Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-01-03
THE AMERICAN WAR IN EUROPE
The Britfsh Press "a, PresiSenf Daris'
Message.

WHAT HER CABINET AND POLITICIANS THINK
AND HOPE FROM II PAPER.
The principal intelligence conveyed by the
E~dinburg from America consists in the message
Of the President of the Southern Confederation,
and we are glad to notice the friendly tone in
which it treats of the relations of the South With
this country, while we are embarked in a
critical negotiation with the North and while we
are also about to enter upon our Intervention in
Mexico, a country bordering upon the Southern
States. This is, in fact, the only satisfactory
and significant information that the present
American packet has brought. The Trent
question remains in stats gro. The opinion Of
the law officers of the Washington Cabinet,
which is now repeated, had reached us by the
Persia on Monday last but the popular excite
ment which the question had provoked appears
to have in sOme measure cooled down. For the
moment, therefore, Southern politics arrest our
chief attention
The message of President Davis TO the south
ern Congress is, in our Judgment, the more sat
~isfactoTy for the firm and determined attitude in
which it ~cOnfronts the UniOnist party and the
Cabinet Of Washington for if we concede the
conquest Of the South be next TO impossible, it
is by the exhibition OF southern strength rather
than Of southern weakness that peace is to be
restored between thetwo belligerents. President
Davis recounts that throughout seven months
| of h~ostilities the COnfederates have almost uni
fOrmly held their own, and that in several in
stances they have thrown their opponents into "a
defensive attitude.
President Davis is, therefore, fully entitled to
| the bold ground which he assumes when he de-
clares that the South will be content to live at
peace with the North, but that the separation is
final" Heads that the South will accept Of no
compromise. He is now, perhaps for the first
time, in a position to make use Of this language.
/ IpHapH OUa ig la1 IN aak after fha trial and az
haustioHO Of so many designs, and the expenditure
Of so much money on the partof the North, what
IS yet TO Introduce decisive features into the
campaign The FedeIals have enjoyed immense
advantages in point of men and money, and also
las we showed yesterday in drawing warlike
supplies from this country. through their supe-
riOr command Of the sea. President Davis will
no doubt derive fresh confidence when he reads
the two royal prOclamatiOns which, in the latter
respect, have now placed the North and South
on a footing of equality.
But there has been scarcely a single State
overrun By the Northern army during the whole
course of the campaign, and it is much ques-
toned whether the naval expeditions of the
Federal government TO Hatteras and Port Royal
have done much more than slightly to reduce the
pTivateering activity of the South. The assertion
OF the Southern President must, therefore, be
admitted to be substantially true, that the
reconstruction OF tue OulOus winch the eQtIhl5
seek to effect by force of arms, has become more
and more palpably impossible He maintains,
also, that the causes which brought about the
separation not only remain in full force, but have
been strengthened since the civil war began.
With a view Of observing strict neutrality be-
tween the sontending States, we have carefully
refrained from officially recognizing the South;
but the time has certainly arrived at which We
cease altogether TO believe in the possible reunion
of the States, and at which we must, at al
events, recognize the Independent confederation
of the South as an actual fact.
President Davis speaks with just indignation
Of the seizure Of his ENJOYS to the courts Of
France aud England and there is a passage IN
this part Of his message which throws q pIOba-
bic light on the distinctive mission on which Mr..
Sldell and Mr.. Mason were sent to Europe. He
remarks, with Ome evident pride, that tke Con
| federate States have been content to fight their
own battles, and have solicited no assistance
from foreign powers. But he declares that they
have a right to bring before Europe the question
Of the application of the existing blOck8ders of
their own ports TO the acknowledged principle of
international law, that biockades, if they are to
be respected by third powers, must be effective.
He is about to represent to the European gov
ernments, accordingly, the sO;al ineficiency Of
these blockades, and 20 put the assertion upon
evidence. 1t is o fair inference that this was one
Of the questions upon which Messrs. Sidell and
Mason were sent to Europe.
But there is another statement in our present
American intelligence which threatens to put the
blockade question in a Light altogether new. 1t
is announced that twenty-five vessels have set
sail, apparently from New York, heavily loaded
with stones, with the view Of their being sunk
at the mouth Of a southern haTbOr. Now, in all
probability ingress and egress would be as diff
ouIk ar q GoutNarn mort with NJ uauFu
sunken vessels in front of the harbor, as it was
at SebastOpol, where the Russians sank several
Of their ships with the view of preventing the
entrance of English and French vessels Of war.
But if the Federal government desire by this ex-
pedient to relieve their own ships by thus block
ing up southern ports, they must be perfectly
aware there IL at once an end Of the blOckadein
every instance in which then new plan is to ap-
ply. Sunken vessels win not constitute a block
ade, let them be as {" effective as they may
and wherever the Federal government shall thus
substitute sunken vessels TOR its ships-ofwar,
then the blockade is at once terminated by the
consent of all nations.
We draw attention to the rational and friendly
manner in which the southern President alludes
to the attitude maintained hitherto toward
America by this country, because we regard our
relations with the Southern States as hencefor-
ward Of very considerable Importance. These
States have now attained such a position thatwe
must bring ourselves to believe in the perma-
hence OF their Independent confederation. We
have differences with the north in which the
sOutherners are directly interested and we have
Just concluded a treaty with the Juarez govern
ment OF Mexico for a settlement of our long
standing claims upon that country, under the
q Aldham Convention" and other recorded obi
cations. Our naval expedition to the Cult of
Mexico is charged with the execution OF these
terms and, probably, before February next the
system of sequestrati0n of customs revenue at
Vera Cruz and Tampieo will have been put into
action, and the proceeds be accommodating for
distribution under the mixed commission between
the d~espoiled residents and the wrong bond
holders.
We mus. look upon this Intervention as one
that may be ia operation during a considerable
period Of time; and while the northern govern
ment is too distant to admit Of its attitude enter
ing materially into this Question, the Southern
Confederation, on the other hand, stretches for a
great distance along the frontier of Mexico, so
as to render its friendly disposition to the an
thors Of the Intervention Of no slight conss-
quence. The northern government has invaria-
bly, rallied at our neutrality, but the southern,
with craftsmanship aud moderation, has recOg-
nized in it all that we could do for either party,
and whether vii h a view to our transactions in
Mexico, or 70 our relations with the Cabinet Of
Washington, the friendly fOTbearance Of the
Southern Confederacy is an important point in
our favor.
From The London Times December ~
The President of the Confederate States has
delivered his message ON the meeting OF The
Southern Congress. The usage in the Northern
Federation Is for Congress to meet on the first
Monday in December, which this year fell on
the ID, and in a few days we may expect 10 have
Mr.. Lincoln's message TO the republic Of which
he is chief magistrate. But in the Confederate
States the practice Of the Federation has not been
adopted. so that President Davis has the start
of his rival by a few days, ard is able 10 make
an impression by a bold and confident manifesto,
while President Lincoln is still engaged on his
own lengthy disquisiton. The summary given
of the Southern message shows It to be a State
paper of great interest and Importance.
Its author has always been recognized, even