The Express.
London, England, 1865-12-16 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES•

(THIS DAY.)

INIZSIDIST JOHNSON'S lIISSIGL
The Times thinks that President Johnson's
review of the Alabama claims ought to be accepted in •
frieadly spirit, though it omits some things which are
material, such as the consideration that if the accordance
of belligerent rights of the insurgents was unprecedented
the war was unprecedented too ; sad that if Great Britain
furnished more efficient aid to the Confederates than any
other power, she also by her marketicontributed more than
any other nation to the suppression of the rebellion. The
great manufacturing districts lost far more by
the continuance of the war than was ever pined
by our mercantile marine. We have expressly offered
to entertain any modification of the law existing in
both countries which may be suggested by the American
government. It such • conference shoed take place, there
does not seem to be any good reason why it should be coos-
fined to England and America. A cob of roles for the
future guidance of neutral nations in time of war would be
of great value to all maritime nations, and if one could be
drawn up by an international commission representing all
the great powers, a similar misunderstanding could hardly
occur again. There was never • war party in
this country ; and at the present moment, when
we hear of American citizens called Fenian openly
preparing for an invasion of her Majesty's dominions,
we make no demand for redress, for we know that President
Johnson ought not to be held respoesible for anything
which the laws of a free country do not enable him to
, check, or for everything they do enable him to check but
which it might be premature to check at the present

moment.
The Daily News gathers from the imperfect report of
the message that President Johnson has left Congress to
deal with the question of the admission of the members of
the revolted states to the Senate and the House of Repre-
sentetives, and that the case of the Alabama claims is urged
from the American point of view with much tenacity,
though the President declares, at the same time, that it will
be hie constant aim to promote peace and amity with
foreign nations. As to Mexico, he seems to have plainly
intimated that the United States most not be challenged
by the interference of European governments to defend re-
publicanism on the American continent. The correspon-
Idence with France respecting Mexico which is to be laid
before Congress cannot fail to prove of the highest interest.
The Post praises the message for its temperate and states-
manlike character, and sods convincieg evidence of the I
pacific intentions of the President in the large reductions
which have been made daring the pest nine months in the
military and naval 'scrims of the republic. On the subject
of Mexico the language of the President is cautious and
ambiguous. If the United States are challenged to de-
fend republicanism against foreign interferenoe, they will
respond to the challenge, but we are left in the dark
whether the establishment of as empire in the south-west
corner of the North Americin Continent will be into:-
preted as such.
In the view of the Advertiser the President's Message
has not a particle of the sensational element in it. It is
characterised throughout by calmness, conciliation, and
dignity, and will raise Mr. Johnson to a higher position in
the scale of ealightmed governments than he has hitherto
reached, although he has been steadily ascending that scale
for the last few months.
The Tekgraph knows nothing grander than the way in
which the North has used its triumph and the South ac-
cepted its defeat. If the first presidential message after
the final overthrow of the Confederate armies had been
somewhat vaunting in tone, or had proposed to deal out
hard terms ti the vanquished foe, the best friends of
America would certainly have read it with regret, but not
with wonder. This of Mr. Johnson, however, is tempe-
rate, and statesmanlike. The bitterest enemy of the North
cannot charge it with hershness ; Der could the warmest
Southern partisan reasonably look for better terms than
those which the President formally proposes to extend. As to
ours ehues, it is no doubt uocamfortable to know that a
great country keeps a little bill against us for presentation,
if need be. at some future day ; but we hive good reason
to hope that, when the passion of conflict has cooled down,
i the United States will see how strictly our conduct has
accords I with the precepts of international law.
The Star is c 'evinced it would have been better for us to
pay a dozen times over for the destruction ceased by
the Alabama, which Lord Itumell admitted to the House
of Lords had escaped through the treachery of
some of our own officiate, than to have on the
books as a role est iblithed by ourselves that a nation
ought in no case to submit to &souse claims directed against
her in relation to breaches of neutrality. The threat in
the message as to Mexico betrays no determination to bring
the events there to a speedy issue ; but it does mean that
the French intervention is regarded by the American
government with a dislike which will only be removed when
the French troops have been withdrawn.