Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1854-08-09
The Destruction Of San IT, ;,


nent papers attempting to offer an excuse
The facts, as near as we can gather them, from
the official papers furnished by President
PIERCE, and other authentic sources, are as
follows -
Greytown consisted of about eighty houses,
| nearly all of them built of wood, and by far the
greatest proportion of them constructed in the
United States and taken there on shipboard.
One of these-Lyon's Hotel-cost S15, ,00O
Not more than one-fourth of the houses in the
new part of the town, which has been built
since 1850, were occupied, but were deserted
| from business considerations some time pre-
vious to this affair.
The population of Greytown consisted of
| about 500 persons altogether; of which num-
Der ten or twelve were from the United States,
about twenty-five were Englishmen, and
| twelve Frenchmen and Germans. The re-
| maindcr of the population were jamaica ne
groes and natives. The Americans, English,
French, and Dutch, were engaged in hotel
keeping and trade. The houses occupied by
the natives and negroes were principally frame
| buildings, with roofs of matched palm-leaf.
The difficulty which led to its destruction
occurred in May last. Capt. S. S. Smith, an
American in command of steamer in Nicara-
qua, called the Routh, for some cause, shot
| down with rifle, citizen of Greytown Mr..
Borland, the American Minister to Nicaragua.
| was present and saw the affair, and when the
pOpulace of the town attempted to arrest
Smith, for murder, he interfered, by scizing a
musket, placing himself on the guards of the
steamer, and warning the marshal and his
men, who were endeavoring to make the arrest
to do so at their peril. Finding themselves
| the weaker party, they desisted, but when Mr.
Borland went on shore, they arrested him and
held him in custody all night, permitting him.
however, in the morning to sail for New York
This, together with difficulty between the
authorities of the town, and the accessory
Transit Company, which had continued un-
settled for long time, was the immediate
cause of the bombardment and destruction of
this sscity of shanties.'' The Transit Compa-
ny occupy Punta Arenas, under lease from
the King of Mosquito, from whom, sanction
ed by the English, the town also derived its
charter and corporate privileges. In the lease
ofthe company twas provided, that they should
yacate the point whenever the authorities of
the town required it. The latter having occa-
sion to use the ground for quarantine purposes,
required the company to fulfill the condition
of the lease, which they refused to do. The
town then proceeded to enforce then rights by
a regular process of ejectment, In doing so
they removed two small buildings, of the
value of $3.50. Fer this and boat load of
from them, (Which however is pronounced
upon the very best authority to be wholly
false) the company demanded an indemnity
of some S24 900, which the authorities of the
town refused to pay.
Capt. Hollins, was sent by the Administra-
ton, to demand an apology, for the insult to
Minister Borland, and the payment of the in
demnity demanded by the Transit company.
The terms of Capt. Hollins not being COM
piled with, he opened his fire promptly at the
appointed time-nearly every shot doing eX-
ecution. He fired about two hundred shots,
but not burning up the town, as he
desired, he sent ashore a launch with
Lieutenant and about twenty-five men, who
proceeded to set on fire all that remained of
Greytown. While doing so they are said to
have inspected the interior of the buildings
rather closely, and pillaged as much as they
pleased. Before finishing the work they were
pretty thoroughly intoxicated with wines and
liquors, and were constantly cheering. The
amount of property destroyed by this bonn
bardment is stated to be half 4 million of dol
lars.
Such is the faithful and impartial history of
this transaction,-(a naval achievement with
out its parallel in the history of any country
on the face of the globe y prepared from the
documents of the Administration, who would
not omit the slightest fact to strengthen their
case, and discredit the town. They contain
no fact that in the least relieves the enormitv
of the outrage, or that removes the response
bility from their own shoulders, though Secre-
tary Marcy, distinctly announced that none of
the blame rested upon him, thus displaying
his disgust and shame, that the arms of the
United States should be disgraced, by making
war on an insignificant village, not as large as
Clearfeld, containing only handful of traders
and miserable negroes.
The conduct of Minister Borland. who never
had any diplomatic reputation, was exceed
ingy disreputable, and characteristic only of a
professional bully. When an officer sanctions
brutality and crime, he places himself without
the pale Of protection instituted by interna-
tional law, ,on the presumption that representa-
tiyes of States are incapable of offences which.
if committed by other men, would consign
them to the galows, or the prison.
But even admitting, that in the insult to
Minister Borland, an outrage was perpetrated,