Newspaper Page Text
SOUTHERN
RECORDER.
**s**rsss=rs:
VOL. III.
MILLEDGEVILLE, T jO'/ iAY, JULY 1G, 1822.
No. 23.
yrTiWT7rrir g -'- g --"--~ r •* "" 1 ~'' *"
PUBLISHED WEEKLY,
3 Y S. GRA.VTL.ljyU V J*. M. ORME,
Oil Huiicock Street, opposite «!»• Auction Store,
jkT THTIF.F. DOLLARS, IT? ADVANOOfl FOUR
DOLLARS AT THE EXPIRATION OF THE
Advertisements conspicuously inserted
tiie customary rates. Letters on business, in
,ll ca j fs, most ho fust r*ui.
AYmiO¥l\T\.
IS
fcN At' r for wseertnintng claims and titles to
land within the territories of Florida.
He It r:\-tcled by the. Senate and House of
p yrrsentalim of the IT. State* of .Inen-
, r fa Cangres* assembled, That, for the
,>f aacortMoins the rlui'n? and titles
jpjrp.l
... I mds within the territory of Florida, as
acquired by the tretity of the twenty-second
of February, one thousand eight hundred
and nineteen, there shall he appointed, by
•hr President of ih<> United States, by and
•villi the advice and consent nf the Senate,
i nee Commissioners, who shall receive, as
Compensation for the duties enjoined by the
provisions of this net, two thousand dollars
each, to be paid quarterly, from the Treasu
ry ; who shall open an office for the adjmli
cation of claims, at Pensacola, in the terri
tory of West Florida, and St. Augustine, in
I’a'-t Florida, under tile rules, regulations,
and conditions, hereinafter prescribed.
Sec. i. And be it further enacted, That it
th ill he the duty of said Commissioners to
appoint a suitable and well qualified Secre
tary. who shall record, in a well bound
bonk, all and every their acls k proceedings.
Hie claims admitted, with tliosn rejected,
nod the reason of their admission or rejec
tion. He shall receive, as n compensation
fir his services, one thousand two hundred
ami fifty dollars, to lie paid quarterly, from
the Treasury. He shall he acquainted with
the Spanish language ; and, before entering
orl ■, discharge of the duties of his office,
shall take and subscribe an oath, before
some authority competent to administer it,
that he will we’ll and truly and faithfully dis
charge the duties assigned him, and trans-
tale all papers that may be required of him
t»y the Commissioners.
' So*. 3. And beit further enacted. That
said Com tiissioners, previously to entering
discharge of the duties assigned them.
,11, before the Judge of the Territorial
cyiirt at Pensacola, or some other authority
in his absence, competent to administer it,
tike an oath fnith fully-to discharge the-do-
♦ .»; of th'*' "i# L -mt abet!
li,,Id their sessions on or before the lirst
Monday of July next, at Pensacola, and on
the first Monday of January thereafter, at
St Augustine, fur the ;isei rtainining and de
termining of all claims to land within the
said territories ; notice of which shall be
given, by said Commissioners, in some
newspaper printed at each place, or, it there
be no newspaper, at the most public places
in said cities, respectively, of the time at
which their sessions will commence, requir
ing all persons to bring forward their claims,
with evidence necessary to support them.
The session at St. Augustine shall termin
ate on the thirtieth of June, one thousand
eight hundred and twenty-three, when said
commissioners shall forward to the Seore
tarv, of the Treasury, to he submitted to
Congress, a detail of all they have done,
and deliver over to the surveyor all the ar
chives, documents, and papers, that may be
vn their possession. , .
