The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-04 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4, 18G3.

In regard to the :nterprotation of the Foreign
Enlistment Act, the law authorities appear to be
rather seriously at loggerheads. The Government,
indeed, upon this point, would seem fast to be get-
ting deeper and deeper into difficulties. It is im-
possible not to recognise that it really is thus, as
between the law officers of the Crown and our
judicial administrators. Any one, in fact, may
see that it is so, upon scanning carefully that
little involved and at moments bewildering tangle
of argument—like the ill twisted strands of a
clumsily manufactured rope (almost we were going
to say, of sand !)—which yesterday occupied so long
the attention of the Court of Exchequer, by reason
t the Pertinacious dialogue kept up by the Attorne-
y
with the Lord Chief Baroa in reference to
the Nveli...kee
the vi-bei wn case of the Alexandra. Stripping
4iat
orestion at issue, of all legal technicalities,
the
simply indeed
it at present stands, may be put,
very
the
Plain
ciarieed, thus :—Whether—this is really
the Superior Court
of it—whether will or will not
be referred) cojau:ta(to which the matter is about to
the interpretation e pith the Lord Chief Baron in
vital section of the For by the latter upon a certain
as the country
keowa felgn Enlistment Act, a section,
very last importance .
orll well by this time, of the
other than the onethats!ction is, of course, no
::of forbidding the arming, the
equipping, or the fitting 0
vessels with the
design or intent that they bait
be turned to use
for directly hostile purposes
e
1
'with which this country is at p,,tealrlB.6 a nation
t.
belligerents in respect to whore the' u regard to
attitude
main-
tained by our Government is one of strict rality
According to the Lord Chief Baron's
the jury in reference to the Alexandra, tha directionir
to
men had no alternative whatever in arriving at t}ls';
decision at which they actually did arrive in settle.
meet (so far as that court could settle it)
of the dispute in regard to that particular
trial. The Lord Chief Baron, as will be
very well remembered, distinctly directing the jury,
if they were of opinion that the defendants in the
suit had no intention whatever to have, the Alexan-
dra armed, equipped, or fitted out, in an English sea-
port to the end that it should be eventually employed
against the Federal Government, that the verdict
they, the jurymen, must find should be (as of course
it was immediately) a verdict against the Grows, a
verdict simply and distinctly for the defendants.
the Question now awaiting settlement in the supe-
rio.
r Court is—Will this ruling be sustained:'
the Attorney-General can't think it. Naturally i
enough he
the
Crows,
can't thinke it—be the first law officer of
thue,
the chief responsible champion at the
bar,
of
y adventured upon by the Govern-
polic
ment of Which he is a
member.
tempted to Say
at
one© A policy we are
so very rashly adventured
upon by them, not only in
reference to the Alexandra
rn,, bein
g now adventured upon
also in reference to those two
Unlucky steam rams
yet in the shipbuilding yard of
down et Liverpo-il. Lot th9_ 'A.TRD BROTHERS;
Chief Barons
verypositive
besustained
and the la IV officers of the Crown, and
the
meat themselves, of which they a„ the
appointeva ad-
vocates, clearly and obviously are in a predicament,
The builders of the Alexandra, and, it
and unhesitating •
may be
added, of the Alabama, and, it may still further be