ll indicating a possibility that
the blockade might, after all, become strictly effective and thus
exceedingly harmful to British trade. There is no direct _proof_ that
this influenced Russell to denounce the plan of blocking Southern
harbours with stone-laden boats sunk in the channel, but the existence
of such a motive seems probable. Moreover his protest was not made until
December 20, the _day after_ he had learned officially from Adams that
Wilkes was unauthorized in searching the _Trent_--a day on which strain
and uncertainty regarding American intentions were greatly lessened.
Russell then wrote to Lyons that he observed it to be stated,
"apparently on good authority," that the declared purpose of the stone
boat fleet was "of destroying these harbours for ever." He
characterized this as implying "utter despair of the restoration of the
Union," and as being only "a measure of revenge and irremediable injury
against an enemy."

"But even in this view, as a scheme of embittered and sanguinary war,
such a measure is not justifiable. It is a plot against the commerce of
nations and the free intercourse of the Southern States of America with
the civilized world. It is a project worthy only of times of barbarism."

Lyons was instructed to speak in this sense to Seward, who, it was
hoped, would disavow the project[535].

There was nothing in Lyons' despatches, nor in the American newspaper
extracts accompanying them, to warrant such accusation and
expostulation. Lyons had merely commented that by some in America the
project had been characterized as "odious and barbarous," adding, "The
question seems to depend on the extent to which the harbours will be
permanently injured[536]." It will be noted that Russell did not refer
to information received from Lyons (though it was already in hand), but
to "apparently good authority" in justification of his vigorous
denunciation. But like vigour, and like characterization of American
"barbarism" did not appear in the British press until after the news
arrived of the release of Mason and Slidell. Then the storm broke, well
summed up in the Punch cartoon entitled "Retrogression. (A Very Sad
Picture.) War Dance of the I.O.U. Indian," and showing Uncle Sam in
war-feathers and with war-club, in his hand a flag made of the _New York
Herald_, dancing in glee on the shores of a deserted harbour across
which stretched a row of sunken ships[537].

On January 13 the Liverpool Shipowners'