Newspaper Page Text
SOUTHERN
RECORDER.
VOh- II.
MILLEDGEVILLE, TUESDAY, JUYL 17, 1821.
No. 23.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY,
(on tubsdats)
BY S. GRASmJIJ'rD«t R. M. ORME,
AT THREE DOLLARS, IN ADVANCE, OR FOUR
.DOLLARS AT THE EXPIRATION OF THE
TEAR.
,SCT Advertisements conspicuously inserted at
(He customary rate*.
COCHIN CHINA.
We have perused some part of «* A His
tory of a "Voyage to the China Sea,
made in a merchant vessel from this
port, lyr Lieut- John White, of the
IT. S. Navy, (which is about being
published,) and have been permitted
to make some extracts from the manu
script. The following account of the
first interview with the natives of Co
chin, (a country which appeals to be
but little known to .Europeans,) we
think will amuse our readers, as it lias,
in no small degree, ourselves.
[Safem "Jcz.
On this our first interview with the
natives of the country, we were much
surprised to find their manners so diiler-
ent from what we had been led to expect
from the accounts we had read of them,
and could only reconcile the discordance
by a supposition that the inhabitants of
the coast being remote from the exam
ple of the more polished residents of the
cities, must of course be less civilized —
but as we became more acquainted, and
their characters were proportionablv
developed, we were convinced that the
Cochin Chinese were but little removed
from a state of deplorable barbarism.
The military chief was a withered
grey headed old man, possessing, howe
ver, a great deal of vivacity, tinctured
with a leaven of savage childishness,
which, in spite of his affectation of great
state and ceremony, would constantly
break out and afford us intitule amuse
ment ; he hud several attendants, who
were perfectly subservient and prompt
ly obedient to all bis orders ; yet wc
.were surprised to sec that on all other
occasions the greatest familiarity sub
sisted between them. One of the atten
dants carried a huge umbrella, with
which he followed the oldman to all
parts of the ship, where his curiosity or
caprice carried him, and when iuvited
into the cabin, he would not descend
without the umbrella, so tenacious was
he of every circumstance of state and
appearance.
Another attendant was a handsome boy
of about 15 years of age, who carried in
two blue silk bags connected with a
pice of cotton cloth, and thrown over his
shoulders, the arqka nut, beetle leaf,
chunatn & tobacco, of which they chew
immense quantities ; and so universal is
this custom among them, that I never
saw a man of any rank or respectability
without one of these attendants ; they al
so smoke segars made of cut tobacco, rol
led in paper wrappers, like the Portu
guese, from whom probably they adopt
ed this custom ; another carried his fan ;
and our risibility was not a little excited
ou seeing the old fellow strutting about
the deck like a turkey cock, peeping into
the cook's coppers, embracing the sail
ors on the fore-castle, dancing, grinning
and cutting many other monkey capers,
followed by the whole train of fanners,
umbrella bearers, and chunam boys, (for
the attendants of the other chiefs had
joined in the procession) with th« most
grave deportment and solemn visages,
performing their several functions.
The dress ofthe chiefs consisted of a
short coarse cotton shirt, which had
been originally white ; trousers of black
crape, very wide, without waistbands,
and secured round the waist by a sash of
crimson silk; a tunic of black or bine
silk, which, 03 well ns the shirt, had a
very low collar, buttoned close round
the neck, and reaching nearly to the
knees—coarse wooden sandals, a turban
of black crape, surmounted by a hat
jnade of pnlrn leaves, in the form of a
very obtuse cone; a ringfor the insertion
ofthe head underneath and secured un
der the Chin with a string. The style ol
the dress of the attendants was similar to
that of the mandarins, but of much coars
er materials.
In person, the Cochin Chinese are
. perhaps somewhat smaller than their
neighbors, the Malays, and of the same
color, though generally not so well form
ed ; their constant habit of chewing gives
their robuths a most disgusting appear
ance ; ?md, wfiat is very remarkable,
they never wash their faces and hands,
#r bodies, for in all other parts of the
-East, frequent ablutions hove been tho't
so indispensable to health and purity,
that it . is enjoined by their priests us a
religious rite, and mpst scrupulously ad-
he red to both from duty and inclination.
