Virginia Argus — Richmond, Va., 1810-06-19 00:00:00, page 2

i&itgmu Acgu3.
RICHMOND,
TUESDAY/iuMB 19, 1*1 a
The arrival of the John Adams from
France, confirms the Intelligence of
the fate of American property. His
imperial mjcstv, caroming with his
new bride, has not time to attend to the
requisitions of justice ; but the Imperi
al pirate could, even whilst he was
wooing his Austrian spouse, furl a
moment to confiscate our property and
consign the proceeds to his caiste pri
9et~~\to the hollow co apartments of his
private iron chest. I > point of v llai*
r.y there 13 nothing to comp >re to this
atrocious act of B >napurte*s except
the seizure of <he Dt dsh fl-'et by the
IftiHs' . These two acts of piracy
vili stan 1 upon rrcnr 1, lasting proofs
Of the knavtry of kings.
On tha part'd both of the bellige
rent powe s there is an indifference to
wards the United States, uh ch seems
to *3>, 4 We are satisfied that things
should remain as they are if you are
ratified.1 And well they may,bv the.r
upadiytoour remonstrances, indicate
such a efirpositinn, since we have been
willing to bear iu Anaeri an citizens
have been insu!t< d, murder d. robbed,
• and ridicu ed: We liave been smote
on the cue cheek and on the other ;i
and, so complete has been o- r dis *rac J
that it would puzz'e European inge u
Itv “to find out -a spot w ich is devoi i
of a a ain. This has all be-n occasion*
ed by d**par ing from the embargo
system—by attending to tory talk a id
federal clamor— by Congrss neglect
4i>gthe president's admonitions. Th ink
God! our national Executi\e is siill
pure and undented—none of the sin
rests wi'h him; and ’t we retrieve
■our charaoter within, a year, we may
thank -the prtaideat for it aaij not the
late Congress.
•for 4he Virginia Argus.
thecaraccas revolution.
The revolution which has broken out
at Cv<raccHs is considered by most peo
pfe who talk publicly on the topic, to
Dr. the precursor to the g^oeral erne- ci
pali m of the Spanish South American
• provinces, as well as those in North
America. Of the correctne s of such
aa opinion there has not been received
sufficient inhumation to enable us to
dccid%
The mere revolt at C iraccas will be
cf no av -if, unless it be followed up in
the interior of the country, fiom which,
** yet, wt have received no authentic
intr'Higtncc.
Wr,, of rhe Utiited States, are aptto
fie enthusiastic in our notions of any in- '
iil rection in favor of fr do n. We
rt collect the achievements of our coun
try men; we have felt the benefits of
liberty ; and with a spi-it truly philan
thropic we are desirous that other com
munities of the human race should ex
ptrirncc the same blessings.
Tha; all men, of all climates, should
enjoy their personal rights, and esta
blish free municipal institutions, is
most devoutly to be wished: but that
every state of society 13 susceplible ui
realizing the temperate and Liberal
system under which we live is extreme
ly doubtful; and in no instance is that
doubt stronger than in the one before
Hr.
The inhabitants of the Anglo Arne-'
rican province* who asserted and won
their independence from the British
»-mpire were a peculiar people. 1 he
intellectuil complexion oJ tue popula
tion wafe chiefly republican. No order
ol nobles, or casts, or clashes had ex
isted among them; and they were in
general strangers to the baubles and
trumpery’ of royalty.
Religion, likewise, was tolerated a
mong us under almost any Christian
form of worship; for, if it was dis '
countenanced hi a particular mode in
one state, it was c-.rt.tio 10 find a fa
voralrte rer-ptinn in *n >ther.
This if wry far from being the case
in Spanish America. It has uniformly
been the policy of the monarchy of,
Spain to keep up in its colonies the
same '-plt-udor, and, if possible, more 1
f an has bern maintained at Madrid.1
Ideas of distinct orders in the commu
nrtv have heroine familiar to the inha
bitants, -mil the predominancy of the
Roman Church is, we apprehend, so
f.nnly established as to preclude the
1. >pc of speedy toleration f«*r any o
titer.
I here will be three separate a»»d
pa vcrtul intercuts to reconcile and pro- I
vide h*r in the formation of a consti- '
tut:on for the Spanish woloni. s, to
wit:
The clergy, which we pres tme to be
piranoant*
Tb.i ne iv s. who are, p.-rhaps, the
sreo^d tu b»flu,;(,ce ; kq | in a||‘ |,keli
bood ft. >t in physic-d power
And the lay nobles, who mtyb*,'in
general, supposed to occupy the vari
ous posts in the colonial government.
