The sixth
of February will do. In any other case we must decide according to
circumstances[431]."
Thus Russell would not have Great Britain go to war with America without
the sanction of Parliament, and was seeking reasons for delay. He was
reacting, in fact, to a more sobering second thought which was
experienced also by nearly everyone, save the eager British
"Southerner," in public and in newspaper circles. The first explosion of
the Press, on receipt of the news of the _Trent_, had been a terrific
one. The British lion, insulted in its chosen field of supremacy, the
sea, had pawed the air in frenzy though at first preserving a certain
slow dignity of motion. Customary "strong leader-writing" became
vigorous, indeed, in editorial treatment of America and in demand for
the prompt release of the envoys with suitable apology. The close touch
of leading papers with Governmental opinion is well shown, as in the
_Times_, by the day-to-day editorials of the first week. On November 28
there was solemn and anxious consideration of a grave crisis with much
questioning of international law, which was acknowledged to be doubtful.
But even if old British practice seemed to support Captain Wilkes, the
present was not to be controlled by a discarded past, and "essential
differences" were pointed out.
Pages:
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330