Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume], February 19, 1822, Image 1

About Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume] (Harper's Ferry, Va. [i.e. Harpers Ferry, W. Va.]) 1821-1824

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VOL. I.
PUBLISHED, WEEKLY, BY
JOHN S. GALLAHER Sc GO.
CONDITIONS.
The “Free Press” is published at two
dollars per annum, if paid in advance;
two dollars and twenty-five cents if paid
at the end of six months; or, two dollars
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"p payment in advance will serve
‘ the intSwP.. of all concerned, that mode is
respectfully solicited.
* * Advertisements inserted three times
for one dollar per.square; and twenty-five
cents for every subsequent insertion.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
The London Courier of the. 22d No
vember contains tiie following editorial
paragraph :
“ We have received this morning, Bos
ton papers and Baltimore to the 25th, and
New York to the 27th ult. We have sub
joined some extracts from them and also
from a Philadelphia paper of the 25th ult.
The latter are curious as tending to shew
tire degree of eager speculation L. Hour,
which had been excited in the American
markets, by the premature accounts from
this country of the failure of our crops.
The- consequences will be ruinous to ma
ny whose cupidity has outrun their pru
dence. They should have waited a little
longer* until there were means of estima
ting the general result of our harvest,
vj-' eh is now considered, bu experienced
farmers, to exceed, upon the whole, the-ave
rage produce of former years.”
Here is an instructive lesson, of which
ou' speculators will, it is to be hoped,
p ort for the future. Pro ision of every
kind had fallen to tie rates of thirty and
forty years ago. Bell’s Weekly Messen
ger of. the 26th November speaks this
It- ><•"'! -rm '. h. -.-iuhje* t
•• i :\e coniuiueu decrease 01 pieces De
gins to excite a most serious alarm a
mougst ail tlse classes employed in rais
ing them. At the time we are writing,
the price of the best bread where credit
, is not taken, and for families who do not
voluntarily suiter imposition, is ten pence
k S.kuuartcrn loaf. When persons buy the
ft bur-and make their own bread, the cost
does not exceed sir pence half penny.
The p rices of meat are equally low. Other
necessaries of life are in correspondent
c leupness.”
In the address of the French Chamber
. of Deputies to the King, mention is-made
of the complaints of the agricultural in
ter-si's of France ; and the answer of Lou
is to that suggestion is worthy of being
repeated—'“ no law can prevent the incon
venience which arises from a superabun
dant-harvest; the whole of Europe expe
riences it at this moment..” This may be
regarded as pretty authentic testimony.
. We have one fact just disclosed to us in
the United States, by the report of the
Secretary.of the-Treasury.,. wfti-ch.explodes
many formal statements and many lugu
brious predictions, to wit-—that the ex
ports of this country during the year 1821
exceeded the imports by upwards of two
millions of dollars.
i'he condition ot things in Ireland is
sufficient to keep the British government
on the alert. The London Courier men
tions, that ministers have determined to
call out the yeomanry force of that island.
A fierce spirit of discontent and blind vio
lence pervades most of the districts in the
south and west, and was fast spreading in
the adjacent parts. We observe the fol
lowing passage in a speech delivered in
Dublin towards the end of November, by
one of her leading magistrates :
u A barbarous combination, without a
single patriotic pretence, is rioting in eve
ry species of plunder and midnight as
sassination. Though the explosion is
heard from afar, the train may be now
laid which threatens our destruction.
The free access to spirituous liquors is the,
fruitful cause of all the crime and 'wretch
edness that afflict or disgust the inhabi
tants of Dublin. Idleness, with tncndi
i city, have their origin in drinking,-and
the 7000 beggars who infested the streets
in 1813 were the offspring of that vice.”
The main object of the Irish malcon
tent, is to obtain fire arms. A letter from
a magistrate of Limerick published in the
London papers, says :
“ Within the last ten days about fifty
stand of serviceable fire arms have been
taken from the gentry and farmers near
me. No gentleman can be out after night
fall, nor is he safe by day. Some with you
may think it is all over: I tell them it is
not—all the neighboring villages were
ransacked for arms last night,” fee.
