The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-12

From tAe London Chronieis, Fro. 30.
AsxiErr ~ EAoLAsD AsoUr Sours CARolmA.
Everybody knows that the moment a Bsitish
ship touches at port in South Carolina, those Of
her crew whose complexion falls below a recog-
nized standard of olive, Immediately taken in
to custody by the police and lodged in prison tall
the vessel clears outwards. Some extraordinary
examples of this peculiar practice appear to have
come recently under the notice of our consul nj
Charleston, and he has been instructed by the
foreign Office to lay strong remonstrance ON the
subject before the governor OF the State. The
American newspapers would have believe that
tins proceeding on the part OF the local agent Of
our government has raised great question Of in
terna,ionai law between England and the United
States. and still greater question OF constitu-
tional Jurisprudence between the State Of South
Carolina and the American federation. Ii may be
remembered that representations on the same head
were made some time since addressed to President
Taylor's administration, by the English plenipo-
tertiary at Washington. A not very lucid salts
factory legal argument, signed by MIR. Clayton,
was received In reply, but II contained clear ad
mlssion that the privilege Of incarcerating British
subjects on account of discoloration of the scarf
skin was not of the rights ceded to the federal
government by South Carolina IN the consiitu-
tonal pact The application Of MIR. Consul Mat
thew 10 Governor Means il the direct logical con-
sequence Of Secretary Clayton's letter. but, in the
sciences OF diplomacy and of constitutional inter
probation, two and two do not always make -four,
nor IL the conclusion at all times necessary re-
suit of the premises. The federal authorities, re-
coiling from the anomalies which the independent
action OF single Stale would entall--and not
little irritated, perhaps, by the evident compla-
cency of Governor Means In repeating the words,
"our government, 'your government" and
the two governments'-hav abandoned, under
President Fillmore, the position which they took
up under President Taylor, and Sir Henry Bull
wer is engaged in (" long and active correspond
ence, explanatory Of Consul Matthew's diplo-
matte irreguarty in resorting to the subordinate
instead OF the superior.
II can never be commended that no wrong has
been suffered. The gratuitous Imprisonment of n
whole class OF British subjects, tested by every
criterion of international law, and still more by
that large and liberal version Of it which was sane
toned by the House of Commons in the Greek
debate, amounts to a diplomatic grievance of the
first magnitude. The most considerate and long
suffering of foreign ministers would never endure
that, under general permission to trade with
Roman Catholic country, Protestant sailors should
be locked up as soon us they landed, and Roman
lists only allowed to 60 at large. The King OF
Naples IS as anxious to keep free Englishmen out
of his domInons South Carolina can be to ex-
clude free negroes from her boundaries But he
does not declare that his subjects associate the
presence OF Englishmen with revolutionary prin-
ciples--that the characteristic marks Of an Eng
lishman are red hair and red whiskers--and that
he Is therefore under the painful necessity Of i'm
prisoning all red headed foreigners who may visit
his realms. The s'bloated Bourbon" confines
himself to the expedient--at all events an Impair
tal one--of an interminabe quarantine, which ia
calculated to STAY the most fervent Of prOpagan-
dists with WEAKNESS and ennui. In the case OF
America, the indignity offered to us by the South
Carolinlan practice, is the more inexcusable, be-
cause the relations of the two countries are not
governed by the common law of nations, or by a
single treaty, but by succession of treaties, and
by habitudes OF commercial intercourse which
possess sanction almost beyond that of interna-
; tonal engagements. Nor can it be urged against
us that we have not appealed to the proper tribu-
nal. We had recourse to the federal government,
and we were informed that no jurisdiction over
the matter resided in Washington. We now be-
take ourselves to the government Of Carolina-a
sovereign State, in every incident Of sovereignty
which has not been transferred to Washington
and the central authorities Immediately interfere
with protest, urging upon us--reasonaby, il
may be, but most logicay-the perpexite.
: which must ensue if we attempt to treat with ar
isolated member of the federation on the sam,
footing as with Mexico Chilli We are thu
called upon to give our assent to the doctrin
that, by complicated internal arrangements
country may contrve to annul its external respon
!. sibility.
- The truth Isl it is quite idle to argue, as a diff
Guilty OF public or domestic law, Il matter whic
every soul in the Union admits to be embarrasse,
: solely by circumstance and accident. Nobod
! has shadow of doubt that, in relinqushing tn
management of her external relations to the Pres
!. ident and Congress Of the United States, Soutl
Carolina disqualified herself for the enactment o
laws, which, by their operation, if not by thei
language, affect the foreign policy OF the Union
The constitution provides very simple mode o
superseding local Jurisprudence where it encroach
on the privileges reserved to the collective fed
q | Rut the difficulty mi nce st tha uay
stage. The fiery citizens of South Carolina oult
be sure to disregard the disallowance of their act
by the Washington authorities; and any attemp
to coerce them would be made at the cost of civi
war, and at imminent risk to the cohesion of tn
: federal system. In addition, it may be observed
that there is probably no man in America NOR
, disnclined to push such question to extremitie
d than the present Secretary of State, hampered a
he is by somewhat extravagant professions Of de
votion to the Union. In the face of such perpex
\ tiles, the most honest, perhaps the wisest, nn
6 certainly the most consistent, policy would bav
, been to let the British negotiations with Sout
: Carolina take their course. The tone Of Goyerno
. Means, in the correspondence with Consul Mat
thew, Is markedly courteous; and IL is not at al
unlikely that the State legislature would have re
Taxed the obnoxious practice in our favor--a lit
tie no doubt, by way of brilliantly vndcating thu
D theory Of estate rights but partly also from al
enlightened sense of the folly of feeding quarre
, between the population which produces the cot
ton of the world and the population which manu-
features it,
The following are the present ages of the diff
, ferent reigning monarchs Great Britain, Queer
J Victoria J., age 80 years; Austria, Empero
: Francis l., 81 Russia, Emperor Nicholas l., IS
Spain, Queen Donna Maria Isabella H., 81
!, Portugal, Queen Donna Maria H. 80 Prussia
King Frederick William w.. Sc; Holland, VIII
Iap H. So; Belgium, Leopold l., 81 Denmark
Frederick VIII, 49, Sweden, Oscar IT,, SO
Popedom of Rome, Plus TX, Sc; Sardinia. Kin.