The Express.
London, England, 1864-11-24 00:00:00

The Washington star, of the 11th, says in re-
gard to Sherman's operations :—" Sherman is
operating with his tire corps in different bodies in
Hood's rear, and is already between him and any
possible line for his retreat south when he sees the
necessity for so doing, which, we apprehend, will
not be long hence."
The New York Times, of the 12th, observes that
the news from General Sherman's army in Georgia,
as well as frcini General Grant's army in Virginia,
is of a kind to show that there is to be no pause in
the' prosecution of active operations this winter.
" Sherman is about to undertake one of the most'
remarkable campaigns of the war ; and we judge
from what we know that it is not at all unlikely
that Grant will have Petersburg, and that the
rebel army will be closely shut up in Richmond'
before the close of this rapidly-closing year."
Information has been received in Washington
chat the Confederates in the Shenandoah Valley,
having been reinforced, are attempting to flank the
position of General Sheridan, in order to at least
threaten Pennsylvania and Maryland with another
invasion. General Sheridan, however, says the
New York Herald of the 12th,
Is prepared for them, having on Wednesday last given
marching orders to his army, which is in the finest and
most efficient condition. Oar despatches from the trout
represent that the rebel" were some days ago In force at
Staunton, and that it was their intention to more epos
our Boss at osee. A greed review of General Emery's
corps, the Nineteenth, took plats out last Monday.
Forty of Mceby's guerillas, all disguised in the 17nioe
uniform, yesterday morning attacked, near Charlestown, a
small train belonging to Sheridan's army, guarded only by a
sergeant and tea men, only three of whom escaped. Our
oorisepoodents give very interesting accounts of the voting
for President in the army. The appearance of Generals
Sheridan and Crook at the polls to deposit their votes caused
great enthusiasm among their soldiers.
Nothing positive regarding the operation which General
Sherman is now proseouting can at present be made public ;
bat we are assured that everything is procreating moat
favourably with him, and that when his plans shall
develop themselves they will cause every taus
American to rejoice. Sherman sod his ofdosn are
fully acquainted with Hood's movements and where.
bouts. and probably by this time Beauregard and Hood are
equally aware of Sherman's. to their sorrow. The rumour
of the capture of Johesonville, on the Tennessee river, by
the rebels, appears to have beep without foundation in facto
The place is still in possession of the Unit faeces, and no
apprehenaions for its safety are entertained.
From Feat Tennessee we learn that General Gahm, after
his recent rout of the rebels in the vicinity of Morristown,
pursued them forty-fora miles. At the date of latest
accounts he wee ninety miles east of Keoxville, and the
reboil', who ware at Bristol, were being reinforced from the
western part of Virginia.

The Sichmond Sentinel ways that a large fleet of
Union gunboats and iron-clads are in the Junes
river below Dutch Gap. It also says that the
Union soldiers are not yet making any preparations
for winter quarters, and that it is rumoured Grant
contemplates a movement on Wilmington by way
of Weldon, and that he is already sending troops
to the latter place.
A Washington despatch of the 11th says :—" It
is known here that the resignation of General
ZdTlellan, as major-general in the United States
army, was in the War Department on Wednesday,
but the President has not yet been officially in-
formed of the fact. It is believed that the resigna-
tion will not be accepted, but that the general
will be offered an active command."

The New York Times has the following article on
the capture of the Florida :
It is well to say at the outset that the capture of the
Florida is a Brazilian port is clearly illegal, being a breach
of that law of nations which we as much as
any other Power—jest now more than most
Powers--are interested in upholding. There might be
some justification for seizing her in au English port, as site
owes her powers of mischief to the failure of the English
authorities to execute their own laws ; and her career
of destruction, so far from hewing been a subject of regret
to the English public, has, we fear, to the majority of
them, been a source of high satisfaction. If, therefore, an
American captain had assailed and sunk her in British
waters, although the set would undoubtedly have been a
•iolation of law, there night have been some excuse found
for it in the ordinary feelings of human nature. There
are some tests which even the patience of the most patient
cannot stand, and if American patience were to break down
under the spectacle of a course of robbery bagels in viola.
tion of English law, protected by the English flag,
end applauded by the English people, whatever lawyers
might say, morality could not severely condemn. Bet
neither Brasil nor any other nation, exempt England, has
bad hand, art or part, in eluding the Florida on her pirati-
cal coarse, or keeping her la it. From Brasil
we have (ssesived no injury whatever ; even it
we had, It would be none the less our duty to
respect the law in our manner of avenging it.
As it is, there is not a particle of excuse for perpetrating
such an assault on her peace and dignity as is involved in
the commission of an act of war in mu of her harbours. The
only pleas that can be possibly put forward in defence of it
are that the Florida might still do us great injury, and that
we are so strong that we have nothing to fear from
Brasilia° indignation ; but these are pleas which a great
nation ought to be ashamed to urge. The harm the Florid&
can do us can be measured in dollars and mots ; but nose=
that can be computed ought to be of half as mach cense-
quo*, to us as the maintenance of the great principles of
law and justice. To a Christian people the great
value of greeting' lies in the fact that It
enabler it to pusses a oonscienos, and to oboe
it with inocevesience or humiliation. A powerful maim,
without a conscience, or one to which it nays so heed, in
one of the most detestable and disheartening sights on
which any friend of the human race can look; and, if our
policy, both at hut, and abroad, is not governed by the
great doctrines of morality, to what nation can we look for
an example of respect for principle! If democruy
does not surpass the net of the world In its integrity,
and love of right, and respect for weakness, pray what does
mankind gain by its growth! We treat, therefor*, that
we shall not be blinded to the reel nature of the incident
which has jut occurred at Bahia, by he material value to
ourselves. We owe Brazil such an apology and each
satisfaction u she shall think necessary, and es
the usage of maims may prescribe ; and we hope there
will be no delay on our part in offering them. We ought
not to forget the saying of mu of the greatest political phi-
laeopbers, uttered many years ago, is commenting on our
affairs, " that it is only by the scrupulous conformity to
morality In peat attain that governments can hope to
teach the commanity N {aeon to know, to love, and to ob-
serve it la the Isom meow el

