Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-07-22


authorised to FIRE upon an American :iigate.
Ii he was authorised TO dismiss him: it he
was not authorised, 10 h ang him as pirate
Look into the records Of Britain sec what
she has done i'll like G sses, and go and do
thou likewise. 1t is high time fer US to
know officially, wheth,r piratical cruisers
ON our coast, capturn * omr vessels and
numbering our citizens, arc justified by any
government. AS to til. If being justified by
certain British editors it is comparatively OF
no moment, Is
The Little Belt was uis;ng off our coast,
like the MeiampuS, TO see what couldbe done
tor living in these hard times. She proba-
bly, had on board a number of American citi-
zenS, stolen from our vessels and compelled
to fight and die in the cruel service of the
British navy. When the frigate President
hove III sight, capt. Bingham not only con
cluued, ats he says, that she was American,
but he knew it, and therefore rladc all sail
| south, and when he found escape iIDpracti-
| cable, 1'.uble ehotted his gans. The issue of
| the business, in all probability, placed some
IMPRESSED .fmeiicdHs beyond the reach of
! discovery or redemption
The Britishgovcrnment arcto believe capt
Bingham's statement, because it Is otfciqi-
| but We are not TO believe our commodore S
| official statement! We are to mourn and
lament that this last cannot be consistent
with one directly opposite to It and are to
have coure OF inquiry. notmerely to convict
| the commodore, bat to fdrnisl, Coleman with
evidence, that the commodore had inpropc,
| instructions FROM Cur government.
What ii he wasinStrdcted Is demand from
| the oDIci~l pirates Oh Cur coast an instant sur
| rendry compressed American seamen, and
in case OF refusal, to sink, burn or destroy
them' What if he was instructed to order
| such pirates out OF Cur Waters, where they
| are watching 20 insult US and to steal our
saips, and III case ofrefusal TO freupon them
Either this rinst be dcIe, or we must fire in
to British vessels at our wharves and burn
British bales. The body OF our people do
| rot wish for war with Britain; but that ia :
ton viii not permit any other nation to he on
equal or any friendly terms with her. Her
military and naval history, written by her own
partial subjects, informs the whole world,
that she has been, to thecXtcnt other power,
curse and calamity all other nations ofthe
| earth. All the kingdoms of Europe, France
excepted, are, by English policy, now, even
at this moment, drinking Of the cup Of humi-
| ,iation Asia and Africa groans beneath her
scourges. To South America she is ex-
porting chains and letters. And shcsis en-
deavoting to compel us, by,terror and dis
tress, to rciinquish cur independence and self
government.
Weleavc Coleman and such editors to all
the comfort which they can CLEAN from Bing
hams statement. Britain may believe that
statement. She believed the official account
Of the duke of York's victories in Holland.
she believed in the splendid victory of gen
cral Mocre at Corunna and whenever her
arms and her arts have failed, and shame
and confusion ought to overwhelm her flag,
she can reap laurels from Misrepresentation
OF facts, and keep up the national spirit by
official falsehoods.
How unfortunate fcr Britain and or British
editors, that ''no ingenuity can reconcile
truth and falsehood ~