Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-08-09

should exist? So far as l was concern.
ed, this'purpose was to restrain pirates
| and aid me in the suppression Of pira.
cy. Should I then suppose, was I
bound to believe, that the government
in. the sense of my instructions, "exis:,
ed" and "was felt" where those claim.
ing to be its organs, acted in the very
face of such purpose? Was I bound
to respect as the local government. Of
Foxardo mob on the rocks Of the har.
Dor who were training guns upon me.
Could / view as such those who had in.
weighed and per6diously seized my CT.
6cer? Could l believe this, when he
universal opinion throughout the neigh.
borhood was, that Foxardo was the no.
torious haunt Of pirates-their hiding
place, their refuge, from whence they
sailed forth to commit depreda,ions
on the high seas, and prey upon the
unprotected commerce Of my country!
1t seems, then, very clear, that the re.
striction Of the governments existing
and being felt, was not greater restric.
ton than that in the instructions before
issued to Gen. Jackson. The sense Of
this expression may be still farther il.
Illustrated by referring to former mes.
sage of the President Of the U. States
to Congress, at the same session with
that last quoted. Here he read pas.
sage in which the President speaks Of
the government of Spain over part o.
her provinces being Scarcely felt" &cl
This mode of describing the local
government which / was to respect, is
then to be interpreted by the language
used by the President himself, whose
words I am bound to respect with due
regard. He describes the cessation Of
the Spanish government in Florida as
a state of things in which it was
scarcely felt" 1t was felt, however,
at that very time in the fortress Of St.
Marks-for that fort was able to sup.
port siege, and did not capitulate but
by an instrument containing IA distinct
articles. l ask, was the local govern.
ment "felt" to this extent in Foxardo
when l went there! The President and
his Secretary both issued a justification
of General Jackson in going to St.
Marks. Had / gone to St. Johns, the
capital-had 1 besieged the fort there
had I compelled the Governor to sub
scribe just agreement to restrain these
inhuman wretches, (far worse than any
savage who roams the desertO Iper-
haps might also have been praised
But l stopped short--I stopped at a
point where the government was far
less felt than at St. Marks: for going
even thus far I am called to account.
Gen. Jackson went far beyond me, and
he is vindicated and applauded.
have before adyerted TO the various
disguises employed by the pirates,
use this fact to justify the conclusion
that l formed, that Foxardo was, in
truth, a haunt Of these freebooters-
that the government. of Spain was there
only nominal, being, in effect, super
seeded by piratical power and influence.
was not bound to respect these dis
guises. l knew such existed-that they
were common-but held it my duty
to seize these modern Proteuses, 10 re-
duce them to their natural shape, and
expose their loathsome deformity. The
alleged aggravation is, that trans
crossed where the local government
existed and was felt--but l was not in
formed that the local governments
were in cooperation with my own ef-
forts3 that they ranged themselves on
my side as allies? and could conceive
those wretches with cannon on the
rocks of Eoxardo to be the local autho.
rites? could respect them as such?-
When approached the spot, learn.
ed that the Alcalde, very inferior
magistrate, and one who by no means
represents the regular government OF
the Island, was either in actual league
with the pirates, or else was overawed
by them, Git is immaterial which, that
the authority under which it was pre-.
tended THAI he had acted, was that oil
pirates themselves. What was the pre-
sumption, l was naturally led, nay
compelled to draw! 1t was this-that
mob and magistrate were all allied TO-
gether, aud the matter then comes
simply TO this. was ordered to re-
spect the local government were ii e.
listed and ,oas fell; I had all reason to
conclude thot these persons were act
ing against it-they were certainly
committing hostilities on an American
squadron who were allies OF the local
government. therefore asserted and
enforced the authority Of that govern
ment against its own corrupt citizens;
who were engaged in violating their
duty as allies.
/ conclude this part Of the subject
with the expression of my confident
expectation that the court will be oil
opinion, that l was not only justified in
going as far as l did, but bound to do so
that, had l fcrborne, l could not have
o,.,~oJ ,,,;,L ;,oru,r,tu-or had | ever