The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-02-17
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY~@ 1881

.Nls|ESOTA. .Nls| THURSDAY, FEE
Il THE BRIG ARMSTRONG.
Icvnsrcss Asked to Pay for her Destruction.
Vhfch Occurred In tho War Of 1924 Brief
1listory Of the Affair.
The present Congress has before it
matter that has for the past sixty
fHears been the subject of more deplo.
fmatic litigation than any other in
(which this country has been CALI ] on
20 take part, and has been con. :.dered
lby nearly all the governments of
EEurope. Its history recalls one of
lthe most brilliant naval engagements,
Iln which American seamen tlisplayel
Is:llmost unparalleled prowess :.gaii ::
overwhelming numbers. The M::g
ficneral Armstrong was an American
1prlvateer, commanded by Capt. Sam
IC. Reid. She was i small vessel, car.
|fylng put seven guns and ninty men,
and was actively employed in the war
OF l6l2-'l4 between the United States
and Great Britain. Tho brig put
INTO the harbor of Fayal, belonging to
the neutral Power of Portugal, Sept.
rs, 1916, i'll search of fresh water. "A
British squadron came to anchor in
THAT harb0r. This squadron consisted
of the slip-of.the- line Plantagenet, of
seventy-four guns; the frigate Of
Rota, of forty.four guns, and the brig
CarnatiOn, OF eighteen guns.--a total
force of 236 guns and 1000 men, COM
manded by Admiral Lloyd, who decid.
cd to capture the Armstrong. The
first attack was made by four armed
boats, carrying in I'LL lGO men. Reid
warned them to keep away, but they
pushed on. and had begun to board
the privateer before any resistance
was made. Then Reid opened fire,
| and killed and wounded many of the
attacking party. This bloody and
| unfortunate contest lasted about fUrty
minutes.
After this remarkable encounter,
the British did not again modest the
privatecr until morning. Then the
Carnation hauled in alongside, and
opened heavy fire with all her guns.
But the American seemed invincible.
In Il short time the Carnation was 50
badly cut up that She was obliged to
haul off for repairs. Thinking it use
less to contend longer against 50 supe-
riOr Il force, Reid scuttled the Arm.
strong and went ashore with his men.
The British then burned the privateeI.
The most remarkable feature of the
battle was the almost miraculous
escape of the crew of the Armstrong.
The number of British killed exceeded
one hundred and twenty. and ninety
wounded. The enemy, to the surprise
of mankind, lost but two killed and
seven wounded. When the Portuguese
Governor Of Fayal informed his home
Government of this gross breach of
neutrality, the Prince Regent of Por-
tugal instructed his Minister in Lon.
don to demand from the English Gov.
ernment all apology and indcmnific;,-
ton for the destruction Of the Arm
strong and the losses OF the people of
Fayal. LII correspondence with the
American Minister to Portugal, the
Portuguese Minister Of Foreign Af-
fairs, i'll behalf of his Government
said that this demand mad been made,
and plainly admitted the liability Of
Portugal to the United States. In re-
ply to the demand, tue British Gov
crnment apo]ogiZcd to Portugal for
violating the neutrality of her port,
and made good the damage done in
Fayal by the guns of the Carnation.
But Great Britain positively refused
to pay for the destruction of the Dri-
v:,tecr. President Madison, before he
knew that Portugal had admitted her
Liability. instructed Mr.. Monroe. Sec
retary Of state. to demand immediat.
indemnilicatiUn from that Govern
mcnt.
The civil waro of Portugal then -.
ttrruptcd the progress Of the case. a. l
for sixteen years there was no furtl.:,'
diplomatic correspondence on the 81. :.
jtrt. /: WAS not until Jackson's sc:-
Ond term in 1888. that it was heard OF
again. Then our Secretary of State
urged our Charge ut Lisbon to prosecute
the claim. The Charge called for the
correspondence in which the Pur-
tugucsc Government had ut the time
admitted its liability. hut Secretary
Forsyth was profoundly ignorant Of
this correspondence, although it was
"u file in the Department. Without
this essential evidence nothing could
be done, and it is not surprising that
Portugal, in lS43, denied it's liability,
ald even declared that neutrality
had been violated by the Americans.
and not by tho British. But in 1915
the correspondence, Of 1914 was found,
and its discovery caused vigorous
prosecution Of the case. President
Taylor determined to procure settle
ment. Portugal offered to pay sev.
eral other claims. without regard to
their justice OF injustice, if the L nited
states would allow the Armstrong
claim tc be submitted to arbitration.
This offer was peremptorily rejected.
An imperative demand was then made
upon Portugal for indemnitication.
Portugal refused, and our Minister at
Lisbon, James B. Clay, demanded his
passports and left the country OH an
American frigate which had been sent
to the Tagus.
At this critical juncture President
Taylor died, and three days afterward
Mr.. Fillmore's new Cabinet, in viola
tion Of the pledge of the Government
never to consent to such an arrangement,
accepted the proposition of Portugal.
without the knowledge or consent Of
lIlc CldlnliNtS. l he Armstrong clalm
was; referred to Louis Napoleon, then
President Of the French Republic.
| who decided, after he had become
Emperor of France, i'll favor of Por-
tugal, excluding the admission Of Por.
tugal ard Great Britain as to liability.
and all evidence which the claimants
| desired to submit. The hearing was
d one.sidcd one. not even the Ameri-
can Minister appearing in behalf of
his7 government. although Portugal
! was supported by both Minister and
| counsel. The claimants entered a SOL
| cmn protest against the decision. and
appealed to Congress for relief.
The matter was favorahly reported
on by committees of both houses. and
the Court Of Claims, TO which the case