Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-12-24
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Gen. scotUs Letter on tins Ame1ioan
DiificuItY. ~

Ditftculty.
Ny DEAR sIR: You were right IN doubling
the declaration imputed TO me--to wit thE the
Cabinet at Washington had given orders 70 seize
Messfs Macon and Slidell even under neutral
flag; for ! was not even aware that the Govern.
nient had bad that point under consideration -
Az the time Of my leaving New York it was
not known that the San Jacinto had returned
to the American seas, aud 1t was generally sup
posed those peraons had escaped TO Cuba for the
purpose of re-embarktng In the Nashville, in
pursuit OF which vessel the James AdgeF and
other cruisers had been despatched. ga-fv
! q think oSn safety yon 10 few words that
yoN have no serious occasion to ieel concerned
about our relations with EnglAnd. II, as her
rulers profess. she has no disposlElon TO enoOuE.
| age the disseneions In America.
Ia the frat place, 10 Is almost surper6Ius 10
4 say TO you that every instinct of prudence es
we'll as of good neighbOraood prompts our Gov
ernment TO regard no honorable sacrifice too
! great for the preservation of the friendship OF
Great Britain. This must be obvious 70 ell the
4 world. At, no period of our hiBtorya has her
4 frisndship been of more importance 20 our peo-
pls--At no period has our Government. been in
. oouditlon 70 make greater concessions 70 pre-.
serve IT, The two nations are united by inter.
90 and aympethiee-o social, politi.
one body, and no one 10 go ignorant as noe to
knoE that what harms one must harm the other
4 IN . corresponding degree ~
lam persuaded that the British Government
can entertain do doubt upon this pointS but II Il
does. feel that may take IL upon myself to
say that the President of The United States,
when made aware of Its existence, will lcsa no
opportunity Of dispellinR it. ...
Nor is there anything, venture to affirm, in
the seizure Of these rebel emissares which
ought ~ receive an unfrienoly construction from
Eogland. Her Statesmen will not question che
legal right Of an American vessel.of.war to
search any commercial vessel lostly suspected
of carrying conlrabsnd of war. That right has
never been surrendered BY England; IL was even
guaranteed 70 her By the Treaty OF Paris; and
British guns froWned down upon every strait
and inland sea upon the globe, are conolusiye
evidence that she regards this right as one the
en1ioacy OF which may be not yet entirely ex-
tlnguiehed. Or course, there is much that is
Irritating and vexat ous in the exercise of this
right under the most favorable circumstances,
and 1t 10 to be hoped the day is not far distant
when the maritime States OF the world will
agree In placing neutral commerce beyond the
} seach of such vexstions. The United States
Government has been striving 70 this end for
more than ffy yesrsI to this end, early In the
present oenturyS and In It's infancy ss nation.
IL embarked in a.War with the greatest naval
power IN the world; and IL is even now per
tent suitor at every maritime court in Eu.
rope for more liberal recognition Of the righte
OF nsufals than any of the other great mari.
time nations have yet been disposed 70 make.
But until those rights are secured by proper in.
Sensational guarantees upon o comprehensive
and enduring basis, Of course England cannot
complain Of an ect for which In all Ice maters
bearings her own naval history affords soch uu.
msrouS preoedents.
Whether the oapiives from the Trent were
contraband Of war or not, 10 o question which
! the two Governments can have no stfIous diff
GUILTY In agreeing upon. II Mr.. Seward can,
. not satisfy e q Russell that they were, / have
no doubt Earl Russe will be able to satisfy Mr.
Seward that they we're not. II they were, al
all authorities concur In admitting, agents o.
the rebellion, 1t will be difficult to satisfy impar
" tial minds that they were any less conlraban
than hle Of rebel soldiers or battery OF hos
tile cannon,
But, even should there be difference Of opin
ion upon this point, it is very clear that on
Government had sufficient grounds for presum
Ing itself In the right to escape the suspicion o
having wantonly violated the relations of ami
y which the two countries profess desire Il
preserve and cultivate.
|
Trent into port, and had her condemned By {
prize court, furnishes very narrow basis OF
which TO fx q serious controversy between tW,
great nations. Stated In other Woris, an of
tense would have been less If it had been great
or. The wrong done to the British Gag Woult
have been mitigated If, instead of ss,Siug tn,
four rebels, we had seized the ship, detain al
!, her passengers tor Weeks, and conf,cated he
: cargo. am not surprised that Captain Wilke
4 took different view of his duty, and OF wha
q was due to the friendly relations which Subsiste
d between the two Governments, The renowned
common sense Of the English people, believe
will approve of his effort to make the dscharg
, OF very unpleasant duty as little vexAtious q
possible to all innocent parties.
II, under these circumstances, England shoul
deem IL her duty, in the interest OF civilization
TO Insist upon the restoration of the men take
from under the protection of her f4g, it will b
h from conviction, without doubt, that the To-
), OF nsiona In regerd TO the rights OF neutrall
which she has taken the leading part in es.at
!. llshing, requires revision, and with q suitahl
dispositI,n on her part to establish those right
/. upon just, humane and philosophic basis. Il
deed, AN happy to see an intimaton in one
the Leading metropolitan journals, which zoe
tar to justify this inference Referring TO th
decisions Of the English Admiralty Courts no
quoted IN detelse OF the seizure of the Amer
can rebels on board the Trent, the Londo
Tms' of the 2sth OF November says:
$50 far 90 the authorities 60, the testimou
of international laW-Writt rs is all one way, ths
belligerent war cruiser has the right TO sto
and visit and search any merchant ship on d
high seas. a-e . But II must be r,
} Imembered that these decisions we're given NJ
der circumstances vtry different from ,hos
which now occur. Steamers In those days di
not exist, and mail vessels carrying letter
wherein ell the nations of the world have in
media.e interest were unknown. We weI
!, fighting for existence, and we did In those day
. what We should neither do nor allow others
do, nor expect ourselves to be allowed to do,
these days."
If Englsnd, 90 we ere here encouraged
hope, 10 disposed to do her part 10 stripping va
OF halt its horrors by accepting the policy Ion
and persistently urged upon ber by our Cover
ment, and commended BY every principle of jui
tice ard humanity, ehe will fnd no ground, 1
the visit Of the Trent, for controversy with ou
Govtroment. am sure the President aud PEE
pie Of the United S ates would be but TOO happ
TO let these men 60 free, unnatural aud unpal
doDaole as their ofenses have been, If BY it the
could emanoipate the commerce of the worl,
Greatly as it would be to our disadvantage /
this present criss 10 SUI Fender any Of those mai
itime privileges Of beliigerenls, which, san,
toned By the lsWs Of nAtions, feel that tax
no responsibility In saying that the Unite
States will be faithful to her traditional polio
upon this subject, and TO the spirit of her D,
huoal institutions.
II On the other hand, should England be unprG