The habit of the higher classes, in per
mitting their nails to grow to an enor
mous length, cannot be supposed to con
duce to eleanlioess or comfort; and it is
remarkable with wfiat uqwearied paius
they cultivate th#m„as a,person bearing
this badgejs supposed not to be obliged
to perform any manual labor, and the
longer the nails, the more respectability
dp they confer on the wearer.
'jjjtjir garment* are seldom taken off
by night or day, after haviog been first
assumod, till rotten by time "and tilth,
when they arc permitted to fall off them
selves. I base dirty habits engender
vast swarms of vermin, and render their
bodies highly offensive to more than one
sense, and the epithet/roTc'i/, which Ims
been applied to the Chinese, is exempli
fied in tiiese people iu the most empha
tic manner.
Alter having visited every part of the
ship, the old mandarin begun to court
my luvor with the most unyielding perti
nacity, hugging me round the neck,
thrusting his dirty' beetle nut into my
mouth Ironi his own, and leaping upon
me like a dog, by which 1 was nearly suf
focated. 1 finally succeeded iu extricat
ing myself from the ardour of his cares
ses, and getting to the windward side of
him, which 1 maintained, notwithstand
ing his reiterated efforts to dislodge me
At first we could not account for this
sudden and violent fit of unsolicited
friendship ; but iu a short time the mys
tery was completely unravelled. Misled
as we had been by the accounts which
we Uad had of (his country, and totally
unacquainted with the real character of
the people, we had taken no precauti
on to keep any articles out of sight
which it would have been improper or
inconvenient for us to part with, and on
this occasion we suffered severely by
our ignorance. One of the inferiorchiefs
intimated a wish to descend to the cabin,
which was granted. No sooner had we
entered it, than, pointing to the looking
glass he gave U9 to understand that he
must have that for the old chief; being
somewhat surprised at the demand, we
smiled, and endeavoring to divert his at
tention, presented him a decanter of
brandy and glass to help himself, which
he did not hesitate to do most abundantly;
and then, giving us to understand that lie
considered the vessels as a present, he
passed them to his attendants, who after
swallowing the liquor, deposited them
under their robes.
The mandarin then renewed his soli
citations, nor was there a single article
in sight that he did not demand, and in a
manner to impress us with an idea that a
refusal w ould give great umbrage to the
chief on deck. The curtains, glass-ware,
wearing apparel, arms, ammunition,
spy glasses, and cabin furniture, were
successively the objects of his cupidity ;
.it had been however determined to be
very limited in our donations, at the same
time keeping in view the importance of
conciliating these people, &. gaining their
good will, on enr first entrance into
tbeir country ; he was therefore presen
ted. with a shirt, a handkerchief, and a
pair of shoes, for himself, with an intima
tion that nothing more would be bestow
ed ; on which he went on deck, in a ve
ry ill mood. We followed him shortly,
and found the aspect of affairs materially
changed : from an excess of gaiety, and
good humour, old ileo (for that we dis
covered was his name) bad become very
sullen, and scarcely d«igned to speak.—
We had discovered their insatiable love
of spirits ; and with a view to conciliate
them, we ordered a large case bottle full
to be brought, which was dispatched with
great avidity ; still the lowering frown
sat on their bvows ; and finding us in
flexible, the chief made signs that we
could not proceed, and ordered his boat
alongside for the purpose of leaving us,
signifying at the same time, that if we
persisted in ascending the river, our
beads would be the forfeit, and intimating
that we must return to sea.
Being now within two or three miles
of the village of Canjeo, and fearing that
a persistance in a refusal of their de
mands would induce them to put their
threats of leaving us into execution, it
was thought expedient to yield in some
measure to their rapacity ; a treaty was
accordingly set on foot, and we were
fain to purchase pence nud good will at
the expense of an elegant pistol to the
old chief, with twenty-live pistol cartrid
ges, twelve flints, one six pound car
tridge of powder, two pair of shoes, t
shirt, six bottles of wine, three of French
cordials, a cut glass tumbler, two wine
glasses and a Dutch cheese : to the o-
ther chiefs we gave each a shirt, a pair of
shoes, a tumbler and wine glass, snd a
small quantity of powder. Nor wore
the attendants neglected in the general
amnesty, and each oflhqm received some
trifling article of clothing as a propitia
tory offering.
