Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-04-06
News from Major Jack Downing.


PRIVATE DISPATCHES TO GEN. PIERCE.
Nj to he giUsn up to Congr., il they call for it.
Aboard the Filihustcr schooner Two Pollies.
of the " Hole in the Wall" near the mid
die of March, forget the day of the month,
1855.
DEAR GrvER.L. We are scuddn round
here and holdin on to tho slack, waitn for
more help to come up, and you may depend
ont Cuba got to take it. We don't never
give up the ship. A fast little clipper jest
como along, going to Baltimore, and the
skipper stid he'd take my dispatches to you
in three days. And you can send to me by
the skipper your notions about things; for
hos only going to stop long enough to wood
up. and then he's comm strait back to iinc
us He made me promise to hold on and not
take Cuba till he come, for he was very
earnest to he in at the death.
That Cubt's fine country We've been
having glimpse at it once in awhile with
our spy glasses, through tho " hole IN the
WALL and round the corners, and it's rally II
fine country; 'twould do your heart good to
look atit. And you shall have n chance he
fore long, for it's got to como down; it's got
to nuckle. and no mistake Iva got my com
mission to 90 ahead from Mr.. Buchanan and
Mr.. Mason and Mr. Soulcy. And the nub of
it we have the power : and know we have,
as Sally Giles slid to her sweetheart. Says
Sally, says she, you shant kiss me unless
YOU are strOn rer that am, and | know YOU
be-
Jest before we come out ! see hy the papers
that Louis NAPOLEON was q notion of goin to
the Crimea to see Sebastopol fall and so |
thought may he you might like to come out
here and see us take Cuba. Now if you du &,
Jest say tho word. nnd tell me in your letter
what day you will be down on the pint of
Floraday, and I'll hear up with the Two Pol
lies and take you off.
You mus MT feel hurt because | did mt
coue to Washington to see you before start
ing on this cruise but the fact was hadn t
time, Our country was in 80 much dan
ger it wouldn't do to wait. Our Congress IN
Ostcnd went over the whole ground and ex-
amined it carefully, and come to the conclu-
sion that it was neck or nothing with us.
We must have Cuba or our whole country
would 90 to rack and rum, and the Union
can never enjoy repose nor possess reliable
security as long as Cuba is not embraced
within its boundaries.
sent YOU II despatch last fall about the
duins of our Congress at Ostend, where we
took UP the affairs of England and France and
U,..in but finally concluded we couldn' t
J
should have to wait u little longer Well,
then them three 5. .'s-Souley, Sickles and
Sanders-said there was one thing we could
du we could take hold OF that Cuba business
and finish it up brown And, for fear that
Louis Napoleon might have spies round us
there at Ostend, we concluded it was best to
hitch little further of So we went over
to Ax-le-Shapple and finished up the business.
The upshot was, we concluded we would
have Cuba by hook or by crook and that
Mr. Souley should 90 right back to Old Spain
and tell the Queen so. II she d n mind to
give it up quietly and make no fuss about it,
lie might promise to give her somethin pretty
handsome in the way Of money we didn
care nothin about that, AS we've got plenty
OF money to home. If she refused and told
Mr.. SUuley to mind his own business, and we
shouldn't have Cuba no how, then we told
him he mustn't be mealy y-mouthed, nor mincc
matters, but pick II quarrel the best way be
could aud clear out.
Well, Mr.. Soulcy went back to Madrid
with stif upper lii and begun to dicker with
the Queens spokesman for bargain, some
thin IN this way:
SouLEY.-Oh, now I think of it, there +
that little Island OF Cuba over there near oui
coast; we d like to have that little island, il
i ; all the same to you. | sposc you We no OBJ
ltctlOns ; 1t is II tLc least use III the world t.
You, anu it might be some little account t.
US. 81, II you say 50, we'll jest mark Cuba
down On the map ui the United States
>poGlsMAN.-Not hya jug full, Mr.. souley
CuJL Is the most valuable patch of GrounC
We We got. Cant spare it no how,
SOULLY-Oh, nonsense, it no income al
all to YOU, and notlin but II bill Of expense
It's So near to US we might look alter ant
may be make sOmethIu out ot it but its NJ
more use to you than the fifth wheel OF i
coach, | guess We II consider it ours.
SroKEsMAN.-l guess you wont tell yor
we cant spare CuDa no how. It's the prld'
Of the Spanish kingdom and the gem of the
! Queen crown.
SorLLY.-Well, but, my dear sir, we woul,
| not mIud paying you quite II handsome sun
tor it; Il hundred millions, if you say 50
We wont scrimp about the price.
There is no price to 1t. Carr.
| your hundred millions 10 some other markc
II you want to buy honor with it. l tell yo'
the honor ol Old Spain has no price.
SorLEy.-But, my dear sir, you don't con
slider what u wonderful deal oi help a milliol
would be to you. You must remember yol
are getting IL good deal behindhand. You v
no income hardly and you are good deal il
debt. Only look ut it; u hundred million
will enable you to pay off your debts, AM
make internal improvements, and build rail
roads and telegraphs all over the country, s.
that you can spruce up and live comfortabl
and get ahead in the world. Say the wor,
and the hundred millions is yours.
SPOKESMAN. - Offer your hundred million
to some beggar who wants it. The ancien
and proud Kingdom of Spain is no beggar
sir IN thank you sir, not to insult me.
SouLEY.-I don't intend any insult, sir
but III be frank and plain with you. Tn
fact is we must have that island 1t is absc
lutely necessary for the safety and welfare {
the United States Our country can't sc
along without 1t.
SroKEsMAN.-That's your look out, nc
mine
SouLEY.-Well now, Mr.. Spokesman, yo
know your people out there in Cuba have it
u long time been insulting our folks, searcl
ing their vessels, and firing into thei
steamers, and sometimes ketching our peopl
and shooting em or putting 'em in dungeons
There's long account Of these things thl
you must settle right up, pint blank, OF su
Ter the consequences, there's three hundre
thousand dollars you've got to pay for stol
ping the steamer Black Warrior and u grea
many other things as bad as that. Thes
matters have got to be settled right up, {
Cuba got to stand in the gap.
SPOKESMAN Cant help that. II you '
got any accounts to settle we'll leave 1t ou
to third party to say how we shall settl'
We don't owe you a cent for the Black Wal
rior. She broke our laws and we fined hi
six thousand dollars; and then we give bac
the fno after all, when we might kept Il
vessel And you are SO ungrateul as not
thank us for it.
SouLLy.-I won't stan this foolery no lol
GER. Leave it out No. we know how I
settle our own business best. Now, sir, YOU Y
..ttla all lcrnnnts rirhl and \