Herald of the times. [volume], April 07, 1830, Image 2

About Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846

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NEWPORT,
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 1830,
§FAs it quite probable that our car-!i
rier may not furnish all our subscribers
with this week’s improssion, we must re- |
quest such of our friends as do not re-|
ceive their papers as directed, to give
immediate notice ofthe fact at the office,
and any similar omission <hall be prevents|
ed in future, ‘
We have taken the liberty atthe mo- |
ment of commencing publication to fur- |
nish a number of our friends with copies
of the paper who have hitherto forborne
to favor us with their subscriptions, We }
do this certainly without any intention
of obtruding our labors upon unwiiling
subseribers, but with the ecarnest hnp(»,*!
that the character of this Journal may’
be such as to merit their approbution and’
ensure their patronage. !
At the same time, however, it is but
just to remark, that the paper of this
week is hardly what it purports to be, “a
Herald of the Times.” Having had no|
opportunity as yet to avail ourselves of
exchanges even with the neighboring
Journals, our abstract of intelligence,
foreign and demestic, 18 neceszarily lim
ited, |
Ifany part of our subseribers can con
veniently advance to us either the whole
or part of their subscriptions, it would
greatly oblige us, as the expenses of the
establishment are necessarily (:unsidurn-:
ble, and more pressing at this moment,
than they will probally be hereafter, :
——® @Gt e {
GEN. HARRISON.—The remarks
we have copied from the National Intel
ligencer, on the recent trinmphant vindi
cation of General Harrison from the as
persions cast on him, cannot fail to be
read with pleasure and profit in this part
of the country. Had we no other reason
to take pride in the character of a fellow
citizen, whose deeds are identified with
the glory of the Nation, than his warm
hearted attachment to our lnmented Pir-
Ry, the connexion with such a name
would be sufficient to awaken it. We!
feel, however, a respect for Gen, Harri
son independent of his services, From
the testimony of friends who have knownf
him intimately, we are satisfied that a
more humane, benevolent, high-'mimlcd'/
man does not exist, than our calumniated |
Minister. So far from affording any|
countenance to plots for pretended assas- |
sinations, or to the disgraceful feuds, |
which are the reproach of the Colombi- |
ans, there is not an individual brcathing,':
whose official influence, where it could :
be exerted with propriety, would he more |
uniformly enlisted on the side of human- |
ity. On this subject, however, it is use- |
less to speculate. The strong and un
answerable facts detailed by Gen. Har- |
rison will be the best commentary on'l
these scandalous imputations;, and will
not fail to strengthen the respect and ven
eration which is every where felt for this
veteran officer. |
It would appear from a remark which
is dropped by the Intelligencer, that this
treatment of Gen. Tl. was not unknown
to Mr. Moore, who superceded him in
his mission, and was the subject, it would
seem, of some very gentle expostulation’
on the part of that Minister with the Co-/
lombian authorities, We are curious to
see in what “silken terms precise” and
“phrase polite,” it was possible to gloss
such a palpable outrage, or what kind of
apology could be tendered, or accepted,
for a deliberate affront to a high public;
officer, who was still protected by the
immunities of his station. We are still’
more curious to learn the sentiments of
our venerable President on this nice
point of honor,and how [ar, to wave it, will
square with the practical observance of
the maxim avowed in his Message, “fo.
ask nothing that is not clearly rizht, and
to submit to nothing that is wrong.” |
From the extraordinary tenacity with
which the President adheres in practice to
has political professions, we should expect.
of course some direful explosion with the
sister Republic, should she persist in re
fusing to us the amende honorable : at the
least, the recal of the modest and sensitive
gentleman who represents us at Bogota.
Of the course, however, pursued by Go
vernment, and ofthe satisfaction accord
ed, if we ever obtained any, we shall be
better informed, when we have perused
the pamphlet, 2 ;
fIEBHAMCS SOCIETY .—~The'
ewport Association of Mechanics & ‘
Manufacturers, held their annual meet-I‘
ing at the State-House on Monday cv
ening last. The following gentlemen
were clected Charter Officers for the
yearensuing —Josern Lyox, President,
in the place of Tuos, G. Pirman,resign
ed; Avam S, Cor, Vice-President; W.
