Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-14
lIr. IEason to Fart Russell.
Nc. p urprr sEzrorn srnrr.

no. q UPPER SEYMOUR STREET
P0RTHAy SQUARE, LONDON Feb ls leg3 {
Ny Lord | have the honor 10 ssclr1oyyle50e
the receipt Of your letter Of the I0th Of bruarv
instant, M answer to mine Of the 81 Of January
last, but referring more especially 10 INQUIRIES
/ which ! had the honor to address 10 vour Ior9
I ship, under The instruction Of the Secretary Of
/ State OF the Confederate States Of America. On
the Ith Of July last, concerning the intarprsfa-
ton placed By her Maiesty's Governmss,t IN the
declaration Of the principle Of blocksda sorss5
| to ia the Convention of Paris.
! i shall, as early as practicable. eomrunicafs
/ the letter OF your lordship 70 the government at
Richmond but viii anticipate here the satisfse-
/ ton with which the President win receive ~
assurance Of your l0rdship that no want of res-
| pect was intended by e mere seknoylsdyament
/ without other reDlY, to the inquinies contained
/ in my letter Of July.
In regard 20 50 much Of the letter of your
iofdshlp, as relates to the Interpretation Diace5
/ oy the government Of her Msiestv on that mart
OF tna declaration Of Paris which nrsscribss tba
Law or blockade, I am constrained to say thai I
AN vel assured the President cannot fnd in e a
source OF Ike satisfaction Il is considered BY
hln taat the terms used In that convention ars
Joo precise aud dea1its 20 admit of being auali-
hed-ToF, perhaps, il may be more appropriate to
say FeYoAed-by the suDer-sdditions thereto con
Lal1ed IN your iordship's exposition Of them
{ 1N Inns At ALl1A convention are. that tho
bloekadiDg force must Be sufficient really In
prevent access to the coast No exception i
made IN regard to dark nights, favarable winds.
the Size or model Of vessels successfully evs5ing
it, or the character Of ths coast OF waters block
AIDED; and yet It would seam from you- lor7gbiD's
letter that ell these are to be taken into eonsid
Grafton on e question whether the blockade is or
is MOTTO be respected
It is declared in that letter that
annarr= 70 bs-
be sufficiently clear that the declaration Of Paris
could not have been intended TO mean tbaf
port must be 80 blockaded in all winds. and in
dependenty OF whether the eommunica tor,
might be carried on o. a dark night. or by
means OF small low steamers. or eoasting eFsft
creeping along tie shore"
A3 a general rule, the ports snd harbors OF
the Confederate States are o5strueted By bars.
mliea 90 not sd1lis the passage Of large vessels
What might be considered q small OF
lozy " staameT coming in from sea 10 the mort
OF New York, would, at Ons Of these Southern |
ports Dc rssed q vessel Of very fair size when ]
reisffed 10 the ordinary stage Of water on its I
bars yet look In vain int terms Of the con /
vention referred 10 for any authority to sxpound /
them ia sub0rdinstion to the deDih Of water. or 4
the siza OF mould Of vessels finding ready and 4
comparatively safe access TO tbs haybor.
In aeeeding TO the terms Of that treaty great 4
fftti1sE-e @lC gfHtt4tA " 2 ll4IlEul1 neutral.
Win VII Ike ln9qgaisss s e a paTpa. i 9a.5h hsara aar
flag Of the belligsrent and the property Of the
brlligersnt equally safe under The flag Of the
neutral The only equivalent to the bsIgarent,
not maritime, but dependent on other nations IS
csrriers, is this strictly defined principle, of the
law Of blockade, which the Confederate States
presumed wss extended to them, when at the
request OF her MaJesiy's government. they be-
eslae parties to those stipulations Of the eOnven
ton of Paris Of 1856 It results that, after
yielding full equivalents, the stipulation in re
gard 70 the blockade, reserved As the only ons
benedeialt % thems would seem ilusorY.
In regard TO the character Of the bloekads, TO Z
which your ioEdship again adverts ia the "a
mark that tie manner ia Whichis il has been en-.
forced, gives neutral governments no excuse
for asserting that i has not been efficiently
maintained, although ] have not been ninstructed
to make any further representations 70 her Ma.
lessy government on shat sabises since It's De.
eisi9n to treat it IS effective, / cannot refrain
from adding that for many months past ihe frs-
qnent arrival and departure Of vessels most Of
them Steamers from several OF those ports hsvs
been matters ot nosoIistY A single stesrnar
has eyadad the blockade suecs ssfullY. and most
generally trom Charleston, more than thirty I
times And within q few days past Il has
Daen brought to ny knowledge thst two
steamers arrived in Jsnusry last and within
zen days Of each eshsr, at WILMINGTON. North
Carolina nom ports IN Europe, one Of four bun
dred and the other Of FIVE hundred To burthen,
oosh Of which havB since sailed from Whining
ton, and arrived with their cargoes st foreign I
ports I cite thasa only as the la'est authsntica-
ssd instances. Ard 80 smother remarkable fact,
i is officially rFpoFssd by the collector. at
gharlesten that Che Favenue aceruing as hat
port from duties o. imported merchandise du
ring the past year uadar the blockade, vas more
than aoubleithe receipts Of any one previous 10