The Congressional approval caused "almost a feeling of consternation among ourselves," but Lincoln's silence, it was argued, might possibly be taken as a good omen, since it might indicate that he had as yet reached no decision[450].

Evidently there was more real alarm caused by the applause given Wilkes by one branch of the government than by the outpourings of the American press.
The next day several papers printed Lincoln's message in full and the _Times_ gave a long editorial analysis, showing much spleen that he had ignored the issue with Great Britain[451].

On the eighteenth this journal also called attention, in a column and a half editorial, to the report of the American Secretary of War, expressing astonishment, not unmixed with anxiety, at the energy which had resulted in the increase of the army to 700,000 men in less than nine months.

The _Times_ continued, even increased, its "vigour" of utterance on the _Trent_, but devoted most of its energy to combating the suggestions, now being made very generally, advocating a recourse to arbitration.

This would be "weak concession," and less likely to secure redress and peace for the future, than an insistence on the original demands.
Statesmen also were puzzled by Lincoln's silence.