of such felicity of expression, was undoubtedly not
very much misrepresented by the vindictive representative
and the exuberant senator. Yet a brief period,
in which to consider the logic of the position, sufficed
to bring nearly all to intelligent conclusions; and
then it was seen that what had been done had been
rightly and wisely done. There was even a sense
of pride in doing fairly and honestly, without the
shuffling evasions of diplomacy, an act of strict
right; and the harder the act the greater was the
honor. The behavior of the people was generous
and intelligent, and greatly strengthened the government
in the eyes of foreigners. By the fullness and
readiness of this reparation England was put under
a moral obligation to treat the United States as honorably
as the United States treated her. She did not
do so, it is true; but in more ways than one she ultimately
paid for not doing so. At any rate, for the time
being, after this action it would have been nothing
less than indecent for her to recognise the Confederacy
at once; and a little later prudence had the like
restraining effect. Yet though recognition and
war were avoided they never entirely ceased to threaten,
and Mr. Chittenden is perfectly correct in saying
that “every act of our government was performed
under the impending danger of a recognition of the
Confederacy, a disregard of the blockade, and the actual
intervention of Great Britain in our attempt to suppress
an insurrection upon our own territory.”
FOOTNOTES:
[168] Lord John Russell was raised to the peerage,
as Earl Russell, just after this time, i.e.,
in July, 1861.
[169] An effort was made to carry out this theory
in the case of the crew of the privateer Savannah;
but the jury failed to agree, and the attempt was
not afterward renewed, privateersmen being exchanged
like other prisoners of war.
[170] Mr. Welles declares that Seward at first opposed
the surrender; but Mr. Chittenden asserts that he
knows that Mr. Seward’s first opinion coincided
with his later action; see Mr. Welles’s Lincoln
and Seward, and Chittenden’s Recollections,
148.
