Newspaper Page Text
Yol. III.)
ATHENS, GEORGIA : PRINTED BY ALEXANDER MCDONNELL, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1810.
From the Boston Patriot.
The Press-Gang-—or his Ma
jesty’s Legion of Honor.
kFe have a mere particular ac
count of the tranfabiions at Liver
pool, from an American gentleman who
was on the fpot. Several American
Jeamen had previous to this affair been
forcibly taken by bis majefly's legion of
honor , commonly called a p reft-gang,
by bis own plain Jpoken fubjebts. In
juftice however, to the be(l of kings &
is the befi of governments, it mitfi be
acknowledged that theje candidates for
bondage and Jlaugbter , were very
raagfianimouliy and civilly releafed
by bis majefly’s fe'rvants , on its bang
afeertained , (waving all queftion of
the prifoners * right to themfehes) that
they were native Americans . and that
their captains and owners had a right
to their fervices. Repeated defeats
aid not however difeourage his ma
je/lfs “ legion of honor.” An Ame
rican feo.pian who happened to be on
hard an American vejfel lying at Li
verpool, along fide the “faft anchored
Hie of Great Britain, ” —was fan
f refed as absvs related, upon the
‘‘ground of his being an Englilh
tnan,” (&c.J or upon feme other
ft range ground, of which there is al
ways enough at hand in that land of
liberty and law —“ rhe world’s kit
hope.” At the time when the “ peo
ple about the dockwere /did to be
“ ahj'ent ,” the (hips bells were rung as
a fignal for the American Jeamen;
they affembkd in a body and were
fined by great numbers of the “ people
about the dock,” ready on this occafton
to leave their “dinner,” and declare
themfdves Americans. They proceed”
si to the “ rendezvous kouje ’’ and
jiruck the colours in prefence of a large
cone ourfe of the people of Liverpool who
fined in their cheers and did net fee ft
tf impede the progrefs of H. M’s.
gang leader, who was/huffed on to
their apparent failsfavtion to the imi
tating ceremonies of the new and me
rited honors, of that kind of uniform
which the Yankees in the days cfyore
conferred on H. M’s. devotedfervants
in this country. Finding no other
jubftitute for feathers but cotton , an
American captain offered his bed to
ftp ply the appropriate plumage.- —
Parties were formed by volunteers
from the Americans in the harbor,
joined by . Brit ijh tars, mechanics, idc .
who “from the Timdaricy of lau*
as cbferved by Cal. P. it was
irnpcffible to diflkguifh from A-
on this occafton. They pro
ceeded to she fever al“ receiving houfes ’
ft demanded admittance and reicafcd all
!! >spreiT;d prif oners who declared
ttiimfelves to be Americans.
I This is according to cur infer ma-
Cf i > the Jubfiance cf a tr any action
tt ’ huh we believe the Englijh editors
’ Gr ‘d then- under toned echoes in this
country , think proper for very obvious
tccyons of flute, to pay's ever as jilently
Ui foslli *]
Foreign Correspondent
&
GEORGIA EXPRESS.
MANY SHALL RUN TO AN© FRO, AND KNOWLEDGE SHALL BS INCREASES.”
Extrahi of a letter from a gentleman
in Idem- Haven.
“ I went vefterday with Governor
Strong of MafTichufctts, to witnels
Whitney’s Gun Factory near this
place. It is Ikuated on Ea(t river,
at the foot of a mountain, and ail its
machinery is, in the fidl intiiar.ee,
moved bv two large wheels—che
barrels are welded in a furnace—
ground by grind (tones, and bored
with an auger, with as much facility
as you would bore a pine board.-
Bayonets are turned as the turner
would Hie roar-id of a chair ; and
then ground into their proper shape
with chifikds. Screws ad locks are
made with great eafe, and (what is
a great improvement) fo ccnllrufl
ed as to fit any gun whatever.-
f here is an axe which being mov
ed a wheel will cur. the larg. it piece
of iron. Ramrods are turned as
you would turn a rule. It is curi
ous to ke the whole machine let in
operation by one wheel, and ukho*
one hand carries them ail, yet it is
fo happily contrived that one work
man may flop his part of the ma
chine withom any in tn option so
the reft. Six guns are ma.’p in one
day. This is, I think, the molt
important cßablilhment of which
our country can buaft. [Vi- . Whit
ney deferves great credit, cs cverv
part ot the machine was Iris own
invention, and it was three years
before he i I elv iv* ._• 4. v-* l e {.v. U O £IL 1 1 Id, 1-.
* iv
Nashville, Sepf. i.
IN DIAiNS.
We are lorry to hear from the
fouth, as well as che north and weft,
that our Indian neighbors appear
reftlefs. The following letter from
a gentleman of ?he fidl iclptftabiii
ty, dated Columbia, Auguft 19th,
merits attention.
“ I have juft received a letter
from Mr. John Fkchlyan, of the
Chocktaw nation, dated 27th July.
Mr. P. writes that a few ot the
Chocktaws have been at a treaty
with the Creek Indians -who infor
med them, that the Rntilh and
Spaniards would fhortly pofiefs all
this country—the Spaniards have
lately lent for feme of the fix town
Indians, of which aoout ico went,
and received prefents of them —mat
about the falling of the leaves, there
would be prelents to a large amount
given to all the Chccßiaw nation j
which Items to fuoftanttate w nat tc
Creeks told them.” dheie aie the
words of Pitchlyan.
C£ I think it necUTary that go
vernment knot*ld pay io:n ( ; attention
to this Irftjon of Territory, kaft
fo me incendiaries Ihould prevail on
them to commit depredations on the
Tombigbee letclernent.