S. Nicuors, Treasurer ; and Joseph
Martin, Secretary.
The Library Committce reported that
there Were now in the Apprentices Li
brary connccted with this Association,
nearly four hundred volumes, most of
which are valuable books. This Libra
ry cannot fail to be of great benefit tul
the young mechanics of our community,
llnd we hope that all who have the priv
ilege will properly appreciate the impor
‘tant advantages which must necessarily
Iresnll from such amedium of useful know-
Jedge, ‘
SPRING ELECTION.—We donot
consider it necessary to say much re
specting the course this paper will pur
sue in relation to the approaching elec
tion of General Officers of this State.
I Without considering ourselves obnoxious
to the charge of vanity, we look back
I with complacency upon the political path
‘way we traversed during our connexion
with the Rhode-Island Republican, and
say, as to our,consistency, judge of the
future from what you have seem of the
past. One of our last acts, whilst con
nected with that paper, consisted in-ex
pressing in a short article what we then
deemed to be correct policy as to the
prox put m nomination in January last by
the National Republican Convention—
(and we have secnnothing since that pc-'
riod to induce us to change our opinions
lin the least, or even to shake our cnnfi-I
dence in their soundness. That Con
vention consisted of men of political wis
dom and integrity, and the ticket they
i‘lrvunmmmdcd to the public, was such nJ
one as they deemed expedient to sup
port;—we therefore cheerfully coincidc’
with them, and hope the gentlemen \\'ll()‘
composd that prox will be elected. l
R®O®
' The new fount of type upon which this
paper is printed was cast at the Foundry
(of Mesars, Greere & Winnis, Boston,
’\Ve cordially recommend such of our
‘brethren of the type as may be in want
of printing materials to them, not doubt
ling that they will be satisfied with their
:purclnases, & with the agrecable deport
ment and accommodating spirit of the
gentlcmen referred to. I
@O
The officers of the navy, two lieuten
ants and two midshipmen, who were con
cerned in the late duel near Philadel
phia, which resulted in the death of Mr.
Miller of that city, have been struck
from the Register of the Navy. Thisis
as it should be. It is the only effectual
means to prevent this barbarous and in
human practice,
We have not been able this day to fa
vor our readers with even a summary of
the proceedings of Congress, for the
reasons assigned in a previous column,
[coMmMUNICATED.)
An Improved Method of Teaching En-
elish Grammar.
. Those who have been employed in
ftf-:u-,hing English Grammar have, for a
vlcngth of time, been sensible that the
‘method usually adopted by Grammari
ans, to lead their pupils into a knowledge
of our own language, has been very de
fective. The following paragraph, ta-l
ken from the Journal of Education, No,
38, p. 189, expresses our views of what
is necessary to remedy existing evils in
most of the books in use on Gramamar,
“What scems to be most needed for
the purpose of instruction, is to place the
whole subject of grammar in such order
as is best adapted for the discipline and
improvement of the mind in ]enrning.—-‘
The whole oughit o be arranged in a se
ries of inductive questions, leading tth
young mind to those results which are
commonly given in books on grnmmnr.l
The learner will thus perccive and un
derstand every step of his progress, by
Idoing something nearly like what he does
lemn he works out sums in arithmetic,
and arrives at general results himself; on
the inductive method.”
The Intellectual and Practical Gram
mar, recently published by Roswell C,
Smith, author of Practical & Mental A
rithmetic,answers well the above descrip
tion and deserves a place in every school
room, |
l ' . & § l
- Bank Case.—To gratify our readers,
with a view of the important principles|
settled by the Supreme Court of the U.I
8. in relation to the powers of States over,
Banks, we have given the opinion of
Judge Marshall entire in the recent case
Lof the Providenee Bunk vs, T. G. Pit-’
~man and others. The Court, it is un
derstood, were unanimous in this opinion.
