The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-28 00:00:00

THE ALABAMA CLAIM

Mr. Sumner's speech, after enjoying the brief popu-
larity which it was so well calculated to secure, is visibly
going down in the political market. It caught the ear of
the multitude, but on careful consideration it has
evidently had little weight with men of position. The press
are gradually discarding it; there is now not a single
American paper of influence which supports it to the full,
and many treat it with ridicule. The Daily News
correspondent says that whatever may be the basis on which
Mr. Motley will be charged to negotiate, it will not be
Mr. Sumner's speech. " I believe lam within the mark
when I say that there is only one opinion amongst the
lawyers and politicians who have given any attention to
international law as to its extravagance and inaccuracy.
I know that two of the foremost jurists in the country
repudiate Mr. Sumner's statement of the law, and there
is no shrewd or sensible American who expects serious
consideration for his ' rate of damages."
Sir Francis Head writes another letter to the Time:,
comparing the injuries of which the Americans now com-,
plain with their own conduct in the Canadian rebellion of
1837. In a previous letter he showed that the Americans,
though protesting against the Queen's proclamation of neu-
trality in 1861, proclaimed a Canadian citizen, of the name of
M'Kenzie, as a belligerent in 1837, though this man bad
only a wretched half-armed force at his back, which was
dispersed at once without the aid of troops. In his third.
letter Sir Francis endeavours to prove that whilst Mr.
Sumner complains of the esaape of the Alabama as due to
the British Government's neglect, his own countrymen
did worse in 1837. The Canadian " rebellion " of that
year was aided by an American steamer, named the
Caroline, which—far from escaping by stealth, like the
Alabama—was cut out of the ice at Buffalo, in the
presence of thousands of Americans, and deliberately sailed
away, making three trips to Canadian territory with men
and munitions of war. Afterwards, taking refuge at a
port on the American shore of the Niagara river, the
Caroline was captured, removed, and destroyed by an .
English officer on the order of Sir Francis. For this pro-
ceeding, the Caroline being taken from an American port,
the United States Government demanded an apology,
which was given, though the capture was morally, but not
legally, justifiable. The neutrality laws were clearly
flagrantly violated by the Americans allowing and abet-
ting the first departure of the Caroline from Buffalo. The
chief grievance which the Americans lay to our charge is
the moral one—the ill-feeling, the animus, which prompted
our actions during the civil war. But surely these chapters
from Canadian history, without making too much of the
comparison, reveal precisely the same feeling on the part
of the Americans towards Us.
T E INsUREECTION.IN CUBA.
The precise state of the insurrection in Cuba appears to
be an absOlutely insoluble problem. T 1 reports of
officials and of other persons who ought to be well-
informed exhibit the most startling disparity. An
agent, specially sent over by the Washington
Government, declared that the rebellion was
almost extinct, that the insurgents consisted of a few
scattered bands, that a few weeks at most would restore
the island to Spain. An American merchant, resident
in Cuba, says that the insurgents have from 15,000 to
20,000 men in the field. The American Consul at
Havannah—who ought to be an authority—gives a
medium report. He does not fix the number of the Cuban
force, but he is positive that it exceeds 1,400, and he adds
that "there is not a man, woman, or child on
the island who does not
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T.IIE ASSASSINATION AT LEGHORN.
The assassination of the Austrian Consul at Leghorn
has been met with a general expression of indignation
throughout the country. General Menabrea has expressed,
in the name of the Italian Government, its great sorrow
at the murder of an Austrian representative on Italian
ground. He has assured the Austrian Ambassador at
Florence that every effort will be made to discover the
assassins. The Consul was murdered in mistake
for General Crenneville, who was in his company.
It is supposed that vengeance was designed on the latter
for his harsh conduct during the events of 1849 ; but the
Italian nation, now on the best of terms with 4ustria,
will, beyond doubt, reprobate equally the crime that was
committed and the crime that was designed. General
VECniacYille* tOOPitiffitli