544 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



the dead. T( implies that Mr. Webster — of whom in the latter part 

 of his speech Lord Malmesbury speaks in liberal terms, (though lim- 

 it iiiir his eulogy to a period subsequent to the appearance of the notice 

 of the 20th of July) — was capable of getting up, for electioneering 

 purposes, a false and shortlived alarm, which, for the time, menaced 

 the peace of the two countries, but was sure to be exposed by the re- 

 turn of the English mail; conduct, to say the least, which would have 

 been as weak as wicked. What Lord Malmesbury is reported to have 

 called a " correspondence," and a " letter," which might not have seen 

 the light but for the recurrence of certain " periodical events," was no 

 correspondence nor letter, but a notice addressed to our fishermen. 

 It was nothing if not published; and it must be published then, or 

 never. 



With respect to the " influence of periodical events," for the exist- 

 ence of which in the United States Lord Malmesbury avouches the 

 personal observation of Lord Wharncliffe, I may be permitted to say 

 that I have resided much longer in England than Lord W. has done 

 in America, and have carefully observed the country under the oper- 

 ation of an event of the kind referred to — that is a general election. 

 I respect and admire the popular institutions of England, the foun- 

 tain, to some extent, of our own. I did not, however, bring away 

 from that country the impression that her distinguished public men 

 are less subject to electioneering influences than our own of the same 

 class. I believe the majority of such men in both countries to be 

 honest and sincere; and that, even when they err in judgment, they 

 transact the public business in good faith. I feel confident that Lord 

 Malmesbury would deem it a just subject of complaint if, in an of- 

 ficial statement to Congress, I should, having denied all foundation 

 in fact and reason to a certain portion of the sayings or doings of her 

 Majesty's ministers last summer, during the progress of the election 

 w T hich was going on simultaneously with our own canvass, have im- 

 puted to them the motive bj^ which Lord Malmesbury, in effect, ac- 

 counts for the publication of Mr. Webster's notice of the 20th of 

 July. 



This much I have been constrained to say from a sense of duty to 

 this government and to Mr. Webster; feeling that substantial in- 

 justice would be done to both in leaving without any notice the re- 

 marks made by Lord Malmesbury both in his letter to Mr. Crampton, 

 communicated by his direction to this department, and in his reply to 



Lord Wharncliffe of the 26th of November. 



******* 



Edavard Everett. 



Extract from annual message of President Fillmore^ {December 6, 



1852.) 



Fellovi- citizens of tlce Senate 



and the House of Representatives: 

 The brief space which has elapsed since the close of your last ses- 

 sion has been marked by no extraordinary political event. The quad- 

 rennial election of Chief Magistrate has passed off with less than the 

 usual excitement. However individuals and parties may have been 

 disappointed in the result, it is, nevertheless, a subject of national 