Old lleo wa#now in high spirits again,
and in the waiitoniiess of Ins benevolence,
took off his old blue silk robe with which
he very graciously invested me, at the
some time shrugging up his shoulders,
and intimating that he was cold, I took
the hint and sent for some of my jackets,
which I assisted him in putting on, at
whiqh he appeared much gratified.—
A demand was now made for some re
freshments ; and we spread before them
some biscuit, cold beef, bam brandy-fruits
and cheese. Of the biscuit and cheese
they ate voraciously, washing down their
repast with bumpers of raw spirits ; the
other viands they did not seem to relish;
neither did the brandy fruits suit their
palate, till it was hinted to them that they
would produce the same effects ap tfae
rum, on which they swallowed them
with great gout; nor were they disappoin
ted iu the effects which we had promised
them would be produced by their de
bauch, and by the time we had anchored
abreast the village, they were in a state
of great hilarity.
The Edinburgh Review for March con
tains a review of several works publish
ed in France on the subject of Cookery.
Amongst many choice collections of
“ Complete Cooks," “ Closets opened,”
iic. which we hare examined in the
hopes of discovering some choice morsel
for the regale of our readers, we found
the following curious account of “ Tri
umphs and Trophies in Cookery, to be
used at Festival times.” It is prefixed
to the “ Accomplished Cook of Robert
May, 1 a gentleman of great emin
ence in his time, who received his cu
linary education at the Court of France,
as appears by a biographical memoir
which accompanies bis book. Alter giv
ing directions for n preparation ir. paste
of art artificial ship and a castle with bat
tlements, port-cullisses, draw-bridges,
&c. with guiis t .and a train of gunpowder
to communicate with them, “ a paste
Stag is to be made, end placed on the
table between them all, to be gilt and
ornamented with flags, Lc. ; bis body is
to be filled with claret wine, and a broad
arrow stuck in it ; and on each side of
the stage tivo pies are to be served, the
one filled carefully with live frogs, and
the other with live birds ; the whole to
be garnished round with egg shells de
prived of their meat and filled with rose
water. Tlie trains are to be let ofl', and
the ship and castle ure daintily to fire
it each other in mimic battle ; but be
fore this it is to be so ordered that some
of the ladies may pluck the arrow out of
the stug, and then will the claret wine,
follow as blood running out of a wound.
This done to sweeten the stench of the
powder, let the ladies take the egg shells,
lull of sweet waters and throw them at
each other. All danger being seemingly
over by this time, you may suppose they
will desire to see what is in the pies,
when lifting first the lid off one pie, out
slip some frogs ! which makes the ladies
to skip and shriek ! next after the other
pie, whence comes out the birds, who, by
natural instinct flying at the light, will
put out the candles ; so that, what with
the flying birds and skipping frogs, the
one above, the other beneath, will cause
much delight aud pleasure to the whole
company ! at length the candles are light
ed, and a banquet brought in, the music
sounds and every one with much delight
and content, rehearses his actions in the
former passages.”
Such were formerly the delights of the
nobility, before good housekeeping had
entirely left old England! our tastes,
however, are so degenerate, that few,
we four, would now have courage atone
of these triumphs. Those who are suf
focated at the explosion of a few ounces
of powder at the storming of a castle at
Drury Lane, woul.l scarcely escape alive
from the representation of two of these
Trophies of cookery. The smoke of
the gunpowder, the claret like blooJ from
a wound funning nil over the table, the
hopping about the room of a pie fall of
frogs, the national instinct ofthe birds so
amusing by putting out the candles, am!
the eggs and rose water whirling about,
must have been an admirable whet t 1 )
the appetite, particularly to those who
had the fortune to be in the good graces of
some fair lady, and to have lour or five
eggs full of ruse water flying in tbeir fa
ces.
Tin: I ATP DAYS OP HERCULANEUM.
Iu examining some late foreign papers,
we met with the billowing sublime des
cription of the overwhelming of Hercu
laneum and Pompeii, by an eruption of
Vesuvius. It is taken from a review
Baldw in's London Magazine, of a Poem
on the “ last days of Herculaneum,” by
Mr. Athnrstone. Our readers will pro
nounce it one ofthe most beautiful piece
of descriptive eloquence they have ever
seen.
