Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1817-04-29
BY THE NILS.


be enabled to lay before our readers AZ
fell and as fair ifaiement as the nature
Of the cafe admits. We were the more
impelIed to this course beeaui. we dia
not believe that the people OF our CRY
could upon any occaGon. be induced e
commit acts 70 degrading 70 iociety-ano
we did not with to coniound the innocent
with the guilty We are now happy 10
have it in our power to fay that iearcely
a Jingle Creole OF Loulliana Is 10 any
way implicated 10 this outrageous pros
rration of our Laws.
The following ftatement, We belleye,
win be found to be fubltantially correct
an Englifh fhip and French one are ly-
ing along iide each other at the levee,
and are both of them loading On
Monday lae difpute arofe between the
officers about the itage leading TO the
levee, but we believe proceeded no farth-
or than binding the Engiilh captain TO
keep the peace. after this, however, Il
was dfcoyered that his veflels vanes had
tri coloured tail, and this, il was indui
triously propagated, was intended as an
infuit to the French part of the commu-
nifty il was Immediately leized upon by
a certain clafs Of pertons long known IN
our vicinity, whole purpofe it fuited. 1T
ihoulG here be remarked, that the Eng
lifh chip, (the Hamilton) has been three
weeks in port, has had theie obnox Gus
vanes flying ever hnce, yet the iDiult was
not difcoyered until this difpute about
the fage took place.
On Tuefday, early in the day, mum
Der of perfons collected on the levee near
the fhip. and little while after the may
or went on board and ordered the vanes
TO be taken down. The captain remon
itrated, but finally they were taken down
by another perion
! Capt. Cohed then fent to the coms
handing naval ficer to know whether
they ere confdered offen6ye TO The A
merican government ?-He was, OF
courfe, anlwered in the negative upon
which they were again hoilted. From
the moment they re appeared, mob be-
gan to e2llea, and continued 70 increafe
rapidly. Between and 8, the mayor
again appeared, but remained fome time
mere spectator of the preparations
which were making 10 board the vefiel,
which being completed about s, a mum
Der of men marched up the itage, and
the vefel was taken poflefion OF after a
trifing reGltance. A feaman was muir
dered. the mate of the ihip and four of
the crew ieyerely wounded the rioters
| then tore down the vanes, cut away the
rigging, chopped the main and mizen
mats. broke the sky light, through which
! they fired feveral pifols into the cabin,i
which were, we are informed, the Brit
ifh conlul, the captain of the flip, and
feveral other pertons and, when they
could find nothing eiie on which to vent
their ipleen, they CALAMITY tied mon
keys chain rocnd lis neck and threw
it overheard, and mott magnanimouly
cut an Engifh ducks head off
What they would have found next 10
indulge their malice on, or where they
would have topped, il is imp ,flibe TO
fay, had not Col Reynolds, the MARTIAL
went down TO head quarters to r, quelt
military aillttance to prelerye the peace of
the city A part Of The 9Th U. S. infan.
try were marched up with CELEBRITY that
n feels honor on their officers-but the
rioters, apPriied of their approach, made
their eioaPe, except o. 8. who were
taken by The military. Several more
have Gnce been arrened and are now
confined.
A guard remained on board all night
to proted the vencl from further dam
age.
We have here aated the prominent
cauiss and effects of this ihameful affair.
We refrain from the expedition shofe
feelings naturally excited by it, becaufe
the cafe OF tie prifoncrs viii foon be ri
cd BY their country as regards others,
committee of The CRY council is now
engaged IN Citing the affair TO the bot
tom The general opiuion has itrongIy
pointed at man high in itation in our
local administration, a. crimina ly neg
lecttul OF the iolemn duties for which he
was iworn TO execute. 1t this enquiry
Is made IN The iplrit Of. truth, however i
may terminate, GU cifizens viii be salts.
ned and people abroad fully informed Of
The facts. bur i any unfair means are
fl AL