Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-12-20
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
FelloU citizens Of the Senate
and ofthe House Of Represen

congratulate you and our common consti-
! tuency upon the favorable auspices under which
you meet for your first session Our country
! is at peace with all the world. The agitation
which, for Il time, threatened to disturb the fra
! ternal relations which make US one people, is
fast subsidlng; and year OF general prosperi-
| tV and health has crowned the nation with unu-
sual blessings. None can look back to the dam
gers which are passed, or forward to the bright
prospects before US, without feeling thrill of
! qualification, at the same time that he must be
impFes ed with grateful sense of our profound
| oUgat'n nns to 4 beneficent Providence, whose
paterna care is so manifest in the happiness of
| this highly. y.favored land.
| Since the close of the last Congress, certain
| Cubans and O. ,er foreigners resident in the
United States, who were more or less concern
! ed in the previous invasion of Cuba, instead
| of being discouraged by its failure have again
| abused the hospitality of this country, by ma
| king it the scene of the equipment Of another
! military expedition against. that possession Of
| her Catholic majesty, in which they were coun-
tenanced, aided and joined by citizens of the
United States. On receiving intelligence that
| such designs were entertained, | lost no time
in issuing such constructions to the proper off,
GERS of the United States as seemed to be
called for by the occasion. By the proclama-
ton, a copy of which is herewith submitted,
also warned those who might be in danger of
being inveigled into this scheme Of its unlaw-
full character, and of the penalties which they
| would incur For some time there was reason
to hope that these measures had sufficed to pre-
vent any such attempt. This hope, however,
proved to be delusive. Very early in the NOR
ming of the third of August, a steamer called
the pampero departed from New Orleans for
Cuba, having on board upwards of four him.
dred armed men, with evident intentions to
make war upon the authorities of the island.
| This expedition was set on foot in palpable vio-
| laton Of the laws of the United States Its
leader was Spaniard, and several of the chief
officers, and some Others engaged in it, were
foreigners. The persons composingit it, howev-
er, were mostly citizens of the United States.
| Before the expedition set out, and probably
before it was organized, a slight insurrection-
ary movemant, which appears to have been soon
suppressed, had taken place in the eastern
quarter of Cuba. The importance of this
movement was unfortunately so much exagge-
rated in the accounts of it published in this
country, that these adventurers seem to have
been led TO believe that the Creole population
of the island not only desired to throw off the
authority of the mother country, but had re-
solved upon that step, and had begun we'll
concerted enterprise for effectirg it. The per-
sons engaged in the expedition were generally
young and ill-informed. The steamer in which
they embarked left New Orleans stealthily and
without clearance. After touching at Key
West, she proceeded to the Coast of Cuba, and
on the night between the / lth and 10Th of Au-
ii a.
within about twenty leagues Of Havana.
The main body Of them proceeded, to and
took possession Of an inland village, six leagues,
distant leaving others to follow in charge OF the
baggage, as soon as the means Of transporta-
ton could be obtained. The latter, having ia
ken up their line of march to connect them
selves with the main body and having proceed
ed about four leagues into the country, were
attacked on the morning OF the 18th by a body
of Spanish troops, and a bloody conflict ensued;
after which they retreated TO the place OF dis
embarkation, were, about fifty of them obtain
ed boats and embarked therein. They were,
however, intercepted among the keys near the
shore by a Spanish steamer cruising on the
coast, captured and carried to Havana, and af-
ter being examined before military court, were
sentenced to be publicly executed, and the SEN
tence was carried into effect on the 18th of
August.
On receiving Information of what had occnr-
red, Commodore Foxhall A. Parker was instruc-
ted to proceed in the estam frigate Saranac to
Havana, and inquire into the charges against
the persons executed, the circumstances under
which they were taken, and whatsoever referred
to their trial and sentence. Copies of the in
structions from the Department Of State to him
and his letters to that Department, are herewith
submitted.
According to the record of the examination,
the prisoners all admitted the offences charged
against them: of being hostile invaders of the
| island. At the time of their trial and execu-
ton the main body Of the invaders was still in
| the field, making war upon the Spanish authori-
| ties and Spanish subjects. After the lapse of
some days, being overcome by the Spanish
| troops, they dispersed on the Oath of August,
Lopez their leader, was captured some days af-
ter, and executed on the lst Of September.
Many of his remaining followers were killed,
or died of hunger and fatigue, and the rest were
made prisoners. Of these, none appear to have
been tried or executed. Several Of them were
pardoned upon application Of their friends and
others, and the rest, about one hundred and six
ty in number, were sent to Spain. OF the final
disposition made Of these we have no official
information.
Such is the melancholy result Of this illegal
and ill.fated expedition. Thus, thoughtless
young men have been induced, by false and
fraudulent representations, to violate the law
of their country, through rash and unfounded
expectations Of assisting to accomplish politi-
cal revolutions in other States, and have lost
their lives in the undertaking. Too severe a
judgment can hardly be passed, by the eindignant
sense Of the community, upon those who being
better informed themselves, have yet led away
the ardor of youth aud an ill.directed love Of
political liberty Th correspondence between
this Government and that Of Spain relating to
this transaction is herewith communicated.