Year: 1861




LONDON, Saturday, May 1.-The newspapers by
the steamer bearing this letter will inform you of
the course taken by the British Government with
regard to American matters as announced by Lord
John Russell in the House of Commons on Thursday
night but believe am in a position 10 inform you
OF what has since been determined on BY the Cab-
net. If YOU will refer to your file of the M0rRig
Herald Of yesterday you will find the views of the
conservative opposition very plainly stated in the
second leading article. In that article II is stated
that war between England and the Federal Govern
ment is now inevitable, as less evil than suspen-
sion of the cotton trade and question put to the
Government whether il is in contemplation
to send out once armed vessels Lake Ontario
protect, by force if necessary. British interests
there. l believe am correctly informed that the
steamer conveying this letter hears dispatches 10
the authorities of Halifax with Enclosures to the
British Admiral on the station, requiring him at
once TO detach more vessels from the ieetfOr
that service. From the quarter whence this in
formation reaches me / feel assured that it may be
received with implicit confidence, and L regret to
add that, unless your Affairs have now taken allOre
pacific turn that England will shortly be either with
the Northern States against them. In the highest
official circles assure you, Is already regard
ed all but unavoidable, and such being the case
it may not be difficult to provoke.


The question of blockade Is. | need not say,
where the shoe will first pinch. Ii is alleged,
whether correctly or Incorrectly you will be best
able to say, that Mr.. Buchanans Administration
played fast and loose with the Paris declarations of
the Great Powers at the close of the Russian War,
The doctrine held by you in 1872, that free ships
made free goods was assented to by Lord Claren-
dOn on the express understanding that the United
States were to Rccede to what other questions
agreed to by the other Powers; but it is said
that you bave broken OF entirely from that engage
ment, and are now to put in force those doctrines
which this country has discarded and against which
you fought. This is pronounced unprincipled, as il
will unquestienably prove inconvenient and embar-
RAISING. To warn off ships approaching the South
ern seaboard, and to capture them if they persist
in going in will, as a matter of course, upset all
calculations of merchants and shipOwners, not to
say that it will completely cut off the supply Of
Gotten. An early howl is, therefore, to be looked
for from our shipowners, and. smarting under the
interruption Of the cotton trade, all classes will
do, high words must follow the first authenticated
act of warning, and should there be any seizures
collision will not easily be wardad OF. 1t is pity
that a resort TO blockade has been deemed neees-
sary, as, but for that, trouble with this country
would not only have been prevented, but President
Lincoln would have had the sympathy of a large
section of the British people. Perhaps he may
have seen his way to make blockade a mere mat,
of form to British vessels and, in that case,
believe no harm will come Of powerful feet being
in the Chesapeake in perhaps week or ten days
aftn vou repeixa this