The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-10-27

Netherlands thought, with regard to the case of
Sir JAMES BROOKE that discretion was the better
part Of valor it was b. no means disposed to yield
the point at issue with respect to others. Some six
years ago, small American trading schooner,
owned and commanded by Captain WALTER
NJ. GIBSON, was seized and confscated, by
the Dutch authorities of Batavia for trading
among the islands of the Archipelago. Cap
tain GIBSON himself was taken prisoner TO Ba-
tavia, where he was tried and condemned, on a
charge of high treason, his offence being that he
had endeavored to establish commercial relations
with some one or more of the independent princes
holding sway in the numerous islands of that
region. After being incarcerated for a year, in
the prison at Wetervreden, where he was con-
stantly in peril of his life, he succeeded in making
his escape, and, returning home laid his case
! before the government with claim for damages.
lie, too, like Sir JAMES BROOKE, was one of those
Every inconvenent and harassing personages'' for
whom the Netherlanders, and their government,
have special dstaste. What right had he to go
there to spy out the riches of the land? Was he
to be permitted to tell his enterprsing and ener-
getic countrymen that the islands of the Indian
Archipelago were fertile and populous; that they
abounded in diamonds, gold, anthony, tin, lead,
iron and copper; that the native princes were
eager to exchange those precious commodities for
foreign wares, and that the jurisdiction OF the
Netherlanders was in reality restricted to Sumatra,
part of Java, and a few of the small islands adj
accent? These were grave questions, and such,
they were gravely considered, and the result was,
that he was condemned TO death for high treason,
| IL bnir bopl and
Minister at the Hague was instructed to press his
claim for the damages to which he was justly
entitled all satisfaction percmptorily refused.
The case was then referred to Congress; the Com
mittee reported favorably upon it, and authorized
the PRESIDENT to take immediate steps to bring
the government of the Netherlands 10 an imme-
diate settlement of the claim And here the mat
ter rests Now, we desire to contrast this procras-
tinatipe policy with that adopted by the English
! Government. with reference to Sir JAMES BROOKE.
Had Capt GIBSON been an English subject, instead
ofan American citizen his justrghts and legitimate
Interests would have been promptly protected;
the preensons of the Netherlands to exclusive trade
and jurisdiction would have been instantly re-
pudated, and our merchants might now be carry
ing on lucrative traffic with the Islands of the
Indian Archipelago. The opening of the Empire
of China to the commerce of the world-the more
liberal treaty which it is rumored that Japan is
now prepared to make; the movements of the
French toward Cochin China, and the profound
interest in the trade of the Indian Archipelago,
which the speeches of Sir JAMES BROOKE has
awakened among the English merchants all these
things tend to render the question of jurisdiction
over the thousand islands of Malaysia, one of the
most important that could engage the attention of
our government