VICTORIA. 



751 



with Daniel Webster, then Secretary of State, the 

 treaty that bears his name. The boundary de- 

 fined by the treaty was regarded as fair to both 

 countries, the United States undertaking to in- 

 demnify the States that suffered loss by it, 

 while others gained. The treaty also included a 

 " cruising convention," a clause stipulating that 

 the squadrons on the coast of Africa, while each 

 enforcing the laws of its own nation, should work 

 in co-operation. The cases of the Caroline and the 

 Creole were disposed of in the treaty ; it was made 

 clear that England was not expected to return 

 fugitive slaves, but the extradition of criminals 

 was provided for; in the case of the Creole the 

 United States had demanded the surrender of the 

 negroes as mutineeers and murderers. The right 

 of impressment was not touched in the treaty, but 

 Mr. Webster wrote a letter to Lord Ashburton, 

 in which he declared that the crews of American 

 merchant vessels would be protected by the flag 

 over them. Thus a war that seemed impending 

 was averted, though the terms of the treaty were 

 violently attacked in Parliament and in the Senate 

 before it was finally ratified. 



The northwestern boundary still remained un- 

 settled. The extreme claim of Great Britain was 

 for the line of Columbia river, beginning where it 

 crosses the forty-ninth parallel. The extreme 

 American claim was for the line 54 40-', which 

 was the original claim of Spain. This gave rise 

 to the party cry, " Fifty-four- forty or fight ! " 

 But the forty-ninth parallel had been proposed on 

 the part of the United States as a compromise. 

 A treaty was concluded June 15, 1840, between 

 Mr. Packenham for England and Mr. Buchanan 

 for the United States, giving Vancouver Island 

 to Great Britain. The interpretation of some 

 parts of the treaty, which was drawn up in Eng- 

 land, was found obscure and was not settled till 

 1871, when it was referred to the Emperor William 

 for arbitration. The island San Juan de Fuca he 

 decided to belong to the United States. 



In 1850 was concluded the celebrated Clayton- 

 Bulwer treaty in regard to a ship canal between 

 the Atlantic and Pacific, by which its neutrality 

 was guaranteed, and each nation bound itself not 

 to obtain or keep exclusive control of the canal, 

 not to construct or occupy any fortifications in its 

 vicinity, or to make alliance with any state for the 

 purpose of having such fortifications made; not to 

 colonize or assume any dominion over any part of 

 Central America; and not to take for its citizens 

 any rights or advantages of commerce or naviga- 

 tion not accorded on the same terms to the citizens 

 of the other. 



Treaties for the suppression of the African slave 

 trade were made from time to time, for extradition, 

 and in regard to naturalization and renunciation 

 of citizenship. 



At the close of 1854 a little flurry of disagree- 

 ment arose over enlistments under the foreign en- 

 listment act, authorizing the raising of a foreign 

 legion for service in the Crimean War, and the 

 English minister was sent away from Washington. 

 England apologized, and diplomatic relations were 

 restored. 



The most serious difficulties arose in connection 

 with the war of secession. On the sentiment in 

 England at that time it is best to quote an Eng- 

 lish historian. Justin McCarthy says in his His- 

 tory of Our Own Times: "The Southern scheme 

 found support only in England and France. Tn 

 all other European countries the sympathy of peo- 

 ple and government alike went with the North. 

 . . . Yet in France the people in general wore on 

 the side of the North. Only the Emperor and the 

 Government were on that of the South. In Eng- 



land, on the other hand, the vast majority of what 

 are called the influential classes came to be heart 

 and soul with the South, and strove to bring or 

 force the Government to the same side." 



On May 8, 1801, it was announced in the House 

 of Commons that the Government were of opinion 

 that the Confederacy must be recognized as a 

 belligerent power; on May 13 a proclamation of 

 neutrality was issued, warning all British subjn-i- 

 against giving aid in any way to either side. On 

 Nov. 8 occurred the affair of the Trent, which 

 caused intense feeling on both sides the Atlantic. 

 Mr. Mason and Mr. Slidell, sent as envoys of the 

 Confederacy to England and France respectively, 

 escaped from Charleston to Havana, where they 

 embarked in the English mail steamer Trent foV 

 Southampton. The Trent was intercepted by 

 Capt. Wilkes in the United States sloop of waV 

 San Jacinto, and the envoys were seized and car- 

 ried to New York. The United States Govern- 

 ment did not sustain Capt. Wilkes, though popular 

 feeling throughout the country was with him. On 

 demand of the English Government the envoy- 

 were released, and the action of the authorities 

 commended itself to the second thought of the 

 American people, when they read Secretary Sc\\- 

 ard's masterly explanation of the case, in which 

 he showed that the English Government now for 

 the first time stood on a principle for which the 

 United States Government had always contended. 



Far more serious was the trouble about the 

 building of Confederate privateers in Great Brit- 

 ain. The Florida, first known as the Oreto, was 

 built at Birkenhead under the pretense of being 

 designed for the Italian Government, and was al- 

 lowed to sail, although the American minister, 

 Mr. Adams, had warned the British Government 

 of her real destination. She captured 15 vessels 

 within three months. The Alabama, built also at 

 Birkenhead, was launched in May, 1802, as the 

 " 290," or the Enrica, under pretense of a trial 

 trip, while the American minister was vainly try- 

 ing to arouse the English authorities to enforce- 

 ment of international law : and her builders im- 

 mediately began work on two rams ordered by the 

 Confederate Government, but ostensibly built for 

 French owners. Great Britain was indeed becom- 

 ing " the naval base of the Confederacy."' The 

 Government did not interfere until the rams were 

 ready for starting, when, on Sept. 5, 1803. Mr. 

 Adams sent a last dispatch on the subject to Earl 

 Russell, then in Scotland, containing the sentence 

 since become famous, " It would be superfluous in 

 me to point out to your lordship that this is war." 

 On the 8th it was announced that orders had been 

 given to prevent their departure. In June of this 

 same year Mr. John Arthur Roebuck made a 

 motion in the Commons that the Government be 

 instructed " to enter into negotiations with the 

 great powers of Europe for the purpose of obtain- 

 ing their co-operation in the recognition " of the 

 Confederacy, and math' a speech in favor of it. 

 in which he quoted an interview he had had with 

 Napoleon III, who was most eager to unite with 

 England in recognition: but this was very ill 

 advised and set the house against him, although 

 the majority was strongly inclined toward the 

 South. Mr. Bright answered him in an eloquent 

 speech, and his motion was withdrawn, though not 

 until after nows had reached England of the fall 

 of Vicksburg and the National victory at Gettys- 

 burg 



No more Confederate ships were built in Eng- 

 land, and the question of claims against the Gov- 

 ernment for the damage done was allowed to rest 

 for the time being. In 1808 it was taken up, and 

 a convention was entered into by representative* 



