Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-11-17
TIE VIRGINIUS AFFAIR.

The following is a view Of the Fireinins
affair by a sympathizer with the expedition.
The prominent Cub.ns are satisfied that the
Government will, after q full investigation of
the circumstances, make the responsible par
ties answerable for the outrage. They, how
ever, do rot believe that the Republican Gov
eminent of Spain was q party TO it, or an y
way accountable for the acts committed in
| Santiago de Cuba, for the island is now in
! possession of, and is domineercd over BY the
| Spanish Volunteers, who as a class are open
royali.ts, who would like 10 do anything to
overthrow men like CASTELAR, and the Repub-
licnn leaders. There was one important point
which had been overlooked generally, and es-
pecially by the United States Government.
Secretary Fish is reported to have said that
hs regarded It as at least possible that the
the Virsnius was captured in British waters,
in which case he would have to look to Eng
land 10 hold Spain responsible for the viola.
ton Of her jurisdiction. Now it appears that
there were nine British subjects at least, max
ing part Of the crew Of the Virginius, who
have been executed, and therefore, as the
Government has always held that our flag
covered our ships, and always for the time
being made 1t territory Of the United States,
40 vas seen in the case of the Armistad par
ticularly, therefore England will unques.on-
ably require Of the United States action. and
commensurate action, for the butchery Of
these nine men, as must be apparent from the
doctrine laid down by Lord Granville recent
IL in the case Of the Deerhound, and as laid
down by the whole English press. The ques-
ton Of nationality of this vessel is hardly An
open one, as ever since she has been afoat
engaged in smuggling arms and ammunition
into Cuba she has been recognized in numer-
Gus exterior ports as q bona f1do American
vessel She has been recognized by two sue
cessive American Consuls at Aspinwall, and
by the American Minister at Bogota, and late
" by the strict English authorities Of Jama-
ca, as we'll as by several British Consuls.
For that matter, her contributions and sup
plies to insurgents in the aggregate have been
immaterial, or, all told, not 90 much as that
made by the Deerhound in a single trip to
Spain. Even in the last venture the men
taken aboard the Virginius were Cubans from
different portions Of the island, going to Cuba
not to act together as military detachment.
1t was too small party to constitute mill
tary expedition. Only four persons with Gen.
Ryan were not of Cuban birth. Thus far not
over one hundred foreigners have taken part
in it, and now there are not over half dozen
in the Cuban service. 1t is strictly strug-
gle of the Cubans for independence Of Span.
Further, the Virginius has been twice escort.
ed out Of Aspnwall by American naval yes
sells when threatened with seizure by the
Spanish ships Of war, and these acts were ap-
proved by the proper departments at Wash
ington, and it is to be presumed that the de-
partments in Washington must have made
thorough investigation as to the neutrality of
the vessel, or right to have the papers under
which she has been sailing and clearing in so
many ports as an American vessel. 1t is not
to be supposed that the Secretary of State
would let so delicate matter go on uninves-
tigated. Moreover, Mr.. Fish himself notified
the Spanish Government, after it had seized
the Mary Lowell, that, if they touched an
American vessel again on the high seas, it
would be regarded by the United States Gov.
ernment as an acknowledgment by Spain
that there was a war in Cuba, which entitled
the Cubsns to belligerent rights, and therefore
notified the Spanish Government in explicit
terms that the American ships on the high
seas must not be searched, much less seized,
for having contraband of war on board.