The New York herald., 1862-01-04
tsed by the her To charge the crew Of the savannah

tsed by the oher To charge the of the savannah
with iracy while Confederate soldiers taken upon IAN.
treated prisoners of war, Is IN ell ct 10 ADMIT mat
there broad distinction between these dino en NODES
OF warfare We could suppose that the tedera soveI
really desired TO put end 10 prvateerlng We
should rejoice that tbs distinction had ben made ~
have nothing 10 Induce us TO beeve that TINS II the
case We have every reason, Oh the CONTRA lor oees
ing that the Northern states have intention Of aoan
doning this antiuated mode OF warfare anu hat tsy
will not hesitate to resort 10 in the event OF hestes
wi h this country. Why, therefore, the crew o. ue ~
vannah should have been brought TO trial ON the cah'a
charge cf piracy while hundred OF other coneaeiAe
rebels are treated as prisoners Of war, seems mposs
bic to explain. Meanwhile, we cmnot but CONSIDER u As
fortunate circumstance that the jury VINO ueu these
did not agrce Had verdict OF guilty peen procnin
and the capital sentence carried into en'ct we can
not doubt that he Cor ,derate states would nave been
provoked 10 corresponding acts OF reta ron anu W .o
miseries II actral warfare there would nave been super
added upon both sides a series or judicial murders. We
have sympathy with the crew ol tho savannah, put
will be well FOE the interests OF humanity tho Criminal
proceedings taken against hem are now allowed TO drop
On Novembar 80 second trial for piracy took place AT
New York. But the charge in this case was not for
privatesrng Tho prisoner, Captain Nathaniel Gofdun
indicted for trading IN slaves He was found guilty.
and accordance with the aw OF the Unod states sen
OF death was passed upon him. No simar incident
had taken place for upwarGs of forty years the very se
verify of the law donbt tend most eiecuay to de-
feat it, Tie result or this trial is stated TO have taken
every by surprise the prisoner himself regard
ing it q solemn farce According 70 the sentence
passed uon HIM. no is to be executed on February T.
AS the law Of the United States upon the subject
there doubt Since the year 1919 has beeaa ca
tai oonce for American citizens to engage IN the African
would have been end Of tho traffic long ago. But IL
that this has been the The continued
refusal of America 10 allow the right OF search, under
circumstances in time Of peace has hitherto proved
fatal to every attempt upon our part and upon that Of
other nations to put down the slave trade IL noor
that that trade has Of late years been carried on
principally by of American capital ana under the
American ilag, which could alone protect II;
Vessels built and fitted out at New York and
Baltimore expressly for the purpose and they could pur
awless traffic without the risk of interruption
from any except those of the Union There is no
doubt that for time past joint stock companies have
been ab he'd resy for the purpose Of carrying 1t
II may lie salt, in short, that American enterprise
and has for past supplied Cuba with Saves
What effect Is this recent conviction at New York likely
have upon this disgraceul state of things? Lot us
hope whether the extreme penalty OF the law is inflicted
not that it Wi prove saluary 1t is the capitalists OF
the North the slaveowners of the South who now en-
courage the African traffic We shall know whether
President Lincoln is true to his professions in this mpor
nt matter whether he has adopted them for personal
and party purposes.