The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-07-23

..u saw so'onary Ioens, @0Suieeo a. 6uy oo.
ProPortionAteiy large % " Popuaton--moss thsn
four times the largest force Il Il required 10 coussi
butte to the army Of the alton aud, exoeps
Tor the contingency VI war. totally usoiess.
Prussia and Dsns~ark.
The Rcla~ Zsitvns has tclegraphie despatch
from Berlin Of the 9Th instant stAiing that shs pro-
toool which u added " the treaty Of peace With
Denmark, and which suspsads the ooassatioa 81
ths armisttcs, has bssn ratified BY Prussia and BY
Denmark. The Prussian troops are preparing "
leave the Dachis: on The li,h instant. ln6sns.
troops will Immediately occupy Tho oitiss and dis
triits which the Fruss!sa iarpes are preparing 10
| evacuAte.
The Russian asst. consisting Of siwh, linz. Of.
battle ships, one frgAie. and steamer. is moving
from ono point TO another between the DAnish
islands, and was reported 10 have cast saehos 81
HELM. There were no troops observed On board
Of this squadron, which 10 expected, however, 20
settle the question Of tho occupation Of Schsswig
by Danish troops for the king, Thar. Julys.
From tie London Timer, Judy g.
II ba natural, though an indirect, consequence
OF the mode OF proceeding recently employed by
LORD falmerston TO enforce certain elaine against
the Greek government, that innumerable other
claims, not more doubtful In principle or exAgrsr.
| ated In amount than those Of Don Pacihco, have
started into life, and that other States have been
encouraged TO resort TO proceedings which the late
| example Of England forbids the British govern.
ment to condemn. The case Of the American claims
on Portugal, which has already been made the sub.
Ject OF Peremptory utimatuni, backed BY the
presence OF naval squadron, 10 startling instance
OF the facility with which such prccedents fol.
lowed; for not many years ago late American
Secretary Of State had himself declared to the claim
ants, that argument and importantly having
been exhausted. the American Government could
see nothing in the circumstances To justify
rant 1t in having recourse TO any other weapons.
Subsequently to the intelligence of MIR. Wyse's de.
mands on the Greek gosGrnnent having reached
Washington, it would seem that General Taylor
| and his Cabinet have renouncsd this forbcarance,
| and Lisbon is accordingly menaced after the exam
pie Of the Pireus
1t is curious coincidence that the Portuguese
government should have played an indirect part in
the principal question at Athens the original
debtor OF PaciEco, and that il should now be held
liable to the American Government for damages
occasioned by the forces of another power over
which 1t had no control. But the latter it, il
possible, more nonstrous and cxtravagant than
that with which we have recently had occasion to
deal. On the 26th Of september, 1914, during the
last war between Great Britain and the United
States, an American armed privatcer, the Sen
eral Armstrong;" Captain Reid commanding
enterrd the neutral Portuguese harbor of Fayal to
water. She followed, though not actually
chased, by the British vessels Of war Pantagenct,
~; KOta, ~, and the Carnation brig. and Captain
Reid ordered his vessel to be warped in shore under
the guns Of the castle for safety In the course of
the evening violation of the neutrality of the port
OF Fayal undoubtedly occurred. The American
captain swore that four armed boats from the
British vessels were approaching his ship, and adj
mits that he, suspecting their intentions, warned
them OIL and then fired upon them, killing and
wounding of their men. The boats were
SAID to have returned the ere with effect Though
that assertion was contradicted, as in fact they
were not armed at alb but subsequently wore of
to the ships, whence they returned at midnight
with powerful reinforcement. and a severe ac-
ton ensued in which the General Armstrong
was at length captured and destroyed by the
British. So that by this American version Of
the story, it was Captain Reid who first violated
the neutrality Of the port. The affidavit Of the
British officer shows, however, that the boat fired
upon by the Americans WINS unarmed. and was
sent in merely to make inquiries, in spite Of which
II was brutally attack by Captain Reds orders.
However this may be, like many similar occur
FENCES in the heat and chances of war the ensuing
treaty OF peace put an end to all discussion be-
tween the bellgerent powers, but it is not little
unjust that thirty six years afterwards such
as this should be made ground OF complaint and
hostility against the neutral. The Americans al
lege that the Portuguese Governor ought to have
asserted and enforced the neutrality Of the harbor
OF Fayal, although he had but one hundred infan
try and eight artillery in castle with ruined
defencesj and that as the Governor of Fayal failed
to give to the American privateer the protection of
neutral harbor, Portugal must pay for the de-
struction OF that vessel a which, according to
the Pactco scale of calculation is modestly laid at
DOC, 500 dollars
There undoubtedly was in this case violation
of neutrality, though it is disputed whether that
under Lieutenant Fawcctt, or by the American
privAteer in the harbor. But it is principle Of the
law OF nations, laid down by Sir William Scott,
(ht Eliza Ann, Dodson. 2i4,) that "where a vo
aton Of neutral territory takes place. that country
alone whose tranquility has BEEN disturbed pos
sesses the right of demanding reparation for the in
jury which she has sustained, and the enemy whose
property has been captured cannot himself give
the claim, but must resort TO the neutral for his
remedy" But If an illegal capture attack has
been made In neutral waters, giving the aggreved
party this aforementioned species of remedy against
the NEUTRAL IL follows that the neutral has forfiori
claim for rcparation against the State which has
abused Its protection or violated it's rights. The
Governor OF Fayal did not acquiesce i'm the attack
on the American vessel, though he was distinctly
informed by the commander OF the British forces
that the neutrality Of the port could no longer be
respected, since the unprovoked attack of the
American schooner on the British boats but If the
British officer who undertook under these circum-
stances To avenge that attack, even Mt the risk OF
breach Of neutrality, justified in such a pro-
cecdng-as we think upon the evidence that he
was-it would seem 10 be wholly inconsistent with
tho law OF nations and with our peculiar amty with
Portugal, that she should now DO held responsible
by the United States for act Of a British squad
ron which she had not the power 10 prevent; and
as this occurrence was entirely caused either by the
rsshncss or hostility Of the Americans Themselves
as appears by their own statement, or by the ne
cessary measures taken by Captain Lloyd, who
commanded the British ship Plantagcnet, justice
requires either that the Government of the United
oAattr SUCH Clalfl, NJ MT. sec
rotary Upshur had actually done in ls4a, or that
Great Britain should bear Portugal harmless for |
damages committed, and rightfully committed, by
ourselves The revival Of dema nds so doubtful and
so obsolete s not credtable to the American Gov
ernmcnt, and though the arguments which we're
employed last week in the HOUSE, Of Commons
would justify these any other csactions made by
the strong upon the weak, pu5t express the
same regret when this course Is pursued by for
eign power ss we did when IL was adopted by our
our government towards Greece.
IL Is not probable that the Portuguese govern
ment will acccde to the demand Of compensation
for the General Armstrong, which is fcoby sup
ported by evidence and by law; and on the fth in
stant the American minister Lisbon will possibly
retire on board the United States squadron If his
uitimatum be not accepted. The strength Of that
squadron lie, we believe, not sufficient warrant il
in making direct attack on Portugal, or in mi- |
tsting Admiral Baudins Exploit of passing the forts
of the Tagus but If the G. rcck precedent is to be
adhered TO throughout, and rcprisals directed
against the trade Of Portugal for the recovery Of
these alleged but inadmissbc losses il is evident
that English interests in Portugal will be the first
70 suffer, and We cannot lima ginc that this country
would view such acts Of hostility with indifference,
especially when II is remembered that they have |
arisen entirely out Of an occurrence which took |
place under the British flag The naval station Of