The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1852-11-26
From he New Orleans Delta.
EsThe last Indignity.s,


The expose Of the last phase Of tho Crescent
City affair, given in our paper yesterday,
is an appropriate cap-shiet and wlnd-up oi
the disgraceiul foreign administration OF the
present Executive Of our government. =
There is nothing in our history which pre-
sents our COVE rnment in so discreditable and
unworthy light. 1t is due 10 the great par
" whose name and authority have thus been
prostituted, TO express our confident belief
that throughout this whole land there win
b. one loud voice Of conde demnation and de-
nuncialion of the conduct Of the Executive
in this matter. When the reports first reach
ed us that our Executive had backed out in
this affair, we were skeptical, thinking it
might be party trick, intended to effect the
result Of the election. We were confirmed
in this incredulity by the solemn and sincere
declarations Of the party friends OF the ad-
ministration, that it was a Roorback, or, to
use the new word which glared in frightful
capitals from the posters on election days, a
.'Forne yistn. But it appears we put too
high an estimate upon The spirit Of the Exc
ecutiye, and too low one on the sagacity as
well as fairness Of the gentlemen who were
so loudly denounced for sending on the
statement that The government had backed
out in the Crescent City affair. The
I''back out" is most complete and disgrace
ful one--accompanitd, too, by features snd
circumstances which greatly aggravate its
Iinfamy.
i The facts are simply these. as detailed in
the news made up for and published in the
Delta and Picayune Of yesterday; The Cres
cent City, being under control OF her own
ers, goes into Havana, having on board "tht
individual named William Smith," TO usi
! the dainty phrase OF that sublime specimei
of statesmsnship, C.. M. Conrad. The cap
tain Of the port asked if Mr.. Smith is OF
I board, and when he is answered eyes" tn
E captain Of the Crescent City is told that h
cannot communicate with the shore. Som
discussion and correspondence ensue, when
lo il turns out that the cap:ain-genera
shows TO our consul, Judge Sharkey, a lette
from Calderon De la Barca, stating that b
had received assurances from our Presiden
and Secretary ofState that Mr.. Smith woul
> not be permitted to 80 over 10 Havana o.
S the Crescent City.
e Well might that gallant and intelligen
officer, Captain Davenport, express his sur
prise at and disbslef Of this statement.
: Itcannot be that any government, muc
t less ours, would stoop so low, and manifes
| such ignorance Of the rights of the citizens
:. as well as servility 10 foreign power-whos
insoIence is only equalled by its imbecilit
las TO make any such pledege or promise
C Mr. Smith is free citizen, who can g
/, where he pleases without restraint or hin
derance from any authority. The Crescen
;, City is free merchant ship, whose owner
may select and appoint any officers oragent'
d without consulting Secretary Conrad. Pres
O ident Fillmore, or Captain General Canedc
!, Such was the views of Captain Davenport
: But if such were his feelings and ideas, wha
J could have been those oil Judge Sharkey,
C high-minded American oficial-who whe
Y he went TO the captain general to prote;
o against the procedure in the matter of Ii
2 Crecent City, was Immediately stopped b
u this letter Of Calderon. Now, either tn
l latter perpetrated wiltul lie, which bis reI
il utation as gentleman and the entire al
. sence of any motive thereto forbid US I
believe, or it is true that the governmer
. did make this assurance 10 him. Uafortu
X nately the last construction receives conf
is nation IN that extraordinary specimen Of III
: "pigmy perched-on-Alps' style Of Charlie
4 Conrad's letter 10 George Law, published j
=" the Delta Of yesterday.
How embarrassing, annoying, and mort
Tying, then, must have been the position ar
feelings Of high-minded gentleman lii
Sharkey, when thus compelled in the delenc
of the rights of our citizens 10 recede frol
his demands by the admissions and conces
y ions of the higher authority Of his OWE go,
!. erenment
But we cannot trust ourselves further o
this subject. The whole affair Is pretty 70
chilly symbolized by the fable Of the sic
lion, wherein the king of the beasts repr
sents our national honor, and another qua,
Is .uped is pretty fair symbol Of our SecretaI
of State,