Camden gazette. (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818, September 19, 1816, Image 2
however constitutes an era the most auspt? 1
c ous to America that had yet occurred ;
Tor in the year 1763. it Terminated in a
definitive treaty of peace, guaranteeing
our rights, and producing a considerable
accession of territory.
Having partially subdued civil and reli
gious distentions, and pleased *ith the
prospect of having maintained an honora
ble and successful struggle against French,
Spanish, and Indian injustice, for nearly
the lapse of a century and a half, the co
lonists be pan to entertain hopes of rivalling
the mothar Country in magnificence and
splendour. Wealth crept into the bosom
of their cities.- Industry toiled in every
?corner, and the forest bowed to the axe of
lahniir School* beg.tn toftourUh, I. iter
ature diffbse^ her bri4ltaf>t ray a, ami the
light which American darkness had bor
rowed from the older Continent seemed to
^be reflected ^)*ck, with additional splen
dour ; but foreign opprrstion began to
rear Jier-demogorgon head amid. the lofty
growth of the atlantic couat, and hope
vanished before its deadly touclr The
brightnesss of the morn was obscured by
ihe thickening dotal* of the east, and- the
gloom of dcapondeivcy darkened the bril
liancy of met idian expectation. Injustice
crowded insidiously upon our rights, and
pressed too hedvy not to crush in embryo
our fondest wishes. Having curtied on a
long and bloody war with the moat power
ful nations of Europe^Great-Uritain had
partly exhausted her pecuniary stores, and
the only alternative was to draw from her
, p ? T _
col >n it % those supplies which she needed
most* Accustomcd to perils, hardships
and disappointments,* our fathera ware
prepared to meet evetgr reasonable e*igen
; consequent, for from wanting that
loyalty Which will ever attach an infant
nation to a generous and fostering mother
country, but the hardy and independent
Sons of Columbia had not lost eight of
that ungovernable spirit of liberty* which
fired the souls of their ancestort, when they
braved \hc dangers of the atlanuc*/ Bow
down by oppression* until they had learn
ed to brook every violation of human right*
Which was not of too enormous a magni
tude, the Colonfsti were for maintaining
peace* merely upon a stipulated restriction
of grievances ; but long accustomed to
the system' of aggrandisement* proud
Britania felt no disposition for a relaxation.
Torturing the mind with a thousand de-? j
lusovy schemes, lit length a pleasing pro
spect of gratifying ber^brightest wishes I
burst upon her, and suggested a plan by
' which an ample sufficiency for settling
every contingency might be obtained, vis.
The Staihfi Act and 'J oration on Tea .
Had the mind* of the colonists been I
originally lormedby the divine hand of na-.
<Hurc, .for lawless submission, and degra
dation, there would hfcve been no coercion I
on the part of GreatnBritain ; but roused
from her lethargy, Anfcrica began to re- I
coil at such preposterotla measures, and ]
Secession followed* I
After the enactment of these parliafricti*
tary laws, imposing additional duties, fit . J
upon certain articles imported . for the use
of the cotonicij It wtt sOort reported tfiat j
Tea would arrive shortly. "Caucuss were
convened to deliberate upon the subject*
and decide whether it was moat advisable
to submit to, or reject the obnoxious im- j
position. The latter wa* adopted with avi
dity. I
Tea, shipped by the East-India com*
pany, at length arrived, and the infuriate^.!
minds of the citizens of Boston, became, 1
in a manner unCont rotable. Noi withstand- I
ing the hostile appearances of the mother
country, the bosom of America yet sigh
ed for a return of mutual good understand
ing. Her exertions were j still to bring
J^ote. ? According lo historical informa
tion it appears that the war be^an by
CJueenAnn commenced anno dommi 1702,
and continued until the peace of Utrecht
1713.
of marrjue were apain is- 1
sued against Spain 1739. which concluded
in the peace of Aix la Chapelie in 1748.
In 1762 the war was renewed against
Spai;i which terminated in 1763.
about an ecclaircissement ; but in vain ;
every regal measure was such as to inflame
the mrnds of the lung since injured and
oppressed.
