Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-07-07
From the London Index, June ID.
PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.
THE MERsFY sTEAM-RaMs

THE MERsEY STEAM RAMS.
On Monday ia the H ouse of Commons, MIR. Hodg-
kinsOn, reference to the Solicitor Generals statement
in the Cont of Exchequer on Thursday last that the
of the Attorney General Laird and others, rea
ting the seizure of the Confederate rams had bsen
arranged asked the Attorney General whether the
raugement a1ded to involved the purchase of these
vessels and If 80, whether oDy at their fair value,
at some higher price; whether the nducement to the
Grown to make such arrangement was a doubt as to
he construction and application CT the provisions of
lAe Foreign Enlistment Act with regard to eq0ippng
and arming vessels whether it part of the terms
Of arrangement that the alleged misdemeanour under
the 7th section of the Foreign Enlistment Act should
be ccndoned by the Grown, that no claim for
peDsaton for the seizure should be made by the deen
dants and whether any legislation would be proposed
in order to obvate in future the doubts and difficulties
attending the construction and enforcing of the For
elgn Enlistment Act and thus prevent the arrangement
OF the recent case operating premium to shpbuil
ders to speculate building vessels of for belig
etents
The Attorney General replied In answer to the
question Of the hon. gentleman it will be necessary for
me to make short statement to the House. The
House is probably that in the month of Septem-
bersoue time before the seizure OF these yeeselsthe
Government applied to the persons representing them
selves be tie OF these ships expressing their
willingness if they really in the hands of bona fde
owners to tleat for 1.-THE purchase of them At that
time the overture made by the Government was
trey Intellectual and the seizure afterwards took place.
No overture subsequently made by the Government
ment some time ago. Offering the ships in question to the
Government at price named which in the opinion of
the Government did not represent their fair value but
was, in fact much higher price That overture was
simply and absolutely declined, aud no further conmu
ncatons made having any tendency to lead to
arrangement. The party, and mention his name
M. Bravay-afterwards renewed the application in
another form. He stated that be DESTROYS Of know
ing whether there were any pecunary terms which the
Government, on their part, would be willing to
offer, by means OF which the matter might be
brought to end it being understood that
no Emission to be asked from the one party to tie
effect that violation of the law had been comm tied
from the other the contrary that the adj
mraity by the assistance they were able to command,
ascertaned what in their opinion would be the fair
value, stating that they prepared, for the reasons
assigned to put end to TIE matter of the terms oil
paying the fair value of the vessels but not on the terms
of paying any other greater price, That value was
very much less than the named, and very much
less than the parties stated they would be able to OBJ
tain from any other purchasers they could command
They accordingly closed with the offer made by the
Government Ine hon. gentleman further asks wheth-
er the inducemen to the Drown to make euch
ment doubt rs to the construction and appAca'
ton of the provisions OF the Foreign Enlistment A CT
with regard to the eq1ipping and armI1g OF vessels.
In answer to that question may say that the House
is perfectly we'll able to judge what the doubts are which
apperan to the subject, but may in reference to this
particular case add that doubts TO the construction
the Act in regard had considerable place in the
into the arrangement to which have refrrred-
| The motives of the Grown were rather these,-Wher
the question before the Courts OF the fact as
ell as of law, it would not have been In accordance
with the experience OF those acquainted with tie un-
certainty attending the administration of justice to as
sune with 100 absolute confidence that the verdict
however strong the Grown might feel IN the goodness
of its case would necessarily be in its avour more par
ticulay matter in which, to say the least of It, pc
tcal feeling might exercise Influence the result
The Crown could not therefore, take it for granted tina
thew would, as matter of course be successful but
am at the same me bound to say that 1t Was not any
| donbt in the mind of the law officers OF the CroWI
that they had good which they might hope
succeed that induced them their side 10 enter nt(
i this arrangement. Beside the advantage to the puoh
of securing those public objects for which, and not TO
the sake OF nfictog any loss forfeiture upon indlvd
nails the seizures had been made these consideration
onerated on the mind OF the Crown. - the hss place
there certainly had been prevang great end consider
BILE uncertainty III the public mind as to the extent u
/ which a subject might 60 IN the way OF ouhoipg %
eouippipg saIps for beligerents without infringing th
/ law It was well known that before these secure
took place, opinions he'd been given by which ndiVd-
uals might have been encouraged to believe that the
| were safe in acting On view OF the law con1rar!
| to that on which the Government might 81
advised to act. Consequently there we're grounds 10
believing that British subjects in this country had o.
Tended against the law under bona de impression
| that they were not doing So Then the Cfo"L
had tie case or the Pampero in Scotland ID view,
which they had recently made arrangements upon tn
sane--as | venture to think them-iberal principals
1t had allowed the ship to remain in the haods OF til
owners, not insisting upon the forfeiture but upon u
terms that security should be given against Its oegeen
endowment 10 this particular case the ships are goo
ships which it is worth the while OF the nation 20 pos
sess at their fair and legitimate value At the sam
time it was felt that the possession of the ships oy To
nation would be complete and satisfactory 'ecur
ty against their employment for bel2erent PafPosst
than any other engagement into which it was possio
to enter Under these circumstances, the Crown DC
caring to make money out of the transaction, or to 10
ct pecuniay loss the individuals concarnea lis Ia
advisers thought they at liberty to dealt WITH u
defendants in this they bad done in another case