The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-01-04
PRICE TWO CENTS.

gers In the Trent. While some rarfrv -.
going On npon this matter. Mr. Slidell stcppsd ID
forward. and said to the American ONE,
that the four persons he had named were
stIrdiug before him The commander Of the
Trent ana GO ram anGer Williams protested
against tns Get q takine those four passsn.
lection Of tie British Nag But The San -
i cinto was At this time only two hundred yards
OF, her SHIPS COMPANY Y at quarters, her por1s
open ana tom pi9ns out, and 50 resistance was
named were then forcibly taken ont of,fhe
| ship A furth er dem and was made that the
| com mander OF the Trent should proceed on
| board the San Jacinto. but he said he wcufa
| not so uniess forcibly compelled likewise,
and this demand was not insisted upou.
Upon this statement Earl Russell r. mar rs,
that II thus appears tn st certaIa individnsls
| have been forcitly taken from on board 4
British vessel. the ship of neutral power
while that vessel was pursuing q lawf fai and
! innocent voyage, an act of violence which
was an anront to the British nag and q yio.'
| iaiion OF International law. s..
Earl Russell next says that Her Majssty,e
| Government bearing In mind the friendly re-
lstions which have Ioog subsssted between
Great Britain and the United States, are
willing to believe that the naval officer who.
Committed this aggression was NOT acting In
compliance with any authority from HE
| Goyernment, or that If he con nceived himseif
| to De SO authorized he greatly miSpndars sCod
| the instructions he hao receiyed. - -@g
L Earl Russell argIes that the United States
| must bs fully aware that the British Gov-
eInment could not aliow W such IN affront to
| Inc natlonaI honor 10 i.iss WitEcut tull repa =
| ration, and they are Wiling to believe thaa
| IT co uId not be the deliberate il tention OF
the in!ted Sta tes uD nece ssariiy to force in O
| discussion between lac two Governments =
| question Of SO grave character, Rld with
| regard TO which the whola Bri tish narioh
wonld De sure " entertaia suca unanimi,y
| OF fes ling. .,.s -
| Earl Russell, resting upon the s.atemen,
md ha yJfi irh I h1va
! with saying that Her Majesty Goyerprn.nt
! trust that whea this matter shall have been
| brought uroer the consideration OF the Gov
| ernment Of he United States, 1t will. OF It's
| own accord, pifer 10 the British Govarnmen
| sucn redress Us could alone satisfy The Bri.
| tish nation, viz the Liberation OF me Iour
Lrisoners taken from the Trent, aud their de-
| livery to your Lordship, III order that they
may again De placed under Hri tish proiec
| tior, and a suitable apology for TIE aggrss
| sion " hieh has b=sn committed EarI Rus
sell Eaally instrae.s you to propose <thost
terms 10 nae, II / should not fret offer lhe,s
| On the part of the Government. +,t @-a
THIS dispatch mss oeeli submitted to the
| President. .s= te
| Jecturea that IL is aoW my duty to state that
Capt. Wilkes, ii eouceiving and executing
| the proceedings in question, acted upon his
| own suggestions of duty without any direc-
ton or .nstruc lion or even fore k wiedge OF
1t on the part OF this Government. no d.
| rection had been given to him or any oth.r
| naval officer to arrest the four persons named
or any OF them, on tbs Trent or, on ary
| other British vessel or on any other neutral
vessel at tn place where it occurred or else
| wbers. The British Government Will Justly
| In fer from these facts that the United States
not only have mad no purpose but even no
| thought OF forcing into discassiO the ones
| ton which has arisen, or.any otker watch
could effect in any way, the sensibiiitieS OF
/ the British nation.
1t IS true that round shot was fired by the
| San Jacinto from the pivot gun when the
| Trent was distant!y approaching but, as the
| facts have been reported to this Government
| the shot was eyertheless inteT ton ally fired
In direction SO obviously d.yergent from
the course OF the Trent, ss TO be quite u
harmless as blank shot, while II should be
| reg ,rded as u signal.
| So, also, we learn that the Trent was not
approaching the San Jacinto slowly when
tne shell was fired across her bows but OF
| the contrary. the Trent was, or Seemed TO be
moving under full head of steam, as ii
| with purpose 10 pass the San Jaoipto.
| We are Informed, also, that thu boarding
ofacer (Lieut Fairfax) did not boaId the
Trent with large armed guard, bat he lett
| his m ariles IA his boat when h entered tn 1.