HERALD OF THE TIMES.
CHEMICAL LECTURES.—WeI
were so much pleased with the style and
sentiments contained in the Proemto Dr,
‘Moore’s 11th Lecture, that we have re
quested permission to give it a place in
Ithe columns of our first number, The
following is a eopy of'it. I 1
“Ladies & Gentlemen—Having spoken|
at some length in my previous Lecturea,'l
concerning the nature of Gaseous sub-ll
stances in general, and given particular
illustrations of the properties of some of’
the most important of these compounds,
I shall now pass to the consideration of a
‘class of bodies denominated acids, and
endeavor to show that these too constitute
an important link in the chemical chain,
land subserve important purposes as well
liu the operations of nature as in those of
'pructicul life. In pursuing our investi
'gutions of the various substances,the na
}turc and properties of which it is at all
itimos the proper province of Chemistry
to explain; and especially, as we transfer
iour attention from one useful and cxten-J
lui/vc cluss of bodics to_gngther, we can
lnot but be astonished at the immense re
sources of nature; we cannot but wolldor!
lut her unerring laws in adapting all her|
products to some benevolent and uscful
end gpor can we fail to admire the undc-f
viating,the harmonious simplicity of those,
operative principles, by which her various|
productions arc multiplied and maintain
ed. !
Who that has the prerogative of rea
son—who that is endued with that per-|
ception which at.all times recognizes in;
the works of harmony, the agency and
necessity of design—who that can trace
the inseparable connections between cau-|
ses and their eflects—between the pow-|
er and elasticity of a spring and the re
sults which it must necessarily producc,l
who, I say, endued with these capaci
ties, and contemplating the harmonies of
the Universe and the divine beauties of
nature, can question for a moment the
existence and agency of a Gon? And
lwho that in all these things recognizes’
(as every rational creature must, ) the
agency and presence of a divine superin
tendent, will have the audacity to dis
pute either his benevolence or his wis
dom? or who can pisperLieve that his
great ultimatum in the creation of the
world, was the harmony of his works and
the greatest possible sum of happiness to
his creatures, But enoughj I need not
)multiply arguments as drawn from che
creatcd universe, to prove the exztence
and wisdom of its divine original. lam
speaking to an audience that have both|
the wisdom and intelligence to pcrceive’
these things, and draw these mmclusions;’
an audience before whom the sublime.
volume of nature bound in imperial folio
and lettered with the stars, is already
open, aud who know as well as myself,
that ‘all who run may read,” and all who|
read must understand. ’
Waving, therefore, for the present,‘
both the practical and moral infcrcncesi
‘which are suggested to the mind by the
investigation of the laws and propcrtiesl
of those inorganic substances which it is!
imy business to discuss,—l shall now passl
to the more immediate consideration of|
the properties pértaining to this class of]
compounds, and attempt to explain thcl
rationale of those habitudes which they
!nre known to possess in relation to other
bodies, as well as to enumerate and un
fold the established laws by which these
habitudes are actuated and governed.”
| ——r® @ B
From the Providence Americag. |
SUPREME JUDICIAL C(;URT. '
The last week was occupied by thell
Court exclusively in tiials of Insolvent |
Petitions, and never was a Coutt mom;;
industrious, The dockct was lurge,undl;
presented a formidable appearance, I)ut"
the industry of the Court made the dock-!
et to vanish, like frost before the sun I!
The construction giventothe act, by the |
Judges, is not only correct and legal, buh|
liberal and humane; and it affords ug !
pleasure to state, that the community,l|
generally, appear satisfied and C()ntt'nt7il
ed,
One hundred and forty nine of the pe-;!
titions were granted, nineteen dismissed,
fifteen withdrawn, twenty-two continued |
for cause, and five only rejected. ()nlyl‘
twelve were opposed. I
It should be remembered, that thf":
granting of the petitions exempts only
the body of the petitioner from imprison
ment—future acquisitions are still held
liable. Many of the petitioners had
been confined in jail, and were released
on boud, under order of the Court. The |
Court has thus set at liberty, to work and
carn a support for themselves and fami
lies, one hundred and forty nine citiufl}t
who were manacled and bound by debis
that they could not pay. The Court will
probably rise in a day or two, after a long
and arduous session of nearly four weeks,
during which time a multiplicity of busi
ness bas been done with correctness and
\decpttch.
e
; OPINION ‘
OF THE U. 8. SUPREME COURT.
