Year: 1872

seauent Observation-Disclosures, unblushing, as
founding in its frankness-that the main object OF
the English policy in those days was TO protect the
right Of trial by jury and to preserve to Great BTU
ain its legitimate and lucrative trade in shlpbuild
ing The nation is inpatient with the whole Dusi-
ness and wants to be out of 1t as cheapiy as IL Gun


II has not recovered from the fright into when ID
fell ON being told by its press that it might be caeu
npon TO nav four hundred millions sterling 90
not at all think it wants to annul the lIea" "
Washington, if that Treaty be interpreted III i's
own sense But it is no longer Ill iuooD
to be satisfied with reasonable con0. ~
The specter of Indirect CLAIMS n"ui,


Imagination and disturbs its Dreams l "u' -
long ago. that the English were prac'iodl ~


and would be content with the assurance tna1 they
were notso he asked to pay any money by way Oh
ooneoc,ron+iol damages But what can say HOW
T1,o+ aesuronce has been offered them In the mos1
dis,irct terms They do not accept 1t. They lnslst


-, an obsolnte withdrawal of the Indirect Clallns
from the American Case. That is where we stano
this morning and that is the point on winch 'he
Treaty which last week all thought saved, seems
,lelv 70 90 to pieces In the diplomatic correspond
ence the urgency of the English Government taxes
slightly different shape but the real point is there.


suppose the English Government would still Dc
satisfied with joint Vote of Instruction TO the Arpi
traitors but as have said from the beginning inc
difference between withdrawal in that shape ana
a withdrawal by instruction to our counsel is
difference of fom of phTaseoogy, not OF substance
If England insists it, it is partly from the uls'
trust engendered by the inclusion Oh the lnuIeoV
Claims in the Case partly from the sheer tiiiiu'y
of this Ministry born of so many defeats; partly,
foor from nurpose more or less distinctly admitted
to themselves that the humiliation involved IN last
vears analogy shall be Cancelled by the humiliation
now imDosed on the United States Government. 10
that point has the Diplomacy of Washington brought
rs We are in fair way to reap all the disgrace oI
n surrender without any of its benefits


When Won come to read the debate and conVer-
sation in the House of Lords last night and what Is
said about it in this mornings papers, you VIII see
what kind of tone is now adopted toward u.s. FROM
Lord Russell we need expect nothing better. he
roust he reckoned among the most angry enemies Oh
America The Treaty of Washington Is the con-
demnation of his whole American policy during the
Rebellion II is not in human nature-at any rate,
if is not in Lord Russells natureto rejoice IN such
an event. He opposed the Treaty at the time lie
would gladly see it fail now. That. and only that,
is what his motion means lie takes advantage OF
the general excitement and general ignorance to
put his hatred Of it and of us into plausible shape
and to make it square with the sentiment OF the
hour. The old man is as cunning as he Is mschleV-
GUS. He postponed his motion last night for the
third time it is true, but not until he had extracted
from Lord Granville something very like pledge
that the spirit of the motion should be observed by
the Ministry in the negotiations to be carried ON
during the week. And Lord Granville finally was
only able to stave off the debate by undertaking
either TO make a statement to produce the CORE
spondence next Monday, and then, if need be, to
postpone the adjournment of Parliament fixed for
that day, and give time for general debate
before the two Houses separate for the WHIT
suntide holidays.


No summary can convey an idea of the hard
ness of tone which pervaded the House of Lords
and ono point must be maTked-this goes on
in the House of Lords. What is the House OF
Lords that Ministers should show such Difference to
its feelings and such socitude about its vote 1t Is
not the first time the House Of Lords has attempted
TO control the Ministry. Before Easter we had the
Collier debate. That debate took place on motion
which, unlike the present, left nothing to inference
Lord Granville chooses to consider Lord RusseTs
nresent motion as a want of confidence motion but
i'm terms it is nothing of the sort. In the Collier
case n direct censure upon the Government was
moved, and not only upon the Government, but upon
that member of it who presides over the House of
Lords-the Lord Chancellor. 1t thought in-
evitable that the Lord Chancellor should resign 1t
such motion were carried. But how did
the Government meet iti They told the
Lords that the act of Lord Hatherley was
the act of all the Ministers, at least OF the Prime
Minister, and not of Lord Hatherley individually;
that as such they recognized personal character
in it, and should accept no personal censure upon
him; that the attack was an attack upon the Min
istry and that before Ministers or any of Them
could be forced TO resign, the demand for their Tesg
nation must come from the House which alone had
power to make and unmake MinisteTs-the House of
Commons. Rather than endure publicly the aiirOnt
which Mr.. Gladstone threatened to put upon them,
the Lords allowed the Collier motion to be defeated
by majority of two. Why do not the Government
take the same line and use the same language now
that Lord Russells motion holds out to them men
ace of censure on question infinitely more lm-
pOrtant know Of no reason, except that they
feel that on this question Lord Russell has more of
the confidence of the country than they have. For
will not say that think this Ministry wants the ne
gotation to break Off believe the contrary, for
all sorts of reasons, which are too obvious to need
recaptulation. Yet l will say this that last week
they had the whole matter in their own hands, and
if they had chosen to close with the American pro-
posal, or-since Mr.. Fish says he has made no pro-
posal will say-had chosen to frame their own pro-
posal in accordance with the intimaton given them
of what our Government would accept, they could
have carried the country and Parliament with them.
Look at last weeks newspapers


/ have quoted in previous letters from leading
articles Of the two leading journals language which
showed the eagerness with which they hailed
probable settlement They stood ready to sign
with both hands an agreement on that
basis. They were ready to acquiesce in
the suggestion of an instruction by our Govern