Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-12-05
The En,erun,ionnI Question.

The ST. Louis Ns1rS, notwithstanding its Re
publican syInpathies, publishes tbesfo1iowing on
the seizure Of Messrs. Mason and Slidells
The capture Of Slide1 and Mason presents the
c]learest and shaTpest international question that
the war has yet produced It is a cause for IT,
jUicing that two men who lid 80 much 10 pro-
duce this war, and are ~recOgnized as possessing
uncommon powers for efeeEng mischief. should
be thus arrested at the very moment of their eI-
ultatiOn over their escape Of the blockade, and
brought back IN ignOmiuy 10 our shores. The
degradation Of their position Is decpeued by the
seizure of their dispatches and papers, which
contain, nc doubt, full instructions from the
Richmond government as to the course they were
10 pursue in Europe, and the valuable CONNER
cial privileges they were TO offer to Great Britain
and France, as a condition for the recognition
Of the Southern COnfederacy. The Lieut. Fair
fax, who took them from the British ship, is, we
believe, a NTCinian, with a lineage that runs
back to Lord FaItaE, one Of the most illustTi-
Gus early prOpretOrs Of the colony of Virginia.
But, gratifying as it Is to have these men in
our possessions, their tOrcible seizure on the deck
Of a British mail packet by an armed force, and
in defiance Of the protest Of the British captain
IS a gross miracuOn Of international law, aud %
clear violation of the principle for which we
fought England in 1912.
The first statement that Sldel and Mason
were seized on board the ship FingaI, known
to have been engaged in c0utrabaud trade with
the South, seems 10 have been a mistake. a. "a
later account states that they were taken from
the British mail packet Trentz.
Had it been the Fingal on which they were
aboard, the affair would be deprived Of much of
its difficulty; but tie mail packet Trentz was
not only a British vessel but, % a certain extent
a British government vessel-a fact which GER
taiuly does not detract from the gravity aud i'm
p~OTtauce of the transaction. IL Is clearly a cz,s4
bei whether OF not &c shall lead to trouble De-
ponds altogether upon tho temper Of the British
cabinet.
Mr. Seward viii, as he undoubtedly shonJ
make a prompt and frank apology for the ofense
70 the British government. and disayow tia srt
OF Capt. Wilkes. II the British cabinet ia II,
cereiy disposed 10 avoid a quarrel. this aDol,yy
and disavowal viii be accepted as satsaetoPr
but 10 be DESTROYS Of quaneIiug with gur sry
eminent, and eager for a pretext 10 base a eus-re4
upon, 1t vii find it In this seizure. and IN -
ciIa'ory proHers from Mr. Seward viii be r-isr-l
1t may be that the British cabinet viii -
the surrender Of the captured rebels; \,
VIII De a demand that we would be 10 IN coz
ply WIN anu which, perhaps. we wOlld not com
Ply with, ~ we cannot think the ,ireurefarras
Of the case call for such a suIfsndar Al IN.
seizure was clearly wrong, however wa ,roulI
nave Mf. Seward 60 10 the extreme n COLI
ana disclaimer, 70 so0the th- woup.ie3 1ri7e
ue billsA gJFernmens: aud tie o5i-er vba
Msde the seizure eye.s might be cashiere9. be-
siues' as ms count gmen would certainly Sc a.
N lhat ne suffered nothing in the lone run hy AM
aL PATRIOTISM whose only fault wa is too
ardent zeal