And
the truth of it appears, aud will re
main for ever memorable in the annals
Os Portuguese glory, in the engage
ment of the 24th, at Coa: The follow
ing is a recapitulation of the events of
that day, collected from accounts of
some private letters. ,
General Loison, at the head of from
6 to 7000 men, 3000 of which were
cavalry, attacked Ponte, Where the
allies under the command of General
Crawford were fortified, to the num
ber from 4 to 5000 men with few
pieces of artillery, and 2 howitzers :
the attack was executed with rapidity
with a detachment of cavalry, in such
a manner that the sentries nearest to
the enemy, could not make their sig
nals in time, nor was the artillery able
to play with much effect: therefore
the battle was decided Varme blanche:
(with the sword, the sabre and the
bayonet:) the English and the battal
ion of Chasseurs of Villa Real, with
our regiment No. 9, performed great
' feats of arms ;so that though the*
enemy had attacked with an extraordi
& nary impetuosity, they saw their fury
checked, and having suffered consider
ably, they desisted from their endeav
¥ ours to force the passage of Ponte,
I which they left strewed with the dead.
■ They repeated three times the attack,
I and were as many times repulsed with
I great loss :we experienced some loss
on our part, owing principally to the
lardour of our troops, who in the last
lattack pursued the enemy very closely,
I daring to break thro' them ;in which
' they sustained the greatest force of their
fire. The French I6st from 7to 800
/ men ; our loss is not more than 373,
I - to 377 soldiers, and 25 officers of all
I grades. We took a number of pris
[oners, and it is said that many deser-
A ters came on our side.
} This is a specimen of the campaign
I opened on our frontiers : the enemy
BADAJOZ, JULY 26#
Our first corps of cavalry, .which
arrived at Truxillo, marched after
wards towards Caceres ; we are as
sured that the enemy are there in great
force, along the Tagus, on the side of
Almaraz ; we are making the most
energetick preparations in our a^my.
(Journal of Badajoz.)
BUENOS &YRES, MAY 26.
" News has reached town to day,
that a vessel arrived at Montevideo,
bringing a Spanish envoy with pro.
posals that the Infante, Charlotte de
Brazil, sister of Ferdinand VII. be
acknowledged as queen or regent of
South America. We shall see what
effect this news will produce. Should
it prove true, this princess has un
doubtedly a party in the country, and
it is possible that she may succeed, or
if not, that there will be a great deal of
blood spilt."
Extract from the French Official
Report of the Progress of the
Siege of Gindad Rodrigo.-,
“ From the 23d to the 24th of June
—Our sharp-shooters were annoyed
from the Convent of the Holy Cross.
At midnight, 300 grenadiers were as
sembled and divided into two columns;
the first consisting of 150 grenadiers
and 20 sappers, provided with hatch
ets, pickaxes, and 2 sacks of powder,
commanded by capt. Maltzen, of the
engineers, was to enter the Convent
by the rear, while the other column,
under the command of capt. Francois,
was to penetrate by the front. Capt.
Maltzen, after receiving a volley, which
did no mischief, arrived at the gate,
which he found barricadoed. He appli
ed his powder to it, blew it open, and
was the first to enter the Convent with
capt. Francois. They proceeded as
far as the second gate, which capt.
Maltzen also blew up. The Span
iards then, to the number of 200, a
bandoned the ground floor and retired
to the upper stories, from which they
kept up a very brisk fire. Capt Fran
cois received a musket ball, of which
he is since dead. At thh same time
capt. Maltzen received two shots; not
withstanding his wounds, he did not
retire from the scene of action, but or
dered the necessary preparations for
setting fire to the Convent. He did
not retire to have his wounds dressed
until he had seen the greater part of
the Convent in flames, and most of the
Spaniards who were in it enveloped
in the flames !"
FOREIGN.
Battle in Portugal.
