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

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4, 1863.

In rega.rd to the Interpretation 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 deep and deeper into difficulties. It is im-
possible wot 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
:iur"Runaent—like the ill-twisted strands of a
415119 manufactured rope (almost we were going
to say, of sand !)—which yesterday occupied so long
the att
'ention of the Court of Exchequer, by reason
of the pettitt, .
ons dialogue kept up by the Attorney-
General vliz
the Lord Chief Baron in reference to
the well-knowntcase of the Alexandra. Stripping
the whole
cltieait,io itti.t issue, of all legal technicalities,
the gist of as
, tat present stands, may be put,
very simply indeeti
the plain English :—Whether—this is really
of
the Superior Court
,to it--whether will or will net
Which the matter is about to
ba referred) coincide \
with
the
Lord Chief Baron in
the interpretation
pet
by
latteri upon a certain
as a section,
vital section of the
t
as the country knows full
tieell:.7 this time, of the
very last importance. That
other than the one forbiddi 'l'l is, of course, no
nR the
de fen
or the fittin out of ve arming, the
design or intent that they shall bek'tels with the
for directJy hostile purposes egaies..'ned. to use
nation
with which this country is at peace, inre_
belligerents in respect to whom the attitude main
tamed by our Governmentone of strict 11,1140AI:1'
According to the Lord Chief Baron's direction Yto*
the jury in reference to the Alexandra, the jury_
men had no alternative whatever in arriving at the
decision at which they actually did arrive in settle.
ment (so far as that court could settle it)
of the dispute in re and to that particular
trial. The Lord Chief Baron, as will be
very well remembered, distinctly directing thejurY,
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
the;,
the jurymen, must find should be (as of course
It as immediately) a verdict against the Crown, a
verdict simply and distinctly for the defendants.
The Question now awaiting
court is \\, settlement in the supe-
rior3:l,-; think
ill this ruling be sustained ?
t
The A.ttor
ueral can't think it. Naturally
enough he
enae.. fck it—he the first law officer of
the Crown, the eh
responsible champion at the
bar, of the Policy adventured iri,on by the Govern-
ment of which he is a
tempted to say at once so A policy we are
very rashly adventured
upon by them, not only reference to the Alexandra
and the Alabama, but being now adventured upon
also in reference to those two
ky steam rams
f
the sii o. ipbuildin verd
yet in • ' o ,Antr, BROTHERS
down at Liverpool. Let the Chief Baron's
positive and unhesitating Tulin_ be Very
sustained
and the law officers of the Crown, and the Govern'
ment themselves, of which they are theappointedad-
vocates, clearly and obvious!y arc in a predicament.
The builders of the Alexandra, and, it may be
it may still further be
added, of the Alabama, and,