Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1861-12-19
COMMENTS OF THE LONDON
STAR.

Star Of Nov. 90, is full concession of
the legality of the capture of Mason and
Slidetl by the commander of the San ia
cinto, and in this respect, IS well as in its
temper and tone, is in happy contrast with
! the angry and belligerent articles which
have appeared in most of the English pa
! pers. The policy which the Star advises
the English Government to pursue in the
premises. is the only course which can be
adopted by high minded and honorable
| Nation. How different this from the
meanness of the Times, which. while it
admits that the action OF the San Jacinto
Is abundantly sustained by numerous Eng
liSh precedents, yet gravely asserts that
these precedents are not TO be binding as
! against England. In other words, the
Time ak the Government not To per-
| nit the United States 10 do precisely
what >he 1, for one hundred years been
| constantly doing herself. The article from
the London Star is subjoined:
From she London Star Of Nov o3.
The affair Of the Nashville has been
superseded by one OF far superior interest
and Importance If tederalists and con-
tederates have not actually come TO blows
within British waters, they have drawn
swords uoon the deck OF British ship
The Commissioners were carried off by
| force, and under protest from the captain
OF the Trent and Commander Williams.
| The latter called upon the officers and
| Passengers present to take note Of his dec
| laraliOn, rs the representative of her Mai
e<ty'- Government, that thu act they had
| witnessed was unla tul and piraticai. -
! But the American officer seemed so far
| desirous OF keeping within the strict lr,
! ter Of hi. instructions that he did mi
search for tie dispatches carried Jy tie
| Commissioners, and achics haze, cof<.-
quentty, reached England By the La Hlont
The event ha, not been unanticipatnd.
1t was, indeed. expected TO have come of
on this side OF the Atlantic. Il Is rotor
ou- that federal ships have left our own
ports to watch for the mail steamer, with
the deliberate intention of taking from her
| the commissioners. The opinion of tie
! Laac Officers ofour Cr0,pn hos been tax
! en- on tie subject o3td are are assured that
| It as Clearly an faror Of the right assumed
| By tie Unlted &,ies Government. We
do not see on what Interpretation OF the
| law OF nations and the privileges OF bel
iigerents d contrary opinion could be sus'
tained However di-agreeable the arrest
Of an English steamer on the common
| seas, and the forcibIe removal from under
her flag, against the protest OF her oth-
! cers, OF gentlemen who had probably
| made themselves very agreeable fellow
! voTagers-howevcr COnsOnant with Eng
lish spirit and usages the declaration OF
| Commander William>-the question Of
right Is not one TO be decided ON a quar-
ter deck, or under the influence Of irrita-
| ted feeling. Our submission to such un-
toward incidents is only part of the gen
eral penalty exacted Of civilized nations
by Us in any part of the world. The cap
tain Of the San Jacinto did but act upon
principles which have always been assert
ed by his own Government, frequently ex-
ercised by ours, and are probably insep
arabic from maraiime warfare. The righ
OF belligerents to search neutral vessel,
for contraband persons and other article,
is but too we'll established.
Undoubtedly, the Confederate Com
mis-ioners and their dispatches do no
come under the primary definition OF con
traband, which requires that ''tle destlna
ton of the goods should be to hostile
port" As no European Power is AT wal
with the United States, and the Trent wa>
bound for a European harbOr, this detlnl'
ton certainly exempts the mail steamer
from liability to arrest and search. Bu
there will be found in books on interna
tiona law chapters on Quasi-contraband
de- patches, passengers"
Under this head Pratt remarks, IN III;
valuable wolf on contraband, that assist
ance may be rendered to an enemy by
neutral in many other ways than by the
conveyance OF stores or munitions to
hostile particularly by the commu'
nication OF information and orders from
the belligerent Government to its Officers
abroad, or the conveyance of military pas
sengtrs." The conveyance OF dispatches
is especially prohibited to neutrals, as
these are capable of producing the most
important cons equences in the operations
OF the enemy An exception is made
where the dispatches are from an amba5-
sador in neutral country to his own gov
crnment, but which can hardly be extend
cd to the credentials and instr urtIous OF
officers proceeding from belligerent to
neutral port ON the business of the beilig-
erent Power.
The officers OF the San Jaeinto appear,
however, to have ahstaiEed from trespsss-
| ing OH this sosaewha1 debateable ground.
I ~ .l~-<'-- AZ