The Sun.
London, England, 1818-08-18 00:00:00

Itif 811 :

•` Though our tvortnest wishes are itt layout 01
that twiversal I►erre which at present prevails
throughout the civtlizetl world, awl we should be
t►ntoug the last to

Cry havoc and let the dog, of war,

yet we are not without strong apprehensions
that the ambition and arrogance 01 the American
I{,puldic will at no distant period force us loin
fresh hostilitits. In iegard to the seizure of the
Floridas, it may he urged that this is no onerrn
0, ours, as they were Hanish provinces. Waving,
for the present, all srettlationg on the course
which sound policy would dtctaie to Great Isti-
fain, in a case where her interest i• evidently very
dei ply invoked, we cannot hrip thinking that
the national honour regnires oar Gov( roment to
demand immeliate explanation resPecting the re-
cent summary execution of Messrs. Aaau-rnNoT
it 'id AM-BEI6IIR, British subjects, whose sole
offence .seems to have consistetrin their friendship
toT the independent Indian Ti ibes on the frontiers
CO the United States. It is admitted, that Ali.
AltbuTllNor was engaged in the peacefnl pursuits
est trade ; but granting that both had been found
in arms against the Aniericans..would that circum-
stance justify their being treated as traitors or
spies ?, As well might our Commanders have in-
flicted a similar punishment on all American citi-
zens taken by them during the last war,. in the
ranks and in the vessels at their enemies. The
honour end dignity of the natioo imperiously re-
spire a strict investigation of the transaction in
suestion and it it shall be found that no other
right than the right conferred by strength has
been consulted by the Officers of the United
States, we are sore that the same spirit which a
century ago so signally resented an outrage on
the person of an I.4.;n:tlishman, will loudly insist
on due reparation for the wanton sacrifice of the
lives and property of in7lividods belonging to the
and protected by the power and the laws
of Great Britain."

The fate of the same Gentlemen is thus alluded
to in The Dublin Correspondent of the 12(11 inst.
The subject is of course noticed in all the Pro-
vincial Journals, and it seems indeed to be the

general opinion, that Goveruntent is bound by
.every principle of national justice to make it the
ground of the most rigorous investigation:—
" It is gratifying to observe the strong moral
Pentiment tvhich has been universally excited by the
rash and sanguinary proceeding that deprived the
unto,. unate ARBOTHtsoT and AMnitlsTig of their
"tees, as has been before noticed. A sensation so
grit einl at this transaction has created cannot 51h-
side, until a fall and sufficient explanation is
given of the exact nature of the offence with
which those unhappy men have been charged,
accompanied by such a justification of the course
pursued by the American General, JACKStiN, as i
will satisfy the world that be has acted lawfitlly;
or, it this latter be impracticable (as it at present
appears to be), such atonement on the part of
the United States' Government, for the blood
cruelly and wantonly shed, as the laws of God
and of nations require. If JACKSON'S arbitrary
and inhuman conduct towards these persons can-
not be maintained upon stronger grounds than
those that have been hitherto advanced in his
vindication, he is a criminal of the deepest kind,
and should be given up to the punishment of the
laws he has so grossly violated.; and should 'the
American Government, in such a case, attempt to
shelter him from lawful retribution, it becomes,a
party in his guilt, and is liable to the responsi-
buitv which an act of so foul a nature necessa-
rily imposes.
Iu judging of this matter, without the requi
site proofs for forming a just opinion upon it. we
are, in a great degree, guided by the sewiments
we have seen expressed in some of the American
Papers, as well as by the view which we I.ave al-
retidv taken of the question of National Law that
it involves. The former advert to the occurrence
us wanting the sanction of any usage or regula-
tion acknowledged between civilized nations, and
stigmatize it, at the sante time, as being uncalled
for by any exigency, arising out of the circuits-
stances under which ARBUTHNOT amid AMBRISTIR
fell into the hands of the United States' troops.
We cannot, at this moment, perhaps, do better
with the subject, than to quote the following ob-
servations trout The Bahama Gazette.* They will
afford something, at present, fur the reader's me-
ditation; and, if he do not sum up in liis own
mind a catalogue of offences, as flagrant as can
well be brought into the scale of public delitt-
quency connected with it—namely, the nitro
-yoked invasion of a neutral territory—tile attack-
ing and taking forcible occupation of its towns
and torts—the issuing an order for the indiscri-
minate massacre of human creatures, for being
found in arms, asserting their own rights—and,
finally, the murder, as it must vet he termed, of
,two subjects of the British Crown—he will exa-
-vine the case with very different impressions
I—n awe which we entertain at present. We
.ve made, in our enumeration, as we were upon
ct e subject, the execution of Aaautrnstor and
Astattivrts the climax, though. in fact, the
ttr.insact ion was some, time autecedeut 'to the other