The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1811-09-11
MISCELLANY.
From ne .dLBANr REGISTER.
COMMENTS
On, rhe d;hlomcnck a6snrdisies and anti-.fmer
fean doctrines of Timothy Pickering.
by EDMOND C. GENET,
II Citizen Of .Ae-p-York.

iho'ai reCutuOc wnat gives AZ pleasure Is
consonant with that divine principle oi ration
ali,y implanted by God in the breast Of man,
10 guide him through the changing scenes OF
NE, and what gives 1t pain essentially disa-
grces with that harmonious system which IA
lone tallies with ieas0n and is The source Of
equity and justice. This iniallible criterion
may be applied TO all our actions, in pub
lick or private situation, and will never fail
10 Tell what is right or wrong.
In reading MIR. Pickcrins's last ahheois to
the fecfte, what must have been the feelings
OF The upright men Of all parties 10 view I'm
American born citizen, a gentleman who
has held under the government of the Uni
ted States eminent military and civil Offices,
who once has been al the head oil their FOL
oign relations, and who claims the honour OF
Washington friendship and confidence, be-
come the champion OF another country, when
The rights, the honour and the dignity OF the
nation 10 which he belongs arc committed
with that country, and torture his understands
ing TO stamp his iellow-citizens with ihfamy,
10 beiie their word. 10 disgrace their infant
navy md to present to the world their conduct
as unwarrantable and their valoroas actions as
those of vile murderers 1t is morally
wrong and politically criminal. But his pen
iottcring .nder ,hc irregular pulsa,cn oil an
agitated conscience, has Involved him in an
inextricable labyrinth of nonsense and incon-
sistency, where he shall be pursued, detect
ed and brought TO shame. Let us follow his
wandering steps and mark them.
In the numbers XVI and XVII of his Ap-
pcals to the people, published in the Gazette
of Albany, Mr.. Pickering informs US, that
the result of his observations since lie occu-
pied scat in the Senate oil the u. States
enabled hin, TO assume 1T rs a notorious fact,
that our rulers had eyinccd a manifest par
TALLY in favour of France that the secret
design of the administration had been con-
stantly to invole the United States in war
with Great Britain that the late occurrence,
thr hostile 0cf Of Commodore Rodgers, has led
him In new train of sboushs on sbst subject
and that the meeting of the American frigate
witt the English sloop of war was doubtless
accidental, but in fact the result Of previous
orders TO pursue another fIigate, the Gnerri-
er, which had been engaged in the business
of pressing men on our coasts TO prove it
he states that Com. Rodgers was IA or Is
leagues from Cape Henry when he discover
cd the English sloop in the east, and gave
her chase for more than six hours before he
came up with her, and he concludes from
this circuas:once that this nngvarrantabie
chase svss IA t5rcmfon o/ frerions orderS,
without which Com. Rodgers, commanding
a neutral armed vessel, would not have ieit
himself Jushfed in making IL ; an opinion
whicb hc thinks is strengthened by the APP
probation given 10y the executive to the Com
modcre's condnct, and the refusal 10 have ii
examined IN q court martial, where the cx-
lbition Of LIS orders might officially expose
the Executive to mciitcd ccnsure for author
ling an oct u zyar. To elucieaie this point
MIR. Pickering supposes that If in time of
peace two vessels meet on the high seas and
hail each other no one will asser. that either
is Obliged TO answcr--just as if two citizens
meeting on the high way, and one civilly ac-
costing the other, is passed without an an
swcr and nnnoticed, no one would Justify the
former III using his pistol or his cane to kill
or beat the other because he was deficicnt in
poi,cucss but when nation is engaged in
war, and sends out its armed vessels to cruize
OH the sea, the common highway Of nations,
then, pronounces Mr.. Pickering, the right
to chase, to hail, TO require an answer ac-
orucs to the vessels OF the nation al war, be-
cause they have right to capture those Of
their enemy. The Neutral armed vessel on
the contrary, continues Mr.. Pickering, see.
ing her nation is at peace with all other ma
,ions, Processes none Of these rights, because
they are not necessary 10 any OF the objects
OF neutrality and peace !; on the contrary,
she is bound 20 avoid every hostile act, cx-
cept in her own defence, when unjus!Iy at
tackled. When she moeis a belligerent arm
ed vessel IL is her duty (according to Mr..
Pickering's eode) to make known her gener.
al character 10 prevent the shedding OF inno-
cent blood and tho evils Of war hazarded by
a refusal to answer. As neutral, the same
authority decides, that she has no right TO-.
chase, to hail and insist upon an answer, be-
cause she has no righ; TO make a capture,
and that the friga,e President, saving none
Of these rights, is responsible to all the evis
consequent, on the chase, and the chasing OF
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