FOREIGN RELATIONS

It is not inmy power to announce any change in the conduct of foreign powers. No such action has been taken by the christian nations of Europe, as . might justly have been expected from their history, from the duties imposed by international law, and from the claims of humanity. Itis charitable to attribute their conduct to no worse motive than indifference to the consequences which shake only the Repu-

blican portion of the Americain continent ; and not to ascribe to design a course calculated to insure the prolongation of hostilities.

= No instance in history is remembered by me in which a nation pretending to exercise dominion over another, asserting its irdependance, has been-. the first to concede the. existance of such independance. No vase can be recalled to my mind in which neutral powers haved failed to set the example of recoganizing the independance of a nation, when satisfied of the inability of its enemy to subvert its Government ; and this, too, in cases where the previous relations between the contending parties had been confessioneddly that of mother country and dependaut colony ; not as in our case, that of co-equal States united by Federal compact. It has never becn considered the proper fuuction and duty of neutral powers to perlorm the office of judging whether in point of fact the nation asserting dominion is able to make good its preientions by force of arms, and if not, by recognition ofthe resisting party to discountenance the further continuance of the contest. And the reason why this duty is incumbent on neutral powers is plainly apparent when we reflect that the pride and passion which blind the judgement of the parties to the conflict cause the continuance of active warefare, and consequent unless slaughter, long after the inevitable result has become apparent to all not engaged in the struggle. So long, therefore, as neutral nations fail by recognition of our independance to announce that, in their judgment, the United-States are unable to reduce 1he Confederacy to submission, their conduct, will be accepted by our enemies as à tacit encouragement to continue their efforts, and as an assurance that belief is en-ertained by neutral nations in the snccess oftheir designs. A direct stimulus, whether intentional or nor, is thus applied to securing a continuance of the carnage aud devastation which desolate this centinent, and which they profess deeply' to deplore. | FES;

se 417 —

The disregard of this just humane and Christian publie duty by the nations of Europe is the more remarkable from the fact that authentie expression has long since been given by the Governments of both France and England to the conviction that the United States are unable to coniquer the Confederacy. It is now more than two years since the government of France announced officiaily to the Cabinets of London and St. Petcrsburg its own conclusion that the United States were unable to achieve any decisive military success, In the answers sent by these powers no intimation of a contrary opinion Was couveyed ; and il is notorious that in speeches, both in and out of Parliament, the members of her Britannic Majesty’s Government have. not hesitated to express this firm conviction in unqualified terms. The denial of our right under these circumstanécs is so obviously unjust, and discriminates so unfairly in favorof the United States, that neutrals have sought to palliate the wrong of which 1h:y are conscious by professing to consider. in opposition to notorious truth and to the known belief of both beligerents, that the recognition of our independance would be valueless without their further intervention in the struggle; an intervention of which we disciaim the desire and mistrust the advantage.

We seek no favor, we wish no intervention, we know ourselves fully competent to maintain our own rights and independance against the invaders of the country, and we feel justified in asserting, that without the aid derived from recruiting their armies from foreign countries they would, ere this, have been driven from our soil. When the recognition of the Confederacy

was refusrd by Great Britain, in the fall of 1862, the refusal was excused on the ground that any action of Her Majesty’s Government would have the eflect of inflaming the passions of the belligerants and of preventinig the return of peace.—It is assumed that this opinion was sincerely entertained, but the experience

of two Years of unequal carnage, shows that it was erroneous, and that the result was the reverse of what the British ministry humanely desired. A contrary policy, a poliey jnst to us, a policy diverging from an Unvarying course of concession to all the demands of our enemies, is still within the power of Her Majesty’s Government, and would, it is fair to presume, be productive of cons 'quences the opposite to those which have unfortunately followed its whole course of conduct from the commencement of the war to the present time.-—In a word, peace is impossible without independance, and it is not to be expected that the enemy will anticipate neutrals in the recognition of that independence. When the history of this war shall be fully disclosed the calm judgement ofthe impartial publicist will, for these reasons, be unable to absolve the neutral nations of Europe from a share in the moral responsibility for the myriads of human lives that have been unnecessarily sacrificed during its progress.

The renewed instances in which foreign Powers have given us just cause of complaint need not here be detailed. The extracts from the correspondence of the State Department, which accompany this message, will afford such further information as can be given without ‘detriment to the public interest, and we must reserve for the future such action as may then be deemed ad- ‘isable to secure redress.

Cru

Opposite Johnsonville, Tenn, Nov. 5, via Corinth, Nov. 7. à Major Gen. Forrest, on the 4th inst., achieved

another great victory.

He placed a battery above Johnsonville, moved up his artillery from below, and caught at Johnsonville three gunboats, two transports and about twenty barges. He planted his batteries at night, and opened

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-With eight pieces, and after an engagement of ten minules the gunboats were set on fire and consumed.

The batteries then opened on the transports and barges, all of which were set on fire and destroyed.

The engagement was terrible. The enemy opened with forty howitzers from their fort and gunboats, but not a man quailed under the storm of shell. The cannoners had their rammers shot in two and their clothes and boots shot off.

Since last Sunday Gen. Forrest has captured and destroyed fourieen transports, four gunboats, twenty barges, thirty-two pieces of artillery, over twenty thousand tons of freight, and over three million dollars worth of stores.

Our loss has been only ten men wounded.

Johnsonville is still burning. The immense amount of freight on shore, coveriug several acres, will all be consumed, as it is now burning, and the enemy cannot extinguish it, as our batteries command the banks.

M. C. GALLAWAY.

Tuscumbia, Ala., Nov. 8 General S. Cooper, Adjutant and Inspecior General.—

Gen. Forrest reports that on the 5th instant he was then engaged fighting the enemy at Johnsoville, having already destroyed four gunboats, of eight guns each, fourteen steamers and twenty barges, with a large quantity of quartermaster and commissary stores on the landing and in warehouses, estimated at between seventy-five to one hundred thousand tons. Six gunboats were then approaching, which he hoped to cap-

de Mel à G. T. BEAUREGARD