The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-30 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

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Itto

LONDON, THURSDAY, NOV. 30, 1865.

The dispute between Spain and Chili threatens
to amount to a very serious business unless England
is prepared to take prompt and decided measures to
moderate the pretensions of the Cabinet of Madrid.
We are now in possession of the full text of the
Spanish Circular Note, and as it is the advocate's
pleading on his own side, we may naturally suppose
that it sets forward the most favourable side of the
Spanish case. There will be very little difference
of opinion in this country respecting it, those who
are personally interestedin the Chilian trade and those
who are entirely uncoacernedlookers-onbeing equally
certain to declare the Spanish demands to be based
upon frivolous and vexatious pretexts, the Spanish
acts, precipitate and unwarrantable, and the whole
affair manifestly got up for the purposes of extor-
So far from the Spanish
tion and aggression.
Government escaping from the difficulty in which
it had placed itself, by disavowing the acts of Ad-
miral PAREJA, or at least declaring that he had ex-
ceeded his instructions, Senor CASTRO recapitulates
the whole of the frivolous story, and emphatically
declared that his Government is entirely free from
blame, and will not be anslverable for the conse-

quences of Chaim obstinacy. "We find ourselves,"
he says, " above every charge of precipitation in
our manner of proceeding ; we are exempt from all
accusation of want of frankness and sincerity ; and

we are, lastly, free from all responsibility as to the
eventualities which may arise from an enmity as

unjust as it is inexplicable, and from an incompre-
hensible obstinacy which refuses all agreement and
conciliation." If these words were uttered by the
Chi Han Minister they might be appropriate enough,

excepting that the needs of the Spanish Exchequer
and the extortionate demands on Peru render the
conduct of Spain not altogether inexplicable. The
same story is told in the Spanish note, the same ac-
cusations reiterated against Chili, which may be
summed up in a few words. After the seizure
of the Chincha Islands by Spain, public
meetings were held in Valparaiso to denounce the
outrageous proceeding. A mob passed the Spanish
Consulate, and threatened to pull down the flag,
which they were deterred from doing by some by-
standers. A Chilian newspaper had used strong
language in denouncing the Spanish aggression on
Peru. A Peruvian vessel, before the declaration of
war, was allowed to enlist for its crew in a Chilian
port, and finally the Chilian Government, after hos-
tilities had begun, declared coal to be contraband of
war, and forbade its supply to either belligerent.
To sum up, the offences of the Chilian Government
are permitting free speech, a free press, not antici-
' pating a declaration of war, and in preserving
neutrality during the dispute with Peru. The
sympathies of the Chilian people were no doubt
strongly enlisted on the side of the sister Republic,

but the only direct act that can be charged against
the Executive is a negative one, which was clearly
within the province of a neutral Government. The
grounds of offence being thus trivial, the line of
conduct adopted by the Spanish Admiral was extra-

vagant in the extreme. Had the cause of complain
been really serious and national, the course pursued
by Admiral PAREJA would have been unnecessarily
harsh and arrogant. The brief interval allowed for
consideration, the terms in which the Spanish
demands were couched, the humiliation demanded
from the Republic, the extreme measures adopted,
the disregarding the diplomatic protest—all indi-
cated a pre-arranged plan to extort, if possible,
from Chili the same humiliating sacrifices that had
been exacted from Peru. Fortunately, the aggressor
encountered in Chili a Government and a people of
another and a more resolute temper, and with a
unanimity which obliterated for the time all political
differences and party divisions. The Chilian people
rallied round their Government and defied
the threats, while they refused to submit to the
humiliating and extortionate demands, of Spain.
The Government of Chili has shown courage and
resource, and by the immediate removal of the
Customs dues and the arrangements for internal
traffic has endeavoured as far as possible to mitigate
the effect on Chilian commerce. But the mischief
done is, of course, very great. Valparaiso, the
great bead-quarters for the trade of the Pacific
coast, is now comparatively deserted, trade is at a
stand-still, and gold has completely disappeared
from circulation. The evil done as yet is only
negative, but the threatened bombardment of
Valparaiso is a different matter, and should the
Spaniards persist in such an unwarrantable
act of aggression the consequences will be serious
enough. The chief injury which Chili can inflict
upon Spain will be by means of attacks upon her
commerce. The escape of the Esmeralda, fully
armed and equipped, encourages the idea that such
a movement was intended by the Chilian autho-
rities, and should they succeed in getting Ameri-
can vessels to ply the same trade Spanish com-
merce will suffer severely.
The chief point for consideration now is the
course which should be adopted by our own
Government in such an emergency, for on the
conduct of the neutral Powers the fate
of Chili, in fact, principally rests. It is
very well for Spain to boast about her national
dignity and the impossibility of concession ;
but if England, France, and America chose
to unite in their representations, she will
very soon find it advisable to reconsider
the situation. But England need wait for
the decision of no other nation in a matter of this
kind. It is a simple case of unprovoked attack by
the strong upon the weak, for Spain is compara-
tively strong as regards the South American Re-
publics. English commercial interests are also
deeply involved, though that consideration, rightly
or wrongly, did not influence us with regard to the
American Civil War. It would be a disgraceful
thing if England suffers an independent and
thriving Republic to be sacrificed to the greed
or ambition of Spain after having shown by
the experience of fifty years that it can
administer its own affairs with prudence, ability, and
success. If Spain be allowed now to coerce Chili
there will be no more real safety or independence
for any of the Republics. A system of extortion
and tribute will be kept up, which will im-
poverish the Republics and cripple their energies.
There is reason to hope, from the line already
adopted by Earl RUSSELL, that he will not be re-
miss in coming to the assistance of the oppressed
State, but we hope he will not suffer himself to be
deluded by smooth promises at Madrid, while all
the time in the other hemisphere the Spanish fleet
is bombarding Valparaiso.

