The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-15

The officers of Her Britannia Majesty's Fleet in
the West Indies have waxed insolent. Every day
brings tdngs of some fresh outrage committed by
them upon the American flag. They stop our
vessels upon the high seas without ceremony, fire
into them without necessity and board and search
them without authority. Under pretext of sup
pressing the slave-trade, they treat with the
utmost indignity American merchantmen quietly
pursuing their way, under circumstances which
forbid the suspicion of their being engaged
in any illegal traffic Two days ago. the latest
instance of this kind was that of the schooner
Mobile, an American coaster bound from Mobile
to New York. She was fired into according to
the story of her master Capt. HOWE, on the goth
of April, while passing Key West, by the British
War-steamer Sy1. The firing was not with can
non-shot, nor across the schooner's bows as is the
usual custom at sea, where an armed vessel seeks
to overhaul n merchantmen, but with rifles
when the steamer was within easy musket-shot
the balls passing between two men who were at
work on the rigging. The schooner instantly
hove to- after which, two more shots were fired
one ball striking the schooner abaft the fore-chains
The steamer then sent boat alongside, with an
officer and six men, who boarded the schooner COM
PEELED her to show her papers, and behaved in
manner which Capt. HOWE characterizes as Gun
called for, unofficer-like, and ungentemanly. -
The only explanation given by the Englishman of
his conduct, was that his orders were general, to
board every vessel he fell in with, passing ND or
down the Gulf He did not pretend to have SUSPECTED
the Mobile of being SLAYER and the only excuse he
gave for firing, her dsobedience as he said of
the steamers signals. To-day, we publish a tele-
gram from Boston, announcing the arrival at that
port, of the brig Robert Wing, whose MASTER Cap
tain BRAY, reports similar case of insoent inter-
ference on the part of British cruiser, when off
lnagua and the detention of q schooner that was
in company at the time. The New Orleans True
Delta mentions the fact of the seizure of the Amer
icon brig C0reS, and of her being carried into ia
maica. passenger by the Black Warrior, at New
Orleans, informs the same journal of a meeting of
American ship-masters at Havana, for the purpose
of devising means of protection and resistance
against the repeated outrages on the part of British
men-of-war. The q. S. NJ. steamship Phaadelphia
which arrived on Thursday night at New York.
reports the forcbe search by the gun-boats of the
British Squadron of all the vessels taking in cargo
at Sagua-la-Grande for Europe and the UNITED
STATES, no flag being exempt from the search
These are but fragments of the long chapter of
outrages and indgnties to which American COM
merce in the West Indies has been lately sub
jected. What does all this mean? What is
our Government doing for the vindication of
our flag from insult, and the protection of our
merchantmen from imposition and annoyance?
We hope that the matter will be promptly looked
into and the necessary steps taken to send suf-
hcient naval force into the waters of the Gulf to
ensure at least fair play 1t is said that the Ameri-
can captains at Havana have resolved to capture,
If possible, H. B. NJ. S. Sr, which vessel has been
particularly active and impertinent in carrying out
the orders, which according to Capt. HowBs story,
its commander processes to have received For
this purpose, one of the American merchantmen,
at present lying at Havana is being heavily armed,
with the intention of showing fight In case she
is molested by the saucy little Englishman, which
IS very likely to happen. We should not be sorry
to see the Stg1 brought into one of our ports, as
prize, by some Yankee skipper, who has taken this
means of giving wholesome lesson to the British
cruisers.