Newspaper Page Text
i
THE LITTLE -BELT.
State nr New-
v-Yonit, >
y«hk, $
ss.
day, Is published a solemn deposition, taken be
fore tbc recorder of our city, by one John At
kins,-sating that he was an impressed Ameri
can, with two other Americans, on board the
Liu'e-Belt. when the encounter took place be
tween her and the President : that the Little-
Belt fired first ; that among the number killed
wa3 an American named Robert Howell, who
was impressed from the brig Martin, from Mar-
obedient humble servant, Jona. Russell.
Hit excellency, iVm. Pinkney.
Joht Aikins, r,{ the City of Ncw-Tork, ma
riner, being duly examined and swotn, befme
P crre C. Van Wy£k, recorder ofthecityof
New-York, safth, that, he was bom in the town j Unique ; that Howell, when dying requested ; Mr. Welis.
l -cf Stillwater, in the county of Saratoga, and Mr. Wheeler, now in this city, to take a ring : The vessel you mention (the Charles) bav-
-sta'e oi f'Tcw-York.'JJ that he was a seaman on from his finger, and a lock of hair which tvas j iftg on board a large quantity of turpentine,
boa’d 'ol tbc Phoebe, on the homeward bound platted and hung round his neck, and give them which is considered heie as naval stores, will
voyage from Boideaux to New York, and was to a cerj^jn person from whom lie had rrcciv- ' probably be condemned for carrying coatra-
rmptessed, with two other seamen, (Samuel ed them, See. See.—that there wete about . band oi war loan enemy, without any refer-
rwelve Americans on board the Little-Belt, ence to the Beilin and Milan decrees,
who objec-ed to going to quarters when the ac-! On Jthe other hand the American vessels
tion commenced, because it would be to fight 1 which have been permitted to land their cut-
against their brothers ; but that capt.Bingham . ward cargoes in the ports of France, aaC to
answered, if they refused, he would try them take in return cargoes to the United States,
T am, sir, viry IruJy rr.d respectfully, yocT I have «he horror loft*forrn yocricrdslup, that.
~ the’gentleman who will be the bearer of my"
dispatches to the United S ates, in the John
Adams, will leave town on Friday evening, and
hat I shall be happy to forward by the same
occasion, any dispatches that your lordship may
wish to send to the United States. I have the
honor to be, fee. J S. Smith.
The mos! noble the Margnxe IVdiet Icy.
Ccfiycf a letter from Mr. Pug tell to Jlfr. Pink
ney, dated
Paris, December 2f, 1811.
Sir—Lbave received your leuets of th* 5th
and 6th of tills month by Mr. Bowdoin and
Fries and Stephen Blanchard) by an officer
-tirotn the Little Belt; that he was on board of
the Little Belt at the time of her engagement
With the-President ; that when the President
•came within hail he distinctly heard the com
mander rJf the Preside!’.’ hail first, “ what ship
is that ?” to wh'-ch he hca-d cap.nin Bingham
reply, “ what ship is that ?” that the comman
der of 'he ft tga-c hailed a second time, and
'asked, “ what ship is ihaL?” to which'captain
Bingham gave no answer, but jumped off Iter
poop, and placed himself by the second after
'■gun, and called to his men to “ uend by'' and
then imraedia'ely gave orders to -fire ; upon
"tfhich’a gun tra, fred from the Li 1 tie Belt, and
immediately a ter another gun was fired from
tlic Little Bcl r ; after which, in a few seconds,
a gun was fired from the. President. The en
gagement then became general ; afterwards,
when the President finally ceased firing, the
men on board the Little-Bait had deserted their
-•quarters.
This deponent further saith, that in the ac
tion bc r wcen the two ships, among the number
who were wounded, was American seaman
named Robert Howell, who had been impres
sed from the brig Martin, from Martinique;
that he was wounded by a cannon shot which
struck him in the gioin, and cut off his rhigh
close to his body, in such a manner that his
bowels ran out ; M lie appeared to suffer
great pain for several hours, until he died,
about ”3 o’clock in the morning ; that this de
ponent saw H iwell while he was dying, and
heard the second lieirenant of tho Little-Belt
ask him “ how he d d ?” to which Howell ic-
piied, “ see iuhat ycu have Brought me to, to
Jorce mr !o fight against my hr o’her a ; my orjn
ccu’i’. rumen have taken my li;c fhrough your
means"—lliar tire officer replied, “ he could
not help it, he must obey orders.’* 'That H >rv-
cll, just before he died, reques ed this deponent
to call his comrade IIu-shell Wheeler, (an
American, who h.rd also been impressed at
the same time from the brig ?riurtir, ;) that
Wheeler came, anti hen Howell held out his
hand to him, and requested him to take ring
from his fi.iger ; and also, a lock ol hair which
was platted end which he wore round his neck,
ard to give them to the person from whom he
received them, for his sake ; that Hoivell was
greatly affected, and shed teats while he was
giving directions to iris comrade ; th it Wheel
er escaped horn the Lhtle-Bcit at K-.lifox, and
is now. as Hits deponent hath been informed, in
New-V-uk, but that this deponent has not seen
hmi ; that this deponent, this morning, saw
Mrs. Stevenson, to whom the ring -and hair,
vras sent, but who lias not yet received them ;
that she t dd this different, that she had given
them to"'Howell ; 'hut her husband and herself
arc now in mourning for him. The body ol
'.Howell was scwcil up in a hammock the ncx r
day after the engagement, and thrown into the
sea.
