en by friends of the North to the Government's
entire line of policy and conduct in relation to America. Their play at
the moment, feeling insecure as to the fixity of governmental policy,
was to approve heartily the neutrality now existing, and to make no
criticisms. Later, when more confident of the permanency of British
neutrality, they in turn became critics on the score of failure, in
specific cases, in neutral duty.

The Solicitor-General's speech showed that there was no hope for the
motion unless it could be made a party question. Of that there was no
indication, and the motion was withdrawn. Three days later a similar
debate in the Lords was of importance only as offering Russell, since he
was now a member of the upper chamber, an opportunity to speak for
himself. Lord Campbell had disavowed any intention to attack the
blockade since Russell, on February 15, had officially approved it, but
criticized the sending to Lyons of the despatch itself. Russell upheld
the strict legality and effectiveness of the blockade, stated that if
England sided with the South in any way the North would appeal to a
slave insurrection--the first reference to an idea which was to play a
very important role with Russell and others later--and concluded by
expressing the opinion that three months would see the end of the
struggle on lines of separation, but with some form of union between the
two sovereignties[574]. Russell's speech was an unneeded but emphatic
negative of the pro-Southern effort.

Clearly Southern sympathizers had committed an error in tactics by
pressing for a change of British policy. The rosy hopes of Mason were
dashed and the effect of the efforts of his friends was to force the
Government to a decided stand when they preferred, as the summons of
Spence to conference makes evident, to leave in abeyance for a time any
further declaration on the blockade. The refusal of Mason and his
Southern friends to wait compelled a governmental decision and the
result was Russell's instruction to Lyons of February 15. The effect of
the debate on Mason was not to cause distrust of his English advisers,
but to convince him that the existing Government was more determined in
unfriendliness than he had supposed. Of the blockade he wrote: "... no
step will be taken by this Government to interfere with it[575]." He
thought the military news from America in part responsible as: "The late
reverses at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson have h