The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-06-09
svr.uE a. ~, snTasENs.


Advertisements for tue p.spArcH must be handel
n by s,x O'clock IN tie afternoon, in order TO appear
tse next day. The heavy pressure II advertisements
n ,en the columns Of our paper, will not admit OF
ssaeir reception after the hoar named.
sFa xs-s-zzassszs
~-s Right of Visitation and Searc"'
Z The Baltimore Exchange publishes two is''e's
fcom efaeers Of the U. 8. Navy. on the sn'oee. "
the hate exciting occurrences 10 the da''' SIS" "
the right Of search aud visitation, ~hieo eNp,e
onioions differing from tho'e COMMONLY "''a ~
h..h,. a., C.oe al the w.iters says that r'sad'
49,. s,x On. nurpose of obtaining OF importing 'bi'i
.u..,n, .rs s,rrcA where the circumstances are
sn,gn;,d 10 ;ns'sfy a. for the purpose OF estaos"
inc the character or nationality OF sesse' 90 '"e
high seas, has so long bsana custom, not only on
foreign navies but cor own, that the sudden ano
total sbrngation discontinuanos OF It, while our
u,enos~ar las we'll others) are expected TO cap
ture pirates put down the slave trade, aud other
wise protect our commerce In It's lawful pursuits,
10. as you very Justly remark, very serious ques'
ton. In spite Of all efforts up 20 the present
time we have not Only failed to put down the slave
trade, which we have declared Piracy but acn'-
ally in more fourishing condition than formerlN'
and we do not want the evidence OF foreign ON
GERS to convince that American bottoms anu
the American flag have been, from the commence
mem, and are still, frsuduleutly used in this traf
hc.
GAS long as human nature is the same. aud
ah,sas exf.t am at y loss to see how the inte-
rrity of n Gag 10 TO be maintained. without visit
and even search, should the circumstances be
such as TO justify IT,
"During many years experience at sea, I have
had occasion to board foreign vessels as well as
our own-aud in some instances where have
been sent in search OF deserters, ! have had the
permission of the local authorities who were Eng
ish) not only to search, bat If necessary to bring
vessels TO anchor, while in the act
a"whiie In the performance Of this duty-neVef
very agreeable. I presume TO either party nave
endeavored to keep within the bounds of proprle'
ty-have never been treated unciyilly. and have
never, tony knowledge, been accused OF commit
ting an outruge"
The writer, however, admits that there is no
justification of the extent to which this contested
right has lately been carried by British cruisers
and that enough has recently occurred on our
coast to make us jealous of our national rights -
The other correspondent expresses substantially
the same views.
We doubt whether these Naval officers will con-
vince the country that all its great statesmen have
been and are Ia error. The right of visitation must
be exercised at the risk of the party exercising It,
and II he commit an error, his government, IL he
acts under its order is responsible. The suppress
sion OF the slave trade is desirable but the freedom
OF the seas ia not to be sacrificed for that object
What our Naval officer may have done by per
mission of English authorities" is not altogether
an analogous case to what British officers have
done By no permission but their own We should
like to know what Great Britain would have done
If this Naval officer had fired upon, visited aud
searched thirty-two vessels in the British Channel
Undoubtedly, without a single word of discussion
in Parliament. the Admiral of the British Channel
fleet would have sent cruiser with orders to
bring him in or sink him. wherever he should be
met. And they would have served him right,
We understand that in the opinion of nautical
men, nothing is easier than to detect the true
character, whether honest or dishonest, of a YES
sci upon the high seas. If piratiCal or SLAYER,
she shows 1t in the adaptation of her build, rig
ging, &c, to her peculiar purposes, and in her
special anxiety to keep out OF the way of men-of
war. A SLAYER particularly is known to mariners
almost as far as the eye can see her. We should
like this officer to inform the public, whether in
his experience of boarding vessels he ever mistook
thirtytwo honest traders for slayers in the course
of two months.
The other naval officers suggests that lands
men ought to confne their attention to land az
fairs, compliment which may be returned by sug-
costing that naval officers are somewhat out OF
their element when they turn pablicists. He also
speaks somewhat loftily of "sur merchant cap
tans," but he ought to recoIlect that most of the
great naval heroes of our Revolution and of the
late war were originally merchant captains, and
We are very sure that their achievements will not
Ina an rpaesed