The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-30 00:00:00

termed. The tempter turns on those who have
yielded to his blandishments, and men of un-
questionable solvency are unable to meet engage-
ments contracted under very different circum-
stances. All this misery and loss is occasioned
because, by the provisions of the Act, the cur-
rency contracts when it ought to expand, and ex-
pands when it ought to be contracted. The
perturbations which ensue are its neces-
sary consequences. The cycle of distress,
difficulty, and panic must be completed at
any cost. The most fearful sacrifices follow
before matters are restored to their former con-
dition—and there is again fair remuneration for
the working classes, the fitting encouragement
for the creators and producers of national wealth.

Now, the great problem to be solved is, how
to remedy this crying evil !—how to effect what
PEEL'S Act professed to do, but totally failed
to. accomplish. There are many ways that may
be suggested, but the great foundation must be a
purely national note of small denomination—issued
directly by, or on behalf of the Government, and
based on the national taxation. This would be
perfect for all domestic purposes. It would
liberate the forty or fifty millions of sovereigns
that are now only useful as tokens—and render
them really beneficial in our foreign trade, while,
by judicious management, the value of the national
note might always be preserved at nearly the
same amount, and easily exchangeable for gold by
those who required it. The increase or diminu-
tion in the nominal charge would afford sufficient
indications of the state of our foreign trade
—and serve as a far better corrective
of any undue speculation than the present system,
and without injuring internal trade or manufac-
ture, or compelling the industrious classes to en-
dure bitter pzivations, arising from causes wholly
beyond their control, and for which they cannot
be considered in any degree responsible.

There is a dark and ominous cloud in the Far
West that threatens a very serious storm in the
political horizon—a storm far worse than that
which spread desolation over Russia, and occa-
sioned the sacrifice of thousands of hecatombs of
human victims at the shrine of the insatiable
Vloloch of ambition and cupidity. It is worse,
because the danger comes from men of our own
lineage, who speak the same language and spring
from the same parent stock as ourselves—still
more, from men who boast of free institutions,
and are earnest sticklers for liberty for all whose
veins are untainted by African blood. For many,
very many reasons, we should deplore " a
difficulty" with our Transatlantic brethren. But
we must preserve the national honour intact, and
not submit to insolent bullying from any man or
set of men. It signifies little whether the object of
President PIERCE, and his pugnacious Attorney-
General, Mr. CALEB CUSHING, be the paltry one
of helping themselves in the approaching elections,
or of effecting a political coup by the annexation
of Cuba, or of obtaining some other public or
private advantage, by scarcely justifiable means.
The mischief will be the same from whatever
~ource it may arise. Great events have arisen
from trifling causes ; and the universal condem-
nation of Mr. CALEB CUSHING will be a very in-
adequate satisfaction to every right-minded Eng-
lishman and American, if the two great represen-
tatives of the Anglo-Saxon race should be in-
volved in an internecine war on totally inadequate
and unjustifiable grounds.

The present complication has arisen out of the
impolitic and very infelicitous Foreigners' En-
listment Bill, which was hurried through both
Houses of Parliament, at the beginning of last
session, with reckless and indecent haste. At the
time we pointed out some of the manifold objec-
tions to its provisions—that even if it could be
carried into practical operation, without embroil-
ing us with other states, it would be a gratuitous
and unwarrantable insult to our own countrymen
and the martial spirit of England ; and also that
it would be a needless humiliation, for we could
scarcely hope to obtain the required recruits with-
out involving ourselves with the neutral nations
in which they might be enlisted. There is no
country in which the unauthorised enlistment of
its subjects, to carry on war against a nation at
peace with itself, is not a very serious offence.
We also explained the difficulty, if not impo3-
sibility, of procuring the necessary authorisation,
and the impropriety of seducing citizens from
their allegiance to their lawful Sovereigns, add-
' iug—" Now, considering the just indignation
already expressed against all sympathisers, pri-
vateers-men, and others not absolutely concerned
in the quarrel—recollecting, too, the tone adopted
in the first instance, and the rose-water manner
in which it was proposed to wage the war, the
sentimentality that spared Odessa and the foreign
trade of Russia, it seems strange that we should
at once plunge into the most obnoxious principle
ever promulgated—the employment of merce-
naries, who may be regarded as mere pirates, and
not allowed the ordinary honours of war !"

Our remonstrances were, however, useless. A
sinister and scarcely constitutional influence pre-
vailed. Germanism triumphed, and the Act re-
ceived the Royal assent ; and it is for the pro-
ceedings under that most unwise enactment that
the Government of Great Britain have been called
to account by that of the United States.

Now, perhaps, the members of the Cabinet
of Washington are the last who could put
forward very high claims to impeccability in
this matter. We have heard too much of sym-
pathisers and fillibustering expeditions fitted
up, if not with the avowed sanction, with
the tacit connivance of those in power. When
the object of attack was injurious to Great Britain
or any of its Allies there were very trifling efforts
made to vindicate the majesty of the law, about
which Mr. CALEB CUSHING is now so virtuously in-
dignant. There was scarcely a show !of activity,
and just grounds of complaint were afforded to our
Government.
The most trifling occasion was, however, seized
on to demand explanations from the British Ca-
binet. They were given in a frank and
straightforward manner, such as to a well-
constituted mind would have furnished an ample
excuse for so trivial a transgression. Lord
CLARENDON declared that ho gave stringent
instructions not to violate the municipal
law, expressing deep regret if any such vio-
lation had taken place, and, further, putting a
total and immediate stop to the practice com-
plained of. This between nations was a complete
satisfaction, as it would be between gentlemen.
`But CALEB CUSHING has but little of the gentle-
manly element in his composition. Whether in-
stigated by others or, actuated only by his own
narrow, pettifogging spirit, he insults the British
Minister and a body of high-minded, honourable
gentlemen—the British Consuls in such a man-
ner as would warrant the application of
a cow-hide, soundly administered, to his
shoulders, were he a private individual,
and universal condemnation in his official capa-
city. We can only hope that the good sense of
the high-minded people of America will prevent
the serious consequences to both nations, and. -to
the cmise of liberty and civilisati3n all over th'