The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-12-13
The FLORIDA AFFAIR.
General Nebb's Letter TO the Brazil
ian Government.

United States Minister at Rio Janeiro,
to the Brazilian Secretary of State,
opens by a statement that he has re-
ceived, at the time of writing October
l4th) no official information Of the cap
ture of the Florida, other than that
contained in letter Of the Brazilian
Minister Of Foreign Affairs. He pro-
tests against the title of vessel of war
applied to the Florida He says:
THE war now waRing between the
Government of the United States on
the one part, and the Southern people
on the other, commenced on the 18th
of April, 1861, and was known in Eng
land about the LIST of May in the same
year. Six days afterward Lord John
Russell, Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, declared in the House of Coms
mons that probably the English Gov
eminent would recognize these rebels
as belligerent power, and fifteen days
after the English Government received
notice that rebellion had broken out
in our country misfortune to which |
all nations are subject, and from which |
neither England nor Brazil are exempt |
the Queen of England, by proclama.
ton, recognized those in rebellion |
against the Government at Washington |
as belligerent power, and as possess
ing in her ports all the rights and priv |
ileges of belligerents, thus considering |
them in every respect equal to those !
against whom they rebelled In brief, |
England degraded the Government of
the United States to the level of those |
who are in open rebellion against its |
authority, and elevated the rebels to
position of equality with a powerful |
nation, with which she had protested a
disposition to entertain the most friend /
ly relations, both commercial and po-
liticaL
This act of the British Government /
was as much eaSMs bslH as would have |
been the recognition of the indepen-
dence and sovereignty of the 40 called |
Confederate States. 1t would unques-
tionably have been so considered if /
France and other European powers had
not Immediately sustained the great |
injustice of England, to which Brazil |
also, as soon as possible, gave her sane
ton and approval
The undersigned does not undertake /
to say that, by adopting such course,
Brazil was actuated by any hostile SEN
timent to q neighboring and always |
friendly power, and one which has al
ways recognized the obligations exist 4
ing between herself and the States of /
this continent, to sustain reciprocally i
the American system of politics as dis
tinct from that of Europe 1t is quite
probable that she SO proceeded, because
it is the custom of Brazil to follow q
policy in accordance with that recOg-
nizsd by the European powers. New
ertheless, cannot but regard the act as
precipitate, badly inspired, and mani
fest injustice toward neighboring and
friendly power.
After avowing the friendship which
tn United States Government cherish
es toward Brazil, Mr. Webb continues:
Animated by such sentiments for Bra
I'll, the Government of the United
States will feel regret at learning that
a commander in the navy, without any
instructions or authority whatever,
took upon himself the responsibility to
capture one of the piratical cruisers of
our rebels while she was anchored in
the port of Bahia; and the undersign-
ed believes himself to be authorized to
assure your excellency that all the rec
paration which honor and justice exact
viii be freely offered, and much more
freely and promptly than if the act had
been committed by an American cruis-
er in the waters Of the most powerful
nation of the world. But, while max
ing this reparation, the Governments of
the United States will offer. without
doubt, heramende honorable under protest.
She will say to Brazil that she denies
IN toto to any nation.or nations as soon as
rebellion breaks out in the dominlons
Of any friendly power, and without any
examination or Investigation whatever,
and without knowing or pretending to
know the merits of the contest, the
right to declare that the rebels con-
stitute a belligerent power, and by
means of proclamation open to them
all the ports. of the world on terms
equal to those conceded to the nation
against which they rebel She will
maintain that inasmuch as the nation
atty of the rebels was not recognized,
they cannot clothe their ships with the
necessary TO give them the
character Of men of.war. AlLtheir yes
sells consequently, are neither more nor
less than pirates. Submitting, howev
or, as she has done, because she is OBJ I
liged to do so, and recognizing the right
of those pirates to enjoy the protection
in the ports of England and France,
simply because she cannot resist it, the
Of the United States will
not withhold from Brazil one iota Of
that PREPARATION which, under the same
and in her present en-
barrassed position, she would be OF
lived 70 concede TO ENGLAND.