Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-12-13


to provide for their personal safety To those al
so who desired TO avoid loss of property in the
punishment about to be inflicted upon the offend
ing town, he furnished TIE means of removing
their effects BY the boats Of his own ship and OF
steamer which he procured and rendered TO
them for that pnrpose. At length perceiving no
disposition the part OF the town TO comply
with his requisitIons. be appealed TO the conman-
der of Her Britanic Majesty's schr. Pcqnnda,
who was seen to have Intercourse, and apparently
much influence with the leaders. asking him to
Interfere, and persuade them TO take some course
calculated to save the necessity of resortipg to
fhe extreme measures indicated in his prociama-
non But that officer, instead of acceding to
this request, did nothing more than TO protest
asalnstthe contemplated bombardment No steps
OF any sort We're taken by the people to give the
satisfaction required. No individuals, if any
there were, who regarded themselves as not re-
sponslble for the conduct of the community,
adopted any means to separate themselves from
the fate of the guilty. - +.-
he several charges which the demands for
redress We're founded had been publicly know
10 all for some time, and were again announced
to them. OF these charges they offered no
PLANTATION. nothing IN exfenuaion of their conduct
but contumacously refused TO hold any inter
course with the commander of the Cyane, By
their obstinate silence they seemed rather desirous
is ample reason TO believe that this conduct OF
wanton defiance on their part, is imputable TO the
deusive idea chiefly that the American Govern
ment would be deferred from furnishing them
through fear of dispeasng formidable foreign
power, which they presumed TO think looked
with complacency upon their aggressive and in
sulting department toward the L. 5, s,Fs
The Cya3le at length fred upon the town, and
before much injury had been done, the fire was
suspended in order TO afford an opportunity for
an arrangement, But this was decined Most
OF the buildings of the place were OF little value,
and generally were in the sequel destroyed; but
owing to the considerale precautions taken by
OFF naval commander, there was no destruction
of life, When the C0pgle ordered to Central
America, it was confidently hoped and expected
that no occasion would arise for resort to vio-
lence and destruction of property and loss OF life
Instructions to that effect We're given to her
commander and no extreme act would have been
requested had not the people themselves. by their
extraordinary conduct in the affair, frustrated all
honorable mild measures, for obtaining satisfac-
ten. And withdrawal from the place, the object
of his visit entirely defeated, under the ciTcum-
stances the commander of the CuGae found him>
self, would have been an absolute Abandonment Of
all claims of our citizens for -indemnihcation and
Submissive acquesce nee in national indignitv ::
would have ncouraged in these iawiess men a
spirit OF insoience and rapine most dangerous to
the lives and propetev of onr citizens at Punta
Arenas. and probably emboldened ther to seize
upon the treasures and valuhle merchandise cons
tinuaily posing over the Nicaragua route. 1t
certainly would have been most satisfactory to
me if the object of the Cyaaes mission could have
been consumated without any act Of public force,
but the arrogant contuTacy of the offenders rem
dered impossible to avoid the alternative either 10
break up their establishment, or to leave them
unpunished with the idea that they might perse>
we're with irnpunity in course OF insolenee and
plunder.
This transaction has been the subject
of complaints on the part of some foreign
powers, and has been characterized with
more harshness than of justice. # com.
parsons were to be Instituted it would not
be difficultto present repeated instances n
the history of states standing in the very
front Of modern civilization where com
munities less offending and more defence
less than Greytown have been chasiised
with much greater severity, and where
not cities only have been laid in ruins, but
human life has been recklessly sacrificed
and the blood Of innocence made proiuse-
ly 10 minge with that of the guilty.
Passing over foreign 10 domestic affairs,
your attention IS directed to the financial
condition of the country, awlways . sub
iect of general interest. For complete and
exact information regarding the finances
and the various branches Of the public
service connected therewIth. refer you
TO the report of the Secretary OF the
Treasury from all sources,is 81, ,549, 105,
and that the public expenditure for the
same period, exclusive of payments on
account of the Public Debt, amounted to
55l .OlS,249. During the same period
the payments made in redemption Of the
public debt, including interest and prem
iums, amounted to S24 1897, $50 To the
sum total the receipts of that year IS to
be added balance remaining in the
Treasury at the commencement thereof;
amounting to S2l l,942 s92. At the close
of the same year corresponding balance,
amounting to $50 I37, 967 of receipts
above EXPENDITURES also remained IN the
Treasury.
Although in the opinion Of the Secreta-
rv of the Treasury, the receipts of the
current fiscal year are not likely to equal
in amount those Of the expenditures by al
least Is millions, shall continue TO direct
the surplus revenue to be applied. SO for
as it can be judiciously and economically
done, to the reduction of the publice debt:
the amount Of which, at the close of the
last fiscal year, was S67,34o,626; of
which there had been paid on the 30lh
Of November, 1854, S22,236, ,5l7,-
leaving a balance outstanding Of public
deb. of only S44, ,9a5,4 ,46i, redeema BILE at
periods within IA years. There
are also remaining other Government
stocks, most of which are already due,
ard on which interest has ceased, bat
which have not vet been presented for
payment, amounting 10 S233,l79. This
statement exhibits the fact that the annual
income of the Government greatly ex-
eeeds the amount Of lis public debt, which
latter remains unpaid only because the
time of payment has not yet matured.
and il cannot bo discharged at once ex-
cept at The option Of the public creditors,
who prefer 10 retain the sec uri.fes of the i