Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-06-11

law award, as an atonement for unmerteJ nros.

10. , Pi.'erreu against me! In his letter of the
i4,h january, written long after his charges
had been delivered, and after the abort;vc 81.
tempt, through MIR. Hambleton, to DEGRADE ma
oy unworthy concessiOns,) he says, g The onky
oolcct had IN Dico, in a1rcStinn- YOU has bre,,
eyected, that OF stopping offensive publications.
which was forbidden 10 answer. The result
OF the trlll Is matter of perfect indifference Ia
me-; here then, 1T is avowcd, that my arrest
and prosecution weredctermincd on. not IN nm
ish me for past offences, but to prevent ant;c;.
Pated transgrcssions. And this is not all. ba
distinctly acknowledges that this prosecution
productive OF SO much personal Inconvenience
TO the court, as well as myself, and SO mitch OK.
pensc To- the nation; this prosecution, which,
has detained squadron for two months ;n,ot;,,,
| IN port, and lett the trade il was intended ia
protect teancclcss and ungarded, has been in.
STUFFED from no sense of public duty-no regard
to the public good-but for considerations oIto-
gethcr personals and these personal considers.
tons are themselves SO unimportant, that the RI.
suit OIL inc trial Is Il matter of perfect indifer-
cncc to him.
fCaptain Portcr's Judgment has hcan 50 ,.t
| astray by his feelings, as rot to perce;vr ~
UNIV Use, and injurious to himself This declarat,,
IS, ought not to be surprized that he i'm
aSined the arrest of officer on the cvo cf
departure on three years cruise in the pac;
nc, and his detention in this country, was IN,
Wi'cst plan TO prevent abusive publications by
|
tic there arc no presses, if | should have had
tiinc ana disposition to employ them.
| On examining the charges, YOU win perceiyc
that the guilt imputed to me consists NOT g,
much IN the acts said to have been commitied
as III the motives with which they were pers
formed Tho falsehood, the malice the base
ness OF my intentions, rather than nv u,a,en,,,s
themselves, seem to have excited the rcsnnt
ment OF my accuscr: and these terms have bcer
iocraiiy applied TO give point and Character tn
each accusation. To these matters tbo,, ,,
attention will chiefly be drawn. bcc,Ysn ij,oS.
mpntationS are common to all the CHARGES. &,
IN these alone am solcitous TO &C nit Inyself
NC ''ct' themselves SHALL not escape observation
and comment. To determine on Tho mo,;vn1
by which was influenced, in Tho arts i,nnutoI
| 10 me, inc court must inform i.sclf of tho cir
cu'nstanccs under which they were porio,,na..
! Anu inc most correct mode of doino his ,;I,
be to trace back the transactions: II, nIa, W.
themselves III imagination, (Cod forbid tbcv
siiooiu oc so III reaiity,) in similar situation.
.hn |" uec'oe on the baseness, the malice, or
TIC PRIORITY OF my motives, by the opinion ,hn,
VIII form of the feelings which these ,.;ro,,,s'
stances ought to haT eiilspired An bistor;,,J
statement OF the transactions which led 4, tI,;-
tfiai with such comments as each may snroosp
WIN, therefore form tie proper prelude 10 he 49,
tsiica answers which propose to give TO eac
o"i &c ana specihcation. Bat it will reor;re
| ons ,,of
IN Inc arrangement in this prosecution.
| On the eth OF October. l.et was nnti;eLe, :.
! oaFan!llii, an anonymous libel IL, wi,;c; ! ~
'rat'uGeu oV naines and every reiroac;, ho,na5
on me, which wasEkc!y to wound nv e,sI;,rtr.e
q 10 rum my lame. Nothing was held s.cr@i
Nciihef my private department, INV ,e,sc,.ai
temper, Tor my professional cou6ucf a,,,
ignorance, y@nity, disposition niseh;ay,,,,r go,
| suspicious, ungrycrnabIe temper. maI;ce III
ia'Sehood' We're distinctly imputed 60 ,nc n
my professional life, was charged WITH ir,v,. -,
,'io nag " d foreign hation cruelty to prisunery>/
! preach OF positive orders, aud repeated acts2I,S/
INSTRUMENTATION. For one of those acts of
Suooi On ''oh' was openly menaced Wits
prosecution. As to another, il was sa,a IbaS
escaped punishment only by q disoractr,,l .,o
ioSy' Every means were used to give point-to
the sting, and vlrulence to the ,,onnd !, W. ~
tendcd 10 mfiict. 70 render il irreneIiatj.. .
public newspaper was the vehicle by Which i
was conveyed; and my name, tairtcd with in
ia'''y' came hrSt 10 the ear of thousands whose
antIdotc which do not despair vet to ob,,;r 49,
The libel is upon your records: and 49,
respectfully ask your patient inspection Of il ss
inc iiils OIL my defence do not allow toat mini,
criticism ON IT, wlnchmy feelings PROMPT me r.,
oestow. 10 say nothing, then, of IFS peneroI
tome Oh naughty supcriorty--of arrogant tIctat;-
o OH confident reproof; passing over its cut
eng irony, its bitter sarcasm the mort;fa,.
situations, which those ONLY can nronsrI,e '
precIatc who have been victims of sitn;I.r o,.
rage; oHntting the marked character of a,,r,.,,
ana fevengcsul passions which il bears al
leave to cite some particular passages for tbe
special attention of the court ~
6 Some statements have o,ono tIo ,
the papers, relative to the detention and - VI
quent dI,ScahnarSe, OF the Spanish schooner So
gunda GailIego; to one of which ;ont -.
n Oh the United States navy, has rjycn
The sanction Of his h1ne; and 10 wb;t.,, s'o."
penued paragraph derod IF truth, and ;rsjjyr.
atoms calculated to produce in t,,a
InorS impressions highly prciuJcial to the c,r-
duct and character of Gcne,,I nv. - ~
independent judgment and dccisios of tho r.,
,i",eI VI une american naval forces in n,o
" est indies and Guiph OF Mexico.0 .,Tbc
n .N!s OF Lieutenant Kennoh, in giving pnb.
l'clty 10 ms statement, the writer of tbcee
IG.'dr"9 oebcFcS he is aquainted with. MS.
chtJ, however 1ceGt, may sometime si;ro
Dut lie trusts, that, in this, land this is NOT
Tue ir5t Instance) IT las failed of IFS ob;cc,, ;,
'iI'dccd IL IS known 10 The writer of This. that
no'"itDstahdipg the reasons assigned bv ;o.,
tenG3t hea"on, for the detention tie Scrn,,d,
"3iiogo, land lie sought Of aAhe coulJ f,,dlLc
ohty renturcd 10 express his hope TO lis com.
h'ahaihg odccr that his conduct, i'm dcfanino.
uGf ior further examination, "mjehk BE- o,,n,,oS
:" ana IL was not till after lie had porusc3 flo
,1ttCT OF The commander Of the SQUADRON, 10 u,o
C'Pta'h General t!at he ventIred am cn;,.j,t,
'lal our courts might condemn hers ar b;s
OBJECT was merely 70 Wdhe kno,rn to tl,o ,yorId
th3t Spanish merchant schooner. n,ounti,,o
que gnu ana having on board tIitv-tto jnei,'