The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1815-03-22

FKoM cpBBETIs REGIsTER pECEMBEe lu.
i.EERfC9A' BR1TEsnY


.i.UERiC.3.N BR.1DEnP
SIR-As lue AEerice, contest Is become
remarkable, and begins TO excite consl lde able
Intsre SHALLOW me IN make eJme dc sultpri re-
matks upon II, which may have "A beneficial
Influence on some, AT least oi your readers.
w hcIhe' the advantage rs o. is not 40 our
favor, at this stage ol tie contest, il is not my
purpose 10 examine Bot The gSIlanlry dis.
played by the ,epubicans IN parucUia, cases
appears TO surpass any thiag IN ,ccord IN the
history Of mankind, y lhs accounts can be re.
lied on. General DrUwnond's 3, po,t OF his
action with their land forces, canno, De cues.
toned, and he resoipte onset, ca hat occa-
sion, Cannot be read without a shivcrine sind
Ut astonishmen, which leaves ii,Ue power oi
slysins The feelings Of the ulind, struck
ashsst, tTansfxed, "nd ree0,lina But che
account, which you gave OF the nevai action
At fasa. exceeds that and evo;y thing which
man has ever neard Of and | em, own, LED
to doub, the correctness Of the statemen,.-
Wbe her our force was employed regularly
or Not, must be eit to luture elucidaiion |
believe, from the character at our naval ofti
GERS, il viii be laund tba, no i'm pc achiueni oi
them will finally be proved. bu, taking thr
account which you bave publi. he'd, 10 be, IL
other respects, exact, must confess that no
parallel trsnsacliun has ever come to my
knowledge. What to admire most, the dc
libcra,e conduct, or the desperate valo,. q,
these men, becon,tsa question Of difficulty
The commander first mikes enquiry of the
Portuguese eutborIties ,as to his sdfeiy---hG
then ,abstAIns from hostility Till nc i, actua y
attacked, and the aggression becomes un
doubted Now, having repnlsed ;be assail-
ants, he rows his tiny vessel under the neu
uai fort, that his station my be no problem.
When call upon there 10 act, he and his
brave crew, seemingy we'll p epared to, tho
worst, deal destruction on The sncny with al
most supefDa,ural good fortune aud success.
As long as resistance could oe mode, wiz
hope OF gloy, for there could have Been non,
Ol iinal safety, they re main at their post, u
encounjer, alter every s'ruggl>, ship OF 81.
perlor force, which could not want supcrl-
bundance oi hands ioi offence add deienc,--
and beat her off No seeing any good iron.
proionging a contest, in which they destroy
more than twice tbeiT own numbef. thsy rem
der their cock-boat uuscrvic, able, and retire
Yet, pursued and demanded, they tesoive,
with their small 0umbets, 20 brave danger tc
the last, aud occupy position on land dete'
mined 10 render as dear as possible theu e.
ventual fall Deforc sucn superior iotce. THIS
last determination Is the essence of horoisu;
il drives one wild with admiration.
Bu, The features OF the contest which throw
the post brilliant lustre on II, afe the impos.
iOg force that surrounded the undauoted Re
public ans. aod tbe high qualities Of the enc.
my whom ,h. y had TO encouoic' pciva-
teet, Sit f; yes. privateer Of z or OF IA gum.
m ma xvht m hS ~ XII
an English seventy -lour, an English frigst,.
and ao English brig OF war, aud evan the las
Of superior force and yet il resisIs Would
any man have expected that they would not
have scattIed their canoe, on the slightest APP
peatancc of hostility, taken to their boats
and made the best of their way to land, winch
they would have been fully justified in doing!
Tell me, when The English have ever met
with an enemy such as the Americans had to
tug with in hcm. When, where unless III
this war aud the Republicans are at last al
lowed to be antagonists worthy Of US. But al
observation forces itself on me al this place
and do not study method. How inconsis
tent with the national honor, and how contra
die,ory in themselves, are our words and &C
upns with respect to the Americans AT one
momen, it would seem that they are coward
~, base and csueI--buI even our great n,en,sI
the same moment, speak Of their humanity
as so ext traordinary, as to indicate ao ioeiina-
tion % place themselves under our p'otee.
ton while our pno;s, with the siliest re.
iue;ancc, are forced TO give such accounts OF
their noble dsriDg, as alone Can Justify ou'
forces when worsfrd by ihsm. This reiuct
snce call silly because II is even more silly
Than IL is epyigus aud crudgIng for unless
they sdmi, The superior gailsnisy OF the victor