Year: 1866

| were destroyed, and the price OF sperm


oil was more than doubled; the conse
| quence Of which was, as we we're tht


chief consumers of sperm oil, the Loss
| fell heavily upon this country. ThC
! Whslers themselves, having assured
one another, did not realize the loss


Those who had sperm oil got more


than double price, and those who had


not were were assured against loss
! He happened to be in q shop the other


day when a clergyman came in to buy
! some sperm oil for a magic lantern for
his children. When he was told the


price was more than double, he said,


swell, then, l can not buy it, and my


children must 90 without the magic


lantern


VIEWS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.


The Attorney General-The question


now before the House is, beyond all


doubt, one Of the greatest Importance,


and at the same time Of no slight diff


Guilty. 1t is of the greatest importance
that the House should bear in mind


what were the exact facts of the vari-


Gus cases bearing on the question which


occurred during the recent unhappy


war in America. The honorable mem


Der for Windsor appears to think that


the American Foreign Enlistment act


Is far more stringent than the one in


force in this country. The honorable
member for Sheffield has already said


that the views of the honorable mem


ber were not quite accurate, and
must confirm that statement. Indeed,
the honorable member from Reading,
T Mr. Shaw. Lefevre who has spoken to-
night with his usual candor and ability,
does not himself concur in the views
of the member for Windsor on this
subject. The two sections which are
supposed TO bear out the opinion that
the American law compels a stricter
neutrality than is the case in this
country, are the tenth and eleventh
sections of the act of Congress adopted
in 1917. The first of these sections
enables security to be taken from 'the
owners of every armed ship or vessel
sailing out of the ports of the United
States belonging wholly or in part to
the citizens thereof" Now, l.cannot
see in that section any thing which is
not contained IN the English Foreign
Enlistment Act Our law Is quite as
strict in its requirements and | may
ask when, in point of fact, has any
armed ship or vessel been permitted TO
sail out of an English port to attack
the commerce of the United States?
[ Hear, hear No such occurrence has
ever taken place. The second section
authorizes the detention 'of any vessel
manifestly built for warlike purposes,
of which the cargo shall consist of
arms and munitions of war. Our
Foreign Enlistment Act Just as strong
ly forbids such proceeding, and no
vessel of which it was proved that she
was manifestly built for Warlike pur-
poses, and that her cargo mainly con
sisted of munitions of war, would be
allowed to leave an English port


Regarding the United States claims
the Attorney General said:


But though l think we are entitled
in this matter to take the same line
the United States took itself, and
though in my opinion we are entitled
to hold that the refusal to entertain
such claim could be no Just and abb
ding cause of displeasure on the part
of the United States, believing, as | do,
that we have good grounds for that re-
fussl, still, far be it from me TO say that
if the good feeling between the two ma
tions depended on money only, and
not on much more serious considera-
ton, it would not be worth while to
pay very large sum rather than there
should be any interruption of friendly
feelings betWeensthis country and the
United States. Cheers. But this is
not question Of money Hear. Her
Msjestys government believes that a
great principle of international law
and national honor is involved in this
question, and it is upon that account,
and not through any want of respect
to great nation, we can not admit the
principle of those claims principle
which must involve ourselves and all
other nations, whatever may be our
law, in endless claims for all future
time. Cheers


If by well considered amendments
the laws of both countries could be
AAAdtlC l4ANl NAAGNNhdl1 tut laws VI utl-
trality would be delivered from iunu-
merable difficulties whenever a war
took place. At present the United
States is placed in difficulty by the
war in Mexico and the war in Chilli,
and clearly it would only be fair to
consider recent difficulties, because it
is only experience which shows what
the weak points are in matters of this
description. 1t i experience which
tells US in what our laws are defective,
and in what they require alteration
and amendment | venture to say that
if the United States would accede to
the suggestion of Earl Russell and en-
ter into friendly consideration of this
question, we are in a better position to
deal with it now than if we had dealt
with it without the experience Of the
late war. Hear