The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-19

| War.
Our latest intelligence from England, by the
steamship Jura, concerning the Mason-Slidell
affair, together with the full details upon the
subject by the Europa, which we publish to.
day, Is full Of hostile threatenings, wavcrings
demands and warlike preparations. The Lon.
don Post, the accredited organ of Lord Palmers
ton, reduces the whole matter to prompt and
peremptory ultimatum. If this authority may
be relied upon, Lord Lyons, we may con.
clude, will claim the persons of the
gentlemen (Mason and SlidelD taken from
under the protection of the English flag
together with an adequate apology for the out
rage committed by the captain of the San ia
cinto;" and, "if these demands are not at once
complied with, Lord Lyons will break Off diplo-
matte relations with the Cabinet at Washing
ton" and return home.
II we accept this as the exact position of the
case, the argument Is ended, and we have only
to await the answer of our Cabinet to these
demands Of her Majesty's Minister, should
they be made. But all this indignant
and warlike feeling in England rests upon
hasty and violent prescriptions or petty
legal technicaities. 1t is assumed that, anterior
to this affair of the Trent, the naughty Ian
guage of Mr.. Seward, and his circular touching
| the coast and frontier deiences of our loyal
States, were intended as menaces to England;
that the seizure of Mason and Slidcll was in
pursuance of Cabinet decision upon the sub
ject, and that, in brief, our government had de-
libcrately contemplated rupture with Eng
land in order that under this external pressure
the independence of our rebellious States
might be conceded. on our part without humilia-
ton Thus this affair of the Trent is laboriously
magnified into a premeditated afront, when,
with the submission of the facts to Lord Lyons,
It will appear very remarkable case of
courtesy and forbearance in view of the main
tenance Of our pacific relations with England.
With these unwarrantable English presump-
tons dssipated, the offence Of Captain Wilkes
is reduced to the small proportions of legal
technicality. 1t appears. according to the
London Times, tina had Captain Wilkes seized
the Trent, and taken her before a prize court
| for adjudication, there would have been no Of
fence in the proceeding. whatever might have
(and our Secretary of the Navy. Mr.. Welles, has
substantially expressed the same opinon) we
can discover no embarrassment in the way OF
| a speedy and satisfactory settlement. 1t is only
| necessary to this end on the part of our Cab
net, 10 say to Lord Lyons that Captain Wilkes,
in The seizure of Mason and Slidell, acted with
out instructions and upon his own discretion;
that lbs considerations of international courtesy
were misapplcd and that, in order to secure a
| satisfactory Judgment, our Cabinet propose that
tie Trent be taken before j prize court, in some
neutral port, for final Judgment upon the
whole matter.
During our var with Mexico in August lSi7
the British mail packet Teviot, Captain May
carried over from Havana 70 Vera Cruz General
| Pa,e,les. cx-Pre,ident of Mexico, athc author
Of the war OF Mexico against the United States
and their avowcd and bitter enemy Oui
government. through Mr.. Bancroft, our Minister
at Londoa al tne time, thus presented the matter
to the British Cabinet declaring that in this ac
1 Captain May has rendered his shp liable t.
conIiscAtion, and demanding his dismissal ron
the service Of his government and al apology
Ii. Si7 admitted the justice Of our complaint
made the apology required, and announced that
Tie offending officer Ilad been dismissed
! Here we have precedent for he Justification
Of the seizure and confiscation OF the Treat
| lad Captain Wilkes rcsortcd to this extremity
IN 4 fair and impartial view. therefore. OF The
alternative which ne adopted hi To- -clllsc u
! rs PRISONERS ana the reese -, tue sup We grt
al loss 20 perceive how i can ~ any nossi-
billy be distorted into a ct,sts mi. Thea, i
nothing IN the transaction upon which ogiouad
q quarrel except the pa!iry technicality which.
as we have indicated, may Be readily settled.
and rs suggested from the other side. On the
Other hand. il is apparent, from this case Of the
Teviot, that. had the Trent escaped unmolestci
with her rebel cmi+sarics to England. we should
have had another case for an apology and repa-
ration from the British government; for Mason
aud Sl,tlell (on the TrcnD could claim none Of
the imm,niies of private individuals or polti-
cal refugees. They We're announced, received
and paraded on board the Trent as the official
ambassadors OF an insnrrcctionary government
at war with the United States, and were under
stood as having among their objects warlike
leornp hat,yppn tnylanl and Franco ar,;r,t