Sec. 4. And be it farther enacted, That
every person, or the heirs or representatives
of such persons claiming title to lands un
der any patent, grant, concession, or order
of survey, dated previous to the twenty-
fourth day of January, one thousand eight
hundred and eighteen, which were, valid un
der the Spanish government, or by the law
of nations, and which are not rejected by
the treaty ceding the territory of East and
West Florida to the United States, shall
file, before the Commissioners, his, her or
their claim, setting forth, particularly, its
situation, and bounderies, if to hr, ascertain
ed, with the deraignment of title, where
they arc not the grantees, or original elaitn-
ctairm fileiT with (hem ; k shall be, k are
hereby, Authorized to administer oaths,
In compel tha attendance 01 witnesses, by
suliptcnas issued by the Secretary* and the
adduction of such testimony as may hi
wanted ; they shall have access to all papers
and records of a public nature relative to
any land titles wilhinsaid provinces, and to,
make transcripts thereof. They shall exam
ine into claims arising undei patanu grunts,
concessions, k orders of survey, where the
survey has been actually made previous to
the twenty-fourth Jan. one thousand eight
hundred and eighteen, whether they are
founded upon conditions, and how far those
conditions have been complied with ; and
if derived from the British government, how
far they have been considered valid under
the Spanish government; and if satisfied
that said claims be correct and v alid, shall
give confirmation to them : provided, That
such confirmation shall only operate as a rc-
leaso of any Interest which the U. States
may have, and shall not he considered as
affecting the rights of third persons : and
provided that they shall not have power to
confirm any claim or part thereof where
the amount'claimed is, undefined in quanti
ty, or shall exceed one thousand acres ; hut
in all such cases shall report the testimony,
with their opinions, to the Secretary of the
Treasury, to he laid before Congress for
their determination. Every witness attend
ing under any process from the Commis
sioners shall be allowed one dullar a day,
and one dollar for every it vventy miles travel;
to be paid by the party summoning him :
Provided, nevertheless, That the Commis
sioners shall not act on, or take into consid
eration, any British grant, patent, warrant,
or order of survey, hot those which are
honafide claimed and owned by citizens of
tiie U. States, and which have never been
compensated for by the British government.
Sec. 0. And be it further enacted, Thai
there shall he appointed, hv the President
of the United States, by and with the adviee
and oonsent uf the Senate, a surveyor, wb"
shall possess the power and authority, and
receive the game salary, ashy law apper
tains to the surveyor south of the State of
Tennessee; hut his duties shall not com
mence until the commissioners shall have
examined and decided upon the claims in
West Florida, who shall thereupon furnish
the surveyor with a list of those admitted,
and lie shall thereupon proceed In survey
the country, taking care to have surveyed
k marked, k laid down upon a general plan
to he kept in Iris office, the metes and hounds
of the claims so admitted; c lining th
same to he surveyed at the expense of the
claimants, the price whereof shall he the
same as is paid for surveying the public
lands ; hot no surveyor shall rharge for noy
line except such as may he aetiinlly t un, nor
for any line nut necessary to he run. Hr
shall appoint a suitable number of deputies,
and shall fix and determine their fees : Pro
vided. That the whole cost of survey shall
n*'t CXCttfcui n »mlc . Sintls fTo-
vidid also, That noun other than township
lines shall he run where the land is deemed
fit for cultivation ; said surveyor shall re
side at such place as the President of the
United States may direct, and shall keep
his office there, and may charge the fol
lowing fees, viz: for recording the plat and
surveys of private claims made by any of
his deputies, twenty-five cents for each
mile contained in the boundary of such sur
vey, and twenty-five cents for any cupy
certified from the honks of his office.
PHILIP P. BARBOUR,
Sneaker of the House of Representatives.
JOHN GAILLARL),
President of the Senate, pro-tempore.
Washington, May bill, 1842.— Approved,
JAMES MONROE.
tint's; which shall lie recorded by the Secre
tary, and who, for his said services, shall be
entitled to demand from the claimants ten
cents for each hundrrd words contained in
k;ii(\ papers, so recorded ; he shall he entitl-
cd to tw enty five rents for each aubpoiin is
sued : Provided, That if the ftaionnt SO rc.
fromthe .rational.T.gis of June It),published at
(Worcester, Massachusetts ) ,
Mfl ADAMS AND MR. RUSSELL-
To those who take any interest in our
public affairs, the quarrel, if it may bn
so called, between these gentlemen,
which now occupies public attention,
must lie a subject of considerable specu
lation. Mr. Adams considers himself ns
having been accused by Mr. Russell, in
a private letter to the President, of a
willingness to have abandoned the inter
est of the western country, by the propo
sition of an article for insertion in the
late treaty ofGhcnt confirming the Bri
tish right to the navigation of the Mis
sissippi. In a comment upon that let-
nt of indignation,
at home. They did not lightly yiel< 1
their support nor will they so far trill*
with justice and consistency as to with
draw it, unless they fiud. on tlelibcralv
examination, the pledges of integrity am
ability on which they have relied to be
withdrawn.
