VOL L
THE "FREE PRESS,"
By George Howard,
Is published every Friday, at
THREE DOLLARS per year,
eoir-.isting 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
rearages. Advertisements inserted at. fifty
cents per square, or less, for the
first insertion, andtwenty-fiveceuts
each continuance.
Letters addressed to the Editor
must ha post jinid.
DOMESTIC.
State of Morals in the West.
The dense population ofEng
Jand scarcely furnishes more in
stances of bloody violence, than
ire announced almost every
week in the papers which reach
us from the Western States.
Crimes which sicken the heart,
appear to flourish where the
greatest 'refinement of manners
might be expected. Assassina
tions, the courage of cowards,
is the order of the day. A phy
sician, protected by the darkness
of the evening, murdered a
member of the legislature, to
gratify his malevolencethe
son of the governor of Kentuc
ky, is found with the bloody
garments upon him of a strang
er, whom he had decoyed, mur
dered and robbed. Judges and
district attorneys, perish in pri
vate combat and the humbler
classes of society, follow close
in the rear of those savage cx-
amples. Surely the West has!
gained little in civilization sin.es
its earlv history. I he wiidlsria, Alabama
beasts that inhabited it, might j there are no more than y,000: Dominion, lying in juxta-posi-plead
instinct for their ferocity j Cherokees.... the Creeks claim itiou to it... .AW. Int.
the much abused ana insulted
savages, no civilized nation dare1
to rebuke, seeing that the most,
civilized encouraged them to
scalp their prisoners, for the
cause of religion. But we of;
the present day, what excuse
shall be made for us none
none. Let us flatter ourselves
as much as we please, as being
the centre of civilization, where
rays are to emanate in all direc
tions for the benefit of mankind:
let us send missionaries into the
wilderness to un teach the sav
age the vices which man, in a
state of refinement, has taught
him. But before thev enter on !
the sphere of their exertions, let1403,34S acres of land. The
them stop, and endeavor to cor
rect those vices which all the
advantages of society have prov
ed inadequate to overcome.
Chas. Courier.
The effigy of Henry Clay
was burnt, at Pittsburg, on the
night of the 14th inst. A writer
in the Pittsburg Gazette, says,
that '-'the preparations for this
infamous affair were made in
haste and in secret;" and "that
no man having the most re
mote pretention to respectabili
ty or decency, is in the smallest
degree suspected of participa
tion in it."
The Iluntsville Democrat,
pronounces Alexander Pope
and Gen. Taylor, Register and
Receiver of the Land Office at
Cahawba, as swindlers both of!
private and public monies, to an Editor of the National Ga
extensive amount. The dis- zette "opines" that, in the dis
closure is made in a communi- tribution of Offices by the new
cation, which the Editor cor- Presideut,"the South would be
loborates. unreasonable "to desire any iar-
Petersburg Int. ger portion of office than "it has
Wcstern Lands... .The very
moderate rates at which some
of the finest lands in the world,
are now selling in Louisiana, is
a circumstance not generally
known abroad. We have just
heard of the sale 'of 426 acres of
land within three miles of the
Mississippi and ten of Baton
Rouge, for about seventeen hun
dred dollars. Near 100 acres
of the land in question were
cleared and partly under fence.
There were sonic huildrigs on
the place and several springs of
good water. When the proxi
mity to market is considered.
tour dollars arc certainly far
short of the real value of land
which yields 250 lbs cotton per
-p,aimiSiiduy io receive tne
plough. If the cotton planters
emigrating irom tno impover
ished soils of Georgia and the
Carolinas knew how low lands
are selling in some parts of Lou
isiana, we think the tide of em
igration to Arkansas would be in
a great measure, turned this
way, N. Orleans paper.
: i : v. . . . i
Indians. An
interestins:
statement of the superintendants
ot Indian afluirs is among the
documents accompanying the
President's late communication
to Congress on the subject of
making provision for the per
manent settlement oi'lhe Indian
tribes on the west of the Missi-
sippi....we glean from lids offi -
aal paper the following facts....
Thai the number Oi Creeks lo -
cated in Georgia and
is 20,000... .and that
i a na m a
in Gear-
aiid Tennessee
in this State 4,245,700 acres of
land and the Cherokees 5,292,
1(30 acres.... in all 9,537,920 a
crcs.,...the Creeks and Chero
claim in Alabama 5,995,200
acres.. ..and the Cherokees have
in Tennessee 1, 055,680?.. .So the Rising Sun Tavern, in hon
that the Cherokees, with a po- or of his election to the Presi-
puianon oi u,uuu sou is, are in
possession of 9,000,000 of acres,
or 1,000 acres for every indi
vidual, man, woman and child.
