The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-02 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
rats DLT.—Morning, 6h. 54m.—Afternoon, 6h. 17m.
To-moituow.-Morning, 6h. 39m.—Afternoon, 7h. 2m.

The Weather—Sun Office, Nov. 2, 1863.

THERMOMETER.
This day at Two o'clock .. 51

Barometer-29.10.
Wind—South-Westerly; strong breeze, with rain.

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LONDON, MONDAY, NOV. 2, 1863.

The honour of the British flag is dear to every
true-born son of the soil—dearer than his own life.
Any insult to that sacred representative of our
rights becomes to every individual a matter of
personal concern. The meanest member of our
great nation, go where he will, is surrounded and
protected by an invisible safeguard. The proud
ancient boast— Civis .Romanus sum—is adopted and
justified as universally and as efficiently by the sub.
jects of the British Crown as it was of old by the
individual members of the great Roman people.
When last year the American captain laid his pre-
sumptuous hands upon a British vessel, every
Englishman felt as if he had received a blow, and
was on the instant aroused to demand full apology
or redress. We need not call up further examples
on the subject, or dilate upon a truth so universally
recognised. We are all proud of our national sus-
ceptibility; Many an English heart thrills with
sympathy at that ardent exclamation of SITAR-
SPERE'S HENRY V.:—

" But, if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive! "

Yet if we are jealous of our national character from
without, how much more tenderly alive should we
be to all that affects that character from within.
The most honourable, the moat glorious, of all
national (as of all individual) qualities is Justice--
the Justice that will do no wrong. A brave man
will not brook injury or insult, but still less will he
inflict either I The recent events which have taken
place in Japan are, alas, not of a character for na-
tional gratulation. We had to demand reparation
for an injury, bat we have changed places with the
offenders, and now we have ourselves committed a
wrong. The burning of the city of Kagosima is a
greater subject for regret and grief throughout the
country than was the wanton insult received at the
hands of the American Captain. Granted we were
justified in demanding from the Prince of SATSUM,k
a full reparation for the injury committed on a
British subject, and the punishment of the offender,
and in the event of our demand being refused, the
offence might have been declared a legitimate casus
belli. The attack on the city of Kagosima, if
the records of that attack be true, is one
of those fatal incidents which, to alter the words
of TALLEYRAND, are both a " crime and a mis-
take." The city of Kagosima, with its large popu-
lation, was not only attacked by the British ships,
but literally burned to the ground ! For two whole
days the fire continued, and still the smoke extended
for miles around. The only objects spared appear
to have been the Prince's palace and the military
works, which we should have imagined would
have been the first and most legitimate objects of
attack. The smoke rising from those desolated
hearths and homes of the poor inhabitants of Kago-
sima will excite in the breasts of the people of this
country mingled feelings of shame and indigna-
tion.

When people get a whim into their heads they
are not likely to take heed as to consequences, nor to
pause for prudential motives. Seldom has a Minis-
ter so completely monter la tete, as the French
say, as Earl RUSSELL, with regard to the iron-
clads in the Mersey. His impatience and his
irritation have been like to cost the country dear,
for his ill-judged haste has nearly made a sacri-
fice of a noble vessel. The Prince Consort was
despatched with extraordinary and unnecessary
speed to Birkenhead to ensure the safe detention of
those dangerous vessels, which seem to be frighten-
ing the Washington Government from all sense
of propriety, and our own from all recollection
of what is due to their country, both in prudence
and in honour. According to all accounts a great
risk has been run in this last exploit of Minis-
terial sagacity, and it is difficult to say whether
the step altogether is most unnecessary, insulting,
or ill-judged. In the first place, why use such
superhuman efforts to despatch that special vessel
at that particular juncture, when there was one
already at Liverpool quite capable of performing
the desired task. An 80 gun frigate is surely suffi-
cient to keep watch over anything of the sort.
Next it
ever offere,
seems one of the most deliberate insults
u to a man in Mr. LAIRD'S position,
that his Word of honour cannot be taken. When
he had
pledged himself that no steps should be
taken to remove the objects of dispute without due
notice, it might sorely
have been deemed sufficient.
The Government ~
eed not have scrupled to have
placed confidence in, one who had been on intimate
terms of confidential communication with them,
who had secretly fitted out
a fleet for them, and
who had not done anything to impeach his in-
tegrity as a gentleman and
a member
of Parliament.
it must strike any sensible observer that all this
fuss and parade of armed men and monstrous vessels
aro somewhat uncalled-for auxiliaries, when the
custom-house officers of themselves were
amply
sufficient to maintain the desired inaction. It Would
have been a very bad look-out for these infatuated
individuals, who are moving heaven and earth to
assure the Federal Government of their fervent
zeal and tried devotion, if the threatened casualty
had occurred. The Prince Consort is worth three
hundred thousand pounds, and that would have
been a large sum to fling away in order to propitiate
any nation and gain the goodwill of any Govern-
ment, however strong and sincere: Had it not been
for the strenuous efforts of her officers and crew,
the Prince Consort would have been lost ; as it was,
a fearful risk wss run. Indeed they were so ex-
, twisted that the men of another vessel had to go to