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The Charles P. McIlvaine letters were written in the 18th and 19th century and therefore may contain language that we understand today as harmful or offensive. You may encounter paternalist descriptions of Native Americans, racial slurs, or sexism. For more information, see our policy page.
Date
1-27-1862
Keywords
letter, McIlvaine, Guest
Recommended Citation
Guest, Dr. Edwin, "Letter from Dr. Edwin Guest to C.P. McIlvaine" (1862). Charles Pettit McIlvaine Letters. 249.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/mcilvaine_letters/249
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Transcript
Letter from Dr. Guest, Master of Canis College, Cambridge
Jan 27
My dear Bishop McIlvaine,
I did not write to you when I first learned the issue of “the American difficulty” for I felt like a man who has just escaped a [?] but who sees before him others just as [?], and almost as [?]. I may take a glowing view of such things, but I hardly think joy [?] can pass away without a declaration of war. [?] over others of our two countries. I forget to [?] the [?] now passes, but in those countries grow the [?] of fortune, vengeance, which reach us from the side of the [?] + from the mouth’s willingness to speak them, which I find awry. My own country new-- any trifle would precipitate us into war; but these are his sources of [?] which as the present true [?] be the most threatening.
1st Lord Russell [settles] his case on the [?], that the trust was on “an innocent voyage”-- Mr. Seward says that the accusations of her [?] from a New World but a neutral port, was of no consequence, and that Captain Wilks has [?] by quality of our informality in not taking his barge unto port for condemnation-- if this is to be the platform on which the question is to set, I do not see how ever can be abided-- we have mail packets in [?] every question of the globe, and they will contrive to take passengers, be they federates or confederates, civilians or military men, and if the voyage be innocent that is according to the [?] [?] of traffic; the government will [?] them-- and if they all carry into New York, evil will no doubt follow.
Finally, Our Government has been strongly enraged by France and I believe by [?] another great continental power, to declass the blockade of the Southern Port in effect therefore illegal-- the government is naturally reluctant to do anything which may appear like indifference between all his belligerent [?] [?] [?] mission is understood to be such a price of pressing this question upon our government-- but a much more formidable presence is preparing for there, in the South and as it seems to be admitted that the blockade is inefficient I do not see how they can resist such pressure-- be all in the lands of Ohio who over [?] rules all things, but as far as man can see there will yet be war.