“ A great city—situated amidst all that
nature could create of beauty and pro
fusion ; or art collect ofscience &i mag
nificence—the growth of many ages—
the residedcc ofenlightened multitudes
the scenes of splendor, and festivity, anti
happiness—in one moment withered as
by a spell---its palaces, its streets, its tem
ple, its gardens “ glowing with elerna
6 l ,r *ng.” and its inhabitants in the full
enjoyment of all life’s blessings, oblitera
ted from their very place in creation, not
by war, or famine, or disease, or any of
the ualural causes of destruction to
which earth has been accustomed—but
in a single night, ns if by magic and a-
mid the conflagration, as it were of na
ture itself, presented a subject on which
the wildest imagination might grow weary
without equaling the grand and tcnible
reality.
The eruption of Vesuvius, by which
Herculaneum and Pompeii were over
whelmed has been chiefly described to
us in the letters of Pliny ihe younger to
Tacitus, giving an account of bis uncle’s
fate, t\p:1 the situation q£ the writer apd
his mother. The elder Pliny hud just
turned from the bath, & was retired to his
study, when a small speck or cloud,
which seemed to ascend from Mount
Vesuvius, nttracted his attention. This
cloud gradually increased, and at length
assumpd the shape of a pine tree, the
trunk of earth und vapour, & the leaves,
“ red cinders.” Pliny ordered his gal
ley, and urged by Ids philosophic spirit,
went forward to iuspect the phenome
non.
In a ihort time, however, philosophy
gave way to humanity, and he zealously
aud adventurously employed his galley in
saving the inhabitants ofthe various beau
tiful villas, which studded that enchan
ting coast. Arnougst others he went out
jo the assistance of his friend Pompoti-
ianus, who was theu at Stabisc. The
storm of dire, and the tempest of the
earth, increjieed ; and the wretched in
habitants were obliged by the continual
rocking of their houses to rnsh out into
the fields vvitli pillows tied down by nap
kins upon their heads, as their sole de
fence against the shower ofstones which
fell on them. This, in the course of na
ture, was in the middle ofthe clay ; but
a deeper darkness than that of a w inter
night had closed around the ill-fated in
mates of Herculaneum. This artificial
darkness continued for three days and'
nights, and when, at length, the sun
again appeared over the spot where Her
culaneum stood, his rays fell upon o-
ceans of lava !
There was neither tree, nor shrub,
nor field, nor bouse, nor living creature;
nor visible remnant of what human hands
had reared—there was nothing to be seen
but one black extended surface, still
steaming with mephitic vapour, &i heaved
into calcined waves by the operation of
fire & the undulation ofthe earthquake !
Pliny was found dead upon the sea shore,
stretched upon a cloth which hud been
spread fur him, where it was conjectured
he had perished early, his corpulent
habit rendering hint an easy prey to the
suffocating atmosphere.”
A DISCOVERY.
Dr. Hosack has lately read to the His
torical Society of New-York a “ Biogra
phical Memoir ofthe late Dr. Hugh Wil
liamson,” a native of Pennsylvania.—
This production is rendered peculiarly
interesting by the evidence it contains of
a fact which has never before been pub-
lickly asserted or.known, that Dr. Wil
liamson was the person who obtained for
Dr. Franklin the famous letters written
by Hutchinson and Oliver, the governor
and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts,
to the British government, just before the
breaking out of Live American revolution
ary war. Dr. Williamson had learned
in London, “ that governor Hutchinson’s
letters were deposited in nn oflice differ
ent from that in wrhich they ought regu
larly to have been placed ; aud having
understood that there was little exactness
in the business of that office [it is be
lieved tint it was the oflice of a particu
lar department of the treasury] lie im
mediately repaired to it and addressed
himself to the chief clerk, not finding the
principal within. Assuming Hie demea
nour of official importance, he peremp
torily staled, that lie had come lor the hist
letters that had been received from go
vernor Hutchinson and Mr. Oliver, no
ticing the office in which they ought re
gularly lu have been placed. Without
a question being asked, the letters w ere
delivered. The clerk, doubtless, sup
posed him to be an authorized person
Irom some other public oflice. Dr. Wil
liamson immediately carried them to Dr.
Franklin, and the next day left London
for Holland.—Franklin Gazette.
The following anecdote is one among
many which might bo adduced, were it
necessary, as an evidence ol'the enthu
siastic devotion-to the cause of liberty,
which prevades the minds ofthe softer
sex in every country :
From Hughes' Travels in Greece, Albania,
<S'C.—article, Am Pasha.
