Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-08-21
The Search Question.


garment which concealed the sex, we were
accustomed to hear discussed the question
which heads this article In the year 1871,
bill was introduced into the English Par
Lament by Lord Aberdeen, allowing Eng
lish vessels to board and search all other
vessels, supposed to be engaged in the
slave trade. Some Of her less potent neigh
bors very quietly ,acquiesced in this and
Spain went so far as to enter into treaty
by which the fright of visit was granted
to England; that is, Spain gave England
the liberty, unreservedly, of visiting all her
vessels upon the high seas, and if from these
visits, there was airy cause to suspect the
vessels visited of being engaged in the
Slave Traffic, her papers were Immediately
demanded and search was made until they
were satisfied as to her actual destination.
So much for the way in which Spain re-
ccivcd this demand. But England was not
to meet with Spanish imbecility on this
side of the Atlantic. No sooner was the
demand made of Jonathan, than mighty
cutlery arose from the whole nation, Dam
iel Webster, Henry Clay, Henry Wheaton
and host of other American Statesmen met
itat the very threshold of the Senate and resis-
ted itwith Trojan bravery. England, how
ever, ever overbearing in her policy, still
persisted in this unheard of claim, and thus
has it remained one of the vexed questions,
until tho psesent day. We contend that a
vessel, sailing on the high seas and bearing
on its mast head the national flag, should
command the same respect, as wonld the
most interior town in that country bearing
the same flag. And what more reasonable i?
Suppose each nation were allowed the lib
erty Of thus boarding and searching each
others vessels. What would be the conse-
quence? Why the sea would become one
broad field for operations Of these piratical
"yis ts," commerce would be cut off, and
might and not right, would be the order of
tho lay. But it has been argued that
other nations, presuming upon the rights
demanded by America, have taken the lib
erty to use her flag in this unlawful and
forbidden traffic, and thus many errors have
been committed in their visits. What then
is the duty of the aggressor IN such case
Take parallel case in common life
Euppose sheriff has writ to serve and by
mistake he serves it on the wrong person.
= not his duty then clear? Should he not
see the aggr;eyed party and make all the
restitution in his power? But on the other
sland, suppose he continues to annoy this
4,erson. vixen bo rs assurance of his lntru-
sion. Then it becomes the privilege and
s,uty of the injured party IT, demand redress
of his grievances. Now the san. ne law po'h
morally and politically, which appl,> es TO men
in their every day transactions, should also
regulate the intercourse with foreign Ia
tions, and whatever more is demanded By
nation should be met with stern resistance
or rejected witt scern. Thus have stood
the affairs between England and America
for the last seventeen years. England on
the one hand urging and pressing her un-
founded right, America on the other, mild
lyabut firmly resisting her encroacbments,
sometimes the little spark of anger, which
burned in her bosom, nearly famed into a
flame, which, with its whitening blast,
would have consumed aAe Eairest portion Of
Gods created world, then again treasured
by the fattering apologies Of her neighbor,
she has acquiesed in her arrangements. But
the final crisis arrived, when it was neeessa-
~ that some decided stand should be taken
10y both parties that crisis was brought
about by the recent outrages offered to our
Aag in the Gulf of Mexico and the result
has been, that England has given up all
prctensions to this long boasted right
While we congratulate the country and the
administration on this happy result, we
would not be understood as claiming it as
either party or sectional triumph. 1t Is
the result of long continued, upright and
steady policy for which our government has
ever been noted and which for its upright
oess must and will command the respect of
foreign nations. Below we give in
the most condensed form possible, the f.
nal decision of the English government -
lord Lyndhurst asked the government
for tue correspondence WITT America in re-
lation to tee right of visit, and quoted va
,ious Authorized to show that it aeyer ex-
listed.
Earl Malmebury, SAIL the government
had no objection to produce the correspon~
dence. Asthe question nor stood, the gor-
crnment had abandoned the right Of rlslt
end search"
Westminster Review.
The July No. Of this highly interesting
and us yful periodical has been received with
the following table of contents Calvin at