The Pall Mall of Wednesday seriously misrepresented,—we do not, of
course, mean intentionally,—our article of last week on Mr. Sumner's speech, making it appear that we had contended for a formal apology for our conduct during the Civil War. What we did say, and that in the most explicit manner, was that our Government had, as far as we could see, nothing at all to apologize for, unless, indeed, it might be the negligence which led to the escape of the Alabama, which was a doubtful point, and, consequently, that no formal apology could possibly be demanded or expected from us, unless it might be on that small point ; but, on the other hand, we did admit that the tone of the ruling classes, and the tone in Parliament itself, in the frequent debates on the Alabama and the rams was utterly unfriendly to the North, and no doubt contributed materially to the success of the Southern cotton loan and the willingness of our shipbuilders to build for the South as they would never have built for the Bourbons in Maple. And as we fully believed that the last Parliament in this respect utterly misrepresented the masses of the nation, which the present Parliament fairly represents, we did express a wish that, in sone informal manner, the present Parliament could convey to the United States the true state of the case, and indicate the genuine annoyance of the nation at the false impression which had been created. We should like to see this, because we believe it would be a real rectification of the public opinion of England on a great historical question. To extravagant and menacing demands from the United States we would not yield, as our readers will see by an article in another place, one iota.
Previous page
