The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-06 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY. AUGUST G.

The result of the serious consideration" given
by the Many Administration to the American
Fisheries question iv, it seems, after all, another of
J.ord MALMESBERI'S blunders. For the ignorance
and incapacity of the Forams SECRETARY are really
fathomless.

Others to learning make some faint pretence;
Bat SIIAUWELL nrvrr deviates into MISC.

In the debate of the American Senate, which we
fully reported yesterday, it was stated by Mr.
MASOX, the Chairman of the Committee of
Foreign Relations, that amongst the documents
he had seen was a despatch addressed by Lord
MALMESIIVRT to Sir JOHN PALINGTOX advising
the Cot.om SECRETARY that it was resolved
to expel by forte of arms the New England
fishers from the Buy of Fundy, and requiring
the Colonial-othco to take measures to procure
concert between the British naval force and the
colonial authorities. Here then we have the Foaxtux
MlNtsrrat as the moving agent in what Mr. WEBSTER
properly calls this " entire change of policy." Lord
MAl.stvsinuttr was, therefore, bound to have kept tho
Cabinet fully informed of all that had passed be-
tween his department and the American government
on this subject, and to have stated precisely and
accurately the actual diplomatic position of the ques-
tion. But this, it is clear, Lord MALMESBURT has not
done. We say, clear; because in Sir Joitx PARIXO-
Tox's circular of 'Nth of May, 1832, addressed to
the Llovernors of all the British North American
colonies, and conveying to them the result of " the
serious consideration" given to the question by the
Cabinet, the COLONIALSLCRETART announces that
Ike Majesty's ministen ars desiring of reasoving all
grounds of complaint on the part of the colonies, in cower
geese* of the neerceseliments of the fishing steeds of the
limited States upon those waters from which they ars ex-
cluded by the terms of the convestioa of 11118.

Now the "encroachments" referred to were the
fishing of the New England States in the Bay of
Fundy ; and the immediate consequence of this
despatch of 26th of May was that about the 27th of
July last the Milne smack Coral wee seized by a
British truiser off the Grand Mcnan, just opposite its
ow. port, but in the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.
%Vetere emit ed from these facts to inter that Lord
Ilauirsitt tir, as the guardian of our foreign rela-
tions, had advised and assured the Cabinet that there
was nothing in our relations with the United States
which at all interfered with, or suspended the exer-
cies of, the extreme view which his colleagues were
otherwise prepared to adopt of the reetricticms
on American fishing contained in the Treaty of
Ghent.

And yet Mr. WEBSTER has caused to be pub-
lished in • Boston journal • despatch from Mr.
Eveacrr, when American Minister at this Court,
to Mr. BUCHANAN, Secretary of State at Wash-
ington, dated 20th April, 1843, in which it
is stated that Lord MAMMY-N, as the Foreign Secre-
tary of the PEEL administration, had, on the 10th of
March, 1843, addressed a formal note to Mr. EVE-
RITT, "communicating the important information
Mat this (the British) government had come to the
&deregulation to concede to Americas, fishermen the
right of pursuing their occupation within the Bay of
)Lady." And Mr. Evanerr goes on to state that
being doubtful whether the concession contained in
Lord AneaDeres note did not extend to other por-
tions of the coast of British North America, he had
made inquiries of Lord Miestnats, and that his lord-
ship had replied that the further concessions were under
the consideration of the Colonial-office, adding " in
the meantime the concession must be understood to be
limited to the Bay of Fundy."
Nothing, therefore, is plainer than that, in the
spring of 1843, Sir ROBERT Paat's administration
did, by a formal diplomatic instrument, addressed to
the American government, relax the severity of the
Treaty of Ghent, so far as the Bay of Fundy was
concerned, and concede to the American fishers the
right of "pursuing their occupation" therein. This
relaxation and concession have entirely altered the
question, and have deprived " the occupation " of the
American fishers in the Bay of Fundy of the cha-
racter of " encroachments." which the DERBY cabi-
net has so insolently applied to them.
Did Lord MALBEBBURT bring this note of Lord
ABERDEEN under "the serious consideration of the
cabinet"? It is plain he could have done no such
thing; for the note was binding on the government
of the United Kingdom, however composed; and
Lord Denut and his colleagues could never dare to
disregard its obligation on this country and the
rights it conferred on the United States, had they
known of its existence.
With what safety can the administration of
oar foreign affairs be trusted for other four-and-
twenty hours to Lord MALMESBURT after this
disclosure? With the tools of his trade spread
out before him, the man is mare to take up the
wrong implement; and in his attempt to be very
clever, he disgraces and discredits England in every
quarter of the globe. In mercy to the Empire, and
to the Monarchy, let somebody be sent for. Come
who may, let us get rid of Lord bLiuteasuat.
And with this formal and twice-repeated conces-
sion of a right to fish in the Bay of Fundy, given
diplomatically to the American government and re-
corded in the Foreign-odice, the BIBBY Cabinet—
without the slightest notice to the American govern-
ment—despatch thirteen ships of war, carrying 130
goes, in command of Admiral Seemovit, into the
Bay of Fundy, to expel the American fishers thence.
In the whole history of Europe there is no parallel to
such a proceeding—it is both • blunder and a crime.
For what do thirteen armed ships in any bay, turn-
ing out end expelling smacks that have acquired
"the right of pursuing their occupation" therein,
mean but Insult, outrage, and war? Peace, it is
clear, is not safe in the binds of this DERBY clique ;
or if maintainable, it must be by the humiliation
of a great country rushing headlong into *mbar-
ferments, whence it can only escape by apologies
and excosee. All this is too bad to last

