“With regard to the decisions in Prize Courts, I must say I lament that the Constitution of the United States is such, that, instead of being brought at once before the Court of Admiralty, where generally you have a very eminent judge to preside, perfectly well acquainted with the Law of Nations, _such cases go in the first instance before the District Courts_, then, I think, before a Circuit Court, and it is only after a considerable delay that they come before the Supreme Court of the United States. I say this, because I believe we should all very much respect a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, and it is to be lamented that there should be a considerable delay before the judgment of that tribunal can be obtained.” The compliment to the Supreme Court of the United States, which, like the House of Lords and the Privy Council, is not a court of original jurisdiction in prize cases, will hardly excuse the reflection upon the District Courts, which are the Admiralty Courts of the United States,--especially when it is considered that those at Boston and New York, where the prize cases chiefly occurred, were administered at the time by judges who would compare favorably with the contemporary judge of the English Admiralty. Judge Sprague, of Boston, and Judge Betts, of New York, were “very eminent” and “perfectly well acquainted with the Law of Nations,” although only judges of District Courts. The speech of Earl Russell was noticed by Mr. Adams, in a despatch to Mr. Seward, under date of October 1, 1863:-- “The event of the week has been the speech of Earl Russell at Blairgowrie, evidently drawn forth by the report of Mr. Sumner’s address at New York.”[174] It was the subject of comment by the press of England and the United States. The sympathetic _Morning Star_ said:-- “Mr. Sumner’s oration has had an unexpected effect. It has stirred the phlegmatic nature of Earl Russell. The Foreign Secretary has replied from his Scottish retreat to the complaints and reproaches of the New England Senator. Absurdly contemptuous in his personal allusions to the distinguished Senator, Lord Russell confesses the force of his accusations by taking the trouble to reply to them.…