English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 396, 23 August 1856, Page 3

English and Foreign.

AMERICAN ENLISTMENT QUESTION. FINAL DESPATCH OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. The important papers connected with this question were laid before both Houses of Parliament on the night of the 2nd of May, and have just reached our hands. Passing over all previous documents and details, the main interest is absorbed by the last despatch of Lord Clarendon which has been looked forward to for some time with deep anxiety. It is dated April 30, 1856", and is numbered 84 in the correspondence. Lord Clarendon begins by stating that he deferred answering Air. Buchanan's letter of the 29th January, until he had thoroughly inquired into the charges against the British Minister and representatives, and given them an opportunity of replying; and adds his deep regret that the United States government should have continued a controversy* which lie had hoped his previous explanations had terminated. Lord Clarendon then proceeds at great length, and with remarkable clearness of exposition, to review the whole of this correspondence, and all the matters in dispute. When the war broke out, many persons in' the United States being desirous of entering the military service of Great Britain, the English Government took steps to avail themselves of their enrolment,5 giving at the same time strict instructions that nothing should he done in contravention of American'laws. These steps were frankly made known to the American government. Finding, however, that it would be difficult to carry them into effect, bowever scrupulously, without'risking some infringement of the laws, the English Government at once, and of their own accord, sent out orders to countermand the proposed arrangements. This'was on the 22nd of June, 1855. A fortnight afterwards, the American minister in London apprised the Government that the Neutrality Laws had been violated ; upon which the Government expressed their regret, and declared that it was contivu'y to their positive instructions, giving at the same time reasons for believing that no person authorised by the English Government had violated the laws.

After this, renewed remonstrances came from America, but the resident minister declined to lay them before the English Government, so much was he satisfied with the previous explanation. Notwithstanding all this, however, Mr. Marcy, on the sth of September, wrote again to Mr. Crampton, the English minister in America, reiterating the previous complaint, as if no explanation had been given, no regret expressed, no measures takeu to stop the objectionable proceedings, On the 27th of September, Lord Clarendon wrote to Mr. Marcy, repeating that there was no reason to believe that any of her Majesty's servants, or any authorised agents, "had violated the laws. Nevertheless, the correspondence was still continued ; and down to the 13th of October, the demand of .the American government, in the way of satisfaction, consisted of requiring that measures should be taken to discharge fro n the service persons who had been enlisted in the United States, and that tlu illegal proceedings of the English officers and agents should be discovered, and the offenders dealt with. To this Lord f'larsndon replied, that there \v*re no persons enlisted, within the knowledge of the English Government, but t hat if it could be shown there were, they should be discharged j and that, there being no illegal proceedings, there was nothing to disavow, and no offenders to be dealt with. Lord Clarendon naturally hoped that the correspondence would terminate here; but he was disappointed. Another despatch from Mr. Marcy, dated the 28th of ■December, recapitulated the complaints, and demanded the recall of Mr. Crampton and the

consuls of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and New York. To these statements and this demand, Lord Clarendon now categorically replies^—that the British Government not only did not contemplate a violation of the Neutrality Laws, but issued strict orders to the contrary ; and that Mr. Crampton and the consuls positively deny that any such violation of the laws took phice. He then proceeds to show, by documentary proofs of a very complete and overwhelming character, that the evidence of certain witnesses, or informers, Strobel and Hertz, upon which the American government have based their assertions, are utterly unworthy of credit; and adds that her Majesty's Government cannot but accept the denial of its accredited ministers as being better entitled to belief than the allegations of such persons. Lord Clarendon having thus exhausted in minute detail the whole of the matters brought forwrad, concludes by the following admirable resume, and candid appeal to the good sense of the United States government:—

The Government of the United States had been led to suppose that the law and the sovereign rights of the Unite:! States had not been respected by her Majesty's governmenf, and, reiving upon evidence deemed to be trustworthy, they believed that that law and those rights had been infringed by British agents. If such had been the case, th 3 government of the" United States would have been entitled to demand, and her Majesty's ■government would not have hesitated to afford, the most ample satisfaction, for no discredit can attach to the frank admission and complete reparation of an unquestionable wrong. Her Majesty's government, however, unequivocally disclaim any intention either to infringe the law, or to disregard the policy, or not to respect the sovereign rights of the United States, and the Government of the United States will now for the first time learn that her Majesty's minister at Washington, and her Majesty's consuls at New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, solemnly affirm that they have not committed any of the acts that have been imputed to them. The government of the United States wil) now also for the -first time have an opportunitj' of weighing the declarations of four gentlemen of unimpeaebed honour and integrity against evidence upon which no reliance ought to •be placed. The undersigned cannot but express the earnest hope of her Majesty's government that these ■ ex2>lanations and assurances may prove satisfactory to tne government of the United States, and effectually remove any misapprehension which m-iy have hitherto existed; ar.d he cannot doubt that such a result will afford as much pleasure to the govern--1 ment of the United States as to that of her Majesty, by putting an end to a difference which has been deeply regretted by her Majesty's govern--metit; for there are no two countries which are bound by stronger ties or by higher considerations than the United States and Great Britain to maintain unbroken the relations of perfect cordiality and friendshipThis highly important despatch, upon the reception of which depends the question of peace or war, was forwarded to America by the mail steamer which left Liverpool on the morning of May 3.— Home News.