Virginia Argus — Richmond, Va., 1810-10-26 00:00:00, page 2

1— tH.g ■ ii
FOREIGN NEWS.
New-York, Oct. 19:'
Lisbon, Aug. 29.
Almeida fell imo the hands of the
enemy on the 28th.—Until the 29th
the enemy made no general movement.
In the night between the 25th and 26th
the grand mag.rine of powder in Al
meida blew up, and there were some
other explosions of powder in conse
quence of the bombs thrown by the
enemy. That accident des royecl half
the town, and killed many artillerists,
and it is probable that a considerable
part of the ga> risen was also cestrry.
td. All this caused such a general
consternation, that the governor for
wart of powder was obliged to treat
wi h the ^nemy on the 27th. He
demanded that the garrison should
join cur army, and that the inhabi
tants should also be permitted to lenve
the place ; but Massena refused those
coodijions, and threatened to repeat
the fire if they did not surrender prL
soneis of war. In fact the firing was
rep^ati d that night. The place sur
r< ndered in the morning pf the 23th,
rher the garrison had expended the
rest of their powder. The enemy of
fered them the choice of entering into
the s.erv ce of the emperor, or being
sent to France as prisoners.—Then
was not a single man who did not
preh r going to France as a prisoner.
I'h a i-. a ncble example, and does
much( honor to the nation, especially
vhtn we consider that the greater
part of them were militia. All this
information we have obtained from
prisoners, who were afterwards taken.
T:\us was Almeida lo6t by an acci
dent, and not through the fault of the
gamsrn, or the valor of the enemy.
Mhat event %could not have happened
but for the coincidence, as extraordi
nary as it was unforeseen, of the ithb
4, vti.MA e 4 tUn nn.l _
of the atuu sphere for exactly the two
days of the firing; for otherwise l^rd
Wellington would have known tbptex
traordinary circumstance, which made
it nr ct ■ saty that the place should be
immetiiauiy re1 eved (which he could
n«»: suppose to be the cause without
such ati occurrence) and having alrea
dy advanced with his whole army on
the pieced ng da>s, it was probable
that ru woyld have obliged the enemy
to raise the fiege.
From the Lisbon Gazette of the 3d
September,
Copy of a dispatch from his excellen
cy lord viscount Wellington to his
excellency don .\liguelPcreiia For
float illustrious and cxcelltnt air,
The enemy opened their fire
upon A me in a late on Saturday Dight
cr r.'tler in the morning of Sunday
l«‘t the 20 1. inst. and I regret that I
have to add that they obtained posses
£;(.r» of the place in the course < f the
night oi th< 27.h ins’.
I cannot conceal from your excel
lency, that this unfortuna’e event af
fects ire sensibly ; fo contrary is it to
w) at I had reason to anticipate, con,
sideling the nuancei in which the gar
rison whs p;oviderl with every thiug
y fm the defence of the place,
the re-prctable condition of its for
tification, and the spirit and cour
age which, as I had understood
from the gov. the garrison exhibited ;
^ lev all these reasons 1 expected that
\ - the place would have held out tn the
1 x ky»t extremity, should I t ave no op
•pcTturitj to relieve it ; and iha»,at all
- •«» me riTiny wnirni i.e tniayeo
until a late peri'd of the s» ason.
I have no iofelligenc , ii(>on which
I cnn rely,rt lathe to the. cause of its
surrender, bomepriatnna Mlcrn yes
terc.ay relate, that th* car 1 (which
however wan bomb-preofy blew up or.
Saturday night; that on Monday the
governor r quest* d u> enpirulate'with
the coTidiCons that the place shoul 1
bo delivered to the enenemy, bur ihat
the garrison and inhabitants should be
permitted to join this nrijr.y; which
I>r< po^al h: virg been refused, a d tlm
lit ing recommenced, the governor h* Id
cut us 1< ng as he had any ammnnirion
rtniamb g, u il nponita being wholly
expended, he surrendered ytrterdav
morning ; after this the enemy h; virg
offered to the soldiers of the gnrrisrv.
either to take them into the 8 tvice oi
the empef' r,or to sen<i them to I'Yjtrc*
as prisoners ol war, the lattei offer was
accepted by the garrir.on.
