The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-08-20

,of mere "cti uette - though Commodore
Rodgers should have hailed first. and did not
lire nnhf he had received the first shot, vet
''evcn OH this ground his conduct appears
mosf asrocionS :" for, he had 40 right to
hail, and the Courier iniers, he had none to
fire How then must the Courier feel at
the bare suggestion that ',,he first shot was
fired by the American 20 Z" Which is the
offending party is clear enough" adds this
dispassiJnate print. '"but the e.rtent CT tina;
offence can amy be known fron o6icio! in
formation" Its solemn disavuwai, the pu
nishmcnt of Rodgers, and refar0ifon, as
far as it is possible for the loss OF SO many
valuable lives is ALL that it modestly asks
These concessions 'n,ay prevent a reta-
HoHonwhich national justice and honor bo:h
DEMAND We may conceive there
fore. hat in this temper OF mind, the des-
patches OF Bingham arc calculated to
spread momentary flame; but the des-
patches OF Mr.. Foster, which have now
crossed the water, must certainly eXtin
guish 1t i'm the Cabinet, it they have any
sense OF justice or shame remaining. On
this point indeed. the Charleston Courier
OF the 18th. a federal paper of the first wa
ter. leaves scarcely any room for doubt. -
ihat print ininrms US, in the name vi "a
gentleman from Washington" that our go
vernment had not besiIaied TO give =" as
act before us, as the Courier of Liverpool
can possibly require; that "no NEW Ia
struct'ons had been issued to our cruizers :"
that his Informant had read the orders
issued by the navy department 20 Commo
Gore IL, they were very short, and the s,b-
stance Of them is this, that he world Join
his ship and proceed to sea, to cruise with
IN specified limits Tor the protection OF our
commerce. as hereto/ore;" that as TO the
court of Enquiry. to- FIX all the circumstances
OF the case, Rodgers application Had been
deemed premature, because the case stood
upon his word alone, which there was no
reason TO donbr, as little was there to be-
iieve, that it would be cnntradicted by Bng
nam; but, that as HIS statement differs
widely from that of the Commodore, aud
as the latter presses for An investigation with
some solicitude, on his own accoun,-it has
been thought best to refer the matter to a
Court 1T Eoquiry, whose opinion must be
deemed conclusive by the British govern
ment, III the same way as was the 81 ,ence
OF the British Court, on the trial Of CT plain
Whitby for the Murder of poor Peirce.-l
Should they discover the dispatches al com
X 10 have been correct, Got which we have
no sort OF doubt the question is at an end for
|ever-for, where there has been no wrong
committed, 10 "hunishment or reharafion"
can possibly be due But, ifthey acre due,
with what face would the British govern
u'ent, demand tn m wsie Capt. Humphries
retains his sw,rd. and the ''Ghos So o.,
those who fell on the decks Oh the Che~a
Peake " still walk unrevenged amungs
us1''
Maryland is now in a state OF greatex
element. An election is to take place nn
t'e I'd Set. on which materially depends
the political zone of the state for the mex
live years. BY its consti'u tion, the State
Senate are chosen every5 years By a body
% electors, elected 5y the people, consis-
Ting OF two electors IRON each county, tc-
gethcr with one from Annapolis and another
from Baltimore. The political principles
ot the Senate will of course tally with these
OF the majority OF the Electors not only al
first but during the res. of their term OF
service--because, contrary to the genius If
a republican, responsible government, the
Senate themselves fill up ha soeye, vacan-
cies may occur in their own body. The ut
most eXertions are therefore making by
bcsh parties to cast the ensuing election in
their own favor.