The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-18

beccmfnq to make amy reply to IT, replied: IN. Ls
Comte, in matter Of so much Importance am sure
the exact words employed by your Excellency." The
Count at first used the words: ellis Majesty
oee not sGpk osso%ns in him to give any
convensble de bonner aucune reponse d la letre de
Lord Ciarndon) Upon my repeating this phrase after
Count Nesselrode, his Excelency said, 'LEmpereur ne
JUICE pas convenabe," &c. and | again repeated after
him the entire sentence After had done so the Count
said, -sYes that is the wish you to convey to
your government:-LE Emperor ne JUICE pas convenabe
de bonner response Ia etre de Lord Clarendon
Having delivered to me this official message, Count
Nesserode begged 10 be seated and explained to me
that he had only waited the return of the Emperor to sub
NIT your Lordships letter to his Majesty His EAeellency
then asked me- when proposed TO despatch tue
passport &c could be got ready in time" Count Nesse
rode informed he had already sent couriers pass for
Captain Blaekwood to the Baron de Plessen and then
asked me, sWhether to-day the sixth day said
From his arrival at St Petersburg Isl but had been
left without any reply without such an intimaton as
have to day received from your Exceency should not
have despatched the messenger until the 10th
instant at twelve O'Clock when six entire days would
have elapsed since placed Lord Carendons despatch in
In the course of subsequent conversation asked
Count Nesserode what the intentions of his
were with reference to the consular arrangements be-
tween the two countries in the event Of declaration Of
war; His Excellency replied 7zat .ci entirely depend
upon the her Britannia Mdjesiys government may
adopt; ace shall not declare cdr"
Enclosure in No 1871
MEMORANDUM GIVEN BY CONSUL MICHELE TO COUNT
NESSELRODE.
In pursuance of the instructions conveyed to by
government dated the 9th OF February, ut have the
honor Of placing your Exceencys hands letter from
the Right Hon the Earl of Clarendon her Britannia Ma
jesty Secretary Of State for Foreign Affairs In doing
So am further instructed to acquaint your Exceency
that the Queens messenger who was the bearer OF this
yesterday morning. will be ready to return to England
with your Exceency reply it shall be sent to
me; but if the expiration of six days from to-day
your Exceency should not have sent me any letter to
the Earl of Clarendons address, H. previously to the
me that the messenger need not remain at st. Peters
burg in either Of these to direct the Queens
messenger to return to England with the utmost speed
The Rights of Neutrals.
From the London Times, April
The attention of Parliament and of the public has
hitherto been principally directed to the political comb
atoms and military naval preparations connected with
the war in which this country is engaged There
however other questions arising out of this subject
which will long attract much notice as the war
itself nasmuch they affect in the most direct manner
and to of these considerations is duty to
address ourselves We have remarked with some sur
place since the publication of her Maesys declarations
of the 2Sth of March, little has been said with reference
to the second Of these documents which is entitled
Her Majesty's Declaration respecting Neutrals
and Letters d Marque p and indeed the Minis
tiers Of the Crown have not even been called upon
they have her Majesty to waive on this oc
cason several of the most important rights heretofore
claimed and exercised by this country in maritime
the present ,edr and The eDcon thus made Teco3nises the
rule Of oU is intended to Suspend get caanot be denied
eet all future and will probably tend than
any similar event. to mitigate the exercise of belligerep
rights and give higher character of humanity and free
dom to the law Of nations For the first time in the his
tory Of this country England enters upon with al
mission Of the rights of neutras equal in all respects to
the broadcast concessions made to them by those
States which have been most disposed to favor the neutral
trade The declaration Of the 2Sth Of March
the world that her Majesty will for the present. waive
rorto f fhQ Of
long as this declaration remains in force England con-
forms 10 the principles of the celebrated French ord
for by the Empress Catherine and the Armed Neutrality
of 1880. The paragraph which that her Ma
jesty will wave the right of seizng enemys property
board neutral vessel unless it be contraban Of war;
formal and complete application in its widest of
the celebrated doctrine Free bottoms make free goods
has never been the policy OF this country TO condemn
as general rule, neutral property found in enemys
ships that in this respect practice of the law Of
prize will remain unaltered The British and French cruz
will continue exercise the right of seizng articles
conraban Of and Of preventing neutras from bear
ing the enemys dispatches and these purposes they
must exercise the right of search which country has
either renowned resisted when it confined to those
necessary objects Indeed the literally neutrals
treated in the prosecution Of lawful trade the
they bound not to lend their flag to any traffic which is
breach Of neutrality and to accept with good grace the
of preventing and Furnishing that species of abuse
The right of blockade remains Of course unatered and
neutrals will be condemned in courts when they
found guilty of breach of blockade duly notified and
established with adequate force against the enemy's
coasts but prize courts entirely adopt the principle
OF TIE declaration of l7sOthat blockade must be real
and effective to be SO recognized 1t may here be OBJ
served that although these concessions Of the
highest importance, and, indeed leave nothing to be
complained of by the neutral States their effect in
at first to be the All the ports of Russia,
in the Baltic the Black Sea, and the White Sea,
that it is the intention Of the Allied Powers to
render this blockade complete as the
rves at which the navigation would otherwise be open
At present the port Of Reve is completely blocked
up by ice and the British frgate Miranda, which
sent TO reconnore last week. at moment lock-
ed in that she compelled to FIRE of her heavy
guns to break up the foes of ice collected round her
The exercise Of the strict begeren rights which have
been handed down by the law Of nations from the 14th
century undoubtedly incts great hardshps innocent
persons sanctions the confscaon of private proper
ty at though is respected land and it Furnishes
lawful but for that state of by which they have
nothing to gain but much to lose These rules of the
law Of nations must, however like all other laws,
expedency in which they originated and, though
it would be impossible to attempt in these days
to render the rights of stringent 1t is not only
the interest but the duty of all civilized countries to
and forego much Of these rights can be aban
oned without checking the vigorous prosecution Of hos
tilities Already the liberal system of maritime
law which we have made the basis Of our legisla
ton in time of peace, tends to modify our position in
which this country has most strenuously contended is
what is termed fhe rule Of 1856" by which we pro-
bbited neutrals from exercising in time of all such
trade not open to them in time of peace-mean
ing especially the colonial trade and the coastng trade
then jealousy reserved by each nation to it's flag
But the changes of the Navigation act have now
opened both the colonial and coasng trade Of this
pre to all the world and, far we are concerned
the rule Of 1855 has no further application 1t was pro-
badly this account that the government has consent
ed to tolerate the trade Of neut between enemys
ports, on the present occasion
The real test of the wisdom and policy of these changes
must be sought for in their relative effects the enemy
and on ourselves Our object is to do him all the harm
can provided it is not attended with greater injury to
this country 1t is therefore matter Of calculation
whether the interruption of trade is moro injurious to
adversary than to ourselves to how great extent
that interruption and ought to be carried and by
what means it can be effected Upon the whole although
not inscnsble to the embarrassments which the
suspension of trade must cause to such country as
Russia incline TO the opinion that is rather for the
interest Of this great community to carry owar with
little interruption to trade possible and that the
British government will not easily be led to resort to
those excessive restrictions for which this country
tended in former As have already acknow
lodged the principle Of trade by neutrals in encmys
goods, is not easy to perceive upon what ground Of
national interest to throw into the hands of
trails only the commercial intercourse m which
our int