New-York daily tribune., 1859-05-19

are reported.
SHALL WE GET INTO THE QUARREL
The quest on has been asked whether, il the
pending war in Europe should become general, and
Great Britain should be drawn in to take part IN
it in opposition to France there would not be danger
of the revival of those old questions of maritime
rights which, during the wars Of the French Rev
oIuton, involved Great Britain and the United
States in such bitter and protracted controversy,
ending finally in war;
The great point in controversy between Great
Britain and the United States during that period
the only one which it was found impossible to ar
range by negotiation, and the one upon which the
war between them finally proceeded, was the ques-
ton of impressng British sailors out of American
ships From the time that England had become a
maritime Power, impressment had been regarded
as the ordinary and normal expedicnt for manning
the Roya Navy. Not only was the prcrogatiye
claimed of seizing British sailors for this purpose in
the ports of Great Britain. Every commander OF
British sbip-ofwar assumed the right of visiting any
vessel he might meet with on the high seas, and
even in foreign ports no matter to what nation she
might belong, for the purpose of recruiting his own
crew by sezing upon any British seamen whom he
might find on board the vessels thus visited. Ii
was in vain that our Government complained OF the
hardship to our shipowners of being thus, In the
midst of d voyage. deprived of men whose services
might BE- absolutely essential to the safety of the
vessel and cargo The reply was that American
shipowners, in engaging British sailors, voluntarily
.L. fhnvh had
only to abstain from the employment Of British
seamen, who sought, by engaging on board foreign
vessels, to evsde being called upon to serse their
own country II was in vain that, by granting to
British sailors papers Of naturalization uoder our
laws We claimed to have converted them into
American citizens, free from any allegiance to
Great Britain, and entitled, in their character OF
American citizens to be protected by our flag.
The Britirh denied any capacity in British sub
lect TO deDatOnalze himself or, by any act OF his
own, to deprive his country Of its right to his
services.
But, even admitting the title Of the British Gov
erpinent to the services Of all seamen to whose
allegiance they could set up claim this practice
of impressment from American vessels was
attended by grievance which even the British
could not deny. 1t very frequently happened,
either through mistake, csreessness or design, that
bOpa-fde American seamen, born in the United
States, were seized upon and carried off by the
British press-gangs, TO be condemned to life OF
slavery on board British Ships-ofwar OF course
10 justification coui be set up for such gross out
rsges 1t was alleged that the British naval officers
had the strictest orders TO use the greatest dis
elimination; that if bOna-fde American citizens
were occasionally seized by the press-gangs, it
was an unlucky mistake, for which the prac-
tice Of employing British sailors on board
American vessels must be held accountable;
that whenever any such mistakes were established
to the satisfaction of the British Government, the
men thus wrongfully impressed were at once dis
charged and that all due attention would be given
10 any suggestions which the American Govern
ment might make as to the means Of preventing
such unlucky accidents. The reply Of our Govern
ment was that the only efectual safeguard to our
sesmen would be to exclude British press gangs
entirely from our vessels; but to this the British
Government would not agree, on the ground that,
if such an immunity were allowed no law such as
our Government offered to enact, forbiddius the
employment. Of British sailors on board American
vessels would prevent them from becoming place
of asylum for all who wished to escape the British
naval service.
1t is very certsin that these pretensions on the
part of the British could not be revived without
bringing on an instant collision; and il seems most
likely that the result Of this position of things will
be the abandonment Of the practice of impressment
not only on the high seas but altogether. Indeed,
il may be questioned whether, after suspension of
that practice for half century, il would be posi-
bic to revive il even in British ports.
Accordingly, instead Of ordering press, as would
formerly have been the case to raise the ten thou
sand seamen needed for the Mediterranean feet,
bounty of some fifty dollars is offered 10 all Who
will enlist, and it seems probable that even in
of maritime war the old practice Of pressing
would continue to be replaced by this new substi
tute 1t might give the British navy the services of
quite as many American sailors as they formerly
got by force, and BY the inducement it would hold
out to foreign seamen TO enter their service would
be spt 10 prove a more eifectual, and, on the