New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-12-09

them, BY public proclamation, that If they dig
mot give satisfaction within time specified, he
would lombard the town By this procedure
he afforded them opportunity to provide for their
personal safety To those, also, who desired to
avoid loss Of property, in the punishment about
TO be inflicted on the offending town, he furnished
sthe means Of removing their effects, BY the boats
sof his own ship and steamer wllch he pro-
cured and rendered to them for that purpose.
AZ length perceiving no disposition on the part
of the town to comply with his acquisitions, he
appealed to the commander Of Her Britanic Ma
iesty's schooner Bermuda, who was seen to have
intercourse, and apparently much influence with
the leaders among them, to interpose, and per
suade them to take some course calculated to
save the necessity of resorting to the extreme
measure Indicted in his proclamation; but that
officer. instead of acceding to the request, did
nothing more than to protest against the contem-
plaied bonhardment. No steps of any sort
we're taken by the people to give the satisfaction
required No individuals, if any there were,
whosregarGed themselves as not responsible for
the misconduct of the community. adopted any
means to separate themselves from the fate OF
toe guilty.
L. The several charges on which the demands for
redress were founded, had been publicly known
| TO all for some time, and were again announced
| to them. They did not deny any OF these char
ges; they offered no explation, nothing IN ex-
i tenuation of their conduct but contumaciously
reused to hold any intercourse with the com
mander Of the Cyane. BY their obstinate 81
Hence they seemed rather DESTROYS to provoke
I chastisement than to escape it. There is ample
treason to believe that this conduct OF wanton
defiance, on their part, is imputahle chiefly to
4 the delusiye idea that the American would be
i deferred from Furnishing thems through the fear
Of displeasing q formidable foreign power which
they presumed to think, looked with complacen-
cy upon their aggressive and insulting deport-
ment towards tie United States The Cyane at
Il length fred 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 little value generally, we're. in the
i sequel, destroyed; but owing to the considerable
j precautions take by our naval commander, there
was no destruction Of life.
When the Cyane was ordered to Central
| America, it was confidently hoped and expected
that no occasion would arise for resort to yio-
lence, destruction of property and loss eff life.
Instructions to that effect were given to her
commander And no extreme oct would have
been requisite had not the people themselves BY
their extraordinary conduct in the affair, frus-
1 trated all the possible mild measures fer obtain
1 ing satisfaction. A withdrawal from the place,
1 the object Of his visit was entirely defeated,
would, under the circumstances in which the
commander of the Cyane found himself, have
| been absolute abandonment of all claim OF our
1 citizens for naturalization, and submissive ac-
quiescence in national indignity It would have
encouraged in these lawless men spirit of in
science and rapine most dangerous to the lives
and property Of our citizens at Punta Arenas,
and probably emboldened them to grasp at the
i treasures and valuable merchandise continually
passing over the Nicarauga route. 1t certainly
4 would have been most satisfactory to me, if the
4 object of the Cyane's mission could have been
consnmmated without any act of public force
but the arrogant contumacy Of the offenders
rendered it impossible to avoid the alternative
4 either to break up their establishment or te
leave them impressed with the idea that they
might persevere with impunity in q career o.
insolence and plumber.
This transaction has been the subject Of com.
plant on the part of some foreign powers, and
has been characterized with more of harshness
than of justice, if comparisons were to be insti
!, tuted, it would not be difficult to present re
peated instances in the history Of the States
standing in the very fsont of modern civiliza
ton, where communities far less offending ant
more defenceless than Greytown, have beer
, ohastised with much greater severity, and
, where not cities only have been laid in ruins
I but human life has been recklessly sacrificed
and the blood of the inncept made profusely tt
mingle with that Of the guilty.
Passing from foreign to domestic affairs, you
attention is naturally directed to the fnancia
conaition of the country, always subject Q
, general interest For complete and exact in
formation regarding the finances and yariou
> branches Of the public service connected there
I with, refer you to the report Of the Secretar,
, of the Treasury from which it will apper tina
, the amount Of revenue during the last fisea
, year, from all sources, was seventy three mil
, lion, FIVE hundred and forty-nine thousand
seven hundred and FIVE dollars; and that th,
public expenditures for the same period, exclu
sive of payments on account of the public debt
amounted to fity-one million, eighteen thou
sand, two hundred and forty mine dollars Du
ring the same period, the payment made in re
demptiou Of the public debt, including interes
and premium, amounted to twenty four million
| three hundred and thirty-six thousand, thre
hundred and eighty dollars To the sum tota
ID OF the receipts Of that year is to be added
balance remaining in the Treasury at the com
mencement thereof, amounting to twenty on
, million, nine hundred and forty-tWo thousand
eight hundred and ninety-two dollors; and d
fine close of the same year, a corresponding bal
ance amounting to twenty million, one hundre
] and thirty seven thousand, nine hundred an
j sixty seven dollars of receipts above expendi
lures, also remaining in the Treasury.
g. Although, in the opinion Of the Secretary (
the Treasury, the receipts Of the current fscs
: year are not likely to equal the amount thos
RI Of last year. yet they will undoubtedly excee
t the amount of expenditures by ut least fftee
/ millions Of dollars
al i shall, therefore, continue to direct that til
, surplus revenue be applied, SO far as it can |
s judiciously and economically done, to the r,
: duction Of the public debt the amount of whcl
I at the commencement of the last fiscal yea
u was sixty seven million three hundred and TO,
"a ty Thousand six hundred and twenty EIGHT do
is lars; Of which there had been paid on IL
j, twentieth day of November, 1854, TIE sum
d twenty-five million three hundred and sixt,
a five Thousand one hundred and seventy "
is dollars; leaving a balance of outstanding pu
E lie debt of only forty -four million nine hundr,
1t and seventy five thousand four hundred al
A. fifty six dollars, redeemable at different perio
if within fourteen years. There are also remnan
10 OF ether government stocks, most of which
id already due, on which the interest has cease
o. but which have not yet been presented for pa
o. ment, amounting to two hundred and thirt
three thousand one hundred and seventy nj
to dollars This statement exhibits the fact, TIL
Nv the annual income of the government great
SO exceeds the amount Of its public debt, viii
IT, latter remains unpaid, only because the til
do Of payment has not yet matured, and it cam
q be discharged at once, except at the option
Nv public credit rs, who prefer to retain the
v eurities of the United States aud the 9th
ur fact, not less striking, that the annual reyen
Id from all sources exceeds, by many millions
hit dollars, the amount needed for prudent