In London, the British Parliament overwhelming rejects a call for debate on recognizing the Confederacy

The British Parliament narrowly avoided a delicate diplomatic situation when it deliberately and overwhelmingly declined to take up a member's suggestion of an extended debate on the possibility of the United Kingdom recognizing the Confederate States.  William Henry Gregory, MP for Galway and a friend of several "fire-eaters" he had met on a trip to the United States in 1859, proposed the debate but the vast majority of members refused to take up the issue.  Gregory remained a supporter of the Confederacy throughout the Civil War.  (By John Osborne)