The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-02-29
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With Eas9land.

Win England.
We lay before our readers this morning near
" al the documents transmitted to the Senate
of the United States yesterday, by the Presi-
dent, pertaining to the difficulty pending be-
tween this country and Great Britain, ON the
subject of the enlistment in the United States
of soldiers for the British army. The legal
portion Of this correspondence we intended
to have published exclusively this morning,
but are compelled to leave it over one day in
consequence of the great length of the diplo-
matte part The correspondence and other
documents are very voluminous; but they are
60 interesting and important, at this critical
junction OF affairs, that no one should be pre-
vented from reading them.
We present below brief historical summary
of the whole matter, with running common
tary upon the papers =
Immediately after the declaration of war by
Great Britain against Russia, namely, on the
slst of April, 1854, Mr.. Champion, the British
Minister writes to Mr.. Marcy, the Secretary
Of State, that he has received orders from his
government to inform the American govern
Dent that Great Britain will not for the pre-
sent authorize the issue Of letters of marque,
and will in the interest of neutral nations re.
strict within the narrowest limits the exercise
of belligerent rights: for which reason Great
Britain and France confidently trust that the
neutral governments will sincerely exert
every effort to enforce upon their
subjects or citizens the necessity of
observing the strictest neutrality aud
that the United States especially will
give orders that no privateer under Russian
colors shall be equipped OF victualed in the
ports of the United States; and that the citi-
zens Of the United States shall vigorously alb
stain from taking part in ornaments of this
nature, or in any other measure opposed to the
duties of strict neutrality.
To this Mr. Marcy replies, April 18th, 1854,
and after commenting Cd the commercial ques
tions presented, he declares that the United
States, while claiming the full enjoyment of
their neutral rights will strictly observe their
neutral duties; that the laws Of the country
severely punish not only it's own citizens but
all persons within its territory who shall equip
privateers, or enlist men therein for the pur
pose Of taking part il any foreign war; aud
that the President wA not fail to use his
whole power to enforce those laws, aud to
maintain the neutral attitude of the United
States.
Bearing in mind the solemn and emphatic
warning thus given to the British government,
our readers will recall! to memory the fact that
nine months afterwards, in December, 1854, an
act OF Parliament was passed for the express
purpose Of raising troops in foreign countries
for the service of Great Britain, thus ne
cessarily violating herself that neutrality
which in such lofty terms she had called GA
the United States to observe towards Russia,
On the I'D OF March, 1855, Mr.. McKeon.
United States District Attorney for the South
ern district Of New York, gave notice, by
letter to Mr.. Marcy, that handbills had been
Issued in New York for recruits for foreign
egion, about to be organized by the British
government in Nova Scotia.
This communication, on the day of its re-
ceipt, March 23d, was referred by Mr.. Marcy to
Mr. Attorney General Gushing, who, on the
same day, by express direction Of the Presi-
dent, advised Mr.. McKeon by letter that such
enlistments were plainly contrary to the act of
Congress; that if for service against Russia
they were in violation Of our neutrality; and,
for whatever purpose intended, they were, at
all events, in violation of the sovereign au-
thority of the United States. Mr.. McKeon
was, therefore, directed to bring to punish
nent all persons engaged in such enlistments
in his district.
Three days afterwards, March 2Gtb, the At
torney General, by direction of the President,
to Mr.. McKeon. to Mr.. Van Dyke, United
States District Attorney for Eastern Pennsyl-
vania, and requested him to proceed against
all parties engaged in such enlistments within
his district
All at once, about this time, this recruiting
business sprang up in Cincinnati and Bosto ,
as well as in New York and Philadelphia; ana
for period of six months the United States
District Attorneys and Marshals in all these
cities were earnestly and laboriously employed
in trying to put stop to it, by public adver-
tisements OF warning, by personal notice II
parties suspected and by numerous crimii !
prosecutions. All this fully appears by the
correspondence between the Attorney General
and the District Attorneys, from March to Oc-
tober, 1856, inclusive.
After this recruiting business had gone on
for several months, in defiance of all the Efforts
made to suppress it, it being well known fr a
the beginning that Sir Gaspard LIE Marchant
was the ostensibe director Of it, and facts APP
pearing which implicated certain British Con-
suls in the United States the necessity had
plainly arisen for making it q question between
the two governments. Accordingly Mr.. Marcy,
by despatch of the 9th Of June, 1855, to Mr..
Buchanan, set forth the facts in tnll. He
points out the especial enormty of the commits
sion Of these acts, in behalf of Great Britain,