News of the US: Week Four of February 1812
February 24: From Santiago, Chile — “This was a day of great gratification to the real friends of the country, from the solemn reception of Col..Joel Roberts Poinsett, Consul-General of the U. States of North America, appointed by James Madison, their present President, to the supreme Government of Chili. All the corporations assisted at this ceremony, their unanimous vote having preceded it.”–National Intelligencer, July 14, 1812
February 25: “On Tuesday morning, Feb. 25, the Thermometer stood at 31 [degrees] below cypher in Windsor, Vt. which is a greater degree of cold than has been observed there since its settlement.”–Connecticut Mirror, March 16, 1812
February 26: “The whole system of taxes, introduced into the House of Representatives, by the Committee of Ways and Means, passed, in Committee of the whole, on Wednesday last.”–New York Spectator, March 4, 1812
February 26: House of Representatives — “Mr. Low presented the petition of Mary Palmer, widow of Peleg Palmer deceased, who was a custom-house inspector in New-London, Connecticut, and in the discharge of his duty was frozen to death on board of a vessel–praying for relief.”–New York Spectator, March 4, 1812
February 27: “The bill authorising a loan for a sum of money not exceeding eleven millions of dollars, has passed the House of Representatives by a majority of 65 votes.”–National Intelligencer, February 27, 1812
February 27: In the House of Representatives — “The House proceeded to the consideration of the unfinished business of yesterday, viz. Internal Taxes, &c. Mr. Fisk moved that the resolutions be all indefinitely postponed.–War, he said, was not inevitable; perhaps the taxes would never be wanted. It would not be wise to alarm the people, till war is commenced.”–Newport Mercury, March 7, 1812
February 28: From Washington — “The President of the United States has, we learn, approved of the acquittal of Brig. Gen. James Wilkinson of all the charges alleged against him, and caused his sword to be restored to him.”–Raleigh Register, February 28, 1812
February 28: “It is reported that Aaron Burr sought to get a Passport from General Armstrong at Paris. The American minister would not know him. He subsequently got one from Mr. Russell, in this style, ‘suffer A. B. to return to the U. S. for the purpose of delivering himself into the hands of justice.'”–Raleigh Register, February 28, 1812
February 29: From Ohio — “The law fixing the permanent seat of government will be seen in this week’s paper. A town is to be laid out on the East bank of the Scioto river, opposite Franklinton, and is, we understand, to be named COLUMBUS.”–Scioto Gazette, February 29, 1812
About the Author
Mary Bowden is a researcher working at the Texas Collections Deposit Library at the University of Texas. A little-known but invaluable treasure of U.S. history and the history of American journalism is archived in the collection of bound United States’ Newspapers at the University of Texas at Austin. The collection began more than a century ago and has been stored in recent years in the Texas Collections Deposit Library on the campus of the University of Texas. The sizeable archive is currently in the early stages of being digitized before being moved to a more climate-controlled environment at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus of the University, on the north side of Austin.