This deponent further saifh. that there were'
about twelve Americans, including himself, on
board the Little-Belt at die time ol the engage
ment, all of whom had been impressed irum
“different ve-sels ; that when they found the
.vessel with whom they were about to engage
was an American vessel, they ail objected to
going to'quarters, saying, “ it is hard for us to
go and fight against our country ; make pr i
soners of-’is, if'you please.’’ To which the cap
tain replied, “you ate nowon-board with us,
• 3i d you must now do duty in his majesty’s ser
vice, for we know not whether you are Ameri
cans or no' otherwise, he swore “ he would
try them by court martial, and gut them to deaths
as mutineers on board his my ext
by a court-ma tial, and put them to instant
death as mutineers, ike fee.
Such is the amount of the deposition ; but it
will be given to-morrow, at full length ; toge
are, as far as I can learn, but 'wo in number,
am!, in fact, arrived before the first of Novem
ber, and to them the decrees were not appli-
- ’ cable. The other vessels wliic." have taken
ther with a more particular and formal answer i sway cargoes arrived here in ballast, and were
than we ban procure to-day- For t he present,
lc it suffice to inform the public, that the fol
lowing facts have come to our knowledge, in a
manner dial enab'es us to say they may be re
ceiver! widi implicit confidence.
John Aikins, die deponent, is not an Ameri
can, but a Canadian, and *vas born in Canada.
He was never on board the Little-Belt, nor ei-
recommended by special circumstances to the
consideration of this government.
Nothing car. therefore he inferred either for
or against the revocation of the French edicts
from the facts referred to in your letter of the
•Sih inst.
Since I last wrote, however, I have learnt
the seizure and capture of two or three An*
thsr of the two inen, (Bianchatd and Fries) ' rican vessels, but the course which this govetn-
whom he says were pressed at the same timd j ment will pursue, in relation to them, being
that he was, until taken from the ship Traveller, 1 maiked out by the letters of the minister of
b. longing to this port, a vessel which was cap- | justice to the president of the council of prizes,
lured by the Little-Belt Jong after the engage- j and from the minister of finance 'o the dit ce
ment with the President, on her way from Hal- i or-ger.eral of the customs, which you will find
ilax, to England ; on board of which, at that i in the Moaiteurs which I herewith send to you,
time, Atkins, Blanchard and Fries, were sailors ! it is unnecessary to enter into a particular de
before the mast. Such are the facts we are j tail of the cticumsiatices which attended these-
-enabled to give to-day; but which, with some cases.
others, will be communicated to-morrow in
another and more solemn form.
Wc trust that the measures aken to discover
this Atkins, may prove successful, inordet that
I am willing to believe that what this gov
ernment has done, al,hough it may not be or
tircly satisfactory to the United States, will a
least be sufficient to procure from the British
a disclosure may be obtained of the names of! government a repeal of the orders in council
’and the restoration of all American property
taken under them since (be 1st of Novembei
It is possible tiiat tho French ciuizcrs may
hereafter continue their depredations—but abu
ses of ibis kind are very distinct from the ope
ration of the Berlin and Milan decrees, and
cannot, by the most extravagant coustruciton
of the law of restoration, afford a pretext for the
con inuance of the Biitish otders. I am, sir,
8cc. kc. Jona. Russell.
That
and two
guns,
Tier* the
those who have been guilty of inducing a kick
ed and ignorant wretch to commit so gtoss a
perjury, from motives, on their part, net dif
ficult at this time to divine.—New-York Even
ing Poet, November 15.
