Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-11-30
FOREIGN.
FROM THE EDINBURGH REyIEw.]
A letter, to Member Of Parliament, on lie
Siare,y Of the Christians at Atgiers, by
Walter C'ocker, Esq. cfthe Royal Nary.

A letter. to Member of Parliament, on Tie
slare,y of the Christians at A{giers, by
Waiter Crocker, Esq. offhe Royal Nary
LONDON, (Stockdale,) 1916.
We rejoice very sincerely IN observing
the disposition at length evinced by the
Legislature TO urge the government towards
the performance of duty imperative up
on this country, if all regard to character
and consistency has not departed from
among us. The discussion which took
place at the close of last session, upon
Mr. Broughams motion, clearly eyinces
that the day is not far distant, when the
ignoninious license, too long INDUCED
TO the Barbary pirates, will be numbered
with the slave trade, among those mon
strous departures from public Justice and
policy, 10 which nothing but length of
time could ever have reconciled the feel
ngs of men, and in the existence ofwhich
1t will be difficult for them to believe, al
ter they have once awakened to sense
OF duty, and looked back at the distance
of buta few years, to the disgraceiul usage
of pastcenturies.
Already, indeed, if is less incredible.
that the civilized nations of Europe should
SO long have endured the piracy of those
bloody and despicable barbarians, who
ravage the fairest coasts OF its southern
regions, and daily commit with impunity
outrages, the least of which, if offered
once 20 years by one great power to a
mother, must have proved the cause of in
slant war, and only been repaired by
prOdigious waste of blood and treasure,
almost all over the civilized world. The
law of nations has seemed hitherto TO Wis
1T with Its penalties only the more rare &,
trivial breaches Gifts enactments while,
towards the constant preparation of the
blacklist crimes in the catalogue, ii has
held forth the sure encouragement of pre-
vIOus pardon--not by connivance, for it
took notice of the offences-but exhibit
ing the mock figure perverted Justice,
with her eyes open, her balance reversed,
and her sword flung away.
tits scarcely possible to account for this
anomaly five say that the law ofnations
is Christian code, and has no sway over
Infidels, the fact refutes us presently for
we maintain all the usual relations of po-
litical intercourse with the Turk nay,we
have cOnsuls and vice-consuls in the do
minions of the piratical states themselves.
lfit be pretended that the barbarians new
er came into our notions of right, and
have in all ages exercised the trade of spo-
liation.; the answer is, that beyond all
memory, it has been the universal practice
VI boeAOho ~ az, CHSfiicS III
tie human race, ami to infiict summary
punishment upon them whatsoever they
were caught so that the right of the one
party to punish, rests on the same pre-
scriptive title behind which the other shell
ters his offending. If, again, an except
on be alleged, by suggesting that the
Corsairs are not lawless pirates, but yes
sells bearing national flag, and recogni-
zedby their own government, which au-
thorizes their proceedings; theu we reply,
that this only shifts the crime from the
agent TO the principal, or rather gives us
a right TO visit with punishment both the
subjectand the power which protects him.
But we are wasting time IN contending
with such fancitul arguments. The true
reason of that forbearance so long shown
towards the robbers, has been the mutu-
al jealousy of the Powers who should
have united to eXtirpate them. There
was always some notion of interest, either
present or expected ; some preposterous
and shemeful project ofturning the friend
ship of the barbarians to account, in a
quarrel or rivalry with civilized neigh
Dor; some pitiful shop-keeper's calcula-
ton that their traffic might yield exclu-
sive advantageous some yet more con
temptlble speculation, that their hostility
might be pointed against competitor
for power. If the archives of European
diplomacy could be ransacked by some
person of patience more than human, and
of perverted taste for the study of elab-
crate trifling, mingled with iniatuation q
misconductln great concerns, high among
the monuments of incredible folly and
wickedness, we will venture to say would
stand the dispatches touching Algerine
affairs. We make no doubt that, but
few years ago, would be found " most
secret and confidential" letters, reckoning
upon the assistance of his highness the
dey, in provisioning fleet or a garrison,
and stating to ''your lordship" the graft
flying assurances Of his continue
good disposition towards his majesty"
and his hostility towards the persons
at present exercising the government of
France" Indeed, the common belief in
the Mediterranean Is, that we rather en-
courage the piracy of these freebootcrs,
for thepurpose of opposing the commerce
of other nations a most false charge un-
doubtly in this extent, but so far founded
in truth, that we might, by word, have
put them down long ago, and that we
have always, for one reason or another
abstainedfr from exerting our lawful mean
of destroying ,tem.
At tbe present moment there is an end.
for some time. to the deadly feuds which
have so long disfigIned the face of ciyiliz-
ed society. 1t seems, therefore, TO be
the fitiest period that could be imagined
for rod o..r rlo...t.-