The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-12-09

a.. ~ .'assss !" cm.imssss0n, of which hatf were In
Msssnt sras. The Hhsasdtiy Of The. pretcnslnn oi
such ah:ockads In face of the Authoritative dec
iNsalton OF the maritime d7ts ri nsutrays ,nade a,
rsns, IN lo.o MAS 50 t'aring TINT The attempt was
ffKaard as nm ekpeisftc,,t nu the fafAe eaiance 81
neutral powers, which they otl,i nrn,nu,iv ,esisf
ms conclusion was justified by thr tart thai the
governments of France and Great 1fitatn dcter
nan h.s. eat was necessary for thrtr interests tn
obtath irom Goth beiligerents "seensltIes coaetru
ihe tar proper Treatments of neatrais.u In The Ia
s'fuetlons which ''eOn6ded tie negotiation ON ,his
nsa.tss,, 10 the British Consui In Chares,on, he
was Informed that s.the most ne rfec, On
question existed between Her Maiestv,s Govern .
sns"t a"n tue tsoverkmfRf Of the Emperor uf ,he
ifonch, and these Instructions were ropranieJ
nn nS copy OF the dispatch af the British Fnscgn
Once: of he isih May, 1861 stating that The 10
no alhefeaee Of opihion between Great BtItaJu
aha the uaited states the validity Of tb prin
ciIhes enumerated IN tho founh article Of The de
eaIa'ion of Paris w reference 20 hiockades Your
predecessors OF the Provisional Congress. had,
therefore, no ddienlty In proc,aining, nor In mp
proving, the resolutions which abandoned In favor
.. 1ieat britain and france our right 90 capture
ehemys property when covered by the flags Of
those powers. The fsecufitieso desired by those
Governments were understood by Us TO be required
from both belitsercpts. Neutrals were exposed
on Our part 10 the exercise OF the belllgeI~nt right
OF capturing their vessels when conveying the
property Of our enemies. They were exposed, on
the part Of the Tinted States, 10 interruption IN
their ua9uestiomed right Of trading with us by the
declaration Of the paper blockade above referred
10 We had NO reasOn 10 doubt the good faith nf
the proposal made t0 rs, nor 10 suspect that we
were 10 he the only parties bound by Its accept
ance Ii Is true that the Instructions Of the neB-
tfWI powers Informed their agents that II was sses
sehtial, under present circumstances. that they
shamid act with great caution In order 10 avoid
sss g shs Eesognioa g.
subject did not assuihe, for that reason the siape
OF formal convention. But It was not deemed
just ny Us TO deciine the arrangement on this
ground. as little more than ninety daya had then
elapsed since the arrival 0f our Commissioners IN
Europe, ard neutral nations fairly entitled 10
reasonable delay In acting on q subject Of
point OF view, presented difficulties thai we,
perhaps, did hot fully appreciate. Certain II
II, that the action Of this Government on
the occasion, and its faithful performance OF
Its own engagements, have been such ns to
enic II to expect on the part Of fthose who sought
In their own interests mutual understanding, The
most scrupulOus adherence TO their own promises.
feel constrained to inform you that IN this ex-
peetaiion We have heen disappointed, and that not
only have the Governments which entered into
these arrangements yielded 10 the prohibition
against commerce with Us, which has been dicta-
ted by tha United States In defiance OF the law Of
nations, bufthat this concession OF their neutral
rights to our dctriment has moro than one Occa
sion been claimed liz intercourse with our enemies
"a an evidence offriendly feeling towards them.-
4 few extIacs from the correspondence Of Her
Majesiy's Chief Secretary Of State Tor Foreign Az
fairs will suffice 70 show marked encouragement 10
the United States 70 perseverc In its paper block
iy's Government would not contest Its validity.
On the 2lst May, 1861, Earl Russell pointed out
to the United States Minister In London that "the
blockade might no doubt be made effective. con
sderlng the small number oil harhors on the South
ern coast, even though tho extent Of 5000 miles
were comprehended in terms of that biockade.''
