JVo. 23.
HALIFAX, JVT. C. FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 1824.
VOL I.
THE "FREE PRESS,"
By George Howard,
Is published every Friday, at
THREE DOLLARS per year,
consisting of 52 numbers, and in the
same proportion for a shorter pe
riod, subscribers at liberty to dis
continue at any time, on paying ar
rearajres.
Advertisements inserted at fifty
cents per square, or less, for the
iivst insertion, and twenty-five cents
earn continuance.
Letters addressed to the Editor
.must be fiost fiaid.
DOMESTIC.
From the National Advocate.
Commodore Stewart. Se
veral reports unfavorable to the
character and principles of Com
modore Stewart have been for
some time past in circulation,
one of which was that he had
concealed a royalist General on
board the Franklin,and permit
ted him to land to the evident
injury of the republican cause in
South America others that he
had been trading in merchan
dize, Sac. &c. We have given
no currency to these rumours,
because we hold it to be due to
justice and generosity never to
condemn a public officer without
a hearing, and fully aware thai
we are too prone to censure
those who are not immediately
prepared to defend themselves.
This however we may be per
mitted to say, we cannot believe
that any American, much less
a gallant officer who has done
the state some service, would
by any act aid the cause of roy
alty in a country struggling to
be Iree. Without further re
marks we publish the following
letter from a friend, a public of
ficer, who has the opportunities
of knowing the facts of the
case:
Washington, Aug. 6th, 1824.
My Dear Sir The absent
are always is the wrong,and"he
who attacks an absent friend,
or who does not defend him
when spoken ill of by another,
is a black character; do you Ro
mans (said Horace) beware of
him." I am glad to find by
your letttcr of the 30th ult. that
you are desirous of seeing the
reputation of our estimable
friends, Commodore and Mrs.
Stewart, defended against those
infamous calumnies, which our
speculating fellow citizens in
foreign countries so readily set
on float against all the officers of
our government, who will not
lend their aid to forward those
avaricious schemes for whichwe
are so notorious abroad. What
you have stated is an old story
we had months ago, or at least
that the government had, but
now they are new varnished,
and sent forth by envy, hatred
and malice. The very worst
construction that can be put Tp
on it is this:
A Royalist Officer, pursued
by his enemy, was it is said se
creted on board the Franklin to
save his life, without the
knowledge of Com. Stewart,
who was enraged when he dis
covered him; and arrested his
First Lieutenant, who also it is
said knew nothing of it. It was
then said Mrs. Stewart had se
creted him in some part of the
ship, and sent him things to
subsist on from the cabin. ' If
be did this it was from humane
motives and no other there
could exist no other in her bo-
som. borne say she took the
blame of it to screen a youn
omcer irom punishment, which
I can readily believe, knowing
the purity and generosity of her
heart. Uthers more wicked, say
sne aid it to get her husband
out ot the scrape, who hid the
officer himself. It is a trifling
incident, ol no moment a hti
mane act to save the life of an
individual; what our Consul did
so often, and so much to his dis
advantage in 1815 in Bordeaux,
when the royalists where in pur
suit of distinguished imperialists
he could not stand by and
sec such eminent men butcher
eu when he had the power to
save them, and the verv men
who men censureu mm now
ii t i
approve Jus conduct But the
enemies of Com. Stuart and his
superior wife, who has been of
infinite use to her countrvmen
m j
in the Pacific, from her perfect
knowledge of the language
and
her charm ins:
manners, which
caused her to. be beloved in all
South America, made a story
out of this noble act, which I am
astonished any respectable or
sensible person should listen to.
lou know what our country
men are abroad other nations
cling together and support one
another in foreign countries like
Scotch clan, but our people
seem to take delight in calumni
ating each other. There arc a
number worthy respectable A
mericans in South America, but
generally speaking, our country
never before sent so manv
j i
wretched adventurers as have
thronged there. They cannot
(conscious of their own iniquity)
respect themselves, and measur
ing other peoples wheat by their
own busheJ, they respect no
onc,and use unblushingly the vi
lest means to reduce innocence,
virtue and valour to their own
level lhomo homini lupus.9
The Franklin is daily ex
pected, when the whole affair
will die away; all I am afraid of
is that Stewart will get hold of
some one who has been busy in
circulating these wicked reports,
and some quarrels will ensue.
