The National Register.
London, England, 1818-08-16 00:00:00

NUM

•
41be•

T4O-
- CASE OF MU. ARBUTLIVOTT.

;1,

4.44

I. Mr. Arhiithriott is accitgeti by the Americans of haring
incileki the Indians to acts of savage warfare against
then,.

The utmost, we have reason to believe, that could be proved
Mr.Arbinlmatt wars, that he concurred with hi. Indian
m i4li4ours in the proptiety of protectioz, their property by
t ace of anus when btu levsly invaded. The sat•-ty of hi% 0.
eoininereal vtore w4i involved in the issue, an•l he could not
seasonably 4'.0 levy. le one e r more American min•aoders
have horn .lout and scalped in their attempts to carry off the
faille of thoir Indian nriv:liimarv, what pretext eau the colic,
trvineti nr the cattle•stoulers nary&• for complaittine of the
in which au act of rubbery has liven very properly puniihed
No rational motive Call be aiii.tned why Mr. -A
chink:lo4
have incited the Indian, to wanton hoitilities agaMit
the Amei icaos. Ai a private tratler, his interest was to col.
sivaie peace nit!, WI ammo! him ; us a Britivh subject he
could have Ito object in provokitil hovtilities which he
hav e been Cl'll3lll the Itritivh Government would never
sanction or abet.

2. Mr. A rtm thnott is farther accused of having furnished t!..e
Indians nit li the'' munition; of war."
munitions of war" with which Slr.Arbutltnott furnished
the Ititlians, were rordlier than the ordinury articles of traffic
het weesa Europeans and Indians. The Indians gain then
principal means of subristenee from limiting ;it i 4 occu-
pation ahich they cannot carry on with adequate %itgreSs
without an ainpV.; of ponder and short and Mr. Ar.
huitlimitt did no more than atil thern with part of that supply,
in retort, for the skins and Air; which they brought to him.
It was a in,n-e transaction of trade, of which the Amelican%
themselves in all ilit!ir Mte!'eolir;,e with tl:e Indians are set-
in; constant example, and aitholit which no trade with the
Indians can possibly be carried on.
J. 311. Arbittlitiott was accused of being a spy upon the
Americans—or rather, according to a version oldie
offence, which has been lecently proup:lg ited, with havin;
given intelligence to the Indians of the movements of the
American fin.ces.
inteltigence which Mr. A rhinlinntt gave the Tat-Fans
was simply' this told them of the offici:tl communication
lie hail rreei red from the rimegailo agent If wilily, that the
Americans had re iol yeti upon their litter extermination, and
a ere ilpoit the vvoy to put this barbarous edict info execution.
What W4O there in this which WAS azahist any one of the IsiVi of
natiow. ?If it indeed au act of .spiinazr ile:erving of
death, flambly,wlio bent the tiding. from tilt. Alteriran
was the gail.'y man, anal not 3lr..Nrbutlinott, w;lo only told
vs lett wag offleially enintininicated to him withinit moving a
step frotn his own established settlement. flot whet Cut for
a moment maintain that it is a crime to warn au innocent
peopht oft ile,iga to massacre, and chit 1/ICIII fi ton the face -
(4 the earth

•
Forthese adinged offences, tints so easily and satisfactorily
refuted, has Ali... \ rhatknott been seized, tried. conilmeinett,,
and executed. The WAlll,%lls:lcritire of the life of a Briti4lt
subject is at any time aggression enough to rouse the British
Nation to make the cause of satisfaction- ••.re ,viii not, say of
vengeance—their own. But looking to the grounds on which
the justification of this extraordinary act have been placed.
they are such ni seem to call, in a very particular manlier, Ott
the Eriteit tAsicerinnect, to interpose iii the present neuter.
If the Americans are to he allowed to hold that the furnish.
ing of munitions or Wit' to tile Indinne is recrione which en-
titles them input the Miliviiittal eitgat:ed in it to death, what
is to become of the whole ()four trailers along lie C.liludi.tu.•
ft ontiers. who are in the cutotant practice, beratt.c their
whole trade d..ilends upon it, of doing asstlic unfortunate. Mr.
A rbutlinot t li is done and Antlered for it.
llthe Americans a:-e. to be permitted to exercise the right
of putting any Indian or Indians, wl they niay contrive to
provoke to a bloody (pia rid, into a neutral territory, and to
arrest, try,and ,'indite the smijects of that nentral territor,
for aiding or befriending the proscribed fugitives, what se-
curity have our settles lit the rranote parts of cmmd.i, that
they may not at some future pet Mil be visited in the same
barbarous manner tint )Ir. Arbuthilutt has been at Ills art-
tlemoct in the no:id:is?

It is well kno..vis, that by treaties made with the
nations. and according to old and established relations, tae
British Government is in the ps actice of making animal pre.
sent to the Indians of blankets, clothing, arins,and Amman -
tion, which are publicly delivered by the agents of the go.
vernineut, at the ports of Drummond a Island, on Lake norm.,
Ambrissiburg, oa Lake Erie, and Forts George and York, on
Lake Ontario. If the principle bow assumed by tbe .taser.-
cans is admitted, will it not be finite as applicable to tee
munitions of war furnished by Government, as to those fut_
nislied by private individuals.? And may not public agerra
Ile time British Government be hung up, as Mr. Arbutheo:t
has been, for only doing:what their ditty requires of them
We submit these considerations as worthy of very serious at-
tention. To admit the right assumed by the Americans in
respect of one British subject, is to admit the saute right isi
respect to the whole subjects of the British empire. If a
ritish subject cannot be protected by his Government ;ri
the lawful pursuit of an hone::t occupation its one plac%!,
he eau have no reason to claim or expect it in another. in
Plot ida, in Canada—ever where—one general system of ba,e
and abj, et abandonment of the lives and properties of its
subjects, most be the consequence.
Mr. Arbritisnott W. 1.4 a native or "..slontrose, in Scotland. anti
was some years resident in London as a merchant. He 4p.
pe..41 s to be well known in tha city.

About two o'clock on Monday alarming a Are broke ow. at
the Duke of Yolk public-house IN Rateldle Ilighway. Tile
landlord and his family had goile to Margate, leaving 1113
house in the care of a young man. The dame.: burst forth in
the cellar, and frain the quantity of spirits deposited there,
quickly bi.cante so powt riot as to mock all etThrts ta
them. In half an hour front the commencement the
public-house was totally destroyed, and the Haines voitioli—
itieatitig to the premises on each attic, two more h Its. a were
holm to Ilin ground. The calamity did not terminate bele.
At .he bark of the Duke of fink is a inn row ttIICCI, cos,-
sistiog. ui haitses built chiefly c f wuotl. and isiltabited I.y pr,er
pew; The flames having communicated to those too acs, a
wide scene of niairy ensued. Then inmates, half
rushed forth to escape the fury of the destructiye Vie,lll eh!,
leiving their little all a prey to the flames. ill our gnaw
was sten a patent, calling with ilisiudelloll iu her look., ter .t
child slue isoppowed lust; and in asiother, children lou,lly
upon their ooditers ; nor did the alrectiox scene en I
with the dawn of day, which only chewed the introbiloot. ;tie
extent of their lip.aeri. Ten or twelve of the small tso
houses wrre consumed. It has not Ince aseertaioet: %clic i.'r
any hues hauc 4.1131:4