Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-05-31
LAW CASE.

Yesterday the Hon. St. George Tucker,
Judge OF the District Court Of the United
States, pronounced his decree in the case OF
Don Pablo Chacon, Consul of his Catholic
Majesty, against 50 bales OF cochineal, &c.
This case has excited a much more than
usual interest in our community. Day after
day, during its discussion, the court room
was thronged with many OF our most re-
spectacle and intelligent citizens, zealously
attending to its progress. and awaiting with
suspense, its termination. Nothing that tai
ent, eIoquence, ingenuity, research, or actI-
witty could accomplish, was omitted on ell
Their side and the public expectation which
had been previously wrought to the highest
point by the novelty and importance OF the
case, was most amply satisfied and fulfilled.
Mr.. Tazewell and General Taylor occupi-
ed, each OF them, twelve hours in argument,
and gave renewed evidence Of their title to
be ranked with the first orators and pleaders
of their country.
Information derived from a legal friend
who attended the Court, during the trial, en-
ables us to present our readers with the fol-
lowing sketch of this interesting case
The libellant. the Spanish Consul, prayed
restitution Of cochineal and other articles, to
the value of about 10000 dollars, brought
into this port in March, 1877, in the Buenos
Ayrean armed vessels, Independence del
Sud and Atrevida, and rested his demand on
several allegations, the principal OF winch
were that these vessels were commanded by
citizens of the United States, who, by the
laws of nations and our treaty with Spain,
could O ttake commissions to make captures
of Spanish property /; that they were fitted
and equipped Tor warlike purposes or aug
mented ia force, and manned within the
Chesapeak AXE Bay, with the intent to commit
hostiIities against the subjects OF his Catho-
lie Majesty. The claimant, Don Diego
Chaytor. asked decree in his favor on the
ground, that the property libelled had been
captured by a national vessel of the United
Provinces of Rio de la Plata, and not by a
privateer, and it was not competent to the
Court, for that reason, to take cognizance OF
the case, and denied, that the force OF his
vessel had been increased within the United
States, in any other way than by the enlist
ment of persons who represented themselves
to be, and were believed by him to be, citi-
zens of the United Provinces of Rio de la
Plata, transiently within the United States.
The Judge decided, that, as to the restitu-
ton of prizes, made in yiolationof our neu-
trality, there is no distinction between pub
lie and private armed vessels. he there
fore, oYerruled the objection to his lurlsdIc-
ton and icing of opinion, that the per-
sons enlisted in the United States, were not
sufficiently proved to be citizens OF the Fro
vinces of La Plata, awarded restitution to
the Spanish Consul, without damages. From
.his decree the claim ant took an appeal TO
the Circuit Court, and the libellant appealed
also from so much of it as omitted damages,
about $4,000 dollars in specie being alledg-
ed to have been taken during the same
cruize.-Counsel for the libellant, Iaze-
well Stannard, District Attorney, and Ali
mand. For the claimant, Taylor.
lNoyok Herald, :