We did not thereby, as he supposes, "decline to recognise private vessels of war as competent to use force on neutral merchantmen." We merely bound ourselves not to use such vessels for such a purpose.

Sir George is still unable to discover for privateers any other category than the "_status_ of pirate." He admits that it would not be necessary for their benefit to resort to "the universal use of the fore-yard-arm." Let me assure him that the bearer of a United States private commission of war would run no risk even of being hanged at Newgate.

President Lincoln, it is true, at the outset of the Civil War, threatened to treat as pirates vessels operating under the "pretended authority" of the rebel States; but he was speedily instructed by his own law Courts--e.g.

in the _Savannah_ and in the _Golden Rocket_ (insurance) cases--that even such vessels were not pirates _iure gentium_.

It is also tolerably self-evident that we cannot absolutely "close" our ports to any class of vessels.