The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-06-22

HE Bstttsn ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Wle0vUG
K~~~its.
In chs rccent discussion in the House Of I.ords
on Ire subject of tie aggresaons ca American
commerce, which threaten to create such seri-
GUS difficulties between tie two governmental
LerS Ma.mesbury MADE certain statements which
served for TIE moment to calm down the ex-
element to which these occurrences had given
rise Bis Icrdship, after expressing his fear
that acts lad been committed by British officers
which were not to be justified either by inter
ns.ional law or By treaties that exist between
Great Britain and the United States, went on to
say hat be had bad conversation with the Anne
ricsr Minister on the subject, in which there had
been 40 great difference Of views, and that
astsr that conversation, the despatch which he
had written to LORD Nepier, anG the orders that
haG been Gent cut to the commanders Of tie
British cruisers had been received, he was Under
no apprehension that anything would occur to
break the alliance which 30 happily existed be-
tween the two countries.
The construction Put upon these state ments
| by the American people Was naturally in favor
Of the declaration 50 repeatedly made by our
| government sgainst what is called the right Of
! visitation or search. 1t was not to be supposed
that minister Of Mr. Dallas sagscity aud long
| diplomatic experience could have ccrcurred ir
any sentiments which went to sustain theory
| hostile to these views. The opinions Of the
| ablest Statesmen that this country has ever pro
| duced and the dicta even Of the most eminent
| British jurists, have been so unequivocally ex-
pressed in support of the American position
that when Lord Malmesbury made this state
| ment Of Mr. Dallas general concurrence with
him, the public looked upon the question es
being on the eve Of final and satisfactory set
Element 1t was expected that violations OF
international law and courtesy go fragrant and
unprovoked would have had the effect of open
ing the eyes Of the British people to the danger
Of maintaining pretensons which had been thus
clearly shown to be incompatible with the con-
| tinuance Of friendly relations between the
| two countries. The frank declarations of the
| Times, and others Of the leading London jour
nals, contributed to confirm this impression,
and our own press was already beginning to
felicitate itself upon so happy a conclusion to q
long vexed and troublesome question, when it
learns that the British government in its ex-
plantations, simply means to paliate the excess
Of zeal exhibited by its officers and that it has
no intention whatever of abandoning the right
which ii has so long claimed
Such is stated to be the tenor of the dispatches
received from London on Saturday last by the
President. Lord Malmesbury is, it seems, pro-
fuse in his apologies and explanations for the
indiscretions committed by the British naval
officers, and even offers to make reparation for
any losses that may have been incurred by our
merchantmen but at the same time he reite-
rates the determination of his government
to enforce all the measures which they
deem necessary for the suppression Of the
slave traffic and amongst others the right of
visitation. In doing this he expresses desire
to render this obnoxious proceeding as agree
able as possible TO the American government,
and invites suggestions to that effect. In
other words, he gilds the pill, in the hope that
we may be the more easily induced to swal-
low 1t.
Our readers will give us credit for never
having been one moment insensible to the
magnitude of the issues involved in these oc-
currences We were the first TO appreciate their
| Importance, we were the most earnest in i'm
pressing the necessity Of their final settlement,
and we were the most sceptical as to the dispo-
sition of British statesmen-whigs or tories-to
concede any point Of their traditional policy.
IT seems to be the popularity Of British admin
istrations in general to yield nothing to the
claims of justice and common sense. In their
foreign, as in their domestic policy, they have
TO be moved by their fears to induce them to de-
part from the routine TO which they are 20
inveterately welded. II is hard to have
to deal with men 30 obstinate in their preju-
dices; but we must not the less shrink from the
alternative which their stubborness forces upon
| US.
This question of the right Of search or VI
sitation-for the recent proceedings of the Bril-
tish cruisers have established the identity claimed
for these terms by our government-has now
assumed gravity which will no longer admit of
palliative arrangements. After the outragcs
and insults to which our flag has been subjected
we would be disgaced In the eyes ofthe civilized
world If we were to submit to or compromise q
position so clear as ours II Great Britain does
not choose. TO acknowledge the doctrine cnun-
ciated by all the leading writer's on interna-
tional law, affirmed by her own jurists, and re-
inforced by the declarations of the United
States government from the earliest period Of its
existence that the right Of visitation and search
can only be exercised in time of war, then
we shall have to extort from her approximations
what we fail to obtain from her sense of fair
nese. After the unequivocal manner In which
the opinion Of the country has been expressed,
and the frank Acknowledgements made by the
English and French press of the justice Of our
views, II is no longer possible for us 10 adjourn