Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-03-21

ha British Government has resolved 70 AAe sOue seeP
wish reference TO che outrage on its dag, involved ID
,hs apture Of TIE bArqae saxon and the killing Of one
Of Che officers Of that vessel By the boarding party
from As United States Steamship Vanderbilt. The state
mani e. doubtless thus far An curry si be made
int, ths eitcuus anees connected Ei,h the homicide
and fish honor will fad soothing and satisfactory
solaae in an apology from the Wsshi gton Government
and compensation to the family o. the murdered OHeer
But there Is nothing to show that the British hniss
inssnd % make tbs e, any other case, gronr
for any hing more than special rec anadons, muohl
that they design 10 constitute il basis for such ason
as may compel the Yankees % respect tie Code o.
ilarnAtOnal maritime law which all the rest OF Che
uorll Acknowledges, aud which vas PrOcla med vii
% much Cs,entaton at the Cooiere nee OF Paris i
,be beginning Of the war; bal clear night to b.
lave Ia, a nation so powerful as England, suprsmt
urOn the ssss, and rscOgR Esd ~ the chief among
maritime nations would Sc least insist decent re-
spes. for The dignity Of her a'g, and the rights
hsr osn subjects We cid net suppose that sbs uSuld
a,ceot the par OF universal executive Of interna-
HOral Law; bus We could lot imagine that she WOuls
suffer total subversiOn Of every pc noPls OF publ
law, combined with The gIOslSst Curagss on her als
Der honor and her rights Neither vas i. reasonable %
which had Oaes rissed var 10 defence Of the freedO
Of the seas and the rights Of nsutrsl, would so SO
abandon the poeiplss it had always proclaimed, AUD
that, While tbs rest Ct the world vas apparently ap
preaching humane aad blasieant standard in the "
depreciation Of mart me law, that Government Ncqe
thOud return 10 the eonde mned md regulated Prnel
Pies of past age Il scarcely 10 be supposed IA
TIE chest Government the world lau" should So
back to thu worst doctrines the world ever heard.
,hIt the most enlightened" people should be guilty u
the darkest AesL
Yet We have seen the Va kses, from the very SON
msaesmsnt Of this war systematically and PsrsstsnIy
violate every principle they had PEsViOuSly aVOUeu,
and in5olently nnlEly tie doctrines Of ma itms ~
universally accepted by the Of the world, and sa
toued by she formal declarations and sipnlAtOns Of =
Tenn treaty. Il is ten years stree the nations o.
Europe, assembled in conference At Paris adopted
system Of public maritime lAW which, hey protest.
TO believe furnished complete security for the rgTs
o. ueuIras and de6nitivey settled the VHed qassois
which had 50 often arisen In she conduct OF var utP-
the seas Il Eas declared that blockAdss, TO Be NJ
mus. be elective; pager blOCkAdss, or bloeEAdes ,
s.ap pie proclamation, Abolished and uAs PrSVdrd
that enemies goods should be fale 10 nsu raj b0s1o's
Toe United States while declining 70 adhere 10 -
code on account Of additional clause oOntSmP aulg
the AbOtOn Of priyAteorng, took occasion to remind
tas world that these the doctrines they had Alsag
mAintlasd, and the principles By which they had 4!
WAYS besa guid5d Ye. may safely b asserted ,at
there i not one Of these doctrines hey have not re
dassd; rot one Of these principles they have not VI
l,tsd Fneg naVs violated the neural a,g BY the p
tors and condemnation of vessels bound upon legal
- III hoH taxa
Thomas while bound from LOndOa 70 MAlAmOrAs. Tisy
have violated nsaEtl wassrs in the case Of the
latte Sir William Peel AMI LAbuan, taken violently
out Of heKeAn waters, AZ the moath Of the Rio GrAhee
They have VOAtei neutral Territory, a. in the case Of
ths Blanche burned Ihs shores OF Cuba They have
yioAts3 ald continue violate in tSe most shameless
manner, the accepted aad recognized lag OF
blOekaie BY the capture and eOndsnnAuJn
OF vessels sailing ~ or from ports which are
NOS, and nsVer haze been, blOekAded, a. the ports
Of BroWnsVls and the BSzO5 rVer in Texas, and tie
suWanss river in FloridA 10 Of these the
saut has been made on the British g aud the Tghus
Of British subjects But the British Government Once
% quick 70 resent Insult and eager to project The
Interests Of lis people ready a. one time - de@ohsa
Canton for tie OF ieE pounds OF opium, and at
another 70 lombard Athens account OF OG Of pans
and kettles 6yatiag for years . IA BoufOon prince
OF OF she Spanish throne, and sPendi thousands OF
millions 70 put Bourbon prince the French throne
tlis sane Brsh Government has within the last three
ysars quietly submitted 70 every indgniy and has pa
tisaty ainsssei the complete subvefsion Of every
inciple Of public rgh. 1t tue hands Of power Of
which her p,es', hsr octtocs and hsf s.aesmen hAVJ
bssn in The hsOi Of Speaking wish eOatenPs and rid
ouls Il Is true ghas ElglEnd represented b. her
EXISTING administration, hAi proclaimed strict nea-
trAty between the North and the SOasa; but no que
tat fail % see that her nutrsty amounts 70 praet cal
intervention sglnst the South WI ca has never ErOas
her and ia fAvos Of the Nor which buLes Ald Insults
hsr every DAY Of the year. Whenever the rues OF II
rnAtOnA Law can be construed 50 as TO pref ldiee the
oueol the 8 uih thai e0nstruc ion Is placed qpoa
them Whenever they are VIOLA ed By the North tAey
are suffered 20 remain inep iratVe cr are appealed 70
Ia spirit Of hesitn,y ana oiArdess. la other words
tlsy oOassruSd against and ia favor Of our Ad-
vsrsares Il s then clearly useless 70 anticipate, hom
England, any action commensurate With NE s1PeotA
tons uhieh We Oooe bad a right 70 fOru she NAY, -
Ne have already stated, make The OF the Saxon
she bAsis Of special demand Or compensation but
bayOnd this ahe viii noe 60. She certainly viii mos do
anything mpyiog design 10 force the Yankees 70
tas abandonment Of their insO nl assumption Of sHeu
EVe mlriti0s Jurisdiction; or to an acknowledgment
Of the principles Of IN srnAonal AW - declared by
tas treaty OF Paris, The abandonment Of their
systematic warfare the rights aad privileges Of nsu