Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-08-27

war, entered the port or BllDOa, III Opalh
The captains of two of his prizes and part
of their crews were on board. These officers
| Immediately protested against their capture.
and had Capt. Lee arrested on charge OF
! piracy. The local authorities sent the docu-
ments of the case TO Madrid, together with
the commission granted by this new and I'M
known power Here was critical Juncture
in our affairs. On the decision OF the
| Spanish Ministry depended not alone the iaie
| of Capt Lee, but whether some OF the most
| important ports in Europe should be opened
or closed to our cruisers and privateers. The
English Minister in Spain brought all bis H.
| fluence to bear against us. At'this moment
| the Declaration of the Alb of July reached
Madrid. The complaint against Capt. Lee
was dis missed, supplies for his ship and AID
in repairing it re furnished, and pubic
declaration made that in Spanish ports the
| new flag of America was as free and as
welcome as was the old and naughty flag OF
England
This act of friendship was but the begin
ming. 1t was soon followed by present OF
/ one million francs in hard cash to the COM
mercial agent of Congress; then military
/ stores were sent to us from Bilboa; then the
| hint was given that three thousand barrels OF
| powder stored at New Orleans were at our
/ service; the port of Havana was opened TO Us
on the same terms as TO France, and the
further hint given that if an American ship
| should look in there occasionally 1t would
| find the door of certain magazine open,
and something in it useful to the Colonies
This was not the end of Spanish faVors.
| Blankets for ten regiments were sent as a
present TO Congress, through John LaDedon,
of Portsmouth; ship loads OF military stores
| were dispatched, and on John Jay appearing
at Madrid as Minister Of the new States, with
out any provision being made by Congress
| for money to pay even his house rent. another
gift of $3.50, 900 in hard cash was made to him
| for US.
More yet. Though the declaration in re-
| gard to Capt. Lee was the earliest act OF re-
cognition by any Power except France,
| Spain abstained fIom making a treaty with
| our Minister, for the very excellent reason
that to do so would have been tantamount to a
| declaration of war against England, Tor
which she was not prepared. But that emil
nent man who then held the reins OF power
| in Spain, Florida Blanca, was not idle. lie
| Immediately commenced building new SHIPS
| and arming those already built; the annual
| expense OF the navy, usually about one hun
dred million reals, or five million dollars,
were suddenly raised to twenty million dol
lars: and in the spring of 70 thirty-six ships
| Of the-line, mounting more guns than any
| feet she ever had, being ready for sea, she
declared war against England. This i'm
| mense feet, of which seven were three-deck-
ers, mounting 100 to l20 guns, (our solitary
| tnree-decker, the Pennsylvania. has never
yet got to sea- this immense fleet Joined the
| French fleet, sailed to attack the common
enemy, and during that and the succeeding
| year intercepted the troops and supplies
which had been sent to aid IN our conquest.
Florida Blanca did not stop here, but,
| while engaged in his naval preparations,
made treaty with the Emperor Of Morocco
which closed his ports 10 the English. opened
relations with Hyder Ali in India, and To-
| mented the war which that powerful prince
maintained against England. benjamin Rush,
writing shortly after To General Gates, says:
| Heaven prosper our allies! Hyder ALI l.
| the standing toast at my table" Florida
Blanca did not rest content with this, but
! used all the wiles Of diplomacy and all the
| force of Spain to make difficulties for Eng
| land i'll every part OF the globe. When we
| are disposed to stretch the hand of covetous-
ness toward any possession OF now Weakened
| Spain, let us remember the helping hand she
| gave to us in our hour of suffering and OF
| peril.
But the labors of Spain did not stop here
England. driven to desperation, used ali her
arts to draw the Northern Powers into her
alliance aud with Russia succeeded so well
that fifteen ships-oi-the-line were fitted out at
CrOnstadt. and the intimation gwen by the
Empress Catharine to Sir James Harris, al
would soon be ready to aid England in her
contest. British Ministers announced the
joyful fact, and one of their journals even
declared the Russian feet to be already at
Plymouth.
In one week all this was changed, and
there suddenly appeared In the spring OF
1880 the important decla alton OF Russia that
led to the armed neutrality, which has been
called by writers on international law e" the
r.. 9 Of aS U
Empress declared that her feet was fitted out,
not TO aid England, but to maintain the
principles that free ships make free goods,
that the neutral flag covers enemies proper
ty and that no blockade which was not
maintained by an effective force, no blockade
made merely by the London GdzCtte, would be
recognised as valid.
John Adams, then Minister at the Hague,
saw at once the whole force of this step, and,
in a despatch to Congress, said "A declara-
ton of war against England ON the part OF
Russia could not have been more decisive"
And again: THE pretended pre-eminence of
the British flag is now destroyed "" Russia
now will never take part with England, and
all the maritime Powers must either remain
neutral or join against her,"
In the House of Lords a wall of despair
was sent up. 'I shudder," said Lord Shell
burne, 'when think OF this Russian mani
ifesto by it the independence of America
was consummated.D And Lord Camden de-
clared that 1.-The Qceen of the seas was depos-
ed and her sceptre fallen"
Desperate efforts were made by the British
Ministers To meet the emergency. Appeals
were addressed to Denmark and Sweden, but
without effect and during this year, 1880.
Sweden, Denmark aud Holland joined in the
league with Russia, which was in its effect
league OF hostility to England. Holland also
soon joined in the war; So that on one side
stood England. solitary ard alone; on the
other, using all their forces against her, the
United States, France, Spain, Hyder Ali. and
Holland while all the Northern Powers were
armed, nominally neutral, but really hostile
TO her autocratic pretensions.
One of our wisest statesmen, John Adams,
exclaimed IA few years later, 'we owe the
blessing OF peace not to the causes assigned,
but To the armed neutrality" And who was
the author of the armed neutrality! Who
conceived that act, and who by his ingenuity
aud interchangeable perseverance,, led Russlt,
aud with her the Northern Powers, TO adopt
it? Florida Blanca, the Minister of Spain
and to him and his country / here render the
honor, with all the more pleasure, that this
has not usually been done and the documents
which establish their claim TO IL are in my
possession.
For such aid as armed neutrality gave us,
we again have To thank Spain.
With all this inquality the war still went
on. Constant efforts were made by England
to induce the Colonies to return TO their allie
glance, and to their shame be 1t said. men
were found ready to listen To the propositions,
men who, seduced by the hope OF rewards,
aud by the promise OF offices Tor themselves
aud sons consented to sneer at aud deny the
principles OF the Declaration. 1t was after
the intercourse with such men. that the intel
hgent Minister of one OF our Allies wrote
home to his Government that there was more
real enthusiasm for American liberty in the
smallest cafe in Paris than in large portion
vi the society which he met.
Again and again were terms offered by
A 4 t.,tf