Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-07-06
DOMESTIC.

THE FLORIDA CLAIMS.

THE FLORIDA CLAIMS.
WASHINGTON, July - Our mercantile rea.
ders have called upon as from every uuar,.r
fur The publication Of the Awards made by
the Board Of Commissioners under the Su..
nish Treaty, and dissatisfaction has been er.
pressed at their being SO long withheld. NJ
mas not been our fault. We were DESTROYS Il,
have published them long ago. We have il
nov IN our power TO state, that the Report Of
the Commissioners has made its appearance
in weekly paper printed in this City, here.
tofure known by the name Of the National
Journal Extra, but WHICH has lately taken n.
itself a different title, viz. National (,ove,a
ment journal, which has been chosen bv the
Secretary Of State as the vehicle to the Pub.
lie Of such official papers as are subject TO the
control Of that Department. The List of a.
tCards, by the Board aforementioned, will. we
are informed, appear 10 The next No. Of that
journal.
The determination Of the Secretary of
State to withhold Official papers from ,hia
print, will, we apprehend, prove more incon.
venent To the Government than 10 us. for II
Will relieve US from the necessity Of puL;:sbinr
any more OF those matters than is interestin,
10 our readers, and may prev ent the circula.
.'on oi some things, the diffusion of which is
interesting TO the Government. In the nre-
papers, long ago applied fer, ana the cop,rs,
refused TO Us, have been made out, by ortier
OF the Department Of State, for the =" National
Government Journal" Without intendipy IN
make either comment or complaint ON this
snbJrc', Il has become necessary. to avoid a
Misunderstanding of our delay To make the
publication, that the naked fact should BIZ
placed before our readers, who may rest as.
sured they shall lose nothing by this arrange.
INIT that is of any sort Of value to them.
The List Of the Awards of the Commits.
s'oners VIII appear in this paper at least as
soon ~ IN that to which copy has been fur.
n'shed ny the Department of State.
Mr.. Ed,cards and The Investigation We
nave at length got through the ertdence taken
before the committee Of Investigation al its sit.
t'hgs subss quent to the adjournment of Con-
Sress. We shall finish the publication of
every thing else connected with the Report of
, ,i committee 10 an extra sheet, To bo pub
iished early in the next week. W.. go TO
MS expense tn relieve our columns from the
heavy bnrthen upon them, and at the same
Tune TO present in the order prescribed by this
committee, every thing comprised in lis re-
port, relevant or irrelevant, important or the
reverse. OF the whole mass Of testimony.
there Is probably no, FIVE columns which we
should nave published ON any other principle
than that of scrUpuIous irppa,tialty.
we nave been, as our readers know. all
along disposed to subsnu this matter 10 the
People, upon the evidence, not doubling that
lhey VIII come to the same conclusion as the
c"ninitee has done. We foIbore to discuss
me merits "f Mr.. Edwards's Address to Con-
efess' rom the momcnt Of IFS first reference TO
committee, though entertaining then the
same opinion of 1t that we do now, thata
more desperate assault was never ATTEMPTED
~ one man upon the character of another.
Never, we Will add, did d man more wilfully
'acrihce himself to his own rash coupsels and
% oad advisers. than in this case MIR. Ed
sards seems to have done. Ii was EASY from
NE hrst 10 foresee, that Sir. Edwards's blow
!. '0uid rec"l upon himself, and that he must
"a" u''uer IL. We did not chuse, under the
CONVECTION thar he would do 80, to afford TO
nm OF nIs coadJutors the opportunity of say
ne 'nai MS case had been prejudgcd before
ne Public. We maintained silence ON the
GoJect' thnngh the. columns of the A. B.
ress ~ TINS city ieemed with laborious eff
oris, oy the friends Of Mr.. Edwards 1--WE do
'ot mere refer to the editors Of that print) TO
1--WE colorIng to Mr.. Edwards's statements.
hu Prepossess the public opinion On the SUBJ
eet OF tnem. 1t is indeed true, that nno-
ence has triumphed, not only in the commit
&c oil investigation, but in The public opinion
Universally. But it is not less true, that,
through the organ of the projectors of The A.
;. piot' no pains have been spared, by the
ARIES concerned, to give different direction
Puo'ic opinion. They have been allowed
40 SO unmolested by US. We felt for the
os'tion IN which one Of the writer's for that
'ess was placed, and in our feeling for him
'e overlooked the Total unreasonabenes, Of
IS hostility to MIR. Crawford. As Cor Mr..
'dwards hmseIf it certainly will not be deni-
that he has been allowed the utmost lati-
'de OF use Of press and pen. to sustain his
iarges, and TO defend himself from iInputa-
Dds IDS winch he drew down upon himself
= ne investigation has terminated, as our
"urrs nave already seen, in the total discous-
ufe OF Or. Edwards and his party. He has
urtd before the coming storm, and has thus
AGED the full force Of its explosion. lie 10
i the less evident that his resignation of his
hce was the consequence Of disclosures be-
re the Committee, and that his resignation
under the circumstances, tsntamount to
nOvaI from Office.
Inere IS no disposition on the part of the
enas o, or; Crawford, to pursue Mr.. Ed
!. us rs. ohNke Dir T.. they are satisfied with
a" JUS. fetrlbutlon, having accomplish
."en oc!ect when the plots of their adyer-
~" oeieated. They wish TO avoid, if
, !. resort to defensive accusation
-, :ne Washington Republican newspaper
VIZ. WE cry, which is identified with Mr.. Ed
,u', continues its labors TO shed "disas-
vs. Nv 1M'ight" over the report Of the Commit
:, Abat paper carries on the face of il tho
renee OF Its being entirely devoted 10 the
" " nIr. Edwards and other enemies Of
, crawford, now, rs il has been from the
inning. We do not say that the editorial
c'es, respecting the late Investigation, are
neg oy Mr. Edwards himself, but they