If the influence of the clergy pre
vails (in case of aa entire revolution)
the political insti utioas of ihe country
will not, we presume, be favorable to
a free form of government.
if the lay nobility shoul-l retain the
ascendant, it will probably be occasion
ed by their calling the people to their
a d to repress the power of the priests;
and, in such cas-, the people may be
duly considered in ihe organization of
a new g overnment.
Bu the chief hope for, pefqaanent
liberty Testa upon the intelheCt;tfhhh
may, by a revolution, be struck' Outof
the mass of population. If ihe people
at large have understanding end rgh to
overcome old prejudice*, virtue sutfi.::
ent to introduce a tolerant spirit itf re
I gious matters, and energy enough to
vindicate their own cause against both
priests and nobles, there may be esta*
blised a form of government which
nay render the inhabitants tolerably
happy* Every thing dep n !s upon the
inteligence au l vigor of the mass.
We may hooe — bat it would be a
folly to reason from mere hope*. It
is difficult for c immioi iei to shake off
old modes of thinning and acting—md
the chance in greater that, if inJrpen
dence be effe t:d at all, t^ere wiil be
a monarchical form of givernmenc in
iroduced and supported than that there
vill be a repuplic in one. In this e- !
ent, if will be wt-Ii for the citizens of
the United States to reflect mst ur- ly
upon rhe consequences which may ul
timately flow from the int.’oduc.ion of
monarchical government, wt h all its
European maxims, in o tnis continent,
and on out frontier. It is very ques
tionable whether it will not lie better for
the United S .ates that the colonial sys
tem should exist, than that an inde
pendent mon Tchy should be estaolish
ed in our country*
W:th the leadiner feature of the in
surrectjon at C i race as we are pleased,
The populace have exhibited neither a
r otous disposition nor a cruel temper,
as ar as we ca i a certa . T i~y have
preferred the mo e huma e method
of transporting the officers ofthp Spa* j
nish crown to a neutral countrv to that
of solitary confinement or death. 1 his
fact gives us a favourable ic!e iff the I
Spaniards of America in co ».p irison
with those of Europe, the laitt r hav
ing, in vindicating their o vn liberties,
been guilty 6i the most a.rocious cx«
cesses.
Washington CirT June 13.
THE JOHN ADAM* aR UViiD.
VVe are at length enabled 10 announce !
ntifh certainty the arrival of -he John !
Adams, at Annapolis, afer a1 ng and j
bo-s'erous passage, She kft Havre the '
24 h of April and met with almost a con. '
'tam'succession of westerly wmdi during
the v >yage.
Captain Fenwick, the bearer of despatch
es from dPran.-er, arrived in this city list
evening. The contents »l the rfe patches
have not trenspi’ed*
We learn from Cap ain Fen wok, that
Ce e-al Armstrong our mino er iu
fiance, bad proposed re urrhng io he U.
S ates in the John Adam-, bu had f .md
her accomm da ;*mt ioconvtn en for his
family li w<u understood tint he had
»'Uen his passage in a vessel to sail from
foourdeau*, and indeed ha part ol his
baffK-'g~ had bten aiiea ly t rwarded to
:ha place.
Capt. Faow ck brings no continental j
news of importance, vh ch has not been |
anticipated by other arr>v<i| .
From the Nation tl Intelligencer Extra,
ofJune 14.
Ljndom, Feb. 19, 1810.
srR,
I received on the 12th instant by
Mr. Po v I, whom £ had arm some
time before to France, a letter from
Gen ral Arms»ong, of whicn :» n- pv
is enclosed , and, keeping in vie v the
instructions contained in your letter to
me of the 11th of November las, I
have written to Lord Wellesley, t > en
quire whether any, and, if any, whd
hlockadts of France, ins'ituted by
Great Britain during the present war,
before the 1st of January, 1397, are
understood here to be i.i f~rre. A
copy of my letter to Lord Wellesley
is enclosed.
