The Forged Naval report.
In a debate in the House of Lords on the 5th ult., Earl Russell stated, with reference to the fraudulent paper purporting to come from the
Confederate Naval Department, that "it was said to have been published in a New York paper as genuine; but
Mr. Seward states that, having made further inquiry, he finds it to have been altogether a forgery." It is no wonder that in the report "A laugh," and "hear, hear," should have followed this statement.
It is not surprising that the
Foreign Minister of the present British Cabinet should be drawing his information concerning the
Confederacy from so distinguished a correspondent as
Wm. H. Seward!
It was, indeed, time for Earl Russell to confess his belief that the infamous fraud to which
Mr. Secretary Mallory's name was appended was a forgery, when
Seward had arrived at the same conclusion; but it would have been with better grace, and more honorable to the
British Government, had he discovered the fact without
Seward's assistance and announced it without his authority.
But it is all in keeping with the general attitude of the
British Foreign Minister towards the
Confederate States.
He is not likely to be much in advance at any time of
Seward in an act of justice to the
Confederacy, and that act is not likely to come from either until forced.
Seward never would have admitted that the alleged Confederate naval report was a fraud as long as he could have suppressed the truth and gained advantage from it. And we have seen nothing from Earl Russell to lead us to believe that we would be treated more honorably by him.