Mr. Adams has long been identiliea
with the republican party. Personally
acquainted at almost every court in Eu
rope, having been in the employ of eve
ry administration of the federal govern
ment, a politician by study and practice
from his earliest youth, most profoundly
learned, and pre-eminently capable, Ins
accusation is indeed formidable. Re
garding him as one of our country’s
proudest ornaments, wo should join in
his resentment if we believed our rep
resentative engaged in any intrigue to
sully his fair tainc and dimmish his just
popularity.
Admitting that amidst the plots and
counterplots, the corruption and degra
dation already visible in the mighty pre
parations for the next presidential elec
tion, it is difficult to judge of the designs
of politicians, always to he suspected, al
ways hariertng the rights and interests
they ought to represent for their own
aggrandizement, we cannot, neverthe
less, discover any reason for believing,
in the present instance, any obliquity
in Mr. Russell’s course from the direct
ness of truth, end from rectitude of mo
tive. At the time when Iris letter was
transmitted to that authority hy which
lie had been employed kto which ho was
responsible, it is not credible that lie
contemplated using it to prostrate any
reputation, to establish any measure, to
aid any cabal. It was private aud confi
dential ; therefore not intended to ope
rate on public sentiment. It was not
designed to produce a secret influence
against any of the members of the Ghent
mission, because its privacy and confi
dence was not of the strict and sacred
character of a friendly epistle. It was
private merely as not being intended for
publication, and was a proper subject for
the revision of the President’s cabinet
council, his closet counsellors, and Mr.
Adams and his colleagues. How then
can Mr. Russell be charged with attack
ing wantonly their characters, disturbing
the peace of the living and trampling on
the ashes of the dead ? He had and has
a reputation to sustain, not as colossal as
Mr. Adams’ hut broad, lofty and invalua
1,1a wa« tinrlor « r;
supported as was Mr. Adams, by the
sanction of a concurring mijority ; and
it was due to himself to have exhibited
the causes of his dissent from approved
and adopted propositions. It was also
due to himself, if the letter containing his
explanation was lost, to endeavor to res
tore it.
He made an exposition of views,
and, we think it such a one as was due
to himself, temperate, able, frank, with
out arrogance on the one si le, or sa
tire, ridicule,, and invective on the o-
Iher. It was not tainted hy that conti
nual reference to self, by which the
whole demeanor of candidates for otlici
is too often distinguished. It is iuipor
tant to determine whether, in the letter
[ and commentary, he or the Secretary of
| State appear as the more profound in the
science of international law, the more
penetrating to discern the operation and
results of treaties or the more wily ma
nager of an intricate negociation ? To
pursue such an inquiry would be to en
large this article beyond (he patience of
our readers hut most of them owe some
thing to the man whom they have deput
cd as the substitute of themselves in the
federal legislature and they will go with
ux yet a little farther.
Hr. Adams asserts that Mr. Russell’s
whole lelter is “ a laborious tissue of
misrepresentation of every part of its sub
ject." This is language not usual among
umch'tit is ramified and examine its par-
icular branches. Mr. Adams has been
i most distinguished professor of rhetoric
and he must have learned, in the stud;
uf that »rt, that the subdivisions of such
a charge, like the cuttings of the poly
pus, are each a distinct Si living whole,
lie accises Mr. Russell of imputing to
his colinagues the violation of their in-
-tructiixis. Now where is the founda
tion of such a representation ? In ac
cusing of another misrepresentation has
not the accuser fallen into mistake ?—
Violation implies the wanton infrtngiment
of something sacred and it ts evidently
intended to present Mr. Russell as ac
cusing his colleagues of violation in that
sense of the term ; yet in his letter you
will only find the endeavor to prove his
own correctness by reasoning to show
their error.
But there is another branch of Mr
Adam’scharge which must be inquired
into with more deliberation. However
it migkt have been made it should be
dispassionately examined. It is that Mr
Russell has misrepresentated his own con
duct ksentiments However faith in Mr.
