Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-06-04

t"'PaIa'So, pdiu WISH 10 Tie Governor
Don Luis de la Cruz, and also To Lord
Cochrane, Who during my absence had
obtained command of The Chill squadron.
Soon after visiting Lord Cochrane, 4 re-
c,ived IA letter from him, in which he beg.
ged 10 remind me, Qor The length of my
services, lie said, must have made me
aware ot the faci,) that ships ofwar, whes
arriving IN friendly port, had ever been
III the habit Of saluiing publicly; that
there Was only one exception within his
remembrance, which was the American
iriSate Essex, al Gibraltar, in 1902 she
aDsidined from saluiiug the fiag OF Lord
kei,il, the British Adiniiai: aud Id. Keith
Tell II his duty torequire the salute, or on
refusal, that the Essex should forthwith
quit the port, which latter alternative was
embraced. The siyie of this letter was
equally unexpected aud offensive. From
desire to cenciliaie, had overcome my
ieciings at the neglect Of my own offer 10
salute. | had even paid the first >si, to
Loru Cociirane, personally a stranger 10
me. Instead OF receiving return of my
visit from that officer, the first notice OF il
| rom HIM was complaint OF my not having
hrst salutcd him, accompanied by AN inti
nation tina, if did not comply, should
| be expelled the port, as the Essex Iaa
once been for IA similar neglect. IL Was
impossible moi 10 feel the arrogance ofihis
| lretension butt dete, mined not la suffer
| NJ ohfiuence my ooddisposiiion towards
the government a Chih. In my answer
| To Lord Cochrane, therefore, stated q al
| Was aware n was usual, upon the arriva!
| oi Vessci II war al foreign port, To sa
| iu,e publicly that II MAS NY know lie iee
| ct this circumstance which had induced
ne, nroi ar1Nmg al Valparaiso, I'm the
| preceding January, 10 acquaiUt The then
| Oo' ernor with M, arrival, and 10 inform
nim would fire the customary salute If
sn eGual mum Der ofguus would be- return
! ca a,ii thai as my otierto salute was not
accepted then, lac would perceive The pro-
preiI OF my declining to salute now. I'm
is" hours received u second letter from
LORD Cochiahe, saying he was not ac-
| qualD,ed with Tie regulations of the 90
vcrnnep' oi The United States, and ihalif
! would give my word of honor that il was
Tie uniform practice Of the Ameri an
Commanders in Chief, without regard TO
comparative rank OF locality, To- answer
viii, an equal number of guns the salutes
OF all foreign SHIPS OF war. :" he aDouid gre
fresh orders for my salute being so returned -
bat Thai as the praGil, e of all other ~rvicps
with which he had had communi alton
Was to return from flag ship two guns
less 10 the saiuies OF ships OF war not bear
ing flag OF corresponding rank, his in
slructions hitherto had been Ia that effect :;
and tina, an alteration of the customary
mode proceeding, so far as regards the
UnI,ed States, a." must be reenia ed by the
communication might make on the subject -
HE offensive style OF his first letter had
not considered necessary 10 notice i'm NV
answer. Therefore had only replied that
Declined saluting, and assigned nv rea =
sons Tor 1t ; reasons which wereobligatory
upon me, and ought to have been satisfac-
tory TO him. My letter could not be misun-
dersiood, and as Lord COcllrane's second
communication still implied The necessity
OF my salu.InS, III was necessary not only
10 repeat my Intention not to salute at all.
but TO give him 10 understand that
would not suffer my selfto be ordered out
OF port. My answer, therefore, was, that
as declined saluiing altogether, ii was
not necessary 10 enquire whether salute
from The SHIP under nay command should
be answered by an equal or by less num-
Der oil guns; that salute from a national
Nessei, npon arriving al a foreignpOrt, was
matter of courtesy only thai il was en-
tireiy optional that il was sometimes
praciised, il was Oiteniimes omitted thai
IN respect TO what lie mentioned of The
Essex, thought he must be misinfOrmed,
since | was persuaded that my frieEd,
Captain cambridge, who commanded the
Essex IN 1902, would not have permitted
himself TO be ordered Out of port i'm the
manner he had stated This produced
from Lord Cochranea third letter, u here
III he says that my first letter, i'm which |
stalled that my visit to him was i'm nv ca
pacity oian officer of the United States,
and was intended as an evidence ofrespeci
TO the officer commanding The navalforce
OF Chill, had induced him To conceive
there could be no intention of di,IeSpec
10 the flag OF Chill, in The omission OF a
salute, and the more so, as Tie very next
sentence IN that lettervery candidlv stated
that was aware II was usual on the arri
val OF vessel OF war at a foreign port, 10
salute publicly, and that il was nv know
ledge OF this circumstance that had ndu.
ced me upon arriving AT the port IN jan
last, TO acquaiut the Governor would ma,
The customary salute if an equal number
OF guns would he retained; he desires me
10 Judge then his establishment on receiv-
ing my written declaration, That ms letter
was intended 10 decline saluting aliogelh-
er, and that therefore ii was not necessary
| to enquire whether salute from the shin
undermy command should be answrred by
an equal or less number Of guns. This
he says is public matter. But he desires
me TO Judge of his private sentiments,
when he finds me add that salute from a
national vessel, upon arriving at a foreign
port, is matter Of courtesy only thai il
IS entirely optional (; that il is sometimes
praciised il is oitentimcs omitted he
says II is incontesiable, that in no port of
| a civilized nation, are an equal number of
| guns returned ny The Dnwpr who ,,,.,,
be salnted that as to the incident no
ilced in his letter, he has not erred in
fact, though be may have committed a mis-
| LII q n, inrinnnial iriHnn H., 4