The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-05-24 00:00:00

DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

I)(MICHESTER, TUESDAY. MAY 24, 1864.

NOTES OF THE WZBIL

Previous to the adjournment for the Whitsun-
tide holidays, Lord Ellenborough stated, and
Lord Russell admitted, in the House of Lords,
instances of oppression and maltreatment of
British subjects in Miseries, so daring and
atrocious that they ought at once to rouse the
ind4nation of every man in this country. The
former noble lord read a letter from General
Wistar, • Federal officer, addressed to General
Dix, which, highly creditable to the writer, dis-
closed instances of brutality towards kidnapped
British subjects, for which the Federal Govern-
ment ought at once to be made accountable.
Speaking of the spirit of dominion prevailing
among Use recruits recently received from the
North, the gallant officer says :—" I think I am
justified in saying that most of these unfortunate
men were either deceived or kidnapped, or both,
in the most scandalous and inhuman manner, in
New York city, where they were drugged and
carried off to New Hampshire and Connecticut,
mustered in and uniformed before theircanscious-
uess was fully restored. Even their bounty was
obtained by the parties who were instrumental
in these nefarious transactions, and the poor
wretches find themselves, on returning to their
senses, mustered soldiers, without any pecuniary
benefit. Nearly all are foreigners, mostly sailors.
both ignorant of and indifferent to the objects
of the war in which they thus suddenly find
themselves involved. Two likefl were shot here
this morning fur desertion, and over thirty more
are now awaiting trial or executing'. These ex-
amples are essential, as we all understand ; hot
it occurred to me general, that you would pardon
me for thus calling your attention to the greater
crime committed in New York, of kidnapping
these men into positions where, to their ignor-
ance, desertion mint seem like a vindication of
their own ri‘hts and liberty." There is no
doubt that ninny of the poor fellows thus kid-
napped and doomed are British sailors, who, on
leaving their ships oil their arrival in an
American port, have been enticed into drinking
slaps, and there drugged and appropriated.
Lord Ellenborough relate, another case of a
poor young man named Edwards, who was m-
eanly married in Liverpool, and than went •
voyage to America. He left his clothes and the
money due to him on board, and went on shore,
by the directiiin of the surgeou to get • bath.
He was inveigled into a drinking shop, drugged.
and when he came to his senses found himself
dressed in the uniform of the Federal army.
Ile was then told that he had enlisted, and was
carried off to the depOt, having no means of
communicating with his family what had
happened to him. However, he managed to
send a letter in Welsh to his wife, in Liverpool,
an that led to inquiries being made. Now, it
is hardly possible for these transactions to take
place without the knowledge of many °Moen of
the Federal army—few of whom are so honour-
able and humane as General Wister—or without
the government becoming cognisant of them in
some way or other. Lord Russell says he is not
so much surprised at the unprincipled
bounty
of the crimps, who are tempted •
amounting in the whole to six hundred dollars
per man, as that attempts should be made to
tbrow protection around them, "and he was
sorry to say that Lord Lyons had made repeated
complaints, but in most cases he had not obtained
that satisfaction which he had a right to expect."
He read an extract from • memorandum supplied
by Lord Lyons, which contained • number of
eases precisely similar to those mentioned by
Lord Ellenborough. Of course his Excellency
made proper representittioss to the Wee
Department of the Federal Government, but
they do not appear to have had much effect.
They said they would make investigation, and
in a certain sense they did so. They examined
the recruiting agents and other persons who, of
course, said the men were sober when they en-
listed. This did not satisfy Lord Lyons, who
very properly answered that investigation of
that kind was not satisfactory, it having been
carried on entirely in the absence of the men
themselves, four or five of whom bad been sent
forward to the army. Now, if the Federal Go-
vernment will tempt recruiting agents by such
large be inties, it is responsible, at all events it
is boon I to see that persona are not forced into
the service against their will. We observe that
Lord Russell "must say that these proceedings
would render it necessary that Her Majesty's
Government should make the strongest re-
monstrance." We should say so too. Aud if
these remonstrances are not listened to and acted
we should give over exclusquering ships
In British ports, and demand a suitable repara-
tion, not only for the wrongs done to the indi-
vidnals, but for the flagrant breaches of inter-
national law.
The Daily News calls attention to some ...-
correspondence which has been going on be-
tween Russia and the German Powers. which
proves that the attitude Russia has displayed in
her open negotiations with the other Powers
represented in the Conference is not in harmony
with her real designs, that, in fact, under a cloak
of duplicity, she is bent upon the disseverence
of the Duchies from Denmark, and prepsred to
support the project by every means in her power.
The correspondence as not published, but the
Daily Sews indicates its most important
—"ln the middle of January, when Pruesis
and Austria decided to take the Danish quarrel
entirely into their own hands, K de Bismarck
formally asked Russia to support the policy of
the German Courts, offering in return the active
aseistaitoe of Austria spied Pohlad. The