Adamsopinions may have given currency
to his impeachment of Mr. Russell’s tno
lives a»d conduct, we have learned so
much scepticism from our observation ot
men, in whatever stations we have seen
them, ns always to judge lor ourselves
where facts are represented as guides, k
to appeal confidently to the decision of a
community whose hopes and fears,
whose objects and interests can rarely
prejudice them.
Mr. Russell gave, as it is admitted, a
silent vote against the article which is
the subject of controversy, and wc are
told that he furnished no other exhibi
tion of his sentiments except his official
and joint acts, which certainly could not
commit him as to his private opinions.—
We cannot therefore hut think that it is
rather a latitudinous display of animosi
ty against him to insist that he has mis
represented his own eeutiments, when
there is no evidence ot what his senti
ments, were except bis own account of
We are the less disposed to quaff el
with Mr. Russrtl for noticing the in
structions of April 15th 1813, restrain
ing onr negorintions from a stipulation
•eenring to British truders the right of
navigation in the rivers within our ju
risdiction, as we lielieFe him to be per
fectly right in the view taken by him of
that part of the subject. Mr. Adams us
a reasoner and politician appears to us
to shrink amazingly in the attempting to
•how that the.Mississippi wya not within
nor exclusive jurisdiction in lhe contem
plation of those instructions, k to prove
the navigation of that river, emphatically
and descriptively styled the great aitery
of our country, to be as useless tp the
British as would he to us the navigating
the Bridgewater canal or the Danube.
It will not be believed hy the Am. rican
people that it would have been safe lo
have opened or continued open to for
eigners a stream continually pouring
lovvn the articles ofcommeice in a flood
ample as its own waters, k again leading
hack into the recesse* ot numerous re-
publicskexlensiveterrilories. Mr. Adams
had refuted his own argument before he
used it, by guarding against such a ca
lamity.
Equal injustice seems to have been
done to Mr. Russell on the subject ot the
fisheries k on this opic Mr. Adams has
indulged liim»e!f in the eao e piquancy
of remark which belongs to his style—
treating a representative of the people
from the State distinguished as his biitli
place and the cradle ot liberty, vvitii the
same overbearing pride as he lias done
the bearers of Castilian arrogance and
evasion. The fishing privilege referred
to by Mr. Russell and which Mr. Adam’s
disturbed mind has led him lo imagine to
include the w hole range within which our
enterprizing seamen strike the harpoon
or draw the line on the great maratime
common of nations, is on the contrary
confined to the right of taking and curing
fish within the territorial and maritime
limits of Great Britain. If Mr. Adams
has found Mr. Rossell in the way of hi
high and honorable ambition, he is sure-
Mt
them. It is true that he assented to the ly rather rudely retaliating in represen
proposition of an article of treaty con- | ting him willing to surrenderjm unhrrnt-
firming the British right to the navigation
if the Mississippi k the right of the Ame
rican people to take k cure fish in certain
places within the British jurisdiction.
Whatever was Mr. Russell’s private
opinion, it was his indispensable du-
L ^ .£-.r*i.ii-u v.y a iaa|.>: .ty, to have
acted in concert in all propositions to the
government with which we w ere treating.
The commissioners were, like a cor
poration, one, jo int and inseparable.—
They indivisibly represented the sove
reignty of the nation. What a spectacle
for the contempt and ridicule of all tor-
eign powers would our country have be
come, if, when we liad sent abroad a
mission of peace, our ministers had dis
played their own aberrations and shown
that they could not agree on what they
ought to demand or concede 1 What
would not have been the scorn and in
dignation, the satire and invective of our
Secretary of state against the negocinter
who had made such n sacrilic to an idle
parade of consistency, ostentation of
sincerity 1 The production of a pencil,
which ran sives' f ghtfula pect tn what is
right, would have been appalling with
such a subject to portray.
Mr. Adams in support of his charge
relies on the fact, (which we cannot ex
plain,) of the variance between the ori-
cd right to the fisheries, when he ha?
only spoken of the comparative value of
that right in a restricted application of it
We have taken n brief view of Mr
Russell’s letter and the comment, only
so fur as was necessary to pxemnt him
irom an iiicnli'K* •• « hieti if
ed would abrogate his claims to public
confidence. We dismiss the stihje
leaving to olhers to determine the quo
tion of policy involved in it, having our
selves had referred only to the humble
object of personal consideration
It uppers from a table of the Associ
tions, members, kc. ot the Baptist (le
nomination in the several states ot th
Union, that there are within the limit
the United States, 1G9 Association
3122 churches, 1822 ministers,
212,509 members. 13,109 havingbeen
baptised during the past year ; the re
turns of the number ofbapti«tns are not,
however, complete. Of this denomina
tion in the State of Georgia, there are
101 ministers, 201 churches, aud 15,352
members.—Missionary.
