Washington telegraph., 1856-01-23

Pihoso suipS LOT transportation , and al
though in SO doing, the individual either
exposes his property or person to some Of
the hazards of war, his acts do not involve
any branch of national neutrality. nor o.
themselves implicate the government Thus
during the progress of the present war ir
Europe, our citizens have, without national
responsibility. therefore. sold gunpowde,
and arms to all buyers, regardless of the
destination of these articles Our mer-
chantmen have been, and still con tinue tc
be, largely employed by Great Britain and
by France, In transporting troops, provis-
ions and munitions of war to the principal
seat OF military operations, and in bringing
home their sick and wounded soldiers but
such use of our mercantile marine is not
interdicted either by the international, or
by our municipal law and therefore does
not compromit our neutral relations with
Russia
But our municipal law, in accordance
with the law of nations, peremptorily for
bid, not only foreigners, but our citizens, to
fit out. within the limits of the United
States, a vessel to commit hostilities against
any State with which the United States are
at peace, or to increase the force of any
foreign armed vessel intended for such hos
tilIties against a friendly State.
hatever concern may have been felt by
either of the bellingerent powers lest private
armed cruisers, or other vessels, in the
service of one. mi ght be fitted ou. in this
country to depredate on the property of
the other, all such fears have proved utterly
groundless. Our citizens have been with
held from any such act OF purpose by good
faith. and by respect for the law.
W hile the laws of the Union are thus
peremptorily in their prohibition of the
equipment or armament of bellingerent
cruisers in our ports, they provide not less
absolutely that no person shall. within the
jurisdiction of the United States, enlist or
enter himself, or to go beyond the jurisdic-
ton of the United States with intent to be
enlisted OF entered, in the service of any
foreign State. either as a soldier, or as a
marine or seaman on board of any vessel of
war, letter-Of-n.arque, or privateer. And
those enactments are also in strict confur-
nifty with the law of nations, which de-
clares that no State has the right to raise for
land or sea service in another State without
its consent. and that, whether forbidden BY
municipal law or not, the very attempt to
do 1T, without such consent, is an attack on
the national sovereignty.
Such being the public rights and the mu-
nicipal law of the United States, no solici-
tude on the subject was en- tertained by this
government, when. year since, the British
Parliament passed an act to provide for the
enlistment of forei gners in the military
service of Great Britain Nothing on the
face of the act, or in its public history,
indicated that the British Government pro
posed TO attempt recruitment in the Unit ted
States nor did it ever give intimation of
such intention to this government. 1t was
matter of surprise, therefore, to find, sub
sequently. that the engagement of persons
within the United States to proceed to Hal
flax. in the British province ef Nova Scotia
and there enlist in the service of Great Brit
ain, was going on extensively, with little or
no disguise: Ordinary legal steps were i'm
medlately taken to arrest and punish par
ties concerned, and SO put an end to acts
infringing the municipal law and deroga-
tory to our sovereignty Meanw hile suita-
BILE representations on the subject were ad-
dressed to the British government.
Thereupon it became known, by the ad-
mission of the British government itself.
that the attempt to draw recruits from this
country origina ted with it, or at least had
its approval and sanction but it also ap-
peared that the public agents engaged in it
had 80 stringent instructions" not to violate
the municipal law of the United States
1t is difficult to understand how it should
have been supposed that troops could be
raised here by Great Britain. without vio-
lation OF the municipal law. The unmis-
taxable object of the law was to prevent
every such act, which, if performed. must
be either in violation of the law, or in stu
died evasion of it, and. in either alterna-
tive, the act done would be alike injurious
to the Sovereignty of the United States
In the meantime, the matter acquired ad
ditional Importance, by the recrui tments in
IL ~, Il
and the disclosure of the fact that they were
prosecu ted upon systematic plan devised
by official authority that recruiting rendez-
vous had been opened in our principal cities
and depots for the reception of recruits es-
tablished on our frontier and the whole
business conducted under the supervision
and by the regular corporation of British
officers. civil and military, some In the North
/ American provinces. and some in the United
States The com mplicity of those officers. in
an undertaking which could only he accom-
( plished by defying our laws. throwing sus
picion over our neutrality, and disregardins
our territorial rights, is cOnclusively proved
| by the evidence elected on the trial Of sucl
of their agents as Lave been apprehended
and convicted Some of the officers thu:
/ implicated are of high official position, ant
many of them beyond our jurisdiction, sc
I THAT leSti prOcccuiiesss Coulu nut reach tns
source of this mischief.
+. These considers tions, and the fact tha
the cause of complaint was not mere cas-
ual occurrence, but a deliberate design. en-
tered upon with full knowledge of our law
and national policy, and conducted by re
sponsible public funetionaries, impelled M
to present the case to the British govern
ment. in order to secure, not only cessa
ton of the wrong, but its repsration. Tn
subject is stili under discussion, the resul
OF which will De communicated to you i
due time.
/ repeat the recommendation submitted {
the ias5 Congress, that provision be mad
for the appointment Of commissioner. i
connection with Great Britain, to surye
and establish the boundary line which d
yides the Territory of Washington from Il