THE ARMISTICE AND TREATY OF PEACE.
About 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 19th of May, the torpedo boat
"Stiletto" was sent down from Yonkers, where the American fleet was
lying, with a flag of truce, requesting a cessation of hostilities,
pending some fresh negotiations between the two governments. The
exact nature of these negotiations was not known to the officers
making the request; but their representations were such as to induce
the British Admiral to accede to their wishes, (especially as he had
already done about all the damage that he could) and an armistice for
ten days was agreed upon.
It subsequently transpired that news had been received in Washington
that the two other British fleets, which were intended to operate
against the New England, and the Southern Atlantic and Gulf seaports,
had sailed on the 15th of May for their respective destinations, and
might be expected to arrive on our coast about the first week in
June. This announcement, coming simultaneously with the
demonstration of the utterly defenseless condition of our coast
cities, which the bombardment of New York and Brooklyn had so
conclusively shown, caused such a universal chorus of indignant
protest throughout the whole country, that the senators and
congressmen, who had previously opposed all propositions looking to a
settlement of the controversy by the payment of a war indemnity,
began to fear that a persistence in their course might cost them
their official positions; and several announced their willingness to
change their votes, in case the question could be again brought up.
With these accessions, however, the measure still lacked a majority;
and in all probability would have failed of passage, if it had not
been for the shrewd and ingenious invention of a Boston journalist,
who published a detailed description (said to have been received from
a Canadian deserter) of four formidable iron-clad gunboats, which
were said to have been conveyed in sections, by rail, from Montreal
to a place called Collingwood, on Georgian Bay, with the utmost
secrecy, during the preceding summer and autumn; and which were now
nearly ready for action, and within two or three weeks, or a month,
at the most, would bombard all of our lake cities, from Duluth to
Buffalo.
This story subsequently proved to be a complete fabrication; but it
served its purpose admirably; for the senators and congressmen from
all the States bordering the Great Lakes, hastened to announce
themselves as favorable to a compromise, on any reasonable basis.
Now that the enemy was knocking at their own doors, and pressure was
brought to bear on them by their own constituents, they seemed to
view the situation from an entirely different standpoint from the one
which they had formerly occupied; and unanimously "flopped" over to
the "peace at any price" party, as the advocates of settlement, had
been contemptuously christened by their opponents.
An act was rushed through both houses of Congress, authorizing and
directing the President to appoint three commissioners to confer with
a like number to be appointed by the government of Great Britain, to
draft a treaty of peace between the two countries, in substantial
accordance with the terms heretofore offered by the representatives
of Her Britannic Majesty's government.
A further cessation of hostilities, pending the meeting of these
commissioners in Paris, took place, and the two British fleets then
on their way to the United States were instructed, by cable, to
rendezvous at Halifax, and await further orders. The negotiations
were concluded much more promptly than such negotiations usually are.
The only serious question of difference grew out of the insistence by
the British commissioners, that the United States should assume the
indebtedness of the Dominion of Canada.
This was at length agreed to by the American representatives, and a
treaty of peace, which was subsequently ratified by both governments,
was agreed upon, by which Great Britain ceded to the United States
all of its Canadian and West Indian possessions, except the island of
Barbadoes, which was to be retained as a military and naval station;
and in return for this cession of territory, the United States agreed
to assume the indebtedness of Canada, amounting to about
$300,000,000; and to pay to Great Britain, as "purchase money,"
$1,500,000,000. The phrase "purchase money," instead of "penalty" or
"war indemnity," was inserted at the urgent request of the American
commissioners, without serious objection by their British associates.
The latter, doubtless, thought that as long as they got the money, it
made no difference what name they gave it.
Thus ended one of the briefest, and at the same time one of the most
momentous wars that ever was waged. Its brevity was obvious. Its
importance grew out of the fact that it changed the Nationality of
half a continent, and totally revolutionized existing methods of
Naval warfare. England's triumph, it is true, was complete; and
British jubilation was intense, but both were only temporary; and
this apparent success was but the commencement of the downfall of the
British Empire. That heterogeneous combination of different races
and Nationalities, had hitherto "ruled the world" by virtue of its
conceded superiority as a naval power; but this American invention of
self-destroying torpedo boats, having fully demonstrated the fact
that any properly defended harbor was invulnerable to attack even by
the heaviest and most formidable iron-clads, British threats ceased
to alarm anybody; and thenceforward England exerted only such
influence in European councils, as her military strength entitled her
to--which was very trifling.
In the great Continental war which made such radical changes in the
maps of Europe and Asia, she took practically no part; and while
Germany absorbed German Austria, and thus realized the dream of
Bismark's life--German unity,--and Vienna became in name, as well as
in fact, a German City; and while Russia seized the Danubian
provinces and European Turkey and Greece, thus possessing herself of
Constantinople, and of her long coveted outlet on the Mediterranean;
England was compelled to look idly on, and play the rô1e of a
disgusted spectator.
To the loss of prestige as a Naval power, which the Battle of the
Swash occasioned, can also be directly attributed England's
subsequent loss of India and Australia; the former by Russian
conquest, and the latter by declaring itself an independent nation.
Thus do the most momentous historical events often-times hinge upon
apparently trivial happenings; and the fate of Nations and peoples
yet unborn, may be changed by a skirmish of outposts, or the
bombardment of towns on the opposite side of the world.