, 1863-10-16
IMPORTANT SPEECH OF EARL
RUSSELL UPON AMERICAN
AFFAIRS. -
uts Views If tho Hcbellion-ships for
tho Ncbcls-Colnp1a1nts OF Amcf1'
cans, &c.

WAS entertaiued at Blalrgowtie, Scstland, by
a number Ct his friends, and made aspeech OF
interest and Importance on the foreign Tela-
t7ons of Great Britain, and especially on her
re1at,ors to the United 8.atea. In responding
to q toast proposing his health, hs said, among
other thirgs: ~
the REBELLION In AMER1cA-
g: We'll. gentlemen, T CONS now to another
adutstion on Ttich must beg for your atten-
1fon, hfcuute wlsh to explain some circum.
stn1 ces in which the character OF this coun-
tly. think, Las been maljgned, am speak
irp cf What has occurred IN What faW years
apo we're the United States Of America, A
~ Years cgo We were exulnog In the pros.
ncrfty of that country; re were happy to
- 4 rtople derived from the enme ancestors
as ourselves enjoy ing free institutions, enjoy
Irg apla1cnt harmony among one another,
he the ci1;I 11r broke out, hardly diftsrence-a
dlFeYerco only with regard to the small island
colled St.. Juan, and which re had proposed to !
r5fer to The arbitration Of the Swiss Republic.
This was tho e1ate Of affaire when TINT war !
which We certainly had no part in broke out
Ehen. if remember rightly, nine Of the |
Sonthc1p States Of America declared that they /
Tonld form In independent Republic. 0ut !
courte on the subject has been attacked
ard blamed In the pittcrest ta1:as-blamed |
thc Corttde1ates. 1he trst oftense ;wss
ieIt By the Fcdefale. They said wo had uorjght
TO grant, 80 far es re were concerned, to Tho
Corfederates the rights Of belltgelents. We'll,
now, ge1tlemen, that question Of the rights
Of heljge,en1s Is I aqeisi@9a @ q m 14ct IL
millions, mean, Of fee men, declaring them
selves IN their styeral States collectively IN
indeI CT dent Statc-Te could pass over that as
petty 1ebrlllou? Our Admirals asked
whether the ships they met bea1lng the Con-
f.deEate 1sg shen!d bn treated as pirates Or no:
FIVE had treated them as pirates We shonld
ha!e BEEN taking part In that contest.
[Cheers It ras impossible to look on the
np1isiIg Of d community Of Eve millions Of
people as mere Fe1ty insurrectlon, [hear,
Leaf, j osas not having the rights which 1t ali
times arc. giren to those Who BY their num-
Territory they FokseaR, are entitled to those
rights. {Cheer6, Well, it was said NE ought
not 10 have done that becaute they wero .
Community Of zlayeholders. Gentlemen, I
The least aeated OF dininishcd. [Loud AMI
| prclo1 ged cheele.l For my own part, I cor
slider it ore Of The most horrible C, imes that y<t
dhgraees. humanity. [Cheers.] But then, We
ats treating Of the relations which VIC bear to
would 10 expedient or useful for .hu-
that new element Of declaring that
We will have no relations with people who
| permit slavery to exist among them. We
ed it in the cass Of Spain or Brazil, and + do
not believe that the cause of humanity would
be served by our adoption off [Hear, hear.I
Well, then, It was said that these Confederate
Ststes we're rebels-rehela against tue Union.
Perhaps, gentlemen, 7 am not 50 nice IS
that VIC 1ebellea against Charles /, "a }angh,l
ne rebelle6 against james H., md the people
| Of ew England, not content with these two
rebellions, rebelled against George III.