John Aikins'n deposition.—Expecting some
thing additional from the evening papet san this
subicct, we must desire the public at ieast to
suspend their opinion on the principsl facts
contained in that instrument. Whctler tilts
or that John Atkins was or was not on board
the Little-Belt, in or after the engagement, we
arc not convinced—there is a mistake some
where. Bn’ of the fact of the killing ofllow-
e'l, tec. wc have no doubt.; and to stop rt once
the mouths of cavillers, we are authorized to
make a bet of 1000 dollars on that single point,
that i's tttiih cannot be invalidated. And fur
ther rematks will be made hereafter ; ns it is
in our power now to confirm the itja-cria! part
of Atkins’ siaten-en', and we expect to be able
-hortlv to c.o oborate the whore.—j\ev>-York
Columbian -Ycvemht-r to.
DOCUMENTS
ACCOMPANYING THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CONTINUED.
Letters of A !r. Pinkney to the Srerrla~y of
State, and Mr. Russell to j\lr. Pinkney.
MR. BUSSELL TO MU. PI N’t NET.
Paris, 11 th December.. 1810.
Sin—I have had the pleasute to receive
you- letter of the 22d ult. hy Mr. P *ge, and 1
thank you most sincerely lor the paper which
accompanied it. It ts no where-more neces
sary than at Paris, to hear both sides of a ques
tion in order to give a near guess a; thetiuth.
The way in which the sto; y is told on your
side of the channel will enable me to correct
many errors which it contains as told here.
The obligations you confer on me, in thE way, I
shail endeavor to di-schar»;e in kind.
MR. nUSSSW-L TO MR. TINTCNE.Y.
Pur is, 30 h December, 1810.
Sir—A gentleman called on me last even
ing, liom the duke of CaJorc, to inform me
that the Amctican schooner the Gracc-Ann-
Gvcen, had beetv released. This vessel arriv
ed at Marseilles since the l«t rtf Nov- and was
last from 'Gibraltar, whe-e she had remained
tome time As she catne clearly within the
Beilin and Milan dccices, her release may be
consider ed as conclusive evidence of their re
vocation. I am, sir, with gre it re-pect your
verv humble set-van', Jona. Rcsskuc.-
Ins excellency William Pinkney.
Correspondence of John Spear Smith, r-r* our
present charge des <njfa-rs in Grcm-Britain.
F. rtract of a letter from John S. Smith, esq. to
the Secretary of State, dated London, 25lh
May 1811.
“ I hud yesterday for the first time an inter
view with lord Wellesley. I presented lo him
tb.c letters of introduction that Mr. P.inkney
had given me, and he received me in the most
polite manner,”
Mr. Smith, charge des affairs n' London, to the
P tarry nix Wellesley, dated Play 27, 1811.
My Lotto— 1 'r ive the honor to inform your
lordship (from official inform, tion, this d-..re
ceived by rne from Paris) bat ail blie Ameri
can vessels which have voluntarily arrived in
France, since t lie frit of November, have been,
admitted. This (:f any addi'tonal evidence n.
the repeal of the Be; l ; n and Milan decrees
Belt.”
engagement, this deponent j
other Amcicaus were flogged at the j
two dozen each, for speaking in favor of
Milan d<
I wrote you a few days since byylrc way of • were wanting) will sufficiently establish thr
of the vessels
their country. That the conversation fur which j
•they were so punished, was with a lieutenant.
That nut only he Americans who were on
board, but many olhers of the crew, wished the
Little-Belt had been brought into Neiv-Yotk,
saying, “ that if* she had. liters were not ma
ny u ho would ever go back in her.”
That the boatswain on board the Liuie-Be.lt
h an American, and that this deponent has seen
Lis protection ; ard that be expressed his wish
•that she had been brought into New-Yotk.
And further this deponent saith not. j
lrs -
John Fl Aikins, J
mark. i
T.C.V.ts Wtcs. !
Recorder of the City of AVr.'- York. j
^The above named 3 ihn Aikir-s further st3t- I
cti, hat he had been discharged from the Lit
tle-Belt after-her arrival in 'England, upon an
epplica'.ion made by general Lyman, the Ame
rican censui in London, in his fcehaif; and on
due proof of the said Atkins heing ^ native born
American-citizen, and fired in the service of
American vessels. He also stated, ‘.bat upon
the Liule-BelPs return from Halifax to Eng
land, there appeared to fie two patties in the
■ship; one main’aining that the first fi r e came
from thcPre-tdent; and the-other,ircm the Little
gelt-, that upon their a>r-t»al, application was
made to j1;e rimeis and men for proof of the
Tact that iheP'e>irient gave the first fire ; 3rd
that only two cRivets, and about seven or eight
of the men offered to make oa h of it—3ll the
rest unequivocally refusing. The insertion c-f,
which facts was accidently omitted in the body |
eft this deposi'Kin. P. C- V an \\
TO THE PUBLIC.