NORFOLK, AUG. 29°
Recent advices from Cape-Francois,
inform that his sable Highness Chris
tophe, treats our flag with the same
jndignity, that his brother Emperor
does in Europe.—llis cruizers conduct
our vessels into his ports, where he
takes their cargoes at his own prices,
and pays, when and how he pleases.—
The British masters and supercargoes,
sell and purchase, in the best manner
they can, while the Americans are com
pelled to sell and receive payment, as
above stated. A seaman belonging to
a vessel from this port, having express
ed some indignation at this treatment,
was thrown into prison by Christophe's
orders, where he now lies. The prow
ess of our countrymen, since the mis
rule of philosophy, seems to be con
fined to toasts and orations, in which,
we are certain, they are the most ener
getic people upon earth.
must perceive by this, that they cinnot
gain an inch of our ground, without
its being stained with their blood.
—Rather die a thousand times than
admit the chains of a tyrant, who at
the same time that he sheds our inno
cent blood, affects to desire to render
us happy by compulsion. May the
blood of the Martyrs of the country
shed on the 24th, render the Deity
propitious to us, and join in the jus
tice of the cause that we defend. By
all these movements and operations of
the enemy, principally by the obsti
nacy it manifested in causing our great
advanced corps to repass Coa, it may
be inferred that the place of Almeida,
will be besieged by them ; —and per
haps it is now invested,, which they
could not do as Long as our troops
should remain beyond Coa. In regard
to that place, we know that it is in
the best state of defence possible ; it
has plenty of provisions, Ammunition,
a full garrison, sufficient to make a
long resistance : The Marshal of En
gineers, Mithias Jose Dias Azedo, had
made certain repairs that it wanted,
with the zeal and wisdom that char
acterize this Chief ; afterwards Brig
adier Cox, an officer on whom much
reliance is placed, took the command
of it ; therefore we expect that it will
be bravely defended, and with advan
tage ; especially when the allied army
isin the vicinity, ready to annoy at
every moment the besiegers, and take
advantage of any good opportunity
that should offer.
As a Mr. Pryer was descending the
Ohio river with a boat load of whisky,
he was so unfortunate as to get his
boat sunk in a violent storm on the
28th ultimo, near Wilkinson#ille.
When he had by his exertions regained
some barrels of his whisky, there came
12 Mohawk Indians and some squaws
and children in canoes, who abused Mr.
Pryer and took 12 barrels of his whis
ky, put it in their canoes and descended
the river. Mr. Pryer then returned to
fort Massack and informed the com
manding officer of the .treatment he re
ceived. A sergeant and 12 men were
dispatched with him iu pursuit of the
Indians ; they found them on the bank
of the Mississippi 20 miles above the
mouth of Ohio; when the chief dis
covered Mr. Pryer he drew his knife
and attempted to stab him—Mr. Pryer
was making the best defence he could
when the sergeant raised his gun & shot
his antagonist and ordered a fire on the
rest; they killed four, ^nd wounded as
many more; the remainder fled precipi
tately to the woods.—This combat
took place on the 13th of July/
Were it not for fear of the British
ships, these seas would swarm with
French privateers, so as to put an end
to the American trade." What a glo
rious, thing it is to be independent,
like the U. S. A. and to be protected
from our su pereminent friends by our
enemies !
A manuscript containing the follow
ing statement was handed the editor
on Tuesday by a gentleman from Liv
ingston county, he has heard it confirm
ed by other authority. If this should
be true we fear that our red brethren
will continue the hostility they have
commenced
The L'Epine again —Once more
the French privateer schooner L'Epine
is in the custody of the Custom-House
officers. She sent in her prize, the
ship Alert, with 153 slaves, a short
time ago, and her officers, we presume,
have come to attend to the sale of theship
& cargo. It is said that she is no longer
a privateer, that her commission or
license has expired, and that she now
enters our waters as an innocent mer
chantman.
LATE INDIAN ENGAGEMENT.
BUSSELVILLE, KT. JULY 27.
18, tbew^
NEW ORLEANS, JUEY 25.
" GOTTENBURG JUNE 9.
* This same Spaulding has been resident
in Portsmouth fora length of time, and
sailed out of this port for a number of years.
