Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-08-07
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Spanish tyranny at Catl;z.
Frotn The .qrrora

Erosn The .qerora.
We are enabled at length place in I'm
authentic form before our readers. trans.
lahons oil the correspondence o. the Spa.
nish authorities at Cadiz, with Mr.. Cath
cart the America,l-C nnsul, on the wa,,ton
seizure and iniprisonment of Richard
Meade, esq. OF Philadelphia. 1t may be
useful to preface those papers with some
general Information, with which we have
been long acguainte;t: is it will serve IA
illustrate the character OF that Spanish "a,
yer.ment, which has found SO many. eulo,
gists aud commemorative, aud will n,
doubt egen find apolosists for this outrage
aud the peculiar iajustice which MIR. NJ
mas experienced al It's hands,
| MIR. NJ. has been iur several wears re.
sluent merchant lnthe city of Cadiz, on
his private account. andaa agent fnr man,
OF the FIRST mercantile houses in the u. )
who traded 10 that part OF Europe. The
general distress OF the Spanish governments
at different periods o. the last ten wear, !,
well kiiown and il is afact, chat not onl,
| the city oi Cadiz, when il was invested BY
the French but the armies Of Spain in An.
dalusia, alter raising the siege, we're in.
deotca u the enterprise and TO the creai,
whica NE. NJ. gave the government fol
subsistence.
The Spanish government. destitute 81
iahus or any means or prospect Of pay
'nent, found an ample aud !; constant re-
source IA the confidence which Mr.. NJ, re.
posed III the honor aud gocd faith of thc
Sfaniards--and his advances in subsist.
ence and ether requisites were at various
times III amount more than 100000 a
dollars. Occasional payments were made
by bills on Londcn, but the immense sum.
uac 70 hm never were wholly satisfied
aad 1t is believed that the government I
Spajn still remains Indebted to him one
millim. OF dollars.
| Notwithstanding the Importance of q
merchant OF such great resource and gene.
itos,ty, to government 50 mpoverished
and7fesourceiess, during the sitting of the
Sortez at Cadiz he was seized and throwu
INTO prison, for refusing to surrender hi,
property and the property of others who
had Consigned his care, without any Sc
,curity of payment. This was the act nj
the civil authorities OF Cadiz-From them
Ihe appaa'ed to the cortez, and the pres
lDeins at that time III some measure free
The wretc and printed in the Spanish Ian,
lguase pamphlet, in a manly aud spiriteo
lstyie, a copy of which he caused to be
ipiaced il the hands Of every member of the
cortez.
This bold and jigni6rd course produced
the respect OF all the liberal and virtuous
and his release /; bat his stores were br,
Ken oie and his property taken. Whe.
| her he ut that time obtained any conside.
1rable portion OF the debt due him. we do
aot at present rec nllect, though we were
well Informed the issue at the moment
but having lieut. the copy of the pamphlet
(which we had received at the time it Is out
oil our power to refer to it.. But a vas;
dent rem@ihed unpaid aud remains so still
Tie Eretext upon which the outrage re.
Gently committed is Connected in some
measure with tie debt of the government
In the transaction of his mercantile affairs
Ihe was enahied TO obtain by negotiations
land agency. credit to certain amount
lpelhaps one Or two hundred thousand dol
lars on account of the Spanish treasury,
! Mr.. Meade with the consent of the authD
tritics employed this and fn Their credit TO a
iconsiderabls amount. i'll discharge Of part
OF his debt, aud closed the negotiation in
which lie WAS enabled 60 secure a yum or
account OF Spain in foreign countries. This
atfai' was honorably adjusted at the Spa
lish treasury. and triplicote receipts given
bim FRA sum paid into the treasury
| More dian a year had expired, when B,
some intrigue, fosteled by the necessitie,
Iand the depiayity of the new race of rub
lie agent, who had came intopower hun.
cry. vindictipe and rapacious, il was init.
lratcd to- hm thst he must refund i; thai
he must deposit a sum of money in tn,
Spanish treasury, equal to the amount for
which he had already secured receipts II
liquidation OF the debt due to him.
| Mr.. VI. vas at this moment acting a,
consul ofthe U s. He urged that hi.
liuos. il il @eic Just, were ia, then :.
spnn, that they bad beer 7emittpd in mpr
icen'iie "Sdjures to + glsnd ADD the q
/ 7,a'e' that as consul Of the q. States h,
had no laH',s and il he had could not dis
pose OF ti,em bui FOR Inc service of his cGu,u
Try. Tie Yves informed that if I've did NO
de,o tba, amount in a aiyen time. in tn,
treasury OF the encouragement Of AuJa
lusiI e should be imprisoned. Hit wer,
proper. compliance was out Of his power
but be maensuimousIy declared. that, pos
seSsed of the evilence If the govern
meng that he had already paid IN,
SUN required, he should deem it sub
mission 10 uajustiGabIe outrage, if he ha,
tlie money and should not, IT. he did pos
eess It, refund sum paid to him. which
had en- but very small part Of the enor
nous debt which still remained due I,
him by The Spanish government deb
contracted when Spain was in tfibuation
aid without means 70 sutsis' he immens,