! Trent. lie showed his Instructions from
Captain Wilkes to search for The four prIs-
oners named II respectful and cour teous 5
though decided manner, and he asked the
| captain OF the Treat to show his pasSrnRer
list which was refused. The I.ieutsuan, as
| We are iufoI med, did not employ absoiute
| free IN transferring the passenger, but he
used just so mach As was nece .ry to satisf,
| the par ties con, eTGed that refusal or lesis. .
| ance would be unavaiiipg.
| SO also We are Informed that the captain of
| thu Trent was not at any tiue or in any way
required to go on board the San Jacinto.
| Ahese Ii odifieatio of the case nj pr s0nted
| by Commander Williams srs based upon our
| official reports. .-~ go
| Il have now to remind your Lordship OF
some facts which doubtlessly were omitted
by Earl Russell, with the very proper an
| becoming motive of allo wing them to be
brought int The case on. the part of the Uai
| ted States in the way most satisfactory to
this Government These facts ar--that at
| the time the TRANSACTION occurred, an insur-
rection was existing in the Unised States,
which this Government was engaged in
| suppressing by the emple yment OF land and
| naval forces; thnt in regard to this domestic
strife, ths United 5 atss considered Hrea,
Britain as Il friendly power, while she haa
assumed for herself the atti,nGe Of u neu.
/ trail, and that Spain was considered la the
| same light and had assumed the same attt-
| tade as Great Britain. SIS
| II has been settled by correspo ndencs tn at
the United States and Great Britain mutu.
ally recognized as applicable to this local
| strife these two articles OK the d.claratior
made by the CoRgr. SIS of Paris in 1876, viz:
that the neutral or friendly flag should cover
enemy's goo1s not consraband Of war az 1;
| that neutral goods Eotcontra band OF war ar 9
| not liable to capture under an enemy's flag
| These exceptions Of contraba nd from favor
were negative acceptancs OF the parties o.,
| the rnie hitherto everywhere recognised as a
part Of the law OF nations, that wha t~yer Is
contraband As liable to capture AMI confsca-
| tian in all cases
Il James "a. Mason and e. j. Dlacfariane are
eitixens of the United States, and resident !
! of Virginia. John Sldeil and George Eus.
| tis are citizens OF the United States, and re
sidents of Louisiana. II was well known
IL Havana. when these parties embarked in
the Trent, that james ID Mason was pro-
ceeding to England in the affected character
OF q minister PieHi potsntiaEy TO the Cour.
Of st. James. under pretended eommis-
sion from Jefferson Davis, who had a su m ID
| to be President OF the iusurrsct tion airy party
. | in the United States; and L. J. Macfar lant
, WAS going with him in a like unreal charac.
Ter OF Secretary Of Legation to the pretended
, stances, WAS going TO Paris as a prsIaadee
Minister to the Emperor Of the FreAch and
George Eustis was the chosen keerstar,
| OF Legal N for that sim "a la ted mission Tn,
tact tnat these persons had assunle1 sues
| characters, has been oWed BY lhe sans
. Jefferson Davis ia, u pretended message q
, an uEiawtul and insurrscsionary Coaossss
l. was, as We think, rightly piesumsu, shA
these Minis,ers 5ore pretended eTsden liaIi
: and instructions, and such paper are la th,
law known as dispatches. We are lnformst
by our Consul at Paris tn q these dispa &c hss
| having eseaisd the search OF the Trent
We're actually conveyed and delivered {,
emissartes OF the iEsurrection ia England
Although II is not essen taal, yet /. ID pr ope
, 10 state, as do upon Information and be
isi, tnas soo owner anu aEot ana ali IN
. otfieArs OF the Trent, including the Uom
!, mander, Williams. had knowisdes Of In
, assumed characters and purposes Of the pe,
|. soHs named when they embarked on ths
vessel. .s
Yoar Lordship Will row perceive Una Ii
case before Us, instead Of pres ming \ m srei
, | nagrant act Of vioieuce on the part of 8 AD,
Wilkes as Tnighe well bs infefred from "a
/ incompleie etasement Of 10 that wen up 4
the British Government, was undsrtaken d
l q sim mrie, legal. and beI1fx erent nrorasdfn
| Of 1apt. Wilkes 70 arrest and capture . nea
tral vessel engaeedin carrying eOntFzbsnd Q
/ war. for the uss and bsneas Of the tnsaz
| gents. ss.sssss