Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-06-29

m Il the nao Or tns s6yeYeen every auil tom"ra y is
,tsens ought nor, han. 10 say In general mat We M"
received an Injury oni hdoa, aust We nave ie'e'e"
nr if nation or IL approves and rafes The act 81 he
dual public concern and the injured par
rs then consider the nation as ir real author 81 'he J"S'
II which the clzen was, perhaps only the instrument -
W tie offended aS "a, Et:rs!uaf rso aas hoe
a1n, h sg he escaed returned M county 81.
apply TO his sovereign ays justice dan, ;
and il in The hands of Justice. lis imputed CRIME IS
murder arson, and robbery Ills Government by as.
sumnr his CRIME, cannot ahsoive ms gui' nor re-
our ruht to Try and punish HIM according 10 a" ne
assumption Of his net only adds to the number Of Inc
culpab!e and gives us al additional ohehnef 10
with them if we chouse. We may proceed aga'ns'
one or both but 10 give up the individual when we
have him. without redress from the nation, winch Jus
titles him, is 10 throw away The advahtaSe WI"
chance or fortune has put into our hands, and 10 make
v;r,u, f not actual surrender of all claim to redress
The law Of nations is clear, and the law Of the pa
triot heart is equally clear The case needs no DOOR,
No more than the hanging of Arbnhnot and Ambrister
eon,rsd the justification of books when General Jack
son was in the hammocks and marshes OF Florida 4
band Of foreign volunteers, without knowing what thfy
were going do but ready TO follow their hieeader
TO the devil steal across boundary river ID the hght
attack unarmed people, asleep upon the soil and under
the flag of their country, give no quarter-make no
Observation-Disclosures not between young and old
innocent or ruty-kill all-add fire 10 the sword
send the vessel and it's contents over the falls IN flames
and run back under cover OF the same darkness
which has concealed their approach. All this IN time
Of peace. And then 10 call this an act OF war, for
which the perpetrators not amenabe, and for which
redress must be had by fighting, negotiating with the
nation TO which they belong This IS absurd. 1T IS
futile and ridiculous. Common sense condemns it
The heart condemns il. Jacksons example in Flo
rida condemns it and should render ourselves
contemplate if We took any such weak and puere
course.
Mr. Fox no where says this act was done by the
Sovcregns command. lie shows, in fact, that It was
not done; and We know that it not. II was the
act of volunteers unknown TO the British Government
until il was over, and unassumed by them for three
years after it occurred The act occurred in Deem
ber 1887 our Minister, MIR. Stevenson, demanded re-
dress for i, in the Spring Of 1885 The British Go.
vernmen did not then assume IT, nor did they assume
it all until Mcleod caught. Then, for the first
time they and justify, and evidently for the
mere purpose Of eStrica;'ng Mcleod. The assnmp-
ton il void Governments cannot assume the crimes
of individuals. II is only military enterprise
that this offence be assumed and we know
this affair such enterprise, and IS not even
represented as such by the British Minister lie
calls it "traasaeton Three times in paragraph
he calls it "transaction and who ever heard Of 4
\ fight or a battle being characterized transaction !,
We apply the term 10 affair Of business but never
to military operation How can We have military
operation without war; without the knowledge Of the
the laws Of nations exact (: This military en-
erprise in form, in substance. II was no attack
upon fort, ship Of war, or body Of troops. II
attack Of soldiers upon soldiers, but OF assassns
upon the sleeping and the deienceless Our American
defenders Of this go beyond the British in exaltng
/ it into a military enterprise. They take different
ground and higher ground, than the British, in setting
up that defence and are just wrong now as they
were in the Of Arbuthnot and Ambrster
I Incorrect in point of national law hold these in
air IN hay bpp lpro In of
ona character, and gven with most recpltae haste
when they should not have been gwen at all. They
were gwen under formal deliberate official threat
from the minister and thousand unofficial threats
from high and respectable The minister says
" BE- that may, her Majes,'s Government f'nany IT,
nand upon the grounds already stated the immediate ra-r IL
OF the t. :. 10 take into his most ds'ate consideration the Sc
nature Of The consequences :" lc must ensue tom rrjcc
ton of this demand
/ Nothing could be more precise and formal than this
Gemand-notllng more significant and papabe than
this menace. II is such should have prevented any
answcr-such as should have suspended diplomatic in
ercourse-untIl il was withdrawn Instead OF that,
most sudden and prcclptate is given; and one
that grants all that the British demanded and more too
and that without asking any thing from them. IT is g.
with haste which seems to preclude the possibility
regular deliberations cabinet council, and official form
The letter Of Mr. Fox bears date tile 18th Of March,
Which was Friday, and may have been delivered IN
Office hours Of that day. The instruction TO MIR.
Cfittenden was delivered the 10Th of March, which
was Monday, and a copy delivered 10 Mr. Fox. This
was the answer 10 the demand and threat; and thus
the answer given in two days. Tor Sunday, as the
LAWYERS call H. is dies non that is 10 say, day for
business; and is hardly to be presumed that an Ad-
ministration which seems 10 be returning 10 the
Church and State times Of Queen Anne, had the o.
flee Of the Department of State open, and The clerks
at their desks on Sunday instead Of being IN their
pews nj Church The answer, then, was gwen IN two
DAYS; and this ncontnent haste 10 comply with
threat contrasts wonderfully with The deay-the forty
days' dclay-before the letter written winch was
intended for home consumption: and which, doubtless,
considered as written in good time, II written IN
time to be shown 10 Congress at this extra session
Sir, hold it have been derogatory TO our national
character have given any answer At all, much less
the that given, while threat was hanging
over our heads. What must be the effect OF yielding
10 demands under such circumstances: Certainly de-
gradation-national degradation-and an encourage
ment TO Great Britain 10 continue her aggressive
course upon That nation IS pressing Us III inc
Northeast and Northwest; she IS searching our ships
on the coast of Africa she gives liberty 10 our slaves
wrecked on her islands in their transit from one OF
our ports to another she nnrtnres in London the so
cietes which produced the San Domingo instruction,
and which preparing similar insurrecton LOT
and she is the mistress OF subjects VINO hoiu lHi-
mense debts against States, and Tor the payment
of which the national guarantee, the public lands,
are wanted. She has many points OF aggressive con-
tact upon and what's the effect OF tins tame SUD
4 mlsson:-ihis abec surrender OF Mcleod, without
word of redress tor the AFFAIR oil the Iaroilhe, anu
under public threat hat is the effect OF this but to
encourage her TO press and threaten Us on every
other point II increase her arrogance, and en-
courage her entertainments, and induce her TO 60 on
until submission 10 further outrage becomes impos-
sibe and war results from the cowardce which
courage would have prevented. On this head the
history of many nations is full of impressive les
sons and none than that OF Great Britain.
II is nation of brave people; but they have some
times had ministers who not brave, and whose
tmidty has ended in involving their country IN
all the calamities of war, after suhiecting il TO ali
the disgrace Of pusilanimous submission to foreign IN
suit. The administration OF Sir Robert "apoie' long
!, cowardy and corrupt-tyrannca at home and cring
ing abroad-wasa signal instance of this, and, as
warning 10 ourselves will read passage from Eng
sh history TO show his conduct and the consequences
it. | read from Smollct, and from his account OF inc
Spanish depredalons, and insults upon English sub
ects, which were continued the whole term OF Wal
POLE administration had ended in bringing on the uni
versal war which ragged throughout Europe, Asia, AT
49, rf,gh annlo Sn