The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-08-09
THE KINNEY EXPEDITION.
nEcEPrIoN OF COLONEL KINNEY.

ning Post furnishes that paper with the following
Interesting account of Colonel Kinney OF Grey
| town:
| SAN JUAN DKL NoRrE, NICARAGUA, July g, 1855.
| Weighing anchor from Port Royal, Jamaica, on
| the morning OF the 18th of July, the Huntress,
With the Kinney emgrants, touched San Juan, their
destination, ON the afternoon of the 10Th, very
fair run over the Caribbean. The long, low shore,
with perhspsa hundred palm thatched buildings.
| set eft by the dense tropical forest In the back
ground. and the warehouses of the Transit Compa.
ny on Punta Arenas, corresponded exactly with
| the familiar prints of San Juan, in whose noble
| harbor we were anchored. Three or four ships
were also lying at the time In the harbor the
most formidable OF which was the black bulk Of
the British man of-war Buzzard. which, it was re-
ported, had been stationed TO prevent our landing.
Our object, therefore, was to get ashore without
any ones knowledge-apd even the pilot, who
turned out to be very jealous friend OF the Col.
| onels-was not spprised of his name. Before We
dropped anchor boat came alongside, containing
a few gentlemen from the Interior OF Nicaragua,
who informed US thar some fifty men had arrived
In the Star of the West the night before fully arm
ed, to oppose Colonel Kinney, nominaily hired by
the Nicaraguan government, but in reality, as wss
supposed by the Transit Company They were
mostly French, German and Italian refugee, e,pcked
up 10 the streets OF New York on promise of ten
| dollars month, and house and lot 10 Nicaragua
| for EACH and. 1t was said, we're now standing
| ready to fire at the Emma, If she should come near
enough TO Point Arenas where they we're stationed.
such was the report-at any rate it indtcsted one
| advantage, for which we had reason to be thank-
ful. from The wreck Of the vessel 10 which we had
sailed from New York. -sor-x =easa uisag
After the colonel had been safely carried ashore,
| we we're boarded by the master OF the war steam
er, who took the number of our passengers, In.
aulred whence we came and whittier we were
bound &C., to all of which he received satisfactory
| replies. But when he inquired for the whereabouts
of Col. Kinney, he was told that we supposed he
must be In Greytowp al his vessel was reported TO
hn V Aaind n the fith of lima and donhtlasa a
| fhe mastery had heard later news of him than ws
had The master then retur ned to bis steamer sp.
parently we'll pleased with the courtesies he had
received, as well ss With the files of Jamaica and
Turks Island papers which furnished him, but
froua which care was taken to omit the very CONS
plimentary notices with which tb colones arrivals
| had been recorded by them. He, however, en-.
braced the occasion 10 tell of the late defeat of
Walker and his men In the interior, with whom he
entertained the belief the Kinney expedition was
4 10 some way connected s5
Mr.. John l.. Nelson, United States Consul at
Turks Islands, who with his family and two Turk s
Islanders had accompanied US In the Huntress then
went ashore with the bulk OF the passengers all of
whom, with their baggage. were safely eDsconced
| by the following day In the independent little mu-
nicipalty of Greytown, alias San Juan de, Norte
The reception of the Colonel and his party by the
| inhabitants was most enthusiastic. They had long
! been waiting for him and now on the third day
after the first anniversary OF the towns bombardr
ment by Capt. Hollins, they turned out to welcome
| make 1t prosperous One would have thought,
| from the demonstrations of the crowd, that they
| were celebrating Washington's birthday the
| GLORIOUS Fourth, 30 general was the excitement
1t so happened that at the time several important
| functionaries were in town Don Ramon Rivas,
| agent for the Nicaraguan Government at Grey.
| town his father, Don Precio Rivas, comnandant
OF the Nicarsguan forces on the Serapaqui river
| Don Pedro Poris, the commandant of Costa Rica
at the head of the Serapsqui; Capt. w. Fl. Dobbie,
of the British man -of-war Buzzsrd, then In port
and Mr.. Green British Consul General for Central
| America who resides in Blewfeld.
