The Placer herald., 1862-02-01
Reason of the Surrender of Mason and
Slidell

Inc 1OIlOwlng is Mr. SeWardS letter con
cerning the surrender of Mason and Slidell
Mr. Seward replies to Lord Lyons, by whom
he was furnished copy of Earl RusselIs let
ter, stating the dispatch had been submitted
to the President. Mr. Seward states that
"The British Government rightly conjec
tured what is now my duty to state, that
Capt. Wilkes acted on his own suggestion ol
duty, without any directions or instructions
or even foreknowledge of it on the part OF
this Government. No directions had been
given him or any other naval officer, to
arrest the four persons, or any of them on
the Trent, or any other British vessel, or
any neutral vessel, there or elsewhere"
After discussing the whole question at
great length, in all its bearing, Mr. Seward
says:
81 trust have shown to the satisfaction Of
the British Government, by veryssmple
and rational statement of facts and analogies
of law applicable to them, that this Govern
ment has neither meditated nor practised nor
approved any deiberated wrong in the trans
action to which they have called its atten-
tion; and, contrary that what has happened
has been simply an inadvertancy, consisting
in departure by the naval officer free from
any wrongful motive, from rule uncertain
ly established, and probably by the several
parties concerned, either imperfectly under
stood, or entirely unknown. For this error,
the British Government has right to ex-
pect the same reparation, as we An independ-
ent State, should accept from any other
friendly nation, in a similar case.
| have been unaware that in determining
this question l have fallen into an argument
for what seems to be British side of it,
against my own country, but am relieved
from all embarrassment on the subject. |
bad nearly fallen into that line of argument,
when discovered that was really defending
and maintaining, not exclusively British in
terests, but an old, honored and cherished
American cause; not upon British authorities
but upon principles that constitute large
portion of the distinctive policy by which
the United States have developed the resour'
ces of a continent and thus become consider
able maritime power, won the respect and
confidence Of many nations. These princi
Piles were laid down for us by James Madison,
in 1904, when Secretary of State under jeff
erson in his instructions TO James Monroe,
our thea Minister to England"
Mr.. Seward says, after quoting these in
structons:
"If decide this case in favor of my own
Government, | must disavow it's most cher
ished principles; release and reverse, and
forever abandon its essential policy, which
the country cannot afford to sacrifice. If
maintain these princi Piles and adhere to that
policy, | must surrender the ease itself"
ut will he seen, therefore, that this Gov
ernmenl could not deny The justice of the
claim presented. We are asked TO do to the
British nation just what We always insisted
all other nations ought 20 do to us. In
coming to my conclusion, have not forgot
ten that il the safety of this Union required
the detention of the prisoners it would be
the right and duty Of this Government to
detain them. But the effectual check and
waning proportions of the existing insurrec
ton, as we'll as the comparative unimport-
ance Of the capturing persons themselves,
when dispassionately weighed, happily for
bids us from resorting to that defence; nor
am aware that American citizens are in any
case to be unnecessarily surrende red for any
purpose into the keeping of a foreign State.
Only the captured persons, however, or 9th
ers who are interested in them, could justly
raise question on that ground. 1t would
tell little for our own claims to the charac
ter of just and magnsnimous people, if we
should so far consent to be guided by the
spirit of retaliation as to lift up buried injur
les against national consistency and national
conscience"
putting beyond me all suggestions O.
this kind, prefer to express my satisfaction
that, by the adjustment Of the present case
upon principles confessedly American, and
vet, as l trust mutually satisfactory to both
nations concerned, question is finally and
rightly settled between them which, hereto.
fore, exhausting not only all forms Of peace
full discussion, but also the arbitrament of
war itself. for more than half century al
ieuated the two countries from each other;
and perplexed with fears and apprehensions
all other nations"
THE four persons in question are now
held in military custody at Fort Warren, IN
the State of Massachusetts. They will be
cheerfully liberated. Your lordship will
please indicate a time and place for receiving
them"
A dispatch from NJ. Thouvenel to M Mer-
cier, the French Minister to our Government,
is also contained in the correspondence, in
which M. Thouvenel urges that neutral
flag from neutral to another neutral port,
covers the persons and merchandise it car
ries, and adopts the principle laid down in
the dispatch of Earl Russell, to which Mr..
Seward appropriately replies. The following
is from Lord Lyons to Seward:
"S1R-I have this morning received the
note which you did me the honor to address
to me Yesterday in reply to Earl Russell's
dispatch of November 3oth, relative TO the