The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-10-22
Vho Invasion of Cubs-The Horror of the
Move mt 10 the EMglihn.


Round Island and IN New York, with Jealous
readiness y hch does hIm infinite crs dit. We may
gather that his Interference on this occasion was
not mere matter OF official routine, by contrasting
his manner OF acting with that of his predecesso
IN 1888; While General Tay lor has dispersed these
marauders as rapidly and completely as Lord Pal
merston might scotch an unhappy "expeduon"
Designed for Ecuador or Sicily, we may remember
that President Van Buren, shutlled. hesitated and
finally left the work of dlsarming the philo Cana
dian bIIgands nearly halt undone. The legal powers
conferred On the Central American Executive are
not narrow, its practical resources so dis
propOrtiOnae 10 lis duties, that it need find either
Canadian or Cuban sympathy really formidable
difficulty. But the efficiency OF the presidency de-
Ponds entirely on the character and circumstances
ct its incumbent. Van Buren was a politician
nursed in intrigue, and lule at home In action
Moreover, his term OF office had nearly expired,
ard the adverse party was organizing powerful
opposition to his canddature for that second presi
CeBcy which Is the blue nbbon of America lie
knew not how tar display of energy might dis
gust his interruptions friends, or give handle 10
his not less interruptions enemies. This was the
secret OF his oialorness. The clue to President
TaJ ors prompttuCe TO be found In his military
training, In his clearer apprehension of duty, In
the greater hrmness of his character, and, more
than all, In the facts that his official career is Just
commemorative second pTesidencies have most
happily gone out Of fashlon-and that Cuban an
neAauon, the bngbear OF a vast majority IN the
Northern States, Is dlscOuntenancedi for very shame
by large minority In the South.
army of Cuban liberation contingent which, for
broken character and broken means, may be dis
advantageousy compared with our own Spanish
Legion. "They were all dirty and all drunk" Is
the pithy remark OF an eyewitness. The COM
merca metropolis OF The mon is probably the only
Amer city in which thus exact description of
worthless could have been recruited, for il Is the
only one comparable to the old European capt. ais
IN the wee, poverty squalor and corruption of Its
poorer quarters. We are not in the least sur
prIsed that the Five Points should have supplied
the warl1oIs, but II is certainly little remarkable
that Wall street should have furnished the sinews
OF war. However, the fact is to be explained, il
appears lndlsputable that the New York detach-
ment OF The expedition was In the enjoyment of
abundant pecunIary resources. Certain of our
American contemporaries are inclined TO infer
that the lnsurrecuonary party In Cuba, If it is
ready to pay so large sum for external and, must
be more wealthy, respectable and enthusiastic
than II has been the fashion in the North to sup
pose. We, ourselves Speaking with due subms-
SIGN on the wrong side OF the Atlantic, avow that
IN the liiiuent supplies OF the sympathlzers, we see
only apiooi OF the speculative ardor OF New York
capitalists. Some Wall street calculator has had
hs eye on the confscaiion which must follow hbe-
ration IN 1880 II did in 1850, and has bethought
HIM that, OF all payRasters, provisional govern
meni wrangles least, and is the most tree-handed.
Money has been, this, embarked by Ameri-
cans IN yet more Quxotic enterprises, and has re-
turned 10 boot, with eXorbitant profit after many
days. And this view OF the case is corroborated
III seine eegree, by the fact that the nest OF buc-
much less freely, appears TO have been far less
comfortably fealhered The heroes OF Round
Island were IN sense more respectable than their
New York comrades. They wore their own broad
cloth, and whitfield with their own bowie-knives.
In fact, they chiefly consisted Of the professional
gamblers, who gain their livelihood in the Mlssls-
sippi steamboats, But they seem to have struggled
with monetary difficulties, which, considering
that Round Island IL much nearer Cuba than is
New York, are quite unaccountabe on the hypo-
thesis that Cuban capital paid for their services.
