Washington sentinel., 1856-06-03

| The denial Of the implicated officers onl,
covers a part of the delinquencies imputed te
them; but, confning the exculpatory declsra
ton to the simple charge of having violated the
provisions of our neutrality act, it does not
merit the consideration which Lord Clarendon
has ascribed to it. BY adopting Lord Clsren
don's construction of our neutrality law con
| tanned in his note of the 10th Of November
which renders it almost nugatory, and is con
trary to that of this Government and of its
judicial tribunals these officers have not pro
badly found much embarrassment in meeting
the charges with general denial
But, giving to the declaration of Mr.. Cramp
ton and the Consuls all the consideration which
can be fairly claimed for it under the circum-
stances of the case, it cannot counterbalanee
the unimpeached and well-sustained evidence
which establishes the charges against these
officers of having infringed the laws and sover.
eign rights of the United States
Lord Clarendon's note to you of the 30th Of
April conveys the impression that the evidence
by which these officers are implicated is derived
from one or two witnesses whose credibility has
been assailed This, however, is not correct
view Of the facts.
BY the examination Of my despatch of the
2Sth Of December it will be perceived that
tuCoC WItHCoSCo WSiC oItOuBiy SoiiOOoAotSut "hN
that there are proofs, wholly independent of
their testimony, abundanty sufficient to estab-
lish the completely Of Mr.. Champion and the
Consuls in the infringement of the laws and
sovereign rights of the United States. trust
it will not be questioned that it belongs excu-
sively to this Government aud its judicial tribu-
nails to give construction to its municipal
laws, and to determine what acts done within
its jurisdiction are infringements Of those laws
This is q matter which concerns It's internal
administration, ard it cannot allow the agents
of any foreign Power to controvert that con-
structon and justify their conduct by different
Interpretation of our laws, which virtually rem
ders them ineffective for the purposes intended.
The Earl of Clarendon informs you, in his
note Of the 30th of April, that Mr.. Champion
positively denies the charge Of completely in
any Of the acts of illegal enlistment in the
United States, and that the three Consuls in
culpated do the same. He assumes that the
charge against them is sustained mainly by
the evidence of two persons, Strobel and Hertz,
whom he conceives to be unworthy of credit;
and he appeals to the American Government
to accept az conclusive the declarations of the
Minister and Consuls / am instructed to say
that these considerations do not relieve the
Presidents mind of the unfavorable impress
SiOUS pTOuuCcu ny LHc SOuuuCl VI tuOSC RCuIic
men in relation to foreign recruitment in the
United States.
1t will be seen by referring to my despatch
of the 18th of December, in which the grounds
Of charge against Mr.. Champion were fully
stated, that the testimony of Strobel and Hertz
was quite secondary and an unimportant
part of the evidence adduced; the charge being
supported, independently of their testimony,
by other witnesses, by original letters of MIR.
Champion and others, and by undenied and un-
deniable acts of Mr.. Champion.
As to Strobel and Hertz, however, it may be
observed that the documents transmitted by
Lord Clarendon, as proving those persons IN
worthy of credit, are entitled to but little weight,
consisting as they do chiefly of ex par,e affi-
davits, detailing matters mostly of mere hear
say. And whatever may have been the char
acter of those persons, it by no means follows
that they did not testify to the truth. They
we're agents selected and trusted by Mr.. Cramp-
ton himself and to them he committed most
important concerns. Such an endorsement
should countervail the impeachment of their
veracity, founded on loose hearsay reports.
Nor does it seem to be thing of much mo-
ment, in relation to the present question, that
Strobcl, in consequence Of imputed misconduct
was dismissed from employment by the Lieu
lendHb oONcIHOE VI ANOfh oCOta, huu atlcT-
wards endeavored to obtain money from Mr..
Champion. The fact remains that he held a
commission in the British Foreign Legion, and
that, MS it is clearly proved, and not denied, he
maintained, as a recruiting officer and for q
considerable period of time, association, per-
sonally or by correspondence, with Mr.. Cramp-
ton.
The employ yment of Strobel by Mr.. Cramp-
ton, their long association in the Joint work of
recruiting in the United States for the Foreign
Legion, the distinction of her Majesty's com
mission of captain IN that corps conferred on
Strobel, would seem at least to deprive Mr..
Champion the right to deny his credibility as a
witness.
But there is larger and more comprehen-
sive class Of considerations applicable to this
particular question. For a period of nearly
FIVE nonhs-that is, from about the middle Of
March, 1855, TO the 9th of August, lS55-tbe
peace and order of this country we're disturbed
especially in the cities Of Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, by the unlawful
acts Of numerous persons engaged in raising
recruits or in being recruited for the British
Foreign Legion. They we're supplied with
ample funds by British agents. They obstinately
resisted and set at naught all the efforts of the
local authorities of the United States to put a
sIOp 10 THEIR proceedings, HOr ulu tbty ueslst
until they received orders to that effect from
the British Government in the month ofAugust.
The recruits thus unlawfully raised in the
United States during all that time we're con-
veyed by British agents to Halifax, and there
enrolled in the Foreign Legion.
All these acts, as well as their illegality, were
notorious. Long before the trial OF Hertz in
September, and of Wagner in October, they
must have been brought to the particular
notice of Mr.. Champion, the British Consuls,
and other agents, by preliminary judicial in
quiries which took place both at New York
and Philadelphia.
In consequence of the steps to that effect
taken by me on the 22d Of march, the proper
instructions were issued on the 23d, and pro-
secutions commenced in Phladelphia on the
30th Of March, and in New York on the 5th
of April.
As example Of the. character Of these pro-
ceedings, their notoriety and their conclusive
legal effect, what occurred in May deserves
particular notice.