It has been asserted that he has
been guilty of wholesale slaughter of the innocent, interfering with
tribal wars under the pretence of extirpating piracy. None of these
charges have been sustained. On the contrary, it has been conclusively
shown that he has sunk more than L20,000 of his private fortune in this
enterprise. The piracy, so mildly called intertribal war, is undoubtedly
robbery, both on the sea and on the land, and conducted with all fitting
accompaniments of cruelty and bloodshed. This persecution has not been
borne by its object with much patience, and, indeed, like Rob Roy's
Highlander, "he does not seem to be famous for that gude gift." "I am no
tame lion to be cowed by a pack of hounds. These intertribal wars are
such as the wolf wages against the lamb. I should like to ask the most
peaceable man in England what he would do if a horde of bandits
frequently burst forth from Brest and Cherbourg, ravaging the shores of
the Channel, and carrying women and children into captivity, with the
heads of their decapitated husbands and fathers? Would he preach? Would
he preach when he saw his daughter dishonored and his son murdered? And
then would he proclaim his shame and cowardice among men? What do some
gentlemen expect? They particularly desire to suppress piracy.
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