The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-22 00:00:00

MR. MASSEY, 111. P., ON 211 E AMERICAN

WAR.

Mr. MASSEY, the member for Salford, addressed
a meeting of his constituents last night. The hon.
gentleman, after a glance at the past session, re-
ferred at considerable length to the Trent affair
and to the civil war in America. He wished he
could say that with the restoration of the men
seized, all cause of anxiety as to our relations with
America had ceased. But in Mr. Seward's despatch
there were propositions laid down in which it was
, impossible for our Government to acquiesce ; and
it was necessary for us to contradict the law, and
to say that we would not be bound by it. We were
told "'You are harsh in the construction of the
American case. This despatch was not written for
you ; it was addressed to the Americans." What
sort of an apology was that ? (Hear, hear.)
Could not the American people be told that they
must do that which was right and just? If it was
to be done, must their Government veil it over
with some lawless and mean pretence? He be-
lieved that no invective applied to the conduct
of the people of the United States during this
unhappy war was so censorious, so condemnatory of
that people, as this apology by their friends. (Hear,
hear.) There was another cause of anxiety. The
Northern States had established a blockade of the
whole of the Southern coast ; but it had been so done
that, according to the law of nations, there had
never been an efficient blockade, and it had only been
recognised at all through the courtesy and forbear-
ance of the maritime States. We had submitted to
be deprived of the staple material of our industry,
rather than construe too strictly the question of com-
pliance with the law of nations. Both ourselves and
the French had suffered, and he feared were destined
to suffer still more, from the blockade. He was re-
lating no State secrets, for he knew none; and it was
notorious that the French Government had re-
peatedly and earnestly remonstrated with our Go-
vernment to join with them in putting an end to
that which was no blockade. (Applause.) Our
Government, desiring rather to err on the side of
what was strictly right and just, than to have any
imputation brought against them, had hitherto re-
sisted the importunities of France. But how much
longer was that to last ? Was this inefficient and
paper blockade to be eternally respected ? (No,
no.) Were we to submit to be starved ? (No.)
Were we to expect our great neighbour, France, to
submit to be starved ? (No.) Were we, in this
year of 1862, for the sake of favouring a fero-
cious and frantic civil war, to allow the great
ports of commerce to be closed, all the operations
of trade to be suspended, credit to be deranged,
unoffending persons to be subjected to un-
paralleled privations, and many of our poorer
countrymen absolutely to be reduced to penury
and starvation ? (No, no. " Three cheers for
Mr. Massey.") It would ill become him, who had
been connected, in however humble a capacity,
with the Government of the country, to counsel his
fellow countrymen to precipitate measures; and if
he saw any object or purpose useful to themselves,
or beneficial to mankind, which could be evolved
from this frightful internecine war, he should counsel
his countrymen to submit to their privations, and
to allow the war to take its course. (Applause, and
interruption, which lasted for a minute or two.)
An addition had lately been made to the blockade,
which materially altered the question; for it had
hgen sought not only to blockade, but to de-
stroy the great outlets for commerce. There was
now some doubt whether Charleston harbour
had been really destroyed ; but Commander
Davis, who had charge of and sunk " the
stone fleet" boasted that in a very short time
the port would be destroyed for ever. This was
not a blockade, but an attempt to make war upon
nature itself—to defeat those beneficent provisions
which nature had made for the safety of mankind.
If the statement of Commander Davis was true,
coupled with the other facts that the blockade was
inefficient, and was likely to last for an indefinite
period—then, speaking in the interests of peace,
and desiring the freedom of commerce, he declared
that for the sake of humanity—for the sake of the
interests of the civilised world—for the sake of the
people themselves•who were involved in this mad,
and hopeless, and aimless contest—that it was the
luty of the great maritime powers to consider whe-
ther the time had not come, by mediation and
by friendly interposition—(hisses and applause)--1
to endeavour to put an end to this state of affairs.
(Cheers.) That was his opinion, and that was the
policy he meant to support in the House of Com-
mons. (Loud cheers.)