To all these gentlemen, Capt Benjamin Mooney,
| formerly of New York, and staunch friend of the
Coonels. introduced him at once, and the results
OF that first interview have told favorably upon our
affairs ever SINCE Mr.. Mason, also, the American
Vice Consul here, soon called, and has since shown
cordial disposition to befriend his fellow country.
men who have arrived. -
The next day. however, the Colonel was waited
| upon by Consul General Green and Captain Dob
bic who, In consequence of some stories which had
been told them by an enemy, to his disadvantage,
desired from him an interview, In order to have a
full account of the purpose, plans and history of his
expedition. With this request Col. Kinney cheer
| tully complied and at the house of Mr. Geddes the
British Consul at Greytown, In presence OF the above
| mentioned gentlemen, together with Consuls Nels
| son and Mason and myself. gave at length the de-
sired Information, tracing the opposition which his
| enterprise had encountered to the agents of the
| Transit Company alike of Nicaragua and
| himself-and charging the decree which that GO
vernment had been inveigled into promulga gatngf
his exclusion, solely to the misrepresentation OF
| Interested parties.
His object, he said, was the peaceful colonization
Of certain lands in Nicaragua TO which he believed
he had valid tle the validity of that title should
| be disproved, he would abandon It, although he
had expended thousands of dolIars on the SUPPOSE
ion of his lawful ownership. In regard to the ru
NOR tha. the British man. of-war and the troops at
Point Arenas had been stationed to prevent his
| andioe he was prepared, with due respect to say
that he should allow his right of settling peaceably
la Greytown, with the assent of it's inhabitants to be
called In question by no power on earth
| Such so far as can recall Ii, the substance
| of the CoIoners remarks, which apparently proved
satisfactory to hs interrogators At the conclusion
the conversation became quite general, and Capt.
| Dosbie and the Colonel, for an hour or two, re-
| counted the various incidents of their naval end
| military experiences in a manner that showed a
more friendly understanding than could have been
| expected from meeting OF official Inquiry.
| After partakipg of the hospitality Of the British
Consul, the interview ended by the acceptance on
the part of the Colonel of an invitation TO pay an
early visit of inspection on board the Captains
| man .of-war, the Buzzard.
On the morning of the 17tb, the regiment of for.
eign hirelngs brought out by the Transit Company,
left It's warehouses at Point Arenas for Castillo q
| Nicaragua port on an island of that name, about
| half way up the San Juan river from Greyto wn TO
lake Nicaragua. Here, If cholera or disaifection
do not reduce them to nothing (and both, 1t s re.
| ported by passengers from up river, have already
| MADE some QASOC,I lucy dWhit tue eXpeQltlOn,
which they are determined to put back II possible.
On their passage on the morning they sailed in a
steamer of the company's past Capt Mooney'a
| wharf where, as they saw Col. Kinney standing
they raised shout OF dersion aud tben as If Ian.
auaee failed express their feelings rather the
feelings of their employers INDUCED in variety o
contortions, which gave truly comical effect to
their unwashed vissges.
Colonel Kinney is now stopping at Capt. Moneys
but most of his followers have taken up their abode
in the house formerly occupied by the American
Consul-one of the few buildings spared BY the de
,tructive lucifer matches of Captain Hollins Il
fronts the waters of the bay. which are within
few feet of it. and for the half mile between Capt
MONEYS and it, indeed all over the town. one
walks by the brick and stone ruins, the foundation
| of former houses The grass, now partially grown
| conceals them, but enough remains to recall tn,
| memory of the shameful Transaction which cause,
| this scene of desolaton
Thus far the expeditionists have conducted
| themselves to gain the good will and respect o
all classes In the community, having shown a dispo
siton not to swasger talk large of fllibusterin
or eonquering the government, but to enter into
spectacle employment, and, ss they belong to quit
variety of v0cations each one has without difficul
ty found his place. For the last day or two, how
ever, they have been very busy stripping wreeks
vessel, which has been purchased by Mr., Alexande
| Wooa in this ulsee Yhia vassAl tine brig Hamlatl