Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-12-30
Ig 0lL1aragh.
Important 81 from NS AZ 4Iaa gza;7

important from WaGhing ton.-Ad
iustment Of the TFent Affair
.W1sarxeFok, Dec. 2s.-fbe EationalIn-
I. tellieencer of this morning has the official
announcement of the adjustment of the
Trent difficulty, aud the correspondence
between Lord Lyons and the Secretary of
& State is published IN full
The decision of the President in the
Trent affair as announced and explained in
the dispatch ofSecretnEy. SeN1Eu, has rue
approval of every member OF the Cabinet.
The National elligeneeF, n an article
1 apparently semi5oh iciaI saY Whatever
may be the disappointment Of any AZ the
result TO which the Admin iration has
!; come in heisettlement OF q gu etion which
/ constitntionalEy deyolHes upon The kxecn-
tive branch of the goverument, We are
1 sure that alItwill aPPiadd the htnane@s and
sincerity with which the admiHistr4tiop is
resisting amRtiOnMl tendency, Impressed by
the concerted drift Of public op.nion in our
iowu country, has resolved 10 do what It
believed to be right in the premises. and It
surely should give pause TO allsRho may
kbe disposed to challenge the psopriety OF
/ the resolution to which the ad@intstrahon
/ has come when they state thata contrary
I decision would leave us insoPPpsiiion not
| only 10 the views of Great British, hut also
fB0OSe MQ4Cu lu6
ANNOUNCES respecting the principle OF pub
lie law iu regard to the Transaction.
The InteiIigencer has Eve columns OF
CORRESPONDENCE. The editor says Earl
Russell, Her Britanic Majesty Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs, ting the
I5circumstauces Under which 81 ~ .erstgpd
the capture of these parties 70 haSe been
made, proceeds TO characterize it-tas an
outrage on the British flag.
After expressing the hope and belief
that it had not ben authorized by our
Government, asks as reputation apProprt-
ate to such an aggression, that the four
gentlemen designated should be released,
then an apology should be given for what
the Government of Great Britain deems an
affront TO her flag. In responding to this
demand, Mr.. Seward, after reviewing the
circumstances under which the arrest was
effected, according to the report OF our ma
val officers. and thus developing the inac-
lcuracies and omissions of British state
mehts, proceeds to analyze the facts and
principles of public law involved IN the
case, aud arrIS es at the conclusion that
the neglect of Capt. Wilkes was partly
VOLUNTARILY, as it was on his part, to bring
the Trent in for trial. as a lawful prize may
be Justly held to operate as forfeiture OF
I7belligerent right of capture according un-
ernment of the United States, as well nom
this consideration as in consistency with its
own traditional policy respecting maritime
rights of neutrals, would be in its own
wrong if it should refuse compliance
with British demands, SO far as relates to
the disposition that shall be made Of the
persons taken into custody by Capt. Wilkes,
under circumstances believed to be justly
open to exception on both grounds thus
indicated. So far as regards the apology
asked by the British Government, noge is
rendered, because simple statement OF
facts as they are, suffces to show that no
offence was intended by our Government,
! as it had given no instructions whatever
in the premises.
While the proceedings of Capt. Wilkes,
| in SO far as it fails to enure to the benefit
of his government, aud to conform to the
rules of public law, was dictated by con
siderations OF Kindness.
The decision of the President 10 this af-
fair. as announced and explained in the lu-
cid dispatch of Mr.. Seward, says the Ma
tioaaI istsiLi9sneer, has the approval OF ey-
cry member fthe Cabinet:
Mr.. Seward, in conclusion, says Ii de-
eide this case in favor of my own govern
meut, / must disavow its most cherished
principles, and reverse and forever abandon
its essential policy. The country cannot
afford the sacrifice. If maintain those
principles, and adhere to that policy,
must surrender the case itself; aud it will
be seen, therefore, that this government
could not deny the justice ofthe claim pre-
scented 10 us upon its merits. We are ask
ed 10 do to the British nation just what we
have always insisted all nations ought 70
do to us. The claim of the British Gov
ernment Is not made in u disconrteous man
ner This government, since its first Or
lEanization, has never used more guarded
language in any case. In. coming TO my
conclusions, 1 bava not forgotten that, II
the safety Of this Union required the de
tentiOn of the captured persons, il would
be the right aud the duty of this govern
ment to detain them; but tue etfectual
check aud warning proportions OF existing
linsufrection, as well rs the comparative
unlmportanCe OF the captured PERSONS them
selves, when dispassiouAJely weighed, hap
Ipiy forbid me from res0rting to that de-
fence; nUram unaware that American cit
Itizens are not in any case to be unnecessa-
rily surrendered for any purpose toto the
keeping OF foreign State; only captured
persons, however, or others who pre inter
ested in them could justly raise question
on that ground, nor have been tempted
at all by these suggestions.
l Eases IllBuI IO6 uASNOlS
Great Britain refused to yield TO other ma
lions and even to ourselves, claims like
that which is now before US. Those cases
occurred when Great Britain as well as the
United States, was the home OF generations,
which, with all their peculiar Interests and
passions, have passedaway. She could IN
no other way SO effectually disavOw any
such injury as we think she dues by as
Stunning nov as her owu the ground dpou
which we then stood. It would tell little
for onr claims TO the character of a just and
mapnanimous peopIes1it we should so far
consent to be guided by the law of retalia
ltion as to lift up buried injuries from the
grave to oppose against what national con-
sistency and national conscience compel US
to regard as a claim intrinsically right
Putting behiud me all suggestions ofthis
kind, prefer 70 express my satisfaction
that, by adjustment of the present case up
o., A .,..-,,..,,,