Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-06-24

captured hhken's Bend, bis base OF supphes' JONI
stOn was hanging on his rear threatening attack dali!
the Notifications of the city stood firm in spite Of mines
and parallels nothing seemed left him but an assault
the hopeessness Of which he had learned by bitter e1Pe'
rienoe, when be first appeared before she CITY, To at
tempt it betrayed desperation; 10 fail in It Was well nigh
equivalent to final failure At least this is the inter
probation Of tie event which with the information now
before Us, we are justified in gvingit All honor Sgain
10 the brave defenders OF vicksburg.
England, France and the Confederate States.
The boad Of kinship and the influence Of long com
mercal intercourse wi.h Eaghnd naturally inclined US
to lOOs the formation Of cur government with especial
interest and hope to that country We expected from
her the sares. and most decisive proofs Of sympathy
and friendship, and ready to accord to her tie
largest advantages that could be reaped from liberal
commercial arrangements. Indeed confident were
We Of the good will Of the government and people OF
England that we hardly doubted that occasion called
for it we should have the aid Of their our
independence The events of the have thoroughly
dspeed this Illusion and have taught US that Of all the
leading powers Of Europe Great Britain is the one OF
whose Injustice and calousness have most reason to
e1mpn This power had for than three quarters of
century acknowledged the separate independence of
Virginia, North aud South Carolina and GeOrgia-and
had entered into commercial and diplomatic arrangements
with them through their agent Government Of the Uni
ted States Those States had ghttO change their agent
without FORGETTING their treaty rights Yet Great B:lain
chose as her 6rst step TO ignore and disaVOw those
rights aud TO regard the agent and ereitue Of the
States as their master and sovereign. She thereby re-
padiaed her own ACT in recognizing them IS separate
J. - ~ in
solemn treaties. This was her first wrong.
The second ac. of injustice and wrong of whica she
was guilty consisted in issuing orders fOrbiding prizes
captured at sea by private armed vessels regularly
commissioned 70 be brought into any Of her ports for
condemnation and sale. The effect Of this order, fol-
loved up as it was BY similar action by other European
Powers was 20 deprive almost entirely ofthe great ad
vantage possessed IN the fact that the enemy had
immense commercial marire which would have been at
our mercy, aud the destruction Of which would have
been an invaluable addition to our of resistance
and sefdefence--Shie, at the time, free
from risk Of retaliation in the fac. ttat we had no CON-
merce upon which the enemy could prey. What Eng
land denied Us bad been the privilege Of beligereuts
from the beginning Of maritime war and her Withhold
ing from Us was as we weTc situated equivalent to
an alliance Nth the enemy. had We been permitted
as we might easily have done, have filed the seas
With armed cU er i. scarcely be doubted thattte
injury that world have been inflicted upon the vast
commerce Of the enemy would have brought them long
since 70 sue for peace We owe it England that this
great boon bss 70, been gained
The third great wrong Of England was to give such
construction to the laws Of blockade aud inierpo
late the Treaty Of Paris as to allow the enemy the ben
m Il L
hamper our means Of carrying on the war, and to
barrass greatly sl the operations OF selfdefence.-
When hostiifes began we're fearfuly deficient in
arms, ammunition and all the and agencies of
war If We could have supplied ourselves from Europe
we could not only have defended many important
points which had 20 be surrendered the enemy, and
the possession Of which gave and yet gives them great
advantages but we could have followed up vietO-
ries TO consequences Of incOnceVable importance
Euglands wrong in this particular was aggravated and
duplicated by the fact that while cut eff from
European supplies Of materel Of war, the enemy
allowed the freest access to foreiga armories and
arenas and used their opportunity 10 obtain superb
bundant stocks Of the most improved arms and ammu-
uition Nor has this been all! The tOl ration of an
Illegal blockade BY the European Powers, under the
leadership Of England has caused such scarcity in
many articles Of necessity to enhance prices to an
extent that renders the expense Of conducting de-
fence 6ve-fOld what it need have been fact
which necessarily embarrasses our finances, and
threatens to weigh US down for century with
the incubus Of an enormous public debt, with
the necessary eoncomitant Of most taxation
Stn further aud worse, the scarcity thus OccasiOned
has encouraged the enemy to undertake the endih de-
f, Al nd hovo
accordingly set on foot system OF the most cruel,
uudiscriminating and savage waged BY people
claiming to be civilized Let never then, forget that
we owe the unheard Of atrocities to which our people
are subjected not more 10 the inherent yiainy Of the
Yankee natare than to toe temptation 10 their indul
genee afforded by tie conduct aud policy of England
fourth ground Of just and heavy complaint against
Great Btain is that When appealed to last fall by
France to unite in an eior. bring this bloody to
close, she heaFtesy refused, and this upon pretexts
the lsehooi Of which 50 apparent to leave no
shadow Of doubt that she really desired the work Of
carnage and destruction TO 80 on To have recognized
US as a nationality whose undergraduates bad been es
taolished, would have been by the simple admission Of
fact 20 have made known TO the Washington Gov
eminent that the heightened Judgment Of the world
against the further prosecution Of the war, and such
decision could not have been Undecided So, too Of the
proposition Of France To- an arms ice Of six months
It vas in the power Of the three great Governments
that France desired to urge his measure to have Sc
cured its adoption. France desired is Russia assented
to it England positively objected. Had the armistce
been secured peace would have resulted But no. this
d no suit tire yeas Of England-she same England
that 18th not hundredsh part as much reason,
b. to propose aruissies with Poland
Nued still longer 70 stsnd the storm.
We have the courage and the
of complaint to which
others exist Il that