20 ENGLISH NEUTRALITY. gation by the New York Chamber of Commerce, a committee ' of which body, composed of gentlemen whose probity cannot be doubted, reported, among other things: “ The committee have it from the highest authority, that the Government has no knowledge, belief, or suspicion, that any privateer or other armed vessel is fitting out, or has been fittted out, in this country, for or against any of the European belligerents.”* (Report on seizure of the barque Maury, N. Y. Chamb. Com., 1855.) spect for the Brjtish minister, through whom the British consul at New York, preferred complaint in the premises. It is made manifest, by the documents which you transmit, that the suspicions of the British consul as to the character and destination of the “Maury,” were wholly erroneous; and justice to her owners and freighters requires that the libel against her be dismissed. I have the honor to be, Very respectfully, C. Cushing. Hon. John McKeon, Attorney of United States, New York. * At the same time the Chamber of Commerce passed the fallowing resolutions which they justly claimed as expressing the universal sentiment of the American public: “ 1. Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of New York receive and adopt the report as a correct statement, and as containing the sense of this body on the subject. “ 2. Resolved, That no proper amends or apology have been made to A. A. Low & Brothers, for the charge brought against them, which, if true, would have rendered them infamous; nor to the merchants of this city and country, so falsely and injuriously assailed. “ 3. Resolved, That the merchants of New York, as part of the body of merchants of the United States, will uphold the government in the full maintenance of the neutrality laws of the country ; and we acknowledge and adopt, and always have regarded, the acts of the United States for preserving its neutrality as binding in honor and conscience, as well as in law ; and that we denounce those who violate them as disturbers of the peace of the world, to be held in universal abhorrence.” It would be impossible to illustrate the difference of conduct on the part of England and America, better than by printing side by side the papers in the cases of the “ Maury” a ud the ‘Alabama.” That cannot be done here for want of space, but substantially the facts were as follows: The British consul through the British Minister gave notice to our government that ‘a person (name not given;, who deponent believes to be in the pay of Russia, has given him a full explanation of the armament on board the said ve-sel. also, that this deponent “gathered from the person in question that the said ‘ Maury’ would, when outside, ship a new crew of about eighty men,’' &c,, to go in pursuit of the Cunard steamers. This statement of the con-ul’s was backed by the affidavits of two policemen, who swore upou information and belief that the vessel was fitted out as a Russian privateer, but stated no other information or ground of belief than she had taken on board some cannon, small arms, aud cannon ball, and that the mate said that it was a ‘‘damned queer cargo” for the China Seas. Our government, a- appears by Mr Cushing’s letter, c nsidered ‘‘the allegation against the vessel as improbable on its face,” but still ordered it to be seized and held until the truth could b^ascertained. The seizure o the vessel was the first notice to the owners that any suspicion of her was entertained ; and they immediately made a full and frank statement concerning her, by which a d the subsequent investigation it appeared that she was loading on freight for China ; that there was nothing peculiar about her rig or build ; and that the cannon were shipped on freight to an American gentleman in Canton ; and that the addition to her armament of two guns was on account of the increasing danger from Chinese pirates. The libel was after these explanations “lifted,” with the consent of the counsel for the British consul The distinguishing features of this case are the promptness with which the vessel was seized and held until the suspicions against her should be removed; and the readiness of the owners to give all information concerning her In the case of the ‘‘Alabama,” as has been shown, the British government refused to interfere with the freedom of the suspected vessel unti. proof sufficient to conv ct her was produced, and by their captiousness and delay gave her plenty of time to get away before any proceedings could be instituted ; and meanwhile her owners, though admitting that she was a war-vessel built for a foreku government, refused to give any further information about her. One of the affidavits presented to the Board of Customs and Lord Russell, was that of William
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=