In the Cclurr-fitnn of las' ever irg, and in the
Dieppe, and gave you the best statement of
affairs here that the truth Would warrant, in
hopes tii it you might derive some advantage
from it. I assure you I have felt disappoint
ed and grieved at the conduct ofthe British
-ministry. If they distrusted the sincerity of
their enemies with regard to the revocation
rf the decrees here, si tii it would have been
good policy tc have appeared to believe' them
nnd to have aced ac.cot dingly. By pm suing
a diffluent course they have missed a golden
opportunity of honorably repealing their of
fending orders, and in so doing to 'have proved
at cnee their own sincerity and conciliated the
good opinion of the United S'ates. If the fri
gate Essex, -which arrived on the 4’h insr. at
L’Oricnt,in *28 days from Norfolk, has brought
'the ptesident’s proclamation in pursuance of
the law of the ?- st of May, the British minis
try will be placed it> an eukwaVd situation.
They will have to persevere in their orders at
the expcnce of their veraoity and at the hazard
of war with the United Slates, or to withdraw
them under vety equivocal circumstances,
which will give to their conduct the appear
ance of being rather the result of necessi-y than
the dictate cf p-inciple. That the frigate has
brought this proclamation there is gone! cause
to suppose, from the time when she left the
United States, being a few days subsequent to
the period when the Beilin and Milan decrees
were to cease toopcta'.e. It she has brought
this proclamation, it will, without doubt, render
absolute tbc revocation of Micse decrees, what
ever uncertainty might have before attended
it. There ate probably then but a few djys
left in which the repeal of the British orders
can appear to be the spontaneous act of the
nrnis'rv. and I sincerely hope that by proper
ly- improving this short petird, they may do
with a good grace wliat cannot be done after
wards in a way either to save their pride or
deserve our friendship..
Agreeably to your request, I shall change
ht file ot the Journal de L’Emptre, which I
Motning Fost beU Meicamile Adier.iser cf to* intended for you, for that of the Monucur.
fact of their revocation, as rn'i-t
now admitted, would otherwise have been sub
ject to their operation.
I have the honor to he, with the greatest
respect, ycur loiddiip’s must obedient arid hum
ble servant, J. t >. Smith.
The most noble the marquis Wellesley, &c.
E retract of a letter from Mr, John S. Smith to
the Secretary of Slr.’r. dated
“ London, 8tli June, IS 1 '..
“ Enclosed is the copy of a letter which I
addres-'ed ro lord Wellesley on the 5th his.ant.
Iliad delayed making this c-immunicaMon, in
the hope that I should doit at the in’e-vtcv
which lie had promised me, and which I again
requested on the 3d ins'. I d-d not cors'der it
necessary >0 enter at length into a subject
which has been so often and so ably discussed,
and on which nothing has been left to add. I
shall, however, enter imo any explanations that
may be necessary when I again see his lord-
skip.”
MR, JOHN SFEATt SMITH TO LORD WELLESLEY .
* 18, Bentir.ck-street, 5th June 1311.
Mt Lord—I have the honor to communi
cate to your lordship the copy of an act passed
durirg the last session of congress, which,
though it renews certain parts of the non-in
tercourse law against this country yet it care
fully gives to the president the authority to re
peal it “ when Great-Critain shall so revoke or
modify her edicts as that they shall cease to
violate the neutral commerce of the United
S»ates.” In this, as well as in the o-her pro
visions of the ret, his majesty’s governmen'
cannot fail to observe the invariable disposition
of the United Stares, to preserve harmony with
Great-Britain, and to re-establish that happy
inter course between the two nation*, which i
is so much the interest of both to cultivate ; 3nc
the president confidentially exper.-s that h : »
majes'y will not hesitate to abandon a sysc’.p.
always urged to be merely retaliatory, new chi.
Mr. Smith, charge d'affaires at London, to tk€
Secretary of State of the United Stateg. .
London,6hJune, 1811.
SfR—I have (lie honor to cut lose a report
of the trial ofthe Fox and others.
The John Adams will leave Cowes this
week. Tbc messenger goes down to-mor
row evening. I have the honoe, fee fen.
J. S. Smith.
The hon. the Secretary of State, tfc. ls"c. tfc.
(The abovementioned report has been here
tofore published.}
Extract of'a letter from Mr. J. S. Smith, ta
the Secretary of State, dated
London, 16th June, 1811.
