Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-28
OUR CLAIMS ON ENGLAND.
ADAIs-RUsSELL COR
RESPONDENTS.
England Held Responsible for the
OepredatfOns of Rebel Cruisers
Arbitration Declined by England
Russell q Commission.

The telegraph has already furnished
our readers with a synopsis of the impor-
tantJ correspondence between Minister
Adams and Earl Russell in reference to
the claims of the American upon the Eng
lish Government for compensation for
damages done to our shipping by rebel
privateers fitted up in English ports. The
correspondence first appeared in the Lon
don Gazette of the 18th inst, and was
published, in whole or in part, by the New
York papers of Thursday. Its great
Iength-it occupies fifteen columns III the
New York papers, prevents us from pub
fishing it in full, but we have prepared a
condensation of it which presents the es-
sential points to u readers;
NO. L.
MR.. ADAMS TO Mr.. KUssELL-ENGLAND
HELD RESPONSIBLE.
LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
LONDON, April I.
My LORD: 1 have the honor to trans
nit to you a copy of a letter addressed to
the Secretary of State at Washington by
the Consul of the United States at Rio
Janeiro, Mr.. Monroe, making a report of
the d~epredations committed upon the
commerce of the United States by the
vessel known in the port of London as
| the Sea King, but since transformed into
the Shenandoah by a process already fully
explained in anote which / had the honor
to address to your Lordship on the 18th Of
November last.
Were there any reasons to believe that
| the operations carried on in the ports of
Her Majesty S Kingdom and its DEEPEN
denotes to maintain and extend this sys-
tematic depreciation upon the commerce OF
| a friendly people had been materially re-
! Taxed or prevented, 1 should not be under
the painful necessity of announcing to
your Lordship the fact that my Govern
ment cannot avoid entailing upon the
Government of Great Britain the respon-
sibility for this damage.
/ am by no means insensible to the ef-
forts which nave already been made, and
are yet making, by her Majesty's Govern
ment, to put a stop to such outrages / this
kingdom and its dependencies. Neither
can l permit myself to doubt the favora.
BILE disposition of her ministers to main
tain amicable relations with the Govern
ment which 1 represent.
While perfectly readyt to bear testimony
to the promptness with which all the nu'
merous remonstrances and representation
which it has been my painful duty here
tofore to submit lave been met and attend
ed TO by your Lordship, it is, at the ami
time, impossible for me to dispute the fac
that the hostile policy which it is the OBJ
iect of all this labor to prevent has no
only not been checked, but is even nov
going into execution with more and NOR
complete success
Mr.. Adams declares that this policy j
substantially the destruction Of the entir
mercantile navigation of the Unite
States, and that it is going OH by the &C
operation of English subjects with insul
gents. He proceeds to ask if there is an
; parallel case to this, of injuries done OF
nation by another without the most serioi
practical consequences. He acquits hi
, Maiesty's Government of any aggressiN
disposition, but insists that their measure
however well intended, have failed to rem
edy the evil. He continues:
, Prompt to acquit them of any design,
am reluctantly compelled to a~cknowledl
the belief that practically this evil had
origin in the first step taken, which new
e can be regarded by my government tina
y in any other light than as precipitate,
, acknowledging persons as a belligere
Power on the ocean before they had q 81
d gle vessel of their W to show foatll
IS upon it. The result ofthat proceeding b
bsa- that tho pawor IN question. 50 far
it can be entitled to the nam of a belli
erent on the ocean at all, 'OdS actual
$ created IN consequence of the recognize
Ie and not before; and all that it has subs
h quently attained of such a position b
been through the labor of the subjects
the very country which gave it the shelf
1t of that title in advance. Neither is t
l. whole case stated w now. The resu
N equally show that the ability to contin
these operations with success during t
whole term of the four years that the W
ie has continued has been. exclusively owl
re to the opportunity to make use OF Il
lie granted right of a belligerent in
p courts and the ports and harbors OF
verv Power that furnished The elements
its existence at the outset. In other wor
lie the kingdom cf Great Britain cannot /
be regarded by the government l nave I
IT honor to represent as not only havl
given birth to to this naval belligerent, |
> also as having nursed and maintained 1t
: the present hour.
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