Synthesized answer
Based solely on the provided passages, the legal dilemma faced by British authorities in June-July 1862 regarding "No. 290" (the "Alabama") was whether to detain the vessel under the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1819. The law officers advised on June 23rd that if certain particulars were correct, the vessel ought to be detained [1]. However, when sworn evidence was laid before the commissioners of customs on July 21st and 23rd, they declined to move [2]. The law officers then advised on July 23rd that there was sufficient ground for detention, but due to an accident (possibly linked to the illness of the queen’s advocate), the papers were not returned until July 29th, by which time the vessel had already sailed on the evening of July 28th [2].
The potential implications of the decision regarding its detention were significant. The passages show that the failure to detain the "Alabama" led to a destructive career for the vessel, which was sunk in 1864 [3]. This failure became a major grievance for the United States, alleging breaches of neutrality by Great Britain [3]. The matter eventually went to arbitration, where the tribunal found Great Britain legally responsible for the…
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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…
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…
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…
ontended that it must be a diligence commensurate with the emergency or with the magnitude of the results of negligence. The British government maintained that while the measure of care which a government is bound to use in such cases must be dependent more or less upon circumstances, it would be unreasonable to require that it should exceed that which the governments of civilized states were accustomed to employ in matters concerning their own security or that of their citizens. The tribunal adopted the view suggested by the United States. It found that Great Britain was legally responsible…
. With respect to the “Alabama” claims the British commissioners suggested that they should be submitted to arbitration. The American commissioners refused “unless the principles which should govern the arbitrators in the consideration of the facts could be first agreed upon.” After some discussion the British commissioners consented that the three following rules should apply.
More questions about this book
- Describe, in your own words, the central dispute that led to the "Alabama" Arbitration, explaining the roles and motivations of the United States, the Confederate States, and Great Britain.
- The British government's proclamation of neutrality recognized the Confederates as "belligerents." How did this seemingly impartial action contribute directly to the "pecuniary claims" and the controversy surrounding the "Alabama" vessel?
- The text states the "Alabama" Arbitration 'affords a conspicuous example of the value of arbitration as a means of averting war.' Based *only* on the provided excerpt, what specific elements or developments in the narrative suggest how this arbitration (or the need for it) helped prevent a larger conflict?
- Map out the chain of events, starting from the secession of the Southern States and ending with the legal advice for the detention of the "Alabama." How did each preceding event create the conditions for the next, particularly in the context of international relations and wartime economics?