In the case of mflmc Bank, vs. Thos. |
G. n and others, |
This is a writ of error, to a judgment |
rendered in the highest Court for the|
State of Rhode Island, in an action o ‘
trespass, brought l:‘y the Plgintiff in error|
agamnst the Defen ant.
. In/November, 1791, the legislature of|
Rhode Islaud granted a charter of incor
oration to certain individuals, who had
gsociated themselves tofiether, for the ‘
urpose of forming a ban ing company.
*F‘hcy are incorporated by the name of
the “President, Directors,and company
of the Providence Bank,” and have the
ordinary powers which arc supposed to
necessary for the usual objects of
ch associations.
#ln 1822, the Legislature of Rhode Is
nd passed an ‘“‘act imposing a duty on
licenced persons and others, and b«.d-xesl‘
orporate within the State,” in which|
iinong - other *'ggg, it is enacted that|
there shall be paid for the use of the Staltc,|
by eaeh and every bauk within the State,
‘c.\cvpt the bank of the United States,|
the sum of fifty cents on each and cvcry‘
thousand dollars of the capital stock ac
tually paidin, This tax was afterwards
‘augmented to one dollar and twenty five
cents,
’ The Providence Bank having dctcr-|
mined to resist the payment of this tax,
(broug bt @n action of trespass against the
oflicers by whom a warrant of distress
“\\'us issued against and served upon the
property of the bank, in pursuance of the
}l:uv ; the Defendants justify the taking
set out in the declaration, under the act
‘of Assembly, imposing the tax, to which
'plea the Plaintitls demur, and assign for
(cause of demurrer, that the act is repug
nant to the constitution of the United
‘States, inasmuch as it impairs the obliga
tion of the contract, created by their
(charter of incorporation. Judgment was
‘given by the Cowrt of Common Pleas in
Havor of the defendants which judgment
‘was on appeal confirmed by the Supreme
!Cuurt of the State—that judgment has
‘been brought before this Court by writ of
lerror,
It has been settled that a contract en
tered into between a state and an individ
ualyis as fully protected by the prohib
ition contained in the 10th section of
the Ist article of the Constitution, as a
contract between two individuals ; and
itis not denied that a charter incorpora
ting a bank is a contract. Is this con
tract impaired, by taxing the banks of the
State, o
This question is to be answered by the
charter itself’; it contains no stipulation
promising an exemption from taxation ;
‘the State there has made no express con
tract which has been impaired g;r the act]‘
of which the Plaintiffs complain. No!
words have been found in tEe chartcrl
which in themselves would justify the|
opinion that the power of taxation was in/
the view of either of the parties, and that |
an exemption from it was intended,
though not expressed—the plaintiffs find
difficulty in showing that the charter|
contains a promise either express or im
plied not to tax the bank. The elaborate I
and ingenious argument which has been|
urged,amounts in substance to this ; the
charter authorizes the bank to employ its||
capitol in banking transactions for theii
benefit of the stock holders ; it binds the !
State to permit these transactions for this |
object 5 every law arresting directly thcf‘
operation of the bank would violate this
obligation, and would come within the|
prohibition of the constitution. But as
that cannot he done cirenitously which |
may not be done directly, the charter re-|
strains the State from passing any act
which may indirectly destroy the pro-|
fits of the Bank. A power to tax the
bank may unquestionably be carried to|
such an excess as to take all its profits forl
the use of the State, and conscquently'
destroy the institution. Now whatever|
‘may be the rule of expediency, the con-!
