Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-08-03


y The opposition are making great out
cry about the San Juan affair. They cannot
wait until the official papers are published and
the facts are known, but depict something ter
rible and then charge it upon the adminstra-
ton. San Juan has long been known as a
great nest for pirates and thieves, and if tits
broken up, we are glad The following are
the remarks of the Washington Star upon the
affair."
The Burning of GretolCn or San Juan.
del Norte 1t will be recollected that very
shortly after information reached Washington
of the outrage perpetrated on Mr.. Borland,
American minister to Nicaragua, at San Juan
del Norte, we stated the probability that if
due reparation failed to be made on demand,
the place would be reduced to ashes by COM
mand of the government of the United States
| Our prediction has been fulfilled and, as a
matter of course, its fulfilment is the signal
for intense bowling on the part Of those Jour
nails so welded to party that they make it
rule to growl at everything done by those now
IN charge of the government of the United
States, right or wrong. The New York
Commercial Advertiser and the Evening Post
of that city have, of course, opened the cry in
this case. Both these journals, by way of in
venting an excuse for their condemnation of
the act, misrepresent or falsify the facts in
volved. The Advertiser admits that Capt.
Smith, (of the American steamer plying on
the San Juan river) killed the native pilot in
self defence, but sets up the plea that the act
was done within the jurisdiction of the self
constituted sovereign city of Greytown-
,Dhich Is not true The Evening Post-doubt-
less moved to SANDER the authorities of its
country concerning this affair by the fact that
the so-called marshal of Greytown, who at
tempted to arrest Capt. Smith, at Punta Are
nas-entirely out of Greytown Jurisdiction
was negro-goes a bowshot beyond the Ad-
vertiser, in order to seem to have reason for
/ its uniustifable remarks, and boldly asserts
that Capt Smith deliberately murdered the
! pilot. in the face of the fact that every one of
the many passengers on the steamer, who wit
messed the whole affair, testify that the act
was one of clear and unquestionable self de-
fence, the man shot being in the act Of raising
his gun to kill Capt. Smith, in accordance
with his previous threat, which he had only
been prevented from carrying out few min
utes before by woman on board his boat,
who seeing him about to commit his oft
threatened murder, struck his gun up and
wrenched it from his hands.
The Post further conceals from its readers
the undoubted fact that the safety of the lives
of all on board his steamer rendered it imper-
tive on Capt. Smith to remain in position
| (ln the wheel-house) where he was exposed
to be shot down by the man he killed That
is, that the loss of his steamer would probably
have been the penalty if he had left the wheel
house to place his person beyond the reach of
the shot of the pilot. The Post further init
mates, falsely, that the killing occurred with
in the assumed jurisdiction of Greytown, and
that the attempt to arrest Smith was also sub
sequently made within the same jurisdiction.
| Both these acts occurred on Nicaraguan soil,
as guaranteed by this government in the Clay
ton and Bulwer treaty.
Now we have further TO say that the pop
ulaIon Of Greytown were n0torionsy as vii
famous gang of freebooters, buccaneers and
river pirates as congregaed on the coast
Of the Spanish Main. They focked to that
point, only with view Of robbing more or
less of the many thousands Of Americans who
cross the lsthmus there annually. The firm
ness and energy displayed by the American
commercial agent at that point and the Amer
lean company doing the lsthmus transportation
there, defeated their purposes. So they burn
ed and destroyed that company's buildings on
Punta Arenas, for which act they should have
been punished precisely as this government
was forced to punish them, when, embroidered
by the leniency with which their first garing
act of war or rapine on American property
was treated, they deliberately took upon them
silves commission 10 rove over the guaran-
iced territory of Nicaragua, 10 attack Amer
leans and sci al defiance the protection of our
flag in the hands Of an American minister
plenipotentiary.
If this government had done less than
promptly punish such series of Outrages as
those freebooers committed, after they had de-
clined even to apologize for them, the prolec-
ton Of the American flag would not be worth
pinch of snuff any where that il might by
any possible chance, be needed.
As bitter as we know The hatred of the Com
mercial Advertiser and Evening Post To be
for The President and secetary Of state, we are
really astonshed that their identification with
the heavy iransmarine commercial intercourse
with New York has not counseled them to APP
paud rather than 10 falsify and malgn gov
eminent act which, in the present tendency Of
our unciviIized corners oflhe world, must nee
essarily have an effect worth more 10 our COM
mercial future than pen can express.
We must not forget 10 mention that every
effort to obtain reputation even an apology
for their offence against the authority of the
United States was met only with fresh insults.
Loss OF STEAMER ADMIRAL. Steamer Ad-
miral, struck on ledge three miles west of