Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-02-11

diseia'in, III Tie most direct and ,nsitiye
ihanh''r, any intention 10 ucunh tle feel
inss 81 amy OF his valued friends who
were opposed TO Inn on ti,is question
ana, though the interest aud welfare of
TIE community required free aud uiYe-
served discussion, he declared he Should
feel The same warmth of friendship ,s-d;.v
towards gentlemen, as friends and poliIi-
cians, witch he did before the commence
ment OF this debate.
lie had already stated, he said. that
Gen. Jackson displayed more Knowledge
III HE wll;is OF Florida, Oh this subject.
ihau any member wEo had taken yart i'm
nus discussion and tina. gentlemen had
blended iwo principles i'm The laws of ma
tons together, the distinction between
which Gen. Jackson had seen and obscr-
we'd. The one was the caseof volunteers =
enleringa 'oreigb service, for the purpose
o. iihproting'tr inselves IN The use ofarms
and HE snon ledge al The ART of war
wHieh ease Is thus stated in Vatiel, n 4ul,
sec ESQ :" he noble view Of gainlngin-
stru ton IN the arr ofwar, and ibns NO.
curing greater degree Of ability 10
rendei useful services 10 their country.
las ihirorucrd the custom Of serving as
volunteers ey :. IN iorcsn armies; and
HE praciice is undoubtedly justified by
Inc SuDhmiiYot tie motive AT present.
volunteers, when taken by the enemy.
are treated as If they belonged 10 Tie ar
ny IN hich they fight. Nothing can be
more reasonable: they, in fact, Join that
array, and unite with ii in Supporting
Tic same cause land il makes hitle dit
icreBce III the case whether they do
his III compliance with any oGliga-
iion, or al the Spontaneous impulse
OF their own free choice" Such WAS
I'M A
the oiher iiinSiri0us foreigners who en-
tered our armies during HE revolution,
Who were volunteers III the best OF cais-
es, but whose rights would not have been
Rescued bad ihe cause been that Of
deSpoliSm and tyranny, instead OF that
81 freedom anu iUlependrDcet ,.
but ihIs case vas widely different from
tliai OF ipierl0peTs, cSciicrs OF wars, and
enemlcs OF the human race, who niiphi be
hang up, and ought 10 be, bv military
law, as so many robbers and pirates. In
The course pursued by Gen. Jackson
then, and IN his doctrne 10 which excep1
non las been taken, lac is even more than
borne out by writer's on the laws of ma
tons. as MIR. J. Showed by The following
references: Vattel %. 400, Sec 226 -
Even alter deciarailOn Of war beiweenl
Two nations, If the peasants or thenl-
my shows them no mercy, but bangs
them up as he would so many robbers
or bandIiii. The crews of private ships
OF war stand III he same predicament
commission from the sovereign or
admiral can alone, in ease they are cap
lHred. ensure them such treatment as is
glver TO prisoners iakeR in regular war
fare" Martens, p. 272, b. 8. (" The
violences committed by the subjects of
one nation against those of another,
wlthoutautllorily from their sovereign,
are now looked upon as robberies, and
The perpetrators are excluded from The
rights OF lawful enemies" Page 2S0.-
Those, not authorized from their SOW
crelgn. who take upon themselves TO
attack the cnemy, are treated by him
as bandlti." Page 2S4 Those who,
unauthorized by lie order of their SOW
ereIgn, exercise yiolences against an
enemy, and fall iatotliat enemy hands,
have uolisit 10 expect the treatment
due 10 prisoners of var: The enemy 10
justiflable III putting them 10 death as
" bandltii." the evidence before The
court sufficiently established the factson
which, ulrdef The above passages Of the
law OF nations, Gen. JACKSON was aulho-
sized, ii NOT b0mGd 10 proceed.
Was il supposed by gentlemen, MIR. J.
asked, that General jackson was so ig-
norant Of The language of his country that
he did not understand the meaning of tile
words pirate and outlaw An outlaw
the convict certainly as, as out q! The
protection of tie sovereignty of Great
Britain or of any other nation. In rela-
tiun 10 the term pirate z" IL had other
meanings than its technical one: there
We're pirates on land as well as on the
ocean. We are not here, said Mr.. J. TO
enquire whether General Jackson used
technical terms, but whether he did sub
siantially ana legally right. Whilst we
are searching our law books and libraries
for our definitions, hope we shall not
lose sight Of he difference between our
situation ard that OF the general while i'm
| the field; whilst our heads repose on
dOwDy pillows, and we can rise up and lie
down when we please, he had an object
10 accomplish At every hazard, and at
every cost, y liicll lie could moi have az
famed If he had not acted "a he did
Would YOU rather, said Mr. J. that these
men were living and tie country deluged
III blood or that these men shoaId have
suffered according TO their deserts
These men had been guilty Of that for
winch one OF our own citizens would have
been put to deaib;T aud they we're pro-
| perry as well as legally psi 10 death, in
pursuance OF General J3cksOn's object,
which was, according to Isis instructions,
to pui speedy and eiiecinai end 10 hos
| lilllics so unprovuked. These men lv-
! ing, said Mr.. ]. the iOmahaWk ard SCALP.
| ing knife, would have been sbarpened
anew, and other emissaries would Lave
derived encouragement from their impu-
| nily. Answer ne This, Mr.. Chairman