The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-18

from the perusal of the contents Of these epistes
We shall now say q few words on these documents,
however unworthy rome of them may appear even
Of the slight attention which purpose bestowing
upon them.
The FIRST point which cannot but call our a..en
tion in Mr. Roberts letter is the official position
which he apparently wishes to assume "a agent of
the United States Mail Steamship Company, sui
the stand which he seems to take az Representative
Of the rights Of public vessels of the United States,
claiming. at the same time, the immediate action
of the federal government in the vndc alton of any
damages to which it may have bsen Submitted by
its own private conduct Mr.. Roberts claims thai
his vessels should be considered, in foreign ports as
vessels of tho Union, and he invokes tho law Of
nations AID international treaties to support
the exemptions and immunities to which, as
suoh, they would be entitled. These claims
first laid in the protest of Mr.. Por er. On
the occasion Of our aliudiug to this protest,
we already stated our opinion, that Mr. Per
ter ia no respect to be considered as diff
fering from captain in merchant vessel.
nor the vessel unoer his co nmand as being entitled
to privileges and iMmunices other than thos3 APP
pertaining TO vessels of the same class. Whatever
may be the exemptions which the company may
have OBJ aimed from its government in the poris Of
the Union, rs recompense for the services which
the former may render in accordance with its
tract no foreign authority can be compelled to 40.
oept private agreement between the North Ams-
ricsn government and any Of the citizens. aud 20
regulate its port arrang and police rules With
view to it's Observance. The steam vessels of tho
company reach Havana, after having been dss-
patched from the New York and New Orleans custom
houses, in the same manner as any other merchant
vessel and like toe latter they are sube,t, inme-
diately entering the waters and harb ors within
the jurisdiction OF Spain, to ne laws and naval and
other regulations which that country may have
deemed proper TO sanction. they consi 1ored
precisely in the same manner the United States
consider the steamers belonging to the Royal Mail
Company plying between Liverpool and New York,
some OF which have already more than once been
enbsrgoed by tho local authori lies of New YORK
and Boston Tor smuggling. and yet the proprietors
Of that line, though receiving from their govern.
ment n heavy subgention for the public services
which they render by virtue of their contract, have
meyer dreamt Of asking that the English govern
n sh should interfere IN the consequences OF their
own private transgresSions in the said ports Ani
had the cause OF the embargo, and even of the 40.
tusl conf scstion been evident or strongly pre-
snmptve attempt levelied against the Institutions
the public peace of the country, the same measure
some other still more severe, tho part of the
American local authorities would not warrant the
Intervention Of the British government, provided
the punishment inflicted did not exceed the nature
and proportions of the offence, and provided, too,
the said reports we're not treated in unjust
ceptioDsl manner by reason of their being English
or belonging to any foreign nation. 1t even the
United States have an unteniabio right to punish
foreigners or foreign vessels who infringe la
ana general and local regulations while within the
limits their jurisdiction, under VIA. pretence
Spain be denied the exercise of the same right
within the limits Of hers!
disposed of by good American authorities, and the
Journal Of Commerce of this very day supports
our position in an article which We translate
from that paper. What we desire is, to gather the
practical facts that TO to prove the Of
those who believe that the United States, by
Of their peculiar organization do not recognise the
right belonging to every nation 10 punish to ex-
clude from It's territory those foreigners who nure
it in its peace its safety, and It's public morals, or
its political institutions We desire to show, too,
how vain an attempt it would be to seek to make
the United States party to the settlement of diff
ference provoked by the disrespsctfu and offensive
conduct of the employees of commercial company
towards the Spanish authorities.
There is one matter however, on which we would
express our opinion, before abandoning the subject
OF the steamship company. We think that neither
Mr. Roberts nor Mr.. Law are unaware, at heart, of
the extravaganza and madness of their prete nsions,
particularly of their open threat of waging private
war against Spain.
Perhaps, no vever. it were as well for us to men
ton the which public attributes 20 the
noisy conduct of these gentlemen Mr.. Roberts,
general agent Of the company, when he wrote his
letter to the Secretary of State. and offered, with
imperial tone, to put down the "obstina,y' of
the Spanish authorities in Cuba had presented him-
self candidate for national representation, and
his name was at the corner of every street, among
those of the other pretenders Mr., Law, the
other hand, according to reliable reports and our
private of information has in his possession
q certain number of muskets, BY some laid as gh
as one hundred and fifty tnousand-this number,
kets were purchased Of the government, which dis
posed of them at nominal price, they having been
dscarde on the introduction Of some change or i'm
movs meDt in the mode of constructing them Mr..
Roberts, then, must needs ipgratiate himself into
the favor of certain class aud nothing was better
calculated to do this, and to throw reno .n on his
name. than the humiliation of Spanish pride by his
owerful and terrible anger Mr. Law on the other
hand, coad not well keep his muskets and as there
is not much money and but little war in the His
no-American provinces-some Of which have
more arms than they know what to do with-he
must, OF necessity, create movement, or foment
already born, and then undertake "private
war; which would open market for the sale of his
muskets Both of these motives we're, it must he
confe SEED, amply sufficient to justify the exciting OF
popular enthusiasm in favor Of q certain invasion,
to svepge "the insults aud outrages heaped upon
the com psny by the Spanish authorities y
Ii Il DC really true that such were the causes
tustlng the company in their somewhat obstinate
and irritating line of conduct it is to be hoped that
that its directors have perceived their error,
and have scen that to persovere would only tend to
injnre their own interests, they will withdraw their
iradmissable pretepsions and thus open the way 20
the prompt establishment Of free intercourse Of
the company with Cuba. Ii the authorities Of tho
Island persist in exclu ling Mr. Smith and the vessel
That bears him, no one possessed Of his senses, can
d, ny that the right is undeuiably theirs The Cos
rie, ard Enquirer though admitting the right to ex
clude Mr. Smith, denies the right to exclude the
vessel thst carries him into port within Spanish
jurisdiction, contrary to the express aud reiterated
BiOblOlIiUu VI tbo OpduisH BoScIuiuenb QUIZ lu
error in so ser sible paper is Uncomfortable.
We do no more than copy the public runor, nor
is the opinion which entertain with regard to the
members Of the company, (Mr. Law excepted.) diff
ferent from what wo have always manifested, nor
would we desire that the character attributed to
the latter nor the imminent ''privatc war" Of Mr..
Roberts should have the least tendency to nbitter
in the sieL.est atgree inc authorities OF Cuba,
divert them from the just, digniGed and secure
course, which they have thus far followed
We must leave to some other opportunity the
mention of the few reflections suggested to ms by tho
letter Of Mr. Green on the mattor Of the "secret
colonization" of San Domingo.
Views OF the American Government .n Re-
saro to George Law, Marshal .. Roberts,
Purser smith, and the American Flag.
Ltron, The Washington Republic, Nov. III
There 10 manifest determination in certain quar-
ers 70 misJepresent the action Of the administration
in regard 10 the Havana difficulties and 70 use them
material to strengthen filiibustering influences
throughout the country. The Cleveland (Oaio)