Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-04-25

Captain MAury as an impudent fraud and forgery.
The statement given by that officer should have been
conclusive, and, questioness conclusive with the'
public generally, and even with the Ministry. Earl
Russell must have known that the report spurious,
because it bore internal evidences Of fraud Bat in the
absence Of these evidences he had right to treat it
as genuine while il lacked all attestations which alone
sntitle public document to be regarded portion
Of the official record Of another government and while
t was denounced and disputed by the agents of the
Government TO which it attributed. recital Of
the grounds on which Russell assumed to accept and
act this impudent forgery shows very plainly that he
hunting for Anylpretsxt which might lend shadow
classification TO the coWardly course he has so long
meditated. Iappears that be obtained his information
concerning the discredi,ed report from two sour
ces-LOrd Lyons and the United States Government
and its agents-these constituting, in fact, but one
source--ths Yankee Secretary of State On the oath
Of December Lord Lyons sends home extract from
the Washington Star OF December 10Th, headed'"A
Miserable Coups-Memminger aud Mallory in Mud
de" accompanied With what in Lord Lyons language,
ppOs to be part Of Report of the Secretary Of the
sO-ead Confederate Treasury and Navy" Ga the Slst
of December he transmits another newspaper extract this
time from the New York Times. His previous latent
doubts appear now to DO removed, and "he has the
honor to enclose complete copy of the Re-
por! Of the Secretary of the so-called Consed
crate Navy" Hs has evidently had his instructions
from Seward and ia determined assist in consumma-
ling the eOEardy and contemplate conspiracy. Mr..
Adams, too transmits the sans extract but has the
cun0ing to guard his position by speaking of it
"WhAt plrpOrls to be the Annual Report of Mr.. s. R.
Mallory, the person who is known to be officiating
director of the naval operations of the insurgents in
the United States" although" continues Mr.. Adams,
this paper has been received only in the form here
presented entertain tle doubt that in substance it
may be relied on authentic"
This constitutes all he evidence on which Earl Rus
sell accepted as part of the public records of friendly
nation, document he has made the basis of acrimo-
NOUS and even hostile remonsrances. He rsiuied to
credit the dsuals of the agents of the Confederate Gov
ernment He aside the salient facts that the paper
frs: appeared in Yankee publications. that il had never
been Published at the South that it brought to
his notice by the Representatives of country at
with the ConfedeTaey, but who did not even them
selves VOu,h for its authenticity; aud that the very
circumstance which made it vAluabl, to Seward. was
the very fact which should have demonstrated to be
spurious For was in the highest degree absurd 10
suppose that the very evidence which Adams had been
securing England procure, snd which Russell him
SELF and the aH officers Of the Crown had vanly tried
to obtain would be deliberately furnished By the Con-
GederAts Government the very party against whom it
was to be used. But the trick appeared serve Rus,
sells purpose and he slow to avail himself OF it,
To such Statesmen he IL suggested itself master
piece Of ingenious diplomacy propi.iate the Yankees
and hOodWnk his own people at the same time and to
Offset the nfamy of abjsct trucking to the United
StAtss by the cheap glory Of bullying the Confed-
erscy.
But after all by what right does Earl Russell presume
to lecture the Confederate Government on its obga-
tons and its duties towards foreign Governments? 1t
not pretended that the COnfederacy has violated in
ternaonal Law. Nor is it asserted that the Oonedera
cy lie agents have violated tle statute law of
Stripped Of les diplomatic euphemsm1 his despatch re-
solves itself into simple nonsense 50 far as presents
any tangible Of complaint Could Earl Russell bring
his case against tie COnfedsraey before a competent
tribunal he would certainly be turned out of Court and
the cause dismissed for lack of ground Of action He
admits by implication, and events have proved that
no evidence be found to mplCaie the COnfederacy
in any attempt to violate English law The efforts
which have been made ami pertinaciously urged, to
connect Confederate agents with such attempts, have
utterly failed IT, indeed those agents had been guilty.
and If the evidence against them could have been pro
cured, they would have been amenAble to trial and
punishment Bat it lie clear, that the great cause of
complaint is not that we have violated the law but that
We have not violated it, NOthrg would have
pleased Russell more than to be able to convict Con-
iederate officers agents in England of an infrac.ion
of the statute; for be then would have been able to
satisfy Seward and the Yankees without disgracing
himself in the eyes of his psOpe and of the world
Failing in this, he has the mpudence to assume that
what he has failed prove in his Courts Of Justice
the President will be Amiabe enough ald stupid enough
admit And proceeding up,n this extraordinary as
sumpon be makes that pretsX for uniriendy and in
deed hostile against another nation which
even if proved against individual within British jurs
dcton would amount at most to Even hal
the SE bssn violated, the pessons I'd ia its in
fraction would be amenAbls 20 the p:opSr peaaly But
is found that any such nractioa has been con-
mtted. The and the law officers have sought in
vain for proof They have not found and Earl Rus
sell is in a quandAry. He must satisfy Seward He
must avert impending Yankee wrath and he must keep
his own people in a good humof. There is only one
recourse opeu to him. DpOm ICY is uashacked by the
ressrainst Of statute law 1t demands no proofs i.
calls for witnesses. He viii that the Coincide
rates in the wrong that they attacking British
law aud muddying the limpid streams Of British honor
aud be will boldly thai President Davis knows
it and will not deny IT, So the Yankees may go on
ssizng British ships ~ithou: warrant Ofright; may day
by day violate ioterra al law iasut the British Gag
outrage British subjects and from all tless real grew
aness the attention Of the British people may DO divert
ed by directing it towards faneied wrong or What
would be at worst vsnial the part of the Con-
ederacy. But Rus ell is SO confirmed charatan that
be, perhaps, deludes even himself Hs longer sees
how tlngled is the web which the deceiver weaves
and how sp. he is DO clugh in tho msshss he has