~The an fortunate circitrr.s'ance ut the at
tack upon the malitia at Lexington gave
the finishing stroke to the conciliatory mea
_ surc!i of the Americans* h*r green
fields was spilled the first blood, which
?eased her sons at once pay tin debt of
nature, and enshiine our immortal txnh
right ? Liberty and Indjlpk kc t . The
patriots of '76 yet remember the shock
which it gave, Torpedo like to their inno
cent brethren. They well remember that
this vast and extensive coutirient trembled
[ at the deed. Like an elcctiicaj spaik it.
to fi6m- Main to Louisiana, and thr in
d^fiuni bosom of 4 be patriot res*4ved if>
chastise those who were guilty of sucii an
abominable act of homicide, h however
wafc thte prelude of a glorious prospect.
Grece? flourished for a^seasori, but it was
reserved for America, a continent em
bracing such a variety of cHm&e, pos
sessing s\jch a diversity of soil, fo exhibit
to an astoni?#td <vor?d a specimen of civif
liberty, wak.ii ahe alone has realized.
Here no fetter are imposed on the spirit of
investigation. llore the eagle eye ot ge
nius may explore the a>cana of nature,
mount the temple of fame, and proclaim
to an admiring people the extent of its
vision. Here political doctrines are sub
ject to the ordeal of the severest scrutiny ;
and here tiuth, of every kind, ma) be
promulgated, which partakes not of * Ik
ueirmrrs iBttit*
The affair ot Lexington had. no np- ?
proximation to the tet ruination of the
American revolution ; it served only to
cheer the drooping spirits of our discon
folate friends, and augur a happy end. lyt
is to the celebrated battles of Breed's hill*
Saratoga, the Cowpens, and Yoik-Town I
we are particularly indebted for this pro- !
?
pitious event ; and it is to the undaunted 1
courage and ptr>eve<tng genius of Quiiu |
cy. >Samuill Adams. H.vkcock* Wash- I
ingtoh, GAmn, Montgomery, Mtn.
ckh, the much injured Oaths, and others
we Are indebted for success. To many
those we are doubly indebted, fdr the or
? '
ganirution of our armies. Having b&n
brought up in the wilds of our country,
where the soul of man, for a long time,
r had known no control ; and unaccustomed
to subordination* inferio^ officers ' were
poorly Qualified for entering an army, in
which prompt obedience to the dictates of
a superior is so essential to the establish
ment of distiplihe. Indefatigable fe*er
tion however removed every obstacle, an<^,
wr soon find theni disputing the p: Inn of
victory with an army, which carried in its
i 5 - ? ? *
train carnage and devastation. We soon
find |t arrested from tkut ver}$army? and
supported by ntagnanimous soldiers ; men
who, when in possession of it, knew how
to tre^t the vanquished with humaitity,
cherish the orphan and console t4ie hap
' less widow. ' i
Thirty odd year A have already tfritnesseH
the prosperity of independent America,
minder the salutary influence of her benign
government, since the bosom of her plains
became stained by the blood of f>er heroic
sons* On the 4th of July i7 76, the anni
versary if which we have so often cekrbrat
* A, was torn asunder,* cfkains prepared to
bind us, by an EuAptan 4espot. Grate*
ful the? be the heart of eVery American,
to those who thundered AloUd sn unaliena
ble' attachment to our liberties. Under |
their glorious auspices, was Conducted
through the storm of wfcr, our revolution
ary Mfrk. But th? mere declaration of
Independence was not enough to ^ecure
that inestimable blessing. Sensible of
this, our political fathers modelled a con
stitution of &pia1 rights, which stands un
parelleled in the annals of man. In it was
realized what the philosophers and politi
cians of antiquity only dreamed/ that of es
tablishing a permanent and rational de
mocracy. Under its divine Influence do
her sons yet in the mild sunshine of
liberty and rasp.
Hail *acred polity by freedom rear'd ;
Hail ?acred freedom, wlico by Itwi rttraio'd ;
Without you, what were ouu ? a grovelling herd,
tn riaiVP***. Inn- W?iH c\t< h*.tn'd.
Sublimed by you, the Greek and Romau icgu'd
In art?, unitvallcd; (J ! to Ute?t day*,
lo Columbia may your iofiuettce uuprofan'd,
To Ood like worth the gencrou* bo*om rake.
And prompt tb? ?ag? lore aud fire the pott'i lays.
fro be Continued. J
By the Last Mails.
