The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-10-01
The Pdassifi oor4ospOndoaos-Tho Case Stated

the 22d, contain the correspondence on the Poussin
affair il is very fun, butwith one notable omis.
sion The offence of M. Poussin was in com
mentary upon the explanations made-by Capt Car
peHder in the salvage case of the Eugene. These
explanations Of Capt Carpenter do not appear
among the papers,
The correspondence is in three portions ;; one
relates to the tobacco case, on which the of
fence was given by NJ. Poussin, which re-
tracted and the difficulty amicably adjusted. The
second embraces the salvage case, in which the
words were used by M. Poussin for which he has
been excluded from communication with the Gov /,
ernment., The third consists Ofthe correspondence
with the French Government on thaSsubject.
! The correspondence on the tobacco case need
not be quoted at length. The material paris may
| be stated in brief, and the offence offered by M
! Poussin having been fully retraeted atthe time,
the suggestion of the Secretary of State, il is not
| fairly evidence of any disFespectfuf purpose. &.
! A French merchant, ~ Port, bought at public
| sale in Puebla, made by order Of tbe.osmmander-
| of the United States army, five hundred bales Of
tobacco, which he res0d at profit of $500, and.
it had been sold'a second time for further proil
of $1,000. TWAS scertained then that-the tobacco
| was private and not public property of the Mexi-
cans, and therefore ought not 10 have been seized
| and sold. The commanding officer annulIed The
sale, reconveyed the property to the owner, and
paid back. to M. Port his original money He
claims damages to the amount Of the profit he has
been deprived of, and. the sum for which he was
made responsible for the loss of profit 10 the party
to whom he had sold. The commanding officer
/ refused the claim. The refusal was confirmed by
a military court of inquiry, and he appealed 10 the
Government at home The ground Of the refusal
is that he must have been aware that the property
sold by the United States was private property they
had no right to seli-that there was fraud in his
purchase with that knowledge, and further, that
| he, was IN COLLISION with the SecFetary-since
dead--Of the American officer in command Col
| Childs). The proofs of these allegations do not
appear But IL seems 10 US on this statement, that
itwould have been better for the United States to
pay. the money, on the simple principle that its
officers had made a blunder, by which rights were
vested in third parties, without inquiring If it were
true that these - '-=.-
wrong IL was its business not to act In such
case before being sure Of the title. - IS
M. Pouszin, in reviewing this decision, became
extremely rude in his language, and eloseda letter
/ with the following The Government Of the
United States must be convinced that ii more hon
cradle 10 acqHu fairly debt contracted during todT
under the pressure Of necessity, than to aUo6d its pay
ntent BIZ endeaUoring to brand the character of an
honest nan.' On the receipt Of. this very obiec
tionablen note, Mr.. Clayton addressed M. Poussin,
then at New York, note with request Sc to- re-
! pair TO Washington without unnecessary delay
/ M. DeTocqueviHe claims, as proof Of NJ. Pouss
/ sims coneilatOry spirit, that he made no ami
madversions upon this expression, which, he says
: " Estimated Nth certain degree of susceptibility
might hGUe seeBledto srather an ipperious summon
Il than diplomatic inUitatton.''a e.
It On the receipt Of this letter, M. Poussin had an
! interview with Mr.. Clayton, and at his suggestion
t expunged the passage from his M Roussin's)
It letter. That affair was therefore closed by ami
1 cable arrangements.
: The next portion of the correspondence relates
e to the salvage affair." in which, for the full under
standing of the case, we regret the want Of Capt
Is Carpenters. letters, upon the construction, o
which the difTiculty1arose. The direct correspon-
is dence upon that head is short, and the points arr
s summed up in the correspondence with Mr.. Rust
Is and the French Ministry, from which we give co
: pious extracts below. The main point is, tina
Capt carpenter, of the United States war steame
y Iris, who saved the French ship Eugenie from
ID shipwreck, near Vera Cruz in 1913, claimed sal
"a wage, and detained the vessel fora short tine bu
finally surrendered her-that his conduct an,
claim were approved by Mr.. Clifford, then Mfnlste
in Mexico, and formerly Attorney General of tn
United States, and are sustained III the right l.
4
torney General NJ. Poussin, however, made.a de
Il mand upon the,Government for indemnfcation 70
the detention of the vessel and for the repriman
of Capt. Carpenter for his conduct.
T This is, to use the highest word "a very poor retur
tie for the service rendered by Capt Carpenter, in
&c ing a valuable ship and cargo, at the cost of
9t great deal of personal labor of himself and crew
lot The Captain and owners of the Eugene, give poe
We specimens of French magnanmity, in atIemptin
eat to make out such a case OF mean persecutio
to against the officer who had saved their lives an
Sgp. properly.
ID On the other hand it is not to be disguise
LS that there is something repugnant in the deman
Pg by u S. Government vessels, of payment for sue
id services to foreign shipping There may be tegt
,sag f nicaL claim which the law will allow. On tn
m. we are unable to deeide-nor do we know upo
oP what ground Capt. Carpenter defends himse
3b, against. NJ Poussin's demand But ws-wopl
mas infinitely prefer that the Government should pa
70 its officers and seamen of the treasury fha
lp. that the gallant navy in which we have SO niue
an pride, should class itself with hired wreeker
"a and exact pay for services, such are given
nks merchant vessels to each other without the sxpe
~ tation or thought of reward. Wehave frequent
7ou seen of late public notices of honorary rewar
ds given by other governments to masters of America
be a. e. " " $50 ''J " 30 ~
our when In distress. Inc British Government IS We
all Iberal in this rssnact and y,a bar in ,arti
the AiNo ~ t 'f T w 'N'A0'Noo' ~ f''
as ular the service of plate which was sent Cal
SSi Croeker of the New York line Of packets for
full disinterested exertions in saving British ysss
has when in peril. There is something repulsveln &
bsa thought of the conversion of the ships of the u
red ted States Navy, into wreckers. We are. sorI
io S therefore, that Capt Carpenter put in this ca
10 lawful as it may possibly be, although it appel
y Si that the parties whom he served actua
That That mean and u1gratehl.
On the receipt of NJ POussin's application
Ss Naturalization to the owners of the ship dat
May 70, Mr. Clayton referred it to the Secretary
pts the Navy, and receiving from him the official