een taken prisoner, the English government, according
to English law, would hold me guilty of high treason. I would
not be treated as an ordinary prisoner of war, but would be
liable to be strung up at the yard arm. See then the position
of England towards the United States. The Crown should not be
in such haste to act thus. It was hardly a judicious policy.
Andrew Johnson was the grandson of an Irishman; Mr. Seward was
the son of an Irishwoman; General Jackson was the son of an
Irishman; General Washington and Benjamin Franklin lived
and died British subjects, if this law be correct. There is
another point to which I wish to refer--it is to the manner in
which my government has acted in this matter--

THE CHIEF BARON--We cannot allow you to enter into remarks on
the conduct of any government. We have simply to sit here to
administer the law which we are called upon to discharge.

THE PRISONER--I wish simply to call your attention to one
point. On the 3rd of August I wrote to my government--

THE CHIEF BARON--I cannot allow you to refer to that.

THE PRISONER--The President of the United States, on a report
submitted to him--

THE CHIEF BARON--I cannot allow you to proceed with any
reference to what has been done by any government. We have
nothing to do with the conduct of any government We are only
here to administer the law which we are sworn to administer.

THE PRISONER--I was simply going to state that while the vile
officials of your government--.

THE CHIEF BARON--We have nothing to do with the conduct of any
government. We are here to dispense justice according to
law, and whatever the officials of our government or of
the American government have done cannot have the slightest
influence upon our judgment. It can neither affect us
favourably or unfavourably to the prisoner or to the Crown. We
stand indifferently between both.

THE PRISONER--I beg simply to call your lordship's attention
to the correspondence--

THE CHIEF BARON--We cannot allow you to do so. We cannot allow
you to refer to the correspondence between the officials of
one government and the officials of another.

THE PRISONER--If America does not resent England's conduct
towards me, and protect that allegiance to her government
which I proudly own is the only allegiance I ever