In May 1803, the Suliots made a vi
gorous attack upon the Albanian fortress
at Villa, which served us the principal
magazine for Ali Pasha’s army. This
they succeeded in taking, and destroyed
by fire and sword nearly the whole gar
rison. So daring an achievement coulJ
not but inflame their implacable enemy
to the utmost height of fury. He issued
proclamations calling upon every M.i-
hommednn throughout his dominions to
avenge this slaughter upon the hands of
the infidels, and an immense army was
again brought into the field, among this
small hand of mountaineers. Treachery
opened to the invaders the otherwise im
penetrable passes, and the Suliots, worn
down at length by War aud famine, and
strictly blockaded, were reduced to the
necessity of accepting terms of capitula
tion, which Ali never meant to fulfil.—
The treaty was ratified on the 12th of
Dec. 1U03, by which the whole popula
tion was to be allowed to emigrate and
settle wherever they might please.—
Men, women, and children being gather
ed together, they separated into two bo
dies ; one taking the direction ofParga,
the other tlijit oiFrcvesa., Both parlies
were waylayed by the troopi of the per
lidious tyrant: the fromer fought their
way through ; but the latter all eventu
ally perished. A party of about e hun
dred women and children, being cut off
Irom the rest, fled, it is stated, to a steep
precipico near the monastery ofZalongo:
there, the children were first thrown o-
ver the rock by their mothers, and then
the matrons, joining hand in hand, and
raising their minds to the highest pilch
ol enthusiasm by native songs, whirled
round and round in a species of frantic
dance, till they approached the edge of
the cliff, from which they one and all
threw themselves headlong.
from THE Boston daily advertiser.
British campaigns in amkiuca.
Remarks ofthe Author on the loss ofthe Rat
tle of etc-Orleans.
“ From the account which I have given of
this aflair, it will appear, that from its very
commencement it was replete with error,
and gave promise of no better result than ac
tually occurred. 1 do not here allude to the
spot fixed upon for landing, because that
was ns appropriate as could be chosen.—
Neither do I allude to the groundless rumors
brought in by deserters—for to such, all as-
suilunts are liable—but the error lay in the
steps subsequently adopted ; in the unhap
py advance of the first division from a place
ol concealment into the open country, with
nilt lilitilmvrr r.swv. I il a. ..a • s
out pushing forward to the extent required, F , j r 1 * id1,1 fa *° r ®f the Americans. To plant
The fact is, that having reached the main , Jl ' rs a, ! d ft * ,cine * I" °P*I> d«y, and under
land in safety, one out of two plans might a heavy discharge of musketry and artillery,
have been selected by Gen. Keane, which in re< ! Uires much coolness abd determination,
all probability, would have been equally at- which was evinced by the forps to
tended with success. Either he might have wh,cl J Ju jy waa assigned—for being do-
remained in the morass till the whole army * er . * lle,r leader, and ignorant of th*
was assembled, or if this wns deemed dance- P“ ,nt whither they were te proceed, the sol*
rous, lie ought to have advanced upon the “ ,er9 081 1r raDk *' and “danced or re-
citv with (lie first division ulone. ir It be , [ <,ated 89 t . llcir , individual feelings urged
objected that a force of 1000 men w as in- l be®. covering the field with those very ma-
comnetent for nn undertaking so hazardous , m r ‘ i8 wll,t " h the y 0U K bt t0 have carried to
...” iicaus is nova regular
fortification, requiring a large army, £*. a pow
erful battering train for its reduction. Iqob-
uc iraiureu, nn me uenerais were noma
dead or wounded from the field. Much tha
run nattering train for its reduction. Iqob- ,lu ' u me new. inuen me
aining possession of it there would have been 8™ ater P 81-1 * therefore, of the blame attarh-
b difficulty, because I have every reason to ed t0 . ' ailt,re must test where fidelity ol
4*11 oiliuiiu Ass.,...,: a • / is narration has obliged me fa nta#n if
ti
nft difficulty, Decnuse I have every reason va ~ ~ v—,—■■ —-- —-
believe, that theAmeiican troops really were, “"g*®" ° b !! 8ed L me tapte^elt,
at the time of our lauding, some miles above
the city—and surely it would not have been
more hard to repulse an attack within a town
than in the open country. But neither of
these courses were pursued. The advance
was withdrawn from concealment, and in
telligence of t he point threatened communi
cated. to the A luerican general—the conse
quence of vyliich wus a well directed attack
upon our bivouac, and an immediate com
mencement of those works which afterwards
resisted aud repelled ail our efforts.
