The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-09
Il U IL o p r..
GREAT BRITAIN,

other business, Shaw Letevre, member fn,
heading. called up the question of the Ala.
bama claims. He made a long and eloauen;
speech on the subject, in which he urged Che
settlement of this vexed question on the plan
proposed by the American Government. In
calling for the papers on the subject and in
moving the consideration of the question, he
disclaimed any feeling of prejudice All fr-
ture negotiations, he said, would add to the
complications already existing He sketcbed
the progress of the Iecent civil war in the
United States to its happy termination. He
SAID the fall OF Fort Sumter evoked famous
proclamation of President Lincoln In less
than month after the appearance of that
proclamation Great Britain had recognized the
Southern insurgents as belligerents They
had no fleet, but they purchased their shiDs IN
our ports. Those ships, notwithstanding the
vigorous measures of our Government to sion
them, eluded our vigilance and went 10 sea.
and were Hospitality received at British colon
iai ports They captured and DESTROYED dur
ing the American war more than two hun.
dred American merchant vessels. In less than
TWO years the U nlted States flag was lite rally
driven from the seas, while the commerce IF
Great Britain doubled for this reason. The
speaker thought we ought to treat these claims
generously. They were first made in 1862 by
the American Minister, Mr.. Adams. After a
warm eulogism on the course OF Mr., Adams
on this and on other questions. Shaw Lefeyre
continued that the arbitration of the matte
had been proposed by the American Govern
ment but refused by Lord Russell. who re-.
PEELED the suggestion. Lord Stanley might
nave taken another course as the House had
changed on the question of household SUFFRAGE,
The question of recognition by England is
only as to her rights, if there were ri yhts that
might safely be referred, but Lord Stanley in
sisted that the responsibility of England was
only moral one in the Alabama case. The
speaker thought the less said about morality
on this question the better. He regarded tbs
breaking out of war between England and
the United States as extremely unlikely, but
thought on the other hand all needless inv;ta0
tions should be Stunned. There never was a
case where there was more need to understand
the points. Much allowance was to be made
to the feelings Of the. United States. Great
Britain, In the same case, with five hundred
war, in which a million of lives has been lost
might appreciate the matter better than mere
lockers on, only he thought England had been
entirely neutlal. But no neutrality would
have pleased America. What the United
States wanted was neutrality coupled with
warm sympathy and support OF the Queen.
ready to arbitrate and sub nit all questions but
the great point of recognizing belligerent
rights O. the South. Nobody contends that Mt
no time the South acquired them. If not. wby
deny the right OF Great Britain to recognize
them at the time she did The confederate
ship Alabama did not sail from England until
1852, and the battle of Bull Run was FOUGHT in
1861. Admitting that it was wrong for Great
britain to recognize the South, would the
United states Government say that its case
against the Alabama would have been altered
had Great Britain made declaration of neu-
trallty SIX rrther than eleven months before
she sailed? The speaker referred to the speech
OF Daniel Webster in the United Sta ties Sem
ate on the subject of recognizing Hungary in
support of his argument -,
LONDON, March 7:-Mr. G. w. Hunt, NJ p,
has been reelected from Northamptonshire'
He will soon bring bill before Parliament for
tie purchase by the government of all tele-
graphs in the Kingdom.
Nearly all the leading newspapers have edi-
torial articles this morning on the subject of
the remarkable debate in the House of Com
mons last evening, the Alabama question.
The Times says that the debate must con-
vince the United States Government that Eng
land wishes to settle the law in this case in the
American sense, and that the failure of Great
Britain to refer the Alabama claims to arbtra-
ton is due to no desire to avoid her Just obi
cations. Mr.. Seward has only to meet Lord
Stanley In a like spirit to end the misunder-
standing. The tone of the articles in the 9TH
er journals is generally the same.
1t is reported that the Fenian prisoners who
were captured recently at Dungaroon were
offered their pardons on condition that they
would give their parole TO leave London It is
further reported that the prisoners unanimous
ly refused to assent to the proposition.
"A double guard has been placed around New
gate, where Messrs. Burke, Casey and Shaw
are confined. Their trials have been set down
for next month. -r
In House of Commons last evening Chas,
G'lpin, member for the Burrough of Northamp.
ton, gave notice of a bill to abolish the death
penalty.
In the House of Commons last evening Lord
Stanley submitted further official papers about
Mexico in order to have them go to the com.
mlttee for supply. ~ sa D..s,.sT ia
Earl Mays said he hoped the debate on the
condition. of Ireland would end by Friday next
That the House might be ready to consider the
question of Irish reform. .it
Marquis Peppoli. formerly Italian Minister
TO RUSSIA, has been appointed to Great Brit
ain in the same capacity.
...a FRANCE. ..- t7
PARIS, March I'm the Corps Lagislatif
yesterday the bill 'or regulating the pre- IS wa,
again under consideration. The clause forbil-
ding private allusion was adopted by a large
majority after short debate
PARIS, March SIN the Corps Legislatif
last week the clause in the press bill which
subjects persons connected with public Jour-
mails to forfeiture of their electoral rights as
punishment tor certain offences, was rejected
by decisive vote. rr-
-. PRUSSIA q
BERLIN, March THE bill for ratifying the
treaty just concluded between the representa-
tlves of the United States and North Germany
has been introduced in the Council.
ITALY.
VENICE, March 8.-The Minister of Foreign
Affairs yesterday in reply to delegation which
waited upon him with an address, said he fully
realized the importance of preserving friendly
relations with all Euronaan nnyvers ard asnes.