The New York herald., 1862-02-12

very gravest cause would be act OF most noxioul
variety ofndivdual and private Interests but to the
public interests OF neutral and friendly government
mas been Necessary to dwell upon these points u
est Importance and because, II Mr. seward's argument
were acted upon as sound, the most injurious conse
For instance, in the present war; according 70 Mr. Sew
ards doctrine, any packet ship carrying Confederate
agen. rom Dover 70 Calais or from Calais 10 Dover
OF war between Austria and Italy the conveyance OF
an Italian minister or agent might cause the capture Of
neutral packet plying between Malta and Marseillss.
or between Malta and Gbar altar the condemnation Of
the ship at Trieste and the confinement of the minister
or agent in an Austrian prison So in the late war
Russia on the other Russian minister going from Ham,
burg 10 Washington, in an American ship, might have
been brought 10 Portsmouth. the ship might have been
condemned and the minister sent to the Tower OF Lon
don So also Confederate vesseof.war might capture
Cunard steamer on its way from Halifax to Liverpool
on the ground Of its carrying dispatches from Mr. Seward
TO Mr.. Adams.
In view therefore, Of the erroneous principles assert
ed by Mr. Seward and the consequences they involve
her Maestys government think it necessary to declare
that they would not aequesce in the capture OF any
British merchant ship in circumstances similar to those
OF the Trent and that the fact Of being brought before
prize court, though 1t would alter the character,
wor4 net dimnish the gravity Of the offence against the
law q nations which would thereby be committed.
Having disposed Of the question whether the persons
named and their supposed dispatches were conraband
Of am relieved from the necesstyof discuss the
other question: raised by Mr.. Seward--namely, whe.
ther Captain Wilkes had lawfully right to stop and
search the front for these and their supposed
sessed IL, was exercised by him Ia lawful and proper
msaner and whether be had right to capture the per-
sons found on board.
th Captain Wilkes exercised the alleged right OF cap
ture " the manner allowed and recognized by law Of
nations lie resolved by Mr. Seward himself 10 the mega
Icspnot conclude, however without noticing one very
singular passage in Mr.. seward's despatch.
Mr. Seward asserts that II the safety Of this Union
a
the duty Of this government to detan them" He pro-
ceeds to say that the waning proportions Of the nsur
rsction and the comparative unimportarcs OF the cap
ured persons themselves, forbid him from resortng to
that defence Mr.. Coward does not here assert any
nsS o. Irritating % neutral nations He entirely osss
sight OF the vast difference which exists between
the eIsrciss Of an extreme right and the commission
me to be equally open, and 70 inform him that
Great Britain could not have submitted TO the psrpstra
ton Of that wrong however hourshng might have been
the insurrscton In the South and however important
the persons captured might have bees.
Happily, a danger Of hostile collision on this subject
has been avoided II 10 the hope Of her Naesys
gosernmsnt that similar dangers, they should arise
may bs averted By peaceful negotiations conducted In
oa TO 70 e.
give him copy oft. lam, &C., RUSSELL.
LORD LYONS TO EARL RussELL.
WASHINGTON, Jan. II (recsved Jan. 27).
ships orders, spoks to ir seward On the subject Of
entrance V some of the harbors in the Southern States
by sinking vessels laden with stones in the channes
Mr. Seward observed that was altogether mistake
10 suppoee that this plan had been devised with view
smDy 81 ,s as aarssps ,: s,s
blcade TIE government Of the United States had last
spring, with navy very little prepared for extensive
thousand miles OF coast The Secretary Of The Navy
had reported that he could stop up the large hoes by
Of his ships but that he could not stop up the
small ones" II had been found necessary therefore,
70 close Of the numerous small nlsts BY sinking
vessels in the channels II would be the duty OF
the government Of the United States to remove oil
these distractions as coon as the Union was
restored. 1t was well understood that this was
an obligation incumbent on the federal govern
tk{ government had been called upon TO remove q
veslwhicb hsax sunk in the harbor Of Savannah,
and had recognized the obligation and removed the vessel
accordingly Moreover the United States now en-
gagged in civil war with the South. He not pre-
pared to say that as an operation In war, unus
fable destroy permanently the harbors Of the enemy
but nothing Of the kind had been done the present
occasion. Vessels had been sunk by the rebels pro-
vent the access to their ports Of the cruisers Of the
United States. The had been adortod by
the United States in order TO make tho blockade
pete When the war was ended the removal OF all these
distractions would be nero matter OF EXPENSE there
would be no great difficulty removing them e1ectualy
Besides had already been done In the case of Port
Royal the United States would open better harbors than
Iasksd Mr. Seward whether the principal entrance 10
Charleston harbor had not been recently closed altogether
by vessels sunk by order OF this government and OBJ
forty miles or would hardly console the people of tho
large Of Charleston for the destruction Of their own
harbor.
Mr. Seward said that the best proof he could give mo
that the habor OF Charleston had not been rendered in
accessible was that spite OF the suuken vessels and of
the bockadipg squadrons, British steamer laden with
con,rabapd Of war; had just succeeded in getting in.
have, &C., LYONS.
Arrival OF Mason and Slidell I'm England.
[From the Manchester Guardian. Jan. SOL
Msssrs Mason and Sdel arrived At Southampton yes
torday In the la Plata. They embarked on board the
British ship Rinado at Boston, bound for Halifax, the