The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-26 00:00:00

TO CORRBSPON DINTS.

eorool Milks of "TM Crpteas," Milmblue the mum Mooke.
•• tier..:.," a frolgtelbed Gm, Tworky ski it olor otieht. 45
Mrs
Ileherleseuentekko.ket !or" Yummy" tar 1011 I'.Rlllll riper,
111116% hp at the othee, to. romeorMorrom. it TVO o'clock as the
day r 141014attoo.

nlOll WATBA fl LONDON DRIDON.
Tan DAB O.
Assmitscp—Mosslia 01.104.—...Ansraria. 01.41 x.

LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 26.

IN the question of the Lobos Islands, all the sym-
pathies and inclinations of free-trade politicians
must he wi,h the cause of commerce and agriculture,
whether on this or the other side of the Atlantic;
for the conduct of Peru in the supply of guano doled
forth to the world has been that of selfish monopoly;
and though the exercise of that monopoly is not
opposed to the laws of political economy, that forms
no reason why other countries should not
seek every possible opportunity of escaping from
their liability to be mulcted, because at present
Peru possesses all the guano which is known
Of accessible to trade. Moreover when Peru pushes
the laws of political economy to extremities against
all other countries, her Government must be pre-
pared to find other countries pushing the laws of
nations against her pretensions to the Lobos Islands,
as far as the facts of the case will possibly carry
them. The mode in which Peru appropriates the
proceeds of her guano sales has nothing to do
with the question whether or not the Lobos
Islands belong to her. The liability of that
state to the payment of the dividends on
its debt has no legal connexion with the subject.
It ie convenient to have this source of payment, and
honest (as South American Republics go), having it,
so to apply it. But to raise the price by limiting the
supply of guano for the purpose of avoiding public
taxation of its own people to meet its dividends, is
really and truly to make the consumers of Peruvian
guano do that which the Republic contracted, but
neglected to do, until it found out this power of
ler, ing taxes on British agriculture. We quite
admit the right of Peru so to turn its monopoly of
guano to account ; it has hitherto had that power,
and it may either use or abuse it. But uit has
rather abused than used it, Peru cannot expect to be
very popular either with trade or agriculture. Its
unpopularity is the moral price it pays for its advan-
tageous monopoly ; and in the long run the republic
will, we are confident, have to relax, if not to give
up entirely, the principles on which it now regulates
the guano trade, for they are at variance with the
material interests and offensive to the just modera-
tion of mankind. - • _ . _

Lora M tI.MESSCRT, ever the friend of monopoly,
has recognised the pretensions of Peru to the Lobos
Islands. Mr. WEIISTF.R, on the contrary, had up to
June last been unable to discover the justness of
those pretensions, and had promised American ship-
ping military protection in treating them as open to
the world. In these opposite conclusions of
the English and American governments there is per-
haps equal precipitation. In such • case as this
Lord Ntirmesnear might advantageously have sus-
pended English doubts and hesitation over the
policy of the Peruvian Government, and have seen
whether their expression would not have squeezed
some concessions out of it ; and Mr. WEBSTER, if his
letter contain a summary of all the information the
American Government had in June last obtained, is
obviously very imperfectly instructed and advised in
coming to the very large and positive conelusion on
so grave a point of public law he has done.
In the hands of an able and skilful Foreign Secre-
tary the Lobos Islands question might have been
used to mitigate the weight on English agriculture of
the guano monopoly; and as the course which the
American Government would pursue on the question
might easily have been foreseen by an English states-
man of experience, such a turn could not have been
very hard of achievement. Whereas Lord MALNIES-
RUBY, doing nothing but coming to a hasty
opinion, and giving it premature publicity,
has really encouraged a difficulty between the United
States and Peru; in which, though the American
Government may be wrong, Lord MALMESBURT'S
friends here will be very glad to take the substantial
advantages of its wrong doing.
The commercial position assumed by Peru in the
question of the Lobos Islands is that the rest
of the world shall not have any advantage
from this enlargement of the field of guano
supply. Peru seeks to have her claims over
these islands recognised, that she may by the
recognition prol-ng her monopoly of, and maintain
the present enormous charge for, guano. Such a use
of the Lobos Islands is contrary to the general policy
of nations, to freedom of trade, and the interests of
the great human family. It cannot and ought not
to find favour with the rest of the world; and
though such conduct cannot excuse, still less jaify,
aggression or trespass on Peruvian territory, it is not
a matter to be calmly and philosophically submitted
to. It is a meet subject for complaint and remon-
strance ; sad, if they be unheeded, for retaliation.
Lord MALMERBERY'S treatment of this question is
the more to be regretted, seeing that, if the Ameri-
can Government persist in its announcement to pro-
tect American shipping taking guano from tho Lobos
Islands, as Peru has some armed force there, to
reinforce which • fine war steamer left England
a month ago, a collision is more than pro.
bable ; and, in the event of any rupture
between the two countries, the Americans
would quickly be the successful party. Already
the American Government and people are big with
ambitious projects in the Pacific; and when they
shall have established a great naval arsenal in San
Francisco, they will "go a-head" fast and furious
in those seas. They want but a whet to their appe-
tite there ; and that may be given them by this
Lobos Islands dispute. With the practicability of
constructing routes across the great isthmus of Cen-
tral America demonstrated, it is not in American
nature or character long to resist the temptation of
further attacks on Mexico; and the probability is
that the next Presidency will lead to " action" in
respect of the route from the Gulf of Campeachy to
the Gulf of Tehuantepec, only 120 miles in length,
and terms an amenable country.
All these questions are inseparably interwoven
with the policy and proceedings of the Americans in
the Pacific Ocean ; and though it may be that
British interests are quite reooncileable with further
extensions of American territory on the side of
Mexico, no prudent British statesman will do aught
or omit aught that will promote or encourage or ex-
tend these schemes. Time will rapidly develop
without diplomacy assisting them ; and Peru, by its
guano monopoly, and Lord MALME.SBURT, by his
submission to it after the discovery of the lobos
Islands, have both, it may be feared, sharpened the
American goat for Pacific banquets.

Thy inhabitants of the metropolis have reason to
fear that they have been premature in congratulat-
ing themselves upon the abolition of Smithfield
market. That mud-born nuisance, like one of its
congenital eels, is endowed with a preternatural te-
nacity of life, and enabled, by its slime, to slip
through the fingers of those who attempt to catch
and kill it. The morning organ of the nutiir Mi-
nister., whose habit of defending them has inspired
it with a natural sympathy for anything that is
dirty, exultingly proclaims that Smithfield still lives,
and is like to live.
A year or two ago, two or three of our morning eontem-
porevies were full of triumph that the Smithfield run. '
more was at last condemn,i. Them never was a more
signal instsitee of " hallooing before getting deer of the
"runt" Ti. Hoses of Common*, It is true, had rote,: that
Smithfield market should be removed. Thu vote, how.
ever, is not the firm by some hundreds of those which hsve
lain, anewill lie, oselms and 'mansions, on the journals and
the sup hook.
The Ministerial organ announces that the Smith-
field nuisance is to be perpetuatid in defiance of the
=attire. Nor is this all ; it takes care to let its
know that this contemptuous disregard of
injunctions engrossed in " the journals sad statute!