Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-11-11

"Gire the Deul his due."-Mr. JAcoB BARKEa,
in his defence, at his late trial, made the following
statement Of facts, relative to the Nantucket Banks
be correct is certainly very creditable to him. and,
obeyins the Injunction above quoted, we present
this portion OF his defence to our readers:
"The Cashiers of two Nantucket Banks applied
to Isaac Wri- ht aud others, for aid. Beng bafled
IN their efforts to procure the necessary relet, to
enable the said Banks to resume specie payments
MIR. Wright referred them TO me, the only per-
son in town capable OF performing that service
They applied to me ; named per cent commits
sion (Which would amount to fifteen or twenty
thousand dollars) if should perform the service.
listened to their representations, and promised 10
give an answer the next morning they called mex,
morning, sisnihed their Willingness TO pay the
CURED fee OF fifteen or twenty thousand dollars, and
requested me TO exert myself to procure the money
forthwith. My reply was 81 cannot get it except
by becoming an officer of the Mercantile Company
and with the aid Of their credit and funds and the
should have small salary from the Company
ana could no. take any commission from you"
became an officer in that Company, and refused ali
compensation from the Nantucket Banks. The
money was furnished, to the amount Of S35OOOO,
and It Is yet due the Mercantile Company. | do
not wish credit for disnterestedness than I've.
longs to me. But when you reflect that Nantucket
was the birth place OF my ancestors-that left the
island when boy-that its inhu bita uts are the mos,
virtuous, and their business the most beneficial, in
the world-that all was on the verge of ruin-to
be the happy individual that should avert so dread
iul catastrophe, was furnishing food enough ior
my vanity, without the twenty thousand dollars"
In concluding his defence, Mr.. BARKER thus
speaks Of Mr.. EcKFoRD and himself
"And here beg leave to ask who is Henry Eek
ford Is he a needy adven'urer! Is he stock spe-
culator and schemer? No, gentlemen-he is Il
man, who, by his mechanical skill rdustry and en-
terprize has raised the character of our country
Within the last year, he has built, fitted out and
equipped four 81 gun ships. He has been the
means OF bringing nearly two millions of dollars in
to this country--not, gentlemen OF the jury, tn
fruits OF sockJobbng, and other speculutions, but
ol honest industry. II has been earned by the hew-
er and feller Of un.ber, the ship-carpenter, the
smith, and artizans in general. This money is tn.
fruit OF such enterprise us NO mechanic has be
fore displayed. In this case, you have heard of no
exhorbiant conmssions-no disputes with agents
N" quarrels with foreign governmens-no refu
sing 10 settle diherences-nor any compromise, by
which one ship was to be sacrificed for another
Who, ! ask again, is Henry Eckford? He is the
same, who, during the late war. when the storm,
howled along the frontier, built our heets-those
fleets which led to victory, and covered the nation
with glory. This is the man, gentlemen whom it IL
sought to immediate. And who, gentlemen of the
jury, may be allowed to ask, is Jacob Barker :
lie is the man. who, (and it is matter of historic
recor during the darkest periods of that war, fur
nshed the sinews Of that war. He furnished the
money, without which those fleets could never
have been equipped; without which the army
could not have been fed or clothed, and without
which, even the bounty to the recruits could no.
have been paid. II was not all his own money.
gentlemen-but when the rich and fearful drew
close their purse-srings, Jacob Barker, by the ex.
ercise of that talent for which he here arragned
brought capitalists together, and effected arrange
ments, by which FIVE millions were cast into the
Treasury. Such Was Jacob Barker, during tina,
memorable period-sucll Is the man who has now
been arraigued here, by combination of rogues
who would run away by the light of the funeral
pile upon which they would be happy to see him
consumed"