Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1855-02-22
The Case Of Captain Gibson.


Letter to the Chairman of The, Committee of
Foreign A!fairs-Fuyther Derelopments-
The Captains Narrative, dc.
Captain Gibson, who, as the readers of the
Herald will remember, was imprisoned at l}a-
lava, tried on ridiculous charge Of treason,
and suffered by the confscation Of his prop
erty, has addressed letter to the Chairman of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House
OF Representatives. The present letter is in
answer to one put forth by the Dutch govern.
ment IN relation to memorial alleged to have
been addressed to the Dutch government in the
East Indies. Captain Gibson states that he
has written no such memorial, and proceeds to
detail the circumstances which surrounded him
at Batavia. He was without friends--in
noisome dungeon, surrounded by felons, and
had no prospect of immediate relief In this
dilemma, by advice Of the representative of the
American government at Batavia, he addressed
q letter to the Governor General Of Netherlands
India. This letter contained narrative Of
Captain Gibson's life and travels in various
parts Of the world.
The letter closes with these words:
Y
II do not wish to write wholly in the spirit of
self vindication, but rather as confessinc sim
cerely much imprudence in department and
speech, though in nowise attended with ma
llcions contemplation of hostilities against the
Netherlands India government.
The accompanying papers and documents
VIII, think, afford some further clue to my
general history and character, and will mani
Test that whilst my poetic imagination might
lead me into many excuses not approved of
by the matter-of-fact opinions of the world. vet
stli am not OF o nature to plot reasonable
designs, much less to execute them.
Now, by the promptness and vigor of the
| Netherlands India government, its moral power
has been fully sustained in the eyes Of the ma
tives of Palembang by my arrest, and has, also,
| thereby been very effectually forced upon nv
| own convictions. Hence now hope to realize
| its forbearance for whatever indiscretions I
may have committed against the majesty of its
| laws"
After the reception of this letter, goth Feb
ruary, 1852, the Captain was released, but only
to be again arrested on the Oath. He remained
in prison until the date of his escape. It was
during this time that the Dutch government
alege that he wrote the second letter. He
| says:
| 1t is not pretended by the Dutch Minister
that ever wrote but two communications to
the Govemor-General; the first, statement of
my previous conducts the other and the last,
an application for a stay of proceedings in my
case. Mr. Van Hall says, in his dispatch to
Mr. Belmont of Feb. %, 1853, on this subject
| I'll. Elk. doc. No. l6, p. 25.)--s In the mean.
while, under date of Feb. 25, while he was at
liberty Mr. Gibson, under the impression that
he would again be incarcerated, whote to the
Governor.General the letter of which a copy
accompanies this in which he implores his
clemency, acknowledges the imprudence Of his
actions, and asks for an immediate trial, in the
hope that extenuating circumstances would
cause mitigation of the punishment which,
strictly speaking, he might have deserved. On
the following day he again addressed himselfto
the Governor-General, suppicating him to use
the power with which that high functionary is
vested, in his behalf, in order to stay all further
proceeding.
Now, there are two points in which Mr.. Van
Hall and myself agree, namely, that / made
| TWO communications to the Governor General
and that the last in the order of time was
mere duplication to stay all proceedings.
I'VE differ in regard to the time when the first
letter was written, and as to what it contained
II, then. l can establish, by incontrovertble
proofs, that the letter sent bore the date and
contained the matter stated by me- and also
that no letter such as that dated February 90
concluded that the Dutch have suppressed the
true letter, and have foisted spurious one
upon our government. This proof shall at
tempt
The first proof shall offer to support nv
statement of what my first letter to the gov
ernor-general contained, is negative merely.
Mr.. Belmont, in a dispatch to Mr.. Van Hall,
dated January A, 1854, III. Elk. Doc. 16, page
49, says, referring to an understanding with
the Netherlands India authorities to return
certain evidences and papers submitted by me
to the Governor-General I'm accordance with
this positive understanding, Mr.. Gibson sent,
on or about the 10th February, 1852, state.
ment to the Governor-General of Netherlands
India, accompanied by seventeen packages of
papers, marked A to Q, together with the log
of the Flirt.' The object Of this dispatch was
TO obtain the return of these papers. After
communicating with the N. J. government, Mr..
Van Hall returned a reply, promising to de-
liver up the papers, but not denying the state
ments of Mr.. Belmont, in regard to the state
ment sent. Now the date Of sending this state
ment agrees with the date Of my communica-
ton, and a careful examination Of Mr. Bel
nont's dispatch will show that Mr. Van Hall
was under the necessity of denying Mr.. Bel
mont's statements if untrue.
"The original from which have above copied
the letter of the 18th February is contained in
a package Of papers transmitted by Mr.. Crane
rus under his official seal. This package, with
the evidence Of its authenticity, shall take
great pleasure in submitting to your inspection.
The State Department received package from
Mr.. Cramerus in my case, containing impor-
tant papers, certified in a manner precisely
similar to that of the package in question
indeed, have no doubt that the papers in
question will be considered as authenticated
in the most ample manner by the State De-
partment."
Captain Gibson further quotes the evidence
of Commander Magruder and of Captain Bas-
sett, master of the American ship Daniel Sharp,
to prove that the letter sent on the goth of Feb
ruary was narration of facts alone. This
paper has been suppressed by the Dutch gov