“ The second error evident in this business
was, the selection of the schooqer instead
of the ship for destruction. Had the latter,
which lay farther op the stream, been des
troyed, il is clear that the former never could
have passed our battery, nor been further
annoyance to us-—whereas the schooner be
ing burnt, the ship was only removed qut of
the reach of danger, and posted where she
could be infinitely more advantageous to her
friends, and detrimental to her enemies.—
This, in itself, was a fatal error, and beyond
all doubt contributed in a great degree to the
repulse on the 29tb of December.
“ Tile third error, and one which conti
nued to exert its influence through the whole
campaign was I lie delay in bringing on a ge
neral action. Why our troops fell back on
the S3th, I confess to mo is a mystery. It
w as not to be supposed that an officer who
had shown so much judgment as the Ameri
can general Jackson displayed in his first en
deavors to check an advance, would lose the
advantages which the nature of bis position
afforded. That he would fortify the neck of
land, indeed, was exactly what must have
been expected ; and therefore, every hour
during which an attack was deferred, contri
buted r,o much to bis strength nod our weak
ness. It is true that we should have suffer
ed, ami probably suffered severely—but un
questionably our chances of suffering were
not diminished by delay. We ought, there
fore, instead of hilling luck, to have pursued
our operations with vigor on that day, lie-
cause, the American lines were not then ten
able, and would have assisted rattier (bun re
tarded our progress.
“ Having once retired, however, and wast
ed three days in idleness, no oilier blame
can be laid upon (be leader of tiro expediti
on. His attempt to silenre the enemy’s
guns was unsuccessful, and may therefore he
deemed unfortunate in its issue, rather than
in its design ; hut his subsequent plan no
words can sufficiently applaud. It Was at
once hold and judicious—and deserved in
himself in every respect like a condemned
criminal on the night previoueto hie execu*
tum. When the troops got under arms, In
stead of bringing his battalion to. the redout*
where he had been Hutructed to find the
ladders, he marched directly pact it, and
led them into a field without a single ladder
or fascine. When the day dawned, he was
sent bhek far these instriitbents; ho heeded
his corps in its retrogade movements, but left
it to return as it could to the front—end
when sought for tojuide the attack, he waa
not to be found. That a regiment thus a*
bused and deserted by its commanding offi
cer, should fall into confusion, cannot occa*
sion any surprise, and therefore the subae*
quent disorderly advance and lusty retreat
of the 44th, were no more than might baVa
been expected.
“ It may here be asked whether, provid*
ed all things had gone right on this side tha
river, provided the 44th bad done its duty,
and the ladders and fascines bad been pro*
periy brought up, the delay in carrying tha
batteries on tbe opposite side, would not havo
occasioned a defeat. This muat of coursa
remain as a matter of doubt—but my own
private opinion is, that It would not. Had
the . fascines been at hand to cast Into tha
ditch, apd the ladders to plant against tbe
ramparts os soon as daylight appeared, 1
conceive that Ihe battle would nave end*
ed in .favor of the assailants—but as this wan
not tbe case, as tbe army waa under fire be*
fore these implements were so much as
sought for, it is qo wonder that victory de*
elat ed in fusor of the Ameriu&BS. To plant
“ But the primary cause of this defeeC
may be traced to a source even more diatapt
than any I have mentioned—I mean to the
disclosure of our design to the enemy- HoW
this occurred I shall not take it upon me to
declare, though several rumors bearing at
least the guise of probability, have been cir
culated. Ttys attack upon New-Oriaaa#
was professedly a secret expedition—eo se
cret, indeed, that it was not communicated
to tha inferior officers and soldiers in the am
mament, till immediately previous to ouir
quitting Jamaica. To the Americans, hod*
ever, it appears to have been known lon(
before, and hence it was, that, instead of tek-
ing them unawares, we found tbemfatlf
prepared for our reception. But what Th
past, cannot .be recalled, and therefore to
point out the errors on the part of my coun*
trymen can serve no good end. Iriat th#
failure is to be lamented, no one Will deWk,
since tbe conquest of New-Orkans, would
have tieen beyond all comparison, the mnsC
valuable acquisition that could be mad# to
the British dominions, throughout the whole
western hemisphere. In possession of that
post, wc should have kept, the entire south
ern trade of the United States in check—
and furnished means of commerce to Our
own merchants of incalculable value.”
