Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-02-23
sauisas and tha United sta tes.

siderable Importance. Inc seventh SEES
zion Of the present parliament had been
ecently opened, in which an interesting
debate with reference to American az.
fairs occurred. Earl Russell justifes To
the fullest extent his policy Of neutrality
between the "belllgerentsn OF this cOun-
try He seems TO think that disposi-
zion has been manifested on our part to
make unfounded accusations against his
government because 1t has allowed q
belligerent character to the "Confeder-
ate States On this point he remarks
as follows.
MY lords, looking at the character
Of the contest, looking at the immense
territory possessed by the eonfederates
and looking at the great operations of
war which they have carried on, what
could her Majestys government do but
allow them the character OF belliger-
ents ? (Cheers.) l know of no instance
where there has been so mighty an en-
terprise as that civil war now carried
on by the confederates, in which the
belligerent character has not been al
lowed by the neutral states"
From this we perceive that the noble
Ear has very great reverence for his
torical presidents. We believe he can
And old musty records which will af-
ford precedent for granting belligerent
rights to the merest rag, tag mob Of
males and females that ever bawled and
shrieked for bread in the streets of Lon
don or Paris. No matter what interests
are involved, OF moral, religious civil
and social nature, there is no criterion
by which he can judge Of the propriety
OF measure but the question whether
history contains any instance in which
20 mighty an enterprise was not digni-
Ned with the honor of belligerent. Even
This idea must be regarded as an after
thought on the part Of Lord Russell,
for he made indecent haste to recognize
the rebels as belligerents long before he
could possibly know anything definite
about the greatness of their operations.
With regard to indemnity for spoila-
tions committed by the Alabama and
other vessels which "had their original
build in England" the noble Earl is
slightly non committal, but the follow
ing paragraph expresses his views as
nearly as we can get at them:
/ must say, looking to the reason of
the thing, looking at all the presidents,
INF L.
the declarations that were made while
the United States government them
selves, in the case of the Spanish and
Portuguese war, when there were ships
of-war directly fitted out from the United
States ports during the South American
contest, which preyed on the commerce
OF Spain and Portugal must say that
such claim on the part of the United
States government upon this country
would be entirely unjust"
In reply to some remarks OF Earl Der
by with regard to the irritation" of
this country on account Of rebel move
ments in England and Canada, his lord
ship has the grace and magnanimity to
speak as follows:
II do say it is natural that they
should feel irritation. But they ought
at the same time certainly to ask this
question-whether her Majesty govern
ment have done everything which the
law of nations authorizes, and the mu-
nicipal law of this country permits, to
prevent this country being made the
basis Of warlike operations, so as to in
volve us in a war against the United |
States. / do not feel at all surprised
chat the government of the United States
should be annoyed and feel deeply that
those who are the friends of those states |
should have their territories made the |
basis of these operations. So again
with regard to Canada. The noble earl
seems to imagine that the United States,
without any reason wha ever, but from
mere hostility, as he called it, against
this country, had denounced that useful
convention with regard to the lakes.
But the case was this: The confederate
government, apparently determined, i'll
Possible, 10 involve thts country in war.
finding their own resources not sufficient
to carry on successful war, sent per-
sons into the lakes, which are not in the
confederate territory, which are no part
OF our own territory, but which belong
either to the United States or to the
United Kingdom Of Great Britain-they
sent agents into those territories to seize
ships that were navigating the lakes
with a view to take possession by force of
men of.wsr and other ships belonging
10 the United States, and to set free
prisoners of war in those states. say
again 1t Is not wonderful that the United
States, considering the Canadian lakes
the possession Of a sovereign friendly to
them, should be indignant when they
found that operations Of war were car
riad on in those lakes. Well, they adopt
ed mode which again / think was not
unnatural. They say that II they re-
main in those lakes without any arms-
ments-with nothing but unarmed ships,
the confederates will seize those ships,
and make war upon the Canadian lakes
lis a very painful thing, and matter
which may become dangerous to the
United States and Great Britain, II they
are obliged to put an end to or suspend
that convention which has been so use
ful In contributing to the peace OF the
two countries; but at the same time l