Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1801-02-03
Fr0m 4 Salem Paper.

THE capture Of American me- chant
vea,el1 by The Britih ih;ps of war and pri-
ya'=ers become every day more alarming a,
N-Wprovitence i lceue of iniqui,y !, exai
b, which has no parallel. We ave accuf !
toned 40, to regard ,heC- lhings from ,heir /.
zoo great familiarity but there is point !
OF degradation beyond which we ouglt not
70 be hlent. Several millions of Americaa
property have been upiualy cond-mned in
this iAand. This Is moi an cxsgg:ratioa--
Dat truth which can b. eoGy demouN-a-
It'd, were It neccI-yy to go into lengthy
details. The merchan OF this towu have
Seen more iort1aa,e IA his reips6t shan
1hers in he Unie ed Sta es, yet they have
not wholly eicaped--yhree receut captures
OF Ss!eE, yeiie's, into this den q roguee.
prove this aferiion and m: cond-muAyian
OF At lsa.t hny bovian3 dollars Of their
property is !eyere!7 fe'. by fone Of them
We are every day iickened With the accounts
OF new caprpres. 10 lsfs than eighr Anne
rican yeGeis are mentioned in the NalIau ga.
ze.te, under date of I2,h and 9Th of De-
cember (only three weeks lincc) as beiog
jnR fen in for Adjudication by his Bi,annic
majeity'S lhips and the ll4nd pifeGroonI -,
II we ihouId add to Ihsle the liz OF otherc
waiting trial, the number would rot be ere
dited. TIE gazette has fsid, what if the
Britilh crui(e's have " in,erfered' and cap.
tured :" lome Illicit traders" Had The Wi
ter OF chat piece or the Salem copyiH ever
felt the weight OF an Englih Wet India
conrt of admiralty, or poFeAed the fpirir of
an American. we fhould never have heard
of any iuch apology, or of any palliarious
Of a conduit 70 bad as the B,itiih courts
have pretsnted towards the defenceleis A
mencau veiieIs for a period Of the laii f-ven
years. Il might Be affixed, if the United
States are moi IN dreaG!---in dream OF in
cautious (ecur;,y /? The Buccaneers Of New
Providence (without meaning their hrsihren
Of Jamaica, of Bermuda, and of Halifax
mutt have contemplate opinion of the A.
merIcaD people, Our veileis are TENT into
their poyts--condemnation follows aluua
as m after q coCrlc The American own
ers--aud, TO our ihsme the American natl
on, lSs down quietly with the lcls, sud she
diigrace of PrttiBg up with what we ought
co longer to luffer, except cur fears forste!l
US, that the United States can be auDihia-
ted with The 10 EngIih iriga,es which Re
Ter PorcuPine threatens 10 icYd agaiah Us
from the Fialifax halion. Ii is 20 be hobed,
that ionle OF our government Gbps viii be
ordered 10 take 4a,ion of New Providence,
and intercept the American prizes defined
TO that iAand. Let thsle prizes receive
counter oder, and return 10 their 4 msri-
Gao owners, let them undergo Trial in our
own courts Of juaice, ana if they have tranG.
grelIcd the laws Of nations lei rigid &C.
clifton take place, and il it appears that the
American veGs has been gully Of any ore
set contrary 20 the ftricte!t reu.rality, lst
her be condemned, and given up to the En-.
gliih Prize-mater or it oihervi!e, and the
capture Mould he declared illegal, ie. her be
reGored TO the law fol o@neia, wi,h COTS
and damlgco and in default Of paymens
thereof, lei ,hs Eagllh oihrer procure bail
among his friends IN this coanttg. q the
Amcrican merchants make no experimentation |
10 she eoyernmen! (but which ought 10 be /
done Immediately how ecu ihey expea a.
~ change OF BfJhh mealures2 The exccn- I
i've OF ,be Unaed Slaies canaot w.th pro- }
ptisty in,eriere' uttil due proof is exhibited.
luis cafe which equally intersas lhofe VINO
have loh properly, aud ,ho'e who may loie
10 Indee6it i'a iubjea in which the pub
lie inierSt, the revelue, the national pride.
and every lan5a5le and patriotic feeling, are
deeply ioisrwc CO, The Briiih adj adirat-
ed more than I've millions Of Americao pfo.
perry previous 10 the ratification Of their
treaty, which profeied TO hold out an in
identification, bat which has rot, and pro.
badly nceer VII be rca.zed 70 the Gnasrers.
cxs epiiug they houid be paid ~ our own
government The BrilnI captures Of a ,
nrrics8 properly liace this treaty was &C
-sp;cd, snd which lomc vaiGly imagined