PENNSYLVANIA.
philAd. ^ept. 3, 1810.
Extract of a letter dated Georgetown,
Aug. 23, 1810.
>" We had a duel the other day at
Bladensburgh, between Rixon Stone,
Esq. of Frederick, and Mr. Gwyn,
an officer in the navy. The occasion
of it originated at Frederick. Mr.
Stone, while at dinner, said that the
federalists were a parcel of coward*,
that were there occasion to tight,
they wo^ld be the last to turn out,
& that there was not one of them in the
navy fit to wear a button. Mr. Gwyn
rose from the table, went to the bar,
and wrote a note to Stone. The
latter came immediately, and was told
by Gwyn, that he had behaved very
unbecoming the character of a gentle
man. The reply bf Stone was, that
he had not observed Gwyn present,
that if he had, he shoald not have said
[There are 15 subscribers to this pa
per, whose names we omit on their
own account, for as sure as Master
Spaulding sees their complaints, as
certain would he have them tucked up ]
The situation of the United States
is at present truly singular, nor can we
believe it can be matched in history e
ven from the creation. Like one soli
tary honest man surrounded by a com
munity of thieves and assassins, she
deals justly and impartially with all.
Between the strong arm of power and
the little finger of insignificance, she
makes not the slightest distinction ; for
which magnanimous and truly noble
line of conduct, in addition to the con
solation which it imports to her, she
has the good luck to have her purse ri
fled and her nose tweaked by every
dirty little thief who can wield a scim
itar, or cock a pistol. ,We have so
frequently expressed our indignation
at the tyrannical and bandit-like con
duct of the European nations towards
our citizens without witnessing any ef
fort of government to put a stop to it,
and the same conduct being often re
peated with impunity, that we are fair
ly tired of commenting on it; we hold
our tongues like good citizens, resol
ving to submit to it with resignation,
since it cannot be remedied. « What
is, is right," says Pope.—But is it
right that an unprincipled ruffian should
purchase a vessel in our ports, inveigle
a number of American citizens to navi
gate her, falsly swearing to them that
they are destined, to Barracoa, while
his intentions is to make for C. Fran
cois, which he carries into effect, sells
the vessel to his patrons & colleagues,
the negroes, and is invested with the
command, and a commission to plun
der under the new orders, while the
crew on refusing to continue with
him are conducted by a black guard,
to aloathsome prison, where they are
near perishing with hunger. Their
detestable tyrant, to induce them to
ship with him again promises them
that they shall be at liberty to quit
him at the end of three months. The
time expires, and they demand their
wages which is refused ; some of them
venture to remonstrate, they are
stript and scourged like the vilest crim
inal, and threatened with an ignomin
ious death !—Much have we suffered
from insult and robbery ; but when
we see the lives and property of our
citizens daily falling a sacrifice to the
cruelty and rapacity of every piratical
ruffian, we think forbearance is des
picable. It is to be hoped, that the
armed vessels now in commission, will
be directed to exterminate the swarms
of picaroons that prey upon our com
merce, and in some measures, wipe
the stain our " forbearence" has en
tailed on us.
A list of American seamen detained
in Christophe's service against their
will by capt. Spaulding,* who shipped
us at Baltimore on board the brig Lou
isa for Barraccoa, but instead of which
he went to Cape Francois, where he
sold the brig to Christophe, and imme
diately entered as captain ; and upon
our refusing to enter the service, we
were thrown into gaol and nearly star
ved ; after being kept there some time
we were taken out under a guard of
black soldiers and forced on board the
brig, when Spaulding promised to dis
charge us at the expiration of three
months ; after the time was out we ask
ed him if he would be so kind as to
perform his promise, when he directly
tied those who spoke up, and gave
each of them a round dozen on the
bare back, and threatened' them with
the fore-yard for themext offence, as
he called it.
We whose names are subscribed,
hope the heads of their country will
take our deplorable situation into con
sideration, and liberate us from a ser
vice where we are forced to assist in
capturing our fellow citizens.
From the Norfolk Herald.
The following was handed us by the
mate of the schr. Dash. We give it as
we received it.
