New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-29

In many Of the dnqulsitl0ns on tue suoJecb Oh
"British outrages" alleged to have been recently
perpetrated On American vessels in the West India
seas it seems to be taken for granted that the right
of visitation insisted upon by the British Govern.
ment is general right of stopping all vessels on the
high seas, and of visiting all those in foreign ports
for tie purpose Of insulting their nationality and
examining into the correctness of their papers.
We do not understand that any right of this sort
s set up on the part of the British There is not,
as we understand the matter any claim to any right
Of visitation as mere exercise of power and
authority. The only claim is to right of vista
ton in cases where there is ground to suspect that
national character is assumed to which the vessel
has no title and assumed, too, for the special pur-
pose of evadiDg seizure which tho British cruiser
has a right to make. There is not the slightest
reason to suppose that any of the vlsltaons, aooa
which there is nov 30 much talk, have proceeded
on any other ground. OF all the large number of
American vessels trading to and from the island OF
Cuba, only very few have been Overhsuled; while
the visltatiOns in port seem to have been confined
to the single harbor of Sagua la Grsnde, which, /.
is most probable had been indicated to the cruisers
q
the vessels thus visited one at least has been seized
as pirsticsl SLAYER by which the character of an
American vessel was falsely assumed. In this case,
that of tie schooner Cotes should it turn on, that
the Britsh officer was mistaken. AID that the
COItes was bona fde American vessel, there will
doubtless be grounds for reclamation and demand
for damages; but, Oh tie her hand. should /.
prove that the British officer WAS right IN bis esh-
mate Of the character of the vessel, then the
seizure will be fully justified. And in this case it
is RENAL kable that no compl,at has yet been made
by the master of the vessel or by anybody claiming
TO own it-nobody having as yet come forward in
that char acter-but only by the mats and some ofthe
crew and passengers, who well might De cat least
the mate and crew. totally ignorant Of the actual
ownership of the vessel aud the intent of the voy
age Even Mr. Consul General Blythe, who ap
pears TO take very particular interest in this case
of the Cortes, seems to sdmit that she may after
all bav, been engaged on slave voysge, and thu.
the captain, whose conduct be describes as very
strange, may have confessed her to have been
bouI on such voyage under Ease colors
As to "the system Of espionage, exceedingly an.
"IOyiDg snd insulting to their national feelings,
of which, according to Mr.. Consul Bly, account,
American vessels at the Havana make complaints a.
his office, that may be sufficiently accounted for by
the fact (of which it seems that Consu! Blythe has
himself had occasion to spprise the Department of
State) that the American flag at the Havana is
sometimes prestituted for the purposes OF the slave
trsiiic. Undoubtedly these cases Of espionage, like
those Of visitation, are limited to vessels which
there is some reason 10 suppose, or which the
British naval commanders think they have some
Ieason to suppose, are cases in which the Spanish
,laye.traders are seeking to hide their operations
under cover of the Amer can fisg.
Now whether visitati0ns of thi, sor. are 10 be
regarded as authorized, which is the ground taken
by the British Government, or only excusable
though not authorized, as Gen. Cass has in times
past coLtended, would appear TO make very little
difference. Any annoy ance to which f,ir-trading
American vessels have been subjected, never would
have occurred but for the use of our flag for slave
trading operations by Spanish spectators, use of
it which, if our Government has not connived at, il
has at east taken no efectual means to prevent.