The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-25
QUEEN VICTORIAS PROCLAMATIONS
AGAINST THE EX PORT OF WAR MATE.

WHAT EFFECT THEY MAY HAVE ON THE WAR.
From tho London Post government organ , Dec. 81
The second royal proclamation, forbiddng the export
OF arms and other warke stores not included in tho
former, las followed its predecessor day too soon
fi sohateur the Cabinet Of Washington has been
engaged in buying up al. our purchascable Of
fence and Defence after fashion that Charles Dickens
would describe as ''wholesae, retail and for exporta
tion.o BY much or by little whatever was 70 be OBJ
tanned for money was about TO be purchased ana shipped
FOR America Within the last ton days agent of the
federal government Is understood to have bought up
thrcc thousand tons OF satpotre, the chief com
pnnent Of gnnpowdcr; and this was much more
than the whole amount that London could supply
that the American agent, we believe, was obliged TO
complete his commission by contracting with manu-
facturers OF this commodity in the provinces Tho ex
port Of these hrca thousand tons was by tho
former proclamation probably just in time. Meanwhile
however the American government had boon purchasing
small arms on scale somewhat less vast or with so
much moro discretion a. least that the had not DO
come notorious But tho necessities tho Washington
stood to have been despatched from Now York in the
Persia which vessel arrived In Liverpool only on Monday
irs II is believed that The latter agcat repaired imno
datey to birmingham, with very extensive orders for
rifles percussion caps lead FOR bullets, and other
Of war These articess it will be secn had been
included in the ntertict of the former proclamation
which had been issued but IL few DAYS before the
arrival Of the Persia What the immediate success OF
this agent commission the manufacturers in Rrmn9
ham and elsewhere may haze been do not krow but
II he were prepared TO pay the cost in cashwhich no
was very probably armed with the Of dolng-t
may be assumed that no difficulty presented Itself the
completion OF the contract far the man,fac.
were concerned. But SO prompt and decisive has been
the action Of our government, thO before this a egeat
Of the fderdl Cdbind had set foo. for to,ge'yht hlur in
tbs country second proclamation has isMd fnridiing
TIC erDcr q arms, om'nnn!tion, PERCUSSION caps, iules
and lead" This proclamation is dated Wednesday, De.
ccmber 4, and took the public by surprise yesterday
morning But for this rapid action the goods question
would probably have been shipped, so far They
were ready prepared Tor use, by the end Of the
week. The result 10 that this American gentleman is
thrown upon his beam ends and will probably return to
New York by the next mail with his cash:n his pocket
and leaving the coveted arms and ammunition English
ground.
The object of tho federal government certainly canno
o. logically r0rd TO haze been That Of preparation
tt.es against ourselves II. indeed il tina. this
was their motive, the fact that their earlier orders had
been issued before they had learned of the Saacinto
affair would render their conduct peculiarly omnous II
Of course, possible that these orders may
have been dictated by tho oxgcncy Of their campaign
against the souherners. They affect keep an army
OF something ike halt million in the field and
although we doubt ,che.her arouaAo'a assr eirii
much blood has yet BEEN shed shed in
single day ut Sol rino the requirements Of such army
even in ammunition, must still be considerable The man
ner however, in which the federal government has
to work the present IL very unlike the pur
chases they have hitherto made support of the civil
war The one case differs from the other as much as
steamer taking in Goals Tor long voyage differs
steamer supplying herself for river trip the Thames
The Northern government knew very we'll that We
sought rupture with them and that long their
conduct to us was peaceabe they might rely upon max
ing from time TO time whaeyer purchases they pie
| The Atlantic was always open 20 thcm ana they had
dread of the few Confederate vessel.
OF the at time than at an
other Moreover they could readily send their stores
Of on all occasions undor convoy. Neither il
this country the only from which satpctre Is TO b.
had Or the twonty thousand tons which We annual!
import. some twelve Thousand tons sent from India
and the remaining eight thousand from Chile and Peru
The south American markets, which thus extremely
I-prolidc must have been qc much open to the i'm
poriers IN the fedora! states az - ourselves 1t pro
babie that the Washington government therefore, cout
have bought sal,petre cheaper in south America tina
they could have bought II here True the transit in tina
case would nave occupied longer tnic than It would
ms fet they conid MOI nave required three thlusan
tons Tor the purposes OF heT present civil war until the
had hau TIME 10 senh SHIPS 70 south America and r.
ceive them BACK again AZ least ten times over. W
must remember aiso that thls order FOR sal
petre was ucspatcneo from washington beior
the export q captain wilkes h,a become Known A
soon ~ " diu oecone Known, iiesh agent. as we nav
seen, was ~ once sent mere WIN orders 10 pGrchas
res, eau ana percussion caps on scaie, ~ would al
FI ?, corresponding magnitude. once ana Tor all
certainly ~. 'he unaa course WIN those VINO can CT
and come again. We do Mt dre 10 gre lec consider
tons undue sss"hcdnes tat thy certainty imply adip