• T h e fo 1! o w in g para g r p h fro m t h e D u b -
lit) Journal of the 26th November fur
nishes an additional and striking illustra
tion of the nature of the evil :
“The object of the. deluded peasantry,
is evidently to abolish tithes and rents.
In the disturbed districts, the system of
intimidation is paramount, and carried to
an extent almost incredible. As an in
stance of this fact, we are assured that
the un buried remains of Jeremiah Study*
were 'lying in the-sideof the road, and not
one of his relations or friends would ven
ture to remove, or any way interfere -vvrtr.'
them This < i-u;mstanoe snews tire tre
mendous influence of the banditti who can
thus o verawe the strongest feelings of our
nature.’’—[ Gaz.
IRELAND.
Our pen recoils at the task before it.
Such scenes of conflagration mid savage
butchery, as the Irish accounts present to
our view, were probably never before
heard of, and might mo e to pity the,
. heart of a stoic. We read of the torch
applied at midnight to human dwellings,
and sleeping- families consumed. Magis
trates obnoxious perhaps for executing
laws they had sworn to enforce, have been
murdered in their beds-—churches set fire
to and destroyed—the un1 apry peasant
ry, driven by want and maddened by des
pair, with the instruments of husbandry
in their hands, attack in their irregular
manner the well armed soldiery, and the
consequences may be easily imagined.
Such was the state of affairs,’"that govern
ment had resolved upon the most vigor
ous measures—-all the disturbed counties
had been put under martial law ; and ad
dition.,! troops had- been required from
England. So far as v. e can learn, the
causes of these commotions and atroci
ties may be found in the po erty and op
pression of the lower classes of society in
that country—in. the relentless rigor of
the Landlord, and the indignant and un
yielding spirit of the tenant. A corres
pondent of the Dublin Evening Post, af
ter tv :.. t • ■ - i*: ii**- t '(i vt,*OSK- <s: c>” iti i
poor tenant from a piece of ground, of
which he had a right to expect that he
would have continued the undisturbed
possessor, says.: “You may rest assured
that this and such like conduct towards
the tenants of Ireland, is the sole cause
of the present trophies—for the poor do
not care a fig- about, any 'government, pro
vided they are treated with a little lenity
and kindness; and"it is the ignorant and
petty magistracy that necessity .constitu
ted, in the year 1788, who, by their over
bearing and tyrannical conduct to the
poor, cause some of these illegal transac
tions. If a 'peasant has a complaint to
make, you will see him follow this mighty
Man of Justice, like a spaniel or a poin
ter, with;, his hat under his arm or in.his
hand, and along the road for ,a mile, if
hfs Honor has not patience, to wait, with
out once desiring him to cover, though it
should be teeming with rain; and when
ever there is a little squabble, his Honor
immediately converts it into rebellion or
disloyalty, for some sinister purpose he
may at the moment, have in view.” The.
excesses and outrages which have in some
instances been committed, are b o atro
cious to be given in detail. On the night
between the 19th and 20th of November,
the dwelling- house of Mr. Shea, a respec
table farmer Hi the county of Tipperary,
was set on fire by ruffians and burnt, in
which seventeen persons were consumed.
They attempted to escape, but were shot
or driven back to the flames. “ Of this
number three were female infants ! two
were children of fuller years. A lovely
and very young woman, respectably con
nected, and who was on a visit to the fa
mily, made the sixth sufferer. Shea and
his wife, three servant women, and five
laboring men, swell the group of victims
to sixteen. The seventeenth was a child
not born.” After the examination of wit
nesses, the jury returned the following*
verdict: “Burnt to death by the wilfully
sett hi if Q.'ft-JifeTlTe ho us e of Ed mznrd Shea.3 ’
T.he'hause of the Rev. Henry Be van, Vi
car of Bruree, county of Limerick, had
been attacked for arms, by a body of peo
ple consisting of some hundreds. Mr.
