The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-14 00:00:00

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question to place yourself in the position of your
opponent, instead of judging his motives and conduct
from a purely one-sided point of view. This is a
factidenticalwith that golden rule of supreme wisedom and justice, which all Christian nations pro-
fessedly accept, of doing to others as you would
they should do unto you.
Take, for example, the terms in which the right
hon. gentleman refers to the settlement of the re-
cent dispute. Instead of labouring, as some who
affect to represent the Government have done, to
detract in every possible way from the merits of
the honourable concession made by the American
Government, he recalls attention to the special
circumstances which tend to enhance its value.
He places himself in the position of the American
people at the time when the seizure of the rebel
C namissioners on board the Trent occurred.
There was undoubtedly at that time a good deal
of irritation in the Northern States at our studious
neutrality, and Mr. Gladstone takes this into ac-
count, making full allowance for the influence
which this excited state of public feeling would
naturally have on the popular judgment of Captain
Wilkes's act. Having thus prepared the way for a
fair estimate of their subsequent conduct, the right
hon. gentleman does full justiccto the noble self-
conquest achieved by the Ameritan people over
themselves. In this, however,*: Gladstone but
reflects the unanimous feeling oi.als country. The
frank, straightforward, and honourable manner in
which our demands have been met hiss been joy.
fully acknowledged by all classes, and produced
throughout the country a strong reaction in favour
of the American Government and the American
people. Even the Conservative journals, which aro
usually the hostile critics of everything American,
have, to their credit be it spoken, shown themselves
lovers of English fairness, and appreciated the self-
restraint and honourable dealing of the American
Government and people in the matter of the Trent.
But while this feeling has universally prevailed, it
has never been so vividly and eloquently expressed
as in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's noble speech.
" I trust (said the right hon. gentleman, referring
to this question) nothing will be said, and nothing
will be thought in this about previous questions and
old controversies with Americans. Let us endeavour
to look at their conduct in a generous spirit. Let
us look to the fact that they are of necessity a
people subject to quick and violent action of opi-
nion, and liable to great public excitement—in-
tensely agreed on the subject of the war in which
they were engaged, until aroused to a high pitch
of expectation by hearing that one of their vessels
of war had laid hold on the Commissioners of
the Southern States, whom they regarded
simply as rebels. Let us look to the fact
that in the midst of that exultation, and in a
country where the principles of popular govern-
ment and democracy are carried to extremes—
that even, however, in this struggle of life and
death, as they think it to be—that even while ebul-
litions were taking place all over the country of
joy and exultation at this capture—that even then
this popular and democratic Government has,
under a demand of a foreign Power, written these
words, for they are the closing words in the de-
spatch of Mr. Seward—" The four Commissioners
will be cheerfully liberated." Mr. Gladstone's ge-
neral references to our relations with America and
the feelings which Englishmen at large entertain
towards the American people were equally cow,
teous, conciliatory, and just. Speaking on behalf
of the great body of his countrymen, he nobly repu-
diated at the outset the notion that the Secession
was welcomed here, and the prospect of the Union
being destroyed hailed with satisfaction, because it
would help to weaken the strength and humble the
pretension of a rival Power. It is quite true that
many of those in this country who lave all along
sided with the South, and who were most eager to
provoke a rupture with the North, have in the
clubs, and other congenial circles, freely assigned
this as one of their reasons. But few have had
the courage to avow it in public. Mr. Gladstone,
most justly, declines it altogether on behalf of Eng-
lishmen at large. " I do not believe that at the
time when the convulsion commenced there was
one man in a thousand in this country who had
any sentiment whatever towards the United States
of America except a sentiment of affectionate and
spmpathising goodwill—(cheers)—or who felt any-
thing but a desire that they might continue to go
on and prosper, and to finish the work, whatever it
may have been, which Providence had appointed
them to do. (Cheers.) I have not the least scruple
in saying, for myself, that my opinion is, that not
only had England nothing to fear from the growth
of the United States of America, but that, so far as
we had a selfish interest at all in the matter, our
interest was that the American Union should con
tinue undisturbed."

With regard to the future, Mr. Gladstone hopes
that a better understanding and a more cordial
intercourse will exist between the two nations.
The frank and honourable conduct of the Federal
Government and the American people has given
them a fresh claim on our sympathy and good offiees.
The two nations understand each other the better
for the collision that has terminated so happily,
and should be all the better friends for the future.
This is the moral Mr. Gladstone draws from the re-
cent difficulty with regard to the Trent. Since it
has been settled in so prompt and honourable a
manner we may fairly hope that " a spirit of bro-
therly concord" may henceforth regulate the inter-
course of the two peoples. The settlement of the
difficulty having made us better friends, he ear-
nestly deprecates any step likely to provoke a col-
lision or misunderstanding with the Federal Go-
vernment and the American people :—" Let us form
sg t good
sauguries ft ohre trhee e
erd s futureof from
the
past, that wa
nhdi c hnow
let
us
hope that whatever remains, or whatever may yet
arise, to be adjusted in those relations between the
two countries which afford a thousand points of
contact every day, and must necessarily likewise
afford opportunities for collision—let us hope that,
in whatever may arise or remain to be adjusted a
spirit of brotherly concord may prevail; and, to-
gether with a disposition to assert our rights, we
may be permitted to cherish a disposition to in-
terpret handsomely and liberally the acts and in•
tentions of others, and to avoid, if we can, ag-
gravating the frightful evils of the oivil war in
America by perhaps even greater evils—at any
rate, enormous evils to what, though not a civil war,
would be next to a civil war—any conflict be-
tween America and England."

We regret to see in the North China Herald a
notice of the death of the oldest missionary in China, Dr.
Bridgman. He left America in 1829 and landed in China
in 1830, when Dr. Morrison was the only Protestant mis-
sionary in that vast empire, He died on the 2d November
at the age of 60.
THE GAROTTING OF A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER
IN SHOREDITCM—Yesterday evening an inquest was
opened at the Sutton Arius Tavern, Carthusian-street,
by Mr. John Humphreys, the coroner for East Middlesex,
upon the body of Mr. R. Pearce, aged 41, commercial tra-
veller, who was garotted and robbed of a quantity of valu-
able jewellery on the 7th inst., and who died on last Friday
morning, at one os'reelcotcokr, from
'Webster,the injuriesNhe division,
received on
at-
tendedtha to toecas occasion.
In
watch the case on behalf of the police authorities.
The jury having proceeded to view the body, the first wit-
ness called was the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Elizabeth
Pearce, who said —I reside temporarily at tho Sutton Arms.
I am the widow of the deceased Richard Pearce, who was
a dealer in jewellery and hardware, On Saturday week
last I left him to go on a visit to some friends at Torqttay.
I know nothing about the cause of deceased's death. A
communication was here made to the coroner, who then
said that, from information which he had just received, it
appeared that the ends of justice might be frustrated if the
proceedings were to go any further at the present moment.
Only one of those implicated in the death of the deceased
had been as yet apprehended, and he should therefore ad-
journ the case to a future day, The jury were then bound
over in the usual manner to appear again, when due notice
woull be served on them by the proper °Meer.