The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-05-01
Lord Palmerston and Earl Russell
on American Affairs.
Important Declarations on Non
Intervention and the Right Of
Search.
Suspected British Vessels May he
Overhauled. f"| H7

Suspected British Vessels Aay no
Overhauled. f" H7
THE LATE SEIZURES BY THE FEDERAL CRUIS-
ERs-AN IMPORTANT LETTER FROM EARL
FOREIGN OFFICE, April 5, 1863
S1R:-I am now directed by Earl Russell
to make you acquainted with the cOnclu-
sion at which, having considered, in COM
munication with the law offices of the
Crown, your letter of the Goth of March,
requesting to be informed in regard to the
right of British vessels to trade with Mat
amoros, her Majesty's Government have
arrived
The Government of the United States
has clearly no right to seize British vessels
bona fde bound from this country, or any
other British possession, to the ports of
Vera Cruz and Matamoros, or either of
them, or uice verSd, unless such vessels at
tempt to touch at, or have an intermediate
or contingent destination to some block
AIDED port or place, or are carriers Of con-
traband of war destined for the Confede-
rate States; and in any admitted case of
such unlawful capture, her Majesty's Gov
eminent would feel it their duty promptly
to interfere, with view to obtain the i'm
mediate restitution of the ship and cargo,
with full compensation, and without the
delay of proceedings in prize court.
Her Majesty's government, however,
cannot, without violating the rules of in
ternational law, claim for British vessels
navigating between Great Britain and these
places any general exemption from the
belligerent right of visitation by the cruis-
ers of the United States; nor can they
proceed upon any general assumption that
such vessels might not so act as to render
their capture lawful and justifable. Moth
ing is more common than for those who
contemplate breach of blockade, or the
carriage of cOntraband, to disguise their
purpose by simulated destination, and by
deceptive papers; and the situations of
the ports on the coast of Mexico with refer
ence to the Confederate States is such as
to make it not only possible, but in many
cases probable, that an ostensible Mexican
destination would be resOrted to as cover
for objects which would really justify cap
ure. l. has already happened, in many
cases, that British vessels have been seized
while engaged in voyages apparently law
full, which vessels have afterwards been
proved in the prize courts to have been
really guilty Of endeavoring to break the
blockade, or of carrying contraband to the
Confederates.
1t is the right of the belligerent to cap
ture all vessels reasonably suspected of
either of these transgressions of interna-
tional law, and whenever any such case of
capture is alleged, the case cannot be
withdrawn from the consideration of the
prize court OF the captor After the case
has undergone investigation, it is the duty
of the prize court to restore any such
prizes unlawfully made, with costs and
damages; and the proper tine for the in
reference of her Majesty's government is,
in general, when the prize courts have re-
fused redress for a capture which the evil
dence shows to have been unjustifiable.
Her Majesty's government cannot upon
ex parte statements, deny the belligerents
in this war the exercise of those rights
which, in all wars in which Great Britain
has been concerned, she has claimed her.
self to exercise.
l am, sir, your most obedient humble
servant,
E. HAMMOND.
E. T. CouRIAY, Esq. No. 3, Leadenhall
srteet.
LORD PALMERsTON ON NEUTRALITY - HE
PROMISES NoNINTERvENTION FOR HIMSELF
AND HOPES 1T FROM THE DERBYTTEs.
Lord PalmerstOn alluded to the Ameri-
can question, during his speech in Glas-
gov, in the following terms:
81 wish could tell you that we antici-
pate any very early termination of that
most lamentab struggle which is going
on among our kindred upon the other side
of the Atlantic. We must all deplore that
unhappy war The most unhappy of all
wars is civil war; but any interference
on the part of the nations of Europe, so
far from extinguishing the flame, would,
in all human probability, have only made
it burn fiercer and with greater heat
When the passions of men are deeply en-
listed in the contest in which they are en-
gaged-when foe is opposed to foe, and on
the point of striking his antagonist, any
friend who interpOses would not only fare
the worst for his interposition, but would
not avert the blow levelled by the one
against the other. think the people OF
the United Kingdom have judged that
their government has determined rightly
in not attempting Intervention.
A great and most estimable part of our
population has been suffering deep distress.
That distress has been less, perhaps,
among you in Scotland than in the dis
tricts south but even here in Glasgow
and other places great misery has been
experienced by the cessation of the supply
of the great staple of our industry. But
if we had attempted by forcible means to
to bring over that supply which, owing to
the contest, has been withheld from us,
am convinced that, instead of diminishing
the pressure, we should have increased it,
and should very much have increased the
evil which we intended to alleviate, and
the result would have been that the coun-
try would have blamed us for having taken
a wrong view, and having adopted a policy
i'll suited to the circumstances. / trust
still that this calamitous war may soon
have an end. l cannot but think, when
the passions which excited that war have
had their vent-and all passions must have
their vent-and when the results of that
NOR cboll nress more and more heavily