THE CLEARANCE OF THE PRISONS.

THE QUEEN'S PRISON.

IN RE MILLER-THE PRISONER FOR DEBT FOR

FIFTY YEARS.

At the visitation of this prison by Mr. Registrar
Hazlitt yesterday, Captain Hudson, the governor,
having reported that rdr. Wm. Miller, the aged
i
prisoner, who has beenincarcerated for nearly half
a century for a debt which he maintains he never
contracted, was too ill to attend before the court,
the Registrar proceeded to hear the case.
Mr. Miller, on being asked to take the usual oath,
said—l object to be sworn, as my examination has
been taken before. I cannot agree to these proceed-
ings at all.
The Registrar—l warn you that your refusal will
be punished by a month's imprisonment in the com-
mon gaol. Most of the other prisoners who have
been before me here declined at first to be examined
but they all eventually submitted with the excep•
tion of one, who will be, consequently, sent else-
where.

The prisoner, after some hesitation, then took the
oath, and said I was brought to this prison in July,
1854, with the intention of going before a judge, I
was not able to go, however, as I lost the affidavits
which had been prepared. I attribute my difficul-
ties to being unlawfully arrested by Joseph Cull, in
the year 1814 for a sum of £l,OOO, which I can prove
by documents in my possession never was due to
him. My property consists of a life interest in
houses situated near Christchurch, Hampshire, my
native place. I applied for my discharge before
Lord Chief Justice Wilde, and should have obtained
my liberty but that my documents w
i were intercepted
through the misconduct of the sheriff. I have re-
ceived no rents since my imprisonment.
The Registrar—l presume you have no means of
paying the usual bankruptcy fees?
Mr. Miller—I will not be made a bankrupt.
The Registrar—Mr. Miller, I require your sig-
nature to this examination.
Mr. Miller—Sir, I do not wish to be disrespect-
ful, but I would rather be shot than sign it. I
owe no man a farthing, and I am determined not to
be made a bankrupt.
The Registrar—Your contumacy will cause your
being sent to the common gaol, but it will not pre-
vent your bankruptcy. There is a clause in the
new act which says that where a prisoner is con-
tumacious, he shall be committed to gaol, and be
adjudicated a bankrupt.
Mr. Miller—l have read the act, but find that
the consent of the party is necessary before he can
be made a bankrupt. I will go before a judge and
get liberated in that way.
Captain Hudson—Mr. Miller, in refusing to sign
you are only injuring yourself. You have often
expressed a wish to be released, and now the means
are;offered you of getting out of prison.
Your
bankruptcy is inevitable, and by signing this
do-
cument you will avoid much trouble. A provision
has been made for your maintenance when you are
discharged, and I understand some money has been
.
subscribed for your benefit ; but none of t will be
placed at your disposal until you leave this place.
Mr. Miller—Before a fortnight has elapsed I shall
have obtained a discharge through a judge's order,
but I have resolved never to be a
.bankrupt.
The Registrar—You cannot avoid bankruptcy
now. You will be brought up before the Bank-
ruptcv Court, where your contumacy will be dealt
with by the Commissioner. if you sign you will
get your liberty forthwith, and you can then pi ()-
cure better air, and many comforts from which you
are at present debarred.
Mr. Miller, who seemed greatly agitated, per-
sisted in his refusal, and the Registrar withdrew.

The following, from. New York, contains a neces •
say explanation respecting some recent arrivals of cotton
obtained after the capture of Fort Beaufort :—" You will
doubtless notice that the Vanderbilt has arrived from Beau-
fort with 3,697 bales of cotton. This would seem a large
quantity, but when I tell you that the bales are small-sized
gunny bags, or such as were intended to be used (filled
with sand) to build fortifications, not containing over 301 b.
or 401 b. of cotton each, and that unginned' or seed cotton,
you will see that it amounts to little or nothing. That re-
ceived some. time since from the same quarter was of like
character,"