“ On the ©th inst. the day after Mr. Hamil
ton left town with my dispatches, I received
the enclosed note from lord Wellesley, ap
pointing Tuesday, the 1 lth, Jo see me at his.
house. I immediately wrote to capt. Dent, to
detain the friga c until he heaid from me
again ; but be had gone to sea before any Jet-
•fct reached Cowes, and I am now compelled
to send this by ano 1 her opportunity. '*Y ; .
I waited on lord Wellesley according to fits
•i|>pointment. He commenced the conyersa*
iion by observing, that whenever there was any
thing of importance to be communicatedgiC
was better to clo it in writing, as, when merely
vcbal, it was liable to be misunderstood; lhaC
he did oot mean any thing personal to me j
hat tire same rule was observed with the other
foicign agents here, and was customary. I
-cplicd, that I was ready to pursue this sys-
eit. ; that in the note which I had written him,
enclosing he non-importation act, I had not
gone m u a lengthy discussion, as that whatev*
a I might say would be only a recapitulation
of what had so olicn been written. I however
pr oceeded lo-explain the new act, and to re
mark to him the particularly amicable nature
of the second section of it; that Z conceived
this to be a most favorable opportunity for
Great-Britain to abandon her system of re
strictions, and particularly at this moment,
when I had communicated practical instances
of the repeal of the obnnxioys measures of
France. He said that he did not think they
would do any thing before they heard from Mr.
Foster, who had full instructions upon this anti
the other points in dispute.
I turned the conversation to the subject of
your letter of the 22d of January, and asked
-him tf Mr. Pinkney had given nny explanation
about 'he taking possession of West-Florida.
He replied, that the first he had heard of it was
through Mr. Morrier, though lie had reason to
expect something from Mr. Pinkney; that-Mr.
Foster hmvcvei was instructed on'his point.
I asked ii East-Florida was included in thoso
instructions? He »cplicd that it -was. 1 then
communicated to him the substance of your
letter, and expla ned with frankness the inten
tions ofthe U. State-,. He-expressed his wish
iha: this, ps well as the’other subjects, should
lay over until they heard from America.
I shewed him the letter of the president ft*
bis majesty, containing Mr. Pinkney’s permis
sion to return. IJe said that it would be pro
per that I should write him a note, enclosing
this letter, and requesting him to present it. to
the prince tegent.
The vessels detained here under the orders
in council have not yet been finally condemned,
arid I represemed to lord Wellesley how im-
por'-ant it was that '.hey’should lie released, or
that thev should be s’ ill suspended lie said
tha' he dc^red n also, but that private, rights
being concerned, it was difficult for govern
ment 10 in ci fere for tl.eir longer sm.penricn.
I am induced to believe that they will wait un
til they hear fiom Mr. Foster.
( To be continuedA
Coin party,.
and intend
Mr. Perez and
h ive returned from Augusta, .'incl intend <»j*en
i 1 their Performances on 1 UESI)AY. EVEN
ING, at the Exchange ; of which particulars
will be given in the bills ofthe day.
nov 3u c -144
fly* An Inferior Court, of the coun
ty of Chatham, sitting for oidinaiy puiposes,
will be field at the court-house in the city of
[ Savannah, on Monday next, 0d December, at
10 o’clock. Applicants for administration will
return Schedules of property. "
Edmund Roberts, elk.
nov 28—a— 143
(Any Captain bound to the
West-Indies ; and disposed to touch at Barba-
uoes. may hear of an advantageous freight, by
applying to the Prir
nov 23—*?—141
Vocal and Instrumental Music,
The subscriber respectfully informs the citi
zens of Savannah, that he proposes, in a fe*r
clays, to open a School or Schools, to teach Vo
cal Music scientific.-.py. jf he should meet
v.-irh sufficient encouragement, he will also
teach instrumental music hy lessons in private
families. For character and abilities, he has
the pleasure of referring th« se who wish to
improve in this verv useful art, to the Rev. Dr.
K'oilock, capt. Tailor, capt. Marshall, doctor
Harral and Messrs. Srcbbitis and M’NeU. A
subscription paper will he har-ied by scnv.t
friend, tor the purpose of ascertaining whether
a number of scholars, sufficient to make it aa
object, can be procured-
E. Cummings.
N. B. Those persons who have subscribed
•o the above imtimuon, are requested to attend
at Mr. Daniel F. M’Neji’s schooi-rocm. on t-a-
urday afterncon. at three o'clrck. to i»e taught
be first principles of Music ; and also on the
ame. and Monday evenings, by candle-light* to
Trice of tuition, five dollars
;e practical part.
r er quart
r.ov 2S-,
.142