Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1814-09-08
HOSTAGES.
From the Boston Daily Advertiser O
august Is.

august Is.
From the correspondence between Briga.
der General Winder and Adjutant Gene.
raj Baynes, together with some other d9u-
mepts which have before made their Zap.
pearance we are at length enabled to learn
the history of the negotiations which have
taken place on the subject Oh the hostage
prisoners.
On the 10th of March last, about the
time that it began to be surmised here that
the British government would refuse to
treat with our commissioners at Gotten.
burgh until Mr.. Madison had renounced
his cilim to exempt British traitors from
punishment, our Secretary of State wrote
to Governor Provost, proposing that a con
vention should be entered into, for the mu-
tua! release of the hostage prisoners. Brig.
Gen. Winder was at the same time appoint,
ed agent Oh the part of the United States,
with full power to negotiate for the ex
change of all prisoners, including the hos
tages.
On the receipt ofthis letter by Gov. Pre-
vost, Col. Baynes was appointed with SINH
lar powers as agent for the British govern
ment. The agents met and arranged the
basis Of the negSess ton previous to The 10th
Of April ThiasAais was that eli prison
ers, hosta ges as we'll as Others, should be
exchanged or released on parole, except
British subjects who had been taken IN
the rGaks Of oar army and sent TO Eng
land for trial.
About the 10th of April, when this a
greement was on the point of being ratified
by the British commander in Chief, Brig.
Gen Winder received a despatch from the
Secretary of State, dated March 90, pro
hibiting him from conserving to the release
of the Go British soldiers who were held in
confinement as hostages for the British sur
jes,s sent to England for trial, unless they
likewise should be released. The reason
assigned whv this condition did not appear
in t4e instructions of March 18th, was that
1t vas omitted by an error en- TRANSCRIPT
0g. The communication of the contents
OF thus dispatch at once suspended the nego-
Acknowledgement Provost on that occa-
sion made, among others, the following de-
eiarations
4" 1t would be wasting time to enter into
further discussion on this subject Great
Britain has successfully maintained her ma
tional rights unsullied, for twenty years,
against the whole world combined it is
not to be supposed, that it is reserved for
the United States to stop the course of JUS
tee, and to dictate to England what pro
celure she shall observe towards her own
natural born subjects in her own courts OF
civi! judicature, arrested in her own terri
tories. in the actual commission of acts oil
treason and rebellion"
"Ifthe insfructions of the Secretary oil
State leave to the discretion of Brig. Gen.
Winder no latitude on the subject of the
twenty three British soldiers, considered
by Great Britain as the sole just origin OF
the system of retaliation, the further prose
cution of this negociationfor an exchange
OF prisoners must be unavailing, as his
ezcsllency, although prepared to wave all
minor considerations to meet the Ameri-
can government on a fair and liberal basis,
Is at the same time unalterably fixed in his
determination not to compromise in the
slightest degree, that principle of justice
and equity upon which the measures of bis
government have been framed"
In the course of the correspondence which
followed, Brig. Gen. Winder observed
" the government of the United States con.
celved that a relinquishment of the twenty.
three original hostages taken by them
would be compromising the principle or
Their part and declined to give a power to
mat extent they, on the contrary, do moi
ask a release of the twentythree men sent
70 England, because that would be relin.
gushing it on the part of the British go
EeFnment."