B. with his son and servant, made a stout
resistance, and finally succeeded in com
pelling the insurgents to retire, with the
loss of several killed and wounded. These
instances are selected from a great num
ber of similar occurrences, detailed in the
Irish papers. The counties most affected
by these disturbances, are Dublin, Cork,
Limerick, Kerry, Clare, Carlow, Mayo,
and Tipperary. It thus appears that the
King’s visit has not had the effect con
templated, that of conciliating and tran
quilizing Ireland. The truth is, blarney
is but a poor substitute for bread ; and
the Kong s chunking ev his key punch with
the. Nobility, has neither,paid the arrears,
nor procured new leases for the peasantry.
RUSSIA AND TURKKY.
It is asserted in the continental jour
nal and credited in London, that the
Pe. Naris, influenced probably by Russia,
have made an attack upon the Asiatic
dominions of the Turks: It is said like
vyise that the warlike pve’parations on the
banks of the uruih, have never been sus
pended, a d have latterly proceeded with
unusual vigor. With the great Shah on
one side, and the powerful Autocrat on
the other, added to her domestic troubles,
the. situafmn of the Porte must, be ex
tremely perplexing. As respects the ope
rations of war in Turkt y, .we have no ac
counts entitled to credit. It seems, now
! ever, to be generally conceded, that the
Greeks are getting the better in the con
test. If their success in the. present strug
gle regarded t hemsel es alone, there could
lie but one wish with the friends of huma
nity throughout the world—a wish for the
establishment of their freedom, and the
security of their national independence.
But if the downfal of the Mahometan
Crescent is to end in Russian aggrandise
ment we are not sure that the cause of
liberty and civilization would be mate
i riallv benefitted.—fPetersb. Intel.
STILL LATER FROM EUROPE.
NEW YORK, FEB. 9.
j The ship Robert Fulton, captain II old -
; ridge, arri v'd below last evening, in 33
i days from Liverpool, by which the editor
1 of the National Advocate has received
regular files of -London papers to the eve
ning of the 4th January, ami the Liver
pool Saturday’s Advertiser of the 5th.
RUSSIA AND TURKEY.
An article contained in the Paris pa
i pers from Leipsic, aud dated 17th l)e
* cember, st ;tes “ the Russians had passed
j the Pruth, and that war had broken out.”
j This statement is corroborated by letters
j from Utrecht, of the 23d December, in
j which it is said “that war has'been for
| maPy dacDved' betwfrn Russia ar.d Tur
key, and that intelligence might be ex
pected soon to arrive of the first acts of
hostility.” There can be no doubt that
the sword has been unsheathed. When
it will be restored to its scabbard, no one
can tell.
Considerable rise took place in the funds
in London on the 3d January, in conse
quence of a rumor that the differences
between Russia and the Porte had been
adjusted. On this the Courier remarks,
“ there is not the least foundation for these
reports. No such advices have been re
ceived.”
Accounts from Vienna of the 30th De
cember, mention the assassination of the
Sultan, in an insurrection of the Janissa
ries; but this afterwards' appeared to be
■a stock-jobbing rumor, as no such e ent
had taken place. The Austrian and Bri
tish ambassadors are stated to have re
commended to the Divan the unqualified
acceptance of the Russian ultimatum.
But this the Sultan positively refused.
He would not consent, he said, to the
Greek church being reinstated till perfect
tranquility was restored; and as to Wal
lacnia and Moldavia, he would never
agree that they should he given up to be
occupied either by Greeks or Russians.
On being reminded, that war would be
the consequence of his refusal, he replied
that the'Lurks could never be conquered
with swords in their hands.
Intelligence had been received from
Genoa, that Lesser Wallacbia had been
evacuated by the Ottoman troops, and
that the Turkish frontiers on the Austrian
side were as unprovided with the means
of defence as in times of the most pro
found peace. Jassy had been entered by
fresh troops belonging to the Porte, and
the Russian artillery had crossed the
Dneiper and advanced towards the Pruth.
Every thing indicated a most determined
and bloody contest.
Although the accounts of an insurrec
tion at Constantinople appear to have
oeerwivifounded, it is certain that the most
barbarous'massacres of the Greeks had
been-renewed. 46 These excesses,” says
the Courier, 44 are ascribed entirely to the
sailors landed from the Turkish fleet
which arrived from the Archipelago.