Ibis account deserves credit, no
corning from an enemy ; and it is
partly confirmed, as 1 had an upper(u
nity of t b-crvmg that there was a ces
sation ol how.il.ties from one in {he af
ternoon until 0 at night on Monday,
aud that after that m ur the firing re
comroc need, and continued until tvo
in the morning, when it again totally
Cc.>scd.
£ great explosion was also heard
M&i advauccd posts, aud I obser
kW*.
?. • ^
vcd on Monday that the steeple of
the church in that place was des
troyed, and many of the houses unroof
ed.
I hope that this account may prove
correct, in all its most essential points,
and may give me the s itisfaction to
find that the loss of Almeida, and the
acquisition by the enemy or the mili*
tary stores, and piovUions which the
place contains, has not been occasion
ed by the fault of the governor or of
the garrison.
I had a telegraphic communication
with the governor ; but unfortuuutely
the badness of the weather did not per
mit us to avail ourselves of it on SUn
dar, nor during the greater part of
Monday, and when the atmosphere
cleared on the lat'er day, I wa» in
formed that the governor was commu
nicating with the enemy.
Considering the position which I
had taken with the army so near to the
place, I h^ve to lament that I had not
an opportunity 'of ascertaining its
situation, after the loss of the maga
zine.
The enemy twice yesterday attacked
our piquets; hut they made that at
tack w«.akly; in both they were re
pulsed ; in the afternoon they obliged
general Si Stepheu Cotton to call to
his posts to this s.de of Frcizedas :
in these ftkirmUhes the capr. of the
light dragoons No. 16, named Ly
gon* wa$ wounded, and also tvyo sol
diers of the regiment of royal dra
goons.
A piquet of this regiment made a
valiant and bold attack on a party of die
enemy’s infantry aod cavalry ; the re
sult was successful* and they made
some prisoners!
The 2d corps commanded by gen
eral Kt gmer has not made any move
ment of importance sioce the last dia
.. . I »_i_• . ,
' a. u aiioiumwu IU juur CAbCl
lency. A patrol belonging to that
corps encountered a squadron of dra
goons which consisted of the British
regiment No. 13, and of the Portu
guese regiment No. 4, belonging toi
the army under the command of geiu
oral Hilt, and was commanded by cap
tain White of the same regiment No.
13 j this encounter took place on the
22d icst. and the result of it was that
the enemy’s patrol was wholly taken,
with the exception of the captain and
ore soldier, who I have since heard
were killed. I transmit a copy of the
dispatch which brigadier general Fane
sent to general Hill relative to this
skirir.i h, which is doubtless greatly
to the credit, and p* oves the bravery
of capt. White and the allied troops,
who had a share in it.
There has been no movement or
occuirence of importance in . Estre
madura since my ir.st dispatch which
I lerwarded to j our Excell- ncy res
pecting the transactions in this part
of ti e country.
In the north.of Spain the enemy
inarched on the 20th tnst. a small bony
of infantry and cavalry towards Alca
nizas ; but-gencral Silveira marched
from JBraganza in that direction; in
consequence of which the enemy im
mediately ret'eated.
My last accounts from Cadiz are to
the 16th Inst. I Lara by them that
G n. Graham, was on the point of
^ending; <rom Cadiz 2000 men towards
Uie l'agu*. Nothing extraordinary
had occurred in that qu*arter.
1 have the honor to !»c, &c. 4
WELLINGTON.
Alverea, Aug. 20.'
Paris, August 17.
Last Wednesday his imperial ma
jer.ty bcirg seated on the throne, sur
rounds.-''' by the princes and great offi
cers of *uate, wiu deputies ot Holland
were prr«f i»tert t,o ms majesty, ard
their on »i< ent, his excellency arhni
:a< V^rhuel, delivered the following
sp«* ch :—
“Sihi -ifour very faithful subjects
of Hoi! i, thi- members of the coun
C’lof state, of the legislative body, of
the deputies of the hind and sea forces
and th- deputies of the ity of Amster
dam, have the honor of presenting
themselves at the feet of your majes
*v,i throne, respectfully to declare he
sentiments of admiration, confidence
and obedience with which they afe a
: uii.iated.
