Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-10-27


The reply of Mr.. Adams is dated May 4th.
He says that the insurgents became beliger-
ents on the ocean solely by reason of the ia.
cilities furnished in her Majesty's ports for
them to do 30. He complains of the secret
sympathy of her Majesty's officers in the
port OF Liverpool, and contends that after
the information which he supplied respecting
the Alabama, it was by the fragrant neglect
OF her Majesty's Board of Customs, that
this vessel, admitted to be intended for war
purposes, was suffered to depart from Liver
pool.
An interval of three months elapsed be-
tween the above letter and Earl Russell's re-
ply to it,
In response, Earl Russell proceeds to JUS
tiiy the course of her Majesty's government
in recognizing the belligerents, and reasons
are given why there was extreme difficulty
in giving orders to exclude from British ports
vessels of war partly fitted up in the United
Kingdom.
very important point is referred to in
this letter. Earl Russell notices statement
in letter from Mr.. Adams, in 1868, as to
the government at Washington being ready
to refer these disputes TO arbitration.
Earl Russell declines this offer and says
1t Is question, in the first place, whether
ihe queens government have acted in good
iaith in maintaining their neutrality, and in
the second place, whether tho law officers of
the Crown have correctly interpreted Bri-
tish statue.
Earl Russell continues: 1.-THE Queen y GOV.
ernment can refer neither of these questions
to arbitration" The words used by him are
as follows:
Her Majesty's government are the sole
guardians of their own honor. They cannot
admit they have acted with bad faith in
maintaining the neutrality they proiessed.-
The law officers of the Crown must be held
to be better interpreters of British statute
than any foreign government can be pre-
sumed to be. Her Majesty's government
must therefore decline to make reparation
and compensation for captures made by the
Alabama, or to refer the question to any
foreign State. Her Majesty's government
conceive that if they were to act otherwise
they would endanger the position of neutrals
IN all future wars. Her Majesty's govern
meni are, however, ready to consent to the
appointment of commission, 10 which
snail be referred all claims arising during
the late civil war, which the two Powers
shall agree to refer TO the commissioners.
The reply of Mr.. Adams is dated the 18th
oil september, and is very serious in its tone
Mr.. Adams considers that there is now no
dispute as to the fact that the recognition of
the South as belligerents was such an act as
was never done by one nation towards an
other in state of amity. He charges the
British government with having acted with
out knowledge, and upon mere presumption,
IN assuming that the evidence of the block.
ade of the southern ports was imperfect. The
blockade, he says, was the consequence. not
the cause, of the British policy He thinks
that the only excuse for the British govern
ment is that its conduct was precipitate. He
then intimates that if the doctrines and
practices of the British government are al.
lowed TO become the rule, the United States
VIII not be the greatest losers thereby.
r. Adams does not appear to think that
tho proposal of Earl Russell to refer the
questions in dispute to a commission will be
accepted by the United States government.
The Times and the Post are silent on the
correspondence.
The Daily News says:-" Besides tho mag
nitude OF the questions affecting neutrals,
the matters in dispnte are closely connected
with tho maintenance of friendly relations
between England and America"
The Star, in referring to the escape of the
Alabama from England, remarks there may,
perhaps, bo negligence without such gross
culpability as TO render us liable for all the
damages which the escaped privateer perpe.
trated. But if our views on these questions
should differ from those of the United States
and they should insist as peremptorily upon
their claims as we upon our denial of respon-
sibility, what then2 Are we to run the risk
oil rupture rather than consent 10 arbitra.
tionP
The Star awaits the instructions from the
United States government with much nm.
prehension, and dares not say what effect it
VIII have upon the temper of England, nor
what disastrous disturbance of the friendly
relations between tho two countries may not
result from deliberate attempt to appraise
the losses caused by confederate cruisers up
ON England, and to exact payment for them,