stitutionality of'ameasure depends not on
}tho degree of its exercise, but on its prin-|
ciple. A power therefore, which may.in‘
effect destioy the charter, is inconsistent
with it, andis impliedly renounced by
Igrunling it. Such a power cannot be:
cexercised withoutimpairingthe obligation |
'nl' the contract. Whether pusked to its|
extreme point, or exercised in modera-
Itinn, it is the same power, and is hostile |
to the rights granted by the charter,—
This is substantially the argument for the
Bank. The plaintiffs cite and rely on
several sentiments expressed on various |
occasions by this Court in support of their,
positions, I |
The claim of the Providence Bank is|
certainly of the first impression, the pow
er of taxing monicd corporations has been ]
frequcntly exercised, and has never be-|
fore, so far as is known, been rosistcd..,
Its novelty, however, furnishes no con-||
clusive argument against it, ‘ II
That the taxing power is of vital im- |
portance, that it is essential to the exist- | |
ence of Government, are truths which it Il
cannot be necessary to re-affiom, They
are acknowledged and asserfbd by all.;‘
It would seem that the relinquishment of”
such a power is never to be assumed ;|
we will not say that a state may not relin-||
quish it 5 that a consideration sufficiently |
valuable to induce a partial release of it, ||
may not exist ; but as the whole commu-li
nity is interested in retaining it undimin-|
ished, that community has a right to in-‘I
sist that its abandonment ought not to be!|
presumed, in a case in which the delib-|
|erate purpose of the state to abandon it,!;
| does not appear, :
The plaintifis would give to’is char- I
ter the same construction as if it contain- I
ed a clause exempting the bank from tax- |
ation, on its stock in trade. But can it '
be supposed that such a clause would not |
enlarge its privileges 7 They contend it |
must fie implied,because the 'Power to tax
may be so wielded as to defeat the pur
pose for which the charte}' was granted, ||
and may not this be said with equal truth,
of other legislative powers ? Does it not |
also apply with equal force to every in-|
corporatéd company # A company may|
be incorporated for the purpose of trudmg;i
in goods as well as trading in money. |
Ifthe policy of the state should lead to
the imposition of a tax on unincorporated |
companies, could those which might be |
incorporated claim an exemption in vir
tue of a chartér which does not indicate |
such anintention 2 The time may come
when a duty ma 1)0 imposed on manu- |
factures. %Vouzi an incorporated com-!i
pany be exempted from this duty as the
mere consequence of its charter ? If
The great objeet of an incorporation, I
is to bestow the character and propertics ‘
of individuality, on a collgetive, and ||
changing body of men, This capacity ||
|is always given to such a body. Any|
|privileges ‘\‘hivh may cxcmgt it from thell
I‘ihurthons common to individuals, do not |
\flow necessarily from the charter, but
(must be expressed in it, or they do mt"l
I exist, If'the power of taxation is incon-|
|| sistent with ghe charter, because it may '
'|be 8o increased as to destroy the object
for which the charter is given; it ilI
equally inconsistent with every other|
charter, because it is equally capable of
\working the destruction of the objcctsl
\[for which every other charter is given.\
| If'the grant of @ power to trade in money,
|to a given amount, implies an exemption |
I of the stock in trade from taxation, l)e-|
cause the tayes may absorb the profits, |
';thcn the grant of any other thing implies
|| the same exemption, for that thing may |
‘Hhe taxed to an c&tent, which will render|
‘it totally unprofitable to the grantee.—|
‘ Land, for example, has in many, per-|
| 'haps in all the States, been granted be
|[the government, since the adoption of the
I Constitution. This grant is a contruct,!
|| the object of which is, that the profits is
\ suing {rom it, shall ensue to the benefit
|lol The grantee, yet the power of taxation
| may be carried so far, as to absorb these
profits. Does this impair the obligation of
‘contract ? The idea is refuted by all,!
|land the proposition appears so extrava
lgunt, that it is difficult to admit any re-|
|'semblance in the case aforesaid. Yet,
|lif the proposition for'which the plaintiffs
contend be true, it cafries us to this point.'
|| That proposition is that a power which is.
|i in itselt capable of' being exerted to the
| total destruction of the grant, is incon
‘ sistent with the grant, and is thcrofuro,l
impliedly relinquished by the grantor,
|| though the language of the. insirument
l contains no allusion to the subject. If
this be an abstract truth, it may be sup-|
I posed universal ; but it is not universal,
[land therefore its truth cannot be admit-|
| ted in these broad terms, in any case,— |
| We must look for the exemption in the!
