The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-12-04

1918, by which amongst other thinas. il was de.
cared that i any person shall within the terrific.
ry or Jurisdiction VI tho United States, besiu, or
set on loot. or provide. or prepare the means flr
any military expedition enterprise 10 be CARR.
Cd on from thence against the territory uF domin.
ION ofany fOregn prince or Suite, or Of any colony,
district, or people with whom tho United States
ace al pence, every person 50 ofiendug shall be
deemed guilty Uf a high misIeneauor, and shall
Oe lined. not exceeding three thousand dollars,
ana imprlsohed not more than three years; and
this law has been executed aud enforced To tho
lall extent oi the power OF the Government, from
that day to this.
In proclalmins aud adherng To the doctriuo Of
neutrllity aud nOn.iuterventlOn, the United SAIes
hnve not followed the lead of other civilized ma.
tlonsi they have taken tho lend themselves and
have been followed by others. This was adiuit.
ted by one OF the most eminent Of modern British
Statesmen, who said in Parliament. while min.
lster OF the crown, that fhs wished for a guide
N system Of neutrality, he should take that laid
down by America in the days OF Washington aud
the Secretaryship Of Jelferson;" and we see, in
lact, that the act of Congress Of l8I8 was follow
ed. the succeeding year, by an act Of the Para.
ment OF England. substantially the same in its
general provisions. Up to that time there had
l'een no similar law III England. except certain
mighty penal statutes passed in the reign Of George
H. prohibiting English subjects from enlistng in
foreign service, the avowed object Of which stat.
ule was, that foreign armies, raised Inr the pur.
pose OF restoring the honse Of Stuart to the throne
should not he streng gthened by recruits from Eng
land herself.
All must see that difficulties may arise in car.
ryirg tue laws referred to into execution, in n
country now having three or four thousand miles
oi sea cOast with an infinite number of ports and
larbors, aud small iulets from some Of which un.
lawful expeditions may suddenly sot forth. with
out the knowledge OF the Government, against
The possessions oIiOreign States.
Friendly relations with all. but entangling ali.
anceS with none, has long been maxim with Us.
Our true mission 10 not 10 propagate our opinions.
or impose upon other countries our form of gov.
ernment by ariifce or fOrcei but To telch by OK.
ample, and show by our success, moderation and
justice, the'bleSsngs of selfgovernment, and tho
advantages OF free institutions. Let every people
choose for itself. and make and alter its political
institutions 10 suit its own condition and convon
lence. But, while we avow and maintain this
neutral policy ourselves, anxious TO see the
same iOrbearance on tue purI oil other nations,
whose forms of government are different from our
own. The deep interest which we feel in the
spread OF liberal principles and the estab lishneul
OF Tree governments, aud the sympathy with
which we witness every struggle against Oppres.
sion, forbid that we should DO Indifferent t. u
case III which the strong arm Of foreign power is
invoked 10 stio public sentiment and repress the
spirit otfreedom in any country.
The governments OF Great Britain and France
have issued orders 10 their naval commanders on
the West India station to prevent by force, ifnec-
essary the landing OF adventurers from any nation
on the Island Of Cuba with hostile intent. Tho
~ Il IL.
subject between the Charge d'Aiairs of her Bri-
tanc Majesty and the Acting Secretary OF State,
and of subsequent note Of the former to the De.
partment of State, are herewith submitted to.
gether with copy oft note o! the Acting Secre-
tary OF State To the Minister O tho Freuch repnb-
lie. and OF the reply Of the latter on the same sub
Ject These papers will acquaint you with the
grounds OF this interp0sition of the twy leading
commercial powers Of Europe, and with tho ap-
prehensiOns which this Government cOnd not
a to entertain. that such interpositiou, carried
into effect, might lead to abuses in derogatiun of
the maritime rights OF the United States. The
maritime rights oftho United States are founded
on firm, secure, aud eldeiued tasis; they
stand upon the ground Of National Independence
and public law. and will be maintained in all their
iulI and just extent.
The principle which this Government has hore.
"Oio bOlcUilI1 u Sllli huUcEOS Hlltl
will maintain undcr all circumstances and at all
hazards. That principle is, that in eyory regular
ly documented merchant vessel, the crew who
navigate it, aud those on board Of it, will find
their protection in the flag that is over them. No
American ship eau be allowed to 10 visi,ol Or
searched for the purpose OF ascertsiuing the char
acter ui individuals 0n board, nor can there be al.
lowed any wa tch by the vessels oil any foreign ma.
ton over American vessels on the Coasts Of the
Uuited States the seas adjacent thereto Il will
be seen by tue last communication from tho Brit
ISL Charge d Affairs 10 the Department of State,
that he is authorized to assure the Secretary of
State that every care will be taken that in exscu.
ting the preventive measures against the expedi.
tions Which the United States Government itself
has denounced as not being entitled to the pro.
lection Ofany government. M interference shall
take place with the lawful commerce of any VA
ton.
In addition to the correspondence on this sub.
lect, herewith submitted. official information has
been received at the Department of State. oi as.
surances by the French government that, in the
orders given 10 the French naval rorces, they
were expressly instructed in any operations they
might engage in, to respect the flag of the United
States wherever it might appear, and 10 commit
no act OF hostility upon any vessel or armament
uuder its protection
Ministers aud consuls or E,roig, ,o,iono oro
the means and accents of co,nr,nnir,tion ho.
tween us and those nations. and if il of III. NJ.
most import,pce Tint wbile resJing in tho
thrv shoulJ feel n nerrect ssrHrtv so
long as they faithfully discharge their rcsnec.
tze duties, and are guilty of no violation of our
laws This is the admitted law of nations and
no country has doep cr Interest in maintaining
1t than the United States Our commerce spreads
and consuls ara nnn3in,ed to nrotoc,
,Lo ;,,.,, 9 IL, 1T