The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-08 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

SlR—Having just read in the Time: of this dos what is called a
a Protest of the united States' Charge d'Affaires at Buenos Ayres,
against the blockade of that port and the coasts of that Republic by
the forces of Brazil, and the comments of the Editor of that paper
thereon. I tun at a loss which moat to admire, the areismenthm ad
malierciii of the one, or ad iiiimilens of die other.
Indeed, the false data given in the protest, and the false reason.
logs deduced therefrom, are so glaring, that added to the question.
able shape in which it comes, I should at once pronounce it a fa-
brication, and nothing short of a libel on the Envoy and his Go-
vernment and lam persuaded that you and your unprejudiced
readers will be of the same opinion, when fully informed on the
subjrct.
IVithout entering into the juat ice or injustice of the blockading
system, the abstract rights of nations, or raking up the ashes of
the dead, the 311!an and Berlin Decrees, and the British Orders in
Council, it is sufficient for my purpose to chew, that no thorough-
breil diplomatist could have written, much less published, such a
precious doeument, unless, perhaps Talieyrand'a motto, Geaucoup
d'Argeril, has found its way to South An erica.

In the first place, according to the declaration of Commodore
Lobo, which I have now before me, and a translation of which ap-
pearstl in all the newspapers of the day, " all the ports and c tarts
of the republic of IluenosAyres,and all those places on the eastern
coast of the River Plate, which might be occupied (tzmporarils ) by
the forces of the iald Republic, are put under strict blockade." On
looking at the map of South America, I perceive that the republic
of Buenos Apes has only one port and one coast, therefore perhaps
the Brazilian commander was in error in saying all tile ports and
coasts. But the author of this Protest has taken advantage of
this mistake in the Commodore's manifesto, and has incorpo-
rated the coast of Patagonia as rtrt and parcel of the said
Republic, for he says the maritime coast of Buenos Ayres extends
20 degrees of latitude !!! (This reminds me of a late celebrated
letter in the Morning Chronicle, signed N., which stated that the
Banda Orientnl was bigger than France, and c rosined innumerable
rivers, navigahle for hundreds of tulles !! ! This notable Protest,
therefore, 1 tin:same is the production of some near relation of
N.'o, whereas, by the map. I call ot.ly trace about three from
Cape St. Andre to Cape St. Ant ono. If the writer of the Protest
means that toe River Plate runs 20 degrees indeed, I shall Lot dis-
pute the point with hint ; since, if it ran 200 degrees, it could be
as easily blockaded a. if it run hut 20 miles.
But, if the coast of Patagonia is meant, a single vessel is suffi-
cient to blockade the whole of that coast, if it were thirty. instead
of firteen degrees ; for nature herself is such an enemy thereto. that
she has precluded the necessity of any other enemy interdicting
access to us only port that can be called a harbour, that of St.
Julian.

ItlSevident the Brazilian Commander could not have ccnsiiered
Patagonia as part of Buenos Ayres, nor does it appear, by an, otfi-
aid document whatever, that the savages of that inhospi alle and
desert country have ever sent Deputies to represent thou in the
National Congress or Buenos Ayres, or by ary formal act cons!i-
tuteil themselvessubjects of the noted Republic of Lis Provincias
linidas (Id Rio tie la Plate.

Presuming, however, that this extensive coast is no blockaded
by a large force, or that it in a paper blockade, I should wish the
writer ut the Pretest to inform his suppased roomy-nen what Inas
they have sustained by the interruption of their commerce with
Patagonia. I presume he is prepared with an account of the nuin-
bee of vessels which Lave cleared out from the different porta of
the United States for that country, or entered inwards from thence ;
the quantity and value of the tnerchandiee exported and imported,
in such vessels, &c. &c., in the present er any preceding year.
Having thus shown the inaccuracy of the said Protest, I shall
proceed to its absurdity.
It objects to the blockade, solely because it is not rigorously en.
forced; and that American vessels have been permitted, through
forbearance or Mat•ention of the blockading squadron, to break the
blockade; and this protest is sent to the commando of such squa-
dron. The result is easy to be foreseen ;no more American vessels
will find their way to Buenos Ayres, or what he calls the port of
Ensenada. Thee, as Junius observes, a man's beat friend may be
his worst enemy. I should think his fellow.chisens would not
much approve of such anti-Itlachiavelwn conduct, roe his Govern-
ment reward it, should it prove to be an authentic document.
Nothing can be net.° degrading to the Editor of a public print
than the suffering w; partialities or rejoices to bias his judg-
ment, and nothing n.ore derogatory to his dignity as a leader of
public opinion than assumieg as facts what a little trouble, added
to a little common sense, would coneinee him in a few moments
were false premises ; and nothing renders his ratioeinations more
contemptible than when they are discovered to be strung on false
data : like the Custom I louse, whose piles were not well bottomed,
his arguments must fall to the ground.
The Editor complains of the British Consul not having entered a
similar protest. For the tumour of Oki E-gland, I ant gut he did
not t and my countrymen will no doubt think so too, atter the ex-
pound I have made.
In the Times of this day it is taken for granted that the asser-
tion of the quondam Jonathan is true, and that all the ports of
Iltienes Ayres, together with twenty degrees at coast, equal to
1.300 English miles, is blockaded by a single vessel of war, the
Alois da Gloria, a hen in the same paper the Protest itself is ad.
ere",ll to his ExcellenrY Lobo, Vice-Admiral of the equadron of
his Alajesty the Emperor of Dried, on board the corvette Liberal.
And in that paper, only yesterday, it says, " This port (Buenos
Ayres) cond.-des to he strictly blockaded, although several vessels
have passed the squadron unitb. d;" and tl a same paper speaks
of as action having been fought, a al of Colonist (directly opposite
Burnt a Ayres, is B1111"atle is to Dover) being biped:ailed by the
forces of the Republic, under that amphibious anintal, General, :dies
Admiral Brown. If this said Admiral nr General is able to Wok-
ads Co'onia, surely he could easily raise the blockade of Buenas
Ayres, and twenty degrees of coast, when only the 3latia du
Gloria was employed on that errand I But into such absurtitics
and contradictions will public writers ever run, when actuated by
party feeling, or prompted by
One word more, and I have done with Mr. Editor of the Times.
Perham-0s it Is o:* such importuner •o this country that the coast
of Patagonia, inhabited, as we all know whn nre a little conversant
with voyages and travels, gazetteers, &e by a race of giants, and
who of course use double the qu•ntity of cloth in a oat, or lor, e;.
mere in a pair of pantaloons, that tinsel. gingerbread Brazilians
do . should not be nominally blot katlNl—lee can l form his readers
the amount of our exports and imports to and front that co ditty.
or if not, on the next Meeting of Parliament, his friend Mr.
Joseph Hama lay move fur an official return thereof, which I
dare Ray Mr. Ilueltisson will readily grant, as it will consist of
only one short ward--••• Nil."
London, June 7, 1026.
Q•