MEXICO
A friend has kindly put into onr hands
a file of the Mexican newspaper called
The Sun. The latest number is of the
ginnl 'letter of Mr. Russell, supposed to j 8th of May, from which we have transla
have been lost, and the duplicate furnish
ter he pours out atorre ^
calculated to overwhelm the mind of tbp I gentlemen, and it is nearly as nnfortu-
reader and to annihilate the towering so- nate for one to feel obliged to use it, as
perstructurc and deep laid foundation of t f„ r the other to have it thrown upon his
Mr. Russell’s reputation. | reputation. It reminds ns of the elc-
Whcn incti so conscious differ in 1 phant who can bear the tower with ann-
. , „ . - —, | their views of national concerns vve feel C (1 men on Iris back, who can trample
ei.’Miu r j,“‘’Vhich 8 |, n he^bv’de- renewed with peculiar weight the com-1 bands of soldiers under his feet disci,arg-
and fifty doll.iis, wind, hereby de ^ ^ impr ' ew ion of the fallibility ftfj jug the content of » P^le upon
ed by him as a copy. That, however there
is an irreconcilealde inconsistency be
tween tiie two papers is not so evident
lo us as it appears to have been to Mr.
Adams, whose correctness of views might
tie unquestionable, did not the signs of a
disturbed spirit appear amidst the work
ings of his mighty intellect. Instruc
tired
dared the entmensa^;,,, Tpr ij) 9 services,
me excess shall be reported to tho Comtnis-
•ionen. and be subject to their disposition,
and said Commissioners shall pyocm to
clptermino on the viiliuitj oi
cxnftnne and determine ,
aid patents, grants, concessions and enters
anis, niin i MtiMia
or survey, agreeably to the laws and ordm-
■iv fvifttiner of tho. EOYtM’nmrntB
w f vq heretofore existing; of the gov
making the grants respectively, t';"'mg dne
regard, in all Spanish claims, to he « Olid
thins and stipulations contained in the eightl
article uf a treaty concluded at Washington
between his Catholic Majesty and the Uni
ted States, on the twenty-second of l'eh-
Vi,ary, one thousand eight hundred and
nineteen ; but any claim not filed pimtm •
to the thirty-first day of May, one thousand
wisdom and the uncertainty of political 0 ne who had pricked his proboscis,
doctrine; but when they enter the lists But it is one of the “ J ura belli, to lay
to tilt against each other and grapple in nH \,\ e the dignity of philosophy on ;1 prerl-
l(nneuiut)Miiaivi»j j- ,
eight hundred and twenty three, shall ;
deemed and held to he void and «>f no
effect Provided nevertheless, And be si fas
tier enacted, That in all claims tnibmiltcil t
the decision of the Commissioners, wh-t
the same land, or any part thercot. is cLmy
,.,i !, v titles emanating both fromthe Lutish
It Spanish governments, (he commwwnors
shall not de cide the same, but shall repo t
all mch eases,, with an abstract of the evi
deuce, to the Secretary of the Treasury.
Sec 5 In'! be it further enacted, That
the Commissioners shall have power to in
quire into tho justice and validity ot the
to tilt agt»—--- , ,
angry contention, then indeed we watch
with apprehension and curiosity the tall
of one nr both, which we perceive to be
threatened. . ,
Wo take a deep interest to the, welfare
of both these persona, as men whose ta
lents and energies belong to tho nation,
and are as unwilling to see that populari
ty, which they have earned hy long and
faithful public service torn in pieces by
each other, as we should be to see our
capitol dilapidated by a powerful and an
gry clement.
