, 1865-12-22
Depredatlons or the Rebel IroheIad..

| redattons COMPUTED by the British-built from
clsds Of the late :" Confederacy' on our COM
merce, Is quite long aud elsbOrats. Il IL opened
| by Ar. Adams, who courteOusly but very firmly
tells Earl Russell that the United States Govern
meHt will bold the British Government to
strict xecOuntab blity for all the losses sustained
\ by oar citizens through the misdeeds of the Al
GbdHlas, the E9oridds, the Shshdfd0dhs, aud thu
Taitaaassees Carefully reviewing the course
pursued ~ the Government aud portions of the
| pe5rebf Grelt Britain, from the initiatioa Of
Ourre6slion, be tells the Foreign Minister that
| our commerce is rapidly passing away from the
face Of the ocean, aud that British COM
nerce is multiplying in nearly corresponding
| ratio that this stateSof things is caused by the
| neglect or Dissemination Of Her Majestys Gov
| ernment TO prevent its own citizens from con-
! spring with emissaries of the insurgents to
build up " Confederate navy that all the
vessels of war ever owned by the insurgents
with the exception of two, Of but little or no
Use TO them, that they seized from the United
| States in I66l,) were furnished by Britsh>sub-
jects that such vessels were manned and
equipped in England and then repeats that " it
may, then, on the face of this evidence be fairly
assumed AS true that Great Britain as a National
| power is in point OF fact tastacquiring the
| tire maritime commerce of the United States,
by reason of the acts of portion OF Her Maj
| esty's subjects engaged in carrying on war
against them on the ocean during time OF peace
| between the two countries"
IL would, continues Mr.. Adams, most re-
spectfully invite your lordship to produce in tue
| history of the world parallel case TO this, of
endurance by one nation Of injury done to it by
another, without bringing on the grayest com
| plications. 80
He then emphaticslly tells Earl Russell that
the United States will never think otherwise than
that the British Government itself, by its pre-
cipitate " Acknowledgment of the insurgents
belgereuts, has been responsible for the hostile
acts of Davis commissioned officers On the high
seas, enforcing the emphasis of his declaration
/ thus:
.'Iu other words, the kingdom OF Great Bri-
tain cannot but be regarded by the Government
/ | have the honor to represent, as not only haY-
| ing given birth to this naval belgerent, but also
as having nursed and maintained it to the pres
| euthour
! Mr.. Adams then expresses the hope of tue
President thht Her MLjestys Government will
with all due speed, step up to the mark and settle
| ACCOUNTS. The letter Is da.ed April I, 1865. Oa
May 4th, nearly month after, Earl Russell re-
turned dscursiye reply that only begged the
! question. The real question, he said, was not
as TO the losses which American citizens had
sustained, but as to whether his own Govern
| ment had, in difficult aud extraordinary circum-
| stances, acted faithfully up to :he requirements
| of International law. lie claims that the Presi-
insurgents as belligelents by establishing the
blockade -, and that England but followed in
the wake Di the United States in this respect
lie. contends that his Government acted faith
fully in its efforts 20 prevent the sailing from its
| ports Of the I!G5d'Ra and other ironeladS and
that il Great Britain is to be held responsible
| for tue depredatons of the ronclads she would
thereby become answerable for every ship that
may have left British port and have been
found afterwards used by the Confederates Il
ship p-Of-war; nay, more, for every cannon and
every muSket used by the Conredcrates on board
any ship-of-war, if manufactured in British
Workshop
Mr. Adams, under date of May 2Oth, rejoius
that Earl Russell has wideued the field OF dis
cussiou, aud thereby compelled him to recapit-
ulate the points which he desired particularly |
to bring to the notice Of the British Govern !
ment. These points, in brief are: That the |
act Of recognition of the insurgents as beliger-
ents by the British Government was precipitate |
and Unprecedented; that Great Britain and not |
the United states had made them helligerents; |
that the rebel navy was created iu British ports
by British subjects that during the whole |
struggle toe insurgents made no appearance on |
the nigh seas as Oeligerents, except IN British |
vessels that during the same period the United |
States had persisteutly demonstrated against |
England abuse Of her assumed neutrality that |
the British Government, from some cause, was
p0NeFlcSs 10 suppress IhC 0HAASN tAoe NOuSO-
queutly our marine was well-ngh swept from |
the seas and a vast amount of property de- |
stroyed; that thereby Great Britain was enabled
to derive an unjust advantage over us by her /
own wrong doing toward friendly nation; and !
that therefore the United States has valid
claim for repuration and Naturalization. Mr..
Adams concludes by saying
Thus it is that whatever may be the line of
Argument pursue Il am compelled ever to re-
turn to the one conclusion tile nation that re-
cognized power a beligerent before it bad
built vessel, and became itself the source of
all the belligerent's character it has ever pos
sessed on the ocean, must be regarded as respon-
si5Ee for all the damage that has ensUed from that
cause TO the commerce OF the power with which
it was under the most sacred obligations to pre-
amity and peace.
More than two months afterward, on the 30th
of August, Earl Russell replied, merely giving
the reasons why his Government saw fl to re-
main neutral during the contest. The reasons
were the immense power of the insurgents,
their territory, and the great extent OF their
sea-cOaSt. To the main points raised by Mr..
Adams, he made no answer whatever. To set
tie the difficulty, however, he has suggested
joint Commission, to be selected by the respec-
tive nations who are parties to the dispute.
Whether this mode of adjustment will be ac-
cepted by the Government at Washington re-
mains to be seen. But of the final result there
power of the world which can so well afford to
let the precedent established by England stand
as law, as can the United States. For their own
protectiOn in future, Europe must accept the
coitlusions ably argned by Mr. Adams
S! 2. Bulletin.
TESNEssEs pardon-seeker gives the follow
ing description of how be obtained his pardon.
Had personal interview with the Chief Magis-
uate, and asked him for small pardon, if be
had any more left. Chief Magistrate wanted to
know what position held in the rebel army.
The answer was faint somewhat hesftating and
somewhat shaky-I said: Quartermaster.
Chief Magistrate chuekled, and turned his head
to conceal sardonic smile. "My ancient and
venerable friend, he said, "if you think that
your department of the rebellion endangered the
Union cause as much as it did that ofthe rebels,
| yonr innoeeHce is pardon in itself.'
y = u III Ia