The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-31 00:00:00

of his remarks. When he goes on, however, to
make apologies, as it were, to explain away un-
favourable impressions concerning the conduct of
this country in the matter of slavery being the
reason of American war, he altogether exaggerates,
and partly mistakes the real position of affairs. No
wonder the North did not set before the would the
issue between slavery and freedom, at the outset of
the conflict, when we consider that it has only been
an afterthought, suggested by the exigency of the
case, and ingeniously put in to beguile and cajole
the unwary into the belief that a war, based on
selfish principles, was founded on noble and ele.
vated ideas. It is perfectly absurd to make such an
affair of our recognising the attempt of the North
to put down slavery, when we have no external
proof or visible sign that such is their aim, object,
or intent ; and allowing, for the the sake of argu.
merit, that it was, they are not setting about it in
the right way. It would seem as if the object of
this letter was to excuse everyone, which is a very
thankless task to attempt, and can never succeed
in its endeavours so as to give satisfaction to any-
one. The South are not very likely to thank him,
or to appreciate his condescending approval
of their sticking qualities. When he declares
that the chief reason why the Southerners gained
the sympathies of England was on account of their
" valour and self-devotion," he speaks the truth,
although it must be confessed that such truth does
not redound in a very flattering manner to the
case of those whom he upholds through thick and
thin—the Federals. Yet, when he goes on to state
that the brave spirit and indomitable perseverance
exhibited by the Confederates " will, when they
have submitted to the law, entitle them to be the
citizens of freemen," he becomes simply ridiculous.
Every one who understands how to judge of cha•
racter, or to appreciate the effect of conduct, will
admit that the Southerners stand in a much higher
position than their opponents as men and citizens.
They have not shown the spirit of destruction for
no purpose but to gratify rage, the bloodthirsty
revenge, the appalling acts of cruelty which have
disgraced the cause of the Northerners during all
this protracted struggle; and now, forsooth, they
are to be told that they may aspire to be on a
level with those whom every principle of honour
and sentiment of humanity must lead them to con-
demn. Further on, the Professor deals out some
home truths to his friends which are not likely to
prove very palatable to them, much profit though
they might derive from them if they were willing
to receive them in a fair spirit. He tells them
that there has not been acc3rdance among them.
selves, and that some of their politicians and a sec-
tion of their press have been as bitter against the
war as any foreign journal or public speaker. There
is great truth in this assertion, but then, again, the
writer forgets himself, and passes from argument
to abuse, What can be more unseemly and
unfitting than the terms in which he
mentions the writings of one who, for a
loag period, afforded to many great interest
and excitement from his bold expressions,
acute perceptions, and spirited style. Such lan-
guage as the following passage contains is quite
unseemly :—" No slanders poured by English ignoe
ranee or malevolence on American society has been
so foul as those which came from a renegade Ame-
rican writing in one of our foreign journals, under
the name of " MANHATTAN." His remarks upon
Canada are quite of character, although they may
not surprise those who know his peculiar views
upon the subject of Colonies. When he declares
that Canada " belongs in every sense to America,
and not to Europe," ho touches upon a theme that
will raise against him the opinion of the commu-
nity in general. Furthermore i-, is by no means
so apparent as he would make out, that
there is no intention on the part of the
United States Government to molest or harass
our possessions, and, indeed, there are only
too many grounds to suppose the contrary,
when we recall recent events, and the long-con-
tinued course of threats and invectives launched
against us by influential persons. As he proceeds
on his way, Professor GOLDWIN SMITH becomes
almost unendurable, from the ridiculous and yet
irritating style of h:s remarks. He implores the
forbearance of the Americans towards us on account
of our " ignorance." Things have come to a pretty
pass indeed if such excuses are to be tolerated for
a moment. And this is not enough, pur et simple,
but we must leave the offended majesty of American
arrogance forced to the top of its bent. We are told
that our ignorance " is as dark as night," but the
progress of events begins gloriously to dispel it.
The only solution to this is that the news of whole
tracts of land laid waste, and troops ordered to
fire on hospitals, sums for the relief of the
needy prisoner rejected with scorn and contumely,
women and children ill-treated, are the means by
which England is to see her error in not according
the meed of her praise and the offering of her
respect to the Washington Government and
the Federal armies. Excuses are rife, however, in
this letter, and we come upon one almost ludi-
crous in its character. Englishmen are not such
great travellers as Americans, and, therefore, due
allowance must be made for the mistakes that they
keep on making about them. It is surely the first
time that such a lame excuse was made for the
errors we commit as a nation, but how is it that
the travelled hosts of America do not understand
us better. It does not speak very forcibly of their
penetration, or very flatteringly of our perfection,
it they go back and, from across the
Atlan tic, send forth such insults to our land.
It is always a very unwise course to pursue to
palliate wrong and to make shuffling excuses for
mistakes, whether an individual or a nation com-
mits them, but to go back to first principles, why
are we to be schooled into good behaviour to please
any country on the face of the globe. If the
Americans feel themselves wronged, the remedy i 3
open to them, and we are not afraid or ashamed to
defend ourselves, however much we may regret the
necessity that drives us to a hostile encounter.
Meanwhile, it is idle, it is insulting to our dignity
and unworthy of our reputation, that any remarks
of this kind should be made ; and this letter, which
teems with excuses, abounds in explanations and
is prolific of promises, had much better have been
left undone. It can afford no interest to those to
whom it is addressed, while it is unworthy of those
whom it affects to represent.

Perhaps there has never been a more interesting
spectacle in British India than the ceremony of
the opening of the Puujaub Railway, so lately pre.
sided over by the Viceroy. It was not that any
particular splendour attached to the opening cere-
monial, for in all the circumstance of pomp and
state it was far eclipsed by the recent Durbar ;
nor was it that any extraerdinary engineering
genius had been necessary to surmount the obstacles
of the route, such as in the line under Mont Cenis or
the ascent of the Andes. The interest attaching to
the sight was the prospect which it held out of
peace and plenty and commercial prosperity to the
desolate neglected wastes of our great empire. The
triumph of the occasion was the triumph of civi-
lisation over barbarism, of knowledge over igno-
rance, of skilled intelligence and energy over time
and distance. The great railway line, of which
the Panjanb Railway forms an important part, is