The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-01-29
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
DEGEN, PURVIANCE, & Co.

! he
Report o. the Secretary of the Navy. clears
up every doubt which has hung over ,he
transactions with this company Let party
rage and calumniate Let the Federal
hcPuhhcan distort, much AS it lists If
no more serious charges can be urged against
the Messrs. Smiths, they may d.fy the impo.
tent malice of their enemies. What are the
| facts? VIZ
In 1905, detachment from our navy was
sent to the Mediterranean, to chastiso the
pirates OF lupoii--Funds were first depo-
s S AT London for its support and the
mediterranean agents, who might furnish
supple, were to draw upon London for their
reimbursement
IL was soon found, however, that drafts on
London were attended with loss of 10 Der
cent ana that those direct on the NAVY De-
iar'ment had a loss OF 6 per cent.
Lesh'rn had been occasionally made :,
place OF deposit as well as Lontlon-but nm
ms intelligence being received from the
Nieoi'F'ranean, from the most respectable
sources, 1t was thought fit to erteud the re
fnittasces to Leghorn-tor, of the G s56 ooo
m" zen had been drawn on Degen, Purviance
& 20. OF Leghorn. the sum {, 166. 600 was
drawn after this information was received.
Nen' oulcker navy agent at Baltimore. be-
! ing at that time Director of the Mrviand
insurance Company, finding from the ac-
counts OF omith and Buchanan in that Office
tnst they made large expor stioDs to Ieg'
| horn' Dough- his bills of tina: house. Il,
| seems unquestinnable that when the Then
secretary or the navy (Mr. Il. Smith) in
| VI cted him to purchase. he gave him M,
tn slightest intima,ion. either direct or -, .
| airect to buy 1t the firm of Smith and Ruch-
man. rms House had sold bills of EXCHANGE
the am zen admin strations---their biiIc
| on II Hand, sold 10 w. Wolcott. excee,ed
lsln count that We e Id in .erb, IN
heir trade with D. p. * Co. was We, U
| IN i've: From 1902 to 7, hey had Con
'ishea shipments to them of about $500 600
| 1t is true som, bills were drtwn nv
,, :o' "hich the funds were not orig nallv
| III -eShHrn, Cause one Of their YES
| els was los and annlher, which WIS load
| ns for Leghorn, had her destination chanp-
| "a WIN tile consent Of Mr.. Purvisnce hen
| IN 'his conn ry; but when these funds miscs-
! iled q were diverted from their channel
ne amour was pHid. by his own desire -
one OF the partners here and mn no.,
u ms sum was lost The u. states, rs i, vas
RENTED to the Navy Dep rtment nv III 20
new agents ). and w. Y. Pur,iance & Co.
~ we're appointed after the partner hi n
o. MISSES Degen and Purviance wa, dissoI,
ed-and who received through ,b,. bonta
OF w. T.: FurvIance, then in the u. s ,ha
I'd aiiSe oae 10 the old firm by Smitb ,nd
! Buchanan ''h ana
| H was part only of the fund. which was
! eePoslted at Legborn. which runs .ta III,
oeing lost by the Bankruptcy of Mr.. De-
gen lhere is Clearly no fault in this tr,ns
AcIoh TO be ascrbed 20 the Messrs. Smiths
or IN the year 1906, the commandio,
vlhI'I III the Mediterranean was advised
80 ''lese considerable funds had been de-
posted in the Mediterranean. fo, hi
Yet notwithstanding tues. advices and w.,
standing the assurances IF com,nod
NougerS, on ist OF November, 1905. thai he
nau uetermlned not to draw on Londo1 for
'urther supplies, until he should hear from
'ne secretary on the subject, he artu,i;,
oId overdrav, on the 9TH Nov. 18n6 No., =
nrm IN London to an amount exceed;,o
o'ooo POUNDS sterling, while there were in
..i &c nshuS OF me navy agents at Leghorn,
iuheS pr 'babiy exceeding that amount. -
,h ION ,nese iacts 1t would appear (savs
tne present Secretary ofthe navv thar IF the
officers had drawn upon Leghorn ,nste.G
% drawing up LoDdor, the I'm, ed Sta 90
would not have sus ined. if they are really to
stain any by Degen, Purvia C. & 20 I,
Ill appear too, that tie House OF ID. p. 3,
20. did not become bankrup, until tam mare
atter the date OF ths last bill which was
Drawn on them by Smith and Buchanan.
IL also appears, that the then Secretarv
=. NV 4'"'y ulu on the 18th july 1907
uirect the Commodore in the Mediterrane.
an PRIOR to his leaving that sea, to draw mn,
OF 'he hands OF the agents at Leghorn. ali
me nfohles III their hands belonging to thu
y. otaier--and that in consequence of that
order. captain Dent did actually receive
rom the agents at Lcghorn the sum. Of
. 57923, 90 cents. One of tbese ,o,e1,,
conceived that the circumstances nnLer.
"hIch he Hornet was situated, made il AN.
advisable to de'ain her for further nav
nent. S' pay
under these circumstances, where ;s
shadow OF fraud, on the part of Smith ard
bnchanan--or cOnnlvance on the mart IS
Mr.. X. Smith Where are those Idle t,Ies
ana calumnIeS which have been circ,I,td
with so much zeal by the Federal Psne,s
Mr. Hamilton the present Secretarv ~ the
Navy, has developed these TRANSACTIONS =,
the most lucid manner--and reftted the ga
IumnieS OF MS predecessors enemies. 1.-THE
w. D. SNstain any loss at all, il is much less
than has been trumpeied forth-and # is ono
which has principally arisen from the carc
lessness OF the Commodore, in making draf-e
on London, instead Of Leghorn,
DlED--At Falmouth, on board b;e Ri;
tnnnlc vi Jesty's Packet Princess Cbarloit.
M JOHN N MACoMB late OF mi. civ n,er,
chaht. The Princess Charlotte wa. attack
ca on her passage ron Lisbon to Falmoutl.
by he French prva' eer Venus. which sbe
succeeded IN beating f.-Nir Macomb w.