The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-06 00:00:00

APTURE OF THE STEAM-BOAT HEZ;RY

BROUGHAM.
The Montreal Gazette, of November 13, has the follow-
inr, particulars respecting the capture of the steam-boat
ileizry Brougham, the fact of which we announced on
Monday :
" The Remy Brougham arrived at Beauharnois from
the Cascades, at about nine o'clock on Saturday nights
when, in consequence of the darkness of the night, she
was to remain until morning. Shortly after the pas-
sengers, whose names we have already given, kiad re-
tired to bed, a great noise was heard on deck, and
instantly the cabin was filled with armed men, who
cried out that the passengers were all prisoners and
must go ashore. A cry was then set up by the rebels
for the mail—the mail—we must have the mail.' Cap-
Whipple, of the steam-boat, with a presence of mind
whichn
does him the highest credit, and who, throughout the
whole affair, conducted himself in such a manner as to have
excited the gratitude and admiration of his passengers, in-
stantly answered that the rebels were great fools to suppose
that the mail was carried on Sunday, upon which they
made no further inquiries regarding it. It is well they did
not ; for it ce,litained very large sums of money. Tho
gentleman fioni whom we have received our information
had also, a large sum of money under his care, which he
wag carrying from Kingston to the Montreal Bank, as well,
as to one or two mercantile houses in town ; and which,
he had no other means of saving than dexterously convert.-
ing it into a lady's bustle.
" When the passengers were brought on shore, they
were conveyed, throne. it strong file of rebels, to the house

(From the New York Inquirer of Nov. 19.)
CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES.
The relations of this country towards Great Britain, and
of both to the Canadas, occupy, at the present moment, a
most important space in the public eye. The events which
we have recently recorded, and those which we record this
morning, as of late occurrence in the Canadas—and the
evidence which has lately appeared of sympathising move-
ments in the United States, direct the attention of every
reflecting citizen to relations that must soon become the
topic of absorbing and paramount interest. No one, who
is not wilfully blind, can shut his eves to the fact, that a
crisis has arrived in the history of the Two Canadas ; that
a contest has commenced, which must terminate in their
utter subjection to military rule, or entire independence ;
that the Gallo-Canadian power must be entirely prostrated
and extinguished in the coming struggle, or that the British
possessions must be completely emancipated from British
control. The events of the day will not permit us to doubt
that such must be the issue. There is no probability that
the British Government will idly protract an unavailing
struggle by any more half-way measures. It will no longer
stand in a deprecating, doubtful, shuttling attitude—pursu-
ing measures that will neither strike terror nor conciliate
favour ; but will adopt forthwith the most decisive and
peremptory policy. It will either abandon the provinces to
the insurgents and Sympathisers, or will vindicate its supre-
macy by the summary logic of the sword and the bayonet.
It is idle in this matter to affect concealment of the fact,
That the present Canadian rebellion receives its ckief im-
pulse and encouragement from the United States. The in-
telligence which we have from the frontier convinces us of
the existence of an extensive organisation along the border,
from Vermont to Michigan ; pledged to the aid of the Ca-
nadas, and bent upon sustaining it V) the last extremity.
The silence of the entire frontier press on this matter is full
of ominous significance. Whence it is that these Journals,
which were so full last winter of exciting and sympathising
appeals, have become so apparently dea to the whole sub-
ject ? Is this the result of accident or of design ? Does
it indicate the decay or the absence of interest, or a set-
tled and systematic plan, in the hope of diverting the at-
tention of our own Government, until the united objects of
the Patriots and Sympathisers can be more fully developed,
and placed in a train of more successful accomplishment ?
When we consider the vast interests dependent on the
preservation of a strict neutrality, on our part, we cannot
but believe that the Federal Government is not sufficiently
awake to the importance of the present crisis, or that it is
secretly favouring the efforts of the Sympathisers. The
southern relations and connections of Mr. Van Buren would
never permit him to afford any open countenance to mea-
sures calculated to involve the country in hostilities with
Great Britain. The extent and importance of our southern
trade are such, that a state of things whiCh would cut off
the chief market of the southern staple export would never
be tolerated by the strongest allies of Mr. Van Buren's
waning and decaying power. Prostrate as it now is in the
Northern States, our Government would never destroy its
last hope of regaining its ascendancy by disaffecting the
only quarter of the country to which it can look for efficient
aid in its present exigencies. But while Mr. Van Buren
;nay be unwilling to lend any direct assistance to the move-
ments of the Sympathisers, from an apprehension of the in-
evitable consequences, he may be very willing that the
country should be involved in a war, if it can be induced
without the evident agency, or in spite of the apparent
neutrality of the Government. Such we apprehend to be
the present position of Mr. Van Buren towards the drama
that is now enacting upon our northern frontier.
The facts which we stated a day or two since, on the au-
thority of the Vergennes Vermonter, are strongly confirma-
tory of this view of the case. This Paper alleges that the
Canadian insurgents on the northern frontier have been fur-
nished with junsfrom the United States Arsenal at Chum-
vlain by a Government instrument, known to be friendly
to the Patriots, in whose custody the arsenal was placed;
-'ust before the last election in the fourth congressional dis-
trict in Vermont. The Vermonter complains indignantly of
the conduct of the Government in removing Lieutenant
Scott to a post in Arkansas, and appointing a man, Bogart,
who is not an officer in the United States' service, to so im-
partant a post, for the evident purpose of influencing the
" patriot feeling". in that district in favour of the Admi-
nistration. The arms said to have been delivered over,
are the same given up to General Wool last winter, on
the failure of the expedition to Caldwell's Manor, under
Nelson.

