You are the Prime Minister of England. You have tried to stay neutral in the Union's war with the Confederacy. In May, 1861, Queen Victoria declared England's neutrality and recognized the Confederacy's belligerent status, thereby giving the Confederates the same privilege's as the Union in foreign ports. Prior to Mason and Slidell's aborted trip to England, the Confederacy had sent an earlier delegation and you were very careful to stay neutral towards them.
However, you were incensed by Captain Charles Wilkes' actions in seizing Mason and Slidell on a neutral British mail steamer, sailing under a British flag, on a scheduled voyage between neutral ports. This incident is an outrageous insult to the British crown and the British people are indignant and enraged. You were heard to say, "I don't know whether you are going to stand for this, But I'll be damned if I do."
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You government has had prior dealings with William Seward and you know him to be a bit brash and impulsive. He has threatened war in the past and you are not sure if this time he wants war or not. Lord Lyons told you that at a recent Washington soiree, Seward was heard to proclaim the Union "will wrap the whole world in flames."
You had some lawyers review the case. They found the seizure to be illegal and unjustifiable by international law. By law Captain Wilkes should have taken the matter of the seizure to prize court but he did not. Rather, he took it upon himself to be the judicial tribunal.
You have taken extraordinary measures in these circumstances. You have sent 11,000 troops to fortify the Canadian border and are preparing to send 28,400 more. The London shipyards are at work enhancing the naval fleet. More importantly for the Union, you have decided to stop exporting saltpeter, which is a key component of gunpowder. The Union had a huge order recently which you did not fill. You know they will have difficulty conducting the war against the Confederacy without saltpeter.
You insist that President Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward release Mason and Slidell and offer an apology within 7days.