The story was first printed si Hi
in an obscure paper in the little
town of , and reprinted
in that sink of obloquy
, and thus circulated. It is
perfectly understood here; all
our distinguished officers are en
raged at it; no one credits it: you
will sec our worthy see'ry of
the navy while on his tour of
inspection, question him on the
subject, and he will satisfy you.
Like a snow ball as it travelled
north it has increased in magni
tude, no man of honor, or wo
man of feeling, ought to suffer
it to be told in their presence.
I expect the government has
been in full possession of this
affan, -nd of all other com
plaints made against Com. Stew
art, by the contending parties
in South America, and by his
factious countrymen, and they
are satisfied he has done nothing
dishonorable to himself or to the
government. Let me beg you
will say so, and quote me on all
occasions when these calumnies
so disgraceful to our morality
are uttered in your presence by -
male or female, knave or fool."
Warm TFork.Tha doors
of the Police were opened at
day-break yesterday, when in
rushed upwards of twenty
Blacks, male and female sai
lors and sweeps, who had been
actively engaged the night pre
vious, in dancing, rioting, and
other disordily practices. The
Watchmen found them in a
house in Crosby street shrick-
ing,screaming and cutting antic
capers the thermometer at that
period, being near 85, and the
atmosphere rather strong and
smoky. The brave watchmen,
however, broke m upon them,
and lodged them safe in the
Watch House. They were eel
ebrating "Almanacks in the
East," or "life in Hell," as
Tom and Jerry did, and before
the supper was served, the dar
keys were all caught. They
were severally examined and
committed when Dinah Dingy
came up crying to the bar pro
testing her innocence and good
character; and the magistrate
believing her storv. nnrmitted
her to go, with suitable admoni
tions. Dinah, however, had
scarcclypassed the railings of the
court, when she set up a shriek
and howl jumped inordinately
high clapped hands, gave such
proofs that she belonged to the
Bob Logic school, that orders
were given to bring her back.
She cleared out, with the watch
men after her, and having chased
her up Broadway, Dinah was
caught, brought back, and
llanted to Bridewell, as an
admonition to all others, not to
exhibit proofs of agility in the
purlieus of the court. One half
of the party in Crosby street
escaped. New- York Jldv.
Harrodsburg, Ky. July 17.
Breach of Promise. On
Wednesday last, a verdict of
two thousand dollars in dam
ages, was recovered, in a suit,
in favor of Sophia Richardson,
against Garland Withers, for a
breach of marriage, contract.
The defendant plead non as
sumpsit, and non assumpsit
within 5 years, which pleas were
tried and relied upon, and after
every latitude of indulgence in
support of . his pleas, as well as
to traduce the character of the
plaintiff, and her father and mo
ther, the effort recoiled upon the
defendant, in the just indigna
tion and sense of the jury, by
the outrage, that may serve
as a lesson, not only to the de
fendant, but to others, how they
sport with female credulity and
virtue. The jury had retired
but a few minutes until they re
turned with their verdict. A
motion was then made in arrest
of judgment, in consequence of
some alleged irregularity, in
making the issue upon the plea
of the statute of limitation; but
the court, in furtherance of its
acknowledged regard for justice,
and the cause having been tried,
as upon regular issues to defen
dant's two pleas, overruled the
motion for a new trial,
Beware of Swindlers. Two
men, one named James Dench,
and the other Mordicai Lyons,
have been for some time in this!
place exhibiting their Fire
Works, where theyreceived con-
siderable sums of money, and
where they almost invariably
swindled every person who suf
fered them to get in their
debt. They left here on Tues
day morning the 3d instant, for
Plymouth, after being imprison-
.ed for several days for their ta-
I VPin kill rhr l 1J
nicy pieau usiwun a win iur iwo youn"" men
they did with others who trusted of the name of Hart, brother
them) their inability to nnv.
Charity for their situation in
duced many of the citizens to
contribute to their relief. But
behold, after they left here, (as
was believed by many) they
were, found to be in funds. We
understand they are in the habit
of bilking the public wherever
they go. At .Norfolk and Eli
zabeth-City, they played off the
same game they have upon the
citizens of this place: and as
they appear to he bending their
course to the South, it is expect
ed that Editors of Newspapers
generally, will give this a place,
in order that the public may be
on their guard against two such
unprincipled and ungrateful vil
lains. Dench appears to the
principal in the farce; but Ly
ons, we believe, is the most
arch fellow of the two, as he re
ceives the money, keeps the ac
counts, & pays off the bills with
nsunerable effrontery. Dench
is a coarse.
rough-hewed
En
glishman, with a countenance
that cannot betray him; and Ly
ons we are told is an American,
and born in Philadelphia. He
has the countenance of a Jew,
and appears to possess all the ac
complishments requisite for a
first rate swindler. EdentonGa.
