Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-09-04

the trace in slaves as Il cru2e against the ,a,v
OF nations, and to this effect to dssirilate IL 10
PIRACY, as soon as, by he accession, Of Portugal
The abolition Of The hutic shall hare become az.
lti,CorSGt nleaGtre."
Now, the United States have not waited
FOR tins universal concurrence but have, by
the fth and 9Th sections of the act OF the 18th
of May, l32c, GSSimiialed he Stare Litdc 10 NJ
racy. So that what lord CastlereagIi, hesitc-
f'ngfy, witha perhaps, considers rag become
necessary, at some future day, when his Por-
tuSuesc majesty may be in the h,inor TO aho-
lIstl the trade to the south of the equator, the
Congress of the United States, acting upon
their own feelings and proceeding by theirown
lights, without reference to the FIVE great
powers, have done, at oRcs.
The attempt at pleasantly by lord Castle
reaSh, when he declared, in the commons
house OF parliament, that the piracy thus de-
clared by Congress is =" sort of IRISH piracy,''
be cause it is TO operate on citizens Of the {.
States, winch is not strictly true, is wholly a.
bortlve with men ofrcfleciion for rs piracy is
crime under the law of nations, and those
who are guilty OF it are outlawed from all CT
vlllled nations. q single nation cannot declare
any offence piracy, and render the enactment
effective against the subjects or citizens of ols
nations. al that one independent state can
40; Is to punish It's own citizens or subjects or
such foreigners as are found offending under
its flag, and consequently withnits Jurisdiction.
This Is what the United States have done
and in this they have oaly followed the rule OF
the common law, according to which [Sse l.
Hd'of. i. g. c. 81 sect 10l the offence of nj
racy consists IN committing those acts of rob-
bcry ana depreciation upon the high seas,
which, II committed on land, would have a.
mounted to felony there. Great Britain has
herself in several instances, declared offences
piracy by act of parliament in proof of which
we refer to the statute Of 8. Geo.I. c. 81, which
was made perpetual in the succeeding reign
and the statute of 49, Geo. .. C So the latter
OF Whichis particularly directed against the
natural born subjects and dcnizens OF Great
Britain.
The e1loatery with which lord Castlereagh
could say, that government founded on th.
representative principle. opposed the greatest
obstacles 10 the suppression ofthe slave trade,
alter he had the memorial of France in his
possession, Is truly characteristic, but still ga-
Their surprising is suci! an accusation, when it
IS known that Mr.. Adams, the American Sc
cretary OF state, in letter TO Mr.. Canainr.
the british minister 1T Washington, OF The 3Otn
OF December, 1890, expressly stated. that
the President had been far from the dispos-
ZION 10 reject or dscountenancc the genera
proposition Of concerted co-uperaton Wit
common end, the suppression of the trade: thar,
Tor this purpose, armed cruizers ofthc e. States
mad been, for some time, kept stationed on The
coast which Is the scene OF this odious traffic:
measure which it is The contemplation OF this
government to continue without intermission
that, as there are armed British vessels. churg.
ed with The same duty, constantly kept cruz
ing on The same coast, ] am directed by the
President to propose that instructions, to be
concerted between the two governments, with ,
a view TO mutual assistance, should he givc.,
to the commanders of the vessels respectively
assigned to that service; that they nav be or
dered whenever The occasion may render it
convenient, to cruize in company, to coInniu-
nicate mutually to each other all information
obtained by the one, and which may be usc-
inl to the execution OF the duties of the OTHER:
and 10 give each other every assistance which
may be compatible with the performance of
their own service, and adapted to the end
which is the common aim of both parties.n
This letter of the American secretary of state
was in the possession of lord Casterca;h when
he threw cut his rcproaches against the Uni
ted States and representative government.
Erua,fiia Gaz.