The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1841-09-22

Mr. neatoU Ctttheh'S VI A"'S'"
,ional Laws" which says: The commits
sionng power could not be expected I"
rest satisfied with the judgment Of the
soreien court, on the construction or exc
cu,ion Of its own commission, main
tains, that If the soundness Of this doc
,rine be admitted, the principles will 60
far to cover a stronger case than that
which has been "got up by the American
Lawyers" against Mcleod. This com
meniarv on M. Wheaton is attributed to
the late righ, honorable +. P. Courteney'
who was recently drowned; and the
Times goes on to contend for it that even
had the British Government disavowed
and punished Capt. Drew, and his party,
for their conduct in the destruction Of the
Caroline, it would not have been oompe-
tent ",o the municipal laws of the United
States Qimited to their jurisdiction by the
laws of nations) to try the Queen of En-
glands officers for those actions" The
Times then declares that had the officers
in question exceeded their commission
the American Government might demand
that they should be punished as officers
who had deyiated from the purport OF
their commissions and the law Of nations
|-Allusions is made 10 the peculiar laws
Of the American nation, which tfsnsier
the case from the action of the government
Of the United States TO that OF q
criminal court of the State of New York,
and placing the pardoning power not ~
the President Of rhe United States. butt
the Governor OF the State It's impos'
sible, saws the editor, to conceive sny
thing worse than this, and "that a demo.
cratic legislature should have d'scre-
,ionarv power Of executing one OF the
Queens subjects, under pretexs Of ad-
ministering jns,ice, in the State OF New
York, and that the only hope of saving
McLeods's life, if he fails to produce
witnesses not easily to be procured, is
mock appeal to the clemency OF an AS
sembly, which represents the local pas
sions and national violence BY which be
is doomed to PERISH" The dispatch OF
Mr.. Webster is termed conciliatory but
quite unsatisfactory. and the decision "f
Judge Cowan is characterized as having
demonstrated that "the law. as admins.
tered at Utica, is slowly drawing along
the worst consequences. Doubts may
reasonably be entertained whether all ne
g"ciaiion on the subject is not perempto..
rily broke off, by the decided rejection OF
all those principles by which the British
Government declared itself to he guided
The article thus concludes: "ls it becom'
ing to the dignity of this country that we
should patiently awai, the ve:y last, per.
haps the fatal, stage Of those proceedings,
against which we have protested from the
first! Is il in any way compatible with
the safety Of Mcleod, and the honor Of
the crown under which he has served, 10
reserve our more forcible "Reminiscences
till he is sen, by the American judges be-
yond the reach of succor! If Mcleod is
to he acquitted by the force of evidence
or any other ground, VIC presume that ne
will not be placed in greater jeopardy
than he now is by any act of the mother
country. II, as would seem but too pro.
bable, his chance OF fair trial is as small
as his chance Of subsequent pardon, we
cannot be too soon prepared 10 interfere
in the only way which remains to Us.
lbave been particular in giving you the
pith of this article, because it has created
quite an effect, and receives the eulogies of
men in high authority with both Wings
and Tories. The subject l assure you,
is much discussed privately; and every
day with an increase of ire towards the
Uuited States. The Sunday papers-par-
ticularly the Tory ones-continue to in.
fame the public mind, and the most vile
and audacious falsehoods are put forth BY
them to show, or endeayor to show, that
Lord Palmerston and the Wings have
compromised the country and tolerated
a cruel and national outrage on the per.
son of British subject. With these fe.
lings abroad, the Cunard steamer Of the
6rsl of August was sought for with much
anxiety, but the intelligence brought by
the Columbia did not afford the excited
portion of the community much additional
food for their disease. The Times news.
paper Of the l7.h, managed, however. to
supply this deficiency, by publishing a
communication, signed "A .Barrister,"
and in all the horrors Of loaded type and
CONSPICUOUS position, Of which the follow
ing is copy:
IL wish to mention a circumstance,
IL ,on th;ut g. mich, ,vo1l he