The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-02 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES.

The Times cannot but recognise the reported
cession of Russian-America to the United States as an
event of considerable importance, attesting, as it does, the
mysterious sympathy which has long existed between
Russia and the United States, and establishing, as it will,
a republican instead of a " Cossack" power on the north-
western frontier of the new Confederation. The new ter-
ritory will add so little to the commercial wealth of the
United States, that it becomes evident it has been pur-
chased with a view of asserting the claim of the United
States to supremacy on the North American continent.
Their jealousy of the Canadian Confederation is altogether
groundless, as the union of the provinces will render
them less dependent on the mother country than ever.
At all events, we have no right whatever to
protest against the act, and must not place ourselves
in a false position by vain remonstrances. We
retain our hold upon Canada more to please the
Canadians than ourselves, and we shall be happy
to make it independent as soon as it pleases.
If the close connexion of .British Columbia with California
and the large proportion of the American element in its
population are destined to attract it into the union, the
substitution of the American for the Russian flag on the
shores of the North Pacific will but hasten their operation
by a year or two.

The territory, observes the Daily News, is of little
material value. Half of it is within the Arctic Circle, and
five-sixths of the inhabitants are Esquimaux and Indians.
Nor is it true that the effect of the cession will be
to exclude British Columbia almost entirely from the
Pacific, inasmuch u that colony has its own coast line
for half its length, from Simpson River to Fort Langley.
It was lately said that British Columbia had joined the
new confederation. This colony would give a Pacific fron-
tier to the new dominion, if the latter were consolidated
by the settlement of the southern part of the Hudson's
Bay territory, which is the only section of it capable of
colonisation. It may be, however, that the altered po-
litical situation of Columbia will produce • temporary
hesitation in the counsels of British Americans. The
isolation of British Columbia will increase the difficulty of
treating it as a British colony—the American element in
the population being certain to increase in strength now
that the colony is flanked on both sides by United States
territory. This, however, need give us no concern. Every
colony must follow the law of its population, and if at any
time the people of British Columbia want to become
American citizens they will find it easy to do so. At the
Fame time it does not follow that they will want to throw
off British protection because of their foreign origin. The
importance of the transfer lies in the fact that it is so com-
pletely in the natural order of events, and there is
nothing in it to excuse an attempt to make it the ground
of a factitious excitement in this country.
The Herald thinks it would not be quite politic just
now for either the American or the Russian government to
do an unfriendly thing to the government of this country.
If it should he represented either at St. Petersburg or Wash-
ington that the conclusion of such a bargain is looked
upon as inexpedient, is objected to on our part, we may
still hope that the matter would be reconsidered. We
have, anyhow, a right to a voice in the matter, and if
Russia is really inclined to abandon America we should be
allowed to make the first bid for the strip of ground which
ilea between our colonies and the Pacific.

The Post anticipates that America will soon begin to
complain of having the new American colony separated
from its territory by British Columbia, and will be asking
our government to entertain propositions for the sale of
the latter. There never was a moment when our American
colonial affairs were in a more critical position than at
present. There never was a moment when wisdom and
decision in their management was more needed.