The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-01-19
Canadian Responsibility.

Our foreign Minister MT. Adams,
has had another long correspondence
with the new British minister, Lord
Clarendon, upon the differences now
existing between the United States
aud Great Britain in relation to com
pensation for depredations committed
by the privateer Shenandoah and SO
called rebel insurgents from Canada
upon our northern frontier
Mr. Adams has again shown him
self equal to the task, and in this cor
respondonce proves himself superior
in diplomacy to Lord Clarendon as he
was previously to Earl Russell He
shows concusively that the British
Government were scasonably advised
~ the fitting out of piratical vessels in
British waters, assisted by British
subjects. He likewise states that he
communicated the fact of the necessi- /
" Of such n statute as was passed in
Congress in the year 1888 to preserve
neutrality upon our northern frontier
during the Canadian rebellion. He
says, "At very early date the ex-
posed nature of the frontier bordering
upon Canada became so much a sub
ject of anxiety to my Government chat
was instructed to bring the matter
to the attention of his Lordship, with
view to the establishment of more
effective preventive measures on the
Canadian side than were thought to
be then within reach. To that end
i'll the early part of December, 1863
in conversation which had the hon
or to hold with his Lordship, after ex-
planning the reasons of my Govern
ment for the danger apprehended in
this quarter, l proceeded to propose
the adoption of form Of law on the
part of Canada resembling that which
had been enacted on our part in 1885
to meet n similar emergency then hap
pening there. 1t is true that for O
considerable period | had no reason
to presume that this proposal had
been more favorably received than any
other of the same kind | had been
called to make But when one year
later, information was received of the
extreme peril into which Canada had
been thrown by the violent enterprise
executed by some of the insurgents es-
tablished in that province upon the
peaceful town of st. Adams / ther
had the satisfaction of learning from
his Lordship that the suggestion haC
been adopted so far as that Her Maj
estys Government had recommended
to the authorities of Canada to pro
cure the enactment of the suggested
law"
This shows that Canada was notified
i'll season TO have taken such action a
was suggested, if she had been dis
posed to have done so. On the con
trary nothing was done to proven
any incursions that might be made o
any organized bands that might b
raised upon Canadian SOIL until afte
the st. Adams raid in October, 1856
The Canadas preserved 'masterl
inactivity for over year after the
had notice that danger was imminen
Where then lies the responsibility {
the st. Adams raid p? Can it not b
charged to the negligence or indiffei
ence of the Canadian people? Ar
they no. responsible for all the conse
quences following such dastardl
and unproyoked affair?
Upon these points Mr.. Adams wise
ly remarks that neutral is respons
BILE for all injuries which may SO en-
sue to friendly nation when it fail
to exercise all the means in its powe
for prevention, and constitutes itsel
the sole Judge Of the extent to whic
it will refuse to resort to stronpt
ones within its reach, when the oil
ones are proved by the injured part
to have been wholly inadequate to IL
emergency