The Express.
London, England, 1855-10-24 00:00:00

TUB AMERICAN NEUTRALITY LAW&

The trial of Charles Herta and Edward 11. Perkins,
/barged with having enlisted men in the United States for
the British envies in the Crimea, whin has for some days
pest occupied the United States District Court sitting at Phi
ledelphis, was loom/lit toe close (says the Washington Intel
'lenses.) on Thur• day. Perkins was acquitted, and Herta
was convicted on all the counts in the indictment. He has
not bees sentenced. The penalty provided by law se a flee
of not more that 1,000 dollars and imprisooment not
exceedieg three years. The law is very explicit in for.
biddies any petson within the territory or jurisdiction of
the United States to "enlist or enter himself, or hire or
•n another person to enlist or enter himself, to 101
beyond the limits or jurisdiction of the United States with
intent to be enlisted es entered in the service of any
foreign prince, state, colony, district, arc people as • sol-
dier," Ito. The testimony elicited on this trial seems to
implicate in a violation of our neutrality laws several high
faletioltertel of the British government. We a' pond ea
entrant from the charge of Judge Kane to the jury, in
which he akin to this disclosure in evartecoas but justly
severe terms of animadversion :
" I intended, gentlemen of the jury, when we separated,
to avail myself of the leisure afforded me to put my charge
in writing, but I have been prevented by controlling cacao-
stances from doing sari and my remarks to you, therefore,
will be lea closely cousested perhape, though I vast they
will not be es that wont lees intelligible and clear. The
case has involved, is its progress, a train of facts of very
etasiderable political interest—perhaps of more general
interest In that aspect of it than in its bearing cm the
questions which an to be decided by your verdict. There
are very few among us—probably sone—who have sot
felt aggrieved at the tome with which the press of
foreign countries, and occasionally of foreign statesmen
of the day, have caneneatied upon what they have been
pleased to call the over alacrity of the American people to
engage in military controversies in which they properly had
no rightful part. Our people end our government have
banes:mead of forgetting the obligations of neutrality, and
of pshin ourselves forward into the conflicts of foreiirgn
nations, an d Dot los*, belligerents to aget out the own
quarrels. For one, I confess that L felt surprised, as this
ere eillnaeed, to learn that, during the very time that these
eseeeedlas were fulminated against the Americas people by
the peas of loglead, there was, on the pert of eminent
British faaellowerke here, a series of arraspmests la pes.
gram, carefully digested sad combining all sorts of pee*,
under almost all aortae( lallaenate, to ends the laws of dee
United States, by entail our country sought to enfoeete
oestesljty—antergemests ntstuted, upon a careful inspirer
Lion of the different sections of our statute!, ingeoLoagg
violate their spirit and principle without isoiefeasteek.
and thus enlist sad and away soldiers feels est
-debase to fight the battles of those who were
ineea-
- - ---c-oody admonishing as to fulfil

1 el sistraty.

THE STEAM SHIP
AN CONWAENGINEER.Y.-CONVIOTION
OF

Yesterday, at the Southampton Borough Quarter 1
Beenoss. Jesse R'dea, aged 26, late fourth engineer of Jo '
Royal West lofts Mail Compaq's steam ship Conway,
wso iadletod, tutelar the 239th sec. of the Marabout Shipping
het, for ualawhilly doing ea ant oaths high seas Judie, to ,
the destruction of the above steamer sod endasgeriug the
bun of one hasdred poseougsn.
The jury fouad the datesdant " guilty of a neileet el
duty." They sulseetvemaly nursed a verdict of tt guilty
apes the lit aad tad itosata," with napes& to hewn up
tee Sna, sad not guilty oa the 3rd count. sot BlPPlitud
beldam with water.
The B•4lo7def haviag alluded to the terioas character of
tle offence add the frightful rewooquease which
eightsght
i
acme from a wiriest of daty on the pert of a servant
defeadaat's station. sentenced him to four swabs' ispri-
sonasat, but without bard labour. detaudaat has
already Wu is prison wo meatas.