On the I4th January, 1852, Her Majesty's Minis
ter IN Washington communicated to hts Govern
nent that In extenuation Of the barbarous attempt
to destroy the port OF Charleston BY sinking stone
fleet in the harbor, Mr.. Seward had explained
''that the Government Of the United States had,
last spring, with havy very Iite prepared for so
extensive an operation, undertaken to blockade
upwards of 5000 miles OF coast. The Secretary
OF the Navy had reported that he could stop up the
large holes by means Of his ships, but that he
could not stop up the small Ones.' II had been
found necessary, therefore, to close some Of the
numerous small in!cts b. sinking vessels in tie
channel"
On the 9th of May, 1852, so far from claiming the
right Of British subjects neutrals trade with
Us as belfgert nts, and to disregard the blockade
on the ground of this explicit confession by our
enemy of his inability to render 1t effective, Her
Majes.y's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
claimed credit with the United States for friendly
action In respecting it. His lordship stated that
s'the United States Government, OH the allegation
of rebellion pervaang from nine to eleven States
OF the Union, have now, for more than twelve
months, endeavOred to maintain blockade OF
three thousand miles Of coas:. This blockade,
kept up IrIegu!arly, hut when enforced, enforced
severely, has seriously injured the trade and manu-
tactures of the United Kingdom. Thousands are
.f,,1.t
"" NV, o;n- -, .h;s h,ao Id. Va, rsr N.oas,v:
Cnyernmnn, have never sUusht 10 take advantage
OF the Obvious impcrfactions of this blockade In
order to declare it Ineffective They have, to the
loss and detsmeEt of the British nation, scrupu
lousy observed the duties OF Great Britain towards
d friendly State"
Again, OH ths 22d September, 1852, the same no.
b,e Earl asserted that the United States were every
far tndephD from being in ga condition 10 as Il other
nations 10 assume thai eve:y port of the coasts of
the so styed Confederate States is effectively
b!ockaded.n
Wher In view of these facts: of the obligation Of
the British nation TO adhere to the pledge made by
their Government at Paris In 1855 and renew ed 10
,his Confectionery in 1881: and of these repeaied
and cx,JcIt avowals Of the imperfec,ion, irreau.
larty, and inefIictency Of the pretended blockade
of our coast I directed our Commissioner at Lon
don to call uuon the British Government 10 redeem
is promise and to withhold its me raj aid and sane
ton from the f2srant violation Of public law CON-
mitied By our enemies, we were informed that Her
Majesty's Government could not regard the block
ade Ofihe Southern ports as having been otherwise
than ssprac,caIly effective" in February, 1862, and
that ssthe manner In which il has since been en-
forced gives TO neutral Governm nts no excuse for
asserting that the bloc kade has not been efficiently
maintained" We were further informed, when
we Insisted that by the terms of our agreement no
blockade was to he considered effective unless
s.sufficient really to prevent coast"
that the declaration Of Paris was In truth, direc.
ed ;.gatrs bl0ckades tot sustained ny any actual
force. or sustained by a notoriously inadequate
free, such IA the occasional appearance of a man
Of war In the offingsOr the likc.n
:, ,v,, ,m,,ssih,a tho, ,his ,code of cons,ruipu
~ We .s,.ap, .p ssn ~ " ~ n,So iss ,arms maan .i
. a r. .auass, oT MA, ,I,ev li,iniv conveyed
uoma ., ,So rat,,"ai os ,ha R,i,;.h Gnvr,nmcn 70
.a,.a; s ~ honud hv ito aareement -or ioncer IN rr
.ran, ,hoSs s,,ic,es of The derIsrn,ion az raris
pht.h h,d hacn renaa,edlv denounced nv Brtish
~ Mn.e.. 49," nI ia taa, ohor. .,art,e,i hr Eari
n..om S ""o~, i.n.uda,,,, ana s:moSt unsa,is.
fasS.,, wy ~