Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-14
M. Mason to Earl RasssH.

It lures to foreign port. have, etc,
J. NJ MASON.
TTms letter confined an iucosure setting
forth q list Of vessels which arrived at Havana
, aud Metanzas from ports of the Confederate
q States of America during the months OF Jan
z usry aud February, 1862, with a description Of
t. their earross landed. The vessels numbered
twenty-sight, and the table shows that they were
Z al owned either 10 the rebel States or England
Z They ran from New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola,
q Galveston, Charleston and some few other ports.
The msjonty Of them landed cotton, and the
others Tosin and turpsntiue
Earl Russell to Hfr. Mason.
EoREIGE OFFICE, April IA, 1852. Earl Rus
sell presents his compliments to Mr. Mason, and
bags leave to acknowledge the receipt of Mr..
Gasons letter Of The lst instant, relative to the
blockade OF the ports Of the Southern coast of
North America
Mr. Mason to Earl Russell
No. 54 D svoSsHIRE STREET, PoRTLGEDl
PLACE, LONDON, July 2, 1862
My LORD; I SIN Instructed BY recent dis
patch from the Secretary Of the Navy of the
Confederate States Of America, to bring to the
sHen6oa Of your lordship what would seam to
be sn addition engrstted by her Msjesty's Gov
eTnmsnt on the principle Of the law of block.
ade as established by the Convention of Paris
in 1886. and accepted BY the Confederate States
of America, at the invitation of her Majsstys
Government
10 the instructions to me the text of the Con
vsutio Of Paris is quoted in the following
words;
Blockades, in order to be binding, must be
effective; thst is to say, maintained by force
sufficient really TO prevent access to the coast of
the enemy "
And the dispatch Of the Secretary eff State
i then proceeds:
Ttl-- r.1.--l. cfs-t..
nizad as a belligerent power by the Governments
Of France and Great Britsin, were informally
requested By both those powers to acceds this
deelarst on, IS being correct exposition of in
+ transitional law. Thus invited, this Government
yielded its assent
Great, then, vas the surprise Of the President
/ at fading, in the published correspondence be-
I fore sIUsed to, (refeuiug to the papers laid be
I fore Parliament touching the American block
Rde.) the following expressions Of Earl Rnssel,
/ in his letter TO Lord Lyons, Of the 18th of Feb
ruary last:
/ Her Msjesty's government, however, are Of
4 epihiea, that, assuming that the blockade was
/ duly notified, and also that q number Of ships
/ are statiOne3 and remain at the entrance of
port sufficient really 60 prevent access to IT, or
10 create aa eUidsat danger Of catering or LeaBing
/ T. and that the ships 40 not voluntarily permit
egress OF ingress, tie fact that various ships may
have successfully escaped through it. (as in par
/ tieuisr instances referred to } viii not of itself
/ prevent the blockade from being an effectual
/ one by international law,
/ You viii perceive that the words in italics are
/ an addition TO the definition of the treaty of
Paris Of 1856.
If such be the interpretation placed by Crest
Bntsin the treaty Of 1856, it is but Just that
this government should be so officially informed.
Certain i. is that this government did not nor
could it anticipate that The very doctrine In 70
/ alton 10 blockade, formerly maintained by |
GTes. Britain, and which az Europe supposed |
to be abaudonsd BY the treaty of 1856, would |
again be asserted By tiiat government
The language Of her Meisssy's Secretary of /
State tor foreign affairs, may rot have been in /
/ tended TO bear the construction now attributed /
70 ii but It Is evidently susceptible of this in /
depreciation, and We cannot be too cautious ia /
guarding our rghts il q matter which must, ia /
future, as well - the present, 50 deeply involve
the Interests Of the Confederacy
As q warrant for tbe assertion in the dispatch /
Of the Secretary, that the supeTadded words pro-
mulgatsd doctrine in relation to blockade, for
merry msintained by Great Britain, am re-
ferred by him to the text of the treaty between
Great Britain and Prussia in 1861, As follows
That in order to determine what character
ICES blockaded port, that denomination is given
only where there is, by the disposition of the /
power which attacks it with ships stationary or
sufficiently near, an e0iasas danger in entering
Art 3 see. A.
The force and effect Of these superadded
words, It must be plain to your l0Fdship, has
materially aud most Dreiudicially affected and
must continue so to affect, during the existing
var, the interests Of the Confederate States, nor
could this be better shown than by the illustFa-
ton adopted ia The letter eferred to, from your
iordship 70 Lord Lyons, that
The Jaet that sarions ships may hare escaped /
through Z (the bisokade) s0H not Of itself pYsuent
he blockade from being an sGsetual one By infer
national Tao.
It may De readily admitted that the fact that
various ships entering or leaving q port have
successfully escaped a bloekadiDg squadron,
does not show that there may not have been an
evident dsngsr IN SO entering or leaving il; but
it certainly does show that the blockade was not,
ID tho language Of the treaty of Paris, maintain
ed by force sufficient, really, to prevent access
to the cosst Of the enemy"
7 have, therefore, the honor to request, for the
information Of my government that your lord
ship viii be good enough to enable me to solve
the doubt entertained by the President Of the
Confederate States as 10 the construction placed
By the government of her Majesty on the text Of
the convention Of Paris, as accepted By the gov
ernment Of ths Confederate States IN the terms
hoIenbefore eited--thst is to say, whether
blockade is to be considered effective when
maintained at an enemys port BY forcs suff-
cient 70 create an evident danger Of entering
or leaving iti : sud not alone, where sufficient
really 70 prevent access
On the subject Of the alleged blockade, was
notified from the Department of State Of the
Confsderats States, aAd am instructed 70 lay
bsleEe your lordship, as her Maiessy's secrsssry
Of Sfsia ior FOREIGN Affairs, the accompanying
list Of vessels entered and cleared at the mort OF
Charleston, South Carolina, ia the months of
November ard December, 1861. and of Janu-
ayy, February ard March, 1852; at the port Of
Savannah, Georgia, fer the months Of October,
November and December. 1861; at Galveston,
T'exes fer the months ef December, 1861, and
JsnuarY aud February, 1862; at New Orleans.
Louisiana, fer the mouths Of November and
December, 1861 and February 1852; at Pensa
cola Florida, for the months Of December, 1861,
and January aud February, 1862; at Apaaehi-
cola Florida, for lhe months Of December, 1861,
and January. 1852 and at Port Lavscs, Texas,
in January, 1852
The doctrines of International law certainly
are that war does moi put end 10 commerce
between balligsrent aud neutrsls, except at
ports aad places actually blockaded; and yet IN
the strange and anomalous professions Of the