Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1861-05-17
The American Troubles in the British
House Of Lords,


In the House of Lords, on the 18th uitimO
Earl Of Malmesbury, adverting to the state of
affairs in America, said | beg leave to put TO
my noble friend, the Understanding for Foreign
Affairs. question of which have given him
private notice, in reference TO subject which
deeply interests this country and, l may say,
the whole Of Europe. Almost all your lOrdships
have, no doubt, read the accounts which arrived
this morning from America, and must have
learned with pain, as we'll as some establishment,
that civil war had broken out between the Sc
cessionists In that country and the other States
of the Union. Fortunately, up TO the date of
those accounts, hardly any blood had been shed,
and too much praise cannot, think, be bestowed
upon the commander Of the fleet engaged in the
transaction to which l refer for abstaining from
entering on useless contest. 1t is impossible,
however, that struggle such as that which
seems now impending in America struggle 30
unnatural, and calculated, may add, to prove
80 fatal to the parties concerned in it-should
not produce reverberation throughout the rest
of the world. | may further observe that no
country on this side of the Atlantic is, perhaps,
more likely to suffer from the civil war which
threatens the United States than our own; for,
altogether apart from those feelings OF regret
with which We must witness the breaking out Of
strife between persons belonging to the same
family as ourselves, and kindred to us in Lam
guage as we'll as in blood, our political and ma
terial interests are deeply involved in this un-
happy schism. That being so, l cannot but be-
lieYe that Her Majesty's Ministers, feeling upon
this question with all her Majesty's subjects,
have already done their utmost, by othcious
means, to bring about some arrangement by
which 30 dreadful calamity as that of which |
am speaking, may be ayerted. therefore wish
to ask my noble friend what steps the Govern
ment have taken with that object; whether they
hnve made any attempt to prevent the quarrel
| between the different States OF the American
Union from coming to a bloody issue what
hopes they entertain Of succeeding in SO laudable
\ an endeaVor, and whether they have invited or
are in correspondence with any other European
/ Government, with the view Of obtaining their as
slstance in seeking to put stop at the outset to
a civil war, Of which, If once fairly commenced
it will be impossible TO foresee the end. Hear
hear
Lord Wodehouse-I need scarcely assure my
noble friend that the Government, in common
with him, and feel confident that every one o.
Her Majesty's SUBJECTS have learnt, with The
| deepest regret, the intelligence OF the dissensoni
which have taken place in the United States.--
| We have also received, with the utmost concern
| the accounts to which my noble friend has allu
ded, informing us that those dissensions have
brought that country to the brink Of civil war
if, indeed civil war may not be said to have al
ready broken out within her Territories and il
hnbNef 10 tue question, what steps nave Dtet
taken by Her Majesty's Ministers to avert thil
great calamity-for such u great calamity il
undoubtedly must prove TO be, not only to thu
Americans themselves, but to England, which j
so closely connected to them by the ties of kin
dred-I have to state that after the most MATURE
elaboration the Government came to the couclu
sion that it was not desirable that this oOuntr!
should intrude her advice or counsel on the Go
vernment of the United States Hear, hear.
However great the interests which we may fee
in the welfare Of her people, and however aDxiOu
we might be to rescue them from the misfortune
which seems to be impending over their heads
we yet thought that great and independent ma
ton might not welcome advice given with respec
to her Internal affairs, if that advice were prof
fered without being solicited. The instructions
therefore, given TO Lord Lyons were, that b
should on every fitting occasion, express th
earnest desire entertained by Her Majesty
Government that the differences which preva
between the Northern and Southern States Q
America should be arranged He has not, how
ever, been instructed to give either "oliiciously
or officially, any council or advice to the Amer
can Government, unless such counsel or advic
should be asked for by the contending partie
themselves That is the answer have to Civ
to the question of my noble friend. 1t natural
follows that Her Majesty's Ministers have nc
been in communication with any foreign Govern
, ment ns to any steps being taken of the natur
+ Of those to which he has alluded Hear, hear