The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-01-27


ades were justified by the powers that declared
them, on the sole ground that they were retaato
. ry; yet those bockades have since been condemn
ed by the publcists of those very powers as viola
; tions of international law; yet those blockade
evoked angry remonstrances from neutral power
amongst which the United States were the mos
conspicuous; yet those blockades became the chic
cause of the between Great Britain and tn,
United States in 1912; yet those blockades wer
one of the principal motives that led to the decla
ration of the Congress Of Paris Of 1856 in the font
hope of imposing enduring check on the very
abuse OF maritime power, which is now renewed
by the United States in 1861 and 1862, under
circumstances and with features of aggravated
wrong without precedent in history.
The records Of our State Department contain
the evidence of the repeated and formal remon
strances made by this government to neutral
powers against the recognition Of this blockade
1t has been shown by evidence not capable Of
contradiction, and which has been furnished in
part by the officials Of neutral nations, that the
Jew ports of this Confederacy, before which any
naval forces at all have been stationed, have been
invested SO inefficenty that hundreds of entries
have been effected into them since the declaration
| Of the blockade; that enemies have themselves
admitted the ineficiency of their blockade in the
most forcible manner, by repeated eficia COM
plants of the sale, to us, of goods conraband of
war, sale which could not possibly affect their
interests if their pretended blockade was sufficient
| 'really to prevent to coast" that they
have gone farther, and have alleged their inability
to render their paper blockade effective as the
excuse for the odious barbarity of destroying the
entrance to one of:our ha rbors by sinking vessels
| loaded with stone in the channel; that our COM
merce with foreign nations has been intercepted,
not by the effective investment of forts, nor
| by the seizure Of ships in the attempt to enter
them, but by the capture tie high of
neutral vessels by the cruisers of our enemies
whenever supposed to be bound to any point on
our extensive coast, without enquiry whether a
single blockading vessel was to be found at such
| point; that blockadng vessels have left the ports
at which they were stationed for distant expeditions
have been absent for many days and have returned,
without notice either Of the cessation or renewal
| of the blockade; in word that every prescription
of maritime law, and every of neutral nations
| to trade with begerent under the sanction of
principles heretofore universally respected, have
beer Systematically and persistently violated by
the United States. Neutral Europe has received
our remonstrances and has submitted in almost
unbroken silence to all the wrongs that the United
States have chosen to infict its commerce.
| The Cabinet of Great Britain, however, has not
confined itself to such implied acquiescencc in
these breaches of international law results from
simple naction, but has in a published despatch
of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
assumed to make a change in the principal enuncl-
ated by the Congress Of Paris, to which the faith
| Of the British Government was considered to be
pied eed change too important and too prejudical
to the interests Of the Confederacy to be overlooked
and against which have directed solemn protest
to be made after vain attempt to obtain sat;sfac-
tory explanations from the British Government.
Ina published despatch from her Majesty's
Foreign Office, to her Minister at Washington,
under date of the lth of February, 1862, occurs
the following passage
"Her Majesty. Government, however Of opinion
that assuming that the blockade duly notified and
also that number of ships is stationed and remains
at the entrance ofa port sufficient really to prevent
access it, TO create ridn danger Of entering
or earinq IL: and that thcsc ships do not Voluntarily
permt ngress egress, the fact that various ships
NAV have successfully escaped through it (as in the
particular instance here referred TOY will not of itself
prevent the blockade from being etfectua by
international lawA
The words which I have italici.ed are an
addition made by the British Government of its
own authority to principle the exact terms of
which were settled with deliberation with the
common consent of civilized nations, and by
implied convention with this Government, as
already explained, aud their effect is clearly to
reopen to the prejudice Of the Confederacy of
the very disputed questions the law of blockade
which the Congress Of Paris professed to settle.
The Importance ofthis change is readily illustrated
is 'tevident danger" in entering the port Of Viii
mington from the presence of blockading force
and by this the blockade is effective Access is
not really prevented" by the blockadng fleet to the
same port, for steamers continually arriving aud
Departing that tried by this test the blockade is
ineffective and invalid. The justice of our complaint
this point is manifest as to leave little room for
doubt that further reflection will induce the British
Government give us such assurances as will efnce
the painiul Impressions hat would result from it's
language, if left unexplained
From the foregoing. remarks you will perceive that
during nearly years of struggle in which every
energy country has been evoked for maintaining
its very existence the neutral nations Of Europe have
pursued policy which nominally impartial has been
practically most favorable 10 our enemies and most
detrimental to ~
The exercise OF the neutral right OF refusing entry
into their ports prizes taken by both hciigrreGts
emnently huriful 10 the ConfedcTacy- 1t Tas
sternIv asserted and maintained.
The exercise of the neutral right OF commerce with
be,Iigerent whose poris not bockadef by Ncets
sufficient really prevent access to them would nave
been emneny hnrtful 10 the United States 1t was
compiaisantIy abandoned
The duty of nentral States to receive with cordiar
and recognize with respect any new confederation that
indepeadent States maF think proper TO form was TOO
clear to admit of denial, but its postponement was
eminentIv beneficial The United States and deri-
mental to the Confederacy. 1t was postponed.
In this review of relations with the neutral
tious of Enrope it has been my purpose point out
distinctly that this Government has complaint to
make that those nations declared their neutrality II
couIi neither expect desire more: The complaint
i that the neutrality has been rather nominal than
recognized neutral rights have been al