The New York herald., 1850-05-15

ARREST or THE AMERICAN CONSULAR AGENT AT
HArTI-Ius REIEAsE, AND ORDER 10 REPAIR TO
PORT FRINGE.
In addition to the teiegrsphic despatch published
yesterday morning, we fnd the following relative 10
the arrest of Mr. Wilson, the American consular agent
at Cape Hayten, in the Boston Post, Of yesterday =
The report Of the imprisonment of Mr.. Wilson the
American Consul, at Cape Haytien, which WAS r.
ceivcd weeks since by the way OF Turks Island
is fully confirmed 1t appears that he arrested by
the government officers for ordering the seals to be
removed from an American vessel so that she could
receive lighter load of coffee which had arrived
alongside on Saturday afternoon, when the weather
threatened tempest. The matches OF every foreign
vessel In port are by order Of the ordered
to De sealed up, excepting when the government oti
GERS are on board But the weather being so threat
enpg 1t would have been shameful waste Of proper
~ TO nave LETT the coffee exposed in an open lighter
consequently Mr.. Wilson ordered the matches to be
removed and il 10 for this that he incsrcerated
The French Consul interfered and proc ured his
leaseand the latest dates from Cape Haytien state
that Mr. Wilson had been summoned by the black Of
hcsls to appear before their tribunal to answer to
the charge and had left for Port Prince for that
purpose. The department at Washington has taken
no notice whatever for the lsst eighteen nonths OF
the Official communications Of Mr. Wilson to the de-
partment not acknowledging their receipt 1t is
Disgrace to our government that an American consul
should be rescued from imprisonment under such cir
cumstances through the influence OF foreign power
The following extract from his reply to the
to appear before tho legal tribunal to answer for his
alleged offence gives the truth Of the transactions:
The commercial agent of the United States OF Ameri
ca did the 9th of March last give official orders to
Capt John Eldrdge, of the American brig Panama to
tain lighter load of coffee belonging to thegovcrnment
Of Hayti and sent board of said vessel by j. p.
Conthony agent of b. c. Clark Of Boston; the hatchcs
Of said vessel having been illegally closed and sealed
up by an employee Of the custom house. In direct
violation OF the law, after said coffee had been
guarly permitted and passed through the Gus
tom house, to be put into the hold Of the vossel,
and before it could by any possible chance, on ac
count OF the breeze reach the vessel and be slowed
away previous to the hour appointed for the round Of
the port boat. The commercial agent Of the United
States of America having the complaint OF the cap
tain Of the Panama carefully examined the laws for
the government Of the customs of the empire. recog
missed the legality of the scaling Of She hatchcs to IA
ctatc which. the government orders the presence OF
employee. who shall company the shipment Of all
goods expedited from the custom house, and after
having seen them put board and slowed away Ia
the hold Of the vessel is then authorized to seal up
the matches. The law thus framed and executed, is
full of fjustice and niles the interests of the state
without compromising those OF the merchants But.
having that subordinate officer, the ntendant
of finances took upon himself 10 execute such parts
only Of the law suited his interests and convc-
nicnce the commercial agent could not for moment
believe that such action was authorized by the
preme authority, since law modifying or changing
the one referred TO has been made or published.
II results thens clearly that the presence of an
ployee board. has other object than to facatc
the scaling and unsenlng OF the hachos and the in
tendant not having Judged necessary to send off
with coffee has right ts order the placing of the
seals at all events before sufficient time had been
allowed for its reception and safe stosage ON board"