32 Naval War of 1812 



it was declared that any neutral vessel which per 

 mitted itself to be searched by a British cruiser 

 should be considered as British, and as the lawful 

 prize of any French vessel. French frigates and 

 privateers were very apt to snap up any American 

 vessel they came across, and were only withheld at 

 all by the memory of the sharp dressing they had 

 received in the West Indies during the quasi-war of 

 1799-1800. What we undoubtedly ought to have 

 done was to have adopted the measure actually pro 

 posed in Congress, and declared war on both France 

 and England. As it was, we chose as a foe the one 

 that had done, and could still do, us the greatest 

 injury. 



The principles for which the United States con 

 tended in 1812 are now universally accepted, and 

 those so tenaciously maintained by Great Britain 

 find no advocates in the civilized world. That Eng 

 land herself was afterward completely reconciled 

 to our views was amply shown by her intense indig 

 nation when Commodore Wilkes, in the exercise of 

 the right of search for the persons of the foes of 

 his country, stopped the neutral British ship Trent; 

 while the applause with which the act was greeted 

 in America proves pretty clearly another fact, that 

 we had warred for the right, not because it was the 

 right, but because it agreed with our self-interest to 

 do so. We were contending for "Free Trade and 

 Sailors' Rights" ; meaning by the former expression, 

 freedom to trade wherever we chose without hin 

 drance save from the power with whom we were 



