The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-22


corroboted the position OF Lord Palmerston, 10y
communication to Mr stevenson dated October = His
language referring TO the Quintuple treaty which he
found ready for signature in the files OF the Office was
present happy concurrence tho States
this great object not merely asaes but renders indispensable the
right now claimed and exercised"
To wit the right to sis and examine the papers OF
American vessels For while Scottish caution dictated to
the minister that it would never do to Insist upon
the preensions Of the audacous Paeston his Scottish
shrewdnes indicated indirect path to the same result
We disayow he substantially said, all right to search
vessel In time Of peace the law OF nations is unmistka
Bile upon that point We have right TO set foot upon
American vessel such but have right to deny
that she is SUCH rather are not to recognise her
such until have examined her papers This exam
nation term If pushed further 1t becomes
SEARCH from the exercise OF which restrained by
every law and every consideration Adopting this petit
Jogging which left everything at the discretion OF ire
sponsibe swaggerers in charge OF her Majesty shpsof
war, Lord Aberdeen urged forward the treaty. 1t
signed by the plenipoentiaies Of the five great
powers on the goth December, lS4L 1t provided
for Joint surveillance the slave-trade. A
wide zone of the Atlantic extending from Patago-
MIA to the Carolinas, was declared to be suspi-
oious ground upon the whole of which, embracing the
American well the African shores, yigiant police
was to be maintained mutual right of search was es
tablished in short its conditions adroity arrang
ed to insure to the possessing the most powerful
marine substantial sovereignty and custody OF the great
Atlantic highway which the entire shipping of the
world is obliged to pass England it is needless to say,
that leading power As operative instrument the
treaty evidently depended upon the moral effect it might
produce upon the American government for neither
Russia Austria Prussia engaged in the savetrade
required to aid actively in its suppression The
adhesion Of France was however of practical importance
and unfortunately it not in the power of NJ Guizot
who had signed the treaty, to procure its ratification
Indeed of the first acts of the Chambers upon meet
ing in December, lS4l was to pass resolution, almost
unanimously, condemning the compact. The resolve,
moved by NJ Lefevre, was as follows:
owe have the confidence that granting
the suppression Of criminal traffic your government viii know how
from attack the interest OF our commerce. and the
Independence OF our flag p
On the heels of this unanimous vote came pamph-
let able and vigorous and written by the present Secre
tary of State then envoy at Paris 1t entitled
An Examination of the Question in discussion be-
tween the American and British governments concerning
the Right OF Search by an American, Paris January y
1912" The plans and purposes of the British govern
men infinitely dissected in this capital State paper
and its purely phanthropic aims discredted. Almost
the moment the message of President Tyler with
the emphatic assertion of the ndsposon of this
ment submit to the maritime law reached France
The treaty at abandoned letter of Gen Cass
of February l3, 1912, to NJ Guzot not needed to
seal its doom. AS formal matter it had to be submitted
to the legislative assembly, but both in the Chamber Of
Peers and the Chamber of Deputies it found to be
hopelessy unpopular.
On December l6, 1884, Mr.. Edward Everett replaced
Mr. Stevenson at London He found reply of the lat
to the letter of Lord Aberdeen of October 49, with
out The came presently after. Not only
did it scaim all responsibility for the extreme opinions
of Lord Palmerson, but even evnced decided modif-
cation of from that of his lorships former letter
1t confined the right of visit to vessels of extreme
ly suspicious character in the suspected vcnage itself
and intimated that since February, 1884, the African
fleet had been instructed not to interfere with vessels
bearing the American flag, although hnoca be engaged
in the slave trade Mr. Everett also enabled to pro-
cure ample indemnify for two three vessels which
the British cruisers had overhauled and detained
Such was the state Of the question, when Lord Ash
burton arrived in Washington, in April, 1912, en-
powered to adjust all outstanding issues between the
two The fruit Of his visit the treaty of
August o. by which the Northeastern boundary adj
justed the extradton Of criminals arranged, and pro-
vision made for terminating the slave trade No
ton not word inserted in regard to the fright of
search 1t simply agreed that the United States
should maintain squadron the African coast for the
suppression of the traffic, and should join in expostula
ting if need were with the Spanish and Brazilian gov
ernments for permitting the importation of slaves To
those who had felt warmly upon the subject of British
pretensions this omission seemed objectionable 1t is
chronic habit Of General Cass to feel warmly upon
all subjects where England is party Even after
officially announcing his intention to relipquish his
mission and return to the United States, he could
not, upon receiving copy OF the treaty, refrain from
recording, in the form of despatch, his modification
at the absence of distinct abandonment of the right of
search and protesting against final djustment which
left the most important topic in dispute unadjusted.
''Why,' passing this vital and momentous topic,
asked the General shave you inserted an obligation to
have been actually doing for years and which your
laws obge you to do Why have you committed your
self to entanglng engagements with European powers
thereby entering into diplomatic system from which it
has been the traditional policy of government to
stand aloof z? An angry correspondence angry and de-
mandatory at least Mr.. Webster's part-was the
progeny of this despatch which only ended after several
conflicts the floor of the Senate wherein the dspas
sonate generally deemed that the great New Highlander
fell short of a fair and final SELF justification.
Experience has shown that it would have been wiser
to have made the obnoxious right claim to right
subject of definite convention ut the time While the
traffic between Africa and Brazil has declined and indeed
almost wholly ceased to exist it has acquired vital
ity between Africa and Cuba The cost of labor in that
island has proved strong temptation to the cupdity of
adventures Cargoes of slaves have been landed with
increasing frequency The Spanish government and its
officers in Cuba, than suspected of encouraging
the trade Foreigners resort to American ports procure
vessels to be built for the service buy up old ones
carry them beyond the United States before placing upon
them the apparatus beayng their business and destna
ton and presently hear of American vessel having
landed its load of negroes in of the cayos of the
island Companies formed among the planters them
selves to obtain and equip these vessels Ordinarily fast
sailors, they elude the vigilance and pursuit of the
coast guard and only discharge their living freight when
accomplices on shore are prepared to expedite and
conceal the transaction 1t is said that such cargo
has been discharged upon American soil within the
last twelve months Under these circumstances the gov
eminent of England has held it advisable not only to
transfer the theatre of its inspection the neghbor
hood of the two Spanish islands, thus approaching and
occupying ground perpetuay crossed by American mer-
chantmen but there to employ excessive vigilance in its
watch. The consequence is constant interference with
mercantile marine Vessels passing or from the
Gulf of Mexico, and actually within sight of our shore
have been brought to by visited their Off
a1u faI