The New York herald., 1862-01-08
THE MASON-SLIDELL AFFAIR IN REBELDOM'
ENGLANDs CHOICE-COTTON OR REBELLION.
From the Richmond Diana fch nec 31


From the Richmond Dispatch, Dec 81
II seems quite clear from all see, that. con-
na 10 what was a. nrst believed to be the tect the
British Minister at Washington has presented demand
for the restitution Of Messrs. Mason and Sde nor, as
far as we are able to judge is it at all certain that any
such demand will be presented long ss the present
ministry continue in Lord John Russell has TOO
often crnged Yankee nsolence leave any hope that
he at least has any for the honor of the British flag
and the powers at Washington evidently knew with
whom they had TO deal when they committed Mason and
sidei TO Yankee prison. instead Of returning them 10
British deck II TO believe the London Post, Lord
Palmerstons organ the Emperor OF the French has al
ready offered his mediation and it has been accepted at
the very first Offer The paper tells rs that tha
matter in dispute is legal question" And so Is blow
in the face, or tweak Of the nose but, private indi
vduais when they refer such oenees to the decision OF
legal tribunal generally content to put thor honor
in their pockets, SO, presume, the Ministers of the
British Queen have determined that, so far as the
honor Of the Crown is concerned, it must be left to shit
for itself The Attorney and Solicitor Generals are not
nfalbie they may be wrong, and II does not become
the greatness and majesty Of England TO involve the
world in point Of law, respecting which the most
profound lawyers differ" This is stepping down from
high horse with Vengeance The London Hnps had just
before declared that before the question could be
touched, the honor Of England must be satisfied by the
restoration Of Messrs sde and Mason to the deck OF
English vessel. So far able TO judge from the
extract published above 1t does not appear oven that
demand for restoration will be made NJ the rery
ent chen The Pohes are preparing comply miA any d.
d'd he British g1r1'mert MAY male he Britts qore'7a-
Daont puts Us hoaor in the hands of The dtoys, and TO
atc for ts character ike oldemdn ohoe reputation has
bean dssriled play Gcior, cho briaqs has dction
If dctamGtion cgainst he proprietor of a aecSpgrer
Aproios Of the umpire chosen on the occasion, the
Pct goes on to saw "tho Emperor of the French
having offered himself as mediator the obtiors info
renee is that he will not join England in with Anne
rica And this is precisely the principal u Lord
Palmcrsons present attitude in faco Of the nsnlted flag
OF his country. He before attempted prostitute
the honor Of the nation to the desire Lopeae the Empe
Of the French and would have succeeded in doing
it had not The English people forbidden tbs desecraon
There is, however, In England, power behind the
tbr, much greater than Lord Pamerson, than the
Queen who sits upon II. That is the British naon-the
proudes and let add what is but bare justice, the
grea est people Of whom we have any account Sensitive
to degree almost reprehesbe upon the point Of honor
we conceive il be hardly possible that they will sub
nit to an insult papable direct and uraseous
as that offered by Captain Wilkes to the flag which is
their pride and glory-that "lneteor flag which Of
their poets proudly and justly tells has whstcod'for
thousand the battle and the breeze There have be
inner history many instances Of attempts tho part of
minister's and kings 10 degrade that flag butnot one
in which the attempt has not been visited with quick
and signal retribution. The last YVES when this very
minister attempted TO make it the tool OF the French
Emperor, and what followed happened short time
ago and is so we! known that it needs not repetition
here. When they read the significant hint conveyed in
tho passage just quoted from the Post that England must
not demand redress for open insult to her flag because
the French Emperor VIII not join her in the which
may ensGe they will be apt TO ask how long his been
since their Queen became the vassal Napoleon H. y
"a majority which defes estimation they sympahise with
the people or this country and had they been of
the oppression which tho neutrality of England worked
upon by cutting on from all hope Of obtaining arms
aud munitions OF war from the English manufactures,
while il opened them 10 enemies, they would long
since have insisted upon the prohibition TO export these
articles which tho ministry only thought of when they
found that Epg.nd about to be deprived Of the
ffaanr OF self-deienGe.
Is cear to hdi after all their hesitation and dcr fce
Of he ,a iona honor he ministry t b. compelled 10
sign or TO teak up tlccedde of ports before IT, first If
ae aer, The nation is not afraid Of Louis Napoleon
although Lord Pameston may be. The nation must hare
the co, o lies land locked in The Confrdcrde Sdes
,cH break oHt into r,teisn II will not submit TO be
starved upon punctilio and the ministry will find il,
when reused, quite formidable as the Frenc El
whatever they may think TO the contrary. As 10
supplying the deficiency from India that is altogether
out Of tho question. The India staple is short Goa, Sc
rot be worked up by the machinery. The machine
ry already erected for manufacturing goods from Amer
cotton cost fifty millions OF pounds sterling Unless
American cotton be procured IL il uselcss To work
upon India cotton other machinery TO the extent
must be substituted, and English Journal tells that
could not be done in year. While the grass IL growing
the stccd is starving. What will the three nons OF
manufacture be doing IN the meantime while set of
machinery being pulled down and another put up?
We arguing the point upon the hypothesis that the
supply from India should be equal in quantity the de-
mand This every man who ever examined the subject
knows 10 be impossible. The State OF Georgia alone
few years since produced more cotton than furnish
ed to the manufactures OF Great Britain from al other
sources than this Confeieracy. The question is very
simple oLe and the time Is coming when must be faced
Shutting and cQuivocation will not dc longer than the be-
ginning Of next summer Gredt BIIaia must utn haze
coita, undergo reoiucn bHsed upon Me rant Of
ftc con,qox necexdiss Of life The pie hare IT,
Du stdrce mustris upof te gorrnnient Lord Pal
mcrstOn knows this well ANYBODY but the Yankees
seem have persuaded him that Gy will open the ports
and send the cotton 0,hercsc, we presume, he would
done IL long ago, and TINS prevented much bocd-
shed and vast deal OF l-'eeIng