The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-17
1@a8hrille @lniou.
VIZ. CAMEROY 4 CO.. PublIshers.
SUNDAY. DECEMBER Il. 1875.
Earl RusseII's Apology for the Is
cape of the Alabama.

lOrdship has repeated the phrase so often
- that be has come 20 believe It himself, ana
doubtless thinks that he has impressed It.
to'ce upon others. Its obvious design is Q,
ID mitigate, If possible, that "scandsl ana re-
prOach' which the late Foreign Secretary
IS himself constrained to adnis attaches 10
British connection with the oUilt Of Che
Alabama.
OF course, in this, his latest repetition OF
the phrase, in the letter OF the 81 of No
= Vember, Earl Russell is not jusiifyiBg the
Government against any such expose Of the
real facts attending the escape Of that yes
eel, IS have attempted 10 bring together in
my late communication to your Journal Of
the 18th Of November. Indeed, that com
municati0n can hardly have been brought
10 Mr.. Adams notice more than a day o.
two since, though its substance may posi-
bly, nave been already anticipated by him
n ms later CORES pOndence with the Fore On
Office. But the Lave Foreign Secretary, in
reviewing and cOntesting the whole grounds
Of our complaints sgainst the British Gov
ernment for its failure TO observe a Just
neutrality, as he does his last letter before
quitting office 70 become Prime Minister
had naturally enough fallen into one Of his
old formulas about the Alabama case, and
paraies it for the half-dozeneth-I believe
1 might say d0zeneth-time in justification
Of British neutrality. As it thus furnishes
me fit opportunity TO supplement 10 my
late communicztionS something which
there left IN. aid, and which Judge quite
an interesting if not an important develop
ment in regard to our complaints Of British
unneutral conduct, / ask the favor Of your
columns to bring forward few more par
ticulars relative to the history Of the hnal
/ launch of the Alabama expedition.
! propose to show that, so far from the
! Alabams's escaping by trick or the false |
| pretence Of e pleasure party, as Earl Rus
sell So persistently asseverates, the Liver |
| pool customs officials knew all about the |
pleasure party" accompanying her down
| the Mersey, and s bout the subsequent return
/ Of the party 10 Liverpool before the Ala
/ bama quilted Besumaris Bay, and whileshs
was still within their reach, and that if sny
I trick or false preteree were employed on tbs |
part Of the Alsbama people, it was not foF
the purpose Of deceiying the Government /
officials, but, on the contrary, 10 bIiud /
American Vigilance, and enable the abettors /
Of the escape Of the vessel 20 effect their /
object all the more securely. In short, if /
there was any trick or pretence about it, the /
pretence was one of which the Liverpool
custom house officials were openly and
avowedly eognizaht, and to which they
must have knowingly and designedly lent
helping hand.
A'aAs-H lAut4llS LAN HEbuA OF mess aseer-
tons, must first premise that il is a little
singular that Earl Russell should not be
aware how he contradicts his own pleading
by this new point Of false pretence. The
British Governments case, if / understand
it, is, that the law advisers of the crown
having at last given their opinion on the
Zsth OF July, 1862, in favor Of the stopping !
Of the Alabama, the necessary order to thai
effect was issued, but before il reached Liv-
Il q -. A#.E.. l.. 4
cape. Now, If the Foreign Secretary pleads !
that the Alabama escaped before his order ;
reached her, and IN fsct-as he in another ,
connection leaves it 10 be inferred-before =
the order itself was actually issued, what I
matters il whether she took on board | :
pleasure party OF any other set Of Confeder- :
ate friends before starting? If the FOREIGN | =
Office did its duty in sending OF the order
for her seizure as soon as itcOuld Legitimate. ,
ly do so, Of what consequence IS il whether | =
before that time the Messrs and Misses Z
Laird and their Confederate associates had I,
on board the new craft for pic i
mic excursion down the Mersey? Does the .
idea Of trlck or false pretence at all helm Z
the Governments case Of having used due !,
diligence7 And, on the contrary, does not :,
tue new plea tend to raise q uspiciou that =
the other position Of due diligence cannot be r
safely relied upon?
Leaving his Lordship to explain that as !,
he deems most satisfactory, proceed to in +
.rOduce my testimony TO prove that he is l.
quite mistaken in saying that the escape Of Il
the Alabama was due 10 ga trick" or to "the =
false pretcnce Of q pleasure party" I shall p
call but two wI,nesses-beth well known 10 | =,
fame for their acquaintance with or partici- j
patton in the fnai setting forth Of the vessel :,
Mr.. John Laird, and the collector of Liv- !
srpool, s. Price Edwards.
