Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-11-08
Our Claims Upon EngIand.

Il appears, from correspondence be-
tween our Minister, Mr.. Adams, at Lon
don, and Earl Russell, Queen VictOria'S
Foreign Secretary, that our claims upon
England for damage done to American
shipping and commerce, by British built
pirates, such as the Alabama and Shen-
andoah. has been under discussion. Lord
Russell. who wants TO carry matters with
A high hand, afiirms that 1.-The duties OF
Great Britain towards the United States
are not measured by the losses which the
commerce of tue latter may have sustain
ed" but that "the question IS simply
whether the Queens Government have
faithfully and honestly performed the
duties which international laws and their
own municipal laws imposed upon them"
In prompt reply to this; Mr.. Adams de.
clared that "the insurgents became bel
ligerents on the ocean solely 5y reason Of
The facilities furnished IN her UqjsStJS ports
for them 10 do So" and complains Of ''the
secret sympathy of her Majesty's officers
in the port of Liverpool, and contends
that after the information which he sup
piled respecting the Alabama, 1t was by
the fagrant negligence of her Majesty's
board of customs that this vessel, admit
ted to be intended for war purposes, was
suffered to depart from Liverpool" Al
ter letting this last letter remain three
months unanswered, Lord Russell said 1t
was very difficult for him to prevent
British-euilt ships from quitting British
ports, avowedly to become pirates. But
the fact is, Mr.. Dudley, United States
Consul at Liverpool, who had ascertalned
for what buccaneering purposes the Ala
bama was being built by Mr.. Laird at
Birkenhead, placed the proofs thereof
before Mr.. Adams, who transmitted them
to Lord Russell, weeks and weeks before
the vessel was ready to go to sea, and
Lord Russell, from some cause yet undis-
covered, delayed acting upon the infor.
nation until the last moment-his tele-
gram to the Queens officers at Liverpool,
to detain the Alabama, not reaching
them until just after the pirate had put
out to sea. This remarkable c0HtrstsHEDS
is suspicious, to say the least of 1t.
Over two years ago it was intimated to
Lord Russell, by Mr.. Seward, through
Mr.. Adams, that the Government at
Washington was willing to leave the dis
puted points to arbitration-the usual
way, among nations, of adjusting such
difficulties Lord Russell, in Queen Vic
toria's name, or rather in behalf of the
Ministry, declined this offer. His col
leagues, he said "cannot admit they have
acted with bad faith in maintaining the
neutrality they professed. The law ofli
GERS of the Crown must be held to be
better Interpreters of a British statute
than any foreign Government can be pre-
sumed to.be. Her Maiesty's Government
must, therefore, decline to make Tepara-
ton and compensation for captures made
by the Alabama, or to refer the question
to any foreign State" But England, he
intimates, will consent to the appoint
ment of Commission ''to which Shall be
referred all claims arising during the late
civil war, which the two Powers shall
agree to refer to the Commissioners"
which means, we suppose that if England
refuses to refer our claims for losses by
the pirates to the Commission, such
claims cannot come before it. Mr.. Ad-
ans replied that he would refer the prop
osition to his Government, but doubted
its acceptance, and warned Earl Russell
of the serious consequences that would
result to English commerce by the gen
eral adoption of the British interpreta-
ton of the law of beigerents rights-that
mis- doctrine will sooner or later come
home to rOOst in Downing street, when
in some future wars, fifty Alabamas may
issue from some convenient neutral ports
to sweep British commerce from the
ocean. The dispute has thus reached a
very serious phase.