Mr. Russell is the immediate repre^
tentative in congress of this District, and
received bv the circumstances of his e-
lection the most distinguished mark of
ihe confidence of his constituents.—
They were proud to furnish to the great
council of the nation n member whose
observation of men and governments had
been extended over many countries, and
whose faculties had given him celebrity
ted an article relative to tiie proceed
ings of the “ Sovereign Congress”
of Mexico. We have not found tmie tn
examinct, horouglily, the contents of the
tile, but our cursory survey has led us to
infer that tire press is likely to be ably k
efficaciously conducted in the new em
pire. The Sun is tilled with enlightened
discussions of the principles and organi
ins unfitly iiiiuuvvi* — » . ,
tions to the American plenipotentiaries, zation of free constitutions—the severa.
had forbidden them to permit our right departments ofgoycniment, the oxecn-
sing emergency and the suavity ot man
ners of a candidate for office, we know
is rarclv preserved under any attempt
or suspicion of attempt to divert from
him that precious gift, that much loved
boon of ambition, the people’s favor.
The declaration that Mr. Russell has
misrepresented the subject cannot be fa
vorably received when his letter shall
be candidly considered and when it shall
be recollected that it was addressed to
the president *<ho was so well acquaint-
d with he facts that the effort to de
ceive him would have been insolent, dis
graceful, absurd, and futile.
The petulance, for even petulance en
ters into the greatest minds nnd indeed
is that alloy by which the celestial puri
tv of philosophy is reduced to the com
mon standard of human frailty,—the pe
tnlancc
presents
sell
to Louisiana kc. to be questioned. Mr.
Russell in his original letter, undoubtedly
having referrence to those instructions,
says lie does not regard the offer of an
article relative to the navigation of the
Mississippi as n violation of them. In
the duplicate, he repeats the assertion,
but adds, “ but 1 considered it to be a-
gainst the letter and the spirit of onr
other instructions, of the 15th of April
1313” On this disagreement it is that
Mr. Adams ha9 poured out more satirical
bitterness of soul, more acrimonious wit
than ordinary powers can command.—
He seems even sometimes to pause, ns
hantoms of his wrongs rise before
tive, legislative and judicial arc analyzed,
and resolved into the true elements.—
The article which we have translated
shews that, in the army, a predilection
for the Republican System has been
boldly manifested ; and we collect from
the essays in the Sun, that tho limited
monarchy with the imperial head, which
has been adopted by Cungress, is^ far
from being universally approved’ The
editors of that paper declare in favour
of the monarchical system, after much
reasoning from history, but they incul
cate the necessity of union in sentiment
and action above all things, whatever
form of government may be established.
^im/'ai'if'to gather'more'vengeance for I There seems to be a complete unanimity
is intended victim. Is there, however, as to the point of national independence.
in the duplicate any other variance from
the original than the exhibition ot a more
enlarged view 1 Both the papers strong
ly reprobate the measure referred to
and represent the proposed article of ne-
goriationas inhibited by* policy. Lhiie,
therefore, we admit that Mr. Russell,
in offer,o« n duplicate, wa9 bound to
have furnished an exact copy, and hold
ourselves reserved lo hear any explana
d the right to make whatever political
arrangements may be deemed most eli
gible. It is contended that the new
monarchical constitution is republican
in its essence, if not in name, it bring
founded on a perfect equality of rights,
and a liberal representative system —
11 We do not deny,” says one of the es
sayists in the Sun, “ that liberty is fully
enjoyed in federative Republican go
linn which mav be furnished, vve insist I vern'ment ; but, na in the human frame a
case with bodies politic. Thetnentalim*
provement and social virtues necessury
for federative Republican government,
unfortunately do not, as yet, exist in the
mas’* of the Mexican people. All must
concede likewise, that the acquisition
of them i9 not ttie work of a day—it is
the work of perseverance vvitii time, to
which vve must commit the future lot of
conimunities, only lakingdue precautions
not to retrograde. All extiemes are
vicious ; the greatest wisdom consists
in finding the true mean between them—• s
this consideration, we may suppose, is
what has induced our wise Congress to
choose limit eduioimrchical, government.
