The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-24 00:00:00

MR. ADAMS TO MR. SEWARD, AUG. 1, 1862.

. 2. I read to his lordship the substance I
of your despatches, Nos. 281 and 299, respecting
the use made of the Island of Nassau by the
rebels, and the fitting out of the gunboats Oreto
and 290. His lordship first took up the case of
of 290, and remarked that a delay in determining
upon it had most unexpectedly been caused by the
sudden development of a malady of the Queen's
Advocate, Sir John D. Harding, totally incapaci-
tating him for the transaction of business. This had
made it necessary to call in other parties, whose
Opinion had been at last given for the detention of
the gunboat, but before the order got down to Liver-
pool the vessel was gone. He should, however,
ae d directions to have her stopped if she went, as
was probable, to Nassau. I said I was aware that
the g"l3K)at a ff, but I di •
d not say, what I my-
self have little ti
doubt of, that her sudden departure
was occasioned by a notion, obtained somehow or
other, that sees,
:eproceeding was impending. I
added an expression of satisfaction that the law
efficers of the es,,,:°lalll
had seen their way to such an
opinion, and that it
was the disposition of her
Majesty's Government to
indte something to check
this outrageous abuse.
connection I begged
to ask if he had any infosssulltiiB
nees,,espeeting the pro-
ceedings had at Nassau in the the Oreto. I
had seen a statement in the net:cif
effectd e despatch No.
to the information contained in the r additional
vutthat the
281, which I tad read to him, to the
Orsto had been actually stopped and
Majesty's ship the Greyhound. under the
guns of her hoped
this was true, for I thought the effect of
such a
i
proceeding would b.
e very favourably viewed in
America. His lordshp replied that he had received
no information on the subject beyond what I had
referred to, which came from the American news-
With regard to the complaint against the
papers.
Island of Nassau, he could only say that be had re-
ceived, a short time since, a letter, signed by many
commercial people in Liverpool and elsewhere, re-
monstratirg against the virtual blockade of thb-
t
a
island by United states war vessels, an
jection of many innocent British ships to the incon-
veniences of detention and search as if engag''d in
illegitimate tiada. To this representation he had;
written a reply, stating that however much the

inconveniences mentioned were to be regretted,
it was not the disposition of the Gove ‘nment to
afford protection to any parties tha- might be
engaged in undertakings in violation cf her Ma-
jesty's proclamation ; and when there was reason
to suppose th i t such adventures m ht be carried
on, it was difficult to raise objections to the right of
examination. His lordship added that he had ex-
pected both the letter and his answer would have
been published before this by the parties concerned,
but they had not thought fit to do so. I replied
that they knew too much to be caught doing that,
but I should take pleasure in communicating this
fact to my Government. Any and all evidence
which I could obtain of a disposition on the part of
her Majesty's Ministers to discountenance the noto-
rious and flagrant abuses of neutrality, now every-
where committed by British subjects, would be of
great use to counteract the strong popular feeling
in America growing up on account of them. We
had every reason to believe that these war vessels
were intended to prey directly upon our commerce,
and most particularly to intercept the steamers
bearing treasure to New York from California.
Should one of those steamers be taken in conse-
quence of the omission to stop these outfits in Bri-
tish ports, the excitement that it would create in
America would be very great. Disposed, as I had
always been, to cultivate friendly relations between
the two countries, I could not but look with much
uneasiness upon all events which might tend to
affect them unfavourably. His lordship said that
he could not at once say whether it was proper to
furnish copies of the correspondence alluded to or
not, but I was welcome to mention the facts, and
very probably he might send me the copies.
MR. ADAMS TO MR. SEWARD, SEPT. 26, 1862.

• . . I have not been quite satisfied with the
way in which my remonstrances respecting the out-
fit of the gunboat No. 290 had been left. In con-
sequence I seized the first opportunity in my power
to remind Lord Russell that no written answer had
been given to me. This has had the desired effect.
I have the honour to transmit copies of the two
notes which have passed between us. In former
days it was a favourite object of Great Britain to
obtain from the United States an admission of the
validity of claims for damage done by vessels
fitted out in their ports against her commerce.
This was finally conceded to her in the seventh
article of the treaty of 1791. The reasoning
which led to that agreement may not be without its
value at some future time, &ionld the escape of the
gunboat 290, and of her companion, the Oreto,
prove to be of any serious injury to our commerce ...
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT REFUSES
TO STOP THE BUILDING AND OUTFIT-
TING OF REBEL PIRATES.
EARL RUSSELL TO MR. ADAMS.

October 4, 1862.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 30th ult., inclosing a copy of
another deposition, taken before the eollector of the
port of Liverpool, with reference to the proceed-
ings of the gunboat 290, and further expressing a
belief that enterprises of a similar kind are in
course of prcgress in the ports of the United King-
dom ; and I have to state to you that, much as
her Majesty's Government desire to prevent such
occurrences, they are unable to go beyond the law,
municipal and international.

LORD RUSSELL TO MR. ADAMS.