Iflunguufg of the instrument, and if we do|
| hot find it there, it would be going v('.ry(l
far, to insert it by construction, The!l
!powcr of legislation, and consequently;'
jof taxation, operates on all the pcrsons"
I‘u.nd property belonging to the body poli-',
tic, as an original principle, which hns!
Ints foundation in society itself. It is!l
‘granted by all for the benefit of all. It |
irc.widcs in government as a part of itself
‘and need not be resigned,when property of |
!un_y descripticn, or the right to use it unyl‘»
‘manner is granted to individuals or bodies |
‘corporate. However absolute the right |
lnf an individual may be, it is still in the
‘nature of that right, that it must bear a/|
'portion of the public burthens, and that||
‘portion must be determined by the leg
| islature. This vital power may be abused,
‘but the constitution of the United States
was not intended to furnish the corrective
Hor every abuse of power, which may be
}(:«‘uumittcd by the State governments.—
"l he interogt, wisdom, and justice of the
representative body, and its relation with
|its constituents, furnish the only security,
‘where thoee is no express contract a
‘gainst unjust and excessive taxation, as
‘well as against universal legislation gen
cerally. This principle was laid down
!m‘the cases of McCullough vs. the State
‘of Maryland, and in Osborn et al. vs, the
l'buhk of the United States—both those
(cases we think, proceed on the admission|
‘that an incorporated bank, unless its|
Ichnrtcr shall ex&wress the exemption, is no
more exempted from taxation, than an
‘unincorporated company would be carry-|
ing on the same business, The case of
Fletcher vs. Peck, has been cited ; but|
in that case the Legislature of Geor in,l
\passed an act to annul its grant, '%he‘
(casevof the State of New Jersey and
' Wilson has also been mentioned, but in!
that case the stipulation exempting the,
‘lund from taxation, was made in c.\prc:sxs'l
‘'words,
~ The reasoning of the Court in the case'
of McCulloughvs. the State of Maryland, |
has been applied to this case ; but the
Court itself” appears to have provided a-|
gainst the apphication. Its opinion in that
case, as well as in Osborn et al. vs. the
bank of the United States, was founded
expressly on the supremacy of the laws|
of Congress, and the necessary consp-'
quence of that supremacy, to exempt its|
instruments employed inthe execution of.
its powers from the operation of any inter-|
feung power whatever, In reasoning
on the agreement that the iowcr of taxa
tion was not confined to the people and
property of a State, but might be exercis
sed on every object brought within its
Jurisdiction, the Court admitted the truth '
of the propesition, and added that the
power wasan incident of sovereignity and
was co-extensive with that to which it
lwu an incident. All powers, the Court
said, over which the sovereign power of
a State extends, are subjects of taxation.
The sovereignty of a State cxtends to
every thing which exists by its own au
therity, or is introduced by its permission;
but does it extend to those means which
are employed by Congress to carry into
execution powers conferred on that body
by the people of the United States 7 We
think not. So inthe case of Osborn vs,
the bank of the United States, the Court
said the argument in favor of the right of
the State to tax the bank, suppcscs the
Icorporation to have been originated for
the management of an individual con
cern, to be founded upon contract be
tween individuals having private trade
:und private profit for its great end and
principal object. If these premiscs were
true, the conclusion drawn from them
‘would be inevitable, This same private
corporation, engaged in its own business,
Iwould certainly be subject to the taxing
‘power of the State, as any individual
Iwuuld be. The Court was certainly not
discussing the question, whether the tax
;imposed by a State on a bank chartered
by itself, impaired the obligation of its
‘contract, am} their opinions are not con-
Iclusive as they would be, had they been
idelivcrcdinsuchucnsc,butthcy shew that
the question was not considered as doubt
\ful, and that inferences drawn from gen
eral expressions pointed to different sub
| Jcc% cannot be correctly drawn.
