Synthesized answer
Based solely on the provided passages, the "active industry" of blockade-running by the Confederates involved establishing agencies in England to purchase arms. These arms were then sent in ordinary merchant vessels to the Bahamas, where they were transhipped into fast steamers specially built to run the blockade of southern ports [1].
England and the Bahamas were crucial to this strategy due to logistical and economic factors. The British government issued a proclamation of neutrality recognizing the Confederates as belligerents [1], and British traders provided material assistance to the Confederates [5]. The Bahamas served as a transhipment point for arms brought from England [1].
This context directly contributed to the controversy surrounding the "Alabama" because she was built in England by Messrs. Laird at Birkenhead and was obviously intended for a man-of-war [1]. Despite evidence being laid before British authorities, the vessel was allowed to sail and later received her armament from two British ships [4]. The United States government alleged that Great Britain committed breaches of neutrality by allowing the "Alabama" and other Confederate vessels to be built and…
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From the book
tes on the 13th of April 1861. On the 19th of April President Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of the southern ports. On the 14th of May the British government issued a proclamation of neutrality, by which the Confederates were recognized as belligerents. This example was followed shortly afterwards by France and other nations. The blockade of the southern ports was not at first effective, and blockade-running soon became an active industry. The Confederates established agencies in England for the purchase of arms, which they despatched in ordinary merchant vessels to the Bahamas, whence…
rpool in two British ships. Captain Semmes there took command of her under a commission from the Confederate government. After a most destructive career she was sunk off Cherbourg by the “Kearsarge” on the 19th of June 1864. On these facts the United States government alleged against Great Britain two grievances, or sets of grievances. The first was the recognition of the Southern States as belligerents and a general manifestation of unfriendliness in other ways. The second was in respect of breaches of neutrality in allowing the “Alabama,” the “Florida” (originally the “Oreto”, the…
← Alabama 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 "Alabama" Arbitration by Montague Hughes Crackanthorpe Alabama River → See also Alabama Claims on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . 244259 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — "Alabama" Arbitration Montague Hughes Crackanthorpe “ALABAMA” ARBITRATION. —This is one of those arbitrations on pecuniary claims, made by one state, on behalf of its subjects, against another state, which are referred to in the article Arbitration, International . The case is important, both from a historical and a juridical point of…
was laid before the law officers, who advised that, if these particulars were correct, the vessel ought to be detained. On the 21st of July sworn evidence, which was supplemented on the 23rd of July, was obtained and laid before the commissioners of customs (who were the proper authorities to enforce the provisions of the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1819), but they declined to move. On the 23rd of July the same evidence was laid before the law officers, who advised that there was sufficient ground for detention. By some accident, which has never been satisfactorily explained, but was probably…
nfriendly utterances of British politicians and the material assistance afforded to the Confederates by British traders. The inclusion of the indirect losses and the other matters just referred to caused great excitement in England. That they were within the treaty was disputed, and it was argued that, if they were, the treaty should be amended or denounced. In October 1872 Lord Granville notified to General Schenck, the United States minister, that the British government did not consider that the indirect losses were within the submission, and in April the British counter-case was filed…
More questions about this book
- The text highlights the "Alabama" Arbitration as a key example of arbitration preventing war. How did the specific events surrounding the vessel's construction and subsequent claims illustrate this principle, and what deeper implications does this have for international relations?
- The British government's 1861 proclamation of neutrality recognized the Confederacy as belligerents. How might this seemingly neutral stance have been interpreted differently by the Union and the Confederacy, and what specific challenges did it create for Britain regarding the construction of vessels like the "Alabama"?
- Upon receiving intelligence about the "Alabama," British law officers advised its detention if the particulars were correct. What legal obligations or international precedents was the British government navigating at this moment, and what were the potential diplomatic or economic consequences of acting, or failing to act, on this advice?
- Considering the detailed account of the "Alabama" incident, from its construction to the legal advice for its detention, what overarching principles about state neutrality, international obligations, and the role of arbitration emerge that remain relevant in contemporary international law and conflict resolution?