It is not improbable that 'his oflSci il
enqui-y will produce a declarati n, i"
answer to it, that none of those block
ades me iu force; and I should pre
sume that such a declaration will be
received in France as s >b >tanti<dl.‘ sa
tisfying the condi'ion au^oa ccd to
me by General Armstrong. *
I am not aware that this subject
could have been brought before the
British government in any oth'tr fur n I
than that which i have chosen. I
would not, I thi.ik, have been proper
to have applied for a r vocation of th-t
olotka *«-• in quesricn (at least before i
»♦ ii ascertained tha* they are in txis. i
Uttctj or to have professed, m my 1st* i
ter to Lord Wellesley, to found upon
General Arms rong'a communication ,
mv enquiry as to their actual statu. I 1
have, however, supposed it to be in*’
dispensable (and have acted according
ly) that I should explain to Lord Wel
lesley, in conversation, the probabili
ty afforded by General Armstrong’s
letter, that a declaration by this go
vernment, to the effect above menti
oned, would be folio .red by the recall
of the Berlin decree. v
I cannot, perhaps, expect to Teceive.
from Lord Wellesley an ans wer to my
letter, in time to send a copy by the
John Adams, now in the Covrns or at
Portsmouth; but I will send it by an
early opportunity, and will take care
that General Armstong shall be made
acquainted with it wi.h ut delay.
1 have the honor to be,
With gteat connsideration,
Sir,
Your most obedient
Humble servant,
W4. PINKNEY.
P. S. March 2$, ’1810- 'Since the
writing of th.s letter Lord Wellesley
has sent me the answer (of the 2d in
stantj of which a copy is now enclos
ed. It was not satisfactory, and I
pointed out its deficiencies to Lord
Wellesley in conversation and pro
posed to him that I should write-him
another letter requesting explanations.
He assented to this course, and I have
written him the letter of the 7th in
stant, of which also acopy'is enclosed.
His re ly has been promised very fre
quently, but has not yet been receiv-,
ed. I have reason to expect that it
will be sufficient; but I cannot think
of detaining the Corvette any longer.
The British packet will fur ish me
with au opportnity of forwarding it
to you ; and I will send Mr. Lee with
k to Paris, by the way of Moriaix.
1 have the honor to be, &c.
Wm. PINK MR V.
The Hon.R. Smith, Jko.
(COPY.)
From General Armstrong to Mr Pink*
ney.
Paris, 25 January, 1810.
Sir,
A letter from Mr. Secretary Smith
of the 1st of D temper last, made it
my duty to enquire of his h.xcedency
the Duke of Cadore, what were the
conditions on which hia Majesty the
Emper >r would annul his.decree, com*
monly called the B-riiu d crce; and
whether, if Great Britain revoked her
blockades of a date anter;»r to that de
cre-, his Majes y would consent to re
voke the said decree ? To these ques
tions I have this day received the
following answer, which I hasten to
toivey to you by a special messen*
g r*
ANSWER.
“lTie only condition required for
the revocation by htS Mujes.y the E n* I
peror of the decree of Beilin, will be
a pr. vious revocation by the British
g ivernment of her blockades of France
or part f France, (such as that from
the E be to Brest, &c.) of a date ante
rior to that of the aforesaid decree.”
1 ha\ e the honor to be,
With very high respect, &c,
(Signed)
JOHN ARMSTRONG.
(COPY.)
Great Cumberland Place,
February 15,1810.
Mr Lor.n.
In pursuance of the intimation
which I had the honor to give to your
Lordship a lew days ago, I beg to
trouble yotir Lordsh p with an en-pii- )
rv, whether any, and if any, which i
hi *ckades of Pr .nee, instituted Ly
CL eat Britain during the present war,
b< fore the 1 t day of J tnuary, 180/,
h c understood by his majesty’s go
vernment to be in force. I am not
able present to specify more than
oue of the blockades to which this cn
rjMry applies; nanely, that from the
Line to Brest, declared in May, 1806,
an] afterwards limited an! modified;
but I shall be much obliged to your
Lordship lor precise information as to
the whole.
I have the honor to be.
With the highest considera
tion,
My Lord,
Your Lordship’s most obedient
Humble servant,
(Signed)
Wm. PINKNEY.
rhe most noble
The Marquis Wellesley, &c. 8cc.
Foreign OTice, March 2, 1810.
Sir,
I have the honor to acknow
e lge the receipt of >our note of the
.fteenth ultim /, wherein you request
o >e informed whether any, and, if;
in>, what blockades of France insti
ute 1 by Great Britain during the pre
lent war, bef >re the first day of Janu
•ry, IS07, arc understood by his .VIa- !
jestj-’s govern ntnl in force t
have now the honor to acquaint you,
that the coast, rivers, and pom from
the river Elbe to Brest, both inclusive,
were notified to be nn ler the restric
tions of blockade, with certain modifi
cations, on the 16th of May, 1806 *
and that these restrictions were after
ward-; comprehended in the Order pf
Council of the 7th of January, 1807,
which order is still in force.