“ I’ne Dutch people, sire, know in
rhe arnals of history by the exploits of I
j rhvir heroes, by the spotless character ;
9,t t’. eir statesmen, and the exertions !
nu.de by them to obtain and maintain
their independence, are still possessed
of a str^pg recollection of the virtues
of their foreiathets.
“ The grkat events which Europe
has witoe-ss-d in the course of the
present century, lure completely chan
ged the political supports of and rela
tions of States, and their independence
tor the attainment of which ourances-i
tors sacrificed their property, their
hlood, and all that is most dear
to mcr, from the pressure of cir
chttir> traces could rot but underg#
cert iin restrictions. A. length in -
ed with th* first nation in the world,
called by fe grta>cst prince in theu
niversc to share in the I vor which
his exalted genius an 1 paternal solici
Jtude liberally bestows on his happy
• subjects^ and of which Holland has al
i ready obtained so many proofs, the
j Dutch continue to Batter tin imtlves
•that by their loyalty, their obedience,
and their inviolable attachment to their
prince and father, they shall deserve
the protection of a mighty, generous,
upright, and benevolent government.”
Hii imperial majesty returned the
following answer:
“ Gentle men, deputies of the legis
lative body, of the land and sea forces
ot Holland, and gen'lemen deputies of
my good city of Amsterdam, for these
30 years you have experienced many
vicissitudes, Ycu lost your liberty
when one of the great officers of the
republic, favored by 'England,employ
ed Prussian bayonets to interrupt the
deliberations of your councils. It was
.hen that the wise constitution hand
ed down to you by your forefathers
Wjs destroyed lor ever*
“ You formed part of the coalition,
in consequence of which French ar
mies conquered your country—an e
vent which wt?s the unavoidable con
sequence of the alliance with England.
After the conquest, a distinct govern
ment was formed, yet your republic
formed a part of the empire. Your
strong folttesses a ad the principal po
sitions in yobr country, w’ere occupied
by French tro'opSj and your govern
ment was chaug^i dccording to the c
pinions which succeeded each other in
France,
“ When Providence placed me on
this first throne of the world, ii fell
to my lot to decide forever thti fate of
F r.inr«» urwl all lk. n,Mnn« .'..L
j compose this vast empire, to bestow
| on all the signal advantages, which n
rise from firmness, consistency, and
order, and to destroy the baneful con
sequences of irregularity and weak
ness. ^ I put a period to the wavering
destinies or Italy, by placing the iron
crown on my head. I annihilated the
government which ruled Piedmont.
! By my act of mediation, I justly ap
j predated the constitution of Switzer.
| land, and brought the local circum
I stances of the country in unison with
| the safety and rights of this imperial
j crown. I gave you a priuce of mv
i blood for your ruler; this was intend
j ed as a- bond to unite the concerns of
| your republic with the rights of the
i empire. My hopes have been deceiv
j ed, and on this occasion I have shewn
! more forbearance than my character
; generally admits and my righ's requir
ed. I have at length put a period to
the painful uncertainty of your future
fate, and warded off the fatal blow
which rhreavened to annihilate all your
prosperity, all your resources. I have
opened the cootinent to your national
, industry'*
“The day shall come when you are
to conduct my eagtes to the seas, cele
! brated by the exploits of your ancetu
I tor6. Then sh II you shew yourselves
; worthy of yourselves and of me.—
! From this moment to that period, all
J the changes that take place in Europ
i shall have for their first motive the
| destruction of that tyrannical and ir
rational system which the English go
vernment, unmindful of the pernici
ous consequences which arise there
Irohn to its own country, adopts to out
law commerce and trade, and subject
it to die ai bitary authority of Er.gt.iih
licences.
