The Press. — London, England, 1858-06-12 00:00:00

blown up, and the security of life, liberty, property buried in the ruins." readers will see that this principle, it admitted, annihilates the whole case put ' - the Dissenter. It is the duty of the to maintain an Established Church. iational Establishment implies national by means of funds provided by the These funds may be provided by Par of the Treasury, as in the case of ihich the House of Commons, since taken upon itself to provide for by an ; or they may be raised by levies, Tithes and Church-rates. But in one of ways the State, admitting its responsi ` take care to discharge it. branch of the subject—i.e., the ex r non-expediency of providing for the by means of Church-rates—is an different question. Upon that dis shall enter in our next number. All -Ave now maintained is merely the first principle—that by the injunctions of Holy the examples of Christian rulers in . by the teachings of the best Non divines, we learn that " a Legislature to establish the public worship of THE RIGHT OF SEARCH. moment when an allied squadron has sailed for the purpose of binding England by an electric link, we can- _ any serious or sinister apprehen respecting the result of political faction in countries. Steam and electricity are pacificators ; and even if we had not the satisfactory declaration of Lord 1Y on Tuesday night, our previous of the mercantile character of the States would have disinclined us to that, with a deficit of twenty-five her Treasury, so sagacious a country anxious for a rupture with her best last ten years, at certain definite this country, in the opinion of well prophets, has been on the eve of an war with the United States. Accord turn of the political wheel, there have • come to the surface of debate, Oregon , fishery embroglios, recruiting em- Central American embroglios, and now, slave embroglios, which have all influence the rate of exchange, and have answered the purpose of popular There is an absolute necessity, and a which at times appears to amount political duty, for all Governments we to bid for temporary favour, to with a sufficient supply of foreign Limited ideas of morality may forbid, expansive and patriotic policy insist upon provision. The ablest, that is, the most ' Governments have acted upon this By strict attention to other nation's having always on hand some pleasing , loud and explosive, yet at the same perfectly safe, there have been Govern this country, as well as in the United lich have successfully imperilled the credit, and obtained for the Executive momentary favour. In the United States of the country demands, and a rather regard for law allows, frequent occa grievance. The soil, the air, the clime, geography of the country, are favour formation of grievance. Once formed, the whole, the national tempera quick in maturing a grievance. American carrying about with him in his a possible President, and represent himself an indefinite sum of majesty, is dence is blown up, and prnPertY buri Our readers w once admitted, ai forward by the Di Legislature to mai But a National s upport, by mean nation. These fu liament out of th education, which 1832, has taken u annual vote ; or such as Tithes am these two ways tb bility, must take The other bran pediency or non-e Church by mea entirely different cussion we shall ei that we have now great principle-1 Writ and the ex all ages, and by tl conformist divine! " is bound to est " Goy." THE RI AT the moment actually sailed f America to Englai not entertain any Fiona respecting tin the two countries great pacificators received the sad lIALIIESBURY 011 knowledge of the United States w suppose that, wi millions in her Tre could be anxious customer. For the last t , intervals, this con informed prophet internecine war w ing to the turn of successively come embroglios, fisher broglios, Central . last of all, slave served to influence more or less ansv Cabinets. There necessity which almost to a politi that may have to be provided with grievances. Limit but an expansive 1 such a provision. prescient, Govern principle. By atr business, by havini invention, loud ai time perfectly as meats in this corn States, which ha national credit, ai much momentary the custom of the indifferent regard sions for grievancb the shitti n g geogrs able to the format Perhap s , on the went is quick in a An American Olin Person a poss in g to himself au THE PRESS, JUNE 12, 1858. aggrieved, almost to the pitch of war, at a foreigner who is audacious enough to accost him in a common road and in a common cause; who appears to have doubts about his character, and who interrupts him, it may be, in meditations that have reference to that confessedly difficult question, the slave trade. This is exactly the state of the case between this country and America. The American flag has been used to cover a most nefarious traffic. A practice which the common law of nations no less than the laws of the United States have condemned as piratical, bas been notoriously carried on under colour of that flag. America, bound by treaties no less than for her own credit's sake, is asked to pre vent the prostitution of her flag, and, when fail ing to do so, called upon to produce satisfactory reference as to her good faith and nautical respectability. According to actual statistics we are in posses sion of, the African slave trade, now limited to the Island of Cuba, is prosecuted mainly by the criminal and fraudulent assumption of the Amencan flag. The demand for slaves in Cuba is supplied by vessels constructed, purchased, and often possessed and fitted out in the ports of the United States. The number of such vessels is reported to be on the increase. When chased, such vessels invariably hoist the American flag, and often under that flag defy the search of our cruisers. Such a flag, we are informed by Lord NAPIER, according to existing treaty, protects a slaver, but it does not exonerate the vessel from visita tion. The English squadron now lying off the western and southern portions of the Island of Cuba, having authoritative information that a company exists in Cuba called " The Expedition of Africa," whose existence is avowed, which is mainly supported by an American house, and which has deliberately adopted the use of American vessels And the American flag, may on such grounds be somewhat justified for an excess of zeal on the part of its officers, actual