The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-14 00:00:00

The Perfect Partiality of Russellism,

(Front the Dublin Evening Nail.)
The last London Gazette contains a notice which, accord-

ing to the editorial apologists for Earl Russell's mingled

craft and weakness, supplies additional and powerful evi-
dence to the perfect impartiality (sic) observed by her
Majesty's Government towards the belligerents in America.
What that impartiality has been the public do not need to
be told ; and wo venture to say that the additional evidence
will lead them to a very different conclusion from that which
tho writer hastens to bespeak, with a suspicion that his case

is hollow. The words of the Gazette notification are these :
—" Foreign-office, Sept. B.—lt is hereby notified that her
Majesty has been pleased to order that for the future, no
ship of war belonging to either of the belligerent Powers of
North America shall be allowed to enter, or to remain, or
be, in any of her Majesty's ports for the purpose of being
dismantled or sold ; and her Majesty has been pleased to give
directions to the Commissioners of her Majesty's Customs,
and to the governors of her Majesty's colonies and foreign
possessions, to see this order is properly carried into effect,"
The making of the order applicable to both of the belli-
gerents is altogether too fine a stroke of Russellism. The
Federals are under no necessity to enter our ports to dis-
pose of ships which may not suit their purposes. They will
not be placed under any disability by the regulation. Their
own ports are open, and they can sell ships suitable for
warfare in British harbours, after dismantling then► in their
own, or purchase them in England, and (quip them else-
where. The Confederate Government aro differently cir-
cumstanced, and the Foreign Ofllce order is a burden on
them alone. Our Ministers have already denied them the
right to buy unarmed ships in British dockyards ; now they
are forbidden to sell ships in British ports that have become
peaceful merchantmen. It is Confederate ownership that
constitutes the offence I If we honestly recognised the rights
of the parties as belligerents, we should make no distinction
between dismantting or arming a ship at sea, and going
through those operations in a port belonging to the country
whose flag was carried. Tho lawyers have been fertile in
sophistries to shelter Earl Russell's perfect partiality and
will doubtless atempt todefend the now order by some involved
ratiocinative process, but the public cannot be mystified about
a matter so palpably capable of ono construction only.
There is yet another trick in this artful Gazette sentences
Tho regulation is to be applicable " for the future." What,
then, about the case of the Georgia? We are semi-offi-
cially informed that the notification has been put in this
form in order not to bar the " legal rights" of the British
owner who purchased that vessel in a British port, from
Confederate vendors. It is not at all meant, however, that
those rights will be recognised by the Government, and a
demand preferred for the restoration of that vessel. The
Times is authorised to state that they have "declined to
interfere in the case of the steamer Georgia, seized off Lis-
bon by the Federal frigate Niagara. It is difficult to under-
stand what legal rights remain to the owner under these
circumstances, Tho Americans have seized his ship; they
have taken it to Now York ; they will condemn it on their
own principles ; and what remedy will the British purchaser
have, now that the Government deny him that protection
to which he had a double claim in consequence of the pre-
cautions he took when applying for a British register ? It
will be remembered that Mr. Bates before completing the
purchase, wrote to the Custom-house authorities at Liver.
pool to ascertain whether he would be proc ceding legally in
buying the vessel, then dismantled and restored to original
character—that of an ordinary merchant ship. The collector
consulted the Government, and on their being satisfied
that the purchase was bona fide, and the vessel to be em-
ployed in peaceful commerce, they authorised the granting
of a register. The Foreign-office now turns its back upon
all this, and with an effrontery unparalleled even in Earl
Russell's administration, " declines to interfere." Tho
"new order" is intended to make that prostration before the
Federal Government more completely satisfactory to the
objects of his unworthy timidity. It is thus that Ear
Russell practises " neutrality," and resents insults to the
British flag We hardly thought there was a lower deep
for his American administration, but this last exploit out-
does all former disgraces. It remains to ho seen whethe
the shipping interest will submit as tamely to Earl Rumen
as Earl Russell has done to Mr Seward. While awzdting
their action in the matter, we may add that the combined
exertions of our Foreign Minister and Mr Lincoln's
net are not likely to drive the Confederate flag from the seas.
A. telegram arrived at Lloyd's on Saturday which has
caused a flutter among the Anglo-Federal party. Captain
Semmes is said to have re-appeared in the neighbourhood.
of Bremer-haven, commanding a frigate pierced for VI guns,
and having 300 men on board ; and that daring officer will,
doubtless, soon exact reparation after his own fashion for
the wizure of the Georgia ae well ae the Wee of the 4 labahaa.