" WANTED a safe man for Derby." The want
grows daily more apparent. Never woe an unlucky
Premier so beset with unsafe men on all hands.
Lareris dog, Crab, had not a more wayward genius
for getting into scrapes and committing hie master,
than have the Drina satellites in all departments.
If we look to the Ministry there we have Mr. WAlle
POLE, M,jor BEBTAITORD, Lord MALIIEBBUBT com-
peting with each other who shall most effectually
compromise his " Master"—es the Major calls Lord
NOWT. If we look to the electioneering agents, we
have Mr. FRAIL, with unpardonable carelessness,
allowing a letter of the moot delicate import to be
handed about the country and Mr. MORGAN allow-
ing himself to be markt sa easily as a Penguin or
Turn Nudely. If we look to the press, friendly jour-
nalists seem to be bent upon writing their Macznas
down.

Mr. DICKENR, as most part of our English world
know, indulged last week in a jeu (leaped which he
entitled "The Honourable Member for Verbosity."
It was a playful burlesque upon electioneering ora-
tory; some features were palpably borrowed from
the great author of "looming in the distance;" but
duo care was taken—as beeeemed • paper destined
to appear in a non-political journal—to avoid the
bad taste of converting a general satire into an un-
friendly personal portrait. Many doubtless sailed at
certain passages, and said "That's DISRAELI ;"
but no one could or did my that the
" Honourable Member for Verbosity " wee a
type of the Derbyite ministry—perhaps Lord
Dritires Citineettoa of the Ettiiretta him-
self. At least no one was so ill-natured till
yesterday, when a grave morning journal republished
the burlisiiiic with • superscription of its owt..—.
" This is one of Lord Deicer's cabinet." " An enemy
has done this," says the reader. No such thing : the
wicked fitter of the cap thrown up by Mr. DICKENS.
OE the head of a Derbyite is the most t hiaced
uncompromising supporter of the DERBY •

in the press—the journal which some look upon as
the Ministerial organ.
But the blunder, of this most " unsafe" journalist
do not stop here. Not satisfied with tag
that the Honourable Member for Verbosity is
the representative man of the tlinitnx cabinet—
that it is vain for Moan, to &UJ it seeing the
likeness is so striking—our venerable contemporary
proceeds to take Mr. 1/tenors to task, for totem
insinuated one groundless charge against
Dentiv's government. " Mr.lltexr.xs," exclaims our
venerable and irate contemporary, " has been led to
make the following unjustifiable, because utterly
unfounded attack." " One cannot help hoping," he
lacrimosely and charitably adds, " that Mr. DICKENS,
when he wrote these lines really believed what he
was writing.' And then waxing indignant and
magniloquent, the Deese journalist proceeds to
declare that there is " not a word of truth in the
whole story t" that it is but a " repetition of a shame-
less fabrication."

And what is this terrible story ? " The noblemen
and gentlemen whom our honourable friend sup-
ported had 'come in' expressly to do a certain
thing." Dante Quiekly's indignation when Sir John
111104 enlls her "a thing," is but • faint type of the
horror, dismay, and wrath with which our contempo-
rary is inspired by the mendacious imputation against
Lord DeanY ana his colleagues, that they come in
"to do a certain thing." Like the worthy and garru-
lous dame, our contemporary shouts at the top of his
lungs " What thing, thou naughty varlet, what
thing ?" And solemnly declares that Lord DERBY
and his colleagues did not come in to do anything;
that it is cruel, that it is scan. mug., that it is blas-
phemy (for aught we know) to maintain the contrary.
Poor Lord Dzatiz. In the days of Pore there
was a " gentle Dulness," who " loved a joke." But
the Dulness from among whose sons, and sectaries,
and followers Lord DERBY has been obliged to re-
cruit his ranks, is of a more obtuse nature, or more
mor,se . The DEBBY Dulness cannot tolerate a
joke, cannot even apprehend one. Witness Mr.
WALroLE, who took his Pazmiza's joke
about • militia suffrage as a grave ex-
pression of opinion, and forthwith, with
intolerable stolidity, worked it up into a formal par-
liamentary notice of motion. Witness the Marquis
of BLANDFORD aghast at the daring profanity of Mr.
BERNAL OsBORNE jesting about things so sacred as
steeple-haunting dews. IVitness, though last, not
least, our venerable contemporary gravely taking up
the cudgels of argument against a joke by Mr.
IMCKENB,—a blundering excess of zeal unprecedented
except by Dun Quizole's onslaught on the
_puppets,
or the zealous Puritan's (in BEN J °NOON'S
" Bartholomew Fair") controversy with a puppet
anent the sinfulness of men masquerading in
female apparel. The dismay with which witty and
accomplisW men like Lord DERBY and Mr. Dia-
ILA ELI must look round them, when any of their
awkward squad (ministers, members of parliament,
electioneering agents, journalists), venture to open
their lips may more easily be imagined than
described. The last of these well-meaning, but
certainly not "safe" servitors, who has uplifted his
voice—speaking like BALAAN'S inspired servitor
with human articulate organ, but not so much to the
purpose—has " written down" the Derbyite cabinet'
as " members for Verbosity," and proclaimed them a
set of faineants who "came in" to do nothing.