The whole number of Indians
within the limits of the several
states and territories is estima
ted at 129,2GG souls, divided
into sixtv four tribes and rem-
1 a i n I
nants of tribes, who claim 77.
Indians residing in the States of
North Carolina, Georgia, Ten
nessee, Alabama and Mississip
pi are estimated at 53,G25, con
sisting of Cherokees, Creeks,
Choctaws and Chickasaws, clai
ming about 33,573,170 acres,
including the claim of the Cher
okees of 200,000 acres in North
Carolina!
Fire. We regret to learn
that the British brig Gen. Brock
Capt. Whitbw, lying below
Wilmington, loading for Liver
pool, took fire on Saturday
night last, and was entirely con
sumed, with 900 bbls. turpen
tine, and 200 bales cotton.
The 2d mate and two seamen
are missing, and it is supposed
they were either burnt or
drowned.
Bislribuion of offices. The
uniformly enjoyed." We should
be glad if this opiniatre gentle
man would inform us what pro
portion of civil office under the
general government has been
for the last five & twenty vears
enjoyed by the State of" North
Carolina, for example. What
Minister abroad has she filled?
What office, except the tempo
rary Commission under an arti
cle of the Treaty of Ghent?
iNone: we do not belirwri thr-rp
XT , . .
- ,
is at tin's moment, anions the!
two or three hundred persons
in ouicc at the seat ot Govern
ment, with the exception before
j mentioned a single citizen of
'that State. We do not mean,
j however, to advance the opin-
ion that more of the officers of
! government ought to be selected
ion that more ot the officers oft
Irom the country South anil
West of New England, than has
lately been. We only say, that
in the nature of things, it must
be so, particularly in case of a
choice of President being made
under the circumstance of the
late election. The President
elect will always be strong at
home. It will then be his pol
icy, in the spirit of our govern
ment, too, so to distribute the
great offices of the government
as to conciliate, as far as practic
able, the good will of the Peo
ple of all the States. And what
ever the editor of the National
Gazette mav think of it as a!
'faet that the Virginia Presidents!
j whom he speaks of, have made!
imoroannointments to office from !
the State of Massachusetts, at
a distance fiom the Seat of Gov-!
eminent, than from the Ancient
On the 15th inst. a large
number of the Citizens of Tren
ton and vicinity, advocates of
the election of J. Q. Adams,
nartook of a sumotuous dinner at
dency. The centre of the table
was graced with a large Pump
kin Pie, measuring 4 feet by 2.
JVars and rumors of tvars.
The Philadelphia papers
state that orders have been re
ceived from Washington, "to
finish immediately the U. S.
vessels upon the stocks in that
port, and to put two more on
the stocks. W e know not that
this is any indication of war:
It is the business of wise rulers
to be prepared for that evil in
the leisure of peace."
Similar orders have been re
cently issued,we understand, to
the other nava! depots.
JVhat does this mean? The
Northern Editors are at a loss to
understand' the reasons of the
reported movements in the Na
vy Department. Orders are
said to have been" received at
Philadelphia for the immediate
completion of the vessels of war
now building there, and for put
ting two more on the stocks.
The N. Y. American says,
that similar orders have been
received at the Navy Yard
there, and that the Express im
mediately proceeded on to the
eastward. The N. Y. Mer.
Advertiser generalises the ru
mor, and reports that orders
had been dispatched to the na
val depots to prepare for sea
with all expedition the vrs
sels of war now Ivinj in ordi-
nary at the several stations.
IVhy those orders? Are they
issued at the instance of the
President, present or elect? To
meet any event already known
to the people, or some crisis yet
to be developed? Is it Spain,
France, what is it? Or is it
merely the execution of the
system for the gradual increase
of our Navy? It is only to pur
sue with spirit the War against
Ihn nirntns vi f hp Phil. Frank
- I J
lin Gazette. The Baltimore
Federal Gazette, gives us a fur
ther rumour, that orders have
issued for assembling a strong;
U. S. squadron at or near Gi
braltar.
Another rumour (continues
the Gazette) is, that a discovery
has been made of the existence
of a secret treaty between
Spain, and some of the Conti
nental Powers of Europe, the
conditions of which are calcu
lated to disturb the peace of the
world, and that a knowledge of
this circumstance hastened the
recognition of the independence
of Colombia and Mexico by
England." For ourselves, we
have heard no rumour, and can
give no explanation....