Let us lie s^Uistied with advancing in
every lliini, vvilh the step* of men ; not
of giants, because the tatter do not
exi-l.—The attempt to imitate their
march is perilous, kc,”
'J'lie message of the President of tha
United States and the report of the com*
mittee of foreign relations of our Cong-
ess, respecting the recognition of the
endence of the emancipated Span*
'll Colonies, appear to have produced
e sensation in Mexico which could
uve been desired. We observe that
u question is agitated in the Mexican
'Wspaper whether the Island of C’u a
the event of us becoming independent,
ill associate itselfho this Union, or to the
xican empire. The advantages which
e have to offer, are fairly stated, and
the conclusion is drawn that vve might
be preferred. As yet the liberating ar
my in Mexico has been but badly paid,
tie Congress were occupied vvitn cx-
edients for providing ways and means,
to satisfy the wants of those whom it is so
important to conciliate’—A"at. Gaz,
SOVEREIGN CONGRESS.
Mexico, May 8.
On the Gth inst., a represt ntati n nag
read lroin the cav alry regiment, No. 11,
the purport'd which was to make kmmu
to the Congress that th * suffrage uf the
Ulcers of the regiment, v hose names
were subscribed, was not lor the tem
pered Monarchy, sanctioned by tin s-
embly, hut for the Republican or Oe-
mocratical form of government, as the
cnor of their represent loan would
clearly shew. Tins exposition, heard
ill) surprize, caused great heal n he
dispute which arose whether the ream •
of it should not be discontinued, in con
sequence of its not having been pre i-
ously Consir—sstV-to rtew COTD ,T*
• of Poiitioni.
Considering the disadvantages and in
convenience? vv Inch each ot those buna
ol government presents to vvlion.soev er
will analvze them carefully, and who h
of lliem is most anal igous and best adapt
ed to our present circumstances, ibe
true friends of liberty must regard that
exposition as ibe most heinous attack
that could be made upon the Sovereignty
uf the nation. For, if the nation, legi
timately represented by her deputies,
outlie very day of ihe installation of the
Congress, established it ns one oi tiie
bases of the Constitution of the Mexican
empire, that the form of tiie government
should he a limited constitutional monar
chy, and if the ecclesiastical, civil and
military corporations and even the peo
ple, have solemnly taken the oatii lo
that system, how can it, without the
highest culpability, he openly toiil to tiie
assembled majesty of the nation, that
such is not the form of government
wanted, but another, believed to he hot
ter ? This is an insuli, the nature of
which is not changed, because it is of
fered hy the body of officers of a t em
inent. The army of a nation ought to
busy itself only in supporting the govern
ment which is established, provided this
be not repugnant to (he primitive rights
of man. It ought to leave all modifica
tions or changes to be made by those
who are lawfully empowered for that
purpose ; for, it, on the contrary, it un
dertakes to legislate, the necessary free
dom will be wanting for the most suc
cessful deliberation in matters of the
greatest importance, with ihe proper
decision of which the fate of the nation
is closely connected. And what faculty
of deliberation will the sovereign con
gress possess, if the very force which
should be exerted to sustain their free
dom, be employed to wrest it from them i
Certainly none. It may be said that the
army will do what it pleases, w ith a mere
hint or intimation, inasmuch as the dread
which the mere idea of the abuse of its
strength inspires, causes the firmest w ill
and the purest patriotism to blench.
Nothing, indeed, of tiie kind, is for the
future, to be apprehended from our ar
my ; it loves its country too well, and
cannot wish to see her involved in the
miseries of anarchy. Let this or that
government, in good sooth, he establish
ed, but let the right course be taken—
let general sentiment be consulted in Ihe
first instance ; not that vvhich springs
fromthe effervescence of passion foment
ed by vague notions of an im iginary li
berty, but that vvhich is formed by the
colh-iou of various opinions, and render
ed thus, stable and uniform. Ollicrw ise^
unfortunate will be the nation—doubly
unfortunate, if the armed force should he
' t,ann T ° ~ "“’-V. £ ; , u , h ' i9 mate . auffffpn transition from one extreme to unfortunate, if the armed force should b*
nee with winch the charge of mjsrc-| that the J 8 ™. ” "Ju ioa upou a«o her ts impossible or dangerous, so allowed to influence the ulterior defile
scntation ts urged against Mr. Rtw- rial or as wairant, anjt >oip<Raima up°u a» jt al P, rked bc the ration, «f th* sovereign Congress.
, 13 nppeareut wheo we Consider how | bu motives. i *
