Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

WEST FLORIDA
DECLARED INDEPENDENT
From the Natchez Weekly Chronicle
EST.
FLORIDA
We yesterday received by express from our
correspondent in West Florida, the fol-
lowing highly interesting communica-
tions, which we lose no time in laying
before our readers :
Head quarters, Fort of Baton Rouge,
September 24th, 1810.
SIR,
In obedience to the order of the con-
vention bearing date the 22d instant, I di-
rected major. Johnson to assemble such of
the cavalry as might be ready at hand and
march immediately for the fort of Baton
Rouge; I then proceeded to Springfield
where I found 44 of the grenadier company,
commanded by col. Ballenger, waiting the
orders of the convention; at one o'clock in
the morning of the 23d, we joined major
Johnson and captain Griffith, with 21 of the
Bayou Sara cavalry, and 5 or 6 other pa-
triotic gentlemen joined us on our march :
at 4 o'clock the same morning we made the
attack. My orders were not to fire till we
received a shot from the garrison, and to
cry out in French and English, " ground
your arms and you shall not be hurt ;" this
order was strictly attended to by the volun-
teers till we received a discharge of mus-
quetry from the guard house where the go-
vernor was, which was returned by the vo-
lunteers; we received to damage on our part;
of the governor's troops, lieut. Louis Grand
Pre was mortally wounded, lieut. J. B.
Metzgernes, commandant of artillerists,
was also wounded, one private was killed
and four badly wounded; we took 21 pri-
soners, among whom is colonel Delassus;
the rest of the garrison escaped by flight.
The magazines, stores, &c. found in the
garrison have been reported to you by Jas.
Neilson, Esq. who was appointed for that
purpose.
The various and complicated duties de-
volving on me from the pressing circum.
stances of the moment forbid a more minute
detail.
The firmness and moderation of the vo-
lunteers who made the attack was fully
equal to the best disciplined troops. Whole
companies are daily flocking to our standard
and the harmony and patriotism prevailing
in the garrison must be highly gratifying to
every friend of his country.
Accept for yourself and your body as-
surance of my high esteem and regard.
(Signed) PHILEMON THOMAS,
Commander in Chief of the Fort of Ba-
ton Rouge & its dependencies.
The Hon. JOHN RHEA,
President of the Convention of
West Florida.
Certified to be a true copy of the original
in my office.
(Signed) ANDREW STEELE, Sec.
By the Representatives of the people of West
Florida.
A DECLARATION.
It is known to the world with how much
fidelity the good people of this territory
have professed and maintained allegiance to
their legitimate sovereign while any hope
remained of receiving from him protection
for their property and lives without
making any unnecessary innovation in the
established principles of the government
which had heretofore protected us. This
compact, which was entered into with good
faith on our part, will forever remain an
honorable testimony of our upright inten-
tions and inviolable fidelity to our king &
parent country, while so much as a shadow
of legitimate authority remained to be ex-
ercised over us. We sought only a speedy
remedy for such evils as seemed to endan-
ger our existence and prosperity, and were
encouraged by our governor with solemn
promises of assistance and co-operation:--
But those measures which were intended
for our preservation, he has endeavored to
pervert into an engine of destruction by en-
couraging, in the most perfidious manner,
the violation of ordinances sanctioned and
established by himself as the law of the
land.
Being thus left without any hope of pro-
tection from the mother country, by a ma-
gistrate whose duty it was to have provid-
ed for the safety and tranquility of the peo-
ple & government committed to his charge,
and exposed to all the evils of a state of a-
narchy, which we have so long endeavored
to avert; it becomes our duty to provide
for our security as a free and independent
state, absolved from all allegiance to a go-
vernment which no longer protects us.
We, therefore, the representatives a-
foresaid, appealing to the Supreme ruler of
the world for the rectitude of our intentions-
do solemnly and publicly declare the seve-
ral districts composing this territory of W.
Florida to be a free and independent state,
and that they have a right to institute for
themselves such form of government as
they may think conducive to their safety
and happiness; to form treaties ; to estab-
lish commerce; to provide for their com-
mon defence, and to do all acts which may
of right be done by a sovereign and inde-
pendent nation. At the same time declar-
ing all acts within the said territory of W.
Florida after this date by any tribunal or
authorities, not deriving their power from
the people agreeably to the provisions of
this convention, to be null and void; and
calling upon all foreign nations to respect
this our declaration, acknowledging our in-
dependence, and giving us such aid as may
be consistent with the laws and usages of
nations.
This declaration made in convention, at
the town of Baton Rouge, on the 23th
day of September, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and
tenWe the representatives in the
name and on behalf of our constituents
do hereby solemnly pledge ourselves
to support with our lives and our for-
tunes.
(Signed)
John H. Johnson,
John Mills,
John W. Leonard.
William Burrow,
Philip Hicky,
John Morgan,
Edmund Harris.
Thomas Lilley,
William Spiller,
.JOHN RHEA. Pres't.
: ANDREW STEELE, Sec'ry