Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-06-29

Rut when a nation is engaged IN
and sends out its armed vessels 10 q
on the sea, the common kighga, On
tons. then the right to chase, to iiaiss
require an answer, to board, and to sti'is', y
and eventually to attack, accrues To- +
vessels Of the nations at war--bscatfs
they lave a right to capture those oiGf3
enemy. For without these rights Ktf
val war would be uscless--or Fltl
could not exist. The neutral armes!ysaA
sci, on the contrary, seeing her naf
at peace with all other nations. pcss1
none Of these rights--because not nd
sary to any of the objects Of neutra
and peace on the contrary she is %
to avoid every hostils act, except in \
own defence when unjustly attac
When she meets belligereRt armed
sci, it is her duty if it be demanded,
make known her neutral character,
prevent the shedding of innocent bloot,
and the evils of war haZardcd by a. rciI
sal to answer. As neutral, she has 70
evil OF inconvenience to apPrehend by MAJ
inc her neutrality known.--Shc has 10
right to chase, to hail and insist upon M
answer, to board and to search, beeaus
she has no right to make capture. Iidl
American frigate, then, having none Of
these rights, is responsible for all the e.
Wis consequent on the chase and the con-
cealnlent Of her neutral character. Com
modore Rodgers assigns but one reascn
for giving chase; and if he had not ano1
Their resting on special orders FROM Oh 1
Executive, he must be personally resPc4
sible for the blood that has been spi
The chasing of the British vessel bei}
an unlawful act, the killing of her ere
as the direct consequence ofthat unlawt
act, is murder. And the Commod01
conscience would be i'll at ease, but
the orders from his government, whidM Il
conceived himself bound to execute.
By his own official report, it appeSH
that Commodore Rodgers, on the 16tf1
May, at 95 minutes past noon, discovef
sail, when he was himself upwards6 +;
forty miles from Cape Henry; and IL
vessel whose sail he discovered in the Is
from his mast head, must have been lH
ny miles farther distant from our coa%
that the vessel was standing towards him
with press Of sail: that at half past
one o'clock, the symmetry Tor just proper
toni other upper sails (Which were then
distingIishable from, -his frieatG's deck)
and her making signals, Showed her TO be
a man Of war: that fifteen minutes after
wards. the Commodore hoisted his cO!Ors:
when the other vessel, finding her signals
not answered, changed her course, and
stood to the southwark.
Now we come to Commodore RodseIs's
assigned reason for giving chace. "Be1l
ing DESTROYS of speaking her and ascetan-As
ing zckat she uas, 1 now made sail 9iN
chace - and he continued the cha@
til fifteen or twenty minutes past zig q
when being distant from 20 to 100 H4 5
says the Commodore, 81 hailed ID h'
shin is that? to this inquiry no any b.
was given, but was hailed by her oS
mander, and asked 7chat ship is h?
Having asked the first question, (connsfs
the COMMODORE of course consif I'd
myself entitled by the common r,s Of
politeness, to the first answer. Az 4
pause Fifteen or twenty seconds, lie e.
rated by first inquiry of 1chat ship ish -
and before had time to take the trnlea
from my mouth, was answered by lof.'
A shot was returned from the Amridan
frigate, and by the COnimodore's tate ID
ment, 7cithOat orders, though just she4
was on the point Of giving an order frS
a shot in return. And thus comnnfediI
the action which terminated in the ~ 1
and wounding of about so men IT, !
crew Of the British vessel. Such i, sub,
stantially, Commodore Rodgers's accunH
of the chace and the action. ~
/ have already noticed the hight of AMI
armed vessel Of nation at war on the
high seas. She has right tp ckSe, be-
cause she is authorized to raptireslbes
vessels of her enemy. She has
to hail and to require an ans,cer, It'd
may avoid the attacking Of q friend
a neutral. If an answer be refuse