The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-13 00:00:00

AMERICA.

THE TREN r AFFAIR.
SOUTHAMPTON, JAN. 12.

The Hamburg and American Company's steamer
Teutonia, from New York at 10 a.m. on Dec. 29,
arrived off Cowes last night. She brings 37 pas-
Bengers and 237,925 dole. in specie, of which
182,000 are fer England, and the remainder for
Havre.

The Teutonia spoke the following ships :—On
Dec. 30 the Borussia, 280 miles east of Sandy Hook,
and on Jan. 3 a large screw steamer, bound west, in
lat. 47 N., long, 51 W.
The following is the full text of the diplomatic
correspondence between the British and Federal
Governments on the Trent affair

No. 186.

MR. SEWARD TO MR. ADAMS.

(Extract.)

Department of State,Washin gton, Nov. 30, 1861.

Sir,—Your confidential note of the 15th of Nov.,
not marked as a despatch, has been submitted to
the President, and I hasten to reply to it in time
for the Wednesday's mail.
No Minister ever spoke or acted more wisely in a
crisis which excited deep public solicitude than you
did on the occasion of the Lord Mayor's dinner.
We are impressed very favourably by Lord Pal-
merston's conversation with you. You spoke the
simple fact when you told him that the life of this
insurrection is sustained by its hopes of recognition
in Great Britain and France. It would perish in
90 days if those hopes should cease. I have never
for a moment believed that such a recognition could
take place without producing immediately a war
between the United States and all the recognising
Powers.

I have not supposed it possible that the British
Government could fail to see this, and at the same
time I have sincerely believed the British Govern-
ment must, in its inmost heart, be as averse to such
a war as I know this Government is.
I am sure that this Government has carefully
avoided giving any cause of offence or irritation to
Great Britain. But it has seemed to me that the
British Government has been inattentive to the cur-
rents that seemed to be bringing the two countries
into collision.

I infer from Lord Palmerston's remarks that tho
British Government is now awake to the import-
ance of averting possible conflict, and disposed to
confer, and act with earnestness to that end. If so,
we are disposed to meet them in the same spirit, as
a nation chiefly of British lineage, sentiments, and
sympathies, a civilised and humane nation, a Chris-
tian people,

Since that conversation was held Capt. Wilkes,
in the steamer San Jacinto, has boarded a British
colonial steamer, and taken from her deck two in-
surgents who were• proceeding to Europe on an
errand of treason against their own country. This
is a new incident, unknown to and unforeseen, at
least in its circumstances, by Lord Palmerston. It is
to be met and disposed of by the two Governments,
if possible, in the spirit to which I have adverted.
Lord Lyons has prudently refrained from open-
ing the subject to me, as I presume, waiting instruc-
tions from home. We hale done nothing on the sub-
ject to anticipate the discussion, and we have not
furnished you with any explanations. We adhere
to that course now, because we think it more pru-
dent that the ground taken by the British Govern-
ment should he first made known to us here, and
that the discussion, if there must be one, shall be
had here.

It is proper, however, that you should know one
fact in the case, without indicating that we attach
importance to it, viz., that in the capture of Messrs.
Mason and Slidell on board a British vessel, Captain
Wilkes having acted without any instructions from
the Government, the subject is therefore free from
the embarrassment which mig'it have resulted if the
act had been specially directed by us.

I trust that the. British Government will consider
the subject in a friendly temper, and it may expect
the bst disposition on the part of this Government.
Although this is a confidential note, I shall not
object to your reading it to Earl Russell and Lord
Palmerston, if you deem it expedient. am, sir,
your obedient servant,

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
Charles Francis Adams, Esq. &c.

EARL RUSSELL TO LORD LYONS-THE DEMAND OF

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

Foreign-office, Nov. 30, 1361.
My Lord,—lntelligence of a very grave nature
has reached her Majesty's Government.
This intelligence was conveyed officially to the
knowledge of the Admiralty by Commander Wit•
liams, agent for mails on board the contract steamer
Trent.

It appears from the letter of Commander Wil-
liams, dated " Royal Mail contract packet Trent,
at sea, November 9," that the Trent left Havannah
on the ith inst. with her Majesty's mails for Eng-
land, having on board numerous passengers.
Commander Williams states that shortly after
noon on the Bth a steamer having the appearance
of a man-of-war, but not showing colours, was
observk d ahead. On nearing her, at a quarter-
past one p.m. she fired a round shot from her
pivot gun across the Trent and showed Ame-
rican colours. While the Trent was approaching
her slowly the American vessel discharged a shell
across the bows of the Trent, exploding half a cable's
length ahead of her. The Trent then stopped, and
an officer with a large armed guard of marines
boarded her. The officer demanded a list of the pas-
sengers, and, compliance with this demand being
refused, the officer said he had orders to arrest
Messrs. Mason, Slidell, M'Farland, and Eustis, and
that he had sure information of their being passen-
gers in the Trent. While some parley was going
on upon this matter Mr. Slidell stepped forward
and told the American officer that the four persons
he had named were then standing before him.
The commander of the Trent and Commander
-Williams protested against the act of taking by
force out of the Trent these four passengers, then
under the protection of the British flag. But the
Sin Jacinto was at that time only 200 yards from
the Trent, her ship's company at quarters, her ports
open, and tompions out. Resistance was therefore
out of the question, and the four gentlemen before
named were forcibly taken out of the ship. A further
demand was made that the Commander of the Trent
should proceed on board the San Jacinto, but he
said he would not go unless forcibly compelled like-
wise, and this demand was not insisted upon.
It thus appears that certain individuals have
been forcibly taken from on board a British vessel,
the ship of a neutral Power, while such vessel was
pursuing a lawful and innocent voyage—an act of
violence which was an affront to the British flag
and a violation of international law.

„ .
Her Majesty's Government having in mind the
friendly relations which have long subsisted between
Great Britain and the United States, are willing to
believe that the United States' naval officer who
committed this aggression was not acting in compli-
ai:ce with any authority from his Government, or
that, if he conceived himself to be authorized, he
greatly misunderstood the instructions which he
had received.

For the Government of the United States must be
fully aware that the British Government could not
allow such an affront to the national honour to pass
without full reparation, and her Majesty's Govern-
ment are unwilling to believe that it could be the
deliberate intention of the Government of the United
States unnecessarily to force into discussion between
the two Governments a question of so grave a cha-
racter, and with regard to whi2h the whole British
nation would be sure to entertain such unanimity of

feeling.
Her Majesty's Government, therefore, trust that
when the matter shall have been brought under the
consideration of the Government of the United States
that Government will, of its own accord, offer to
the British Government such redress as alone could
satisfy the British nation—namely,
The liberation of the tour gentlemen, and their
delivery to your Lordship, in order that they may
again be Owed under British protection, and a