Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1822-03-18
OFFICIAL PAPERS.
Ilth March 1892.

The Documents which accompanied the
Message of the President of the United
States to Congress, of the 9th instant, oc-
eupy more than sixty octave pages. We
cannot make room for their publication in
extenso, consistently with our other en-.
gagemen!s. A list of the papers has been
already published; from which the reader
will have learnt their nature, and will be
able readily to comprehend, that they pre-
sent, in an official shape, that general in.
formation respecting the condition of the
South American governments, which we
have been furnished with, from time to
time, through the medium OF the newspa-
pers.
Though we do not propose to publish all
these documents, there is one of them
which, it appears to us should be 10 pos
session of our readers, as showing the
ground taken by our government in the ap-
pointment of Mr.. Forbes TO be CONNER
cial Agen, at Buenos Ayres. We refer 10
the following letter:
Nat Int
From the Secretary of State TO Mr.. John M.
Forbes, at New York.
Department of State, 9Th July, 1920.
SIR: The certificate from this Depart
ment, which has been made out and trans
mitted to you, constitutes you agent tor
commerce and seamen, Tor either OF the
provinces of Buenos Ayres or of Chill, in
Whatsoever of them Mr.. J. b. Provost
shall not be. He is at this time at BueHos
Ayre.; but having at one period intimated
TO the President preference to return to
Chill. where he some tune resided, it is
thought due to him to leave the selection
ef his residence, after your arrival at Bue
nos Ayres. TO himself Should he deter
mine to continue there, you will proceed
either by lard over the Andes, or in the
frigate Constellation round Cape Horn to
Valparaiso, and take up your residence
there. or at St. Jago de Chill, which II is
understood 10 be the seat OF the revou-
tionary government of that province. 1t
he should prefer to return thither, you will
remain at 8uenos Ayres
The commercial intercourse between
the United States and those countries, tho
not very considerable, is deserving OF
particular attention Whatever accurate
information you can obtain, relating to 1t,
a. we'll as to the commerce OF those coun
tries, with other nations, and OF their inter-
nal trade. will be particularly acceptable;
the condition OF ouI seamen here will also
deserve YOUR notice. The performance of
these duties w Il involve also the political
relations between those countries and the
United States. In the progress OF their
revolution. Buenos Ayres and Chill have,
10 the extent of their powers, and indeed
far bevond their natural means, combined
maritime operations with those of their
war by land. Having no ships or seamen
of their own, they have countenanced and
encouraged foreigners to enter their ser
vice, without always considering how far
il might affect either the rights OF the du-
ties OF the nations to which those foreign
ers belonged. The priyateers, which
with the commissions, and under the flag
of Bueno. Ayres, have committed so ma
nv and such atrocious acts of piracy, were
all either fitted out, manned and Differed
by foreigners al Buenos Ayren or even in
foreign countries, not excepting our own,
to which blank commissions both for the
ships and officers have been sent. In the
instructions to the late Commodore Perry,
which his lamenled decease prevented
from being executed by bin, and copy
of which is now furnished to you. certain
articles in the Buenos Ayrean privateering
ordinance were pointed out, particularly
liable to the production of these abuses, g.
which being contrary to the established
usages among civilized nations, it was hop
ed would have been revoked, or made to
disappear from their otherwise unexcep-
tionable code. These Instructions were