The New York herald., 1864-10-24

60OyoSN-ACtlOh
II is Understood that the late order of Gen.
era Dix to pursue the robbers and marauders
who recently made an ineursion into Vermont
from the Canadian territories aud take them at
all hazards, even though beyond our boun dairy.
has created sensation at Washington Mr.
General Dix for fear Of difficulty with England
and Mr.. Stanton, on the other hand, it is stated,
is in favor of defending the erdcr of General
Dix at oil hazards.
We imagine there is no reason whatever to
fear the hostile action of the British Ministry
shown itself resolved to keep the peace at all
hazards with evorybedy. England, taxed to
the last degree Of endurance, cannot bear
another war. Though it boasts Of its great and
increasing commerce, and looking with i'll con-
cealed satisfaction at the civil war in the
United States, and of its now having the carry
ing trade of the world, yet with q commercial
crisis at hand, indeed already commenced, it
has no disposition TO plunge into fresh difficult
ties, and least Of ell to encounter q nation as
powerful, as determined and as much incensed
as ours. In the next place Mr.. Seward cannot
have forgotten the famous case Of the Caroline
nor what was the doctrine then laid down by
the British government in relation to it. both
by Mr. Fox, the then Minister at Washington.
in his correspondence, and Mr.. Forsyth, our
then Secretary Of State. II he has we will re-
fresh his memory. This correspondence took
place in lS40. The offence was committed in
1888. The Caroline was small steamer, owned
in Buffalo and plying as a ferryboat between
that city and Navy Island, on which band Of
insurgents were posted with the intention of
invading Canada for the overthrow OF its gov
ernmcnt While lying. on return trip. at
Schlosser. in the State of New York, she was,
on the night of the 10Th OF December, 1883,
shore, seventy or eighty strong. One passen
ger was mortally wounded. others were shot
and seriously injured, aud twelve others, miss
ing, were supposed to have perished in the
steamer, which was cut loose, set on Ere and
sent over the Niagara Falls.
For this act our government called on that
Of Great Britain for reparation. No attention
was paid to this demand, and Mr.. Van Buren,
was charged with want Of nerve in not enforc-
ing it. In 1889 Mr.. Alexander Mcleod, q radi-
cal, Of Upper Canada, was arrested at Lewis.
ton, on . charge Of murder and arson in the
affair Of the Caroline. This arrest excited the
utmost feeling, not only in this country. but
in England, and very soon q demand was made
for his liberation by the British government,
on the ground that the proceedings in which he
took part were avowed as being under its sane
tion. The trial, with all its interesting circum-
stances, ended in the acquittal Of Mcleod on
the plea interposed in his behalf-that he was
the agent of the British government; and this
was, in fact, in accordance with the wishes and
much to the qualification OF General Harrison's
administration.
II is curious enough to note that the Cabinet
was Immediately assailed for its policy in this
matter by the very politicians who, during Mr..
of Mr.. Calhoun aud other Southern politicians,
had permitted the outrage on the Caroline to
sleep the sleep OF death. We have never heard
OF any reparation whatever having been made
there was none; nor do We see how it could
have been as long as the British COVE rnment
maintained the lswfulness Of the act and
justified its servants in performing it.
In Mr.. Fox's letter to Mr.. Forsyth, dated
December 20, 1910, he says, speaking OF the
assault and the destruction Of tho Caroline,
"that the act was one in the strictest sense OF
self-deience, rendered absolutely necessary by
the circumstances Of the occasion for the safety
and protection OF her Majesty's subjects, and
justified by the same motives and principles
which upon similar and we'll known occasions
have governed the conduct Of illustrious
officers of the United States. (Referring to
General Jackson's conduct in Florida.) The
place where it was destroyed was nomi-
nally, it is true, within the territory of
friendly Power; but the friendly Power had
been deprived, through overbearing, piratical
violence, Of the use Of its proper authority
over that portion Of territory" Lord Palmers-
ton, in note to Mr. Stevenson, our Minister in
London who complained Of the act at the time
avowed that the British government took upon
itself the responsibility attending it.
So, then, in fact, both governments agreed as
to the right Of either party, in selfdefcnce and
for its own security, to seize offending parties
Of this character, and punsh them summarily
on the spot, especially where the government
is not strong enough to prevent the outrage or
offence at the place where the offenders have
fed for safety, and when "it was deprived,
through overbearing, piratical violence, of the
use Of its proper authority" All we have to
do. therefore, is to follow all such robbers and
murderers into the Canadian territory with
force of arms, il the authorities there are not
able to punish them, at once and without
hesitation.
The pleas set up by the st. Albans gang,
already arrested, say that they acted under and
by virture Of rebel commissioning doubt
led to do so by the case Of Mcleod. 1t is very
probable they took this precaution 70 save