Roads. A subscription has
been opened under an act of the
Legislature of North Carolina,
for stock in a Company to make
a Turnpike Road from Ashville,
by the vv arm Springs, to the
Tennessee line. It is computed
that, even now, not less than for
ty thousand head of hogs, five
thousand head of horses and
mules, and a proportionate num
ber of horned cattle, arc annu
ally driven this road to the Sou
thern markets.
Death of Mr. Rodney. By
an arrival at Baltimore from
Buenos Ayres, papers of that
place to the 1st July are receiv
ed, containing the melancholy
intelligence, that the Hon. C. A.
Rodney, our minister at Bue
nos Ayres, died suddenly on the
10th June, at six o'clock in the
morning, and wras buried with
appropriate marks of respect on
the following day. His family
were to take passage for Phila
delphia on board the brig Amer
ica, captain Ncal, to sail in a
few days after the Noble, which
brought the papers containing
the intelligence to Baltimore.
The Buenos Ayres Mercantile
which announced the death of
Mr. R. was clothed in the em
blems of mourning.
Senor Bcrnadina Rivadini,
ex-minister of foreign affairs,
embarked on the 26th of June
on board of a British packet for
England, on a private mission
for the republic of Buenos Ayres
The article of flour was quo
ted at $9, on board, when the
Noble sailed. The French ex-
pedition, under captain Duperre, j
had made some important dis-;
coveries of islands in the racihe ;
Ocean.
New-York, Aug. 12.
Horrid Suicide. A tragic
event occurred yesterday alter
noon, at a respectable boarding
house in this city. While the
boarders were at dinner, Mr.
Seaman, deputy sheriff called
I !iL ' ! A C x '
who had just returned from an
excursion to the Springs. They
expressed their readiness to at
tend the sheriff, and asked per
mission to go to their lodging
room, for their hats. This was
granted, but having remained
longer than was expected, the
sheriff requested the landlord to
ascertain if they had really gone
to their room. He knocked at
their door, when immediately
he heard the report of a nistoL
which was followed in a few se
conds by another. On entering
the room, it was found that both
the young men had destroved
themselves, having apparently
each placed a pistol in his mouth,
and literally blown to atoms.
the upper parts of their heads.
we learn that the young men
were natives ol the Is and of
St. Thomas, named Ralph and
John Hart, aged 24 and 2G years.
They had transacted business at
Mayaguez, Porto Rico, under
the firm of I. & R. Hart. From
this place, it is said they ab
sconded some months since in a
vessel which they had purchas
ed and loaded on credit: and af
ter visiting Curacoa, Havana,
and Jamaica, and disposing of
the yessel and cargo, arrived in
this city a few weeks since.
They returned from the Springs
yesterday morning.
care for an incurable dis
ease. Baron Cramar, a celebra
ted German, has found out a
method of making the most
confirmed tippler have the great
est loathing and repugnance to
all sorts of spirits and strong li
quor. Take one tea-spoonful
of tincture of calamba, one tea
spoonful of the tincture of cas
carrilla, one tea-spoonful of the
compound tincture of gentain,
a wine glassful of the infusion
of quassia, and twenty drops of
elixir vitriol; mix, and take
twice or thrice a day, and have
a jug of cold water dashed over
the head every morning coming
out of bed, and the feet bathed
in warm water every night.
Continue this for six or eiht
weeks. Dr.Roth,of Swinemun
de, has succeeded with this
remedy in curing many poor
creatures, both men and women,
who were killing themselves by
continual tippling and drunken
ness. Nathaniel Floyd, of Louis
ville, Kentucky, was killed on
the 20th inst. by Robert R.
Moore. The parties had quar
relled on Sunday, and meeting
each other on Monday, some a
busive words passed. Floyd
was on horseback, drew out his
knife, and appeared to be about
dismounting, on seeing which
Moore observed, "if you arc for
that, I am ready for vou " and
stepped into the house for his
run, and shot FWrl h
was sitting nn Vnc lrco
Scolding. I never knew a
scolding person that was able to
govern a family. hat make.
people scold? Because they can
not govern themselves. How
then can they govern others?
: Tlinca rxrVin crnVPTTX Wpll fro n
erally calm. They are prompt
land resolute, but steady and
j mild.