The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-07-26
The Londen Press npsn Gen. Harvey and
Capt Pickett.

Capt. Pickett.
We renublished, a few weeks since, one OF
those oharac terisiie pieces of blusier in which
the London Times il wont TO indulge whenever
it has occasion 10 speak of any question to
which the United States and Great Britain are
parties, and we deprecated, at the time, the
bad spirit in which IL was conceived, and the
folly of addressing 1t TO this people, always
too ready 10 rush into war with Lugi"h''
and therefore not apt 10 be deferred by II from
any course which they had determined 70
adopt. Since that time, Lord JOHN h'ssnh.
has announced in Parliament Tue iee"'' Va
General HARVEY But the ANNOUNCEMENT
does rot seem 10 have moiii'lea 'he "faeh VI
the London newspapers, or, al ieas', OF por.
t,on q. them. In the slightest degree. The
N.,c,. ia particular, attacks General HARVEY
with the most savage ferocity, and lays every
species of crime to his charge. With that Of
ficer we have nothing to do, and we presume
he is fully able to protect his own character.
We therefore pass over this article of the NerS
without further remark, and come TO onein the
Sma, which duplicates in the last acts OF Gen.
HARVEY, gentleman who is native OF this
city, who still claims this city as his place OF
residence when he is not with the army. who
has living here many relatives of high respect
ability, naturally anxious to hear all ihey can
about him, and who has never given those re-
latives any cause TO entertain towards him any
other feeling than pride. The Sun, after long
diatribe against Gen. HARVEY, quite equal In
rnalignity to the attack of the Netcs, though
couched in language rather better suited TO
the usages of decent society, tells its readers
that Gen. HARVEY has been recalled, his or
ders for exclusive jurisdiction Withdrawn, ana
matters left as they were, when Gen. SCOTT
nlaced Capt. HUNT on the island, and before
that moderate and conciiiatory officer was re-
moved to make way for Captain PICKETT,
man OF altogether a different character" The
Tunes, in the al tic!e alluded to as republished
by us short time ago, designated Captain
PICKETT as ian instrument" of Gen. HAIR
NEY.
Now, we have 40 hetitation in believing that
Capt HUNT is everything that he is here rep
resented to be indeed, the traits of character
described rs peculiar TO him, are common to
the whole body of American officers. Whenever
any individual is discovered TO be destitute
Of them, it may be concluded AT once, that he is
an exception 10 the general rule. But why it
was necessary to contrast him with Captain
PICKETT. we are at a loss 10 understand. As
far as we are acquainted with the subject,
Cant PICKETT manifested no want of q con-
ciliatory spirit. He was placed upon the
island with sixty men, and was ordered to re-
sist the landing of British force, with view
10 take possessiou, and of course appropriate
it. He strictly obeyed his orders. lie repre-
scented TO the commanding officer of a British
expedition sent for the purpose indicat ted, that
he had been directed to prevent landing, and
that he should be compelled to oppose 1t, by
force if necessary. In this matter he strictly
obeyed his orders, which he had no right to
Question and acq uitted himself-let us add
like q gallant and determined soldier, who well
knew his duty, and stopped not to weigh con-
sequences when called upon to execute it,
What less could be expected-what less could
be desired--of an officer in any service IAN
instrument Why, is not every officer, in
every service in the world, from field Mar
shall down TO n corporal, "an instrument"
in this of the word : Was not the
Duke of Wellington himself bound TO
obey the orders of the War Secretary
Is not Sir COLIN CAMPBELL, at this day, COM
PEELED to obey the orders of the commander
in-chief at home 7 And how is Capt. PICKETT
any more an instrument than WELLINGTON
was or than Sir COLIN is : When left, in a
great degree at his own discretion, we do not
learn that Capt. PICKETT did anything to dis
turb the peace, or irritate the sensibilities OF
the English authorities. The only act that
can. under any pretext, be found fault with, is
that of statonlng American troops the
island. We know not enough of the question
10 decide whether even that act was right or
wrong. II is enough, however, that Captain
PICKETT had nothing to do with it, That is
Gen. HARNEY's affair altogether When Capt.
PICKETT was removed, and another officer
substituted by Gen. SCOTT, we did not learn
that the removal proceeded from any disap-
probation of his conduct, or that it was meant
as a censure by implication. 1t was one of
those acts that occur every day in the army,
simple exchange of posts between corps by
order of the commanding General. The Ex-
ecutive, we believe, approved Of Capt. P.'s
conduct. 1t is difficult, then, TO understand
why his simple removal back, to post which
he had formerly occupied, should have so ex-
cited the wrath of the London Press, or why
he should be considered more obnoxious than
any other officer of the same grade, 10 the
British authorities.