"The United States now at differ
ence with Great Britain, carrying to
a reprehensible excess their laws of
Neutrality, admit French vessels in
their ports. Thither disembark and
thence are fitted out those vile emissa
ries, who are destined to stab to the
heart every loyal Spaniard. These are
just motives of complaint ; just reason
to distrust that government, impotent
in all political relations, both interior
and exterior. This however should
not excite in us the least apprehension.
Those states which call themselves u
nited, are only so in the name and title
of their acts. Parties convulse that
beautiful country. Should their gov
ernment have the madness to commence
hostilities with England, the signal
of a most bloody civil war is already
given in their public papers and their
speeches in congress. But even admit
ting that they should throw an indeli
ble stain upon thdir glory, and blast
their fame forever ; that committing a
most horrid treason to their principles
of civil liberty, they should unite with
our execrable enemies in the base de
sign of enslaving us, even there their
assistance would be useless, and we
would defy the efforts of so iniquitous
a coalition.# 3
Os this the tyrant is well aware and
has therefore given out in his ministeri
al papers, that he has no design to rule
over our American provinces. Wjth
a vain shew of generosity, giving what
NEW-YORK
NEW-YORK, SEPT. 3, 1810.
Letters from France state, that noth
ing can exceed the anger which Bona
has exhibited on the continued loss of
his Colonies. He has ordered the gov
ernors, Commanders, &c. to be tried,
and if they escape afusilade, they will
be extremely lucky. He has not one
colony left in America. St. Martins,
surrendered on the 15th of February
last, to Gen Beckwith. —An extra
ordinary circumstance attended this
event. Because the British command
er would not agree to one of the arti
cles of the proposed capitulation, the
Dutch governor, in an angry fit, sur
rendered the island unconditionally,
thereby leaving the interests of the col
onies wholly unprovided for. We
learn that no advantage was taken by
the British commander of this foolish
freak, and the terms allowed to Guade
loupe were bestowed on them. St.
Eustatius (the last possession in the
West-Indies which owned Napoleon
for its master) surrendered the 25th
February, to Gen. Harcourt.
A Fredericksburg paper states that
a warrant had lately been issued against
Simon Sexsmith, for a violent breach
of the peace, who armed himself with
a gun, bayonet ^d two pistoles, de
termining to kill,or be killed before he
should be taken. The sergeant of the
corporation, according to order, as
sembled a posse comitatus, and at
tempted to take him-—he fired and
wounded a Mr. Beck, whose arm was
consequently amputated. He was fir
ed upon in return, wounded, taken
and commited. He received several
shot in his head, but is expected to re
cover.
what he did, as he did not mean any
personality. Gwyn said, that the e
vasion Was not satisfactory. Gwyn
came to Georgetown, and Stone was
told, that he ought to challenge and
fight him. This he accordingly did,
a duel ensued. Stone was wounded
in the abdomen, and died yesterday."
South ' America,—The Freeman's
Journal of yesterday, Contains a trans-,
lation of a long Manifesto of Don
Antonia Gonzalez, Governor and
Captain-General of the Kingdom of
Guatemala, in South America. The
Manifesto is written with spirit and
shows that liberty is better understood
in that country than many imagine.—
There is no fear that Napoleon will
ever conquer South America, whatever
he may do with old Spain. The South
Americans appear to adhere to the
rightful sovereign of Spain ; but it may
easily be perceived, from their writings
that they have no idea of future abject
submission to the former tyranny of the
country. —They are prepared tb assert
their rights, and no doubt should Fer
dinand ever ascend the throne of Spain,
but that those rights will be guaranteed
to subjects so faithful as those in South
America.
We have not room for the whole of
the Manifesto, but we could not for
bear extracting that part which relates
to the U. States. From this our rea
ders will learn what opinion our neigh
bors have of us, who pretend to be
advocates for universal liberty ; and
yet suffer a tyrant to make use of us
as tools to enslave a people who are
struggling for freedom.