Accoilrling to recent accounts it does not seem
that the policy laid down by Austria is in a very
flourishing condition, or that the Imperial Govern-
ment will be able to realise its expectations. The
EMPEROR is to proceed to Pesth, and open the Hun-
garian Diet in person, which is no doubt considered
a very dexterous design, but which, in all probability,
will not be of much avail. In the long run all the
parties concerned will most likely find out that they
have been made tools of, to suit the purposes of
statecraft, and that national rights and consti-
tutional privileges have been tampered with, in
order to gain time and opportunities to the autho-
ritiese
theirolileatrn,
to carry
rejected
tschemes.he Diet of
to
Croatia has, proposition
send an address of h Ir.
tan to the EMPEROR for
the September Patent. This • • is significant enough,
in all conscience, and must be recognised so by the
Government whether they
acknowledge it or not.
The proposal of Count AUERSPERG, which declared
the September Patent to be in contradiction to the
constitution, was agreed to, which is another notable
commentary on the conduct of affairs. This course
has been considered of so much importance that a
Council of Ministers has been held to deliberate
upon the recent proceedings in the Croatian Diet.
No doubt the Government will have enough, and
more than enough, to do in meeting the demands
that will be made upon it by these vexatious ob-
stacles, and they are likely to be numerous enough.
The Diet of Istria has proved an exception to
what may be termed the rule with re-
spect to the practice of the Diets, for it
has agreed to a vote of thanks to the
EMPEROR for the September Patent. The com-
mittee on the Constitution in the Provincial Diet of
Styria will, it is said, propose an address to the
EMPEROR in opposition to the September Patent.
Therefore it may be safely inferred that a decided
opposition will be made to tli raor -t di aex nary plan

proposed by the Imperial Government, and that
they will have to modify their schemes if they do
not altogether change them. Unless some compro-
mise or other be made, it is difficult to see how
affairs are to be carrried on with any degree of suc-
cess. This is not a time when Austria can afford to
trifle with the wishes and offend the prejudices of
the several States under her dominion, and with one
thing and another it must be admitted that at pre-
sent affairs are very unpropitious. Surely there was
quite enough on hand with the dispute concerning
the Duchies, and other matters at home, without
the Imperial Government recklessly plunging into
fresh difficulties, and entering upon a struggle
of which no one can see the end.

It is difficult to calculate all the evils that arise

from the late cattle plague, but foremost among them
must certainly be ranked the sale of diseased meat.
Yesterday this matter was brought under notice at
a meeting of the City Commissioners of Sewers,
and Dr. LETIIEBY, the medical officer of health for
the City, called the attention of the Court to the
nefarious habit which now rapidly increases, of
sending the " carcases of bullocks affected with the
prevailing cattle disease to the markets for sale as
human food." A more scandalous practice could
not be resorted to, and no language is too strong
to denounce such a course, which, at the
present time especially, is most criminal. It is
dreadful to contemplate the injuries that arise from
habit, and those who are not informed in such mat-
ters will be shocked to find, from Dr. LETHEBY'S
account, to what an extent it is practised. Last
week there were 128 quarters of beef, which weighed
nearly 8,5001 b., condemned in the City markets, and
most of it was from animals affected with the cattle
plague. It stands to sense that such a system must
be most pernicious in every respect, and, as Dr.
LETHEBY truly remarked, the evil is not con-
fined to the sale of this meat as human
food, but we must take into account the harm
occasioned by the propagation of the disease
in all the places through which it passes on
its way to the market. Some of the carcases con-
demned last week were brought from Scotland, and,
of course the risk of contagion is greatly increased
in such instances.

Care has been taken to find out who are the
guilty parties, and it is stated that many of the
carcases which came from Scotland have been traced
to one person, who " consigned them to different
salesmen, and in different names." This shows the
devices to which people resort in order to gain
their point, and too much care cannot be taken to
guard against their despicable tricks and ex-
traordinary manceuvres. Dr. LETHEBY very
wisely advised that investigation should be
made, with a view to legal proceedings, in a ease
where information was sent to the LORD MAYOR in
a letter, stating that a person from Spalding, in
Lincolnshire, had sent eight quarters of diseased beef.
The Court passed a resolution directing that the
necessary legal proceedings be instituted in two
cases referred to, and also it was determined that a
copy of the report of Dr. LETHEBY should be for-
warded to the Lords of the Privy Council. This
is very satisfactory so far as it goes, because in the
present state of things too much cannot possibly be
done to guard against the evils which menace us.
It must be borne in mind that this sale of diseased
meat here referred to is over and above the ordinary
traffic that takes place in meat that is unfit for food
without being infected, so that all the vigilance
that can possibly be exercised will not prove
too much to meet the emergency. It

is to be hoped that with active exertions the
iniquitous practice may be diminished, but it is not
likely that it will be entirely checked, for there are
some people who are so avaricious and unprincipled
that they ,4.,4441Q on eallirnity, or care nothing for
the mischief and misery that they thus inflict upon
others.