It is act in my power to amicuoce any change in ihe
conduct of !amigo powers. No such action hes been taken
by the Christiaa nations of Europe as might justly have
been expected from their history, from the duties imposed
by international law, and from the claims of humanity.
It is charitable to attribute their conduct to no worse
motive than indifference to the cousquenos of a struggle
which shakes only the republics,' portion of the American
omitinent, and not to ascribe to dean • coons calculated
to insure the proloogation of hostilities.
No instance in history is remembered by me in which
a nation pretending to exercise destinies over another
asserting its independence, ha. been the first to concede
the aisles:us of such independence. No use can be re-
called to my mind in which neutral powers have failed to
est the example of reacgoiaing the independence of • nation,
when satisfied of the inability of it. enemy to subvert its
government ; and this, too, in cases where the previous
relation betwees the catending parties had been con-
fessedly that of mother country and dependent colony ;
net, as in oar use, that of eo-equal States salted by
federal compact. It has ever been considered the proper
function and duty of neutral powers to perform the office
of judging whether in point of fact the nation ,acting
dominion is able to make good Its pretension by force of
arms, and, if not, by recognition of the restating party to
discountenance the further ciontinuance of the contest. And
the reason why this duty is incumbent on neutral powers is
Plainly apparent, when we reflect that the pride and pasties
which blinds the judgment of the parties to the con-
flict rause the continuance of active warfare, and con-
sequent needle. /laughter, tong after the heritable result
has become sparest to all not engaged in the struggle. So
long, therefore, as neutral nations fail by recognition of our
independence to announce that, in their judgment, the
United States are unable to reduce the confederacy to
submission, their conduct will be accepted by our enemies
se • tacit encouragement to continue their efforts, and as an
implied aseuresce that belief is estatinined by wand
nations in the soccer of their designs. A direct 'finnan;
whether intentional or not, is thus applied to securing •
continuance of the carsage and devutatioa which desolate
this continent, and which they proton deeply to deplore.
The disregard of this just, humane, and Christian public
duty by the nations of Europe is the more remarkable from
the fact that authentic expression has long since been given
by the governments of both ham and England to the con-
viction that the United States are alibis to conquer the
eonfedatcy. It is sow mere than two years since the go-
verument of Frau summonsed officially to the cabinets of
St. Petersburg and London it. own conclusion that the
United States were unable to achieve any decisive military
sums. In the answers seat by these powers no intimation
of • contrary opieies wee conveyed ; and it is notorious
that In speeches, both is and out of parliament, the mem-
ben of her Britannic Majesty's government have not
hesitated to express this conviction in mandated
terms. The denial of our tight, nadir thew circum-
steams, is so obviously unjust, sod discriminates so un-
fairly is favour of the United States, that neutrals have
*ought to palliate the wrong of which they are coo-
scious, by professing to consider, is opposition to notori-
ous truth and to the kerma belief of both belligerents,
that the recognition of oar indepeudenos would be value-
less without their (either intervention in the struggle—
an intervention of which we disclaim the desire and mis-
treat the advantage. We seek no favour, we with no inter-
unties, we know ourselves fully competent to maintain oar
own riglite and isdepeadenee against the invaders of (ye
country, sod we feel justified in asserting that without
the aid derived from recruiting their armies from foreign
eountries, the invade/. would ere this have been drive.
from our soiL Whim the resegaition of the confederacy
wee refused by Great Britain, is the fall of 1882, the refusal
was excused on the ground that any action by her Ma-
jesty's government would have the effect of Mating the
passions of the belligerents and of preventing the return
of pros. It ix assumed that this aisles was sin-
cerely entertained ; bat the experience of two years
of unequalled curare shows that it was armor
Oa and that the result was the reverse of what the
British ministry humanely desired. A contrary policy, •
policy just to as, a policy diverging from an Revaryiag
course of emulation te all the dolmas of our enemies,
is still within the power of her Majesty's government, and
would, it is fair to presume, be productive of conesqnsooes
the opposite of those which have unfortunately followed
its whole cane of conduct (root the commencement of the
war to the present time. In • word, peace is impossible
without iodependeeee, sad it is not to be expected that
the enemy will anticipate neutrals in the nagaition
of that indepeodenee. Wheat the history of this war shall
be fully disclosed, the calm judgment of the impartial
publicist will, for thus reasoes, be unable to absolui the
neutral nations of Europe from • share is the moral re-
sponsibility for the myriads of human lives that have been
unnecessarily sacrificed during its program.

The reoeWed Instances in witch foreign powers have girls
us just cause of complaint need sot here be detailed. The
extracts frogs the ocirrespasdenos of the Mete departatest
which sescoo3peay this roasesge will afford such farther
iatormatios u can be given without dettiessat to the public
interest, sad we oast reserve for the futon such action as
may be doused sdrimable to secure redress.

The President proceeds to argue that all laws
exempting persons from military duty should be
revoked, and that a general militia law is needed.
With regard to the treatment of prisoners, each
government is hereafter to be allowed to provide
necessary comforts to its own citizens held captive
by the other. With regard to the employ-
ment of the slave, be thinks it would be
proper to acquire for the public service the
entire property in the labour of the slave, and
to pay, therefore, due compensation rather than
to impress his labour for short terms. He dissents
from those who advise a general levy and arming
the slaves for the duty of soldiers.
Ilia ear elite popalitios shall prom lasitaleiest for the