The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-01 00:00:00

THE BIGHT OF SEARCH.

We extract the following from a letter dated
Washington, May 17
_

- -
The schooner Mobile, trading between Mobile
and New York
.under a coasting license, was on the
29th ult., when within about 30 miles of Key West,
fired into, brought to, boarded, and searched by a
itish man-of-war. The story of the master of the
vessel—which alone has been made public up to
this time—is that about 3or 4 o'clock in the after-
noon, the wind blowing stiff, with a chopping sea,
he was overhauled by a bark-rigged steamer carry-
ing the English ensign ; that when within hailing
distance they were saluted with intiket shots at
men in the riggie,,, at which the foresail eheets
were hauled to windward, the wheel put down, ani
the vessel hove to ; that after this more shots were
fired, at which the captain's daughter (of five goals
of age) advised her father to get " one of Mr.
llopkin's awful guns and kill 'em ;" and that then
a beat with six men “nd a lieutenant came along-
side,
and the officer came cn board, when the fol-
lowing conver,ation ensued :
" Where is this vessel from I—Mobile.
" Where is she bound I—To New York.
" Where is she owned ? —She is owned in New York.
" Why did you fire into us? Did you think us a
slaver I—No,
" Didn't you see a man-of-war to windward I—flow
should I know you was a man-of-war.
Didn't you see our pennant ?—I didn't see it ; and
besides, we very often see American and Spanish men-
o' war with their colours flying, but they never interfere
with me. I have been going up and down the gulf these
20 years, and this is the first time I was ever interfered
with.
is What is the number of your crew ?—Ten men ; and
I also have one Passenger, my wife, and two children.
I " want•) See Your papers."
They went to the cabin, where the enrolment
and license were handed to the officer :
" Where is Your register 'I You ought to have a re-
gister—Our COASthg vessels do not have registers. They
sail under a coasting license. Here is my clearance
from Mobile in regular form (handing the manifest,
which the officer examined.)
it flare you got ti.rough ; if you have I wish to pro-
ceed. It is very strange that you should commence
boarding vessels in this way ?—We have orders from our
Government to board every vessel we fall in with in
passing up and down the gulf."
The officer then returned to his vessel and the
American schooner continued on her way to
Boston. _

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About the same time a Boston bound vessel was
boarded under similar Circumstances, and with a
similar claim of right, exercis.ed, however, in a more
offensive way even than this is represented to have
been. These cases having created a great sensation
in the mercantile communities of New York and
Bos' on, I thought that a few days spent at the
capital would ben profitable investment of time. I
find that representations of the facts have already
been made to the Government, and that inquiries
will be instituted at once. If there is any one
point up
on which the whole American community
is united it is in regard to the claim of the right of
search on the high sea:. /fel-stile as the North is
to slavery, I do not think that it could ever be
brought to consent to Yield this power, and any
Administration that would wink at it must in-
evitably be defeated. And I think that the
country is equally united against the supposed
power of visitation, as disti!,guished from the
tiolit of search. This Was a subject of dis-
cussion- between the late. Mr. Webster and the
late Lord Ashburt )n—a discussion that was
terminated, like most diplomatic discussions, by a
compromise that left the original question entirely
out of view. In this way the Powers came to agree
upon a joint African squadron, leaving to each
nation the police of its own vessels. If these new
orders have been issued, and aro attempt9d to be
enforced, they must inevitably lead to trouble.
The coast, gulf,
and West India commerce of the
'
Eastern States and of New York is very large. The
tobacco, sugar, and tropical fruits of Cuba and the
other West India islands, and the cotton, sugar,
and rice of the
Southern States, all find their way
to market by the coasting vessels: Au attempt to
enforce a police visitation upon this trade must
create serious inconvenience, and lay the founda-
tion for a great deal of trouble. The necessity of
referring these questions to London gives, how-
ever, plenty of time for cooling down and for tem-
pe.ate consiclera;ion of the matter. 4