“Thefact is, that when we look back up*
on the whole eerie* of events produced by
the American War, we shall find little that
is likely to flatter our vanity, or increase our
self importance. Except a few successes
in Canada, at its Very commencement, and
the brilliant inroad upon Washington, it will
be found that, our arm* have been Comtantly
baffled or repulsed on shore—while at sea,
with the exception of tbe capture of th#
Chesapeake, and one pr two other affairs to
wards Us conclusion, we have been equally
unsuccessful. From what cause does this
proceed ? Not from any inferiority in coo-
rage or discipline, because ia.these particu
lars British soldiers and Sailors will yield to
none in the World. There must, tir/c, be
some other cause for these misfortunes, and
the cause is surely one which has continual
ly baffled all our. plans of American war
fare.
“ Wo have long been habituated to des*
pise the Americans as an enemy unworthy
serious regard. To this alone it is to be at
tributed that frigates half manned were sent
to cope,with ships enpabie of Containing
them within their bulls—aud to this, also, th#
trifling bundful of troops despatched to con
duct the war by land. Instead of tbfft), bad
10,900 men sailed from the Garohn# under
Gen. Itoss, how differently might hie
every point of view, a different result from
that with which it was attended. But for its ... TTY — 'u—— “
failure poor Fackenham is in no wav answer- • ' ^* lere 'VO'jW have been then no i
able. Against the falling in of tbe canal, no “ssHy fowa re-embarkat.oh, after the ct
prudence could provide-auid to the loss of \\'Z ISM"; Snd c ° ns ^utly
time thereby occasioned, the fatsl issue of en for the defence of Balt.,pore-
the decisive battle may in some measure be ?“ rch ' n *,• cro3S coantry. he m.ght h;
asc i ilu il done te the one city what he did to the
*• ft must however he confessed, that this ,l,er .- and s * is th " s a war with
sad calamity was not wholly occasioned by ,Mr, ? a * an ^ successfully carried bn. ?
unfavorable accidents. For the conduct of I*™t ra “; up the country amidst pathless 1
Col. Mullens, and tbe 4tth regiment under
liia coiUniund, no excuse can lie offered.—
Vv lieu I include liial corps in the censure be
stowed upon its vrtinmander, it is evident
i Iml I do so only as one would blame School
boys for deficiency of learning, whose mas
ter was unfit for Ids office. Unless a leader
understands his duty, il is not possible that a
regiment can conduct itself with propriety-
ami as the 44th was as much composed of
British soldiers as any battalion in America,
no doubt can be entertained but that, had it
been differently commanded, it ‘would hate
made a different figure on the present dis
tressing occasion.
“ But llmbehavior ofthe colonel was dis
graceful in the highest degree. When the
orders were issued for his regiment to bear
the fascines and ladders, instead of feeling a
pride at t(ic honor conferred upon him, that
officer fell uito despair. He stated in the
henring of the private aohliers that his carps
wap devoid tp dc;tructisyv-jaod cynjlnctfil
rests and boundless deserts, and to aim
permanent conquests, is out of tbe quest
America must be assaulted Only on
coasts. Her harbors destroyed, her si
ping burned, and her seaports laid waste,
the only evils which she hat reaeon to dr
—and were a sufficient force aitakatked i
these orders, no American war would b
long continuance.
“ A melancholy experience fiat qow tav
us that such a war must not be entered I
uniese it be conducted With spirit—arid tl
is no conducting it With spirit, except wl
sufficient numerical fore*. To th* i
which I prop®** of making deeert th# wl
line of coaat, it may be objected, that b
doing, we ahould distress individuate and
the government. But they who oBef
objection, forget th# nature noth ofthe j
pie, whose cause they plead, arid bf tlx
vernment under which they live. 4n
mocrRtical government thri vqie* of '
pie must at all timet prevail.
AWBbqp Uoqjy of