The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-01 00:00:00

,--~
r

COMMODORE PORTER'S EXPLOIT AT
PORTO RICO.

[From the New loik National Cocate.l
PIIIIADP LPHIA DEC. 4.
Commodore Porter's explhit at Porto Rico will excite some sen.
ntion. Stunmary justice was the true policy, under ruth provoca-
,,,,, a, lie appears to have received. Spain has no mean* nor tits.
position to redress wrongs committed by her officers in the %Vest
]r.ili.s.
ST. THONAA, Nov. 16, 11121.
We have this morning returned front on expedition of ao entirely
different nature from thoso in which we are usually engaged, and
which may yet ba productive of important remits', its It loaves that
the Commodore has determined, (very properly in my opinion,) to
resent primiptly the insults of the Spanish authorities, without Wait-
in for the t."7.1y osterposition of our diplomatists at home. Some- '
ale since the warehouse 0. %lemma. Cabot, Bally, and C.o. was
sobbed of goads to a considerable amount. As strong suspicions '
„jaw out the property had been carried to some of the small ,
itorns of Porto It ...o, the schooner Beagle, Captain Platt, sailed
immediately. with one of the clerks attached to the firm, fur the pur-
-1 pose of giving information to the Spanish authorities, 'which it was
eingitinely anticipated would conduce to the speedy recovery of the
nods. 'lrving arrived at Faxardo, Porto Rico, Captain Platt and
ieateetant in i,d,ic were seized, and, notwithstanding they pmduced
their coerie;seiris and orders, were detained under guard from nine
•A M. ill tive P.M. The only cruse assigned for this flagtant out-
rale Moor neutral rights was, that they were dubiota of the vessel
being really an American ship °C. war, even insinuating that she
was a pirate. Gn the 12th instant the Grampus sailed from St.
Thomas, the Beagle being.off the harbour. She had scarcely got
out when a large man of war was discovered standing towards
her, which anon proved to be the John Adams, bearing the broad
I • psedact of Commodore Porter, who ordered the schooner to anchor
in company with him outside the harbour.
We now give, from a private letter, those additional details,
which we mentioned on Saturday, of Commodore Porter's resolute
proceeding at I'orto Rico.
EXTRACT Or • LETTER. DATED ST. THOMAS, NOV. 16.
" The ant morning the squadron sailed, and early on the 1391
came to anchor under Snake Island (uninhabited). Here the boats
were all hoisted out, and a draft of men, to the number of 200, made,
for an expedition, which it now appeared was destined against Fax-
Judo, .tn consequence of the representation made to Commodore
Porter by Captain Platt, of his treatment by the authorities of that
place. At two a.m. Commodore Porter and Captain Dallas, hat-
mg repaired on board the Grampus, Captain Sloate, she, in company
with the Peagle, got (Indir weigh with the dealt of men, having the
boats of the John Adams in toy, she remaining behind. At sutr-rise
the vessels were off' the harbour, arid, at forty minutes past eight.
the Grampus anchored within musket shot of a battery of two long
eighteens, advantageously placed on the top of a rocky bluff: The '
beats being minced and their flags hoisted, the launch of the
Orampus, commanded by Lieutenant Prentlergass, with 'thirty I
men, including Lieutenant Barton. and thirteen mariners, pulled
directly towards the fort. Having effected a landing, rather in the
rear of the guns, they marched immediately to the fort, but the
Spaniards did not await their arrival, havirsg fled ere our men could
attain the summit of the hill—thus in pkasession of a battery,
tibial properly managed, should hare sufficed to beat off a much
lamer force; the guns, winch were found loaded and primed, with
matches burning, were spiked with files, anti the tarnmers broken.
During this tame the other boats, with Commodore Porter and
Captain Dallas, were not idle, but made good their landing at 1
a beach about a quarter of smile to the right of the battery, where
being joined by the latmeh of the Grampus, the men were formed
on shore. A guanh of mariners having been detained to take
charge of the boats, the remainder proceeded towards the town of
Faxardo, which is situated two miles In the interior, sod contains
shout 100 houses.
At the distance of ores mile from the shore, two nine pounders
had been mounted, where a piece of marshy ground rendered the
piase in tome degree defensibie ; but as at the fort. our country.
tart were not under the necessity of giving any sanguinary proof of
their valour' the Spaniards having deserted their post. 'the guns
were spiked and the troops continued to advance some distance fur-
ther, when they were halted and a flag of truce despatched, to de-
mud a suitable apology for the insult offered to the American flag
i 3 the mason of Captain Platt, for which one hour was allowed.
The civil and military commandants accompanied the flag in
its return, when they were informed by Commodore Porter, of the
object which had caused the present rather unceremonious visit.
and a suitable apology for the treatment which Captain Platt and
his officers had met with, together with a promise, that in future
the American flag shoold be treated with the utmost respect, was
absolutely necessary, or he should instantly proceed to hostilities.
These terms being fully acceded to, and Captain Platt having
expressed himself satisfied with the concessions made, the men
were marched back to the beach and re-embarked. Although no
blood was shed, yet our countrymen have fully maintained their
~. character for good conduct, and from the ardour and enthu-
siasm manifested by every one to share the anticipated dangers
'' of the expedition, there is little lemon to doubt, that had !hey met
a worthy foe, new laurels would be added to those which already
faunal& In perennial verdure, around the brows of the gallant officer
who commanded the expedition and shared the fatigue of the
much. The landing and re-embarkation of the troops, together
will, a march of four miles, under a tropical sun, the thermometer
standing above 8.5 degrees in the shade, was perPrrtnnl in the short
period of two hours and fifty minutes, the Grampus being tinder
weigh within that period from the time of her having anchored,
inch her boats hoisted in and vowed. During the whole transac-
tion the greatest propriety of behaviour was obeerved, nit molests.
tics beirg offered, either to the person or property of any indivi. '
dual. The Grampus and Beagle were employed under the tom-
mold of Captain Sloate, to cover the disembarkation, the former
being almost immediately under the guns of the battery, and 1c • '
imposing attitude, no doubt, contributed material!, to the prudent '
resolve of the Spanish authorities to be ?list, when it was dangatnit4
to be otherwise. At the town, they had collected from two to three
hundred men, with a field piece.
[From the Arc-a )'task Mercantile Adreenrer.l
Extract of a letter from an American Officer on board, the United
States ship John Adams, to his friend in Baltimore, dated Passage
Island, Nov. 10, 1821 :
" You wilt' no doubt, hear a great noise about Commodore
Porter taking a Spanish town in Porto Rico; the circumstances are
bnenywhese:—The Governor imprisoned tae Commander of one
of the small schooners under his command, and allowed him to be
grossly insulted. As soon as he heard of it, Commodore Porter
proceeded there with two schooners, and the boats and part of the
crew of this ship; betook two of their batteries, spiked the guns,
and marched with 200 men to the town (Imarda), about two mile,
in the interior • he there found the Spaniards drawn up to give hint
bat le; he halted his men within pistol-shot of their forces, ~n; a
hag onitring the Governor and the Captain of the port, the two
pnacipal offenders, to come to hint and make atonement, cr have
their town burnt ; they chose the tint, and in the presence of all
our officers, begged pardon of the officer insulted, expressed gnat
penitence, and promised in future to respect all American officers
who might hr•eaPer visit the place.
" The Commodore then marched into the town merely to show
them he had them in his lower, and then returned to the boats and
left the place ; no disturbance took place, and not a man left the
tanks from the time they landed until they embarked, having been
more than three bouts from their vessels., Self-defence rendered it
n to spike their guns, and this is all they can complain of;
they mute mama been apprised of our intention of visiting
them. The population of the place is about 2,000; the country
very thickly satinet; before we left them a force of three times our
number, with a field piece, had assembled, and in presence of, and
within pistol shot of this force, our Commodore made them humble
fflemsdres."

