Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-10-20
The United states and Cuba.

! Two new difficulties have recently sprung VI
between the authorities Of the Spanish Govern
ment at Cuba, and citizens of this country, which
have caused good deal.of popular excitement in
some of our large cities and may lead to still more
serious consequences The first case is that of the
American barque Cornela. 1t seem that this YES
sci, after being ''cleared" at the customhouse al
Havana, on the 22nd of September, was arrested
at the guard ship, lying at the mouth of the har-
Dor, and boarded by public officers and soldiers
! They enquired f0ran individual named HEARKNESs,
who had rendered himself obnoxious to the author
tiles and who was suspected of being on board
The Captain denied having any knowledge him,
but he was found by the officers concealed in the
after cabin. The Captain was then taken on shore
and after some detention and suffering, as he al
leges, various ind;gnities, was finally set free
HEARKNEss and another man named GUzMAN were
arrested and thrown into prison. The letter bag
of the ship was also seized BY the Spanish officers
and subsequently, returned OH board considerably
lightened Of its conteats.
The other affair occurred on or about the 2nd
instant The American steamship Crescent City,
owned by private company but commanded by
Lieut.. PORTER Of the US. Navy, had been in
the habit Of touch g at Havana to land and re-
ceive passengers and the mails. Some time ago,
however, the authorities of the island notified
Lieut.. PORTER that the purser of the Ship, a Mr..
SMITH, was believed, On previous visits, to have
made communications to American newspapers,
which were offensive to the Spanish Government,
and that the vessel would not be permitted to en-
ter the port again with him on toard. Notwith-
trip was proceeding to enter the harbor, when the
Captain Of the port met him and ordered him off.
He entered nevertheless and cast anchor assigning
as his reason for 30 doing that the wind was blow
ing too hard for him to stop outside with safety
The officer came along side, and sssertaining that
SMITH was on board, ordered the vessel to sea i'm
medately, refusing to receive the mails and pas
sengers, or to allow any communication with the
Captain General Of Cuba against such treatment,
which the latter refused to receive except through
the u. S.. Consul, and the Consul being absent,
the Crescent City put to sea and arrived at New
Orleans on the 9th. When the facts were made
known in that City, the widest excitement pre-
vailed, and public meeting was called to protest
against the outrage and call upon our Government
for redress
Some of the most sober minded and judcious
papers of New York and Philadelphia are of the
opinion that neither affords just pretext for
4 quarrel, much less war, between our country
and Spain. Thcproccedings of the Cuban author
ities in both cases, they regard as entirely in ac-
cordancc with those police regulations which every
nation has right to make for its own protection.
The New York Journal Of Commerce says
sin the case of the Cornelia, it appears that, in
violation of the local law, person named Heark-
ness was improperly secreted on board that vessel
The offence is admitted, and could hardly have
occurred without the knowledge Of some one or
more of the officers or crew. He, however, in
sisted, on being discovered by the Spanish author
ities that he there without the fault or knowl-
edge of those connected with the vessel. 1t was
clearly case to excite the just suspicion OF the
Cuban authorities. The persons who had the care
of the vessel were fairly chargeable with notice Of
all who were on board. 1t was either through col
fusion or negligence that Hearkness was secreted
and the vessel consequently, by its own act or de-
fault, became fairly subjected to the action Of the
local law in punishment Of that offence"
The Philadelphia Ledger, abiding to the case
Of the Crescent City, says
Al. Al T,lo inf
have no right to prescribe how and by whom a
merican ships shall be manned But they have
full right to decide whether foreign ship shall
enter their ports or not and have good cause for the
Introduction, if they believe that any officer on
board would be dangerous to their community
The laws of Louisiana forbid colored seamen from
landing in that State from American ships sailing
! from American ports, and have been enforced by
| Imprisonment against such seamen in ships from
| Massachusetts,"
With all due Difference to the Lcdger's superior
acquaintance with international law, we cannot
fully coincide in his views Of this case. If the
Spanish Government has the right to exclude one
United States vessel from her ports, it has the
right to exclude all upon the same pretext, and
such a course, we presume, would be regarded as
Just cause for war. The matter will no doubt
be properly treated by our Executive. The Wash
ington correspondent of the New York Courier,
writes
':'The affair the Crescent City is the most Sc
rious of the outragcs our national dignity has sus-
tanned at the hands of the Spanish authority in
Cuba. Our Government is not unmindful Of its
duties in the premises. The Commander of the
Cuaae has instructions which will tend to prevent
the repetition of the aggression either upon that
steamer or any other American vessel.
81 learn to day that the Company which own
the Crescent City have informed the Post Master
General and the Secretary of the Navy that it is
their purpose to send back the steamer on her reg
ular trip, with Mr.. Smith on board, in his present
capacity, to proceed into the harbor of Havana, in
the face of the Governor Generals prohibition, and
if fired into to surrender the vessel This will
bring the question to crisis, and compel the two
governments to take measures for restraining the In
discreet zeal of officials and the protection of pr;
vate rights"
Electoral Tickets.
| We have now on hand a supply of Electora
V;ol,,ts rr;r+od on cuhctapfial naDar which We