1 have the honor to be.
With great consideration.
Bir, *
Your most obedient,
Humble servant,
(Signed)
WELLESLEY.
William Pinkney, Esq.
(COPY.)
Great Cumberland Place,
7th March, 1810.
My Lord,
I have had the honor to receive
your Lordship’s answer, of the 2d in
stant, to iny letter of the 15th of last
month, concerning the blockades of
France institute* by Great Britain du
ring the present war before the 1 it dav
of January, 1807.
I infer from that answer that the
blockade notified byG. Britainin May
1806, from the Elbe to Brest, is not
its If in torce, and that the restrictions,
which it established, rest altogether,
so far as such restrictions at this
time, upon an Order or Orders in
Council issued since the first day of
January, 1807.
I infer also either that no other
blockade of France was instituted by
Great Baitain during the period above
mentioned, or that, if any other was
instituted during that period, it is not
now in force.
May I beg your lordship to do me
the honor to inform me whether these
inturprinua n __I If I_
---- v -w. . «uu, 4* IUWI 1CLI,
IQ what respects they are so*
•I have the honor to be,
With the highest consideration,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient,
humble servant, j
(Signed)
Wm. PINKNEY,
The most noble
The Marquis Wellesley,
&c. Stc. &c. ,
Extract of a letter from Mr. Pinkney
to Mr, Smith, dated March 27,
1810.
441 have the honor to enclose a co.
py of Lord Wellesley’s reply to my
letter of the 7th instant respecting ,the
British blockades of France before the
Berlin decree.
“ I do not think it of such a na*ure
as to juitify an expectation that Gene,
ral Armstrong will be aide to make a
ny use of it at Piris ; but I shall ne
vertheless convey to hun the substance
of it witrvo.it dc.ay.”
Foreign Office, March 2Gth, 1810.
Sir,
I have the honor ta acknowledge
the receipt of jour letter of the 7ch.
instant, requesting a further explana
tion of my letter of the 2d, concerning '•
the blockades of Prance instituted by
G. Britain during the present w r, be
fore the h-st day of January, 1807.
The blockade, notified by Great-Bri
tain in May, laO>, has never been
formally withdrawn ; it cannot there.,
fore be accurately stated, th^t the rd**
strictions, nhich it established, rest
altogether on the Order of Council of
the 7th nf I jninrv 1 anv • iL><> i
comprehended uader the more exten
sive restrictions of that order. No
other blockade of the ports of France,
was instituted by GreauBritain be
tween the 16th of May, 1805, and the
7iti of January, 1807, excepting the
blockade of Venice, instituted on the
27th of July, 1896, which is still in
force.
I beg you to accept the assurances
of high consideration, with which I
have the honor to be, sir,
Your most o'>«dieut
humble servant,
(Signed; WELLESLEY.
William Pinkney, E34.
8cc. &c. &r.
London, Monday, 2 April, 1810.
Sin—I had the honor to receive on
Saturday last (by Dr. Logan in the !
Briti&h Packet; your letters of tn? !
20th Jan. and 16th Febj^rtrv.
I have only time to fl^that I am
to see Lord Wellesley to-m*rrow.
I have the honor to be, with grrat'
consideration, sir9 your most obedient |
bumble servant,
WAI. PINKNEY.
The hon. Robert Smith,
See. &c. See.
Copy of a letter from Gen. Armstrong
to the Duke of Cadore, dat-d Pari*
2In Fob. 1810.
The minister Plenipotentiary of the
LJnitcd States has the honor to sub
mSt to His Excellency the Duke of
Cadore the copy of a letter this instant
received from Bayonne, nod begs from
him an explanation of the circu-nsuu*
ces mentioned in it.
41 l he Ministerial. dispatch under
date of the 5th inst. is arrived at St.
Sebastian, bearing an order for the
immediate transportation, in small ves
sels, of all the sequestered American
■cargoes, to Bayonne, to be placed in
the Custom-house there. This news
is public at St. Sebastian ; but what is
not so as yet, is, that the same order
says,
44 1st. That these cargoes are to be •
seat to Bayonne, whether the conano
moditi ?s of which they are composed,
may have come from English com-’
meree or from the produce of the soil
of the United States.
44 2ily. That they should be sent to
the Cuitom.Hou8S of that place to be
sold there.” .
The Minister Plenipotentiary offers
to His Excellency the assurances of
his high'consideration.
(Signed)
JOHN ARMSTRONG.
General Armstrong to Mr Smith,
Paris, lath Feb. lalO.