| [''Hesr," and laughter. I am not enging
| now whether all these rebel1ions were justia
| able or whether they were wropg-1 an not
| sa}lrg WHITTIER the present rebellion In the
Southern States ia justiaable insurrectfon,
Of ta great tault Or great crime. But I say
| that the mere fact Of rebellion ig not IN my
1erounce all fellowship aud Communion aud
| Ill relation ship with these who have been
| guilty Of rebellion. Loud cheefipg1 But,
| Certainly, II look 20 the declarations Of those
| NeWEpgland ora!ors-and have been readin8
| 1assly, If rot the wao1e, Jet very great part,
! Of the very lotg speech bg Ms. sumner On the
subject, delivered 1T New York-I Own can-
not but wonder to see these meu, the off
s;rirg, Is i we're, Of three rebelllons, as We
ire The offspring Of tHo rebell}ons, reslly
Of Turkey, or Louis XIV himself, Of the
dreadful crime ard guilt Of rebellion. loud
laughter and cheers Well, gentlemen, theso
can another complaint, and the complaint
csme this time from those so-csllea Conftd-
crate States. who said that ne had. contrary
to the Declaration Of Paris, contrary to the
general international law, permitted block
ade If ., ,CCO mics Of the Southern coast Of
Aue,ica. 1t ia quite true We did 40. It is
uui;e true-and there, perhaps, there seemed
that though this blockade s7as kepr up By
sLHc!ent lumber Of thips, Set these ships
napy Ct them adopted ihto the United States
Larry snd cent to Eea In q hurry, aud Ill. lifted
for the Pnrro.e-.dldn not keep up that blockade
20 effectively and go thoroughly as It should
qui1ed. Bnt still, looking At the law of nations,
! It vas blockade; It was blockade which We
as gIest belligerent roTer IN former times
should have ackno S1edged. We ourselves had
%asesa 1Saea B9 tGs states @ q Amer:
ica to ack, owledge tbeir., Bat there wa 8
ano'hes 1sasop. confess, CO.. @ that Weighed with vt h
very greatly, for tho want Of the material
which ran the support Of their industry. It
!, ras question Of self Interest whether we
should not brcak that blockade, but, in my
been forever IL famous If for the sakc Of inter
est Of any kind ne bad violated the general
| Iaug Of nations, and mada war with thoee
J elavsholdipg States cf America, ngaiuat The
Federal States. Hear, bear And, gentle.
; men, am not speaking the sentiments which
I are peculiar 10 nyself. or to those who have
. no immediate interest In the question, but
! these are, am Convinced, the sentiments 81
: that noble~hearted people Of Lancashire, who
hare lived aud fouii.hed by that industry, but
sEtt on the eecutcheou Of their nation in. or
der to maintain that industry. [" Hear, hear, u
. a1d chetrs
emPs FOR THE REBELS.
Well, there cane new complAiuts-a com
| Ilaint Gn the port ct the Federal5 that we
allt y ed a ship 10 leave tie port Of Liverpool
which afterwards committed depreaAtiuns OF
/ ME lar III were to go over oil the particulars
! of the question; but you must know that II
!, order to prove On oGencs Jou require such
: evidence as can be eitted In = court of Justice
left Liverpool thht in this opinion Of lawyer.
re had evidence sufficient to keep the yeaEe
b and crew; then I doubt whether II We hat
i brought the evidence before court Of law l
!. would have been found that ne had suf1lcien
. evidence to condemn her, hecau.e, BY an era
sion Of tho l.w the ship ras fitted up without
the n1ms necestary for her equipment, and
> there arms were conveyed to her in the va
t ters Of Q foreign country, very fat from The
| jutisois:;Sion q England: [aear:] Gentle Gent @s
J, and I lh.nk they viii be weighed, as the1
;, frequently have .b:en Me,ghed, by th'
= Government Of the United States O
. America in tho balanca Of equity. W
Il knor- ttat the Foreign Enlistment oct ant
tie whole law reBpettieg the subject is very
e difficult Of application. The principle Is c1ell
= enough. H5ou are asked to sell muskets
: you may sell muskets to one party or til,
+ other, snd so with gunpowdeT, shells, o.
manncr. But, II you, on the one hand, trai.
ard drill D regiment With arms In their haudl
:, TO take part with one Of two bellisercnts, yor
u vIclste Jonr neutrality and commit an offanse
d against the p1her belHgeIent, So in tht
It same way in regard to chips, It you ALLOW
- | chip to be armed and 70 at once to make II
~ | attack On o foreign belngerent, you are -FOUR
9 teif, according to Jonr own law, takiDg par
l. in the war, and 1t is an offence which Is pun
r. fthed by the lar. But these questions lead, a:
. ! you will zee, to most ,dif1c1it problems-as
here may 60 ont as laoorer8 to the Federn
q states and In the nextplace 8 thousand mus
+. kets nay 60 ont In another chip. and Whez
they arrive In America, these thousand labo
;" rers, having had IN understanding before
It msy make formal engagement, and bt
?, armed with these thuuE.nd muRkets; though
!. ifthat had been done in the territory Of tn
Queen, and on tic eol Of this country, Il
would have been m offence. There are othe,
If questions with regard to ships that Lave
,o lately been prepared In ibis country, becaaet
- these ships are not like ships which receive
- tie ueual equipments known In Wals IN time:
it East, but they are themselves without any
j. further a1mament, formed for acts Of otsEce
=nd var. They are steam rams, which
might be used for the purpose o.
ls var without ever touching the shores Of the
it Confederate ports. Well, gentlemen, to per
a ] nit shipH Of this kind knowingly to depart