The corps OF vagabond New Workers was dIspos-
ed OF without much trouble. Having emb arled
and put TO sea in three small steamers and thus
fairly brought themselves within the cognzance
OF The central government, they were promptly pur-
sued and arrested by steamship Of The Anne Iican
navy. On their return TO New York, the rank and
file were Immediately dismissed; but are in
loimed that the officers were compelled TO give
security Tor their appearance before n court of JUS
tee, and that the vessels were safely moored, at
the moment when our advlces left, under The guns
Of the guardshlp in Brooklyn Harbor. So ends the
New York chapter of the story Considerably
more difficulty seems TO have been experienced in
dispensing the Adventures who had congregated in
the Gull Of Mexico Round Island is one of
numerous group formed by the deposit of the Mis-
sissippi the angle between the peninsula through
which the great rver reaches the sea, and the
Northeastern shore OF the Gulf IL Is normally
pant Of the State OF Louisiana; and whether the
persons occupy ing 40 could IN the absence of any
Overt violation Of public law, be forcby dlsbanded
by the agents Of the federal power, was n grave
H..
Commander Randolph and Lieutenant Toten,
the officers iDtTusttd with the snrreMance OF the
expedition, deemed IL prudent 10 address lie MEM
beers IN pacific communication siDgularly untnc-
tuIed with gTim oliicIality. Commander Ran
dollhs letter elaboratsly proves TO his friends
and .icllOw-countiJ men," 10y three cogtnt argu-
mcnts, of which we should have though the first
quite suftcient, that they entertain pira,ica nten-
TONS end then, stopping rather short of the egil
mate conclusion, the winter informs them that, II
they refuse 10 separate, he will be constrained to
interrupt all supplies OF food or arms which may
be on their way 10 Round Island. Lieutenant Tot
ten adds postscript, TO the eiectth large force
is rapidly collecting around them, which, he sgnii-
canily rtmaIks,they will "hnd IL difficult to dodge"
The naval officers appear 10 have nightly judged
their men. These ng.headed buccaneers UNDER
stood the appeal 10 their common sense and,
though there has been no foTIlal REIMBURSEMENT
Of IA. main design, the lsst accounts show the
free company rupdiy dissolying by twos and
ihrecs.
We feel convinced that the intcrposition of the
President, while II has vIndca the honor OF the
United States, has been an act Of mercy TO the
.aces whose horcs il defeated. The, a ,,-,,
made no prerais,icns at all adequate to the fearful
reckon,d in every way. They Go not appear TO
have known that the Spanish government, alarmed
by the long-drawn mystery OF their equipment,
had, by great cxeItions, materially Increased the
amount and efficiency Of its dsposable force.
And we may safely aver that the main element in
their calculations founded itself on outrageous
reiveIson OF truth The men who projected this
nroad have for months-we might almost say for
YEAR, occupied themselves in proclaimDg through
the Unicn that the old Spanish proprietary OF Cuba
has been gradually replaced by Anglo Saxon pur-
chasers, aud that the larger part Of the soil 10 IN
the hands Of Americans, who are plnlng to be re-
levcd from the yoke Of European State Now
this is certainly not true. The sugar estates OF
Cuba are, with very few exceptions, entailed on
Spanish families, whose representatives. reside at
the Havana or IN Spain. The Americans settled
in Cuba--and there are certainly considerable
numbers Of them-arc almost exclusively en-
poy ed as stewards and overseers Of the estates SO
situated, or as managers Of sugar factories. For
such employments they have long been in request,
both as better men of business than the Spaniards,
end, we are compelled TO add, because they are
supposed 10 get more work out OF the slaves. IL
is essuredly possible that these Zibas may banker
efier the substance Of Mephibosheth, and would
gladly turn their vicarlous possession int unquai-
fed ownership. II the sympathislng expedition
had met with no signal disaster at the outset,
large part Of them might, perhaps, have joined it,
H.