“N. B. Recent accounts from
the town vA M .ode, date in at die
Spaniards have tvvo or three hundred
India;.& under arm £ to proteft the
town inuil the Brit Hi car; ict.d
troops to take poffdfion of it. This
information you may rely on being
correct.”
From the National Intelligencer .
WEST FLORIDA.
It wiil be fern by the ftatements
in the public prints, that the Con
veaciou of Weft Florida have pro
ceeded regularly to bufmefs. They
have afted, ir.detd, with caution
and with prudence * bur, in Inch a
manner as evinces a laudable fenfi
bility to their rights. Although
they pr-ofefs an allegiance to rhe
nominal fovereign of .Spain, they
claim the rfiiht, m the preluic flats
of the modiei country, 10 decide t>n
queftions renting to their tftenrial
interests conelufively, “ without
reference to higher authority. ’* —
They aft already as an Independent
Republic ; but, for fome realons,
probably to overcome the national
feelings and the timid Temples of
thole who would other wile impede
their progrefs, they yet acknow
ledge the fovereiguty of Ferdinand.
Siu old Spain eventually pals under
the yoke of France, they will doubt
iefs declare themlelves independent.
If this be then objeft, there is no
man who values the independence
ct America, and whofe immutable
princsnlfs on which it was firlt af
ierted and is now firmly bsfed, that
does not wifh them fucctfs.
In contemplating the prdent fi
tiufion of the territories bordering
on our fourhern frontier, fcvtral
important cordillera, ions pre {ant
themlelves as t-> tnc* cc-nnexiou
which their future tic fixation has
with the itui-relh of the United
States; confide;-atiofiS of too great
imporfaru e to be lightly weighed,
and which it is not my parpolc now
to invt fi’g.te. They involut quvf
tions which v/ili full foon call fora
ferious ddcuflloa and Tdeinn deci
fion.
Independence appears to b? the
aim of the in oft intelligent citizens
of thofe territories. T;nfirr’ght to
it I fhould have deemed unquesti
onable, had I not recently lcen it
doubted.
It is indeed a principle laid down
by writers oa the law of nations,
that colonies usually pah 1 under the
dominioa of the foreign power
wnich fhail erfiave or overrun the
mother country. In die’ fame vo
lumes, too, whofe aml.ority is
fcarceiy regarded in the lyfiems of
national aggraadlzenae.nt new pre
vailing, it is laid down that all na
tions are r: obliged to cultivate a-id
obfer ve juftice towards ta h otlicr.”
How rnonfi r-ici’/ lids rule has
been violated fi r the halt ten years
it needs no argument to fivew.—
When tie code of national law is
no longer regarded by the European
wot 11 but ns it fer ves for pretext
for ufw.’paiion and food for tier.fun,
(N®. 121.
there Vs no part of it, the violation
of which could be more readily for
given, than thac which transfers the
colonies of a nation to the conquer
or of the mother country. Were
the ufage cf nations on this point
undoubted, in the affertion of their
independence in the prefent Rate of
the mother country the colonies of
Spain would be guilty of no unpar
donable fin:
But when a prince or fovereign,
from weak he fs or carchile.efs, aban
dons a people to their fate, they are
at liberty to do the beft they can for
themfeives. And t 1 is is not only
conformable to the nlaineft diftatea
of common fenle, but to the dtab
liflied principles of national law.—
They may, then, without offending
again.ft thofe principles which were
laid dowß for obfervance, and were
fome what regarded, in the laftand
preceding centuries, lay claim to
independence ; and if they were now
to Aifat their rights, the conqueror
of Spain, when it falls, as fall it
muft, will acquire no fovereignty
over them It may L*c faid thac
Ferdinand VII. afiigned his r'ghts
to the Emperor of Fiance; but
every one eonve:fant with public
law knows that lie had not the
power 10 delegate the fovereignty ;
the love reign belongs to che Hate,
and not the ftate to the fove reign.
If the dehration of independence
by a colony be c< ntemporaneoua
w ith the fidijug.uion of the mother
country, the a-, knowkdgemenc of
the latter alone would be wanting; to
place its independence beyond
doubt. Tout &r knowJedgcmenc
cannot In fuch a calc be obtained,
bccaule the former Tovereigrty is
ext iut bef re the derlaiarion ofita
colony’s independence could have
1 < h and if. Will it be contended
that the conqueror has a right to
the ff. r.eigaty of the colony which
has *';:• cirvUred itfeif indepen
dent ? If, fubk quent to the decia
raiicn of independence cf thefe
P). :s in 1776, and during the war
in fupport of it, England had been
overrun by France or Spain ; v;oujri
the conqueror thereby, betaitje cur
independence had not been acknowledg
ed by England, have acquired a Inv
ert ign’y over this country. Were
the principles on which thefc flues
maintained their r.giu*, the broad
I afis of equal liberty, made meie
dear by t!:e acknowledgement (;f
our independence in 1783? Our
T * ~ OtS V. t. rv as i iear brfore as after
.*
that acknowledgmocnt, w-hich was
c A.y important as an re cog Tit ion by
a foreign enemy of our tale to the
r ank of a nanou, which that enemy
had feu id it its inter? ft :*? conttft.
If it be contended, however, aJ
fuicting the mofi unfavorable con
fl mel on or the law of nations, that
a cijAny lias no right to declare izf~
elf in -f ] endtnc until forced t > and >
fo by u feiitfc cf injuries or by ia-