The Washington union., 1858-03-27
From the New York journal Of Commerce
THE SEIZURE OF THE CAGIIARI.

tfom ue Nc" iofk journal OF Commerce.
THE SEIZURE OF THE CAGIIARI
Our readers doubtless recoect the seizure in July last
year of Sandman passenger steamer, the Cagia by
the Neapolitan government the ground that own
ers and crew that vessel implicated In the nsur
reconary descent OF Pisacarne at Pona and sap and
consequently amenabe to the jurisdiction OF the Ne
apotan courts From the date OF the capture until now
the crew. including two Engshmen, named Watt and
Park have been kept in close confinement IN the pest
ential dungeons of Naples awaiting trial and the vessel
has been detained to abide the decision OF the Neapotn
tribunals Several notes have been addressed to the court
of Naples by the Sandman minister showing distinctly
that the Caari regular passenger steamer, enga
ged in the service of conveying the mails between Genoa
and the island of Sardinia that she owned by
camille firm in Genoa had cleared for Sardinia, and
thence for Tuns at the period of her seizure and had
all her papers in order for that voyage that while at
her captain crew. and engineers were overpowered by
between twenty and thirty persons who had embarked as
passengers Genoa and Who by violence and threats
forced the to steer the ship to Ponz the coast
of Naples where they landed and liberated several hun
dred political prisoners that having done this they EN-
barked again and set sail for Sapn where they disem-
bakd and restored the control of the vessel to her com
mander that the latter, the moment he released
the compusion Of Pisacane and Ills bandit follow
es stcered for Naples for the purpose OF informing the
authorities of what had taken place and that while
his way hther the Caglia seized by two Neapotan
steamers
The Sandman government in making these represen-
tations, emphacally denounced the attack made by
Pisacarne against the peace of friendly State and with
perfect conviction that the and of the Gag
liari innocent of all completely IN that terminal
attempt demanded the release Of the prisoners and the
restoration OF the ship The prisoners now under
going the protractcd agony of criminal trial in Naples
zone of their number, Engshman, named Watt, has
become hopeessy nsanc) and the steamer has been
dcmned by the Neapotan courts of prize and wreck
lawful prize thereby condemning her owners to the loss
of large and valuable property for other than
that band of awless rians got board of her under
the petence of going to Sardinia and forced her to
convey them to point the Ncapoltan territory where
they wished to make disturbance
Not only do the facts of the render this act of the
advisers of King Ferdinand gross outrage against the
Sandman government, and against two innocent subjects
of Queen Victoria, but it is proved beyond doubt
that the condemnation of the steamer prize
fragrant violation of international law. When she
seized by the Neapolitan steamers she between
twenty and thirty miles from the coast Of Naples, and
consequently out of shot, and the high seas,
where power has the right of seizure, except in the
of pirate who is beyond the protection Of law,
of a beligercnt The Casliar, however, had lawful
captain, national flag and regular papers, and was
therefore pirate. Neither she bclligerent be-
cause there was war between Naples and Sardinia
Under these circumstances, Count Cavour the Sardin
ian prime minister has written to his charge afres at
Naples Count Gropao, despatch well worthy of one
of the aest and most liberal constitutional statesmen in
Europe In courteous language it rcbukes the outage
insults of the Neapolitan government and demands
redress and while it might have contained threats of
resort to the last argument of offended nations the
demand refused it mildly but firmly desires that ''the
government of his Scilan Majesty will yield to the just
demand of the Piedmontesc government and with this
view will give proper directions tor the release of the
ship and cargo and for the handing OF the prison
cr Letters from Turin state that should Ferdinand OF
Naples persist in the wrong and refuse to accec Ito the
just demand of the Piedmontese government, Victor
Emanuel of Sardinia, is determined to force to
pei obedience
Thcspritcd and dgnicd conduct Of the cabinet of Tu
rim is conrasted by several influential English journals
with the pursued by the British government with
regard to Watt and Park, who though nooriousy inno-
cent of any offence against the laws of Naples have been
made to suffer nearly years imprisonment from the cf
fects of which of them has lost his The f
nous doctrine of crs Romons sua, once so pompously
announced by the Premier has certainly not been
forced in this instance and if it be proved that the seizure
of the vessel illegal the capture of her and their
present detention clearly violation of international
law and insult to England 1t may be that the new
ministry will act energecaly in this than their
predecessors that they will back Count de Cavours note
and adopting his statement of the facts insist with him
'the liberation of the crew. whatever may be the ju
dcial determination taken in consequence of the trial
which has been instituted against them. There is
doubt that such would conduce to the popularity
of the government while it would be strictly con-
sstent with law and justice and worthy of the dignity of
a great and free nation