Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-12-25

recourse 10 arms, IL u ,.sl Iloin o. complaint,
of which reasonable satisfaction has been re-
fused. Independent uf the want Of authority
in Captain Porter, TO make use Of the arms
given him for other purposes, the cause Of com
plant rests IN an injury which he supposes TO
have been done to an officer under his COM
mand. According tn another author, an injury
To person can be done 10 three WAYS :. ell
ther 10y denying him that which is his due, {.
10y depriying him of that which he lawfully
holds, or by doing him an evil which there is
no light tn do unto him."
None Of these three circumstances is OBJ
served in the case which Commrdore Porter
brings forward, and all three concur in his
perGdiOus aggression. When the captain of
the port of Fajardo wished to assure himself
ct the I,"fu'ness of the proceedings Of the
schooner Beagle he u ed very legal right,
and 10 the exercise of which occasion was
given by The nature ofthe vessel, by the char
acter of the crews with which the enemies
vessels are manned, and by the advices, men
toned above, which had been received. ia,
applying this tn Commodore Porter, we fad
hun deny the Governor Of the Island the in.
dispniable right he has TO administer iastice
we find him usnrp the exercise of this aulhori.
~ i'm case ofpiivata property, depriving the
people OF the tranquility they enjoyed, and
His M,jjrsty of The use of his arms and COM
uniting hostilities without any Authority.
TO threaten the whole population ola little
town with destruction, if il did not give him
satisfaction, which he has not obtained aud could
not have obtained in the manner he solicited,
| whatever may have been The conduct Of the
Alcalde of Falardo. Is to gainsay the opinion
we had Formed of Capt. Porter, who We sup
posed TO possess those nULlr, humane and
generous sentiments which are proper TO
gentleman. But to abuse the good faith Of
| the treaties under which we live, 10 employ
| force against weakness, and then to retire
without accomplishing his object and without
| fulfilling his duties as Comma nder, when he
saw force Was collected 10 oppose him, is
to act directly contrary To those sentiments.
| IL he believed that satisfaction wa. due To
| the officer under his orders, it was not to be
obtained but through the competent author-
| ~, that Is. the Captain General of the Island,
! ard not the Acalde of town, which, on the
other hand, charges him with being the aggres-
sor. Whatever has been done or said by the
Alcalde, will be considered as the personal
proceedings of a weak man overpowrred by
force, and can in no way be any satisfaction
10 Captain Porter or his sgsrieved ofccr If
they desire satisfaction purely personal, as
others OF honor they ought TO know that
there are other ways Of Obiainingit.
We will not be those who shall decide as 10
the true qualities of the conduct observed by
Commodore Porter We leave il to The
whole world 10 compare il with what is paint
Ell by one of The authors of which We have
already spoken.
"Those who have recourse 10 arms with
out necessity, are the plaques of the human
family they are the barbarous enemies of
society and rebels against the laws of natur.
or rather against the common father of men"
they are obnoxious to the penalties and
the treatment the Genevans imposed on
me Sivoyards when they assaulted them in
1902, because nation attacked after this
manner lin an informal and unlawful war, by
enemies, is not obliged to observe towards
them those laws which are prescribed in laws
declared in form, and can treat them as ban
ditti"
If the Alcalde had only known his duty. or
been DESTROYS of fulfilling it, although he could
not prevent the landing Of Capt. Porter with
an armed force,-if he had DELAYED to reply
to the letter and done nothing else. This gen
tieman would have received suitable answer
IN few hours. The Alcade of Nnguabo,
who saw the two schrs. anchor at Faiardo.
and the brig at the Cape, had already collect
I'd his people, and given the necessary infor-
nation TO the COnimandant of the Depart.
men', who immediately took up the line Of
march for the point which was threatened -
The neighhoring inhabitants with the Com
/ mantIan', would, we feel confident have re-
newed the scene Of January a3d, 1917, when,
having at their head the captain 1T Grena-
ders, Don Antonio PANELS Bardaxi. they
| resisted two lnsurgent corsairs, which after
having tried IN vain to capture an English
schooper that had taken refuge in the port
| made a landing which cost them the loss of
thirty men, and OF great quantity of arms
and ammunition. and forced them 10 give no
practice which they had taken up under th.
American flag, and boat and three men
which they had captured.
If the loyal and valiant inhabitants Of Fa.
.Jardo, have lost second OCCASION of covering
themselves with glory, as worthy Porto Ri
cans, as IN the affair which we have jus, re-.
lated and which may be seen in the Gazette
Of February ist, 18i7,--let them console
themselves. The Gsvernur will take care T..
put at their head an officer who will Discharge
his duty. if occasion should occur, as did
PANELS TO avoid another s.rpfise, and that
the agsresssrs (vho have been Witnesses Of
the vaior and decision with which The word
OF attack is expected,) notwithstanding that
rom the shortness ofthe lime but few of the
people can collect together, may not return
tn repeat with IMMUNITY such scantaious al
;empts which will be repealed IS it'll holiness.
the valor, and the fidelity which characteristics
the honorable neighbnrhood.
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