Year: 1861

have no d,ubt that there would be no diff
ference between Her Majesty's Government
and the Government of the United States on
that point. With regard to the Hon. mem
ber's next question, as to the belligerent
right of issuing letters of marque, l must, |
in the first place, wait for more explanation,
and in the second place, reserve part of the
answer which have to give.


With respect to belligerent rights in the
case of certain portions of State being in
insurrection, there was a precedent which
seems applicable to this purpose in the year
1925. The British Government at that
time allowed the belligerent rights of the
Provisional Government of Greece, and IN
consequence of that allowance the Turkish
Government made a remonstrance. may
state the nature of that remonstrance, and
the reply of Mr.. Canning. ''The Turkish
Government complained that the British
Government allowed to the Greeks belli-
gerent character, and observed that 1t ap-
peared to forget that to subjects in rebellion
no national character could properly be-
long" But the British Government in
formed Mr.. Stratford Canning that "the
character of belligerency was not so much
a principle as fact; that certain degree
Of force and consistency, acquired by any
mass of people engaged in war, entitled that
population to be treated as belligcrent, and
even if their title were questionable, rem
dered it the interest we'll understood OF all
civilized nations so as to treat them; for
what was the alternative? A Power or a
community (call it which you wild which
was at war with another, and which covered
the sea with the cruisers, must either be
acknowledged as belligerent or dealt with
as pirate;" which latter character, as ap-
piled to the Greeks, was loudly disclaimed.


In separate despatch of the same date


12th of October, 1929 Mr.. S. Canning


was reminded that when the British Govern


ment acknowledged the right of either bel


lgerent to visit and detain British merchant


vessels having enemy's property on board,


and to confscate such property, it was neces-


sarily implied as condition of such acknow'


ledgment that the detention was for the pur.


pose of bringing the vessels detained before


an established Court of Prize, and that con.


fscation did not take place until after con.


demnation by such competent tribunal. The
question has been under the consideration O
.tta Gsyssapept Thez 1--we cepaplsed thI
law officers Of the Crown The Attcrney
and Solicitor General, and the Queens Adj
vocate and the Government have come to
the opinion that the Southern Confederacy
of America, according to those principles
which seem to them to be just principles,
must be treated as a belligerent. (Hear,
hear.) But further questions arise out of
that question, with respect to which we are
still in doubt-as what are the alterations
which are to be made in the law Of nations
in consequence of the declarations Of Paris;
and those questions being of difficult and
intricate nature have not yet been deter
mined upon. They are still under the con-
sider;t:on Of the Government, and will be
still further considered before any declara-
ton is made to other Powers. (Hear,
hear.)


In the House of Commons on the follow
ing day, (the 7th ) in the course of debate
upon the Paper duties:


Mr.. Bentick said that he had put ques-
ton to the noble lord at the head of the
Government, to which he had obtained no
answer, probably owing to the abrupt con-
clusion of the debate. That question he
would now repeat Since they had lately
discussed the financial position of the coun-
try, news had come from the United States
of most alarming character.


It was quite clear now that the civil war
which it was hoped would be averted, was
likely to rage for some time. He wished
to remind the noble lord that when he last
expressed his views upon the subject of the
repeal of the paper duty he was not in pos
session of the momentous intelligence which
had just arrived. Did not the noble lord
now anticipate that increased ornaments
and decreased receipts from customs and
exercise would be the results of the deplor-
able events of which information had just
been received? Hear, hear.) Would not
the distress which might be expected to en-
sue in the manufacturing districts injurious
ly affect the. revenue? (Hear, hear.) He
would ask-wcre these results anticipated
when the noble lord expressed his approval
of the financial scheme Of the Chancellor Of
the Exchequer :?


Lord Falmerston's Views.


Lord Palmerston one can regret
more than I do the intelligence which has
been received within the last few days from
America; but. at the same time, any one
must have been short sighted and little capa-
BILE of anticipating the probable course of
human events who had not for long time
forseen events of similar character to those
which We now deplore. (Hear, hear. y
From the commencement of this unfortunate
quarrel between the two sections of the
United States, it was evident that the causes
Of disunion were too deeply seated to make
it possible that separation would not take
place, and it was also obvious that passions
we're SO reused on both sides as to make it
highly improbable that such separation could
take place without contest. In answer to
the ouestion of the Hon. member. I would