The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-28 00:00:00

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

The Tiseat observes that unwelcome as the truth may
be, it is neverthelees • truth, that we have ourselves
established &system of international law which now tells
against us. "In high•hasded, and almost despotic manner,
we have is former days claimed privileges over neutrals
which h►ve at different times banded all the smith=
powers of the world against us. We have insistivi even
upon stopping the ships of war of neutral nations and
taking British subjects out of them ; and as iostanoe
is given by Jefferson in his ' Memoirs' in which two
nephews of Washington were improved by our
cruisers se they were returning from Europe, and
placed as common stamen under the discipline of
ships of war. We have always been the attenuate
&Amgen of the rights of belligerents over neutrals, and
the decisions of our courts of law, as they must now be
cited by our law officers, have been in confirmation of these
unreasonable claims, which have called into being con-
federations and armed neutralities against us, and which
have always :men modified is practice when we were not
supreme in our dominion at ass. Owing to these facts the
authorities which may be cited on this question are too
numerous and too uniform as to the right of search by bel-
ligerent ships of war over neutral merchant newts to be
disputed." After quoting some authorities, the Timm
adds:-" If we bad recognised the Confederate
States we apprehend that we should have been per-
fectlyjustilled in taking these ambassadors on board our
own vends of war and bringing them to England without
la say way forfeiting our character u neutrals. Bat, even
if it were necessary to admit that these gentian= were fa
• belligerent or contraband character on board the &le=
vessii, it is, we believe, the opinion of very swine=
jurists SAM this was not • question to be adjudicated = by
• asral officer sad four boats' crews. The lags! came would
hove Bess to take the ship itself into port and to ask for bet
condemnation, or for the oondemnatioa of the pueengere, la •
Court of Admiralty. The result might, no doubt, have
been the same, but If the proceeding was irresular we have
surely • right to dean= the then prisoners gag be to-
stored. When sore tremendous interests are at stake we
feel deeply the responsibility of diecuming • question like
this.. Our tint duty is to calm—certainly not to inflame—
the pastel indignation which will bs felt in these islands
as the news is told We cannot yet believe, although the
I evidence is strong, that it is the fired determination of the
government of the Norther r States to force • quarrel upon
the powers of Europe. We hope, therefore, that our
people will not meet this provocation with an outburst of
=nicer, or rush to reseotment without fu'l consideration
of all the bearings of the cue."
The Poet rays :

"Our own opinion is that the Federal government had a
Bpi right to stop the Treat and to edge upon eostrahand
of war, under which Maids% we Wien, ileapatches be-
keens to the mosey are isdaded. Bodin soli despatelme
Were merehed for, per, indeed, did the Trial away say.
?oar passengers only, who bore no ofileial thareder,
were token out at the ship. We thine that this
proceeditig was not aseerding to international law.
The opinion of the law diem will, however, very shortly
decide this queens. It we are right, the British were.
mot will dearly be entitled to reparation and apology, sad
ao reparation could be emnplete without the restitution of
the peasmopme taken from under our flay If we are wrong,
at worse we shall have to submit to the law. But we Malt
sot the is. keenly feel an agreed which mast prove to as
bow little the Federal government appreciate the ondoey,
discretion, and generosity with which we have invariably
said."

The Marreicarrer Amorist" of tads,' quotes liberally from
" Pbillirnore s International LAW,' not to illustrate the
wiliest of the proceeding which has roused so much
British indignation. " for that we seriously doubt," bet to
prom its strict legality. If anything (says our con.'
teerporary) eau be construed into an infraction of inter-
antlered law and the Queen's proclamation, it Is certainly
the carrying of the despatches and the agents of the Our
federate Government. The /Issuainri. "The
captain of the Trent has been guilty of en illepl
act. He cannot take shelter in ignorance. He knew
well the real character of his pamengen ; be took them on
bawd at his own risk, and be mad bear the consequences.
L stele( law the vessel was liable to forfeiture, but the
American commander forbore to exercise his extreme
rights. Instead of making dogmatic assertions, we have
preferred to give our readers the aid of one of the
highest existing authorities, and thus enable them to verify
oar conclusions for themselves. When they shall have
carefully weighed the whole question, they will,
we essadently anticipate, share in our opinion that this
ocienrrwees, however much it may be deplored, involves
not the slightest violation of international law ; that the
Amulet's, have ooly dune precisely what, in similar cir-
cumstances, we should hare done ourselves, and that the
duty of intelligent taus is to do their best towards allaying
an irrational excitement, founded on no principle, and sus-
Warble by no 'transmit., which might otherwise lead to
the meet eshusitous consequences."

11a Lerw ;racy,/ that asi attempt to maks
oat the Commissioners of a rebel government at contraband

se war is absurd. "No possible definition of oontr►►and
of war can include them. They are just in the same post•
tine se ordinary rebels, and so long as they are under the
protection of a foreign sag, their seizure is as much
an outrage upon that flag as the seizure of the Duke
LrEogbien by Napoleon in neutral territory was an
outrage upou the right. of the Orsod Duke of Baden. It is
exactly as if a forcible seizure of an American rebel were
made by American troops in an English town. If President
Lincoln ware to demand the surrender of Commissioner

Yancey by the British government, ►nd were to send over
Imps to seise him in his house and carry him oil to an
American vessel, the outrage on international law would be
M greater than it is now. It is right that England should
know and feel how she has been insulted. It is right that
mafiosol feeling should be plainly mandated, se it is sure
to be, upon the outrage just offered. It is right that all
classes should join in demanding of the British goveroment
imams and promptitude in such a crisis, and should join to
support the British government in the measures it may take
to insure reparation."

We (Canadian News) believe we are correct in say-
ing that the whole of the mail matter in the North Briton wog
loved, although memo portions of it were so damaged as to
be airiest illegible. Many of our papers Metalled to the
length el time the moil room must have Imo under water
lakes the bap were saved.

The liast;ilton Spectator (ministerial) says :—" It
is susessusd that his Ezoellenoy the Governor-Genend bl-
inds making a tour of Upper Canada shortly. The in-
humation susses through the QueGec Chronicle, and our
I seeisesperary is likely to be well informed upon the alib-
is*. 'Whoa Lord Maack doss visit the West, he will be
!emirs:Lb, the Martian ealgistulatioas by all pieties."