Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-12-13

TO those also!who desired to avoid loss of prop.
erty in the punishment about to be inflicted on
the offending town, he furnished the means oil
removing their effects by the 6oats Of his o1H
ship, and of assteamer which he procured and
rendered to themsfor that purpose. At length
percciving no DISPOSITION on the part of the town
10 comply with his requisions, he appealed 10
the commanded her Britanic Majesty's schoon-
er i" Bermudayp who was seen TO have inter.
course, and apparently much influence with the
lenders amonglhem, to interpose and persuade
them TO take some course calculated to save the
necessity of rasorting to the extreme measure
indicated in his proclamation; but that officer,
instead of acceding to the request, did nothing
more than to protest against the contemplated
! bombardment5 No steps of any sort were taken
by The peopleslo give the satisfaction required.
No individuais,iif any there were, who regarded
themselves as,tot responsible for The misconduct
of the community, adopted any means 10 sepa-
rate themselves from the fate Of the guilty. The
several charges on which the demands for re-
dress were founded had been publicly known TO
all for some time, and were again announced to
them. They did not deny any of these charges !;
they offered Misunderstanding in extenu-
hion of tbeireonauct; but contunlnciously re-.
fused 10 hold'any intercourse with the command.
or of the Cyane." By their obstinate silence
they seemed rather desirous to provoke chastise-
ment than oescape it. There is ample reason
to believe that this conduct of wauton defiance
on their part isimputable chiefly to the delusive
idea that the American Government would be
deferred from Furnishing them through fear of
dispIeasing formidable foreign Power, which
they presumed toI blink looked with complacency
upon their aggressive and insulting department
towards the United States The "Cyane" at
length fired upon the town. Before much injury
had been done,the fire was twice suspended, in
order to afford opportunity for an arrangement,
but this was declined. Most of the buildings
of the place, of:littae value generally, were, in
the sequel, destroyed, but, owing to the consde-
rate precautions taken by our naval commander,
there was no destruction of life.
When the aCyane" was ordered to Central
America, it was, confidently hoped and expected
that no occasion would arise for ga resort to Vi
oIence and destruction of property and loss of
life" Instructions to that effect were given TO
her commander; and no extreme act would have
been requisite.h bad not the people themselves, by
their extraordinary conduct in the affair, frus
trated all the possible mild measures for obtain
ing satisfaction. A withdrawal from the place,
the object of bis visit entirely defeated, would,
under the circumstances in which the commander
of the "Cyanep found himself, have been abso-
lutte abandonment of all claims of our citizens
for indemnfcalion, and submissive acGuiescence
in national ndgnity. 1t would have encouraged
in these lawless men spirit of insolence and
rapine most dsagerSas to ttIes iipessand property
of our citizens at Punta Arenas, and probably
embroidered thcmto grasp al the treasures and
valuable merchandise continually passing over
the Nicaragua route 1t certainly would have
been most satisfactory to me if the objects of
The "Cyane's" mission could have been consum-
mated without any act of public force but the
arrogant contuHancy of the offenders rendered it
impossible 10 avoid the alternative, either to
break up their establishment. or 10 leave them
impressed with the idea Glat they might perse-
we're with impunity in career of insolenco aud
punder.
This transaction has been the subject of CON-
plaint on The part Of some foreign powers, and
has been characterized with more Of harshness
than Of justice II comparisons were to be in
s,ituted, it would not DO difficult to present re-
peated instances in tho history Of States, stand
ing in the very front Of modern civilization, where
communities, far less offending and more defence
Iess than Greytown, have been chastised with
much greater severity, and whore not cities only
have been laid in ruins, but human life has been
rrcklessly sacrificed, and the blood or the inno-
cent mnde profusely to mingls with that Of the
guilty.
Paragraphs 80 and 80, on the Finances Of
The country, we also quote in full
"Passing from foreign to domestic affairs, your
attention is naturally directed to the financial
condition of the country, always subject Of
general interest For complete and exact infor-
nation regarding the finances, and the various
branches of the public service connected there
with, refer you to the report of the Secretary
of the Treasury; from which it will appear,
that the amount of revenue during the last
fiscal wear, from all sources, was seventy-three
millions five hundred and iorty-nine thousand
seven hundred and five dollars and that the
public expenditures for the same period, excn-
sive of payments on account of the public debt,
amounted 10 fifty-one millions eighteen thou
sand two hundred and forty-nine dollars. Du-
ring the same period. the payments made in re-
demption of the public debt, including interest
and premium, amounted to twenty-four millions
three hundred and thirty.six thousand three
hundred and eighty dollars. To the sum total
of The receipt, of that year is TO be added
balance remaining in the Treasury at the com.
mencement thereof, amounting to twenty-one
millions nine hundred and forty-two thousand
eight hundred and ninety.two dollars; and at
the close Of the same year, corresponding bal
ance amounting to twenty millions one hundred
and thirty-seven thousand nine hundred and
sixty.seven dollars of receipts above cxpendi.
lures, also repained in the Treasury. Although
in the opinion of the Secretary of the Treasury,
the receipts of the current fiscal year are not
likely to equal in amount those of the last, yet
they will undoubtedly exceed the amount of
expenditures by at least fifteen millions of dol
lars. shall, therefore, continue to direct that
the surplus revenue be applied, 50 far rs can be
judiciously and economically done, to the reduc-
ton of the public debt, the amount Of which
at the commencement of the last fiscal year, was
sixty-seven millions three hundred and forty
thousand six hundred and twenty.eight dollars !;
of which there had been paid on the twentieth
day of November, 1854, the sum of twenty-five
millions three hundred and sixty-6ve thousand
one hundred and seventy-two dollars leaving a
balance of outstanding public debt of only for
ty-four millions nine hundred and seventy-fve
thousand four hundred and fifty-six dollars, re-
deemable at different periods within fourteen
years. There are also remnants of other gov
ernment stocks, most of which are already due,
and on which the interest has ceased, but which
have not yet been presented for payment,
amounting to two hundred and thirtr-three thou.
sand one hundred and seventy-nine dollars.
This statement exhibits the fact, that the annual
income of the Government greatly exceeds the
amount of its public debt, which latter remains
unpaid, only because the time of payment has