Daily National Intelligencer

From Bell's English Messenger of Aug. 8, received at the office of the Boston Patriot.

A report prevailed yesterday in the city, that negociations are going on between the government of this country and that of Spain, the professed object of which is to enable certain British Commissioners in Mexico to transmit thence to England specie to the amount of ten millions of dollars, in British ships of war. The real object, however, is, to protect, by the British flag, so much Spanish property from the Independent privateers, into whose power it would most probably fall, if the owners were rash enough to venture transmitting it to Europe in a Spanish bottom. It is pretended that the convention by which the dollars are to obtain safe convoy, will operate to the advantage of this country, by enabling the Bank of England to make better and more effectual preparations for resuming payments in specie; but it is very evident, from the present price of silver bullion in the market, that the Bank of England is not reduced to the necessity of sending to Mexico for the purchase of dollars.

There can be no objection to the principle, however, of this transaction. As a government, we are necessarily bound in good offices to the government of Ferdinand, but we are not equally bound to the Independents. In other words, we are compelled, by our relations of amity with the Spanish government, to do all those offices usual between friendly powers, and this is one of them

It is absurd to talk of neutral rights and neutral duties. This is not our relation. The belligerent parties are not in the relation of equal belligerents towards us as a third party, but one of the belligerents is a friend and an ally, and the other an unacknowledged power, at war with this friend & ally. We may keep out of the quarrel, of course, if we please, but we must not assist the latter in contrariety with our express duties towards the former, nor can the Independents complain that we perform offices to which the law of nations obliges all friendly powers, that is, all powers at peace. The fallacy of all the arguments on this question results from this error, that they are equal belligerents, and that our relation with both is that of neutrality.