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

presume, tnat tnlS iidu oCCh o0"S
the knowledge and appreciation OF the
local government Of Porto Rico? ! had
established friendly correspondence
with the local governments both o.
Porto Rico and Cuba, Gas will appear
by reference to thePresident's message
to Congress and the report OF the Sc
.cretary of the Navy and | was aware
that this habit in the pirates of forming
establishments on land in the less fire.
quented parts of the islands, was well
known to those governments; could
then conclude that what happened at
Foxardo was sanctioned by them? II
there is any thing specific in the char
ees at all, it's, that did not pay pro,
Der respect to the local government Of
Porto Rico. But with whom did |
meet, when l entered the bay OF Foxar'
do9 With an underlined, unknown, un-
armed, uncharacterised mob-who,
Misunderstanding for word even OF
parley, commenced acts OF hostility a.
gainst me. They were wholly the ag,
gressors-no injury, no act OF hostility
whatever, had been committed by my
squadron, or by any person on board OF
it, when they commenced training their
guns upon my vessels. What conceiv-
able reason had l to think that these
were the lawful agents Of the local 60
vernment any more than Lieut.. Carson
1t. Kearney, or 1t. Sloat, had to sup
pose that those whom they found, and
whose establishments they burnt to the
ground, were lawful agents of govern
ment? knew that the pirates were al
WAYS to be found under the guise OF
honest men-and l leave it to the Court
10 say whether, when l approached
Foxardo, place notorious Throughout!
all the vicinity as principal haunt OF
banditti, when found molly collec-
ton of i'll looking wretches armed, and
training their guns upon me, engaged
in unprovoked hostility against force
known to be engaged in the suppress
sion of piracy. I was bound to believe
them to be acting under the authority
of the local government Of Porto Rico.
Surely / was justified in landing and
dispensing them-indeed the only
doubt which crossed my mind was
whether / did enough in SO doing! l
only deprived them of the power of do-
ing injury, and then, to prosecute far
Their inquiry, marched few miles up
into The country. Here, indeed, I found
certain officers Of the place-but so far
from claiming to be the local govern
ment OF Porto Rico, or acting under its
sanction, they excused themselves for
the abuse ofmy officer by alleging that
they had acted under an external COM
pulsion in so doiug-and by limiting
that there was something mysterious
and undivulged in the necessity which
induced them to act contrary to their
duty. So far then as the evidence goes,
there appears TO have been no violation
Of the authority Of the government of
the island; but it appears, on the con-
trary, that that government was in no
wise concerned in the affair. l was
warranted to believe, that those whom
| found at Foxardo were acting against
its authority, not by its aulhority-that
that authority was exerted to suppress
piracy, not to encourage and defend it;
and, therefore, no matter to what ex-
treme l had proceeded against those
persons, the circumstances were such
as to have justified me.
But let us look to subsequent events
for still clearer illustration. Has the
act of the local authorities at Foxardo
ever been espoused and vindicated by
the government of Porto Rico' One
would imagine that if those authorities
had been warranted in what they did by
their superiors, the acts of the squad
ron would have brought down the in
dignation both of 1.-THE people and the
government of the island; but no such
thing-so far from it, they are followed
by the most lively and distinguished
applause. When an officer OF the
squadron soon afterwards visited some
of the neighboring towns of Porto Ri.
co, he and his party were received and
treated with marked respect and hos
pitality. The Governor Of the Island
holds the most friendly correspondence
with Lieut.. Sloa,. The people and
the authorities of Ponce, a town not 40
miles from Foxardo, though they knew
that one Of the officers was the same
person whose treatment at Foxardo
had occasioned the visit of the squad
ron to that place, received him with
distinguished kindness-gave him a
public dinner, and showed the strong
est solicitude to acquit themselves OF
having had the least connivance with
the conduct Of the neighboring autho-
rites. And it is worthy Of remark.
that the minds of people at St. Tho
mas, at Porto Rico, and throughout the
neighborhood generally, were simulta-
neously impressed with the same con-
viction of the necessity and proPiety
of what l was about to do. l preserved
IL ..lz~.o a