Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-06-19

heau OF hat ministry stands Lord Castle
reagh; ana now, Is there any one in this
country So stupid, 80 sillv, and so bereft oil
common sense, as TO put faith Ia the words |
OF that man, when speaking If America in |
ms late Parliamentary haraneue He is |
said to have declared in Parliament, that |
:" no one could be more sincerely anxious
than himself to cOnciiate America by eve
.ry means in their power,'' that she wished
to Heaven, Englandand America would
lay aside their antipathies,' and Sc that no
two countries more need each others
friendship, or, in reality, more deserve
!!"-Consummate hypocrite While
these public asseverations are falling from
his lips, and spreading over the world, his
minions are employed, under lie very eyes
OF the government, in ridiculing President
Madison, and in stigmatizing the hero of
the Essex as a liar, pirate, and murder
err! And, this, even with the knowledge
OF the fact, that Com. Porter formed
member OF that very government which
Lord Castiereagh was SO sincerely anxious
conciliate; for, at page, 373, of the Re-
view IN question, the writer states, that he
has just read (without surprise) in one of
J their the American) public papers, that
Mr.. Madison has appointed him David
Porter, Esquire, such as our readers have
seen him. one of the Commissioners Of the
American Navy"
| or the bitterness and gross faischoods
which characterize the article before allu :
ded to. 1t is not my intention TO speak at
present. Every reader Of that article must
have been struck with the additional proof
1t affords, that no events of the late war
| were so Calling to the royal lovers of John
Bull, as the many triunphs of our navy
over their Boosted sc mistress oft the ocean"
| This was, In fact, the sole cause why the
ministerial reviewers of England singled
out Com. POrter's Journal, as foundation
| for the expression of their unbridletl rage
and remorse. The antipathies which they
| harbOr against the officers of our navy, who
have so often humblell their Wanting bra
vos, leads them to embrace every opportu-
| nifty to load these officers with scurrility
and abuse; for like Shorthand, who took
such royal revenge at Dartmoor upon our
| brave tars, they are determined, right or
aorong, to spare no pains of their own to
satlate that burning hatred, which the bat
ties of Erie and Champain, the capture of
the Guerrero, Macedonian, Java, Frolc.
&c. &c. &c. long since created in their
hearts. With respect to Com. Porter,
their malice againit him appears to have
originated in the fact, that instead of sur
rendering the Essex to the Phoebe and Che
rub in 10 or Is minutes after the action
commenced, as the captains of these YES.
sells strongly calculated upon, he should
have had the unexampled hardihood to
night them for two hours and half. Can't.
Tucker, of the Cherub, is known to have
asserted since that he certainly expected to
have seen "Free Trade & Sailors Rights
hauled down an hour or two before it &C
tually was hauled down. But, surely, i'll
Com. Porter saw it fitting to fight his shin
for longer period than the B itish gentle
men had calculated upon, this could fur.
nish no legitimate excuse for Lord Castle
reagh's Reviewers to vilify and biacken
his character, in such an extraordinary
manner as they have done. He should
have reflected, in his anxious mood to con-
ciliate America, that long and obstinate
lighting is fault, perhaps, peculiar to the
people OF this country, and that this
ought not to have been employed by
his scribes, as a handle to ridicule
our chief Magistrate, or to abuse a
distinguished officer of the government.
vi the nature of that libellous matter 10
which have 50 often referred, some idea
may be tormod from the index of the Re-
view, which, in reference to the article on
the Commodore's Journal, IS, in part, as
follows:
Porter (captain) journal Of cruise in |
the Pacific Ocean, remarks on the vuIsari |
ty ofhis stye--his base conduct at the isle
OF Fernando de Observation-Disclosures adj |
dress of, to his crew-multifarious tuncti
ons OF his chaPlain--his falsehoods detect.
ed-his arrival at the Marquesas island
abandoned conduct of Porter and his crew |
his barbarOus treatment Ofth HaDpahs |
--detestable cruelties of captain Porter
and his crew--his falsehoods,' &c.
With regard to the vulgarity' of cap
tain Porter's style, (which, in another part
OF the article, is stated to be that of boat
swain's mate) am quite sure that the
pensIOned writer, who has acquitted him
self so peculiarly in the above index, never
told more downright falsehood. There
Is not single voyage recorded in the an
nails OF Great Britain, from Hakluyt down
to Mccartney, so correctly and so proper
ly drawn up as that of captain Porter's.
His style is simple and plain--often ele-
CANT and forcible-and, few grammatical |
errors of the press excepted, will vie in ex-
celIence with that of any British navigator
MIR. Clifford can produce. Where will he
find one, for example, who can boast of |
paragraph like the following, quoted BY
himself, or his minioD, from the CONS
journal. 1t aludes to the young ladies' of