The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-08
SELBC7I0NS or FOREIGN NEWS BY THE
W4SHING7ON
THE ADMISSIONS OF LORD MALMEsBURY
pom the Manchester cluarJian june aOtbl

The explanations volunteered by Lord Malmesbury IN
the House Of Lords and by Mr. Fitzgerald In the Com
mons should suffice TO aay the irritation caused In the
United States by the alleged aggressions Of British cruisers
he Foreign Secretary announces that the of
THIS country has no intention of insisting the right
search He goes further than this for he refuses
TO recognise any distinction between the right of search
and the right Of VISIT and admits that the Americans
have International Law on their side when they declare
that they will submit TO interference with their ships
on the high seas by the officers of any foreign power
The course he has taken was, doubt the only one
open 10 Lord Malmesbury but IL Is not he less true Aat he
has conceded he ted Sates tchas cas nera ASKED De-
Jort
The right Of searchif By that phrase be meant the
right TO examine the ship and cargo for ts purpose OF
discovering whether any slaves board-has never
been claimed by Great Britain Indeed it is obviously
absurd to suppose that should have asked such a
privilege, which, in the present state of the law would
be quite unavailable Our officers wished To find out
not whether certain vessels slayers but whether
they belonged to Americans This they were authorized
to do and there Is yet evidence to show that they
have ansressed their orders The exercise of the right
OF visit Is, howeve ow found 70 be inconvenient by
the States and 1t Is useless to think Of enforcing it
by England has wisely given it up altogether But
the result of this concession u.s. In the time to
der hopeless attempts TO suppress the slave trade
Mr. Fitzgerald ntimates that in all probability the squad
ron Will be recalled from the Gull to its old station the
African coast II would time and money to bring it
home at once to augment the Channe feet.
Pure religion has suffered harm by the abolition Of
th rlght OIL sanctuary which enabled the worst of
Kind to the hottest places in order TO at defiance
law and Justice. So also freedom will be utterly ban
ished from the EARTH if the Americans that
the stars and stripes shall not give immunity from pun
shment to all the robbers and outlaws of the ocean For
the common good of all maritime nations compro-
mise on this subject is absolutely necessary But the prac
teal difficulties in the way of finding out what is the real
name and country of ship without stopping it the
high seas great that almost despair of their
moval.
For everything now depends upon the sincerity and
friendly feeling of the government of the United States
As the question stands at present not only the trade
but all other kinds of piracy, may flourish unchecked
There be maritime police SO long any flag
perfect immunity to the vessel which is hosed
The hope expressed by Lord Malmesbuy that the United
States will the necessity of agreeing to rules by
which may be possible to ascertain the nationality of
ship is certainly justified by and
General Cass himself allows that where violence is
committed, inquiries of this kind may fairly be
made. The most violent republican can, indeed, hardly
wish that his flag should become the flag, not of liberty,
but of anarchy.