Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-06-14
Unfriendly attitude of England
Lincoln's Government.

I
Commercial thus refers to it.
The debate in the British House of
Lords, which we published in full yester.
day, is certainly the most unfavorabsc
sign yet of the attitude Of the British
government towards the Just side of this
great struggle. The Lord Chancellor
went further than had previously been re.
ported, in his outrageous advocacy of the
rights Of piracy. He went SO far as to
pronounce that the United States has no
right to punish privateers in JEFF. Davis
service, as pirates He added that the
war of the Confederate States against the
North was just one, and their right as
belligerents admitted" His words are !:
"No one ii g no English subjecD, ought
to be regarded as pirate for acting un-
der commission from State admitted
to be entitled to the exercise of belligerent
rights. and carry on what might be called
.justum belluns. Anybody dealing with
man under those circumstances as pirate
and putting him to death, would be guilty
of murder"
Lord Kingsdown followed the Lord
Chancellor, and announced that England
had recognized the seeded States as
body possessing the right of belliger-
ent, that the extravagant order of the
Washington Government in reference to
privateering was mere brutem fulmen,"
or if not, 'that it was a piece of barbarity
which would raise an outcry throughout
the whole civilized world" Earl Gran.
vills, member Of the Cabinet, threw in
his sneer at the blockade Of the South
ern coast, asserting that "mere paper
blockades would not be recognized and
commented upon the agreement in Paris
as not affecting change in the interna-
tional law, excepting as regards those
which signifed their acceptance Of it,
thus ignoring the last clause OF the Paris
treaty, by which those who "might here
after" accept it, were placed on par with
those who had done so.
If those Peers who adhere to the Pal
merston Ministry were thus explicit in
their quasi hostility to the United States,
the Lords Of the opposition were still
more so. 81 apprehend,' said the Earl
Of Derby, "that if there is one thing clear
er than another, it is, that by the law of
nations, privateering is not piracy that
no enactment on the part of any one ma
ton can make that piracy as regards the
subject of another country, which is not
piracy BY the laws of nations. The Nor
thern States must not therefore be attoced
to entertain that opinion. 1t very impor-
tant, he added, s'that her Majesty's Gov
ernment should not commit themselves to
the doctrine that the United States are to
lay down the principle of a universal
blockade, and that that blockade would be
recognized by her Majesty's Government.
Lord Chelmsford commented upon the Sc
rious step taken by the British Cabinet,
in admitting the Confederate States to be
entitled to the rights of belligerents, but
it was clear that southern privateers could
not be treated as pirates"
The London correspondent Of the New
York Herald, in this connexiOn will be
read with interest:
This country is alarmed for the first
time since the American war opened
There is this week feeling Of alarm and
anxiety, and this feeling has given rise to
plans of great interest to the American
Government
The Queens proclamation has been is
sued, and in entire good faith all loyal sub
jscts of her Majesty are enjoined not to
? Join either of the belligerents, ard they
are assured if they do SO their government
will not interfere in their behalf in the
event of their vessels being captured or
themselves made prisoners. So far so
good.
Now for the alarm: If the war is pro-
tracted over q twelvsmontb, and the crop
of cotton put in jeopardy or greatly cur
tailed, there will be wailing in Lancashire.
Several Englishmen of position have told
me that If the supply was one million bales
short of the average, it would produce
such distress and lead to such a convul-
sion in Manchester, that the uery e1ist"ncc
of the British Empire and the throne itse5
tcould be in danger. This is probably an
exageration, but scant supply of cotton
will make a financial crisis and period
of distress and starvation that would re-
quire vast government aid, or there would
bo an tnsurrectiOn or rebellion.
To avert that, this government is going
to do everything possible to throw obsta-
cles in the way of president Liecoln in
other words to force your Government to
, stop hostilities. You have seen the pa
pers here up to this time, and how they
, have dealt in "bosh" and weak arguments
against coercion, and in fact encouraged
the South in their rebellion.
You may be perfectly certain that Great
) Britain will follow up the proclamation
4. and the discussion in Parliament by eve
ry species Of interference, and if nothing
D else will suffice, find pretext, 10 dectar'
/ ,oar against The United States to force
them to abandon their present ground
and acknowledge the independence Of the
South. Cotton must be had at all haz'
+ ards. And in the desire to sustain the
e South and break up the Unisn, this gov
n ernment will be seconded by France, wis
' burns to obtain some foothold and inter
:. est in North America and the West In