Oct. 16, 1862.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 9th inst., inclosing a copy of an
intercepted letter which you had received from the
United States Government, being the further evi-
dence with regard to the gunboat No. 290, to
which you alitided in your previous communica-
tion to me of the 30th ult.; and with reference to
your observations with regard to the infringement
of the enlistment law, I have to remark that it is
true the Foreign Enlistment Act, or any other act
for the same purpose, can be evaded by very subtle
contrivances ; but her Majesty's Government can-
not, on that account, go beyond the letter of the
existing law.

MR. SEWARD TO MR. ADAMS.

Oct. 20, 1862.

. . . Our agents are reporting to us new and
larger military and naval preparations in British
ports, and if they are to be allowed to go on to their
conclusion, and to operate, as has been done in
the case of the 290, will not the result be
that, while Great Britain avows neutrality, her
subjects are practically allies of the internal enemies
of the United States ? The President will not con-
sent to believe that her Britannic Majesty's Govern-
ment would willingly allow a condition of affairs to
occur which would seem to leave to the United
States almost no hope of remaining at peace with
Great Britain without sacrifices for which no peace
could ever compensate. . .

MR. SEWARD TO MR. ADAMS.

Nov. 3, 1862.

. . . The telegraph announces the destruction
of another half-dozen American vessels on the high
seas by the steamer 290. The President is obliged
to regard these destructions as being made by Bri-
tish subjects in violation of the law of nations, after
repeated and ample notice, warning, and remon-
strances had been given by you to the British Go-
vernment. It is presumed that you have already
brought the subject in that light to the notice of
her Majesty's Government. The legal proofs in
support of a claim for indemnity mill be collected
and transmitted to you as speedily as possible. . .
MR. LAYARD TO MR. lIORSFALL OF LIVERPOOL.
Foreign •osice, July 5, 1862.

Sir,—l am directed by Earl Russell to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 2d inst., in-
closing a memorial from certain British merchants
and shipowners at Liverpool, in which they state
that they view with considerable anxiety and appre-
hension the hostile attitude assumed by Federal
cruisers in the Bahama waters, and the memorialists
pray that steps may be taken by her Majesty's Go-
vernment to protect British shipping in those
waters, and to put a check on the seizures so re-
peatedly made by the Federal cruizers.
I am to state to you in reply, that it is alleged on
the other hand, by Mr. Seward and Mr. Adams,
that ships have been sent from this country to Ame-
merica, with a fixed purpose to run the blockade,
that high premium 4 of insurance have been paid with
this view, and that arms and ammunition have been
thus conveyed to the Southern States to enable
them to carry on the war. Lord Russell was unable
either to deny the truth of those allegations, or
to prosecute to conviction the parties engaged in
those transactions. But he Annot be surprised that
cruisers of the United States should watch with vi-
gilance a port which is said to be the great entrepot
of this commerce.

Her Majesty's Government have no reason to
doubt the equity arid adherence to legalrequirements
of the United States prize courts, but are aware that
many vessels are subject to harsh treatment, and
that, if captured, the loss to the merchant is far
from being compensated even by a favourable de-
ci6ion in a prize court.

The true remedy would be that the merchants
and shipowners of Liverpool should refrain from
this species of trade. It exposes innocent commerce
to vexatious detention and search by American
cruisers; it produces irritation and ill-will on the
part of the population of the Northern States of
America; it is contrary to the spirit of her Majesty's
proclamation ; and it exposes the British name to
suspicions of bad faith, to which neither her Ma-
jesty's Government nor the great body of the nation
are justly obnoxious.
It is true, indeed, that supplies of arms and am..
munition have been sent to the Pederals equally in
contravention of that neutrality which her Majesty
bas proclaimed. It is true, also, that the Federals
obtain more freely and more easily that of which
they stand in need. But if the Confederates had
the
, vb
jT,
ehte.re can be as vlogrniimand of the sea they would no doubt watch
antly and
going to Ne_ capture as readily
Charleston
and capture
as the Federals now watch
blockade.
ing the Confedeeraallteusr
vexatious visits of merchant
Federals
seeking to break the
t thateayptrhi
eli:e1.1l :)ewi:atatncss
uiohotpfnupealnlnliigeeysas s,,,lreeeeaaxadcehrit.
on:
Inioowdever, is an evil to which war on
ederals can ro erl
neutral commerce,and
cised by Federal cruisers
to WhichbeeelBe
i any pursuit
the ocean is liable to expose

her Majesty's Government have done, all 'they can
fairly do, that is to say, th ey have raged the Fede-
ral Government to enjoin u Pon their naval officers
greater caution in the exert ise of their belligerent
rights. .

Her Majesty's Government hay ing represented to
only further
tt hh
ee
yUwn ietreed Su
st
taitfie
es
aGionv
ienr
tnemr
feenntn egv ehrayvee ase in which
to observe that it is the duty of her Majesty's sub-
jects to conform to her Majesty's proclamation, and
to abstain from furnishing to eit :her of the bellige-
rent parties any of the means of War which are
prohibited to be furnished by that proclamation.