1 44 Gentlemen deputies of the legisla
tive body, and of the land and sea for
ces of Holland, and gentlemen depu
ties of my good city of Amsterdam,
tell niy subjects of Holland I led per
fectly satisfied they possess the senti
ments they profess lor me—Tell them,
that I d^ubtnot their loyal attachment,
and depend on their heartily joining
their exertions to those of the rest of
my subjects, to reconquer the rights of
the sea, the lo3s of which five coaliti
ons, incited by Englan I, have inflict
ed on the continent—-Tell them, that
in all circumstances they may retLoh
on my peculiar protection.”
New York, Oct. 19.
VERY LATE from PORTUGAL.
Last evening arrived within Ssndy
Hook, the fast sailing ship Cincinnati,
Concklin, tn the remarkably short pas
sage ol 22 days from Lisboa.
Capt. C. came up in a Pilot Boat, 8c
informed us that he left Lisbon on the
26 h of September—that on the 22d,
advice* were received there of the Jun
ta of Badajoz having removed at Elva
• n Poring 1, that the British Army
had arrived stLtsbon from Cadiz, lea
ving only a sufficient force to garrison
'h- place, 8c that 10,000 Trench Troops
had entered Badajoz.
Capt. C. further states, that the A
k
merican Consul, Mr. Jarvis, was to
au;i troin Lisbon for the United States,
m 5 or 0 days, that no general battle
l\ad been fought between the allied
British and Portuguse Armies, aud
the French; nor was such an event ex-'
pected to take place, as it was gener- '
ally supposed, the British army would
very soon leave Portugal.
Markets dull. Flour from 14 to
15 dollars per barrel, Rice 6»
Extract of a letter from Lisbon, dated
the 21st ot Sept, received per the
Cinciuuatu
11 The little progress of .iVIassena’s
numerous army which has been for a
long time on our territories, convin
I ces us that he respects the strength of
our forces and positions, and fears, that
in base of a defeat the Spaniards on
his rear might complete his destinaj
tion. 1 he army wnich cite French,
are repot ted to have, though great, is
not equal to the enterprize they have'
undertaken. 1
“ Exchange cn London, at Par.” J
Cent ral Bernaugtte, Prince cfPonB
te Corvo, it is said, is elected Crow*
Prince of Swcd n. a
A letter received at the ExchangJ
Coffee House, Boston, states that rJ
revolution had taken place at St. Bar-1
tholemews. The Governor had been
deposed, and the »Judge sent off. All
embargo was laid, which was expect
ed tb be of long duration.
~
New York, Oct. 20.
Last evening arrived at this po, t the
fast sailing ship Hannibal, in 35 clays
from Liverpool.
Capt. Barnum has brought two sets
of dBpatchcs from our minister in Lon
don for Government, one set was put
on board the 9th of September.
, By the Hannibal the Editors of the
A .1 .4_J L_ • i
1- » VI wg.1 JJiivc icicivru I
files of London and Liverpool papers,
and Lloyd’s List to the 7 th of Septem
ber, but their contents have been anti
cipated by the papers brought by the
schr. Lau'ra-Anu frtfm London;
We learn fronV St. Bartholemews,
that in cons.-quenee of contentions be
tween the government and people,’ the
latter complaining of arbitrary proceed
ings in the former, an insurrection! and
revolution took place on the 22'J of
September. The immediate occasion
was, the refusal of the Governor to
concur in the choice of certain militia
officers by the people, and a’.tempting
to appoint them himself. This Dting
resisted, the Governor ordered them
to^JVte sip their arm*, which they rc«
fused to do. He also gave orders to
the country mili-.ia to come into town,
to assist him in compelling obedience ;
at the same time he was proceeding to
the Fort, in order to comimnid with
it3 guns the town, but was arrested on
his way* His Secretary being already
there, ordered the Captain of the Fort
to fire upon the town, which he refus
ed to do ; and the Secretary then find
ing the Governor was arrested, made
his escape* The judge, Bergskdt,
was also arrested, and with his clerk
and a number of servants, put on board
an American Vessel, and forced away
with ample supplies, however, for his
maintenance, and with a desire that
he might be treated According to his
rank, and safely landed in the United
States, from whence he might have a
opportunity to repair to Sweden, and
justify himself before their common
sovereign against the complaints made
against him.