They brought thirty Greek vessels in as
prizes, and- on their passing Seraglio
Point, these barbarians hung on each yard
arm three or four Greeks, as trophies of
victory ; the crews were afterwards allow
ed to go on shore, where they were guilty
of the greatest cruelties.” The Paris pa
pers, referring to these renewed cruelties,'
-say, on the authority of accounts from
Vienna, that rivers of blood have flowed
at Constantinople; and it was. even as
serted, though the account wanted confir
mation, that two ambassadors had lost
their lives.
SPAIN.
The Cortes presented an address to the
King of Spain on the 21st of December,
in which they implored him to dismiss
his inisters, as a measure essential to
the public tranquility. Ferdinand is sta
ted to have returned a laconic answer, and |
to have promised to take the request into
consideration. It was thought he would
submit it to the council of state. His.
ministers are said to have tendered their
resignations, but he had refused to ac
cept them. It does not appear from the
Spanish papers that the country is in that
disturbed 3tafcr/.vhlch accounts from other
quarters ..had represented. A few agita
• tors, and enemies of the constitutional
system had been endeavoring to excite
disturbances, but this was Confined to a
narrow space, and their designs were
effectually frustrated.
FRANCE.
We have little to nopce respecting
France. The new ministry were occu
pied with making arrangements conse
quent on their accession to power. The
funds had undergone considerable varia
tion, and the Courier remarks that this
indicated 41 the existence of political cau
ses connected either with domestic or
foreign policy.” In reply, the Morning
•Chronicle observes, 44 we are unwilling to
p onounce an anticipatory judgment on
the present French ministry. We cannot,
help, however, observing that their pledge
to compensate the emigrants for their
losses is of itself sufficient to excite an
apprehension in France far from favora
ble to the public credit. -Without' realis
ing this pledge they cannot-expect the
support of their party; and by realising
itlo such an extent us would satisfy that
party, they would inflict a very serious
blow on the French finances.”
GREAT BRITAIN.
The ferment, if we may judge from the
tone of the papers by this arrival, which
prevailed as to Ireland, lias greatly subsi
de*!. It appears, indeed, that the greater
part of what was lately said as to that
country being in a state of actual rebel
lion. turns out to be unfounded.
The meeting of the English parlia
ment has been prorogued to the 5th of
February.
A vessel had arrived at the Cove of
Cork, Ireland, from Lima, having three
hundred thousand dollars, exclusive of
silver bars, onboard, for account of lord
Cochrane. This is stated to be the se
cond precious importation for the same
distinguished character, a vessel having
lately landed at Plymouth a quantity of
silver, estimated at ^100,000 sterling,.
A further reduction has taken place of
the clerks in the Bank of England.
BOSTON, FEB. 5.
Treaty with France.■—A letter has beef*
received in town from Liverpool, dated
the 22d of Dec. communicating the im
portant intelligence that the French and
American ministers at Paris had conclu
ded a treaty of commerce—and that a
French national vessel was immediately .
ordered for the United States with a mes- '
senger to proceed to Washington with
the treaty.—f Palladium.
THE 'INDIAN WAR.
FROM THE ARKANSAS GAZETTE.
We learn from the Indian country that
the Cherokees and Osages have lately Had
some fighting, in which the former have
been completely successful. The Chero
kees were divided into parties, one of
which, amounting to fifty or sixty, fell in
with a party of Osages, principally com
posed of old men, women and children,
and killed and took nearly the whole, and
have brought in about G3 scalps and pri
soners. One Osage woman, refusing to
follow the Cherokees, was set on a horse
and shot, and her body afterwards thrown
on a fire, and consumed. Another party
of the Cherokees, consisting'of about 200
men, had not returned in our last ac
counts, but we learn that they had fell in
with the Osages, and killed and took a
much greater number. These successes
had occasioned great rejoicings in the
Cherokee nation, and the,hives of a great
number of the defenceless prisoners had
been sacrificed.
The Cherokees took a large quantity
of skins, furs, and other property, from
the Usages, a considerable portion of
which was burnt, they being unable to
bring it with them. Among the articles
brought in were the hats, clothes, ike.
known to have belonged to one. or two
white men v. k,o are supposed to have been
murdered. :