Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-10-31


pecialiy a. the governor was sitting in his
judicial capacity, and expecting odr report.
we returned to the house of Col. Callaya,
and were informed that ne had not YET come
home. II was then concluded 10 request
the sIcade togo To Col. brooke l. inform
CD { aliaya that We wished 10 see him al
n. house on business OF importance. his
he accordingly did. while We walked 90
wards the gate, which is about thirty yards
from the house, and rename there until the
alcsde returned, which was EUl mole than
tSn minutes, and reported that Col. Caiiava
was mol disposed TO comply with our re.
quest; that he had spoken on the subject OF
the papers OF his onn accordj tdlAed Oi The
law vi nations, and declared that he was not
an enaLle as a private individual. Alter a
short cons uitaliou We advanced TOW ards tue
house, and aboCi halt way met Col. CAL
lava and several Spanish officers 10 toll
uniform, with Their .Ids arms, sone Span
ism gentlemen, al. of wnom appeare
to be retlrin. from the dinner party. We
followed Co. Caliaya almost immediately
to his own house. where We found him III
the porch surrounded by those gentlemen.
Col. Butler, who had no previous acquain-
lance, was introduced, ana, after some
general conversation, the object OF our
CON mission was fully explained to him,
through the alcalde, liz the presence OF his
his secretary, and Mr.. lime
rarity, ali Of whom were we'll acquainted
with the Spanish and EnglIsn ianguas ss.
and VINO occasionally assisted IN the IN
depreciation A demand was then made
of the documents, As set forth IN our re-
port. The utmost temperance and deli
cacy were observed on our part towards
Col Cailava, but on his part great vehe-
mence of gesture, and apparently tsnd as
we nave since uuderstoou) more violence
OF expression than was interpreted to Us.
the conversation occupied at least al
nour; every circumstance In relation to
the documents was repeatedly stated to
him. The first part Of our commission,
containing Inst OF the documents, &c.
WAS read and explained to him by the al
cade. The conduct Of SOusa in deliver
ing them at Col. Caiiava's house, after the
furmal demand by the authority Of The
Co ernor, was represented TO him, and,
it appearing from the declaration of Sou
sa, that they were then in his house, We
gain, in consequence, made formal de-
hot
tins business was nothing but his servant
his appreciation of his con-
duct--that he was acting under his orders,
and that he himself was responsible. lie
insisted much upon certain nights which
he contened he had as commissioner. At
one time he said he held ths papers as late
he could not nold them as
an individual, as if the mere possession of
pupiic documents conferred upon him
d piomatic privileges. lie said, if they
were demanded of him, in writing, by
Governor JAG kson, either as commissioner
or late governor, ne uoutd reply.
Finding every efior, to induce a surren-
der of the papers III vain, we requested
the acaoe to read the latter part of our
requiring us. III case of his
refusal to surrender the papers, to bring
him before the governor. Our report
will show the manner in which we then
proceeded.
Will 1t not be naturally asked, what
confidence can be gwen to Col. Catiava's
account ofany conversation or occurrence,
when we find nm guilty OF SO gross MIS-
statement as that. "betore dinner was
over, three gentlemen called 1t Col.
BroOke's house and stated that they were
to require the immediate de-
livery Of the papers, because the governor
had no need to use towards me any other
way, nor 20 Show me any more regard
than lie would with respect to any other
individual" The fairness and candOr Of
this mode Of expression, and the word
because. may be readily estimated. lie
proceeds, through the greater part of the
extract, to give'a speech, which he pro
fesses to have recited to US on that ocea-
sion, on the nature of his rights and privi-
legss as commissioner, the absurdity of
which must be evident to every man of
sense. His duties as commits
sioner had ceased with the delivery of the
country. 1t is true, that some minor
points connected with them had been
previously referred to the decision of the
respective governments, but the stay of
Col Callava in this country was never
known or even onJecturcd by governor
Jackson to have been for any public pur-
pose-such thing was never intimstsd
either verbally or in writing
1t was even supposed, until the very
day he delivered the country, that he