New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-30

| 90 on uitbo,, ~ -, 'he month of August
ir thus giving oouLtenanoe to the - .sconnt a.
iDes, be lie distinctly Responsible. But 'Ccurnent,
6iliy eIteDos yet further, for the same u an
show that the official suggestion TO the British Gov
ment Of the toward scheme OF obtaining recruits IN
the United States came from the correspondence Of
MI Champion and Of the Consuls at New York Pnila-
| oepbia and Cincinnati, and that 10 Mr.. CHAMPION
wa the superntenoence and execution Of the scheme
! committed, and thus II II that be who directed,
| Lad power to stop the proceedings-snd thu,
| from early March until August be IS found
busily occupied in sups rintendng the enlistment
partly in the United States and partly in Canada and
Nova Scotia and in issuing Instructions 10 the agents
engaged 10 that enterprise. Ii does not suffice FOR NJ
CHAMPION DOW 10 cay that he did not intend 10 commit
participate IN the commir SION OF any infringement
Of the Lawn of the United States He was the direct
ing head Of the long continued infringe mens of the
law. II was under superior authority from him ina
acts Of continuous violation Of law were perpeITsted
by the inferior agents. Some OF those agents are
proved ty hs own letters 10 hsve held direct inter
course with him; and at every stage OF m
quiry IN the numtrou cases investigated py
the American Government, there rs reference BY
letter and oral declaration 10 the general supernten
oence of Mr.. Champion. His moral and legal respon-
shiiity thus demonstrated With fuf information
Of the striDgency Of the laws Of the United States
against ort ign recruiting, with distinct perception of
its being all but impossible TO ralse recruits here with
out infringing the laws, and with knowledg. of the
cOndemDatory judicial proceedings Of April and May
at NewYofk and Philadelphia yet be persisted in
carrying on the scheme until August when its obsti-
tate prosecution brought most unpleasant cortro
versy between the United States and Great Britain
and it Is not the least Of the causes of
complaint against Mr.. Champion, that by he
ecis OF commission in this business in failing TO adj
wise bis Government Of the impractcabllity Of the
undertaking in which he embarked, and the series
of illegal acts which it involved and in neglecting TO
observe the general orders Of his Government and stop
its recruiting here the moment its llegay pro-
DOunced by the proper legal authorities of the United
States he was recklessy endaDgerng he harmony and
.fA a..
II cir commercial relations and by other considerations
have the strongest possible inducements to cultivate
reciprocal amty.
The foregoing considerations substantially apply to
the conduct of the Brtish Consu at New York Phila
delpbia and Cincinnat Though Of a subordinate Off
cal character they are not les responsible than Mr.
CHAMPION. The continuous violation OF law proceeded
within their respective Consuates month after month
under their eyes not only without any appa en' effort
their part to stop it, but with less of their
active participation therein The Consulate at New
York appears to have been the point at which the
largest expenditures made, and it is proved by
documents herewith transmitted that payments at that
Consular Office to some of the recruiting agents
tinued to be made by the Secretary OF the Consul in
the Consus presence, from time to time down to the
beginning of January Of the present year
The President, as has already been stated by me,
cannot admit the force Of the objection urged of
the alleged want of respecsbilty the part OF some
of the witnesses by whom these facts were pfovei,
and as to whom prominent cause OF such alleged
want Of respectabty seems to be the fact that then
evidence has inculpated their accomphces in the VIC
lation OF the law The testimony which most directly
inculpates the British COnful at New-York, as
will be perceived by the Enclosures herewith, is
in the afidavits of the very persons relied on
this case, and whose dispositions accompany
Lord Clarendon's note TO you Of the 3oth
of April The Earl of Clarendon peri city
well understands that in Great Britain well as in
the United States il would be impossible to administer
penal Justice without occasionally receiving the evil
dence of accomplces. In Great Britain not only is
evidence OF this class received continually IN State
trials az well in inferior matters but rewards and
other special inducements held out to such wit
nesses by not few provisions Of acts of Parisment
The competency of such persons in given case, aud
their credbity, are in both countries questions upon
which the Court and Jury, in their respective
spheres of jurisdiction ultimately pass 10 the present
case conclusions have been established on docu-
menay proofs and other unimPenchable e. n n,es
States by the veidcts Of Jures and by the rulings OF
Judges which must be held final in the estimation
of The President The Earl of Clarendon suggests as
consider alton pertinent TO this question that the MIN
lister al d Consus had means or opportunity Oh re-
butting the charges thus indirectly brought az ~
4 en- in the trial of the inferior recruiting agents. IN
~ card 10 the Consuls the Earl of Clarendon err III
surprising that they had not full means and opp9rtul
ty if they Jaw fit to appear ana 10 confirm, on"
,,adct any accusing Witnesses They were not alo"'
ed m interfere in the rias by letters written for
he OCCASION which, indeed, they coald not have done
awfuly had there been no such proh6iuohi oat II
conscious Of their own innocence, and that OF the
parties on trial and that their acts would bear
Examination it was alike their duty and night TO APP
d, ar and saw 10 on OATH and to contradict by their
testimony whatever alleged against British ON
Gers or 90. nts if known them to be untrue Nor Is
il any lust cause Of complaint, that evidence was re-
ceived upon these trials impugning the acts OF Mr.
CIampton. Ii was in due course of proceedings re-
ouired 10 be shown against the parties on trial. that
the recruitments in which they were engaged were Tor
the service of foreign Government. Mr.. CHAMPION
was himself privileged from trial for violation OF our
municipal law, but the persons whom he employed
were not for that to go unpunisbed-nor was the
administration OF penal justice to be indefinitely sus
pended on account Of his position and the diplomatic
mmupities which that conferred; on the contrary, II
was peculiarly proper that the facts by which he was
i'm pcated but for which be could not be ted sho AID
h. verified in due form OF law for the information Of
his own Government well as that of the United
States The Earl of Clarendon remarked IN his let
ter of 30th of April tn 80
concealed the Government Of TIE United ses tse
sud ements were sIhy .tSea os pr up
IN. only which MI Marcy made IN reply were
that The neutrality Of the United States would ngd be
leave the United and get enlisted IN any foreign ser
vice" ~
Earl of Clarendon labors under serious mlsappr.hen-
on which while il serves in part to explain how 1t
ham. ned that the enlistments went on for SO many
months in A manner contrary TO the intentions ana
orders of the British Government, also serves
10 Increase the weight of Mr.. Champions resPonsloy
in this respect repeat now, with eptre CONSCIOUS
ness of It's accuracy what stated IN my letter 81 oth
Decomber last that at that interview on the 22d oil
March the only one ever had with Mr.. Crampton ss
no admits in which tie recruitment business was al
lu6ed to- he Mr. Champion, had sstlsned nie luat MS
GoyeII ment had connection with II, anu was N ho
way respor sble for what was doing IN tue nteu
TO raise recruits for the British army But am qlte
ca,,a;r ,ha, On occasion has be ntnated TO me that