The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-21 00:00:00

BRITANNIA.

Tins Tvixwolo. ONL—Tho Woodrow
Leo{ord.—Mdlie.e. Oielphro. —Mr. J. —lllll SANDY
QUAILS. Moo IL Clayoos.—dad TIM Le Or ALWATE.
Yrs.!: Yorsva—Coomoomps

WON Malt AT 103111011 MOM
list DAT—Wkwyksi, M. 1am.... Alisnriss. 4k. 4111,
Tallieliloll —llama& 1116 Illim .... ABMs. M. left

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LONDON SATURDAY, DEC. 21.

P RCM LAST LINCOLN has now added his authority
to the weight of the general conviction that some
decision must be taken—some measure resolved
on, respecting the thousands of negroes who
are now throwing themselves into the hands of
the Federal officers, or making their own way
to the Northern cities. It has been understood
for some time that this negro question was to be
left an open question as long as possible, in order
that events might decide where rulers could not
agree. Four members of the Cabinet, sustained
by a large proportion of the commercial class in
the great cities, and by many lawyers and
preachers (among whom no ono has been more
loud and emphatic than the Rev. FUNKY Wain
Realise, Mrs. Srows's brother), have insisted
that the North was pledged to abide by the exist-
ing Constitution, which recognises and sustains
slavery. The other three members of the Cabinet,
backed by nearly the whole rural population of
the Free States, all the Abolitionists, nearly all
the army, and the more ardent patriots every-
where, have for some time felt and said that this
question—what mast be done with the negroesl—
be the turning point of the Federal case.
There must be an end of the recognition
of slavery, or all was lost ; and preparation
must be made for the necessary alteration of
the Constitution, by treating as men, and not
as chattels, the negroes who should repair to
the Federal camps or ships. It was confidently
believed on the one part, and faintly denied on
the other, that the Partiiiiser agreed with tFe
minority of the Cabinet. He must say something
on the subject iu the Message which would con-
firm or close up the schism which has been the
real cause of Northern weakness up to this time.
The PRESIDENT has spoken. What he says might
easily be read here without any notion of its sig-
nificance; but it would be scarcely second in in-
terest at Washington to the news, just then arriv-
ing, of the English view of Captain WILKES'S
exploit.

Once more, the attempt is to compromise, or
temporise, or please opposite parties more or less ;
and once more, the device will fail. Thu Abo-
litionist& may justly think that much ground is
pined by tho admission that the negroes must be
received and employed, instead of being sent
back under guard to their owners, or at least
forbidden to enter the camps. But the whole
principle on which the great anti-slavery party are
acting and insisting is given up, in an attempt
to conciliate the other party. As far as the Pia-
ainewr's sentences are intelligible, they seem to
show that he is willing to get rid of the negroes
altogether, instead of sanctioning the State and
society in doing its duty by them. He lapels
into that state of mind io which the Colonization
scheme originated—the iniquity and mischief of
which we have often had occasion to expose. The
inventors and managers of the scheme were slave-
holders, exerting themselves in behalf of slavery,
and saying so in the Slave States, while proposing
their plan in England and in the Hollis= States
as a method of eventually getting rid of slavery.
The one clear mark which. under all shifts and
disguises, proves the pro-slavery advocate, is the
assumption that the negroes must go away some-
where. The negro°s are determined not to go
away, and all thorough-going Republicans are de-
termined that they shell do as they please about
staying or going. Mr. Ltareoim now tries to
compromise matters between irreconcilable parties
by proposing to receive the negroes into a
sort of freedom, to please the one party,
and to banish, under the name of colonizing
them, to gratify the other. It can be only to
propitiate opponents that Mr. LINCOLN talks of
climate, and acquisition of territory, and coloniz-
ing not only the slaves raw from the plantations,
but the free blacks of the North. It is perfectly
well understood all round that the climate of the
United States suits the negroes very well, and
that there is not only plenty of land within the
bounds of the Republic, but that the four millions
of dark-skinned Americana are actually and ex-
tremely wanted in the very places where they are
found. It is quite understood that there can be
no sincerity in any attempt to remove four mil-
lions of persons front a !territory where they are
wanted, t ) another where they are not
wanted, and where no preparation is made for
them. As for the free blacks, all that is said
about theta in regard to the scheme is simply
wasted breath. They will not leave their country.
Year by year for forty years they have said so,
when they had far less social weight than they
have now. They have acquired property by their
industry, and they choose to live upon it. They
have their own houses, are surrounded by rela-
tives and friends, have built churches and esta-
blished charities, have obtained, as in blames-
chusetts, equality in the public schools for their
children ; they are American; and they intend to
remain so. The proposal to associate them with
raw negroes fresh from the yoke is so absurd as
well as offensive, that we may see in it a confession
of the perplexity of a ruler in dealing with a
critical divisimi between parties whose disunion lie
will ignore ►s loiet as possible. To all imnartial
observers it is clear that Mr. LINCOLN has greatly