The Express.
London, England, 1861-04-30 00:00:00

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49j

THE WAR IN THE UNITED STATES.

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The Earl of MALMESSURY—My lords, to accord-
ance with • private notice which I have given to my noble
friend the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs. I beg leave
to ask him • question open a subject which I am oertaia
to the whole of Europe. Your lordship; have all of you,
from Ameteurir:re:hcaadn,
will may
pain and
on
some
eob euub doubt, Shop detnacctonh not
tenityvhiwaltevhwie:i this
seen
hhaa°7 as
wailveiggt:althisht brokeni irt7,
between the Secessionists and the other States
of America. Fortunately, op to this moment,
no blood, or hardly any blood, has been shed, sad I think
too much praise cannot be bestowed on the commander of
the fleet, who abstained from entering into a useless contest,
which could only envenom the hostile spirit of both parties
My lords, it is impossible that a contest such as is now
threatened—so unnatural as it is and so fatal to the parties
themselves—should not have its reverberation throw&
the rest of the world ; and no country per-
hap, more than this is likely to suffer from that
civil war. Apart from those feelings which we
all mast naturally have of seeing with the deepest
regret a deplorable contest between persons of the same fa-
Indy, of the same Mood, and of the same language, our poli-
tical and our material interests are deeply involved in the
question of this unfortunate schism. Now, my lords,
cannot but believe that her Majesty's government, feeling as
all others of her Majesty's subjects meet do on this matter,
must have already done their utmost to bring about
official means some arrangement which may avert so terribh
• calamity. I therefore wish to ask what her Majesty's gofers-
meat have done with regard to this subject, whether they hem
attempted yet to prevent the quarrel between the different
parts of that country from conning to • bloody mime ; what
hopes they entertain of mama is so laudable a proceeding ;
and whether they have invited or are iu correspondence
with any other European government for the purpose of
attempting to stop, at the commencement, a civil war, the
end of which, if its once begun, it will be impossible to
foresee?
Lord WODEROUSE—My lords, I need scarcely say to
my noble friend that in common with him, and I may my
with every one of her Majesty's subjects, we have NM
with the deepest regret and concern the dissensions which
have taken plane in the United States ; and we have re-
ceived with equal concern the intelligence which my noble
friend has seen, that these dimensions have brought that
country already to the brink of civil war. That civil war
may now be said to have already broken out. And, my
lords, as to the question whether any steps have been fakes
by her Majesty's governmentto arreatthespreadof thatgreat
calamity— for great calamity no doubt it is, not only to the
Americans themselves, but also to others who are connected
with them, as we are, by tits of kindred—her Majesty's
government have anxiously considered whether there were
any steps by which they might arrest so great • calamity,
but on mature consideration they have been of opinion that
it would not be desirable that this country should intrude
its advice and counsel upon the government of the hated
States. (Hear, hem.) However great may be the interest
which we feel, and however anxious we may be to avert this
misfortune impending over the United States, west feel
that • free and independent nation might not
welcome advice in its internal affairs, if t act-
vice should be proffered without being silted for.
The instructions therefore which were given to
Lord Lyons were that upon every fitting occasion he should
express the earnest desire of her Majesty's government that
the differences which prevailed between the Northern and
Southern States should be arranged, but he has net been in-
structed to give either officially or officiously any counsel or
advice, unless that counsel or advice should be inked for
by the contending parties themselves. That is the
answer which I have to give to the question
of my noble friend, and It naturally follows that haw
Majesty's government are not, and hairs not been, in corm-
poodence with any foreign government as to the steps to be
taken to prevent the outbreak of civil war in the United
States.

RAGGED SCHOOLS.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY said that, in deference to
the wish of his noble friend opposite, he bad consented to
postpone till Monday next a motion of which be bad given
notice on the subject of ragged schools. He wished to state
that the Committee of Council on Education had recently
published a report, containing a very strong statement oar
demnatory of ragged schools, awl it was absolutely nearery
that that published statement should be hammered by •
public refutation, pointing out its untrustworthy character.