The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-05-11
Speech in England.
EARL RUSSELL DENIES MIR, BAN.
CROFT,S STATEMENTS.
Mr.. Bancroft's Reply.
LORD RUSSELL To MR.. ADAMS.

=
DEAR Mr.. ADAMS: observe in the Daily
Ne,cs OF yesterday extracts from q speech of
Mr.. Bancroft, delivered in the House of Rep
resentative on the 18th inst.
In this speech Mr.. Bancroft is represented
to have said, referring to the breaking out Of
the civil war:
1.-The British Secretary of State for For
eign Affairs made haste TO send word through
the palaces of Europe that the Great Repnb-
lie was in its agony: that the Republic was
no more that headstone was all that re-
manned due by the law of nations to the late
Union. y
As words pronounced on such an occasion,
and by SO eminent q man as Mr.. Bancroft,
may have an effect far beyond the injury
which my personal character might suffer, I
must request you to convey to Mr.. Bancroft
my denial of the truth of his allegations. and
to refer him to facts of totally opposite
character.
Soon after the news Of the resistance in
arms of the Southern States to the Govern
ment of the Union arrived in this country, a
member of the House of Commons stated
the bubble of Republicanism had burst.
| replied in the same debate that the bub-
BILE of Repubicansin had not burst. and that
if the curse of slavery still hung about the
United States, it was England who had made
them the gift Of the poisoned garment which
was now their torment.
In fact, | have never had any, doubt that.
whether the United States consented to sep
aratior or pursued the war to extremity, the
great Western Republic would remain. hap
PLY for the world. powerful and independ
ent Republic.
The authors Of the Declaration Of indie
pendence, in declaring for separation from
Great Britain, after enumerating their com.
plants Of her conduct, 60 on TO say: 1--WE
must therefore acquiesce in the necessity
which demands separation. and hold
them as we hold the rest Of mankind. enc
mics in war. in peace friends.
That We should be enemies in war, is easily
understood but when We are at peace. WHY
should we not be friends, as the great men Of
the American Revolution intended us to be :?
IT they. in the moment of separation and Of
war, looked forward 10 period of peace and
friendship, why should we. more than three
quarters OF a century after these events, keep
up sentiments OF irritation and hostility found
ed on a mistaken apprehension of facts and
tending to lay the foundation of permanent
alienation, suspicion aud i'll will I?
As Mr.. Bancroft speech is likely to have
very extensive publicity. reserve to myself
the power of making public this letter. al
such time as shall Judge fit. remain, my
dear Mr.. Adams, your faithful servant.
RUSSELL
P. 81 snbjon an extract of my speech
on the Both of May 1861, as reported in
Hansard' Debates
Mr.. BANCROFT TO Mr.. ADAMS IN REPLY
New YoRK, March %, 1866
Nix DEAR M. ADAMS: | have received
from you, by Lord Russel's desire. copy
Of lattn M Of ta g III,
last. in which he denies the truth OF certain
allegations IN my address to Congress on the
18th of the same month. The passage which
he cites contains these three allegations /:
That, as British Secretary of State for For
eign Affairs, he viewed this Republic as .the
late Jnlon;' that he sent his view Of our
country through the palaces of Europe. and
that he made haste to do so. When Lord
Russell calls to mind the authority for these
statements, he mus, acknowledge them to be
perfectly just and true.
On the 9th of May. 1861. Lord John Rus
sell, then Secretary of State for Foreign At
fairs, wrote despatch to Lord Lyons. in
which he describes the condition Of America
as ''the disruption of Confederacy." and
he further used these words: "Civil war has
broken out between the several States of the
late Union. The Government of the South.
Majestys Government do not wish you to
make any mystery of that view Here is
irrefrigable proof OF my first allegation:
On the day on which the Minister of the
Queen thus wrote. he addressed despatch TO
Lord Cowlew, her Majestys ambassador at
Paris, designating our Republic as ..the
States which lately composed the American
Union - s.the late United States;" 1.-THE late
Union J; and he inclosed in that despatch,
for Lord Cowley's instruction, a copy Of the
above cited letter to Lord Lyons Having
thus ostentatiously communicated his views
of our country as 1.-THE late Union,'' he asked
in return ito be made acquainted with the
views of the Imperial Government. Nv
second allegation is Therefore true in letter and
in spirit.
That Lord John Russell, as Secretary OF
State, was IN haste to do this, appears from
his not having awaited the arrival of the
American Minister Of NJ. Lincoln's appoint.
ment, and from those very letters OF the 9th
OF May, 1861, to Lord Cowley and to Lord
Lyons, for in those letters he confesses that
he had not as yet received from Lord Lyons
any report of the state Of affairs and OF the
prospects ofthe several parties - but that on
coming to the decision which was so momen-
tous and unprecedented, he acted on the re-
| ports of ''some consuls,' and .tof the public
| prints
1t is true that twenty four days after Lord
John Russell had officially described our
country as ''the disruption of q Confeder-
acy. the late United States 'sthe late
| union,'' he reproved a member of the House
/ OF Commons for openly exulting that the
| great Republican bubble ID America had
| burst, and owned, 'that the Republic had
| been for many years great and free State -
h,,t1 oy
restoration of our Union, and rather intimat
ed that the Americans were s'about to DESTROY
each others happiness and freedom Lord
John. on that occasion, rightly attributed the
rebellion to the ''accursed institution Of
slavery and confessed that England was the
giver of sthe poisoned garment that the
former Governments of Great Britain were
themselves to blame for the origin Of the
| evil But this confession must be inter
preted by the light Of his averments on the
18th OF May, 1861. and by Lord RUSSELL late,
assertion that the efforts of our country were
but contest for empire
II speaking to the American Congress- q,
the life and character of Abraham Tinco,n
1t was my unavoidable duty to refer To ,be
conduct of the British Government toward
our country during his administration. "a,
notmng so wounded his feelings, or exercised
his judgement, or tried his fortitude.
was asked to address the two Houses a
our Congress, and those only. When
learned that the British Minister at Washing
ton was likely to be one of my hearers, I re-
quested Mr.. Seward to advise him not to i.
present, and through another friend / sen
him similar message, which he received ant
perfectly understood.
need nbt recall words Of ninety year
ago, to be persuaded that in peace Americ,
and the United Kingdom should Be friends
have right TO say this for, When IN til,