The Express.
London, England, 1859-05-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 26, 1859.

177PUNBSID CIWILTIM ON THI HIGH SEAS.

Kr. Ridgway has jest published in the form of a
pleayidet, a letter to Baud Whttbred, by a
Ltwepool mwelbeal, ea the subject of saplaished crashers
es the bib seas. The grave sad miatel, mad this
letter deserves serials saleatlea.

The majority of the oases cf enmity as shipboard which
me hang constantly reported in the newspapers,
occur on the high was, sad, le accitednaos with
international law, the sathcettles at the port, when
a foreign wised anise, are ealiraly powerless to pad a
any crime that taw have boon committal during the
Tome. Doubtless saws the English vowels that wits*
at New York and New Orleans there are those, wherein
W life sad health of sass poor sailor his been endangered,
mad in mob Menaces the /Mirka& authorities can take
no=to brim the Meader before a court of justice.
y the tweveres holds tree, and American ships
we
constantly discharplog at the port of Liverpool men who
must go at coos to hospital, and who have no legal protec-
tion whatsoever. If an awash occur in an American ohly
cabala lyieg law river, our police are at once called la, the
cam is invaidgetsd, tad the prisoner maybe pitniehed. Bat
if the memdt assn is an Americas ship some four miles off,
ear law Is sad the hands of the American an
cam that he can rarely accomplish say thing.
The soft that he can do le to force the captain to pity
the man those meads' area wages, end this punishment le
net a* wvelehedly lasoZcient, but is often most unjust.
I "Asher' time ago," writes the Li t—" I went
I to ass $ easy Is oar meth= hasOtal, who was fearfully
ill, swig te the mod troalatont he waived from two of the
maim awl a /saw seaman to the ship in which he came,
sad be wowed ma that the captain stopped the cruelty the
ineemat le wee even of it. And et as matters now steed,
ibis lee
Make ere an
the e captaiaied." is literally the only punishment
lelc
It mew that between June, 1157, and Jona, 1858, 135
man VIM kneed in American ships on the high sear, and
taken to the Liverpool hospital ; and that between June and
December last there can 80. As marts the remedy
for this soesideins Sete of things, the Liverpool
merchant seggesis the revision of our international
laws with the United States. "Au extension," he
says, "of the entraditios treaty would, I am afraid,
be of little am, for the impossibility of sea:wisp
Mimeo would ooss'antly frustrate the slide of junks.
And thews h 1 know how difiznlt it will be to arrsage
for a wridee, which must Introdnee • new pris-
ed* tab loierosticinal law—sill without such revl,ioe,
we can praetieally accomplish nothing. Why might it not
be maggested to the government of the United States
that we elisabk Walesa@ eft
apsrt, determine to make
those pow that &Wile se eels for the poorest seam
of either maths ; thee we should not limit on power
of espesselsg Aldan by the Canino. of three miles from
ear reeposthe shows; thee we should honestly sad fairly
esswine thew mess width may thus owns before us,
as am we brandy red lekly award jostles where the
oasis has hew awakes & is ow own water.? Of course
es should wales what berths, stipulation' might
he atemble• Indeed the new machinery of the
law wield he the satioa trying the
Alla wad castrillide be Oa ears. Oa the other
side as WY, en We is Amoebae, jury would pass
their wrist. ta, moreover, might readily bemale by while has sbsprisoner taken into custody at as
America part, wire be wee unable to obtain as English
leigke he nolsgeted far trial to Now York or 'Withers,
wNe a Smiler Me weal* of owns hold for an America
primer at ea l agllab pert."