The surrender of Mason and Slidell the manner of its publication.
--The following unpublished account of the manner in which the publication of the official correspondence between Lord Lyons and Secretary Seward, relative to the surrender of Messrs. Mason and Slidell was conducted, we extract from a long letter published in the Cincinnati Commercial, under date of Washington, December 28th:The capital was electrified this morning by the official announcement that the surrender of Mason and Slidell had been made — The secret was so admirably kept that not twenty persons knew of the result reached before the full diplomatic correspondence was in print. It appeared exclusively in this morning's National Intelligencer, which, for perhaps the first time in its history, had the news (and a pretty big item of news, too.) ‘"in advance of all our contemporaries"’
Mr. Seward managed the matter so adroitly as to cut off all communication of the surrender to the people of the country, until the official statement of the case should be before them. Consequently, although the result was reached, and the elaborate letter of Mr. Seward prepared and sent to Lord Lyons on Thursday, the New York papers of Saturday morning knew nothing about it. All that they contained was a vague announcement that ‘"a public solution of the Mason and Slidell affair had been reached"’ Meanwhile, the Intelligencer was quietly furnished by the Secretary of State with a copy of the all- important documents, which appeared in a correct shape, and were telegraphed all over the country this morning. The sharp-witted and eager eyed reporters of the New York press were consequently be filed for once, and the Intelligencer rejoices in a reputation which promises to renew its wealth, and reanimates the sleepy old veteran of half a century with quite a juvenile air of enterprise. The unsolicited, yet substantial favor of this publication, is worth some thousands of subscribers to the Intelligencer.
