Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-05-11

1918.
Sir--I have received the letter with
which you favored me in answer to mine
oil yesterday, and beg permission to OBJ
serve, that being ignorant Of the rules OF
The American Government as respects the
number oil guns with which its comman-
ders are authorised to fire, in answering
the salutes OF foreign vessels of war who
enter their ports, if you will give me
your 'Uord Of honor that the American
commanders uniformly, without consider
ing the comparative rank or the locality,
to answer with an equal number of guns
the salutes OF all foreign men of war,
will give new orders that your salute shall
be answered In the same way. Moreover,
as IN all other services with which have
had communications, it is customary that
the Admirals' vessel should answer with
two guns less, the salute Of the foreign
vessels of war, which do not bear the 10.
sigma of corresponding rank, my in.
|structions, until this moment, have been
conformahly thereto.
The alteration of the usual mode of
procedure, in similar circumstances, Gas
respects the United Siates) must be reg
ulated by the communication which you
made me upon this subject. | have the
yonor, &c.
No. Capt. Biddle TO Lord Cochrane,
dated on board the Ontario, Dec. 20,
1918.
Sir have had the honor TO receive
the communication with which your lord
ship honored me this morning. The OBJ
ject OF my former letter was TO excuse
myself entirely from making the salute,
and consequently it is not necessary to
know whether the salute of the Ontario
shall be answered with an equal or less
number of guns. When a government
vessel enters foreign port, the salute is
mere matter of courtesy, aud entirely
arbitrary-it is sometimes practiced, and
at others it is omitted.
With respect 10 what your lordship in
forms me relative to the u. S. frigate Es-
sex, | beg leave to inform your Iordsilip,
that your statement is erroneous for Com.
Truxt Oh never commanded squadron in
the Mediterranean and | am persuaded
that my friend Captain cambridge, who
commanded the Essex in 1902, would not
have suffered himself to have been order
ed TO leave the port in the manner you
state. | have the honor, &c.
No. 5.-Lord Cochrane to Capt. Biddle,
dated Valparaiso, same date.
Sir-fhe letter with which you favor
ed me this morning, and in which you in-
form me that your visit was s. in your
capacity of officer Of the U. S. Marine,
aud as mark of your respect for the
officer who commands the naval forces OF
the Chilian government" you leave me to
understand, that 10 emitting the salute,
you could have no intention Of failing in
The respect you owe the Chilisn flag the
more SO, when in the sentence which fol-
lows, you plainly confess that you knew,
:. that when a vessel of war entered for
eign port, it is customary TO fire salute /;
and that the knowledge Of this circum-
stance induced you, when you entered
tins port 10 Jan. ultimo, to give formal
advice of your arrival to the government,
and gave him notice that you would fire
the customary salute, if it would be ans
wered with an equal number of guns. !"
Imagine, then, my establishment! on re-
ceiyiug this evening, your written decla-
ration, in which you state, that the OBJ
iect of your letter was to excuse yourself
entirely from making the salute, and con.
sequently it was not necessary to know
whether the vessel under your command
should be answered with an equal or less
number of guns"
This is public affair, but imagine sir
what we're my personal feelings, when
Fl nd that you add in the same letter, that
/" When a government vessel enters for |
eigu port, the salute is merely matter of
courtesy-it is entirely arbitrary-that il
is at times practised, and at others omit
ted"
Conceive, sir, l repeat, what are my
particular feelings, when l compare your
last communication with one of your for
mer ones, in which you state, that When
a vessel of war arrives in a foreign port, it
was customary to fire a salute" When
compare this with the offer which you
made to the Governor on your arrival in
January, TO make the customary salute i'll
it would be answered with an equal num-
Der Of guns-when compare this with
the knowledge | have (and which is in
controve rtible) that in no part Off civilized
nation, the power which is saluted, never
answers with an equal number Of guns.
AS respects the affair at Gibraltar,
which ! mentioned in my letter, l have |
not erred ia fact, although I may, perhaps,
have been mistaken as to particulars of no
importance.
/ plainly perceive the very unfavorable !