The Falmouth National Intelligencesr (American Paper)
contains some particulars of the mutiny of the crew of the
ship Globe, late Captain Worth, which arrived at Edgar
Town on the 14th ult. It seems the mutiny took place
about the L'..ith of January last, when the Captain was
killed in his birth with an axe, the mate was shot, and the
second mate was wounded and thrown overboard ; six oe
the crew are supposed to have been concerned in the said
man). The mutineers kept possession of the ship until
the I;tb February. They put int( the Mulgrave Islands,
where they landed a . part of their provisions, and were
about landing the rest, with the view of destroying the
ship the next day. In the evening the greater part of the
•rew, who had not joined with the muCneers, and who
were below at the time when the officers were killed, were
sent on board the ship to get supper, and to carry it on
shore ; they seized the opportunity to retake tits ship, and
she was steered for Valparaiso, where Lieut. Ring and six
men of the United States ship Franklin wets put on board,
and have brought the ship home.
biscoreay OF • FOSSIL Bior.—(From the Rdinhurch
Journal ,:( Science).—About 1112 middle of last October,
toe workmen employed in the quarries of Montmatre,
ilisessreted the fossil remains of a bat. This most interesting
' *recite:l was almost immediately presented to Baron
(.'*ter, who very readily granted permission to examine
this unique production. The portion of stone in which
I the fossil remains are imbedded, had been subdivided
diving the operation of quarrying, so as to leave the exact
impression of the animal equally well marked on each sur-
face. The specimen altogether seemed to be exceedingly
perfect, and to resemble in size, proportion of the pectoral i
members, head, &c. the ordinary species of bats now ex-
isting. Nothing positive, however, can be said as to any
exact reemblance between the antidiluvian bat and these
of the I resent day, until the anatomy of the head and teeth
1
b: made out, by removing from them the incrustation of
so'id atone, at present entirely concealing dm structure of
these parts. The discovery of a fossil bat must be con-
lid,:red as a sort of era in the history of the organic re-
wains of a former world : hitherto, so far u we know, no
at imal so highly organized has ever bees unequivocally
slumn to exist ins fossil state. Between the hot and man,
naturalists have interposed hut a single species, the qua-
drui nvinu. May we not hope that future research may at
12144.4". ''' tilt list of antediluvian remains, the so much
sou:Lt tur A ntitrvp ht.%

•

._