A merchant vessel enters this port. If a friendly state, and enjoys the protection of her own government, and is under the jurisdiction of her new government, not in derogation of the sovereignty of the place, but by the free permission or allowance of that sovereignty. His permission or allowance is founded on the comity of nations, like the other rules which have been mentioned; and this comity is part, and a most valuable and important part, of the law of nations, to which all nations are supposed to assent until they make their dissent known. In the silence of any positive rule affirming or denying, restraining the operation of foreign laws, their tacit adoption is presumed to be the usual assent.
Much has been said to be a correct exposition of the law of nations, and utterly applicable to the case under consideration. That this not only is the law, but should be so, and that it is the true policy of Governments, I think, may be easily shown. The House has known this, and has made positive pronouncements to this effect, not as I conceive because it was not law previously, but to remove all question, and to make assurance doubly sure.
Your Excellency alluded to my remark that "this is not the only case of this nature". I made reference to the "Florida Bond" in September 1857, and the "N.K. Palmer" in March last. In the former case a man had been confined on board by orders of the American Consul. The police threatened to remove him from the ship.
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has been kept, as it seems to be a page numbering or reference, though not in the standard six-line format. If more context is available, further adjustments might be needed.