1863.
xo

882 LIFE OF COBDEN. Ll
reform is required—that five millions of adult males in the
kingdom are politically ignored, or only remembered to be
insulted, and that this state of things will endure so long 88
the five millions eat, drink, smoke, and sleep contentedly
under the proscription, and that no power on earth will ever
help them out of their political serfdom until they shoW
that they can discriminate between those who would emancipate
 them and those who would keep them as they are:
Until the non-electoral class can have a bond fide organiza
tion in every large town, composed of their own class, and
self-sustained, it is a pure waste of life and strength for #
man of Bright’s genius to attempt to advance their cause it
that packed assembly, the House of Commons.”

On Privateering.
“Oct. 6,1868. (To Mr. Bigelow.)—In 1854, on the breaking
 out of the Crimean war, a communication was sent by
England and France to the American Government, ©Xprossing
 a confident hope that it would, ‘in the spirit of just reciprocity,
 give orders that no privateer under Russian colours
shall be equipped, or victualled, or admitted with its prizes, i
the ports of the United States,” &c. Ithas occurred to me to
call your attention to this, although I dare say it has nob
escaped Mr. Dayton’s recollection. But I should be curious
bo know what answer the French Government would now
make if its own former language was quoted against the
course now being taken at Brest in repairing, and I suppose
 ‘victualling,” the ‘Florida.’ If the answer be that
this vessel is not a privateer’ but a regularly commissioned
ship-of-war, then I think the opportunity should not be
lost to put on record a rejoinder to this argument, showing
the futility of the Declaration of Paris against privateer
ing; for if a vessel sailing under one form of authority
issued by Jefferson Davis, and called a commission,” ca®