The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-29


leave the work of reconstruction TO those more in
terested in its details than are.
THE oIINTUPLE TREATY. GENERAL CASS TO
e'f aaf NJ GUIzOT. fl
We can contribute nothing to the current tera-
ture of the day interesting and appropriate than
by the republication of the letter Of Gen. Cass then
Minister of the United States at Paris to M Guizot
Minister of Foreign Affairs under the government of
Louis Philippe This communication, it will be re-
membered was followed by pamphlet from Gen.
Cass on the subject of the treaty, which had been
signed by the diplomatic agents Of five Of the prin-
cipal States of Europe having for it's ostensbe OBJ
iect the suppression of the African slave trade. 1t
was believed at the time Qs42) by Gen. cass and
large majority of tho American people that tho real
object which was sought to be effected by the quin-
tuple treaty was the combination of the great pow
ers of Europe against the government and people of
the United States. 1t was certainly supposed that
the parties the convention would at once assert
the right of search means OF ehectual suppress
sion of the slave trade 1t will be remembered
that Lord Palmerston, in his Hayti note, written
on the 9th of January, l640, few days after the
Portuguese slave-trade-suppressi bill had been in
toduced into the House of Commons and when the
whole subject was before the London cabinet, de-
nounced the right of search Lord Stowell had ju
dically decided it, except belligerent claim.
At later period, in lS4, Lord Palmerston had
maintained the right of visitation means OF sup
pressing the slave trade Subsequent to this and at
the very time the quntuple treaty was in process OF
negotiation Lord Aberdeen in letter to Mr. Steven
son, then American minister at London, undertook,
in more formal and authoritative manner to enforce
the distinction between visitation and search; de-
nouncg the latter as an act of invasion, as the ex
ercise Of belligerent claim; and maintaining the
former (vistaton) as verifcaton of the national
ity of the vessel Lord Stowell the very highest
British judicial authority, in the case of French
vessel had used the term visitation and search,
and had declared that they could not be enforced,
except as beigerent claim"
d The vigilance of Gen. Cass. and perhaps we might
say his habitual dstrust of the policy Of the Lon
don cabinet on the subject of search which had really
given universal offence in 1872, did not fail to detect
in the quntuple treaty and the renewed pretension
of Lord Aberdeen in reference to visitatio.a word
of most friendly import and almost completely social
in its use and Observation-Disclosures purposes which
he believed the interests and threaten the
rights of American vessels sailing upon the high
seas in other words that it was the object of Eng
land to effect powerful combination of States to
enforce claim which the President of the United
States, in ls4l had distinctly denounced. We intro
duce the letter Of Gen. Cass to Mr.. Guizot of the
18th Of February, ls42, just seventeen days after
the date of Lord 'Aberdeen's note, in which that
statesman had formally renewed the distinction be-
tween visitation and search"
r 1t is reported by an American gentleman who was
invited by one Of the Cardinals at Rome to friend
ly dinner, and assured by his Grace that he
would have present an eccentric Priest, very dpo-
matte who was known to give direct reply
to question, but would always commence his an
swers thus II make q distinction After soup
was served, the Cardinal asked the Priest, sis
it lawful to bsptize with soup i'iT make distinc-
tion,'' said the Priest. IF your Grace means to
ask if it is lawful generally to baptize with soup,
/ would say no but if your Grace would coL6ne the
question to your own particular soup would say,
yes for see no earthly distinction between it and
water ~
So we see the distinction between the really inva-
sive belgerent claim Of visitation and the far less
offensive pretensons Of search the latter being de-
nounced as belligsrent claim and the former as
the simple verfcation of the nationality Of the
vessel We do not know whether General Cass
was advised of the letter Of Lord Aberdeen as
he certainly Of the letters Of Lord Pamerston
be this it may, events have abundantly establish
ed his reputation prophet concerning the policy