The Russian Government has sent forth an official article in
the Petersburg Gazette, and also in the Frankfort Journal, de- fending the capture of the Vixen in the Black Sea; on the ground that the ship was laden with gunpowder, which was landed on part of the coast of Circassia ceded by Turkey to Russia, and de- clared by the latter power to be under a blockade. But it is doubtful, in the first place, whether the territory in question is included in that ceded in the fourth article of the treaty of Adrianople, to which Russia refers; secondly, it is more than doubtful whether Turkey had any dominion in the country said to have been ceded by her, as it is inhabited by a warlike people who defy the power of Russia and wage war with her ; and, lastly, it appears from a letter published in the London papers by Mr. BELL, the owner of the Vixen, that no part of her cargo —which was salt, not gunpowder—had been landed. More- over, the commander of the Russian vessel of war who seized the Vixen, had been watching her for some time, and knew that no- thing had been landed from her. As the case now stands, the seizure and confiscation of the Vixen are little better than an act of piracy ; and reparation must be had.
Previous page
