The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-07
Our Issue with England-Outgfvings Of the
Omcial Ink dah.


The Washington Union etill insists upon it, in
an article which we reprint elsewhere, that
Great Britain has given up the right to visit
ships at sea which it has so long maintained,
and that this great question is finally settled in
favor of the United States.
II is curious thing, and we might even say
q suspicious one, that the official organ bases Its
claim of settlement of this issue entirely upon
the expressions used by severd of the British
statesmen and ministers in Parliament on the
18th ultimo. The old ground of the claim that
asettlement had been made-a reported desno.~L
vr Lvro MalrnesDury ~ Lord Napier-is aban-
doned and the Union is strangely silent upon
that point Now we have critically examined,
some days since, the whole Of that debate in
Parliament, and the whole country has read it,
and the irresistible conclusion to be drawn from
il by any logical mind is that the British 60
vernment has given up nothing at all, but that
it so reads General Cass' despatch of 10th of
April as to construe ii into an abandon
ment of every material point claimed by Eng
land. That is what Mr.. Fitzgerald, the British
Under Secretary of State, let out in his speech,
which was capped by Mr.. Disraeli, the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer, by stating that England
had not conceded the point in question.
We are perfectly well aware that explanations
given in Parliament bind nobody, and therefore
we do not understand from them that the pre-
sent ministry Of England is bound by them not
to give up the peint in dispute, If II were
pushed home by our government. But neither
would they bind England to give up her long
contested claim, even If the words Of ministers
stated in plain terms that they would do so-a
thing which they have all been very careful not
to say. The publication Of Lord Malmesburys
despatcl to ord Napier might throw some light
on this question, and show to us II Il is second
bubble upon words, like the Clayton. Bulwer
treaty. We do not doubt that the administra-
tion may have despatch before it which il can
read one way, while the British government
holds TO an entirely different sense. Indeed we
are convinced that this is the case, for we are
confident that Mr. Buchanan and General Cas-
would not permit the official organ to express the
belief that the question Of the right of search Is
settled, If they did not entertain it But the
British Under Secretary has favored us In his
speech with an extract from General Cas- let
ter, and exhibited the bubble on one of its
paragraphs upon which II is pretended to con-
cede the ground taken by the American 90
vernment That bubble involves total aban-
donment Of the long maintained position Of the
United States. Whenever Lord Malmesbury's
despatch 10 Lord Napier shsll be published, we
have no doubt IL will be found 10 contain the
same bubble.
The celebration of the Clay on-Bulwer treaty
presents a parallel case, and the then claimed
abandonment Of the Mosquito protectorate is a
counterpart Of the abandonment of the right Of
search. AT that time Mr.. Clayton was profuse.
and the Official organ loud in asserting that
Great Britain had abandoned all her claims In
Central America. Mr.. Bulwer lent himself TO
these assertions, or wisely held his tongue, and
the world has since learned what bubble
and q cheat that treaty IL. Even while the
British Minister at Washington was seemingly
unfolding Mr.. Clayton and the administration
Of General Taylor 10 their Interpretation of the
new treaty, be was writing letters 10 the officials
Of bis government telling them that the admin
is,raiion was weak one, and how completely
he had humbugged them. The Union leads us
to suspect that Lord Napier is little more
honest than was Mr.. Bulwer. for IL tells us that
ne Is 'facetiously claiming that the Earl Of
Malmssbury Is only giving effect to the judg-
ment Of the highest legal minds of the kingdom,
and that in point Of fact nothing has been con-
ceded to this government"
Tbs may be deemed ufacetiouav By the