The Enquirer

The following decision in a British Court of Admiralty, however it may offend the interests of our merchants, is incontrovertibly supported by the laws of nations. If Hayti be still a colony of the French government, every contraband cargo which is bound to its ports, is liable to a seizure and confiscation by British vessels. It is vain to say, that Hayti is independent; that she has not only declared herself so and erected an independent government, but that she has defended her sovereignty against the force of the mother country. This is not the point. The only question is, has G. Britain acknowledged that independence? For until she has done so, the whole Island of St. Domingo must still remain a colony of France, with respect to her own subjects. Some doubt indeed might have arisen about the rights of her subjects had the United States acknowledged the sovereignty of Hayti. But even this acknowledgment has not yet taken place.

That G. Britain has acknowledged the independence of Hayti has indeed been contended; and in a late trial at Jamaica, this was alleged as a proof of the fact that general Maitland had formerly entered into some negotiations with Toussaint. But no satisfactory testimony was introduced to prove the existence of this negotiation: and even had such a negotiation existed, would that have been considered as a sufficient recognition of the independence of Hayti? Did the British government acknowledge the independence of Toulon, when in the year '93 Lord Hood negotiated with the disaffected inhabitants for the surrender of that town?