Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-12-24

ion in the law Of nations which win entitle us
to maintain that their persons were sacred by
reason Of their mission but. on tn other hand, we
are not aware OF dng oasthor i1icb toiR shoso uot
Ogniz ID the Confederate States we spprehend that
we should have been Perfectly justified in taking
these ambassadors On board our oHns yessels>of-
war and bringing them TO Eng and without IN any
way forfeiting our character as neutrsls. But, |
evenif it were necessary to admit that those gen
flemen were ia a beIligerent or contraband char
cter on board the English vessel, it is. we believe,
the opinion of very eminent jurists that this was
not question to be adjudieated on BY nsval OH.
Ger and four boat crews. The legal course would |
have been 80 take the ship itself into port snd TO
ask for her condemnation Of the passengers IN q
Gourtof Admiralty. The result might 40 doubt,
hAye been the same; but If the proceeding was If
reg0lar, we have surely right to demand that
those prisoners shall be restored.
When such tremendous interests are at stake we
feel deeply the responsibility of discussing ques>
tien1ike this. Orr frat duty is to calm certainly
not to inhame-the general indignation which will
be felt in these islands as the news is told. We can
not yet believe, although the evidence is strong,
thatit is the liked determination of the government
of the Northern States TO force quarrel upon the
powers of Europe. We hope, therefore, that our
people will not meet tkis propagation with OUT
burst of passion, or rush to resentment without
full consideration of all the bearings of the case
On the other hand we appeal Go the reasonable mer
Of the Federal States-+snd they have some reason
able men among them-nOt 20 provoke war By such
acts sAfthese.q t1s @ q. lgg., 4
IL is aud always has been vain to appeal to old
foos and Bygone authorities in justification of acts
which every Eaglishmsn and every Fren Gilman
cannot but feel TO be injurious and insulting. Even
Mr. Seward himself must know that the voices of
these Southern Commissioners, sounding from their
captivity, area thousand times more eloquent in
London and & Paris than they would have been if
tbgV had been heard at ST. James and the Tuileries
Questions Of this kind, in countries where the peo
pie exercise power pass bnttoo quickly out OF the
hands of lawyers and Statesmen, and give irresist-
Isle power to neither the Wsest nor the most peace
loving members Of q community. - ID sg a-s
90 e e.- From the London News, Nov &c.. 80 81
. The American Government Is surely the most un.
fortunate of Governmsnts9 or else the most san
quine An officer Of the Federal navy has struck
better blow for the rebel cause than either General
Besureeard or Johnston has yet been able to do.
There Is rejoicing On board the Nashville, and II
Messrs Yancey and Dudley Mann did not feast their
friends last night they missed fine opportunity.
The news by the La Plata which we publish TO dsy,
will raise the spirits of the whole South. The U
S. Goverhment-for until the act is disSvowed and
atoned for on it must fall the RESPONSE sility-has
struck its best friend in the face friend thst new
er yet when smitten on the left cheek, tdrned the
right fer second blow. ~
The remote consequences of this act we shall not
attempt to predict Enough for the present that 1t
is one which will make 1.-THE duty of our governs
rnent to insist On ample, complete and immediate
satisfaction ItsWantoa folly bids US hope that Lieu
tenaps Fsirfax was acting without instr uctioDs
and that the Washington Cabinet will no sooner
learn what has taken place in Bahama channel
thaa; It will dissyow the act, restore Messrs
Msson and Shdei and tender the fullest apol-
ogy. Nothing short of this reparation can
be accepted. Until there has been time to
receive news from Washington, we feel bound
TO believe that the seizure Of passengers on board
the Trent an act as much in excess OF duty as
it was in vocation of public law. No government
should know better than that of the United States
the lines which separate the rights of bellgerents
and neutFels respectively. While this war lasts we
must submit to have our mercantile yes
sells stopped on the high seas by both parties, |
in search of contraband. Had Lieutenant
Fairfax- confined himself to demanding Mr..
SlideIFs dispatches. and taken them of, We must
have aequescsd in his visit one of the disagree
able occurrences incident to voyage in the neigh
borhood of eontelding foes But the seizure of per
sons stands on different footing. In the eyes of
Mr. Seward Messrs Slidell and Mason are rebels; IN
our eyes they are simply passengers. Aud the
Washington Government may rest assured We shall
no permit it to take its rebels out of yes
sells than we should concede similar right to Aus
tris or Russia. s.l--
The circumstances of this event still more strong
" compel to disbsleye, in the absence of direct
evidence, that this aggression was ordered by the
United States Government The cabinet st -WAshS
ihgton knows perfectly well that it can not act in
this fashion with impunity. In fact at this mos
LQeQt cause lies at our mercy we COulu Win
ease remove the severe pressure which it exerts on
the South By means of its blockade, and which,
far more than the sword, il relies for success We
could open all the southern ports at to receive
gold, and commodities, and munitions of war, In re
turn for cotton, And If need were, we could
at small cost fad abundant occupation for
all the San JacIntos they could muster, and
for half the army of the Potomac INTO thu bargain
We have given no provicaton for this outrage. The
course of our government has been uniformly for
kau4 al.1na an hWkI
spirit has manifested itself only in msgn4nmity.
No minister could have avoided more anxiously all
that could fairly give offence, when occasions for
FemonstrsDce have arisen, in the recent imprisS
Onment of British subjects have borne himself with
more patience. And Tor what object should the /
United States Government risk rupture with ia |
country? For the miserable qualification of get |
ting the persons of two of its adversaries into its
power The Washington Cabinet has shown itself /
efficiently iubece but TO authorise the forcible ar
rest of gentlemen under the proecuol of the British
flag would be nothing less than madness.
Incidents like these irritating, but the Brtsh
people have the satisfaction of knowing that their
affairs under firm guidance. With tie irascible |
Earl of Derby, or the fussy Lord Malmesbury in |
power we might well be concerned for the interests
of peace at q time like this. But from the present
government we may expect energy without preeipi |
fancy, and prudence without weakness. Their 1
course ia tOlerably clear; and it will be for the
Government of the United States to determine what
shall be the future relations Of the two countries
Later and Highly ImpOrtRatfPOm Europe. /
The Richmond .Enqairer has received copy of |
the New York Times Of the 18th inst, from which |
the following exceedingly important intelligence is
CLEANED:
ARRIVAL OF The EUEoPA AND TIE CITY OF WASH
srG..- RGToE.
The Royal NAH steamship Europa, Capt. Ander-
SON. from Liverpool at 81 A. NJ of Nov. 80, arrived
at Halifax at IL A. N, yesterday.
She was detained at Queenstown By order Of the I
twelve hours that she left that port
Dec .. She has Queens messenger on board with
dispatches to Lord Lyons.
The steamship City of Washington, from Liver
pool 4th, via Queenstown 9th, passed Cape Race
yesterday (Sundsy) morning. ~r |.
The Affair Of the Trant..EnSIand Res
CARDS irl Ground of war.
DEPARTURE OF QUEENS xEssENGER WITH DISPATCHES
--- FOR LORD LYONS.
The London O5SerUer Ministerial organ, says in
its issue of Saturday Evening, Nov. 80: A special
Of the Foreign Office has been ordered
to carry out our demands to Lord Lyons, and will
proceed by the packet from Queenstown to-day.
Al lrrO a fbo I