The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-01-28
ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES.


ocean, and seems determined by every means in her
power 10 sustain the position she has so long assum-
ed, Her. ministry know full well that her people
cannot bear the additional burden which war with
a first rate power would necessarily impose upon
them hence she seeks to accomplish her object by
stratagem She has now started new scheme-to
drive nations under plea of Christianity to yield
right which the United States has always resolItey
denied; to acknowledge her to be, as in fact she
would be at once if the concession were made
Queen Of the She has christened her new pro-
ect with the plausible name of the Christian League
Pretending to feel the greatest horror at the slave
trade, she has already entered intro treaties with
most of the civilized powers for the suppression of
this traffic, whereby the right of mutual search has
been granted, and her favorte principle is daily gain
ing new strength
We know not whether she obtained any new light
upon this subject from the members Of the Worlds
Convention held in her metropolis but it is evident
that she appealing strongly to band of dsorgan-
izing fanatics in our country, by cloaking her designs
under the guse of Abolition. Many of our vessels
have been driven by stress of weather and other una
voidable casualties into her Colonial ports and she
has Immediately enforced her local laws and liberated
the slaves found board under the shallow pretence
that whoever sets foot British soil is free. Sup
pose law should be passed, by which every free
black who entered one of our Southern States was
to be seized and sold to the highest bidder and a
British vessel should be forced by storm into one of
those harbors and all the negroes in the vessel taken
to the public square by American officer and sold
What an cutlery would she make and how strenuous
" would she demand their instant liberation and full
indemnity But in accordance with her own doc
trnes the measure would be justifable-the local
law ought to be enforced She does not acknowledge
the right of property in slaves, and therefore, the
laws of every nation that admits the right must be
whenever they come into collision with
her views or circumstances put into her power to
act upon her territorial prerogative.
By law of this country mutiny on board Of any Of
our vessels meets with the severest punishment and
vet England steps forward to deny right enforce
the'aw, or what amounts to the same thing to shield
the offenders from lis penalty. No matter who com.
mits murder the high the perpetrator of the
crime is TO be punished with death. Not So says Eng
land-ifa slave murder his master, plumber his prop
erty and then comes into British port he shall 90
whipt of Justice Thus she virtually declares that her
oc laws shall supersede the laws of nations; that
sels entering her harbos under circumstances which
by the International code exempts them from the penal
ties of her statutes shall be subjected theeto that what
is property in Great Britain shall be property every
whore, and that nothing else shall be regarded;
and that piracy and murder on the high seas if an
African slave be the perpetrator of the crime shalt be
regarded as nstIfable offence.
These new doctrines are aimed at u.s. and should
be viewed in conncxon with series of articles in
London paper pointing out the policy which England
ought to adopt If involved in with this country
The author of those articles advised an attack upon
the South accompanied by distinct avowal that with
the North she intended to preserve the relations OF
peace We have too much confidence in the patriot
ism of our Democratic brethren in that section of the
country, TO suppose, for moment, that they would
hesitate to rush to arms in defence of the South,
that vast majority of the Wings would prove trail
tors in such trying hour. But the proposition de-
serves notice in consequence of the position
sumed by the English ministry upon the subject. She
calls upon us concede the rgh, of search by treaty
stipulation and bases the request upon ostensible
desire to suppress traffic which have made piracy
by our laws II is our duty to meet this request
promptly and decidedIy to deny the right which Eng
land claims and refuse to enter into any treaty that
cumstances or for any purpose.
England cannot enter upon war in her present
condition. Her resources are crippled by the very
extent of her domain. She must maintain armies in
every quarter of the globe, and keep down her own
starving subjects with the bayonet She presents to
the world the appearance of giant in the paroxysms
of the death struggle. She can command a vast fleet
and a mighty army but the means for their support
She cannot command. Such new burden would
swell the number of her starving thousands, to mil
lions And at such crisis, when She is aiming an
insidous blow at domestic institutions and the per-
petuity of our Union; and attempting to gain her
ends by overreachng us in negotiations because she
has not the means OF encountering us in war, it ill
becomes any American to second her views She
has been encroaching upon our territory and our
rights, whilst we have been making no stronger de-
monstraon of resistance, than an occasional inter-
change notes with her Minister and so long as we
remain content with such measures of opposition, she
will continue her encroachments As the whole
matter will soon come under the consideration of
Congress, we trust that firm and decided stand will
be taken at once that she may learn that we are
not only prepared but determined to resist her arbi-
trary pretensions at every hazard