The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-09-28
The Poussfn Affair.


in full. We hope our readers will not be deferred
by its length from giving the article careful and
considerate perusal
On the 9TH day of February last Mr.. Poussin, in
note to Mr.. Buchanan, then Secretary of State,
alleged that he was charged by the French Gov
eminent with the prosecution Of a claim against
the Government of the United States, brought by
Frenchman named A, Port, established in Mex
leo, for naturalization for damages sustained by
him from the acts Of certain agents Of the army Of
the United States. His application was in the ma
ture Of an appeal from the sentence of a military
court oi inquiry at Puebla, which had made de-
| eision unfavorable to the claim.
No answer was sent by Mr.. Buchanan to this
! communication. When il was brought to the at
tention of the present Secretary of State, Mr. Clay
ton promptly devoted himself to its investigation,
with the view of gratifying Mr.. Poussin by speedy
! decision. Within ten days from the time II was
| presented to him, Mr.. Clayton announced to Mr.
Poussin that he had arrived at the conclusion that
Mr. Fort had no just cause to be dissatisfied with
the award Of the military court of inquiry. This
award we may add, which rejected Mr. Ports
claim, had been regularly sanctioned and approved
by Gen. Scott, the cOmmander-in-chief.
Dissatisfied with thin decision, Mr.. POussin, on
the 18th Of March, addressed a note to the Secre-
tary of Stale, in which he reviewed the supposed
grounds of the decision, and animadveTfsd with
some severity on the testimony of distinguished
officer of the American army in Mexico, who had
been witness before the court at PuebIa. Il is
obvious that at this point Mr.. Clayton might have
declined any further correspondence on the sub
Ject but, out Of respect, the 10th of April he
replied to Mr.. Poussin's communication, assigning
reasons Tor his decision, and respectfully contro.
vertng the positions Of the minister. On the 18th
| Of April Mr.. Clayton received another note from
Mr.. Pouissin, in which the minister INDUCED III
strainof lnvective evidently intended TO be highly
| offensive to the American Government. The cor
| respondence was Immediately submitted by the
Secretary of State TO the President, who directed
| him to lose no time in requesting Mr.. POussin to
| repair to Washington without unnecessary delay
| The offensive note was dated at Washington
while Mr.. Poussin was absent in New York up
| wards of two hundred miles distant from the CITY
Bearing on its face an insult to the American Co
vernnent, deliberately given in the very capital of
the United States which, if not satisfactorily ex-
planned or retracted, would have required that all
| correspondence with him as a Minister should ter
/ inmate without delay, it was made important to
| himself and Government that he should lose nc
time in repairing to Washington. One offensive
| passage was the following: +" The Government OF
the United States must be convinced that It is NOR
honorable TO dCgU, furry debt contracted during
lUdT under The pressure Of necessity, than to eUdd
ITS payment by eRdedUOriRg to brand the character
an honest man." The same note contained an at
tack upon high military officer, charging him, il
effect, with perjury before the military court anC
an attack upon the distinguished officers composing
the court, who were charged with permitting tina
! officer " to carry OUT, without interruption, hil
string OF CalumnleS lncTedlDle. II closed with an
insinUaton that the State Department had become
the organ of a criminal accusation, without proofs
| against Mr. Port.
| 1t was in reply to this communication, that on
the 2lst Of April Mr.. Clayton addressed Mr.. Pous-
| sin the following note
| DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 4vgshtagtou, April n 1879
SiT-OR lhs Afternoon l8l AIT q comm nicatiol
from Ynu dated Wa5hngtan, April, 1919 (ilho show
ing the day which il wrtenJ was received al ri
office relative TO the claim Of Mr. Port on tho Govemmen
dress you private note learn Shr5ashths messenger WI
was dispatched e deliver j. that you have been, for the ai
| your return hitheT from NewYork uncertain.
which wss laid before me his naming Lose not ToT
N requesting yor to repair to this city without unneOeaT
have the honor to be, respectfully sir your Obsdeu
MI William Tell POussin 'O-'' -'' 'IA' i'N'
In the interview between Mr.. Clayton and Mr.
Poussin which followed this note, the latter gentle
man was informed that his letter was highly often
sive, and contained language which our Govern
ment could not admit, and that he was permitted
TO withdraw the offensive expressions. The letter
was accordingly Withdrawn, and on the following
day returned, eXpurgated of the most offensive mat
ter Anxious TO maintain friendly relations with the
Minister, the President here permitted the matter
TO drop, and the correspondence with regard to the
claim Of Mr.. Port terminated 1t was hoped tina
there would be no further cause of complaint.
On the 18th day OF May, however, Mr.. Poussin
| in a diplomatic note, represented to the State De
| partment that " Mr.. Carpenter, the commander O.
the assistance of the French ship Eugene, o
! Havre, which had struck on the hank of Riso neal
the anchorage of Anton Lizardo, advanced claims
wholly inadmissible, on account of remuneration
for his services, and TO secure their acquittal, de-
| tanned the Eugene for two or three days In con
| sequence of the energetic Femonstrances of Mr.
| Lavallee, and the honorable intervention of the
Consul of the United States at Vera Cruz Com.
mander Carpenter desisted from his preiensions. y
| Mr.. Poussin proceeded to say that "the Ministet
nF nf EFan Tod to- 4
dress to the Cabinet of Washington the most seri
Gus observations on the abuse of authority commit
ted by this officer, in illegally OBTAINING the shi
| Eugene" He concluded his note with the fol
lowing remark; " You will easily comprehend, Nj
Secretary of State, how important it is that sue
occurrences should not be repeated, and that sever
blame, at least, should be laid on those who thu
considered themselves empowered to substitute al
bitrary measures for justice; and doubt not thS
you will without delay, give satisfaction to the iu
complaints of the French republic This not
unaccOmpanied as 1t was by any testimony to iu
tfy the charge against Commander carpenter, wa
promptly referred to the Navy Department, for tn
purpose of ascert tanning the facts which his cor
domination was demanded. On the oath May th
Secretary of the Navy in reply, transmitted to tn
Department all the evidence in his possession
2 which consisted only of two letters from Com
7 mander Carpenter himself, dated, the one NeJ
Orleans, the 10th November, 1913; the other New
!, York, the 18th May, I849. In the absence of an
. that the character of that officer made it inCum
bent on him to submit to the French Minister the
explanation given by Commander Carpenter, and
to express, at the same time, the hope that they
) would remove any msapprehensOn which nigh
exist on the part of the French Government rela
tive to his conduct on the occasion IN question.
This note was respectful to the Minister. The eX
, PLANTATION which accompanied it showed that thu
/ Commander, seeing the French bark Eugene ant
her crew in imminent peril, high up on the rock
of Anton IiZardO and being appealed 10 for succOF
fastened to her assistance, with seamen from tn
Iris; and that the captain Of the French bark CAV
the charge of his vessel on the reef, in Orde
that the American officer might take the command
10 save her. AT a moment when no other ali
could be procured, and when norther, so formi
dable TO seamen on that coast, was expected, tn
American Commander labored all night with hi
sailors, got the French bark off the rock, and an
chored her in safety alongside the Iris, The Com
mander asked for compensation, in the nature 0
, salvage, for his men who had saved the bark AM
her crew from destruction. He was entitled t
/ compensation. So it was decided by Mr.. Clifford