FOKSXGX,
London dates to the 15th
January, have been received
at New-York;
the following
extracts are s;iven:
The Paris Journals, which
have arrived to a late date, con-
tinue'to be occupied with the
discussions nn ihn strn England
has taken in recognizing mrt
of the new South American
States, and which is described
as having caused a great sensa
tion in that capital. It is asser
ted in a private letter from Pa
ris, that in general this vigorous
act of the English Cabinet is
the first blow given to the Holy
Alliance, and that it is a fact
that the cabinets of Madrid,
Paris and Petersburg have long
been preparing a powerful di
version in S. America; which
the sudden recognition of Eng
land has now overthrown.
The Paris Quotidienne, of
Jan. 10, says that the Represen
tatives of the Holy Alliance
met the day before yesterday,
and that a note was sent to the
Cabinet of St. James, on the sub
ject of its determination as to
South America. J he Cuotidi
enne says this determination is
a strange one; the Etoile breaks
out into threats against Eng
land. Suggestions are thrown
out of a misunderstanding be
tween England and the Holy
Alliance, for which it is even
said they have been for some
time secretly preparing.
Greece. Private letters from
Hydra of 2d December an
nounce that a naval action had
taken place near Rhodes subse
quent to 2d December, in which
an Egyptian frigate was burnt
and several transports taken.
The fortress of Patras after
being blockaded, both by land
and sea, is now regularly be
sieged. Eight vessels detached
from the squadron of Admiral
Miaoulis intercept all communi
cation from without, by consent
of the English, who have re
cognized the legitimacy of the
blockade proclaimed by the He
Icnic Government. Cannons
and mortars have been landed
at the anchorage of St. Andre,
and transported to Scotavpnj, !
where a battery is preparing
J The works are directed by Eu-
ropean engineers and the artil
I lery supplied by a body of stran
gers, len thousand Greek sol
diers commanded .by Andre
Xaines and Constantinc Bozza
ris defend the besiege.
On the 27tb Nov. Constantino
Bozaris, being informed that
Joussouf Pacha had just sent
two thousand men from Lepan
to, commanded by the celebra
ted Achmet Pacha, left Sichena
himself for the purpose of en
countering them. He came up
with them on the plain of Xero
Compos, beat them, killed Ach
met Pacha, and took away
fiom the Turks the desire of
giving further annoyance to the
besiegers. The capture, there
fore, of the fort of Patras may
be cons'dered very near.
Spain. The evacuation of
Spain by the French troops has
been a signal for the re-organization
of the constitutionalists
into guerrillas in various parts,
of that distracted country; and
the measures adopting by the
government will have a tenden
cy to strengthen and exasperate
the people and perhaps produce
another overturn in its constitu
ted authorities. The govern
ment, it is said, intend to bring
to trial all the ex-political chiefe
within its power; and the re
establishment of the cursed in
quisition is said to be beyond
doubt, the decree only wanting
the King's signature. Gen. Es
pagne, commandant of Arragon,
has applied to the Minister at
War for more troops to restrain
the people, who are rising eve
ry where, particularly at Lower
Arragon. The finances of the
government are so crippled, and
its treasury so exhausted, that
certain officers draw only one
third of their pay. Several
plans for the relief of the Trea
sury has been suggested, among
others the sale of the seventh
part of the estate in mortmain,
the-property of the Convents.
The actual administration are
not in concert, one part being
advocates for moderate meas
ures, and another and the stron
gest are their antagonists. The
inhabitants are arrested on
charges of uttering seditious
cries and tried by Courts Mar
tial. The prisons arc represen
ted to be full, notwithstanding
these Courts "pursue their la
bors with extraordinary activi
ty." A great number of per
sons had been arrested at Vich,
and their being no permanet
commission, a court martial of
Royalist OfiScers, few of whom
could read, was formed.. This
Court, without hearing the wit
nesses in defence, condemned
all the prisoners to the sallies.
n appeal irom this decision,
'which had plunjred 200 of the
principal families in Vich into
mourning," had been forward
ed to the Captain G eneral.
Another expedition to South
America is talked of, to facilitate
which the expences incurred
are to have preference to the
treasury over every other claim,
and one third of all receipts are
appropriated for that purpose.
The King's royal'family ar
rived at Madrid on the 13th
November.
Paris papers of the 13th Jan.
mention the death of the King
of Naples and Sicily.