In order fifty 10 point Mr.. Laird's asser-
lions which I am about 70 quote FIRST, il
seems necessary TO recall Earl Ruszell's n
earliest use Of this apology of the escape Of +
he Alabama being favored by the false =
oretence OF pleasure party.
IL appears, then, that when the British
Foreign Secretary first met the American
Minister after the departure Of the Alabama !
rom Liverpool and undertook to give him :
IN explanation Of how it happened his 10 d. =
ihip was altogether silent about this matter !,
If the pleasure party. This interview oc- :
'urred August l, 1862, three days after the .
Alabama dropped down from the LIVERPOOL :
locks, and the particulars Of the explana- !,
ions are given by Mr.. Adams in a dispatch !,
o his Government Of that date. They NAV
De found BY any one who Is curious 10 e1-
mine the earliest British apology for the u
flair, in the regular Congressional docu. o
nents Of the year following. Presidents /
DOSAGE for 1868, p. 1897 Not word Is q
here said by Earl Russell about any trick j.
II false pretence. The Foreign Secretary q
ecurs 20 the subject again, some seven U
weeks later, in formal dispatch, bearing d
late September %, 1882, Blue Book, 1858: | n
Sorth American, No. , correspondence re- b
psetIng the Alsbama, p, III in which he W
the leading facts about the 8
Ileged breach Of neutrality, and is again | P
'qually silent upon the head referred to
Recurring TO the same subject in q dispatcb | as
o Mr.. Adams, Of great length, three mouths al
alter, under date Of December 18Th, 1862. | b
H., p. 25,) he is once more entirely reserved 70
u this point Finaly-for the first time. m
Is far as ! can discOver-in 4 letter ad- m
dressed to Mr.. Adams, under date Of Janu. &C
ny goth, ls6S, (lb. p. i5,) he uses this Ian el
.uage: Of
The opinion Of the law officers, until the Ia
eceipt Of which her Aajssty's Government II
oulG MOI act, was delivered al the Foreign
)ffice on the 29th Of July; but in the morn NJ
ng Of that day the Alabama, under pretext In
4 pleasure excursion, escaped from Liver 81
,ool. j
This dispatch was published in the Par N
iamentsry Blue Books, snd in due time TO
lund its way 20 the House Of Commons. m
'rsyious to IT, publication, however, as m
nfer, Mr.. John Laird, member from Biz to
.enhead. made his hrst speech IN the so
House Of Commons on the Alabama question. ca
nd gave the following emphatic eeniaI 10 3,
be floating rumor that his pet craft had es- %
sped by false preteuce. ! quote from the q
eport Of his speech in the House Of Com VI
lOus, March q, 1868. as given in the au- vi
horned parliamentary reports, (Hansard. OF
. 10, p. 6s.l Il is the same speech In ~
which Mr.. Laird, by way Of a thrust At d
ohm Bright, Wanted that he had rather Gu
% down 10 postery as the builder Of a dozen I az
.labamss than Is the man who had labored OF
D set one class sgainst another N tie re
british community. It IS also the first Of On
r. Laird's speeches which the House Of .e
Commons honored % with cheers u
sTRs-Aitsr the discussion that has taken a
lsce about the Alabama, shall not trouble
be House with msny remarks. can only -
Az from all ! know aud all have heard, =
bat from the day the vessel was laid down se
D her completion everything was perfectly 3
aud above-b-ard' in this / y
ountry. I also further say that the Off ~
ers Of the Government had every facility y
hordei them for iuspe ting the ship during 7.
be progress Of building. When the officers
ame 20 the builders they were shown the oss
hip; and DAY siisr day The customs officers I III
ere or board, a. they were when she =
nally len; ard they declared there was y
othing wrong, They only .eft her when =.
be tug left, and they were Obliged 10 de- -
lare that she leit Liverpool perfectly y,
,gitimate transaction.
II the Alabams lett Liverpool "a perfectly -
.gitimate Transaction" can she h.-s es- -
sped by a trick or false prstences AudI =
eg 70 have j. noticed who Dc is that saws -
ais.
The customs officers were on board dav =.
Ter dAy, as they were when she DAILY y
IT. They only left her when the tug left. a,
nd they were obliged .coustrainedl Il de- =
ARE that she letl Liverpool q perfectly =
.gitimat transaction" =
Can John Lard Be mistaken in rsportinr =.
lat the Colle-tor or some enc Of his Official -
ssocIatos made this declaration Can he :.
.l>, - y - POI sueh a.
louise Of Commons, ard 10 The face aud
yes Of bis watehful opPonsntsg Gen he Z,