Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-06-17
AMERICAN PRIZE NEGROES.

From, the NASSAU Royal Gazette, Nay 10.
We have been favored with the copy of
a letter written by William Wylly, Esqr.
His Majesty's Advocate and Procurator
General, to his Excellency the Governor,
in refutation of the charge made by the
American government respecting the sale
In these Islands, of Negroes taken from
the United States. Although every per-
son iii this colony must be perfectly salts
lied that the charge is altogether unfounded,
yet as appears by Mr.. Monroe's report to
his government, that the subject has been
deemed of sufficient importance to be OIL
clally communicated to the Plenipotentia-
rles at Client, and has otherwise been
widely circulated, we consider fright pub,
liciy to repeat our firm belief, that the &C
cusatlon, thus brought againstthe comman-
der IN chief and other meritorious officers
OF Ills Majesty's navy on the American sta
ton, and involving in its consequences the
inhabitants OF tins colony, has been fabrica-
ted for the double purpose of stigmatising
the British naval character, and tanning
the ilame of disc0rd between the two natl
ons. We might have said only, that il
must have proceeded from some erroneous
and false information by which the public
lunctionaries of the United States have
been deceived, did not the remarks of Mr..
Monroe, embodied in his report, point d.
rectly to spirit of rancour as debating
the sentatiOn--remarks which we see
repeated in the National Intelligencer with
increased malevolence, and which, as an
pearing in that paper, bear tie mark of au-
th0pty, and shew that the object is moi so
much to afford proof of the injustice COM
planned Of, as 70 aGgrayate the imputation
and to impress It's belief upon the minds Of
the United States, still heated from recent
animosities. 1T viii be observed that the
Attorney General has confined himself, in
a great measure to Prize Negroes.-Lt is
TO be wished that be had gone further, be-
cause it is the aim of the American govern
ment to do so. The true purport Of tbe ac-
cUsatlon at the presentday, means as much
that the desertion Of Che slaves was encour-
aged, and that they were afterwards betray-
ed and sold, as that captured Negroes were
carried away for sale ;--an accusation
equally false and grOundless as the other,
and equally incredible with all who will
give 1t moments reflection, and consider
the impractcability of such proceedings
under the existing Laws, over which the
eye of authority is particularly vigilant in
all our Colonies, but III none more so than
in this,
We understand that supdry afidavits
have been voluntarily and solemnly made,
which not only fully corroborate the state
ment of the Attorney General, but also
shew that no American Slaves were, at
Iany time, or under any circumstances
whatever, introduced into and sold in the
Bahamas during the late war. Ifcopies
OF these atIidayit5 can be procured, they
SHALL appearin future number in the
mean time the letter above alluded to, is
herein published.
"oNe5O Providence, Nay 5th, 1915.
Your Exceilency must without doubt
have been surprized at seeing in our Ca
zette, copies Of the papers which have late
ly been published under the authority of
the Government Of the United States upon
he subject Of the pretended sale Of Ameri-
can Prize Negroes in these Islands, and al
though the charge appears upon the face Of
It to be grOundless, your ExceIlency may
nevertheless think itright that it should be
contradictcd.
/ have, as your Excellency knows,
been Ills Majesty's Attorney, Advocate
and ProcratOr General Of these Islands
for the last fourteen years, and / was pre-
sent perhaps at every sitting OF our Prize
i1ouIt during the late American War, so
that have had the very best opportunities