The establishment of the National
intelligencer has been transferred to
Joseph Gales, jun. by Samuel Harri
son Smith, its former proprietor.
THE EXTRACT.
cien Bonaparte intends to emigrate to
America. This is not improbable—
Napoleon is undoubtedly meditating the
A Quarter-master, who deserted
from the French service in consequence
of being degraded, it is said, has put
himself at the head of between four
and five hundred Spaniards, and deser
ters from the French army; ^d with
thatforce be occupies several passes
on the road between, Burgos and Vit
toria, and has been very successful in
cutting off convoys, and intercepting
communications of every description.
This Quarter-master who was a Mem
ber of the Legion of Honour, and is
described as a man of great courage
and enterprize, has, for months, eluded
the vigilance of strong parties sent to
arrest him; and though a reward of
20,000 livres has been offered for his
head, no one has been base enough to
betray him. <# +,%
MASSACHUSETTS.
BOSTON, SEPT. 11.
Extract from an intercepted letter,
dated Madrid, May 28, authenti
cated by Cul. Carrol.
" The inhabitants of Algodonales
being in a state of insurrection, and
having fortified their houses, and
having rejected all the propositions
that were made to them to return to
their duty, Marshal Soult ordered a
column to march against them, who
destroyed all their habitations, -and re
duced the town to a heap of ruins !
A strong party of the inhabitants of
Grayulerna has also been destroyed.
The Marshal declares, that other pla
ces shall shortly undergo the same
punishment, if they do not hasten to
submit to King Joseph. The Marshal
published a proclamation the 7th of
this month, by which the nature of the
war in the South is quite changed.
He declares that there exists no other
army of Spain but that of King Jo
seph, aud that consequently all the
parties which exist in the provinces,
whatever may be their number, and
whoever may command them, shall be
treated as banditti, who have no other
object but that of stealing and assas
sinating. All the individuals of these
bands, who shall be taken with arms
in their hands, shall be shot, and their
bodies exposed on the highways."
imperial brother better on a throne in
America. We have already many
French military officers in our coun
try —if we only had a king or two, a
government under the auspices of Na
poleon might be patched up at a few
days warning.— New York Ev. post-
NEW-YO*IK, SEPT. 4.
French Robbery.
The rapines committed by Bona
parte on American property within
his dominions, have occasioned great
distress in this City, and will probably
be followed by numerous bankrupt
cies. Some of our Insurance offices,
if prevalent reports may be relied on,
arc committed, much beyond their cap
itals, on the property which Napoleon
has already seized, and the proceeds
of which, we may now conclude, are
in the Imperial case of death. It
hence follows, in reason as well as fact,
that caution, fashioned to the existing
circumstances of gloom and depression,
is observed by our Banks, and the ef
fects of this caution, so well grounded
and prudent, may be much more easily
perceived than described.
erection of many tributary kingdoms
on this western continent at somefutu re
day. Aud it would be consistent with
his policy to send us a few kings in ad
vance. Louis, who lately abdicated
the throne of Holland, may please his
On Saturday the 25th ult. the High
Sheriffofthe city, & county of Albany,
visited the County Prison in this city,
and in company with his deputies and
goaler, proceeded to throw open all
the doors connected with the Debtors'
Aparimerri, Th^re not being a single
person in said prison confined for
debt! A circumstance ^ost grateful
to the philanthropic and DciQolent
mind, and which, perhaps, has not a
parallel in any country of the same
population within the United States.
Alb. Gaz.
But we will be free, insolent monster,
free from thy iniquitous power; free
from thy base artifices. We will fol
low the path, that our reason, un
clouded by sophisms, shall direct, and
act as Spaniards should in the cruel sit
uation to which thy infamy has re
duced us."
paper states that it is reported that Lu-
he neither possesses nor has any hopdx
to obtain, he says that he will grant to
us our liberty, if we wish it, but on
condition, that we make no treaties
with England. Can the logic of ty
rants couple together liberty and sub
jection ? Is that individual or nation
free, which cannot have intercourse
with whomsoever she may think prop
er ?
The Bonapa rtes.—A London