The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-12-20

| VPIpttunity OF dispclling IL.
=, Nor Is there anyihing venture TO affirm,
INC seizure OF these rehel omisSaries whit
onght to receive an unfrisndly nstruction lro
hngland' Her statesmen will not question a
"gh rlBh' OF an American vessel Justly su
Pcci" u transporting con'rabsnd oi war tn
| fght has rover boon surrcnicrod hy Enclaud
, was even gus rInti' 4 to her NY tho treaty
ns na,ls, am bh,ish gins trowuing doyn upo
e'nSS.i1s SnS ., cSonco Sns upon the elo
thiS right ne orc Of the efficacy of which IN,
bc not YET eutifrly extirguishod. Oi coura
| ttcre IS much that H. IRRITATING anil vrxttinus i
! 'he exercise Of this ri yht under tn, moe. favor
ablo Circumstance, and it ia to bo hoped th
| Gay ~ not far distant when tha mtrti y, at.to
| ol me world will astee In placing neutral com
| m'rce beyond the reach Of such vcNAtiOns Tn
United Stres Govornment have becn striyin,
20 ln's eni Tor moro than fifty years; to this on
| carry IN the prcsent century and in its i.r,7c,
rs a nation, ~ embarked in war with IN
greatest naval power in tho world s0d it /
even nov Pcrs stant suitor at ayoy m,itin
court IN Europe f,r a more liber i rcc,.,,i,i,l q
the risht' OF ncutrti than any Of III, o.hr
great maritime nations have YET been ti,o 80.
TO make. Bat Till tho'e rights arc secured b,
propnr international gusrtntecs uppn conpro-
hons We aud enduring hlsi,. Of cours, Pn.ian
cannOt complain Of an act for which. ia All il,
material bearings, hsr Own naval history affords
such numerous prcc,deutI
hholhor the ctptvcs from the front wcfa
eontIaband Ct war or not is n question which
thc Two go'ernment, can have nn surou, did
culty ID agreeing upon. II Mr.. S'wari cannot
sats'y hatl Rus,rl thi. they wore h,vs no
hcubt Eul Russell wilt bo ,le TO satisfy Mr.
SeE'rd that they woro not. lf they we're. "a
al authorities concur in admitting agents Of
tho rebellion, 1t will bo difficult to So ,fy i'm O..
partial minds that thoy w,ra any less contra
band than file OF rebel sOdiors or a battery Of
hostile cannon
Blt even should thcro be a difference az
cplnlon upon this point, 1t is very clear that our
government bad sufficient grounds for ptesum-
ing itself in tho right, to escape ths suspicion
OF having wantonly violated tho relations OF
Mnlly winch tho two countries profes. desire
TO preserve and cultivate.
The pretenco that We ought TO have taken tho
Trent into port, and had her condemned by a
prihe court In order 10 Justify our seizure OF
four OF her passengers, furnishes very narrow
basis on which To fix serious controversy bo-
twccn two great nations. Stated in other words
an circrcc would have been less if it had been
greater. The wrong done to tho British dag
would have boon mitigited IT, instead of Selling
tho four rebels, we had seized tho ship, detained
all her passengers for wooks and conhscated her
cargo. ! am not surprised that Capt. Wilkes
took different view Of his duty, and Of what
was duo TO the friendly relations which subsist-
uo.neS c,nn rmS Two gotSrnnens; S E;s Iae re-
ioii Iii oII',ion ~ sonso oi tne Ensish people,
dischage ofa very unpleasant duty a. little
W NatiOts ns possible 10 all innocent partias.
II, undor these circumstances, England sho Id
deem II her duty in the interest of civilization,
. ~ W. ~, 'no I'H,o'''",h OF tnc W.h t,kHn
,, u','oi "a; l,'o.Sy,''n w o. h,r *, ~ wa oo
, - H.; y W, v. 'o.,' uou' '".t no lt"T T
-, ~ 70 t1s r,ku. oi h'ut Us, whlch
rI,,;rc nj ;''' '' ,ua I'"5 pHt III oSta'nsu'nS
= ~, ~, ~ wv. MN Hu'-tv,e u,'Po'-
lust hum,nc ,.J rhilnSonhicI S'' 2a T2on
/ am happy 10 SEQ an in,imation in ons of tL,,
loaiing lnctropslitan ournals ,,hirh mos f,r ~
Justify this Inference RsC,rri,,, ~ m. J,,',
ilrs II tho English Adniralf,. C7urTs nn,, ,,,,,,
ted in defence of tho seizure of tho kmeric,n
robels on hoard tho Trent. the London T,Mr, of
the 2sth November says
- So far as tho authorities go, tho testimo
nv Of international law writer's Is all one way,
that a bcllgerent war cruiser has tho right TO
stop and visit and search any merchant ship
upon the high seas. - But L
must be remembered that these decisiols were
giyep upder circumstances vcrv dia,rcnt from
Iboso which now occnr St:amcrs in tbose
Invs did moi oxis, and mail vessel. carrvin,,
lcftcrs vherein .Il tho na,ions oC IN. y,rII 6,ys
immcdi,tc Interest ,ysrc I,nl,nown Wo wcre
n ,hting Cor cyis,encs and wa JiJ in ,hosa I,vs
What Wa should re;,boy Jn nor aIlovy o,hcrs 70
Ia nor c~ncr, onr.eiycs 20 I,o ,ilnyycJ ~ 10 In
tbrse d,ys"
Jcsn,J.,d ,svo ara boro oro,,r,,oJ %
hone. il disno,ed IN do bsr mart in str,nnjny
va, nr /, ,It Ia bo,,o-g h,, acn,i,, tba nIicS
lony and ncrsis,cntly ;r,,c1 ,inon bcr ~, o,;r
Co,ornrr.n, and cn,,;,,"nij h,, go, ,.,i,,J
MIA of instics and bumanity sbe VIM 6nd no |
s,round In ,ha visit to ,ha T,ert f,r con,royar.
~ With our Goyorrmcnt am sn,o tho pa
i3on, and No nj, oc ,ba Ira,t'J S,a,os ,srHIJ |
ho ian, ,oo banin,, ~, la ,Iosa ,,,,, ~, e. ,
no,,rsl ami unn, rJonshIe ss tbeir oin,ss bova
bcen' If bv il thcv conId emanciptto the com |
merce of tho world Greatly A, il You IA he 10 |
mr. Ji.odvan,aon a. III, Tr,sant crisi, % srr
render anv of thnse maritl ina yilo1,es or bsi-
ligerents which. slnctioneI bv The l1ws of M.
tons feel that tako no responsibility in say
ing that the United States VIII be faithful TO
the snr;, Of harP P nliyclI ;ns,itn,ians 1"1 "
On the other hand, should England be unpre-
pared to make corresponding sacrliicei should
Sne ,p ,ne 10 pros.nt maTi,imo
- ~; sos 20 a 5ominant naval power, course
he viii moi nut herself in a false position by
lsking us TO do ii. In either case, therefore, |
10 not see how the friendly relations Of the two
governments are in any immediate danger Ot
being disturbed.
That tho over-prompt recognition, as bellige-
rents, of body Of men, however large, so long
rs they constituted manifest minority OF the
nation, wounded the feelings Of my cOuntrvmon
leaply will not a4c, to DENY nor that th,t lc',
with some Of las logical consequences which have
already occurred, has planted in the breasts oi
many the suspicion that their kindred in Eng
AMI wish them evil rather than good, but tho
TO whom tho political iut.Ie'tS Of
heso two great people are conided act upon