4 H a u LtnTr. September 14.
FROM HAVANA.
We learn by a pa^en^er in the sch>. 1
jinttiofits arrayed on Saturday from 1 lavai?a.;-|
which port she left on the 1st inst. that1
General Apodaca, (late Governor ??f thai*]
place,) recently appointed Viceroy of Mexi
co, had arrived at Vera Cruz. where iht in
habitants refused to acknowledge his auiho
I Uy, *TU\ deUlhed fthtt and It Is sure prtaoh-^
ws
The inhabitmitvof Hi*pamehr were
to be rpe for a revolution.
The* above mentioned gentleman hud
recently been on the Spanish Main, and in- f
form* that (<en. Bolivar, tn His aitacU?
op Caraccas. was not wovtfttkrf. [We do
not recollect to have seen it stated that he
had been. J After the engagement, in
which he was iterated and pttt to the tout,
with the of fcOOTiotted- s* many
more wounded and tAen prisoners, he em
barked with the wreck of his army on hoard
the fleet and put loses; but where bound
was not known* Some conjectured that he
would abandon the cause of the devolution
as hopeless? -others that he h^d t^one for
the purpose of obtaining reinfot cement*.
This statement differs materially from
those heretofore received ? they estimated
his whole force in the battle at 800 ? thia
makes his /t^p^mount to I3G0 men.
Ciena? al Mi ta a. our informant also states
after leaving Philadelphia, he had gone to
Boceda de Puerda, near Tampa where he
had./lu$ed an -army of 2000 men, 8c was ahort
ly expected to land on some part of Cbba,
to procure further re increments; and a
considerable majority oi the inhabitants of
jthat island were in favor of a revolution,
mnd woutd join any cause that held forth t
prospect oi emancipation from the Spanish
yoke.
We discover from the Aciu.Orfcatt* pa*
pers, i hut earlv in This month, a FLEET
of J&ghieen of armed *jhtps, fitted out
by the Mexican Republic^ by a gentleman
directly horn the westwaijd, that it was be^
lieved, they were destined against Pcn*a+
c old, with the vifew of capturing and holding
possession of that important seaport. The
Spanish authorities have apprehy^ded for
some lime an attack on Amelia Island, by
the Revolutionists. It is probable they will
* endeavor ?Jto possess theimelveVof both
jHrhtarola and Jtmrtid lAuna. which Would
afford them a convenient port in the Uulph
ol Meritb, and another on the Atlantic,
adjacent to the United Stats, where they'
couUI bring in and sell their pi izes, fit out
cruisers aga nst the Spaniards, and procure
provisions, naval stores, and all necessary
supplies* Georgia Jeurnai, Aug. 28.
? Jixtratt of a frtttr Jrohi fori*, JuHe
r 14 I he wife of Joseph Buonaparte is now
going to leav? Paris and France.? -Before
her departure she wished to di?pose ot the
fine esi?|c of Motlontine ? She had not
however, been able to find a purchaser ;
but she wants to insert in the contratt of
sale, a clause, to preserve the ri^ht 6f pur
Chasing this btautiful estate, in qpe any
change should take ftiace i 1 !"
? ' 4 i"- 3
-v JProm the National Axtoocdtt.
Britjslrabolition of Slavery. ^
It is some months ago since we adverted
to thi? subject, and endeavoured to open the
eyes of our readers to tbe deletion and trick
which the^iritiah goverment were gfoyingj
off on their own subjects ami on the world,
as regards the abolition of the slave trade,
and me amelioration of tbe fate of the Afri^ j
can. We then stated, and we quoted lb '
proof thereof, a wotk which was published^
undef the very nose of the Brhith ministry,
by Robert Thorpe, Esq. formerly chief
justice of Sierra Leone, ami judge of the
vice admiralty court in tUut colony, and
whtc!i, as far as we have seen* has never
been refuted, that William Wilbeilorce
was neither more nor less than a cunning
and political juggltr, and that all the pub
lications and reports to parliament on the
nourishing state of the Sien a Leone settle
ment, and the benefits it was praducing to |
the African race, were nothing but a string I
of prepared falsehoods, intended to delude |
the imagination, and misrepresent lacts. |
We are again called to thia subject by noli* |
cing the following paragraph from that
quarter : ? <
Raltimork, Aug. 21.
