The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-05-17
Extraordinary Orders OF the British
Governments.


We take the following from the statement Of
Vsrtain Howe, Of the schooner Mobile. which YES
,.I wss nred into. boarded and searched by the
British war steamer Sly 4 the vessel which has made
s,erseIf conspicuous by similar outrages upon
cthsr American vessels:
The boat from the styx, with six men and n
lieutenant, came alougside. and without saying a
word the officer came on deck, and addressing no
one in particular. asked:
Q-Where In the weasel from!
an.wsred from Mobile
Q-whers IL she bound?
Anew York.
Q-where II abe owneds
A-she Is owned In New York. Ithen thought
u nv turn and said:
Q-why did you FIRE into us' Did you take us
for a siaverp
ONO Didn't you you see . man o. war to
windwardt
Allow should know You were man o war !?
0fhoer-Didn't you see our pennant!
Captain-I didn't see it. and. besides. we very
often see American and Spanish men o war with
their colors flying but they never interfere with
me. have been going up and down the Gulf for
twenty years and this IL the frat time WAS ever
fnterfered with. The officer, with head erect. and
with haughty manner .deigned no reply, but asked
what 10 the number Of your crew. answered,
ten men; and also have one passenger, my wife,
and two children.
Oficer--I want to see your papers,
Invent into tho cabin, followed by the Lieuten-
ant. and taking ont my enrolment and license,
handed them to him, keeping my manifest in my
hand.
Omcer-whero is your Register, You ought to
have a Register.
Unanswered, our coasting vessels do not have Re-
gis'ers. they sail nnder coasting license. then
handed him my manifest. saying, here Is my clear
ance from Mobile In regular FORM He examined
il. and laid il on the table. asked. " Have yon
got through, If You have wish to proceed 1t is
very strange that you should commence boarding
vessels In this way"
Of,cer-we have orders from our Government
to board every vessel We fall in with passing up
or down the Gulf
The officer then got into his boat. and went on
my voyage. The steamer continued hove to-
noticed two or three foreign looking vessels pass
ing. which he paid no attention to.
The whole proceeding was unusual. uncalled for,
ungsntemanly, unofhcerlike, and, on the whole,
an unmitigated outrage.
If this British Lieutenant is to be believed, We
have tho astounding fact that the British govern
meDt has issued orders to it's cruisers to board
every vessel passing up and down one of our chief
highways of trade,-we may say, onr own waters
1t 10 not at all probable that any officer In the
British service would take such action upon his
own responsibility. Imagine an American CUR.
boat steamer overhauling. boarding and
searching British vessels in the British Channel!
We can as easily suppose an American officer act
ing In this manner. without orders from his gov.
eminent, an . British officer doing precisely the
same thing upon our own coast.
Since the above outrage, another has been perpe-
trated upon another American vessel, the Robert
Wing an account Of which will be found else
whore. Seven weeks have elapsed since the nrst
American vessel was thus treated. What is the
government about 1t is evident, as the Washing.
ton States justly observes, that our Southeastern
and Southern seabosrds are blockaded By the Brf
fish. The right of search was never more fla
GRAVITY exercised before the late war. Ifthat war
was fought in vain, the American people are pre-
pared to fight II again. We glad to see some
signs in the resolution of inquiry into the subject
offered by Mr. Bright In the Senate, that the gov.
eminent is mot entirely asleep. 1t Is we'll enough
for IL to wake up or the guns of American vessels
may 20 of Of themselves, and rouse Congress to
the fact that it Is not Chinese junks which have
been the subject of British outrage on this coast,
nor nation Of Cinnamon. over which the govern
msnt at Washington presides.