Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-06-22

prefer, little while after, acknowledged that
they had seen them at Havana, and knew who
they were. When first discovered by the Wca-
sci, she appeared to be in chase of an Amcri-
can brig then IN sight; which, however, the
captain denied being the case, and said he had
been i'll company with her the day before.
Not being satisfied, however, Lieut.. K. resolv-
ed TO speak the brig; and on doing SO, was as
sured that there was no truth in the statement
of Captain Maurin, whose vessel he had never
seen before. "A red gag was found on board the
SesunIa Galliego, somewhat worn, and twenty
or thirty sweeps in her hold. DecmIng her
character sufficiently eYuivocal to Justify him lila
OBTAINING her for further examination, Lieut..
Kcnnon put prize crew on board, under the
command Of Lieut. Randolph, and ordered her
to Thompson's Island.
In addition to the above, we learn that, on
the arrival of the Weasel al Tho;npsons Island,
Commodore Porter despatched her with her
prize to Havana, with a friendly cornInunica.
ton to the governor of Cuba, informing him of
the circumstances ofthc capture, and referring
the examination, as to the legality of the pro-
ceedings of the Segunda Gallicgo, TO him. Go
vernon Wives accordingly undertook the inves.
LEGATION Of the matter, and after some days spent
III the inquiry, decided that there was nothing,
| ILLEGAL in the case, and that the Segunda Gal
lego had done nothing to forfeit ile character
of a fair trader. She was tlcrcunon discharm-
led.n
VIII not the intelligent reader turn with as
constituent from this simple narration of facts,
an! demand i'll what part of il is to be found the
evidence to support the assertion, that it is cal
culated to disparage Com. Porter and Gov.
Vivcs' Truly, if there be any such, he must
possess superior powers of discernnent and
| penetration who can point IT out; for
"Optics nice il needs, ween,
To see what is not to be sean"
II is what nobody in these parts has been able
| TO discover.
| Having been the first to publish the account
of the affair the Scgunda GalIlego ii is a duty
we owe TO Lieut.. kennon, not more than to the
individuals who asserted to have been &c Will
fied!!!" by the publication, to state Il few facts
| by way of explanation, which we will satisfy
Com. Porter (should he, as this writer would
have it believed, have nisudged the motives of
Lieut.. Kcnnon) that nothing derogatory to him
was ever intended by that officer.
| On the arrival of Lieut. Kennon, we waited
on him, for the purpose of obtaining whatever
| information he had TO communicate he polite
| ly furnished us with minute of it, IN ,oAich
ho'oeuer, no mention ,raS niatie Of his ycnconfie
cih the Segu''da Galiiego. We requested that
he would inform us of the particulars of that a(-
| fair; observing, that they wonld probably be
interesting to the public He excused himself
! at first, on the ground, that he had made. an
official report to Com. Porter, which had, no
doubt, been forwarded to the Navy DEPART
ment, whence, if necessary, it would be given to
the public, it might be considered improper in
him to anticipate the official course of publica
ton.
We replied, that it was far from our inclina-
| ton to urge what it would be improper for him
to comply with; but in this case we could not
discover any obligation TO secrecy. We did moi
| "A han ha lie
self at liberty to communicate to any other in
dividual, In the common course of cony ersation
| That, whatever he might think proper 10 COM
mnnicate to us, would be given in the form of
an editorial article, &c. After some further
hesitation on his part, and importantly on ours,
he Showed MS copy of his letter to Com. Por-
ter, observing that il contained full statement
OF the affair, but it was not his wish that il
should be published, at least not in the form i'm
which It stood. Upon our assurance, that it
should only be given III the shape of an editorial
paragraph, lac permitted us to compile from il
| the article inserted above, which, in point of
fact, exactly corresponds with the letter to Com.
| Porter.
Thus, IT will readily be seen, that, so far from
Lieut.. hennon'S having communicated the state
ment for publication, for the purpose of iniurinp
Com Porter or Gov. Wives, he yielded it only to
our urgent solicitations and with reluctance
which, to our thinking, had tue appearance OF
| over caution. The statement published being
essentially the same as that handed TO Com.
Porter, will any man Of common sense believe
| that the Commodore would receive from one OF
| Ills subatcrDs communication which ifpubsh-
| ed would have tendency to I'M dre him or his
friend, Gov. Wives? The idea is preposterous.
| Con cernlng the additional pa. agra pII at which
tins writer roars out gross falsehoods - so lus-
tily, there is out one poor error, and that is oil
so little Importance, that the stir made about i;
reminds us of the fable of the wolf and the lamb
drinking at the run. This error consisted in
our representing the Segunda GalIiego to have
been sent along with the Weasel to Havana
winch was not the case; she having remained
at Thompson's Island, until the proper docu.
ncntS TO prove her innocence were Transmitted
from Havana.
The paragraph alluded TO, was not seen b,
Lieut. Kcnnon until he read it in the paper The
next day. How far, then, in common fairness
nc ought to be held accountable for it, W leave
to every ingenious mind to determine. The er
ror III II arose from misunderstanding in ou
part, and The moment IL aoas Eaoon to Lieut.
kennon, he informed as ofit, and yequesfed tsu
Hmlght be corrected an our nert but deerninc
1t OF no sort of consequence, we were at NJ
pans to remember to make the correction, anc
f 1t entirely escaped our recollection. The Sa
yannah writer, therefore, will perceive thai
Lieut.. Kennon did that very thing which he S,
harsbly condemns him for not doing.
AS the writer in the Savannah papers is, be
You'd a doubt, an officer of the Navy, il adds t.
the regret which on many other occasions
has been expressed by the friends to that ser
vice, that our gallant tars, prompt on all coca
sions TO bclabor the enemies of their country
should be SO ready to wage 4" the war of tht
quill" among themselves. Nothing good ha
ever resulted from it and if ever the Navy
that now proud bulwark of the nation Lose