The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-07-30 00:00:00, page 2

Answer.
Noifolk, July 4, 1807.
S«,—I hate received your menacing letter
Of ytfterday. The day on which this anfwer
r8 written ought of itfelf to prove to the fubjefts
of your fovereign, that the American people
are not to be intimidated by menace, or indu
ced to adopt any meafures except by a fenfe of
their perfeft propriety. Seduced by the falfe
flicw of fecurity, they any be f< metimes fur
prifed and flaughtered, while unprepared to
refill a fuppofed friend: that delufive fecuiity is
now however paflVd forever. The late occur
rence has taught us to confide our fafety no
longer to any thing but our own force. We do
not feck hoftility, nor fiiall we avoid it We
.are prepared for the worft you may attempt,
and will do whatever fhall be /udged proper to
rcp rl force,whenfoever youreffoits fhall render
any aft of ours necelT.iry. Thus much for the
threats of your letter, which can be < u.>r d
in no other light than as addrelTed to tt. p
pofed fears ot cur citizens.
In anlwer to that part of it which is particu
lai ly addrefled to me, as the fi: ft judicial officer
ot this borough, 1 have but to fay, that you
muft be aware that the judiciary of no country
poUViTes any other powers than thofe confcrieJ
upon it by the law'.
The fame channel through which you have
derived the intelligence Itated by yourfelf, muff
have alfo announced to you, that the aft of
which you complain is an aft of individuals, I
and not of the government. It'this aft be wrong
anu illegal, tne judiciary or this country .when
l'ocver the cafe 13 properly brought before it,
will take care to i!o its duty At prelent it
hath no judicial information of any outrage on
the laws, and therefore will not art*
If you, Sir, pteal’e to confider this art of in
dividuals aa “ extremely hoflile,” and (hall
commence hoftility without waiting thedecifion
of our two governments, although you yourfelf
acknowle Ige that it properly be'ongs to them
alone to decide, the inhabitants of Norfolk will
conform to your examplet and protert tin m
2 lver again.'! any lawlefs aggreflfion which may
be made upon their p rlons or poiperty. They
therefore leave it with you *• ti her to engage
in war, ot remain on t< rtns ot peace ” until the
picafure of our refpertive goveri merits Hull be
known
Your !etrerc cirert d to tl e Britilh '-onfu! at
ibis place have been forwarded to him,
I have the honour to be, Sir.
Your m >ft obedient feryant,
RICHARD E LF.E, Mayor.
"To John E D ouglis, Lfq commanding)
his B. M. Ihip6 in Hampton Roads. $
3Ir. L. \V. Taz. well, who was dc
putf-d to convey the reply of the Mayor
of Norfolk to t insulting le tter of com
modore Douglass, of the British squa
dron, has addressed to the Mayor a re
port detailing his reception and the con
versation on hoard. The billowing
tch may serve to give an idea of
v.’.;*t passed at the interview.
Mr. Tazewell was received in a very
respectful manner by Douglass himself,
and conducted to the cabin, where lit
* jund all the captains of the squadron.
Douglass read the Mayor’s letter him
self very attentively, and it passed round
and was read by the other captains.—
Douglass said his letter must have been
misapprehended ; that it contained no
expressions of menace which he recol
lected ; and that it certainly was not his
intention to use language which could
be construed into a menace. Mr. T.
recited the particular expressions in the
letter which he conceived to be the lan
guage of threat. Douglas assured him,
upon his honour,that<k if any expression
in the letter wore the appearance of
threat, it was not intended to be so un
derstood.”-He then adverted to the
mot ' ision of the Mayor’s letter, which
ves the alternative of peace or war to
himself, and said he had no orders, nor
did he expect any, to commit any act of
hostility; and that he had no disposition
to commit any. Mr. Tazewell then
stated to him many insulting menaces
which had been communicated in Nor
folk as coming from him. Douglas po
sitively denied ever having uttered any
such, and appealed to his officers if they
had heard him, at anv time, even while
speaking confidentially to them, utter
such expressions; the officers unani
mously declared they hud not.
A desultory conversation took place
between Mr. Tazewell, Douglas, and
the other captains, which continued
nearly an hour. “ I described to them
(says Mr. T.) as well as I was able, the
sentiments which universally prevailed
through the country at this time, the
cause from whence it proceeded, and
the effects it would produce, provided
any effort on their part should be made
t ) oppose the public resolves as to inter
course or supplies. I explicitly declar
ed that we had as yet received no autho
rity from our government to proceed to
at ts oi aggres sion ; hut that we were au
thorised and were prepared for defence,
and tor the protection of ourselves anti
our property; to prove which I placed
in the hands of captain Douglas an ex
tract from tin; letter ol governor Cabell
to brigadier-general Math' ws, which I
had made for that purpose, and conclu
ded by warning him again not to send
any of his officers or people on shore, for
it he did, the arm of the civil authority
1 diil not believe would be able to pro
tect them from the vengeance of an en
raged people ; that this might lead to
consequences which might possibly he
yet averted, and if he was sincere in the
sentiments he had expressed, he would
be anxious to prevent such results. Capt.
Douglas and all the captains declared <
that they were aw^re of the present state
of the public feelings, and deplored the
circumstance which excited it; that they
did not intend to expose any of their
people to the resentment of ours, which
they could conceive was highly inflam
ed; that as to supplies, they did not want
any at present, but when they did, they
should not attempt to procure them in
any way which would excite the opposi
tion of the citizens of this country.—
Upon the subject of intercourse,—he did
not expect to hold any with the people *
of this country, nor was there any occa
sion for it. He only wished to be per
mitted freely to communicate with the
accredited officers of his government
here, who had been formally received
and recognized by our executive, and
whose functions he presumed none but
the government had a right to put down.”
The particular manner in which thi-j
communication might be carried on was
a matter indifferent to him, provided it
was kept free and open.
Un the clay alter Mr I azewell was on
board, commodore Douglas wrote a se
cond letti r to the Mayor of Norfolk. In
this letter he merely acknowledges the
receipt ol the Mayor’s reply to his for
mer one, (the object of which, he says,
was to request that the British consul
might be restored to his powers;) and
declares that so far as he was concern
ed, every exertion consistent with the
honour of his flag would be made, to
bring matters to an amicable termina
tion.
From Norfolk, July fi.
We do not know how to reconcile the
friendly declarations of commodore
Douglas w ith a fart ot which we are well
assured. A boat from the commodore’s
ship was employed a considerable time
on Saturday in sounding the channel of
Elizabeth river, almost up to Cranv is
land, about four miles below this place.
Captain Davis, of the barque lYtrrs
burgh, arrived yesterday from Madei
ra, was boarded from commodore Dou
glas’s squadron in Hampton roads, and
treated very politely. The brig Ruby,
captain Chapman, front Guadaloupe,
w as also boarded, treated rudely but
permitted to pass. If the British com
mand! r is disposed for peace, he should
cease to stop vessels in the waters of the
United States.
On Saturday morning,two young men,
(one an apprentice to Mr. Vanholt, hat