The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-03 00:00:00

THE FIXLING I,V AMERICA.

On the whole we incline to the opinion that the
American press, often so insolently condemned by
" rowdy" English papers, is more moderate in its
tone in di-cussing such questions as the Alabama dif-

ficulty than the press of England. In estimating
the difference it would be unfair to leave out of the
calculation that America is the wronged country; the
sufferers in wounded pride, in irritated sensibilities,
as well as in material loss, being the Americans.
Against this England can advance that the iguor-

ance of the nation on American affairs was taken
advantage of to mislead it at the commencement of
the war ; that while the Confederates lost no op-
portunity of biassing English sentiment toward:
them, the North took no steps on the other side ;
that a revulsion of feeling has been the consequence
of the more accurate knowledge of American affairs
gained by the war; and that on becoming convinced

of the wrong done to the North through the negli-
gence of the Government, England offered to refer
the matter for reparation. The English can aid

with truth that the Minister selected by the PRESI-
DENT, unanimously sanctioned by the Senate, and
instructed by a Secretary of State long in office,
concluded a Convention on his own terms with their
Government, which was received with contempt by
the new Administration and rejected with but a
dissentient voice by the Senate who sent him to
England. if America has cause for anger she has
at least acted with an inconsistency sufficient to
annoy JOHN BULL. The question which has already
used the produce of a paper mill to discuss, has now
arrived at the utterly unintelligable stage whence
there must be a fresh departure, for no two Ameri-
can statesmen are agreed as to what the kernel
of the injury was, or what the reparation should
be. America fretted at Mr. REVERDY JOHN-
SON'S unwarrantable course in England, tore up
his Convention and stamped on it, justifying
the act by a fresh indictment against England,
through the lips of one of her most powerful ora-
tors. This England interprets as a challenge to
mortal combat, as a proof that nothing England
ca❑ do either in payment nr in apology can satisfy
Lust,tuu whose demands rise with concession.
Hence the argument adopted by a section of Eng-
lish journals that in conciliation England is on the
wrong tack, that the country must assert its man-
hood at all hazards, and arm to fight. America
sees JOHN BULL buckling on his armour with sur-
prise, the very idea of war being hateful to her,
with all its horrors in fresh recollection, and this is
the position which meets the new Minister on his
reaching the Court of St. James's. At such a

juncture the tone of the press may be watched with
more than ordinary interest, and will doubtless fur-
nish a study for foreign statesmen as noticed in our
previous article. The most absolutely impartial
journal, under the circumstances, is unquestionably
to be found in New York, and to the honour of
the Republicans that journal is a leading organ of
the ruling party. While the Nation is thoroughly
American, and while deeply impressed with the sense
of the wrong done by England, no other paper has
so resolutely and skilfully put aside " flummery,"
blown away froth, cut through tangled matter,
always keeping before its reader the true injury and
the true redress. We are convinced that any en-

lightened foreigner, alike indifferent to both sides,
would state that the views of the Nation were his
views forcibly expressed, and those destined to
guide, if reason prevails, in arriving at a conclu-
sion. To give the Nation its fair meed of credit
the circumstances under which it writes must be
understood. Preceding the delivery of Mr. SUM-
NEWS oration, Mr. REVERDY JOHNSON had gra-
dually heated irritation in America up to the boil-
ing point, and it took that most difficult and dan-
gerous of forms—sentiment. Nothing is easier than
to catch the popular feeling, to dilate thereon, to
sell copies ly the thousand, to be a great national
journal havirg a magnetic influence, and expressing
in thefineA language public opinion. This is
what Mr. SMNER did ; but what the Nation did,
though belcnging to the same party, was exactly
the reverse. It took his grand squeaking doll,
stripped it of all its fine clothing, ripped it open,