Consider this fact in connection with the recent incen-
diary meeting at the Vauxhall-garden in this city—of
" citivms of New York in favour of Canadian freemen."
Was not this meeting authorised and encouraged by the
Federal Government? At any rate was it not abetted
and countenanced by the Government? If not, how did it
lappen that officers of the Customs—men in the pay and

. , .
service of the United States, were permitted to take part
in it—to act as its officers—and to lend it the aid and

impulse that it could derive from no other source than the

fait that it was not condemned by the Government ?
Whence is it that Mr. Alexander Ming, and Mr. Henry E.
Riell, officers of the Custom-house of New York, acted the

one as a secretary, and the other as a vice-precedent of
this meeting? A meeting that was got up to enlist the
sympathies and efforts of the Government party in favour
of the insurrection by the assumption that in " promoting
the independence of the republic of Canada, we preserve,
protect, and defend our own democratic principles."
What was the meaning of the inflammatory resolutions
passed by that meeting—" acknowledging the inherent
xights of all men to change the form of their political insti-
tutions," and condemning the employment of any force
npon the frontier to preserve our neutrality as " highly de-
rogatory to our:character as Republicans" and " incom-
patible with the principles of our Government ?" Is it
the intention of Mr. Van Buren to lend the counte-
nance and authority of our Government to measures which
are intended to array and equip on our own soil an army
for the invasion of Canada ? Viewing as he does the re-
sponsibility of the Executive for the conduct of all Ex-
ecutive officers, is he ready to adopt and endorse the inter-
ference of his subordinates in measures of actual hostility
against a country with which we are at peace, and with
which our interests demand that we should remain at peace ?
Will he lend the countenance of the Government to treason
against the Government ?
To our mind, the inactivity of the Federal authority under
the pressing exigenoies of the case ; its neglect to adopt any
precautionary or preventive measures ; its refusal to see or
hear anything that should
excite apprehension, or call for
preparation, its course in reference to the Champlain arse-
nalofficers in sympathising and
; the open interference of its
n;llts an aspect of affairs
incendiary meetings ; all this procfset
; country, and to in-
calculated to alarm every friend
qxhibits a criminal
dace the most painful anticipations. .It
and the honour of
indifference to the peace, the prosperity,

the country:
We would call particular attention to the statements of
Sir George Arthur's proclamation, which we publish in this
morning's paper. Do they not accord with the current
rumours—current at least, if not authenticated—which
prevail on our side of the lines, and which cannot be stifled
even by the guarded silence of the frontier press ? Do they
not derive some confirmation from the presence of Govern-
ment officers at meetings got up for the express purpose of
furnishing money and munitions to the " Patriots," and of
levying war in fict against Canada ? Is it not quite time i
that Government should indicate that it is not inattentive
or indifferent to measures which thus menace the peace of

the country ?
If it is desirable to preserve our pacific relations with
Great Britain unimpaired, let us see the requisite policy
promptly adopted, and persevered in with due firmness and
vigour. Let us not be driven by the factious movements
of a handful of turbulent vagabonds, runaways, and Cus-
tom-house underlings into hostilities for which the ccuntry is
unprepared, and to which the country is utterly opposed.