The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-15 00:00:00

SIGH WATIR AT LONDON B &IDOL

Tul room. 6681.
To-No, .188 W -11arbIng, Bb. Alb miCKBB. 981. 618.

WE 0377, SATURDAY, LVOV:EMBER 15.

Hi ac MAJTSTY'S Governm.aat have published
in tl 'Goutte the reply they have returned to
the French despatch, proposing a joint offer of
mee astim in America. It is any brief, but it deals
,full ,y and perspicuously orktk the reasons assigned
in the.despatch of M. DuocrYN us Lours. Earl
R cat= recognises the good intentions of the
E ICPMR.OR in waking his offer, and he agrees with
nn that in any measure of the kind which it may
1 se desirable to adept, it is extremely desirable
Patna should be associated with England and
France. Up to the present time, however, the
Owns's Government have not been informed that
thee,lovernsment of Russia have agreed to cooperate
writh the Weston maritime Powers for the purpose
atinediatioa. The first and chief question, however,
is, whether the proposed end can be accomplished
in the way indicated by the French EMPEROR.

T M.jaertls Government have deliberated

ar xiously on this subject, and after weighing all
'the information which they have received from
America, they are led to the conclusion that there
is no ground at the present moment to hope that
,ethe Federal Government would accept the proposal
,suggested; and a refusal from Washington, it is
remarked, would prevent any speedy renewal of
the offer. The course which appears best in
the eyes of the British Government is, to watch
carefully the progress of opinion in America, and
to take advantage of the first favourable opportu-
nity offered by a change to tender friendly coun-
sel. We think that, with the exception
of a few thoughtless people who would plunge us
into a war, people of all opinions will think that
this is the best answer that could have been made
by the British Government without entering unne-
cessarily upon a discussion of the merits of the case.
An acceptance of the French proposition at the
present time, perhaps at any time, would embark
us in a dark and difficult course, of which no one
could predict the issue. The American case itself
is one which the wisest Minister might well desire
to be excused from taking in hand, and it is a
mistake to suppose that we could recede into the posi-
tion of spectators after having seen our first advice
either taken or rejected. We must be permitted,
moreover, to consider it an advantage to have
once more escaped the danger of an entangling
diplomatic association with the Emperor of the
FRENCH. The experience of the last two years—
the Mexican expedition, and French policy in
Italy, among foreign matters, and the necessity of
fortifications and a war budget at home—are not
to be ignored. We cannot trust NAPOLEON
We wish to live in peace and friendship with
everybody ; but we are a frank and consistent
people, and the less we have to do with " inscru-
table " potentates the better.

&rosin:minim has again been the scene of the
most astounding advance in the science of gunnery
yet obtained. That this should have been achieved
on the practice ground of our own school of
gunnery, and by the skill of an English engineer,
is at least agreeable to the national pride, although,
unfortunately, it shows in the clearest light,
and with a force impossible any longer to be re-
sisted, first, that the system of iron, or wood and
iron-plated ships of war which has been adopted by
naval authorities is erroneous ; and next, that the
Whitworth gun, which we do not possess, is the only
practicable weapon with which to demolish iron-
plated ships. Any one who reads the description
of the certain and terrible havoc played on Thurs-
day upon the target at Shoeburyness, which re-
presented something stronger than the strongest
form of iron-plated ship we pouess, must be con-
vinced that slabs of iron such as have hitherto
been placed as armour on our ships would be of
no more use than a layer of cardboard in a fight
with these Whitworth shells. Oa the contrary, it
becomes a question whether a ship of war should
not be constructed of some form and of such ma-
terial that it would allow the clear passage of these
projectiles either right through the vessel, or into
some of many compartments, so that the de-
struction to life inevitable from the scatter-
ing of fragments of iron should be avoided.
It would seem feasible enough that a vessel might
be constructed with many compartments, the
walls of which should be of such strength as to
resist the explosive force of the shell, and at the
same time protect the crew. The altern►tive to
letting them through becomes still the old problem
of how to keep out thus new Whitworth shells.