, 1863-09-15

Intervention to promote the extinction ol
African slavery, is itrevocably committed
sgaintt any act or policy that can encourage
this criminal pretension-
Sd-Thc nature Of foreign Intervention by
recognition, with the principles applicable
thereto, as i11ustrated BY historic instances,
showing that by the practice Of nations, and
ESPECIALLY By the declared sentiments Of Brit
ish statesmen, there can be no foreign recog-
milton of in 1nsurgent power where the con
est Of Independence is still pending.
4th-The uoral impossibility Of foreign
recognition, eyen If the pretended power be
de. .Jaeto indeps ndent, where It is composed ot
rebel slave-moDgers seeking to found . new
power p1th slavery for its declared "correr.
stcne."
5,E-Ihe absurdity and wrong Of conced-
ing ocean belligerency to q pretended power,
which, in the first place, is without prize
| court-so that 1t cannot be an ocean bellig-
| e1ent in fact; and which, in the second
place, even linn ocean belligerent in fact, is
OF such an odious character that its recogni-
tion is moral impossibi]ity-
The great length Of the speech preclndes
us from giving more than extracts from Its
striking passages. In the discussion Of the
first branch ct his subject, Mr. Sumner thus
exposed The real character Of Engliah neu,
t1a1ity:
CAFR1ENDLNEss OF ENGLAND.
Thsre Is oLe act Of the British cabinet
which stands foremost Is sn omen Of evil
fcreMost In timC-fOItmost also In the mag
nitu1e Of Its consequences. Though p1aus1-
bic in fo1m, 1t is none the less injurious or
rrjustidahle~ OF course, I refeT to that in
eonsiderate proclsmation II the name Of the
Qneen, as early as May, 1861, which, atter
| Rising rebel slaye-moDsers to an equality
| with tie national Government in be1ltgerent
tights, solemnly declares neutrality" be-
tween the tno equal parties; as II. The de-
c1a1ation Of equality Was not an insult to the
! Latlona1 Government, and the declaration Of
neutrality WAS not moral absu.dity, often
eiye to reason and a11 those precede1ts which
make the glory Of the British name. Even II
the proclamation could be otherwise than I'm
| proper at any stsge Of such q rebellion, It
| was worse than blunder at that early date.
! powers were more than friendly. Only few
months before the youthful heir to the Brit
| ifh throne had been welcomed everywhere
| throughout the UElted States-ercept in
| get, Immediately alter the tidings OF the
| rbel assault on Fort Sumter, before the na-
| tonal Government had begun to put forth Its
strength, al even without waiting for the
| essdyl Of our newly y.appointed Minister. who
was known to be at Liverpool on his way to
London, the proclamation Vas suddenly
| launched
/ doubt If any we11.informed person who
has read Mr.. Dailas's dispatch Of "a May,
l661. rece 9ntirg . eonyersation with the
British hiisIster, Will yindicate 1t In point of
time Clearly the alacrity OF this concession
YVES unhappy, for it bore an air Of defiance, or
at least Ct heartlessnets towards an ally of
kindred blood engaged IN the maintenance Of
It's traditional power against IN Infamous pre-
ttIs;on. But SIS 1t was more unhappy still
this historic nation, linked with so many trl-
umpts of free dom, from fatal step, which,
pldtr the guiEe IT neutrallty,' Was be-
tTayal Of civilization iteelf :
It is difficult to e1aggesate the consequences
Gf this prectpitate, unfrlepdly and immoral
concession, Which hns been. and still is, an
oyer1oWInE fountain Of mischief and blood
EhtC-Ade Johte dtripata eIades; lret, in which
It vcucheafes to rtbel slave .mongers on sea
ard In British po1ta, and, secondly, in the
in'pedineuts which It takes frcm British sub
Of which has been declared by undonbted
British authority. Lord helmsford-of pro-
festi1ra1 reDoWn as Sir Frederick Thesiger-
an ext:hancellor, used these words recent1y in
the House of Lords: "1f the Southern Con
ercnt pc yer he agreed with Lis noble and
1ea1ed friend Lord Brougham} that, under
these circumstances, If any Eugllshman we're
to it ont priyateer for the purpose Of as.
sisting The Southern States against the
Northern States, he would be guilty Of pi.
Tocy." But nll this was changed BY the
Queens proclamation. For the rebel alare.
mopgtr there is the recognition Of his dag;
ter tie Brltiah subject there Is the opportu-
nifty Of trnde. For the rebel SLAYER -monge1
3c Eo11arRh1n fho
British subject there Is . new customer to
whom he nay lawfully sell Armstrong guns,
1nd other War2ike munitions Of choicest
British workmanship, and Lord ,Pa1me1ston
teil. He, even chips 1f var too, to be used IN
denly 1rade lawful, willie he ban is taken
from M odious felony.
It Eeems almost superfuous to add, that
such concession, thus potent II Its reach,
must have been direct encouragement and
overture to the rebellion. Slavery itself WAS
exalted when bazbaruus retenders-bat.ling
without. so much rs elrgle port on the
eccan where prize could be carried for con-
demnatior-Were yet, In the face Of this cs-
tential deficiency, swiftly Acknowledged IS
ccean beli1geTents, Wilt as consequence.
half q slavery, were acknowledged as na-
f1o1 al. ships, entitled to equal privileges with
the national ships Of the United States. This
Eimplc statement il enough. It is vain to
soy That such concession WAS q "nece5si-
f." There may hare been strong tempta-
tion to It, constituting, perhaps, m lmagined
necessity, as with many persons, there is
strorg temptation to slavery itself. But such
4 conceEsion to elavemongers, fighting for
slavery. can be vindicated only Us slavery Is
yindicated. As well undertake to declare
"neutrality" between right and wrong-be-
tween good and evil--W1th q concession to
the latter Of bclugerent rights; and then let
up the apology Of "necessity.''
It is natural that an act SO essentially nn-
friendly in character, and also the al1crity
with which 1t was done, should create
towards Us. easily stimulated to menace Of
MAR. AID this menace Was not wanting soon
afterwards, when the two rebel emt*sar1es on
board the Trent were seized BY patriotic,
brave commander, whose highest fault was,
that, in the absence Of instructions from his
British precedents. This aecident-for such
it was and nothing elsc-was misrepzeseated,
and, With an utterly indefsnsihle e1aggera-
tion, Was changed By the British nation,
backed by the British Government, into q
sasss ,t ILL.,; Ell as # such an TEagtho5tzea inei,
of telf defence, could justify war betyeen
two civilized nations. And yet, in the fact
Of positive declaration from the United
States that it vas nm accident, the British
Government made preparations to take pare
with rsbel slavemongeers, and it fity began
from the BritiRh people the official dispatch
ct 30th November, 1861, where our Govern
ment; afler announcing that Captain Wilkes
had acted ":without any Instructions ex-
would consider the subject In friendly tenn
per-" ard promised the best disposition on
our part" It is painful to recall these
1hirgs. But they now belong to history, and