Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1834-06-27

and by the other causes of condemnation mentioned
by Mr.. GaIlan IN the extract Of of his commit
nications, which MIR. Rves has incorporated i'm his
despatch OF 9Th July, 1881. large deduction
therefore, must be made, account of claims
which will lie wholly rejected hy the Board, when
uey shaii come TO he finally examined upon their
merits. Adopting, for this purpose, the same scale
ofrcduction which Mr.. Sprague has himself admit
ted IN reference TO the amounts claimed by the me-
oraiiss,and supposng one half ofihc claims 10 be
ultimately rejected, MS inadrnssible in principle Ia
supposition by no means extravagant, we think un-
der the crcumstances,) the amount of ten millions
10 which MIR. Spragues formidable grand total has
been already fairly reduced, must he still farther
cut down one-haif and this would bring us at once
10 the sum OF fve millions, stipulated by the Treaty
and estimated by Mr.. Gallan 10 be the fair measure
of our j,lsr claims.
AS MIR. Rivcs Pounds his opinion of the probable
adequacy oil tins sum 10 pay The just claims of our
CITIZENS on the high and respectable authority of
Mr. Gnlatin, who, both Minister and as fiscal OF.
hcer OF the Government, maintaining direct and ON
poriant relations with the commerce of the country
at the period of the injuries in question inflicted on
~, enjoyed special opportunities of knowing both
their character and amount, we will here law before
our readers the extract of that gcntlcman's commu-
nication, cited by MIR. Rivcs. In letter addressed
by hlin to the Secretary of State, the l4,h Janu-
ary, 1922 while he was Minister at Paris Mr. Gala
tin uses this language:
Although have enumerated all the ca es within my
know'edse' where actual condemnation had not taken
place. must add that possible that some vessels can
tursd, and probable that burnt at sea- whilst The .
I'M and Milan DEGREES in iorce have not vet been
dsihiyey cond. nncd. But there can he mn sx ,sc,.
ton that indemnity viii eper be obtained either Co. ,,
or III any oil the where there has been suct ro,
oemha''on. From all the documents which have We,
seen, do not believe that the total amount of this ,s,
mentioned class, after dsducng cases where The es
unaiion oil the vessels cneys property
veed or which might generally sIod plausible g,oonJ
OF concentration, can exceed f,co millions Of dollars in
value The D'nsh prizes and the vessels aud rcoss
sezeu az n apes are not included in that estimate The
amount oil sequesdtions and resses burnt at sea where
no condo mnaon has taken place may be estimated ~
about three millions Of dollars. This last cs,,ma,e can,
not be lar from the truth since we know The a,non -
The two largest claims the 81, Sebastian and the Antwcrn
representations The answer which this Government, MAJ
give 70 my ia,t ho'e, will show whether we have any
ng 10 expect from its justice in any case wha,ever for
me Antwerp claim is jeced, there can he no exo eta
uo that they will voluntarily allow any othern
Aner quoting this extract from Mr.. Gallatu's COM
munication, Mr. TX. adds" If the opinion here ex-
pressed be correct, and certainly none enicys or Is
eh.tied 10 more respect, the stipulated to be
paid by the French Government is amplv sufficient
20 pay al 'he Just claims of our citizens of every
description, coinprehended in the scope of the ne
gocialon." Mr. Rives, we think, NAV safely reIv
on this clear and precise opinion of Albert Cnllan
as Il seton 10 tile vague and turgd gcneralities nj
nir' Nprague; ana we leave our readers, upon the
comparison, 10 determine mt whose door most nro
perry hes the charge made by Mr. Sprague of ..on
eXaggeration which transcends all boun,iso-whc-
ther his own, when he declares that "tbe ms, aud
aqueous ciuilis oil our merchants have been sacri-
Dced, TO ut least tens Of millions of dolarsv' or
that OF Mr. Rives when he expresses the onnon
under the authority of Mr.. Gallatns sarncious and
weli-inlormed experience, that the sum stimulated
by the Treaty will, in all probability be sufficient In
pay the just claims of our citizens
MIR. Sprague, and the opposition press generally
tahihg up Inc same note, have recklessIy asserted
that this opinion expressed by Mr. Ryes of the
Topao'e adequacy OF the sum stipulated by the
Treaty To pay the just claims of our citzens had
occasioned the recent rejection by The Chamber of
Deputies OF HE appropriation for carving The
treaty INTO effect The assertion is wholly and
wahionly gratuiions. There is not tile slightest
color OF plausiby, far less of proof TO sustain !,
In the recent debates of the Chamber of Denu,es
not single one of the opponents of The opuos,;on
refers to- or makes the slightest allusion TO Mir Rves
correspondence. What support indeed, could they
derive from it TO sustain their obections2 Mr.
Sprague, himself, referring TO those debates
nc was objected that we had obtained loo n,,cy,.
!'iat one-hdJ Of The amount stipulated would FUN
iiueinniiy our CITIZENS" &c. But Mr.. Rives has
no where said we had obtained too much An that
he says is, that we had probably obtained a sum
SUFFICIENT TO pay the just claims Of our citizcns.-
Would that be an allowable reason for refusing n
ilIni me treaty May we not fairly demand what
would be sufficient 10 pay just claims The trut
Is, mat, from the moment the IreaiY tcas concL,,
ded an opinion has very extensively prevailed 2,
France, that the sum stipulated by il was highly
excessive, and greatly more than sufficient TO
pay the just claims of our citizens That oni
mon was openly and loudly proclaimed M the time
ny some OF the leading Journals of Paris Under
tnese circumstances, The unreserved publication of
Mr. h'eS correspondence with his government re-
moving all mystery, aud the suspicion il engenders
from The transaction, could have had none otI,er
tban decidedly favorable influence on The deIibe
rations oil the chamber, far as il was known Bu,
ihIs matter is placed in clear light by lie article
we republish to-day from the Washington Globe
that we iorbear to enlarge it, and content our
serves with referring readers TO the conclusive
and satisfactory Developments there made.
From tho Washington Globe
1hA'lIODE OF TIE BOSTON MERCHANTS TO
MIR. RIVES
The organ OF The mercantile interests in Boston the
MERcANTILE JOURNAL, makes the following renark.
In relation 20 MIR. Rives, OF Virginia
Mn kyEs -Tho conduct OF Rves in COR djnlom,c lola
Fonce deserves severe apprehension at
'eP had be- vany made
40 JHec TO this county, that
ee ooniofmaby TO the nws Of nations 10 on
cilzens OF property unus,y seized French
AFTER tho correctness OF the admitted
camo necessary oay FIX the were mad,
by minister, Dir Rvcs arc ered 10 5s %
Of rnnt ,vas Al
ompeng forth TO the world bis skill omstist hiss
IN which he vauu,iogy boasts that he
the crrdulous Ffcncbmcu " '"s
Such condue, character With Yankee Pedl., o,
houibcfn Horse Jockey--who each
but not what might have been expected III
goat commercial naonnnd will elevate the
Depuer might have expected have iodsnnniv
to appropriate The carrying the lreey oo cs
an cy pooapy wiz persist IN this detemos Ley
r. ached " 49, NY w "'' '0'n
Wha, sorcd and ungraefu men u csc merchants are
VINO us eqne the psfseverng and spifiied cxetops OF
Tue Administration, and the un'iring labors Mr. ives
Their behalf with detracoU ,enood and abuse there
are no less than three achoods in the brief pa,arropb
al owe quoted e'Nr
Ii ssserts, first thst Mr. Rives ",nanog,d IN baye fbs
correspondence The subject at the French ciays nh
Ished Seeondy that MIR Rives. in that cor,ep ndence