Lord Russell has written a very effective reply to Mr.
Adams's assertion that the American Foreign Enlistment Act, strengthened in 1%8 to please Portugal, who suffered much from American Alabctmqs, is really at all more effectual than our own. He shows that the American Act enables the Government to demand a bond in double the value of the ship and cargo from every armed vessel going out of an American port ; and it also authorizes the officers of the customs to detain " any vessels manifestly built for warlike purposes," " of which the cargo shall principally consist of arms or munitions of war," when either the number of the crew or any other circumstance shall render it probable that it is going on a hostile cruise against a nation with which the United States are at peace. Lord Russell ahowsthat these provisions would not have been ade- quate to the case of the Alabama or any other of the vessels, scarcely
even to that of the rams detained by the British Government, and points out that practically Portiegal saffered-enuch more from Ankara= t4/abaniaq afterethis °keep in the law had been made than:Were, —and the Lriliteil States al waeseued steadily declined to tereeeponsible. In like ,finanister Lord il.useell declines to be responsible,' but we arc happy to see thatihoeloes admit the law on both sides of the water to be inefficient, awl proposes by mutual
aereement to amend it. 0
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