New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-25
WHAT h A PHgATES

WHAT h A PHBATEf
We notice that The London 1imtS--the
" Jupiter Jeems," as Mr. Thackeray once
called it, of the Cockney PresS-continues to
make the most astounding discoveries in inter
national and maritime law. 1t has this ad-
vantage over most investigators-that 1t inva-
riAby finds exactly the most convenient doc
trine to be the true one; and although it may
lack precedents for lis fsyor.te novelties 1t
announces them with the decisive dignity Of
an inventor. The Puiiendorf Of Printing
House Square would be the despair Of Lord
Stowell, were that luminary still in condition
to be extingushed; and if be yet walks the
earth, We don't know that even bic spiritual
philosophy would not be put to the severest
test The Time, holds that tho Rebel Priva-
teers are not Pirates. anhh9t it is a ridiculous
perversion of language % GALL them so. But
why then does not the English Government make
haste to acknowledge tho nationality Of /" the Con-
70 ieracy i"-as yet most decidedly unacknowl-
edged by any Christian or Heather Power In the
world. A Government without a flag, without
Dized existence in the family of States, has
fitted out armed cruisers, after q fashion
which even English Ministers admit TO be in
violation of English law Well, II they get
upon the sea in that way, and stay upon the
sea in that way, why does not the illegality of
their OUTFIT faint all theiT doiDgs, and
make them Piratesl Does the mere fact that
they were able TO escape the vigilance OF
of British Custom-Hou render them fair and
honest traders, or any the less sea-tbieyes and
Waterfalls Are they Pirates only while escap-
ing from English waters, and are they re-
deemed and regenerated by the mere fact Of
getting off soundinssi Then why not an
African SLAYER Suppose, for instance, that
dozen merchants in Dublin should first re-
nounce their allegiance to the British throne
and Heaven knows that il sits,yery lightly upon
some of them-and should purchase and fit out
few frigates here in New-YOrk to prey upon
London aud Liverpool commerce-would not
the general opinion at Lloyd's be that these
cruisers were Pirates, and worthy Of being
sunk wherever caught The general Law OF
the Seas utterly condemns this Pirate War
no States while unrecognized can be allowed
to tnfest the ocean--if they could, We should
have the old Algerine Piracy over again.
But how much better are tho Confederates
than the Algerines were before the world
united to teach them good manners ! We in.
sist that the world has no right to disregard
the origin of our troubles--and least of oil,
England. We insist that those who are
fighting for an Institution 70 utterly condemned
by Natural Law as Slavery, have put them
selves outside the comfy OF enlightened States.
We will suppose that the British West Indies
should claim by a revolt TO reestablsh Slavery,
and that our own States of the Slave.
holding variety should interpose to as
sist their follow MANI wners---would
not such interpretation be considered by En-
gland as utterly preposterous1 All the mo-
ralities Of the age would be against it. But
when she interferes substantially to establish a
bondage already existing, and when her lead
ing newspaper, which once taught very good
doctrine, insists that those who are traversing
the ocean to sustain Slavery are not Pirates,
though oil the world would declare them Pr
rates should they bring few fresh ship-loads
of serfs from Afrcal A man must chop his
logic pretty finely to point out any difference.
In either case, it is tho prosperity and per-
petuity of Slavery which is sought for.
Morolly, the Englsbman should consider the
Confederate Privateer to DO as obnoxious as
the Guinea trader. The difference il too
slight for any moral distinctions. So the
Rev. John Newton brought several cargoes of
men and women from Africa after his expert.
eDce Of religion, though this must be said for
him, that he finally found out his mistake.
The truth Is, that there Is In England
continual tendency to fly Of to collateral Ques-