American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1824-09-03
VOL. LII.

upon the common sense of mankind that in all the
daily newspapers known to be in the ministerial in
terest, Berkeley was justified and appauded in eve
ry variety of form that publication could assume,
excepting only that of official proclamation The
only part of his orders there disapprored was the
reciprocal offer which he made of submitting his
own ship 10 be searched in return---tlat was very
unequivocally disclamed-the rufian right of supe-
rlor force, was the solid base upon which the claim
was asserted and so familiar was this argument
grown to the casusts of British national iurspru-
dence, that the right of British man Of war to
search an American frigate, to them self evil
dent proof against the right of the American frigate
to search the British man of war; The same tone
has been constantly kept up, until our accounts Of
latest date; and have been recently further invgo
rated by very explicit call for with the United
States, which they contend could be of no possible
injury to Britain, and which they urge upon the
ministry as aHording them excellent opportunity
Ito accomplish dismemberment Of this lnion.
These sentiments have even been avowed in parlia-
ment, where the nobleman who moved the address
of the house of lords in to the kings speech,
declared that the right Of searching national ships,
ought TO be maintained against the Americans. and
disclamed only with respect European sovereigns.
In the mean time, admiral Berkeley, by court
martial oil his own subordinate officers, hung one of
the men taken from the Chesapeake, and called his
name Jenkn Ratfotd There was, according to the
miraliy, upon applications for the discharge of i'm
pressed Americans, such man on board the ship.
The man thus executed had been taken from the
Chesapeake by the name of Wilson. 1t is said that
on his trial he was identified by or two witness
es who knew him, and that before he was turned off
he confessed his name was Raford, and that he was
born in EDgland-but it has also been said, that
Ratiord is now living in Pennsylvania-and after
the character which the disavowal Of admiral Berk-
ley's own government has given TO his conduct what
confidence can be claimed or due TO the proceedings
of court martial of his associates held 10 sanction
! his proceedir 81 The three other men had not
even been manded in his orders; they were taken
by the sole authority Of the British searching lieu
tenant, after the surrender of the Chesapeake
There was not the shadow Of pretence before the
court martial that they were British subjects or
born in any of the British dominons Yet, by this
court martial, they sentenced to suffer death,
! They were reprieved from execution, only upon con.
/ diiion of renouncing their rights as Americans, by
voluntary service in the kings ships-ihey have
never been restored. To complete the catastrophe
with which this bloody tragedy concluded, adj
miral Berkeley himself, in sanctioning the doom of
these men--thus obtained-hus tred-and thus
j Northumberland them grave moral lecture the
enormy of their crime in its tendency to provoke
war between the United States and Great Britain.
Fl Yet amidst all this parade of disayowa by his GO
vernment-amidst all these professions of readiness
est disapprobaton, appears to have been mani
tested to that officer. His instructions execut-
ed upon the Chesapeake in June-Rumouls OF his
recall have been circulated here=But on leaving
the station at Halifax in December, he received a
complimentary address from the colonial assembly,
and assured them In answer that he had no official
Information of his recall From thence he went to
the West Indies; and on leaving Bermuda for Eng
/ land, in February was addressed again by that
onia government, in terms of high panegyric upon
} his energy with manifest illusions to his achieve
? ments upon the Chesapeake.
fl Under all these circumstances, without applying
any Of the maxims of suspicious policy to the Bri
fish professions may still be permitted to believe
t that their ministry never seriously intended to make
honorable PREPARATION, or indeed any PREPARATION at
n all for that " unfortunate AFFAIR."
Ell 1t is impossible for any to form an accurate
idea OF the British policy towards the United States
without taking into consideration the state of par
Fl ties in that government; and the views, characters
RI and opinions Of the individuals at their helm of state
la liberal and a hostile policy towards America
are among the strongest marks Of distinction be-
tween the political systems of the rival statesmen of
t that kngdom-the liberal party are reconciled to
our independence: and though extremely tenacious
S OF every right of their own country, are systemali-
cally disposed to preserve peace with the United
States. Their opponents harbor sentiments of a
very different descripton-thelr system is coercion
. their object the recovery of their lost dominion
!. in North America-ths party now stands high in
It lpower-although admiral Berkeley may never have
received written orders from them for his enterprise
upon the Chesapeake, yet in giving his instructions
n to the squadron at Norfolk, he knew full we'll under
: what administration he was acting. Every measure
f of that administration towards since that time has
: been directed to the same purpose-to break down
the spirit of our national independence Their pur
pose, far it can be collected from their acts is
c to force us into war with them or with their enc
mics; to leave only the bitter alternative OF their