The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-11-29
The Shenandoah and the British Gov
eminent.

The discharge Of Capt. Waddel and his
crew by the Br fish authorities was uncon-
ditional, and not restricted by parole as first
reported. We should not be toe quick in
constituting this to be an unfriendly act Of
the new Cabinet. The fact that our Minis
ter did not ask the detention Of any one
connected with the chip is an indication
that in his judgment no such claim could
be sustained. In our present limited
knowledge Of the facts, il is our business
10 assume that he RETAINED from acting for
good reasons. We cannot consistently blame
the British Government for falling 10
make an extradition which was never de-
handed.
Moreover, the surrender Of the Shenan-
d0ah b our Consul 81 Liverpool a. a Conied-
crate war vessel, and his acceptance Of the
ship in that character, precludes US from
all complaint against the British authorities
for dlscharging the officers and crew. We
could have no claim for the extrad ton Of
tiose men, except as pirates. Whether
piracy committed upon ships on the high
sess comes within tn scope Of the Ashbur-
ton treaty, which relates only TO fslonies
committed "within the jurisdiction" OF
either nation, is a debatable point. But
we're our claim for the extradit0n for piracy
under the treaty ever 50 clear, we should be
estopped from pursuing It by our acceptance
Of the ship as q Confederate vessel OF war
II the vessel itself retained that belligerent
character, no hostile act committed against
our commerce by those 90 board of il could
have been piraucal. Having accepted the
Shenandoah as a Confederate vessel, Il is
not Tor US 10 denounce the British Govern
ment for treating its officers and crew as
mere belligereuts, and not trying them for
piracy in its own tribunals.
We l. fra~.~ Nafs he's - - Il
offence Of piracy was committed. Conceding
that the Shenandoah had a belhgereut char
acter up TO the elose Of the rebellion, and
indeed up TO the time when the news Of that
close reached the seas which the ship was
injecting, it then lost that character, and
became q cruiser without q Gag. Capt. We'd
dell's pretence that he continued 20 sail for
months in ignorance that the C0ufederacy
no longer existed, Is bald impotence. He
had no official notification Of the fact, and
could have none, because the authority
which commissioned him no longer existed.
But American Captains have made afida-
Wit that they personally made known 10 him
the fact Of the termination Of the war long
before he ceased 20 make war. What is
more, probably not one Of the vessels which
he boarded and destroyed during the sum
mer months was without some Newspaper
from the Paeiic coast, or other quarter,
Astounding with conclusive evidence that the
Coniederaey had come 10 an end There
has not been a copy Of an American news
paper published Tor the last seven months
from which any man not absolutely idiOiic
could not gather that the Richmond Gov
eminent was no longer in existence. Wad-
dell unique tionably knew all through the
summer that he was robbing and burning
without any living authorityi and yet, ac-
cording to his own published statement, il
was tho very last day Of summer before he
shipped his guns and stopped his work.
Whatever he may originally have been, he
became pirate TO all intenls aud purposes E
and no pirate ever more richly deserved
hanging. We're be in the hands Of our
Government, hanging would almost GER
tainl be his fate. But as the matter has
turned, be has as good a prospect as an y
other men Of dying in his bed. IL is q Gu
rious result, and not very creditable TO the
boasted civilization and law Of the age
n. 2. Tines.