The Prescott daily news., 1910-01-18
British Ladies Aided America

1 think. At all events they were chat ting when the prime minister himself came abruptly into the room The ladies saw at once that he was greatly irritated about something. He carried his dispatch book, which showed that he had been with the queen. He threw it, half angrily, upon the table, and, after giving the ladies a greeting that was almost curt, he stalked out of the room.
 Something must have gone wrong at the cabinet meeting Lady Palmer ston announced to her guests. Then she beheld the dispatch book still ly- ing on the table. Look!' she said, he has left this behind. Perhaps, If we peek into it, we shall find out what the trouble is.
 She opened the book and discov- cred there the draft of the letter which the cabinet had prepared for Lord Lyons, the British minister at Washington, to present to this govern ment as Great Britains demand for the release of Mason and Slidell It was very drastic and peremptory note. Sent in that form, it would have occasioned serious friction and. very likely, war Lady Palmerston glanced hastily through the note.
 Look she exclaimed, I see the cause of the trouble Here are inter- lineations in the prince consorts own hand The queen doesn't like the terms in which the letter is couched, and at her suggestion, the prince con- sort has modified them greatly, so that the United States can receive the note without humiliation or irritation
 "An hour or so later the sister-in- law of Lord Palmerston presented her self at the lodgings of MT. Weed and his sister, Harriet. She did not stop for any formal courtesies.
 MT Weed she said, I have just come from Lady Palmerston's house. She knows that I have come to you, and so do the other ladies there, who are your friends, and all of whom would regard it as a terrible thing if there were to be war between the United States and Great Britain. And there doesn't need to be. In an hours time the mails for the United States will close. The next mail does not leave until two days hence. Now, we want you to write letter to Secre- tary Seward, saying to him that the queen is a friend of the United States, and asking him to receive any com munication that may come officially through Lord Lyons, our minister to the United States, in a friendly spirit so that all possible friction may be re- moved. l can't make any further ex- planation. If your letter is received by Secretary Seward before the off cial communication comes, he will be prepared for whatever he hears off, cially from our cabinet
 Her message delivered the lady departed at once. MT. Weed immedi- ately wrote a private note to Secre- tary of State Seward in time to catch the mail for the United States ahead of the mailing of the official note to Lord Lyons, and the following day Lady Russell also told Mr. Weed that the queen was our friend remember very we'll how pleased my father was when he received that private note. and I can now say that it's receipt in advance of the British note undoubt. edly paved the way for that courteous interchange of correspondence which eventually removed all possibility of war between this country and Eng land over the seizure of Mason and Slidell on British vessel on the high seas"
 Copyright, 1909, by E. J. Edwards)