From Si*rta Leone, ? Capt. Dickinson of H
the schr. Breeze, arrived here from Isle de
Los, informs, that the American schr. Hi
ram, Heavans, from Newport, R I. was
condemned, vessel and car^o, on 2 1st of
June, at Sierra Leone, for having purclias- |
ed two or ll.ree quintals of Camwood and
tv*o cannon, from an tngiish brig, within
the distance of 3 leagues troni the coast,
over which the English claim ihe junsdic
ti *n, and which extends from Cape Siena
I. tone a* lar as the rivtr Sheibio; nor will
a h7feign vessel be sale ai the island liuna
r n?.a unless anchored ai least as tar lo the
westward as the middle paituf the i^at.d.
IheTTTn^lIsh ha J capured a nun.ocr <f
Spanish, I'ortu^ness. and Danish vtsseis.
fend u was so profr.atile an employment as
lo induce si i J aincs \v.o to come out m
the -Inconstant fi ^ate to cruiz- in il.e bi?e
oi Benin ? he had already sent in one t cr
tu^uese schr. from St. Salvador.
J he Spanish bri ^ La Nueva Annate,
ol Si. Jago cic Cuba^ en t?re*l ihr port ^,,c)
delivered herself up, with sia^cs. ;lJ| ol'
wnich wcic coudeaiiKil, lugeli.tr wiUi the
vesteK
^ ? Sir James Yeor it then app^r^
^ n jc warded (or fers Tunning
services oiv thc_L?ke,by his *dl
vanctrment or appointment to this
lucrative station. , Let us not hoc
be rnisunderstood,that weare goino
tq defencHhose Americans, who, in
opposition and in ^violation of the
, law* of their- country, engage in a
' forbidden and an inhuman traffic, ei
ther under their OWii flag, or under
the purchased papers and flag of
Spain or Portugal; we have no >hi
ilow of pity for their capture and loss
of property, as they arc the results
and consequences of their infringe
ment of the laws of their country.
? and acting against the dictates of
their consciences iu>d honour. If
the capture of every American en
gaged in this contraband traffic was
to take place, weshould be the
to complain against it, provided the
generous policy of a wise and hu
mane government caused these cap
tures to prove the. amelioration of
the human race; and, - While they
prevented this trade, rescued the
unhappy captives so taken from
slavery and "Suffering, As to the
-capture and condemnation of the
vessel from Rhode Island for pur
chasing a few tons of camwood and
two cannon %ithhl two or thrre
leagues of thecoast, we shall not here
advert to it at present, further than
s&pJKg, that we presume the Knight
ol Ontario will -endeavour to- find
ail fish that com* to his net in those
seas. We shall rather proceed in
our examination of the juggle which
England is play ing> under the mask
of humanity.
? J?dgc Thorpe* when.apeakirg
of the captures made by thc%e Bri
tish cruisers, thus expresses him
L selt^ ? " Had the captured negroes,
"\?hen liberated from their prison
ships, been suffered to enjoy the
t blessings of Brit[sb protection ?
i had villages beeh establiihed, the
iOpBlllfj, un severed, alloted farms,
supplied with instruments of agri
culture, and with seeds and plants
i to cultivate ior their support, the
beautiful amphkhfratre of hills en
closing Sierra Leon^ would have
.bccome an asylum of happiness fur
five thousand souls, who looked ro (
. U? fpr relief* -and to whom we were
bound jmd^ ledged tcvjrxtcnci it.
^They would have beenji but AOlk
of protection to th^edteny,' fur
nishing a granary of provisions for
the inhabitants, and exhibiting rfe
finest African mouittnentof British
philantropy/*
But, instead of such tresflbient
and such c4rc, what. is the descrip
tion which ^Judge Th6rpe gives of
this colony, and the mage of the
unhappy captured captives ? Judge
I horpe states, that instead of such
treatment, these captives were of^
ten condemned as .slaves, and sold
and that one expedition, fitted out
by governor Maxwell, absolutely
made a descent on the coast at Rio
Pungos and Rio, Nooncz, and car
ried of 100 natives who were thus
condemned, destroyed, at the same
time, with " fire and sword, " whole
factories, with all they contained.