These proceedings of Wilkes created the most intense excitement. There was great glee on the part of the true Americans of this country when it was learned that the rebel emissaries had been captured. There was great sorrow on the part of the South, except that they believed that England would undertake to resent the seizure, as she did, and then their sorrow turned to joy. After England did undertake to interfere, there was regret for the seizure on the part of the timid and nervous good people of the North.
The manner and course of action of the government of England was wholly unprovoked, unjustifiable, and in violation of the courtesies due between friendly nations, and in disregard of her own conduct in like cases. The usages of diplomatic propriety demanded of her that she should, without offensive expression, or action, or implication of any sort, call upon this country to explain the capture of the rebels, or to indicate what claim would be made by the United States upon the men thus captured, and what reparation or apology, if any, we would make to England for a wholly unintentional violation of her dignity. On the contrary, the British Cabinet flew into a passion. They ordered a considerable force of troops to be sent to Canada, and ordered a large number of vessels sent to Halifax, and they sent over to Canada a little general who was not then (or ever) a general. And this they did before our government could know officially or properly what had been done.
To appreciate the utterly useless folly of this movement of troops and vessels on the part of Great Britain, we have only to reflect that the capture was made on the 7th of November. She could not possibly have got her troops started until the first of December, and then her ships and troops could never have got farther than Halifax, as the ice of winter would have sealed up the St. Lawrence and all the other rivers of Canada.
England ought also to have remembered that at one time in the case of one of her rebellious provinces, Quebec, she found herself in this same difficulty in sending her troops over to put down the rebellion, and had to ask the consent of our government to let the troops pass over our territory. Now if they were forced to go
