Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1841-03-10


100 on THr COMMTTTEE ON
NfNtiFOHElGN' AFFAIRS.
90 ~ RErREssNrATfvEsi Feb. II, lo4l'
y ho ps.tens, rom the COMMITTEES on Foreign
Y ~ -, made the following report, which
rfi sas,aered to be printed:
Il wa Committee on Foreign Aharsl to whom
a. Ing Ss,sred the Message Of the President,
vas I,,;ng correspondence with the British
plnss,.n.s';s relation to the burning Of the
blnls,ess, Caroline and the demand made for
20 sisaII,O.o.ss,,; Of Mr. Alexander Mcleod, re-
specuu uSoars that the steamboat "Caroline"
.s,r II aPP oJ and destroyed in the month of De-
vas JSg7, The committee are induced to
cealOe nat the facts Of the case are as fol-
beDe'V1 THE boat was owned by, and in posses
loWs' c;tizen Of New York. She was
son " f.om the City Of Buffalo, and, on the
ele0leu If the Goth Of December, 1887, she
nolllns so,t If Buffalo, bound for SchlosseF, up-
ehIo American side Of the Niagara rlver,
on wy Thin the territory of the United States.
any, "oririnal intention seemed to be- TO run
Inc NJ between Buffalo and Schlosser, or,
me - from Black Rock dam to Schlosser,
Pi"s sRould II seem profitable, it was intended
anu, ANU, SI bsr also to Navy Island, and touch at
t 1n5 leland and TOnawanda. Her owner
Os" A, Wells, said to be respectable citizen
was 5I ~ and it is obvious, his intention in
Of Du- mn the boat was one Of speculation and
Pule"s entirely. The excitement upon that
POs;S If the frontier, at this period, had COL
s,sJ GREAT many in the neighborhood
io..sS curSositv-some from idleness-and 9TH
HOI S,o1n taxing an interest in the unusual and
e s'.,saoTdiuary- collection of adventurous men
aA.Sored tocether at that time on Navy
I'D NAVY Island was "nominally" in the
R,;,isb aterritory."
O' qSbe owner of the Caroline took advantage
-f,hoss circumstances to make some money
IA bis boat, by running her, as a ferry boat,
WIZ WIZ 70 NAVY Island. All these facts appear
w, testimony regularly taken, (see H. r.
noc. No. 1902, page AS and 80, I'd Session, 25th
Coocress,) and the committee know of no le-
o.Isgidence to contradict them. There is no
ss.ooftbat any arms or munitions of war were
r,Tried in the boat, except, perhaps, one small
y oounder field.piece belonging to passen-
-, The principal object was to run the boat
81 ferry boat from Schlosser, on the American
5de. 10 Navy Island, on the British side. 1t
believed that, even IN war, neutral power
hoe the right to trade in contraband articles,
srbiect. of course, to seizure and confscation
Jt5ken within the jurisdiction of either of the
sontending parties. What is contraband o.
war il not always certain. Treaty stIpulalions
f,pouentlv include some articles, and exclude
others recognised in the law Of nations. Ira
J;ng in coutraband articles is no excuse for in
yadlpp the territory and soil of neutral and
independent power, whose private citizens may
choose to run the hazards OF such trade. In
This instance there were no two foreign powers
pnuaged in war; but all concerned in the out
break or excitement within the British juris
dction. claimed to be British subjects, in resis
tancc oftbe authorities of Canada, province
If the British empire. Even admitting; then
that the Caroline was engaged in contrabanC
trade. YET IL was with citizens who claimed Il
be subjects Of the same empire with those whC
were styled the legitimate officers Of the Pro
vince. Abstractly speaking, how was pri
vie citizen to decide who were right and who
we're wrong inthese local disputesl And which
norton Of citizens of the same province mus
our citizens refuse to have any communication
with! But the boat was merely used for one
day as a ferry boat; and on the night of the
day she commenced running, she was selzeC
while moored at the wharf in Schlosser, anC
burnt Several men were assassinated Ger.
uiplv one, who fell dead upon the dock. Now
the insinuation of the British Minister, tha
Schosser was ''nomnally' within the territory
ofthe United States, may well be retorted, az
we can with equal truth say that Navy Island
was anominally' within the "territory" of the
British Government; fnr at the period to which
we alude, the people collected there had a:
,sYrtutiy dehed Canada authorities as any
portion Of our people had disregarded ours
Yet British authority thought proper to pass b.
NAVY Island, then in its "nomnal" territory
and in the plenitude of its power, to cast @gI
Standardization over American soil. Thu
was truly extending over us that kind guar
danship which they had not the ability at tina
time TO extend to a portion of their own terri
tory, and which recommends itself to us, full a
much from its assumption as from its love
right or law.
The British Minister is pleased also to ca
the Caroline a "practical steamboat" Tn
loose epithets of any one, no matter how ing
in place, cannot make that piracy which tn
law Of nations does not recognise as such-
Pirates are freebooters, enemies of the huma
race; and eminent jurists describe them g
ravaging every sea aud coast with no nag an
no home. Piracy comes under the concurreI
jurisdiction of all nations. Even IN the wor
point Of view that it can be considered, thoS
connected with the steamboat Caroline WEI
but aiders and abettors of others engaged
rebellion. And the committee are totally at
loss to know upon what authority rebellion
recognised as piracy. Such confoundlng
terms is resting the case upon epithets, lnste;
Ofsound law or facts. But even supposng
10 be aapiratical boat" as the Minister asseI
it to be vet the moment it touched our sou
hh under our sovereignty, and no power
earth could rightfuliy invade 1t.
There is no doctrine more consecrated
English history, than that every human ben
who touches the soil Of Great Britain IS II
mediately covered by British law. SuPPo
one Of her vessels were cut from the banks
the Thames and burnt by Frenchmen, a
British citizens were assassinated at night a
the French Minister were to avow that tn
acted under the orders Of his Government! a
that the vessel was ''piratical," and the cltlze
murdered we're Outlaws--then there IS not
Englishman whose heart would not beat ~
to avenge the wrong, and vindicate the rig
ofhs country. The law there, is the law ne
And there is no intentional law consistent "
the separate independence Of nations, !
snctions the pursuits ofeven pirates to mur
and arson over the sod and jurisdiction OF
0the States Of this COnGederacy. No grea
wrong can be done 10 country than invas
otsoIl. Iii can be done with IMMUNITY at
point, and on one occasion, 1t can be done
another, and the nation that submits TO u
naly sinks down into dwelling imbecillty.
representation ofthe state ofthings at sch
ser, and the conduct Of those who had con
oil the Caroline, had first been made to the