The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-12-26

promptly carried his plans.
Il
From The London Times.
General ScotI's Views of the Trent
Affair.
Ny DaAR SIR; You were rightjn doubt.
ing the declaration imputed to me, to-wit:
that the Cabinet at Washington had given
orders 10 seize Messrs Mason and slidell
even under neutral flag; for / was not
even aware that the Government had mad
that point under consideration. At The
time Of my leaving New York it was not
known that the San Jaci0to had returned
TO the American seas, and 1t was gener.
ally supposed those persons had escaped
to Cuba :or the purpose of rs-embarking
in the Nashville. in pursuit of which yes
sci the James Adgyr and other cruisers
had teen dispatched.
| think [ can satisfy you in few words
that you have no serious occasion to feel
con cerned about our relations with Eng |
land, il, as her rulers profess, she has no
disposition to encourage the dissensions
in Amer, a.
In tie FIRST place tits almost quppIfu.
Gus to say 10 you that every instinct Of
prudence as well as q good ueighborhoo
prompts our Government to regard no
honorable sacrifice too great for the pres
eryaion Of tie friendship of Great Brit.
ain. This must be obvious to all the
world. At no period Of our history has
her friendship bsen oi more importance
to our people-at no period has our gov.
ernment been in aconditon 10 make greater
concessions to preserve it. The two nations
are unityd by interests and sympatlies-
commercial social, political, and religious
almost as the two arms 20 one body,
and no one is SO ignorant as not 10 know
that whSt harms one must harm tie Other
in corresponding degree.
l am persuaded that the British Gov
ernment can enter tain no donbt upon this
point; but if it does l feel that may
take it upon pnyself to say that the Pres.
ideut of the United ates, when made
aware of its existence, will Lose no op.
porunlty tf dispelllng 1t.
Nor is there anything l venture to at.
firm. in the seizure Of these rebel ennis.
saries which ought TO receive an uufliend, &,
y construction from England. Her
statement will not question the legal riglr
Of an American vessel OF war to search
any commercial vessel Justly suspected
of Transporting Gon:faband of war; that
right has never been surrerdersd BY En-.
gland; it was even guaranteed to her by
the Treaty Of Paris, and British guns
frown;ng down upon nearly every strait
and inland sea upon the globe are con-
elusive evidence that che regards this
right as one the efficacy Of which may
be not yet entirely extinguished.. Of
course there is muah that is irritating
and vexatious in the exercise of this right
under the most favorable circumstances,
and it is to be hoped the day is not far
distant when the mlritime States Of the
world will agree iu placing neutral com.
merce beyond the reach o. such vexations.
The Uni ed States Government has been
striving 10 this end for more than fifty
years; 10 this end. early III the present
century, and in its infancy as a nation, it
embarked in war with the greatest na-
val power in the world; and it is even
now persistent suitor at every maritime
court in Europe for more liberal recog,
nition of the rights of neuirals than any
ofthe other great maritime nations have
yet been disposed TO make. But ill those
rights are secured by proper intern 'tional
guarantees upon comprehensive and en-
during basis, of course England cannot
complain Of an act for which; in all its
material bearings, her own naval history
affords such numerous precedents.
Whether the caplives from the Trent
were coatratand OF war or not, is ques
ton which the two Governments can
have no serious difficulty in agreeing up.
on. If Mr., Seward cannot satisfy Earl Rus
sell that they were, l have no doubt Earl
Russell will be able to satisfy Mr.. Seward
that they we're not. If thy were, as all
authorities concur in admitting, agents OF
the rebellion. 1t will be dificult to satisfy
impartial minds that they were any less
contraband than file of rebel soldiers or
a battery of hostile cannon.
But even shoulI there be a difference oi
opinion upon this point, il is very clear
that our Government had sufficient
grounds for presuming itself in the right.
to escape the suspicion of having wanton.
ly violated the relations Of amity which
the two countries profess desire 10 pre-
serve and cultivate.
The pretcnce that we ought to have
taken the Trent into port and had hel
condemned by prize court, in order tc
Justify our seizure Of four of her passen
gers, furnishes very narrow basis to FIX
serious controversy between two great
nations. Stated in other words. an Of
Tense would have been l,ss ifit had been
greater. The wrong done TO the British
flag would have been mitigatsd, il, instead
of seiziug the four rebels, we had seized
the ship, detained ell her passengers for
weeks. and coufscated her cargo. am
not surprised that Capt. Wilkes took Il
different view Of his duty, and Of what
was due to the friendly relations which
subsisted between the two Governments
The renowned common sense Of the En-
glish people, I believe, will approve Of
his effort to make the discharge Of very
unpleasant duty as little vsxatious as pos
sible to all innocent parties.
If. under these circumstances, England
should deem it her duty, in the interest
of civilization, to insist upon the restora-