The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-09-25
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
TUESDAY MoRNING SEPT. rs. Is4e.
The French DimcuIty.- Commandsr Carpsnd.r,s Let


The National Integener and the Republic of yester-
day contain the two sters and the statement Of Com.
mander Carpenter relative TO the services which he rem
dered as commander OF the United States steamer Iris
to the French brig Eugenie the anchorage OF Anton
Lizardo in the Gulf of Mexico. We transfer the two
letters and the statement to our columns and invite at
tention to them containing the only explanation yet
given OF the origin Of the negotiation with France which
caused the dismissal OF Monsieur Poussin the French
minister TO the United States.
The New York Evening Post Of the 2ist September
says "Iherh has been, fact doctrine advanced BY
government, uappears, respecting the right Of Commander
Carpenter to savags and further assert upon the best
authority that Commander carpenter nsper distinctly as.
serted any claim TO salvage compensation" reference
the correspondence which publish will show thai the
assertion made ythe Evening Post cannot be sustained
Commander Carpenters letter Of the 10th Of November
1885, states distinctly that he detained the Eugene thirty
hours to communicate with the consgnee, Senior Gomez
Gomez, at Vera Cruz and he drew up the statement
which is now published for ths1nformaton Of Mr. Pom
mares, our vice consul at Vera Cruz, who was author
lied to conduct the inquiry into the one Of sal
wage" He further says, that for two or three days he
"was faasred Nth the expectation Of receiving saluage"
but in obedience TO the Of Mr. Pommares that
by the laws Of Mexico salvage could only where
the vessel is wrecked biged or broken and in accord
to what seemed to be the opinion Of majority, he
"ceased to pursue the matter, and requested Mr.. Pom
mares to let il be dropped" evident from this state
men that Commander Carpenter did claim compensation
for the services which he with his officers and
dered the Eugene and that he detained that vessel thr
y hours, and finally surrendered her to her captain and
abandoned his claim We do not think the validity
of claim Of salvage thus abandoned can now be
a matter of much Importance; but we apprehend that
the complaint of the French government grew out of
the unauhorised detention of the vese for the purpose
of obtaining compensation. Whatever may have been
the value Of the services rendered by the officers and
crew OF the Iris, and however clear their claims
to compensation might have been yet cannot see that
Commander Carpenter authorized "to take the law
into his hands," and detain the Eugene until that
claim was satisfied II there any dispute as to the
validity Of Commander Carpenters claim for salvage
could be settled only by legal investigation Of the facts,
and application of the law Of nations to those facts.
And here we will take occasion TO say that in such con-
uoverses with the subjects OF foreign governments The
cannot be cited Foreign nations have nothing do with
alone The law OF nations is the only code which
be appealed to in disputes between nations and
sorry 10 see that Mr. Clayton and the Attorney General
have established the precedent of appealing laws pass
ed by Congress, and TO the decisions Of tribunals
(hayng authority in those tribunals aone conducting
negotiations with foreign power 1t is presumed that
Secretary Of State is acquainted with the laws and Gus
toms which appean in the intercourse OF governments
and nations and il is Notifying spectacle to see the
head Of the cabinet constantly endeavoring to shield
himself behind the napplicabe decisions of courts
in order to avoid responsibility, and making his dplo-
matte notes eeconeering appeals to the American peo-
pie, instead OF valid arguments addressed to foreign
minister The present instance is the FIRST but we
ii will be the last in which Mr. Clayton will pursue
this course.
Admitting that Commander Carpenters claim for CON-
pensaton was well foundedand we are not disposed to
deny ADMITTING that the Commander. his officers,
and exhibited the greatest spirit and skill in saving
the Eugene from shipwresk, and would be the first
appreciate their services and commend their merits
claim to pecuniay compensation preferred at all
Instances, we are informed, have occurred in the
last two or three years in which vessels OF the
FRENCH navy alued anu asssteu American uefcnant-
men IN distress, and no demand was made Of the gov.
eminent OF the United States or Of the individual
ers for compensation for such services We are sure
that the officers and crew OF the Iris would have been
more gat6ed by letter Of thanks. such rs that which
addressed about year ago to the officers and
OF OF our vessels for assistance rendered Rus,
merchantmen, than by any salvage to which they
might have been entitled And il is source Of re-
greet, also, that the copmanden Of public vessels
restrained by the accounting officers OF the navy from
supplies 10 vessels DISTRESS by the practice
Of charging them with such disbursements as unauthor
lied by law, and by forcing them TO seek remuneration
from those whom such services are rendered We say
this in justification OF officers, although the case Of
the Eugene no, OF this kind That case, we
fear, will be unfavoraby contras,ed with that Of the
Somers, which also happened near Anton Lzardo The
Somers, brig belonging to our navy il will be remem
bered, wrecked during the blockade Of Vera Cruz
and the officers OF the French and other foreign vessels
sent their boats TO the rescue, and at their peril
saved the lives Of many OF gaast tars without pre-
ferrng any claim against our government
There can be no doub, that the government Of the
United States has right to dismiss any foreign minister,
without giving Just Of complaint TO his government
Il is not Just cause Of complaint that nation refuses
even TO hold any diplomatic relations with another al
though one Of the organs Of the administration, speaking
evidently by authority complained Of the refusal Of the
Spanish government to allow the United States to open