Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-02-22

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OUR RELATIONS WITH SPAIN.
Continued from tie National Journal of 3th in ST.
The extract from the General instructions,
No. of Mr.. Adams to our Minister at Madrid
daiel2eth,of April, 1928 furnishes the most abun,
dafli proof Of the truth of what we ventured 10
hint, when speaking of his Catholic Maiesty,s
manifest to the Courts Of Europe. in reply To the
lnsinuation that tue dangers To which commerce
Is exposed by the piracy of the, seas, were attri-
butable to the ''insurrection OF the American
continent, n-namey fart the irri.nman robbers
seemed 10 derive all their means of ANNOYANCE
from the tOy1t, ami not from the dissdeuk pro-
vincos of Spain In 0rer 10 enforce, as far as
possible, their absurd pracanations of block
ade, the Spanish commanders ''issued commits
"
To Rico, to a sto:t1m Of 3jiratecrs," most of which
1t is well known, continued their deprclations
long aitcf their commissions had expired-Of
these commissioned .iiaraueis, Mr.. Adams thus
speaks:
''rhe privateers from Porto Rico, and Porto
Caheilo, nave been, by their conduct, distin-
guIshibie from pirates, oily by commissions of
most cquivocal character, from Spanish Ollie rs,
whtse authority to issue them, has never been
shown and they have cotnmttoa outrages and
depreda.ons mach no comm ssi0a cOuId djceyt at
the piraiicUi ri,.urcfey. During the same peri.
od swarms of pirates, and of pitatical vessels
without pretenCe or color ui commission have
issued from the island cuba, and the immediate
ncighbourhood Of tie Havana, differing so little
IN tlc composition of their crews and their con
duct from the privatoers of Porto Cabello and
Porto Rico, as To have little distinctions other
than that of being diSaoO net, between them
These piraces have been Tor years cuninu-
ed, under the Immediate observation of the go-
yernincnt of the island Of Cuba; which, as well
as the Spanish government, has been repeatedly,
anr Intellectually required 10 suppress thern-
, Maay or them have been committed by boats
,oit|til the Gerry ha'bourS, md close wDon the
shores IF the Lsilnd.-- w hen pursued by supe-
rior force, the pirates have escaped to the shores
and twelve months have elapsed since the late
Captain General Maty refused TO Captain Bid
die the permission 10 land even upon the desart
and uniniIa bited parts of the Island where they
should seek refuge from his pursuit. Governor
Many at the same time declared that he had ia
ken the necessary measures TO defend MS terri
torial jurisdiction, and Tor the apprehension of
every description of outlaws.
Governor AIahy is since deceased, but nei-
Their the measures which he had then taken, nor
any since adopted by the Government of the
Island, have proved elfectual to suppress, or in
any manner CIV EN- TO restrain. the pirates. From
the most respectable testimony, are informed
that these atrucious robberles are committed tn
persons ioeH kn0un, and that the traffic in then,
Dtunder is carried on ioitb the utmost noio,iefv.
They sometimes committed by vessels e.
!. qupped as merchant vessels, and which clear
out as such from the Havana Ii has also been
remarked, that they cttiouSiy nuoid notes.-the
Spanish resseLs, but attack without discrnna-
ton the defenceless vessels of all other nations -
From this statement of facts, Mr. Adams roes
to say, ''it IS apparent that the naval officers
of the United States, who have been instructed
to protect our commerce in that quarter, have
been brought III conflict with two descriptions
of intdlgfd captors of orr merchant vessels the
acknowledged and di5ayowed pirates of Cuba,
and the ostensibiy commissioned priyatecrs from
Porto Rico and Porto Cabelio; and that IN boh
cases, the actual depredqiorS hare been orHe
snDe class Of Spa',ish subjects, and often proba-
4 bly, the sumo persons
The consequence has been, that several of
the commissioned privateers have been taken by
3 our cruizers; and that in one instance, mer-
i chant vessel belonging to the Havana, but char
Z ped upon oath of two persons as having been the
vessel from which a vessel OF the Unithd States
3 had been robbed, has been brought into port,
and is now at Norfolk to be tried at the next ses-
sion of the District Court of the United States
In all these cases, the Spanish Minister, Andua-
ga, has addressed to this Department complaints
and remonstrances, IN language so erceptiona5ic,
Shat it precluded the possibility Of an amicable
discussion of the subject with hinl.n
MIR. Adams then enters into an explanation of
all the cases of complaint -four in number) and
sinstructs Mr.. Nelson to offer it to the Spanish
= Government in spirit of amty and conciliation
HThe first is a cause of re-capture, by the United
States brig Spark, of Dutch vessel called the
4Se'tune, the prize master and crew Of which
Ser; brought into Charleston and there prose
cutcd as pirates. This vessel bad been taken
by a privateer armed in Porto Cabello. within
ilie jurisdiction OF the Dutch island of Curraco9.
he was re- taken - a vessel practically Captured,
line prize master having no papers Whatever,
s. bud was delivered up by the Captain Of the
Spark to the Governor Of the Island of Arnba.
j Mr.. Anduaga'5 first letter on this subject,
h hich, Mr. Adams remarks, was unexception
5bie in its tenor, requested the 1nStponemcnt of
BE trial of the prize master uni lie could re-
"a eiVe answers frora the Captain-itcnera of the !
Havana, and the coln,nanlant Of Porto Ca5ello, !
from whom ne expected 10 obtain thc documents
necessary to prove the legality Of the capture
This request was granted and few months at
fer,vards. upon the occasion Of enclosing TO Mr. |
4 IL.