Enquiry Into the Validity of the British Claim to a Right of..

2015. ISBN-13: 9781584774075; ISBN-10: 158477407X. Wheaton, Henry. Enquiry Into the Validity of the British Claim to a Right of Visitation and Search of American Vessels Suspected to be Engaged in the African Slave-Trade. Originally published: Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1842. 151 pp. Reprinted 2004, 2015 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN-13: 9781584774075. ISBN-10: 158477407X. Hardcover. New. $29.95 * Reprint of the first edition. Wheaton [1785-1848] was a distinguished attorney and diplomat. His Elements of International Law (1836) established him as America's foremost authority on that subject. Published simultaneously in the United States and Great Britain, Enquiry criticizes Britain's seizure of American vessels engaged in the Atlantic slave trade. Although the importation of slaves was prohibited by law at this time, Wheaton rejected the right of other nations to enforce this American law. Instead of serving the United States, he reasons, such actions are a violation of its sovereignty.