The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-10-20
THE WITHDRAWAL OF MR. MASON
FROM ENGLAND.

The text of the letter in which Mr. Mason an
nonnces the termination of the Confederate mission
| to England is as follows: -
LONDON, Sept. FL, 1863
The Right Hon. Earl Russel, Her Majesty's Sec
| rotary of State for Foreign Affairs
My Lord-In dispatch from the Secretary of
State of the Confederate States of America, dated
4th day of August last, and now just received, |
am instructed to consider the mission which
brought me to England as at an end, and am d.
| rected to withdraw at once from the country.
The reasons for terminating this mission are set
forth in an extract from the dispatch which have
| the honor to communicate herewith:
"The President believes that the Government
| of Her Majesty has determined to decline the
| overtures made through you for establishing, by
treaty, friendly relations between the two Govern
meprs, and entertans intention of receiving you
| as the accredited minister of this Government
near the British Court. Under these circumstan-
ces your continued residence in London is neither
conducive to the interests consistent with the
dignity Of this Government, End the President
therefore requests that you consider your mission
at an end, and that you withdraw with your Secre-
| tary from London"
Having made known to your lordship on my ar
rival here the character and purposes of the mis-
sion entrusted ID me by my Government, | have
deemed it due to courtesy thus to make known to
the Government of Her Majesty it's termination,
and that I shall as directed, at withdraw from
England.
/ have the honor to be your Lordship's very
ob't serv't, ,s III. j. M. MASON.
On this letter the London Index makes the fol-
lowing comments, Supposed to be "inspired," y
setting forth several reasons for the withdrawal,
which are not embodied in Mr. Mason's letter:
"Mr Slidell, we understand, will remain in
France, as special commissioner to that Govern
ment, is it at ali contemplated to terminate that
mission, and yet France, equally with England,
has far rehaned from entering into information
al relations with the Confederate States. There
must be, then, some over-ruling cause for the diff
erence thus made between France and England,
in the termination of the mission to one and not
the other. To those at all conversan. with what
is passing in the Southern States this is no mystic
ry. Mr. Slidell has been received and uniformly
treated by the Government of France with every
mark of consideration and respect for the Govern
ment he represents. There may be grave reasons
regarding policy or public law why France, like
England, may not deem it incumbent as yet to re-
cognize those States as an Independent political
power; but their representative has been freely
admitted to every form of Intercourse with the
Government of France, to personal interviews with
the Emperor whenever he has asked for them,
with Immediate access to all or any Of the
ministry, at first request This would indeed
seem but ordinary courtesy to gentleman in
bis position; the refusal of it would be more than
discourtesy; it would be an actual indignity to
those whose representative he is. In England Mr.
Mason has been held by the Government in the
very oppisite position. His correspondence with
the Foreign Office, laid before Congress at Rich
mond we know, from the Southern press, pIoduc-
ed feeling of deep and universal Indignation. 1t
showed that, with the exception of single and
formal interview with Earl Russell, OIL his arrival
appointed at his residence, and not at the Foreign
Office, he had been admitted to no intercourse
Whatever"