Star.
London, England, 1818-03-14 00:00:00

scommens
AMERICAN. INITARS.
NEW FEBRUARY 13.
*l'lle.MempriaVof Mrs. Meade, wife of the Ame-
rican Agent at Cadiz, upon the subject of his impri-
sonment, has been presented to Congress. The state-
ment is to the following effect
" An extensive mercantile House in the City of London, hav-
lag large transactions at Cadis, their assignees prosecuted Meade
for a very Imp sum, antk-got a verdict in their favour. Ile was
dissatisfied with the decision which had been given by five Spa-
nish Judges. A new Court, composed of five other Judges.
tried the same cause, and confirmed the former verdict. Mr
Meade appealed to the King of Spain, but his petitioa was err
elected. The British Minister, understanding Mr. Meade was
going to leave Spain without satisfying the British claims, or-
dered him to be arrested and imprisoned; and as the Memorial
Mates, he,was treated with great indignity and loaded with
heavy irons.*
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FEB.- 9.
The SPEAKER laid before the House the Annual
Report of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund
(the President of the Senate, the Chief Justice of the
United States, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the
Attorney-General). The amount of the public debt,
on the first 'day of the present year, stands at
99,004,800 dollars.
REPORT PROM THE NAVY BOARD TO filE SECRETARY
OF THE NAVY.
" Of the copper and lead required in the construction of the
ships authorised, when the quantity contracted for
have a
all be de-
livered (and nearly all has been delivered), we shall
sufficiency for all the ships of the line authorised, and for ten
frigates. Of white oak and pine, it will be perceived that we
have contracted far, and otherwise provided, as follows:
" A sufficient quantity of oak plank for seven ships of the line
and four frigates, and nearly all the pine plank required for seven
ships of the line and four frigates.
" Beams for five ships of the line and four frigates.
" Ledges, long combings, and ranging timber for seven ships
of the line and five frigates.
" Knees for Alps of the line and three frigates.
" Mast stuff for three ships of the line and two frigates ; and
we have also engaged, and have now delivering, the keels and
keels on pieces for five ships of the line and one frigate.
" Of cannon, carronades, round and grape shot, we have co a
tracted for the quantity required for two ships of the line.
" Of iron, we have engaged, and have now on hand, nearly
all that is required for four ships of the line and one frigate.
" Upon the subject of the steam-batteries, authorised by the
law for the ' gradual increase of the navy; the Commissioners
have engaged one steam-engine of one hundred horse power.
" The Commissioners have also established an anchor shop at
this Navy Yard, where all the anchors required will be made.
They are also making at this Yard iron cables.
" One ship of the line is ordered to be laid down at each of
the following Navy Yards, viz. Portsmouth, New York, Wash-
ington, Boston, Philadelphia, Norfolk. Preparations are also
making in each of these Yards, and materials to a considerable
extent have been collected.
" Of the ships ordered to be laid down, those at New York,
Norfolk, and Washington, have been put on the stocks, and are
progressing ; those at the other points named, will be laid down
a, soon as circumstances will admit."
The Report coacludes by sayin , t
reemmiioner have no
doubt of being able, " if it should b wish of the Executive,
to launch them within the period contemplated by the law."
DISPATCH FROM GENERAL GAINES.
" Head-quarters, Hartford, Georgia, Jan. 28, 1818.
t' Sin—l have just received a letter from William Harris,
Esq. of Telfair' containing the painful intelligence of the mas-
sacre of Mr. Daniel Dikes and his family, by a party of Indians,
on the Satilla, forty miles from Telfair Court House. Mr. Har-
ris adds, that there was reason to apprehend some other families
hive fallen near the residence of hr. Dikes. I have ordered a
detachment of cavalry to that frontier, to pursue the Indians as
far as practicable.
" A detachment of Colonel Wimberly's regiment of infantry
will be sent down the Flint, on the Indian side, towards the Big
Bend, with orders to reconnoitre the country, and arrest or at-
tack any parties found in that quarter."
A letter from Major-General Gaines to the Gover-
nor of Georgia, dated the 23d, ult. from his head-
quarters at Hartford, states, that the preceding day
a party of Indians had fired upon and killed Mr.
Thomas Leigh, assistant waggon-master, and Sa-
muel Lofters, of Captain Avera's company of Geor-
gia militia, in Cedar-creek Swamp, seven miles east
of Flint-river. General Glascock immediately or-
dered out a detachment, under Major Morgan, in
pursuit of the Indians. There was to have been a
meeting of Indians on the 21st ult. to concert mea-
sures for the destruction of the inhabitants on the
Catahoochie, and the reduction of Fort Scot and
Fort Gaines. After stating the. measures he had
taken for throwing supplies into those Forts, the
General proceeds in these terms :
" I have seen in the Newspapers, with equal sur-
prise and indignation the attempts that have been
made to hill the public mind into a b2lief that the
hostile Indians desire peace, and are willing to lay
down their arms. Sir, there will be no peace until
those Indians are severely chastised. The chiefs are
required to surrender the offenders. It was delibe-
rately resolved, in a large council of the Seminole
and Red Sticks, at Mickasukee, that the offenders
should neither be punished nor surrendered. Some
of their chiefs have triumphantly asserted, that we
cannot beat them—that we never have beaten them,
except when we had Red people tai help us.' It is
not extraordinary that they should entertain these
opinions. They know little or nothing of the strength
or resources of our country; and whatever informa-
tion they have derived from their white friends (Bri-
tish officers and traders) could have no tendency to
give them favourable impressions towards us. They
must be beaten before we can reasonably calculate
upon peace."
The General then reprobates those Newspaper
writers who represented the Americans as aggressors
in this war, notwithstanding the notoriety of the In-
dians having previously killed seven Americans, in-
cluding a woman and two children. He asks what
the number is, the massacre of whom would consti-
tute an act of war in the opinion of those gentlemen?
and adds—" Sir, my own humble impressions upon
this subject are, that the wanton massacre of an in-
fant, not yet able to lisp the declaration of I am an
American citizen,' should be as promptly avenged
as if 50 or 50,000 citizens had been massacred."
The General then states, that he places no reliance
upon any aid from the friendly Indians. On the
contrary, a spirit of opposition had begun to appear
among the friendly part of the Creek nation, excited,
as fie conceived, by. the white people employed in
smuggling negroes into the United States from East
Flonda, in consequence el the abominable traffic
being rendered more difficult and perilous, by the
movements of the United States' troops near the
Florida line.