¢ have reflected seriously on this
case, and are of opinion, that the act of
the fdegislaturc ot'li{lmde Island, passed
in 1822, imposing a duty on licenced per
sons, and others, and bodies corporate,
‘\yithi.n the State, does not impair the ob
ligation of the contract created by the
|charter, granted to the plaintiffs in crror,
Fron the National Intelligencer.
GEN, HARRISON’S APPEAL.
We have found time to read through
the Pamphlet which we announced to
our readers a day or two, in which, un
der the modest title of “Remarks” on
certain charges made against him by the
Government of Colombia,Gen. FIARRISON
has given a narrative of facts which is
calculated to give a most unfavorable
impression of the intelligence and liber
ality ofthe Government and leading men
of the Colombian nation.
We cannot pretend to follow the nar
’rutive throughout. The main facts, how
cever, shew that Gen. Harrisov, as soon
‘as he was superseded by Mr.Mooßrg, be
camelthe object of the meanest suspicion
to the ruling authority. Borivar was
‘absent from the Government on a visit
to the Southern Provinces, and had left
a Council to manage the Government
during his absence. To one ofthe Coun
cil, General Urvavera, the Secretary
of War, he left, on his departure, a Com
mission authorizing him to take upon
himself all the powers which had been
confided to the Council, as far as rela
ted to the three central Provinces, when
ever an occasion should arise which, in
‘his opinion, should make necessary the
‘exercise of such extraordinary authority.
lUpon the insurrection of Cordova, dur
/ing the last summer, these powers were
assumed by Gen. Urdaneta. By his
iorder it was that repeated indignities
were shewn, upon the most preposterous
’pretcnces, to Gen. Harrison and his
suite before they could get out of the
country. “The power given by Gen,
Bovrivar,” says Gen. lf,\nmsox, “did
not authorize these measures. The au
thority was to be exercised over three
Colombian Provinces, of which Bogota
was certainly one. But the diplomatic
relations of the country belonged to the
whole country, and not to the ruler of a
part ofit. This, however, was a matter
of small concern to General Urdaneta.
He had the bayonets under his control,
to enforce his edicts, and did not trouble
his head to make nice distinctions,”
The charges preferred by this Vice-
Dictator against Gen. Harrison, are
the most ridiculous conceivable, as our
readers may imagine, when we state that
one of them was, that the General had
instifiated Mr. Gooding to assassinate
the British and French Commisioners
the Secretary of War (then acting as
Dictator) and the Secretary of State of
Colombia ! The proofs furnished by the
‘Secretary of State are the assertions that
‘““a denunciation of him had actually been
received from Carthagena,” and that
‘the Government posscssed “others, of
too secret a character to be presented.”
‘Did any one ever hear the like, or read
it, unless in the trials for the Gunpowder
Treason, or in the arraingment of some
‘destined victim in the dungeons of the
Infixi.aition ?
' otwithstanding the vagueness and
gcngralit_'y of the charges and suspicions
‘against Gen, l[uuuso.x, he has as com
pletely proved a negative upon every tit
tle of them, as it is possible to prove such
a thing, The evidence which he has
‘produced to shew that the whole tenor of
his conduct and conversation, public
and private, was respectful to the Gov
,cmmcnt and such asto discourage all hos
’tility to .it, “;h(:thcr bf' foreigners or na
'tnves, 18 irresistible. It covers the whole
fim‘}l,?d’ and excludes the shadow of a
oubt,
' It is clear to us that M. Moore,
aware of the indignities offered to his
distinguished countryman, who yet was
entitled to diplomatic immunities, would
have been justified in demanding his
passports, as the alternative of a release
of Gen. H. from the espionage exercis
ed over him by the order of the Govern
ment. If he had felt as we do on read
ing this detail, he would have taken this
course. Perhaps, however, that which