The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-18

The New York Herald of Saturday, in its gene
raj summary of the news contained the account
of British outrages in the Gulf of Mexico, which
appeared as an editorial in yesterdays American
The cases enumerated by the Herald were those
of 'the ship Tropic Bird, fired into, boarded and
Searched; schooner C0rtez seized and now detained
''at Inagua; schooner NJ B. Borden, fred into,
"boarded and searched; schooner Mobile fired into,
'boarded and searched; brig Robert Wing, fired
''into, boarded and searched; bark G lenbrn over
''hauled at sea; and bark W. II. Chandler, boarded
''and searched, while lying at anchor in the port
''of Sagua-la- Grande" To this Est we must now
add the cases, since reported, of the brig Martha
GiLchrist, boarded and searched at Sagua-la-
Grande, and of the brig Ringgold, fired into,
boarded and searched shortly after leaving Sierra
Morena. These outrages have all occurred within
the last few weeks, and would seem to indicate a
persistent determination on the part of the British
Government to enforce the right of search, against
American vessels, in the Gulf of Mexico. AT first
blush we were disposed to think otherwise. We
were inclined to set down these acts of hgh-handed
usurpation to the credit of some naval coxcomb
in Her Britannia Majesty's service, whose zeal
nslQ OuTun HIS ulSCreuOn, OF VINO through
ignorance had mistaken his instructions. We
must now change our opinion. The instances in
which American vessels have been stopped upon
the high seas, or searched in the ports of Cuba,
have become far too numerous, to admit of any
other idea than that the British cruisers have a
full warrant from their Government, for all that
they have done. The commander of the Styx
would never have dared, without orders, to board
and search all the American vessels lying at anchor
in the harbor of Sagua-la-G rande We are there
fore compelled to accept as true the explanation
which that officer gave of his own conduct, when
asked by Captain HOWE of the schooner MoJae,-by
what right he stopped an American vessel upon
the high seas? His reply was that his orders
were to search every American vessel passing up or
down the Gulf, and SO far, he appears to have
carried out his instructions to the letter. In the
discharge of his duty he seems to have acted gen.
orally with perfect proprety. No special COM
plaint seems to have been made, by anybody except
Capt. HOWE, Of any rudeness or ncivility on the
part of the English officers in the exercise of the
right OF search This fact alone would be enough
to show that their acts have proceeded not from
their own insolence spleen, but from the positive
VI uCii suPeilolS lnlS of the
case, we confess, puts somewhat graver face upon
the affair. In any event we should have had tn
apply TO the English Government, for redress
The only difference is, thatinstead of simply callinc
upon that Government to disavow and punish
the unauthorized acts of its subordinates we shall
now have to demand from it, a retraction of its
own express instructions issued to the English
forces in the Gulf of Mexico, and an abandonment
of its cherished policy adopted for hesuppression of
the Slave-Trade The attempt to prevent the ship
ping of slaves from Africa, by statoning squadrons
upon the coast, having proved an utter failure,
the present design of the British Government is to
break up that traffic by preventing the landing of
slaves in Cuba. To accomplish this object and to
prevent the American flag from being used as
cover for the saye-trade the English cruisers there
fore have resorted to the summary method of stop
ming and searching our vessels, found in the wa
ters of the Gulf or in the immediate vicinity of the
Island. Hence, the 'outrages, which have excit-
ed so much Indignation among our people This
brief statement of facts is enough to show that the
question will prove no easy one to adjust. Eng
land viii doubtless justify the act of her cruisers
and insist, as she has always done, upon the right
of search, rs necessary in order to put down tne
slaye-trade. That right, however, the American