The Enquirer

The belligerent nations act towards the neutrals in the most arbitrary manner. A neutral vessel at sea, without guns to protect herself, stands no more chance of escape, than a traveller with money in his pocket when he meets a highwayman on the road. If the vessel is rich, she is almost certain of being captured and carried into port for adjudication, and then in 3 cases out of 4, she is sure of being condemned, and if dismissed, the charges eat up half the cargo. The mere expenses of defending a ship and getting out the appeal papers in the English Islands, have been lately found to exceed 3 or 4000 dollars, and in England, if a ship is dismissed, the captains are made to pay 2 or 3000 dollars light money, besides pilotage, when the ships have been brought in contrary to the inclination of the master. If a ship is dismissed, all the charges, of every name & nature, ought to fall on the captors. The Captured should not be obliged to pay any thing.—And when a cargo is condemned, as enemies property, the freight at least is due, admitting it to be enemies property, and in this case the ship herself ought to escape. This is not said to excuse the British adjudication of the cargo, because it is well known, the practice is lately very common with the English to condemn the whole ship and cargo, when they have been fully proved to be American. Our merchants are daily robbed of thousands of their hard earned property. They have very heavy charges indeed to present against the British, on the score of adjudications. But they need not expect indemnification for a long time to come, as Britain wants their property to carry on the war against France, and pay the subsidies to Russia, &c. Those who wish a continental war would do well to recollect, that American adjudicated ships and cargoes go to pay a considerable part of the expenses,

When a nation spends one hundred and fifty millions of dollars annually, they feel themselves obliged to plunder where they can, to support their extravagance and waste of property.