Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1807-11-30

I
| may be disposed To hear Us with more cool
ness and impartiality.
When men differ in free county upon
the justice or expediency ofa war, it is the
| right and dtHy of those opposed to it, to
| slew its injustice or inexpedienCy.-To
stop them, by sayingy GU will giCe ggtight to
| your enemies, Is 70 preclude all discussion
| whatever. A nation might be hurried into
war against its own Judgment if it were
/ not permitted to hear the facts and argu-
} Tnehts but Oh one side Such a mean doctrine
! would be rejected with indignation in Great
| Britain. Out Of the thousand cases which
might be adduccd of tho freedom of discus
sion in that country, we viii cite only the
recent one OF the attack on the Danes.-It is
| we'll known that many writer's in England
/ attack the Administration with great bitter
ness OIL that topic--they deny that il is eth
or just, necessary or honofable-and can
, any man find line in which such freedom
Of discussion is condemned
Again, we defy any man To produce
| sentiment from the N9rning ChronieIe, Bells
Weekly Messenger, or ony other paper, in
which the principle of the right TO demand
deserters IS conceded As not existing il
| Great Britain. The only point conceded IS
one in which al parties are agreed, that the
right 10 search Public ships does not exist
but they all agree on the supposition that The
obligation to deliver deserters when de-
manded is unquestionable.
It is possible that Great Britain, under
| the pressure Of 50 many enemies standing
in the breach 70 defend our Citadel from the
spoil and rapine Of the Conqueror Of the
World, may JET concede what By the laws and
f y
but Us It is also possible that she may nor, it
IS important to US to understand what are
| really our rights 80 that we may be prepared
to say whether War will BE preferable 70
trace III the event Of refusal Of PREPARATION.
! II we were Vvong il refusing to deliver Eng
Mshmen, deserters from the SeTzicc OF their
J sovereign let tile mischief fall Oh the heads
! Of the authors Of that wrong, and not on
! the innocent people Of the u States.
| 1t will not be denied, that what is i1zc for
Us, is iGlU for Great Britain, The rights Of
Nations are reel brocai and usage is evidence
Of this law especially when supported BY
sound reason.
FACTS,
70 Su1zhort the Lar Of Nations "a the
question 9f DeSerfi9n.
a
States snip Constitution was lying in
Gibralter bay, when he was informed
by Lieutenant, whom he had pre-
vlously sent into that port with prize,
that five Of his men had deserted while
on shore, had been protected by the
guard, and had finally entered on board
the Medusa fligate, capt. Gore, claim
ing protection as British subjects
Commodore Prcble sent IN officer on
board the Mcdusa, 10 demand these
men, but capt. Gore not only refused
TO deliver them but trl ated the officer
with great insoIesce ard permitted one
y Of the sailors to insult the officer on
board lis ship lie then carried lis in
Y solence So far IS 10 demand the clothes
and wages of these seamen of Com
+. mCd0re Preble-the latter then applied
| TO the Commodore IF the Port, who
returned for answer that he had no au-
thcrity to interfere, but that he must
apply to Lord Nelson Lord Nelson
inv then written to by commodore Pre-
! big and sometime after Com. Prcble
! while at Malta, received a letter from
| Lord Nelson, written in the most gen
tleman like and officer like terms, ex-
| pessing his regret at the affair, and as
| 5uiag Commodore Preble that he
7y3tHd i58ue orders to Capt. Gore TO de
live those men Though some Of them
were British sublects) to the first ship
Of war Of the United States which he
should meet, and ifhe should not meet
anv 10 deliver them to the American
Consul in the first port he should enter.
! Whether the men we're ever restored Ct
not y not known but the above facts may
be selied on, and the pablo documents viii
| slew it. The case IS a leading one and
proves the JoLlolyin9 points list. Thai thai
excellent officer, Commodore PREBLE, be-
lieTcd that he had a right 70 dem and deselters
from his ships il a foreign country even af-
ter they had entered into the public service
the country Of which they were natives -
sd. That although inferior officers arc some
times insolent and oppressive, yet the high
est officers in the British service. the most
experienced, admitted the claim Of COmmo-
dorc Pyt5.e TO be juSt even after discussion and
against British Subjects.
French Ca8e.-There is now In Bos-
tonit is affirmed, and proved by the
ioIlWing document, a French sailor,
who declares that he was born at Dun
kirk in France, that he was never In
the French land or sea service--that he
enlisted and served seven months on
board the Essex Frigate, from whence
he was turned over to the Constitution,
capt. CampbelI-That while said Frig-
ate was lying at Cadiz, the Admiral OF
he Erench feet lvino tLere. domain