eye witnesses of the crime. There can be little doubt that abundant irritation may be nursed, and much political capital made, by international seconds, out of this question of the right of search. While we readily concede that the aspect of a naval police stationed within two days' sail of the American coast does not strike either our moral or political faculty in the most agreeable light, and may present itself to a Transatlantic imagi• nation in a very inflamed form, it must be re membered that the presence of our cruisers at all in the Gulf of Mexico has taken place with the consent, if not at the request, of the United States Government. In the special cases which have called forth the zeal of Mr. DOUGLAS, the impetuosity of Mr. CASs, and what the New York Herald terms the first blast of war in the Ameri can Senate, there may have been, on the part of our officers, possibly a want of discretion. It is not pleasant for peaceful merchantmen, con scious only of sugar and rum, to have a gun boat hanging on their flank, their movements watched, and their address continually asked for. The after-dinner period of a tropical day is also not the most judicious time for paying inter national visits and making international in quiries. It is even possible that the officer of the Styx may have bitten his thumb, and that the Yankee skipper may instinctively have been quickly moved to take up his revolver. The petty details and evidence which zealous American officials have hunted up would have been unworthy of attention; but, taken in connection with a signi ficant passage in the letter of Mr. Cass to the American Minister, they illustrate sufficiently the policy of the present United States' Govern ment. "Whatever may have been," says Mr. CASS, "the true objects of the voyage of the " Corks, if she had papers stating her American " character, she was subject to neither search nor " capture by the British cruiser." By what means is the American character to be ascer tained ? Is there any nautical test that enables a British cruiser to read an honest complexion in an apparently American ship's face ? England cares little for the right of search ; she only desires a means of identification, and a sincerity in enforcing her own laws on the part of the American Government. 557 The Clarkston Mercury suggests a far easier solution of the difficulty. It may be done in two ways. There is, first, " the humiliating position " in which the United States' Government have " been put by our absurd legislation with respect "to the African slave trade." The African slave trade, at present, according to American law, is piracy. If America would preserve her self-respect and her rightful position among the nations of the earth, " she must either deny the " right of foreign nations to board a vessel sailing " under her flag, to ascertain whether she is a " pirate or not, or we must repeal the laws " making the African slave trade with the United " States piracy." This solution is simple, and, it must be owned, the admission is ingenuous ; but there is a second mode. Cuba is at present the chief cause of this espionage. It was off the Cuban coast, or in an harbour of that island, that these violent " out rages" upon the American flag have taken place. Why not demand redress, amL in case of obtain ing sufficient redress, end the quarrel by taking that opulent, nature-neglected, and on the whole not undesirable island ? This, in an equally clear and condescending tone, is the argument of the New York Herald. We shall not pretend to construe our Transatlantic contemporary's Eng lish : "In order to save Eigland from the fear of any unpleasant consequences, let (Congress) pass other resolutions, showing that Spain is at the root of the whole matter, and declar►n our in tention of taking possession of the Island of Cuba, if she continues thus to permit her subjects there to use our determination to have our flag respected for their own nefarious practices ; thus violating the obligations of good neigh bourhood." The conclusion, though not strictly logical, is exceedingly simple : "With the Island of Cuba as a State in the American Union, the slave trade would cease there, and with it the odious claim by England of the right of search upon the high seas would disappear for ever. Congress owes the per formance of this duty to itself and to the country, and we call upon them to perform it. They can thus settle at once our most irritating questions with both England and Spain." France appears not indisposed to intermeddle— possibly just at present may find it convenient to encourage any growing Transatlantic irritation ; but despotic or republican intripe must be met, as it can only successfully be toiled, by firm yet courteous determination on the part of the English Government. COMMISSION OF LUNACY ON SIR HENRY MEUX. A cottutsstott of lunacy was opened on Tuesday last, at the Thatched house Tavern, St. James's•street, by order of the Lords Justices, to inquire into the state of mind of Sir Henry Meuz. Mr. Francis Barlow, Master in Lunacy, conducted the inquiry. Mr. Montagu Chambers, Mr. Bovill, and Mr. Bodkin appeared in support of the petition ; Mr. Montagu Smith and Mr. Quain were counsel on behalf of Lady Smith, the sister of Sir Henry Mein ; and the Attorney-General, Mr. Edwin James, Mr. Wilde, and Mr. Hawkins were counsel for Lady Men:. The proceedings have continued through the entire week, and being as yet unconcluded, we defer our summary of the case till next week. Our readers should understand that the condition of Sir Henry's mind at the present moment is, unhappily, beyond controversy. But the question is, whether he was of unsound mind or not some year or so back, when he made certain pecuniary arrangements with his family, which in case he is shown to have been of unsound mind at the period will of course be in validated. A good deal of conflicting evidence has been elisited during the trial. General Hall said, in relation to a shooting party in which be bad joined with Sir Henry, that after the latter had shot him (General Hall) " and five other men " in the leg, he asked him whether he didn't think be had better shoot rather less for the future. This story Lady INleux characterized as a "fable." Her ladyship, the daughter of Lord Ernest Bruce, is only twenty-one years of age, and was married at nine teen. She has a jointure of 15,0001. a year. - 71 :,~ 0