Sir,
I wrote a few lines to yon yesterday an
nouncing the receipt a .d transmission oT
a c >py of i he Duke of Cadore’i note to me
of the 14 h inst. «■
Af'er much serious reflexion I have
thought it best to forbear all notice at
Pri?P'U of tbe crrors» ■* well of fa£l as
of^irgmnent, which may be found in (h«
immriufiWy part of that note ; tu take the
M.nisier at his word-; to enter at once
upun the proposed negiciatien, and. for
this purpose to offer to him a pmjael |0r
renewing the conven ion of |800.
This mode will have the advanta*** of
irymg the sincerity of the overtures mads
by him, cud perhaps of d awing from him
the precise terms <>o which his m*st£fc
will accommodate. If these be such as we
ought to accept^ we snail have » Treaty
in whiah neither our rights nor our wrong*
will be forgotten / if mhsrw.»e, the-c wiil \
be enough, both of time ah i 'occasi »o*
to do jus.ice to their poll y ind oar own,
by a free examination of eac i«
I have tho Honor to be*
Sir,
vith very great re-peffl,
Your most obedient and
very humble *e;v-nt_ .*
(Signed)
JOHN ARMSTRONG*
ILanorable Robert Smim.
Extract of a letter to the same from the
same.
“ 10th March.
I have at leng*h received a vtr*
bil message in answer to my no1* of the
21st ult. u wan from the Ministerol for.
eign k: a.ions, and in the following words t
“ His M ije tv ha3 decided to sell th*
American property seised in Spain, bat
the mon. y aistng therefrom shail remain
in depot ’’ This message has given oc.
casion to a Ic&r from nac marked No.
jj®\) :h March, 18la.
1 bad ycs-crljf the honor of re*
caving a verbal from your eX«
Ce'lency, *ta mg,inn *• his msjisi'y hid
decided, that thyAmerica» property serz.
ed m the por VotSpain sh.ulJ be sold,
but that tho Jfn mey a ising ifcercfro.il
should remain in depot.’* '*» *v
On receiving this information* two qubs*
tions suggested themselves
1st. Whether this decision was, or was
not, ex ended to shtpv, as well as to car*
cm s?s,u
whether the money arising fenm
ihe sales which might bs ms I; under it,
would, or would not^ be su ijer.l ta the
issue of the pending n-gociat on f
rhegentUimM charged with th* deliv.
er7 ~°* y°»r message not hiving been in.
stmeted tr» answer these qiestium, it be«
o>mes m» difty to present them to your
wcccIlegcuL and to requ st a sola i »n of
lHcm* It less a duty, on my part,
to ,exam>ne -me groun I on which hi* mi
jesty has been pleised to take this decisU
on, which I un Icrstand to be that of repri.
sal, suggested for th first tuns in the note
you dul me the honor to write to me on tbe
14lh ult. fn the 4th paragraph of this note
t is said, that “ H s majesty could not have
calculated on the measures taken by the
United States, who, hivioj no grounds of
complaint against Prance, have conprijeJ
her in th-ir acts of exclusion, and since the
month of May last h ive prohibited Use en.
tiy into their porta of french vessels, by
•objecting them to confiscation."
It is true that the U. States hav? since
the 3uth of May last forb dden the entry
nr French vessels into their harbors— and
it is MiaOtruc that Uie peoslty of coofiica.
turn attaches to the violation of th * livs,'
ivitin wh.it resprCi d >e* his <>ff*nd France {
Wld *>»© refuse to us,the rignt of re^u'S'..
coaim-tcr with n our portsf Or will
»tie d ;ny th.t tue hw i.s qnstttori is nr'.
guUtion merely -auncipdf Extuimo it
•oth as to ooject anti m^tns-r.-riy. 4 i,s ,t 1
n.ore than forbid A n. i can a.1-03 bn ecu ▼
ing into the pnr*s of Fr,. i~i. m.l F'ccoh
ih.ps freat cnrnioy into th. sc of the Unite l
{ Anti w :jr ti| a prutiihman f T<*
sr.ml injury ar,d insult , tons^sjH that
iuWiosncss, wij.c i is c’.-cla r*t t<» be» «% J
fOrc. ti cvM^.jneace of tne derm* *ith« i
b> i sh council. If then iucbjftt oe p'/re.
y ' -tenstva, what air. « ipeansf * limply
* ,aw* previously 4 vj . - •Ki ally pnmolgat*
"Perking solely Within tne territory of
the U. States, and pun -.siting alike th» m*