or, the exertion
proved too severe for him; on the 24th he complained of
rheumatic pains, and of prolonged sleeplessness.]

[Pageheading: REDRESS DEMANDED]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

DOWNING STREET, _29th November 1861_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs
to state that the Cabinet at its meeting this afternoon resumed the
consideration of the forcible capture of the Southern Envoys from on
board the _Trent_ steamer upon which the law officers had yesterday
given the opinion contained in the accompanying report. The law
officers and Doctor Phillimore, Counsel to the Admiralty, were in
attendance. The result was that it appeared to the Cabinet that a
gross outrage and violation of international law has been committed,
and that your Majesty should be advised to demand reparation and
redress. The Cabinet is to meet again to-morrow at two, by which time
Lord Russell will have prepared an instruction to Lord Lyons for the
consideration of the Cabinet, and for submission afterwards to your
Majesty. The general outline and tenor which appeared to meet the
opinions of the Cabinet would be, that the Washington Government
should be told that what has been done is a violation of international
law, and of the rights of Great Britain, and that your Majesty's
Government trust that the act will be disavowed and the prisoners set
free and restored to British Protection; and that Lord Lyons should
be instructed that if this demand is refused he should retire from the
United States.

It is stated by Mrs and Miss Slidell, who are now in London, that the
Northern officer who came on board the _Trent_ said that they
were acting on their own responsibility without instructions from
Washington; that very possibly their act might be disavowed and the
prisoners set free on their arrival at Washington. But it was known
that the _San Jacinto_, though come from the African station, had
arrived from thence several weeks before, and had been at St Thomas,
and had there received communications from New York; and it is also
said that General Scott, who has recently arrived in France, has
said to Americans in Paris that he has come not on an excursion of
pleasure, but on diplomatic business; that the seizure of these envoys
was discussed in Cabinet at Washington, he being present, and was
deliberately determined upon and ordered; that the Washington Cabinet
fully foresaw it migh