New-York tribune., 1875-11-03
MR. DISRAELPS BLUNDER

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 6CENk Al AANChhS-
TER
trnoM TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE rRIBuSn.l
LONDON Oct 9.-The forced suspension OF the
Fugitive Slave Circular adds one more to the many
bumiliations this Government have had to endure
since the beginning of the current year. 1t prob
ably deeper one than that to which Mr.. Plmsoll
subjected them at tho end OF the Parliamentary see-
SION it is almost certain to prove more disastrous
The origin of both is substantially the same; .
rooted disbelief in the sincerity OF popular
convictions. 1t is not the weakness OF
moral convictions, merely. Mr.. Disraeli's part
it is his failure TO calculate the strength Of them IN
other people. Believing that men governed by
their interests he thought it safe TO throw the
sailors Believing the same thing-learning nothing
from his last experenceho thought it safe to throw
over the negroes, it, indeed, he thought about it, or
was consulted about it at all The person imme-
diatey responsible for the issue of this astonishing
circular is not yet known. Mr. Ward Hunt. the head
of the Navy Department.. and Dominally respon-
sible, may or may not have known anything Of IT
personally. If he did, he probably thought 1t mat
ter of no consequence only n matter of admins
trative routine lie is aheavy-minded man, to whom
il would scarcely occur that England might object
to seeing cherished policy overthrown might OBJ
ject to seeing her naval otioors turned into slave
ton tho claim sho has asserted in every the
globe, that the deck of British man-ofwar is Brit
ish soil. All we know is that the circular issued
last July. while Parliament was sitting. but was not
communicated to either House. 1t has gone half
round tho world by this time, hut it is scarcely
month since it began to attract attention at homo.
The newspapers took 1t up; cautiously enough at
first then with greater and greater urgency. Then
began meetings. Tho British public is SOW to take
fire, but after time gets very hot indeed, and the
meetings increased ia number and In ind gnatiOn.
They were hold first in small towns and in obscure
districts of London finally in such cities Brad
ford, Leeds. Manchester and birmingham. AT
Middlesbrough on Wednesday, at q celebration
which had nothing to do with this question.
the Chancellor Of the Exchcquer. Sir Stafford
Ncrthcote, could not refrain from referring
TO it. lie did what subordinate Cabinet
minister seldom ventures TO do he repudiated all re-
sponsiilty for the circnlar and all knowledge OF it,
On the following evening ho was able to announce
that it had been suspended. Lord Derby. speaking
on the same night WnuIsdayl at Liverpool, at din
ner given to hiniselfaDd his wife by the Mayor made
the same announcement. The way in winch be
made it was characteristic enough-charactcrist
both of himself and of his chief for il certain that
whoever issued this circular, 1t il Mr. Disracl who
has suppressed IT. He came to town this week OF
purpose 20 inquire into it, and III the face Of the
gathering storm oil over the country but one
decision was possible. LOd Derby tells Ills
that the instructions have been Inisundcr-
stood; that the Government do not admit that they
bear the construction "popularly put upon them: ;"
STILL they have been suspended: the Government
feeling the extreme inexpediency of exciting pop
ular passion on n matter which requires careful
handling. and considering that the question dealt
with is not requiring urgent haste think 1t better
to cancel what has been done, 80 that the whole
question may be considered dc moro, and that any
future discussion upon it may not be prcjudced."
Lord Derby took occasion TO remark also that the
statement of law embodied in these instructions i,
that which they had received on the highest legal
authority. To this the Mayor of Manchester re-
sponded last night that the poop!c of England would
scarcely agree with Lord Derby when he told them
they did not understand their own language. They
had been tod, added The Mayor, that what
tanned in the circnlar the law of the country,
and then they told that tho law of the country
had been suspended He did not think the country
would rest satisfied with that situation.
Ii is not likely that il will The Government has
made It's concession avowedly TO popular feeling. but
il has made it in halting and shabby way. How
far il falls short OF satisfying people l. shown by the
great meetings held on Thursday and Friday even
ings in three of the greatest cities of England Brad
ford, Birmingham, and Manchester The Bradford
meeting assembled before it was known that the
circular bad been suspended aud Mr.. Forster adj
dressed ls townsmeD In q speech which recalls the
best traditions of anti-Slayery days. Lord Derby
may think he takes the tro official tone in Obecting
to Judgment on the circular in accordance with
what he terms the popular construction of it, But tha,
tone cannot he taken when man of AiT. F0rstei's
4 hIti iha nf hiS
the same construction on it. The circular says;
"As a general principle caro- should be taken thai
slaves are not mislod into believing that they would
find their liberty getting unGer the British flag"
That is what the naval authorities of England say
70 the naval officers Of England all over the world.
Ar Forster says he does not think the officers will
be misel or that If they are they Will be misled
"a the English people have been, who believe. and
will continue to believe, that there can bc nothing
but freedom under the English flag. The basesi
sentence of all in She circular is perhaps that which
referred to in the beginning when l spoke
of British interests; warning that
British interests may DO endangered by
restoring savesr Tho British interest the British
people do care for, replied Mr.. Forster, was the
maintenance of the principle OF freedom and their
hatred of slavery thing plain that II Is amazing
even Mr Disrael should be blind to it. Possibly he
was not, but tho circular could mean only two
things; it gave up the principle that there coud be
no slave on British territory or it gave up the pr
cple that British ship of war is British territory.
The latter thinks Mr. Forster is what the Govern
ment intended. Ii is what the leading Tory news
papers of England admits must be tho meaning OF the
circular And it is certainly meaning which En-
gland will repudate as encrgeticaly ~ the other.
The circular contained actual order to captains
of English ships Of to deliver up TO his master
slave who had escaped to the ship if the ship was at
the time in saye-holdng waters; if it was, that is
TO say, within a marine league of the shore of
country in which slavery exists. More even than