Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-10-27
NOKTEEns rEws. RUmony AND LIES.
a Case OF HumiIiation.
Prom the New York Tribun1, Get. I6.


We learn from very good authority tha. British
man of-war has recently entered Southern port
| and on her departure took on board for England d
! number OF passengers and mail. We learn also
that the Secretary Of State has complained in = di-
plOmatic circular at Washington of this act o. the
British vessel Rs one of discourtesy 20 wards Ia.
Federal Government It ia diff sulg t1 form Al
opinion upon such transaction without fnll se-
quaintance with all the circumstances; but if the
fact complained of is simply that British msn-or
war brought away passengers from p Southern
port the grounl of complaint is not obvious If
The blockade Of the South IS meant to apply only TO
trading vessels, the men-Of-war are uDiarssooT T.,
have the right Of entry then we may expect in &C
cordsnce with Her Majesty proclamation Of neu-
traity that such vessels will do precisely As thew
would in loyal ports. IL Is certainly an u1asuil
thing for war vessels 10 carry passengers and
maIis, but the captain IF such A vessel m ghF
be moved, by the peculiar circumstances of
the case, To extend such courtesy to a
few friends, and considered that he c9mnitta1
no violation of neutrality, inssmuch as both psS
sengers and letters are taken 10 English vessels
TO and from Northern ports where there is no block
ade. Nor does it alter the if no such p-iyia,s
Of entering Southern ports is accorded % war ve-
sells, as N that event they simply entzT any mort
they pie .se, where thcy fad no blockade eyistlnr
If they forced the blockade Il would be- Of coarse
a cause of war ; but merely disregsrdiuT a raDer
blockade can hardly be resented even as an aet of
discourtesy. When once in the port the caDtsin o.
motives that would move him were it Northerpers
and not Sontherners with whom he is dealing His
sovereign has commanded him to know no differ
ence between them
Nevertheless we cannot but regard II as bu
initiation that British man of war has entered a
Southern port and taken thence passenger aad mail
TO England and it is only the more mortifylrg that
we have no official right to complain oft if we DO
that we may be laughed at for complaining where
we not at liberty to resent. 1t seems to us
however that the modification is one which we
brought upon ourselves. he last Congress author
lied the closing of SoutEern ports as ports of entry
but for some reason which they do not pretend To
understand, the Administration at Washington has |
thought best disregard the Law and trust solely n
the blockade. That the blockade thus far has been
inefficient we have had evidence enough and possj-
bly, Of it might have been wanti0g had III. de-
fense of the letter of the law been resorted 10 as
well as the bOcksding forc5 Certainly in ths case
before we should have been in ! very different /
position had the port OF entry been closed for had
this British m4a-of-war gone into Southern g0rt
which had been declared by proclamation not
port Of entry, and there performed TO a certain da
gree The functions Of trading vessel our position
IS complainant would be a diglidei one, and We
should have the right 10 demand an exIla ration 0.
Great Britain. As it is, it seems to us we are de
,idediy at a disadvantage, aad mqy pat a. with tn
nd'guity As best we can.