Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-07-12

sail he discovered 10 the east, from his
mast head, must have been many miles
farther distant from our coast thatthe ves-
sci was standing towards her with press
OF sail: that at half past one O'Clock, the
symmetry Tor just proportional Of her up
per sans (which were then distlnguishable
from his trigate's deck) and her making
signals, Showed her to be man of war |;
that fifteen minutes afterwards, the Com.
modore hoisted his colours: when the o.
ther vessel, finding her signals not answer.
ed, changed her course to the southwark.
Now we come TO Commodore Rodgers
assigned reason for giving chace. 6 Being
DESTROYS of speaking her, and ascerfaining
zoha: she zuas, now made sail 10 chace !"
and he continued the chace until fifteen or
twenty minutes past eight, when being dis.
tant from 70 to 100 yards, says the Com
modore, g hailed, 1uhat ship is hat2 to
this enquiry no answer was given, but
was hailed by her commander and asked
zvhat ship is that ? Having asked the first
question, CONTINUES the Commodore of
course considered myself entitled by the
common rules of politeness to the first an
swer. After pause of fifteen or twenty
seconds, reiterated my first inquiry OF
zUhats ship is that? and before had time to
take the trumpet from my mouth was an
swered BY a shot."-A shot was returned
from the American frigate, and by the
Commodore's statement, without orders,
though just as he was on the point of CIV
ing an order to fire shot in return. And
thus commenced the action, which termi-
mated in the killing aud wounding OF about
80 men Of the crew of the British vessel.
Such is substantially Commodore Rodgers
account of the chace and the action.
have already noticed the rights of an
armed vessel of nation at war, on the high
seas. She has right to ctace, because she
is authorised to capture the vessels of her
enemy. She has right TO hail and to Pc
qlliye an aaswey, that she may avoid the at
racking Of friend or of'a neutral. If an
answer be refused, she has right to consi-
der the vessel hailed as her enemy and
consequently to attack and take her if he
can, or to defend himself and prevent the
capture of his own vessel. But, | repeat,
none of these rights belong to an armed
vessel of neutral nation. And 1t by the
refusal of the latter to answer and declare
her neutral character, an attack ensues, the
blame will rest wholly on the neutral. Whe-
ther in the case under consideration, the
blame should originally attach to commo-
dore Rodgers or to the President and Sc
cretary of the navy, or tc all OF them, will
depend on the orders given to the Commo.
dore. That his orders authorised and re-
quired the chace of a British armed vessel
cannot doubt. Unless furnished with po-
sitive evidence, shall not be inclined to
believe that Commodore Rodgers acted in
this case without special orders; and the
declared appreciation of the President is an
evidence that he obeyed the spirit of his
orders, has adopted and made the act his
own--thas is, the act of the u. States IRE
presented bv the Presidency for wh:ch tie
nation IS responsible. and far which an ex-
pianatfon and Sa,iJacnon 5oiN be demanded
aud BY our government REFUSED. The
grounds on which have formed and ex-
pressed this opinion, and why satisfaction
will be refused, will be given in my next
address.
TIMOTHY PICKERING.