The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-11-16

y
7th OF April last, IN which he calls tho
attention Of Earl Rqssoll 70 sbe oiaeial
reports respecting tho ravagus Of the
Shenandoah, and announces thatfo
the damages eauaed BY such orpisers
his Goyeranent cannot avoid enfailipg
che responsibility on Groat Britain.
The reply of Earl RnssaIi ib dated
May 4. LIE says the duties of Great
Britain toward the United efatsslars
not measured by The loss which The
commerce. OF the latter may have sus-
tainei. The question is simply wheth.
er tho Queens Government have faith
fully and honestly performed the du-
ties which international lnws and thcir
own muuiciplo laws imposed npsn
them.
Thereby Of Mr. Adams Is dated
Nay i. He says chat the insurgcn t.
became belligerents on the ocean sole
ly by reason Of the facilities furnished
in her Majesty's ports for them to do
50. He complains Of the seoset SYM
patty Of her Majesty's officers in the
port Of Liverpool, and contends that
after the information which he sap
piled respecting the Alabama, it was
By the dagrGnt negligence Of her Maj
esty's Board OF Customs, that this YES
sci, admitted 10 be intended for war
purposes, was suffered to depart from
Liverpool. f.o
An interval OF threo months elapsed
between tho above letter and Earl
Russell's reply to Il.
2 In response, Earl Russeli's proceeds
to justify the course Of Her Majestyin
recognizing the beiiigerents, ana rea-
sons are given why there was extreme
difficulty in giving orders to exclude
from British ports russcIs Of war part
ly fitted up IN the United Kingdom?
A very important point is referred
TO in this letter. Earl Russell notices
statement in q letter from Mr.. Ad-
ans in 1862, as to the Government at
Washington being ready to refer these
disputes to arbitration. rEt.1s
Earl Russell declines this offer, and
says it is o question, in the first place,
whether the Queens Government have
acted in good isith in maintaining
their neutrality, and in the second
place, whether the Law Officers Of the
Grown have correctly interpreted o
British statute. Earl Rnsscll contin-
use: "The Queens Government can
refer neither Of these questions to ar
bitration." The words used by him
are as follows: @ "
Her Majesty's Government are tho
sole guardians of their own honor
They cannot admit they have acted
with bad faith, in maintaining the
neutrality they professcd. The Law
officers OF the crown must be held to
be better interpreters Of British Stat
ute than any foreign government can
be presumed to be Her Majesty's Gov
ernment must therefore decline to
make preparation and compensation
for captures made by the Alabama, or
to refer the question to any foreign
state. Her Majesty's Government
conceive that if they were TO act 9TH
erwise they would endanger the posi-
tion of neutrals in all future wars
Her Maiesty's Government are, how.
ever, ready to consent to the appoint
ment OF q commission, to which shal
be referred all claims arising during
the late civil war which the two pow
ers shall agree to refer to the commits
sioners." .r .is1+s 1eB
The reply of Mr.. Adams, is datec
the 18th Of September and is very SO
rious in its tone.
Mr.. Adams considers that there i
: now no dispute as to-the fact that th'
recognition OF the South as belliger
ents was such an act as was never dom
by one nation toward another in {
: state Of amity. He charges the Brit
, ish Government with having acteC
without knowledge and upon mer
presumption in assuming that tho ev
t idence Of the blockade of the Souther
) ports was mperiect. The blockade
. lie SAYS, was the consequence, not th
5 cause uf British policy. He think
that the only excuse FOR the Britis
: Government is, that its conduct wa
, precipitate. He then ,intimates that
: the doctrines and practices oi the Brit
c ish Government are allowed TO becom
/ the rule, the United States will not b
r the greatest losers thereby. z..
ur. Adams does not appear to thin
+ thatthe proposal of Earl Russell to r.
! fer the questions in dispute to Con
, mission will be accepted by the Unite
! States Government.
The Times and the Post are sileI
on the correspondence.
: The Daily News says: "Besides tn
r magnitude of the questions atfcctin
n neutrnls, the matters in dispute o.
:, closely connected with the maintain
# ance of friendly relations betwee
i. England and America
!: The Star, in referring to the escar
of the Alabama from England, r
marks: 'Thero may, perhaps, be mel
ligenco, without such gross culpabll
ty as to render lis liable for the dan
!. ages which the escaped privateer pc
petratcd. But il our views on the
questions should differ from those
the United States, and they should i
sist as peremptorily upon their CLAIM
as we upon our denial of responsible!
!. ty, what then? Are we to run u
risk of rnpture rather than consent
an arbitration" i3ps .34a
ThoStar awaits the Instructions tro
the United States Government vi
much apprehension, and does not 9
what effect it will have upon the ter