The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-11-12
SPEECH OF THE BRITISH SECRETARY
WAR

SPEECH OF TIE BRITISH SECRETARY AT
WAR.
Prom the London Times Oct III
The annual meeting of the Hereford
shire Agricultural Society was held at
Hereford on Tuesday. After the usual
awards had been made, the agriculturists.
with the county members, dined together
at the Green Dragon Hotel. There were
about one hundred and thirty gentlemen
present, among whom were Sir Nelters
Gofhewall Gin the chair Lord W.
Graham. NJ. F., Sir George Cornewall
Lewis, NJ. F., Secretary at War, Sir t.
T.. Wilmington, NJ. r., Mr.. King. NJ. T.,
Mr.. Milamav. NJ. F., Colonel Clifford, III .
F., Sir Percy ijurrell, &c.
After dinner the lev. A. Give begged
to propose "the health Of Sir Gorge
Cornewall Lewis, her Majesty >ssr-tary
at War"
The Right Hon. Georss Z. LEAFS,
during his speech in rel Is, said They
hoped that as the cause which had led TO
this distress lin Lancashire, &C., was
extraordinary. SO that distress mi ght
prove Of short duration, and the war
which was now going on in the United
States; and the blockade of the Southern
States, which prevented the cotton from
coming to this country would before long
come to an end. That was subjecj
which many different opinions were and
had been entertained. The government
of this country was placed in the position
of having to choose between two opposite
courses, viz recognition of the South
ern States on the one hand, and sympathy
Or alliance with the States of the fedora
section of the Union on the other. Well,
the government avoided both these ex-
tremes. They had consistently and
strenuonsly pursued middle course Of
strict neutrality, and had abstAined from
giving direct or indirect countenance or
assistance to either of the belligerent
parties. Hear, hear. 1t had been said
that great complaints had been made by
the government at Washington that the
government of England had not main
tanned this strict neutrality, because it had
recognized the South as belligerent
power, anil it had been said that by re-
cognizing tie South as belligerent pow
er we had departed from q strict line Of
neutrality. Now he (Sir G. G. Lewis
could not but think that if any impartial
person reflected on the course of this I'M
happy contest, he would come to the con-
clusion that no word in the English Ian
guage could apply with greater aptitude
to the Southern States than the word
belligerent.' Here parties had com.
bined for the purpose of carrying on q
war, and when they looked to the number
of armed men they raised, when they
had looked at the large armies they hac
brought into the field, to the ability 0
the generals by whom those armies ar.
commanded, and TO the pertinacity with
which the contest on their part has beer
waged, it could not surely be denied thai
they deserved the name Of belligerents'
IN reference to the manner IN nhtch the
had carried on the ,rar against the Untte'
States. Under these circumstances, i
seemed to him, (Sir g. G. Lewis, that
more unfounded charge could not hav
been made against the government in thi
country than that Of having departe
FROM the principle Of strict neutrality b
recognising the Southern States IN be
ligerents. Hear, hear But when th