856

LIFE OF COBDEN. [omaAP.

1861. United States as much from the dependence on your cotton
&n.67. as from a dread of your power. Now the popular opinion
(however erroneous) is that a war would give us cotton.
And we, of course, consider your power weakened by your
civil war. I speak as a friend of peace, and not as a partisan
 of my own country, in wishing you to bear this in
mind >

“ Dec. 6, 1861.—Since writing my letter of yesterday's
date, I have read General Scott’s admirable letter, It contains
 a passage to the following effect : ‘I am sure that the
President and people of the United States would be but too
happy to let these men go free, unnatural and unpardonable
as their offences have been, if by it they could emancipate
the commerce of the world. Greatly as it would be to our
disadvantage at this present crisis to surrender any of those
maritime privileges of belligerents which are sanctioned by
the laws of nations, I feel that I take no responsibility in
saying that the United States will be faithful to her traditional
 policy upon this subject, and to the spirit of her
political institutions.’ ”’
“ Dec. 12, 1861.—The Times and its yelping imitators are
still doing their worst, but there is a powerful moderate
party. I hope you will offer promptly to arbitrate the
question, There is one point on which you must absolutely
define your platform. You mustacknowledge the South as
belligerents to give you a standing-ground on the Trent affair.
Some of your newspapers argue that you have a right to
carry off a rebel from an English vessel, which means that
Austria might have seized Kossuth under similar circumstances.
 Were you to take such ground, there would be
war.”

“ Dec. 19, 1861.—Everybody tells me that war is inevitable,
 and yet I do not believe in war. But it must be
admitted that there are things said and done on your side