Salem Gaz*
Baltimore, Oct. 20.
Captain Keith, who arrived at Salem
in brig Betsey, 18 days from St. Bar
tholomews, confirms the account pub*
Halted in yest rday’s Gazette of the re
volution in that Island. The present
chief is a Mr. Cremoni. The late
Lieut. Governor caine passenger in the
Betsey. One account says, an embar- j
go was laid.
Prom the Boston Patriot.
THE VOLUNTEER.
What are the relative rights and du
ticsotnn independent state,considering
it as a member of the community of
, nations ?
There are some men too refined for
savages and too savage for civilzed so
ciety, who contend that war is the na.
tural state of man. If we adopt Cheir
i hypothesis, we have no further use for
reason or morality, and may at once
resolve the whole code of public law
into the general maxim—That pozoer
is the measure of right. Absurd as
I this doctrine is, wc ought not to be
surprised that it should find advocates
in those ambitious na ions, that i na
jgine they find their interest and ag
grandizement in war. But co strong
He who commands an evil action
deserves punishment mors than the
person who commits it—was a truth
before spoken by TercuUian, and will
always remain sok
“Shall we be intimidated when we
spyl^alt r Cicero? That great man
hyfd tae reigns of the most potent state
tfiAt evjjj^txis^d j and in that station
ypea^Bio less emineut than at the
pu«c4;al observation of the
tftw oTnature he lonsidered as the most
salutary polict^fo the state.”_
“. AjOtTt^jipKiould we not hope still
to f twyifflong those that are at the
hear( of affairs, some wise persons who
are convinced of this great truth ; that
v^tue is ever for sovereign and politi
cal bodies the most errtaia road to
prosperity and happiness.”
Theie is at least one benefit to be
expected from the open assertion and
publication of sound maxims, which is,
that thereby even they, who least re
lish them, are, in legard to their repa
ration, laid under the necessity of
keeping within their bounds.”
“ JJo«pect that men, esp.cially t’nsft
men in power^ wih conform strictiy to
tt.e strictness of the 1/w of nature
would be n grosrs mistake,' Hnd to re
nounce all hope 01 making impi'ssion
on some of them, would be to give up
I mankind for lose.” 1
!*'■ Actions a* obliged I y nature feci
ora^Jto cultivate human society,
5 bo and to oUh rvfe towards each o
lbe dlties which the safety
d advantagyf that society require
“ * be offices of humanity are those
succors, those duties, to which men
are reciprocally obliged as men, that
is cs social beings, which necessarily
stand in need of a mutual assistance,
lor their preservation, for their happi
ness, and for living in a manner con
formable to their naixire.”
“ Sach is the foundation of the com
inun uu ics 9i tnose olhccs ot humani
ty to which nations are reciprocally
bound to each other# They consist ge
nerally in doing for the conservation
and happiness of others all in our pow
er, as iar us it is reconcileable with
our duties towurds ourselves.yt
... attkl, B. 2. ch. 1. passim, j
Let is then avail ourselves of that
ct#nsUiw of nature and of nations,
which is placed as a shield between
social man and his destroyers, and to
which the worst of our species find
themselves constrained to pay at least
an empty homage.
Admitting, wha* no man will deny,
that the society of nation^, like indivi
duals in a suppo ed state of nature, or
private citizens in a free government,
are absolutely equal and indep*» ’ec', ,
a * to all their rights and immunities ;
it will follow, that the relative rights
and duties of ail nations are inhitanti#
ally the same; and that every right
has its correspondent duty.
nation, instance, having
thejmsjht of absolute controul wiihii
its WVn territory ; it is the duty of all
others to respect that right and not to
interfere in its municipal concerns
hath having a right to occupy by its
subjects, the oce.tn, the highway of na
tions, which God hna made free and
common to all,—and being bound to
extend its protection to its subjects,
wherever they are ; it U the duty of
all to consider ax sucrod the persons
and property of each other on that ele
ment.
'Ijprrcapitula-ion of these establish
ed principles and inevitable conclusi
ons might be thought nugatory or oa
tenfatiou*, were it not that thty are
substantially denied both by ihco