Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-19
From the Paltimore sun OF he 14th..
NEWS FROM EUROPE.

NV fEtOh EOhOfE.
THE LATEST DETAILS -EFFECr OF MASON AMI
SLIDELLS ARRRST-oPINIONS OF THE BRITISH
PREsS-THE MEETING OF THE LIVERPOOL
COTTON MEROdANTS-EFFE0r on TIE LON
DON STOCK EXCH iNGE-BRITISH ACCOUNT OF
TaE SEIZURE, &c.
We published yesterday, by telegraph, the frat ac
count OF the ,ct in England of the of Messrs
Sdel and Mlson. To day We give some additional high
ly interesting details We b,gn with the following
TIE LONDON TINES on THE MASON AND Sill
DELL SEIZURE.
l. rsqqres s!ro1g eiior, OF sefresraint 10 discuss
with cOoness the Intelligence publish to-day. An
ElgiSh mail s.eame sail ig under the British x and
crrying letters and passengers rom Spanish port 10
England, has been STOPPED the high and over.
hauei. Four Of the passengers have been taken ont
and carried G as prisoners claiming ard vainy claiming,
they being forced away, the protection Of the
dag OF Great Britain. These are the naked facts.
sit than true that every officer OF The American Ia.
Wy sop aud overhaul our ships wherever they may
! be found a. tIke out OF them ang p,rsous whom be
my eim TO be citz, Of the Uued States or officers
Of the Confederate governmeuty II we 10 ADM
the Federal view Of tbeie position Il would be plain
that no sroh right tXsts.
They tell that they not at war bu, ONLY put.
ting down rebellion. Teey say said that they are
no: blocksdng thei- portl but esmpy enforcing
Law which has closed the southern ports ports OF
Try. They !. SIS. upon rutriug ts-ir quurrl upon
ground "a IL the ,en Of England we're putiii
dos a reb ion In the Isle of Wigh: Now II this were
So it Ia clear thst the Federal Siates Of America
have ia stopping III steamer b,en gully Of an act
Of aggression which c'ull only b. properly paLhd by
laying embargo on every American ship ia British
por;s and vsepng their li.tle navy from the sea.
They would sccording to Il cir point OF vew, not be
at war, AMI would have Of the rghs Of beigarens
over Heurals They would no more be belgerehts than
Eugliud arer the cslshrlted Smith OBJ fen battle in
the cabb,ge garden and ,hcv wonld have right
70 stop our ships All carry c our passengers than
| should have had to atop Frenc' Slip aud take Nc
SmiIh 0'Brcn ou of her But this assumption OF the
| Federal government hes been GisBlOwel
The woIlt generally has refused 10 in this di9up-
tiol and reconstuion Of the North American republic
| a msrA reb lio1. We have r'coynZ d bo republics
a. lig .r,nt States We dce ,-e neutrality betSeep
them ss between two wsTring roxcrs We mete out a
precise degree OF ,qla consideration for the ships OF
Of each. In every thing but Diplomacy bear
ourselves exactly equal bslweeu them. Whenever the
Southern States shall have given proof Of such stability
may make Il that they sustain their iadepen-
dance we shall doubtless recognize them automatically
as we already do de faetD.
truth 5ss %s bSSsyG as G iEqih may be- i !. nevertheless
ternadonl law witch now tells against In high
handed and Almost despoc manner, we have in former
days claimed privileges reurRls which have at dil
ferent times hsuded all the maritime powers OF the world
| glinst us. We have cssei even upon stopping the
a1lpS oil war OF htu fli SUI
j,cts out Of them and irsauce is given by Jefer-
4on In his memoira in which two nephew5 Of Washing
ton Impressed BY their cruisers they were re-
turning from Europe, and 'ced as common seamen un-
der the discipline Of ships Of war.
We have always been the strenuous assertors Of the
righs OF begerets neutrs, and the decisions Of
our courts Of law they must he cited by law
rc,rs have been in conf mlon of these unreasonable
claims which have cal ID into being considerations aud
armed nfu.rales aglns and which have always been
mod Il d in practice when tot supreme in our
dominion at sea- Owing these facts the authorities
which may be cited this question are too numercu, and
too u.orm es TIE right Of search by belgerent ships
Of var over neutIs merchant vessels to be disputed
The only security that nothing Ia to be found irconsi
ten. with tire amy sad law Of nations known to the law
of nations says Lord SO veil 10 the celebrated Of
the Maria as the right Of personal visitation and search
to be exercised by these who have an Interest 10 making
| it.n
Acain, Lord sowcll in the same Judgment, which ia
the storehouse Of all the Engish law this subject,
says: Be the ships the cargoes and the destination
what they may the right OF visit and search are the in.
coutestbe right of the crDseIs Of begercnt nation.
TIL they are visited and searched Il does not appear what
the ships the destination are and it for the
OF ascertaiDng these points that the necessity OF this
right of visitation ard search exists. This right is 80
clear in principle that man deny Il who admits
thorght OF maritime captur,; because ;f you not
at liberty s.eraa bg sui cnt inquiry whether thtr
property that be legally captured it Is Impossible
20 clp:urc T many European treaties which refer to
this right refer to It pra ersag and merely regulate
the exercise OF t. All writer's upon the Law of nations
unanimously Acknowledge IT,"
The grea, American authority, Kent treating upon
the same sui jec. in his Commentaries, says.
The duty Of sepreservai ion gives TO Sel'gerent ma
tons this right The doctrine Of the Englsi Admiralty
Courts the right OF visitation and ssrcb aud the
limitation Of tho right has been recognized in its fullest
extent by the courts OF just ice 10 this country"
SO far as the hor,ies so the testimony OF iuterna
tonal lev wri ers ia all one Way that belgorent wal
cruiser has the right TO stop aad visit and search any
chant ship uEon the ligb sess.
We do not say that there il any provision 10 the law o.
nations whioi will enle 70 miiattia that their per
sacred by Of their mission; but The
ether hand, are not aware Of any authority Whict
will show that th1so eDvoy5 ara contrabInd Of war
If wo had reccg1z' the Confederate SAtes rppre
bend that shoui have been perfectly Ised Ia tax
ing those amlassaderI board our own vessels Of
ald bringing them TO EggltEd without in any way Tor
ieiing our character as neutrdli.
It, evea lift necessary to admit that these gen
tlemsn were in beligerent or cjnrAbaui character
board the EaeEsh vcssel It Ia We believe the opuio
OF every eminent jusist that this not question Il
b1 aduica'ei on by naval officer and four boits
The legal v,p'd hare bssa 10 take hJ h ite'
E0 ~, and 10 ak FIR her condemn r,ioE, Tor tn
condemnation OF the ps5lelgars, in Court OF ADM
rally. TIE result might 10 DOUBT hlve baca the same
but IL tie procsedpg vas Irregular ne htye surely
right demant ht these pdsolsr5 shall be restored
When sloh Tremendous intersst5 st staks We ft
deeply tue responsibility of dilcu1sng Question lis
ihs Oar frat ddy is TO eala certainly TO iha,m'
tbs general nigtaon which will BE- felt In these island
the ne No IL told. We cannot yet believe although d
= evideaoo is strong that il is the fIsd determination
the G,vernm, OF the Northern States TO force quar-
}, rel upon toe Powers Of Europe We hope therefor
= that our people will not meet this prcvecaiion With
outb1rst OF passion, rush to resentment without III
consideration Of all the bearings OF the case.
= Ga the Other hand, appeal 10 the reasonable me
OF tia Federal Ststes-snd they have come reasonab
men among them--not 10 provoke By such acts
these. s and always has been, vain 10 appeal to