<P> Diplomatic observers were suspicious of British motives . The Russian Minister in Washington, Eduard de Stoeckl, noted, "The Cabinet of London is watching attentively the internal dissensions of the Union and awaits the result with an impatience which it has difficulty in disguising ." " De Stoeckl advised his government that Britain would recognize the Confederacy at its earliest opportunity . Cassius Clay, the United States Minister in Russia, stated, "I saw at a glance where the feeling of England was . They hoped for our ruin! They are jealous of our power . They care neither for the South nor the North . They hate both ." </P> <P> Lincoln appointed Charles Francis Adams, Sr., as minister to Britain . An important part of his mission was to make clear to the British that the war was strictly an internal insurrection and afforded the Confederacy no rights under international law . Any movement by Britain to recognizing the Confederacy officially would be considered an unfriendly act toward the US . Seward's instructions to Adams included the suggestion that it should be made clear to Britain that a nation with widely scattered possessions, as well as a homeland that included Scotland and Ireland, should be very wary of "set (ting) a dangerous precedent ." </P> <P> Lord Lyons was appointed as the British minister to the United States in April 1859 . An Oxford graduate, he had two decades of diplomatic experience before being given the American post . Lyons, like many British leaders, had reservations about Seward and shared them freely in his correspondence, which was widely circulated within the British government . As early as January 7, 1861, well before the Lincoln administration had even assumed office, Lyons wrote to British Foreign Secretary Lord Russell about Seward: </P> <P> I cannot help fearing that he will be a dangerous foreign minister . His view of the relations between the United States and Britain had always been that they are a good material to make political capital of...I do not think Mr. Seward would contemplate actually going to war with us, but he would be well disposed to play the old game of seeking popularity here by displaying violence toward us . </P>

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