The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-20 00:00:00

TEE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 20, 1860.

policy of his administration, and financial matters.
Great Britain has the honour of occupying the first
place in his mention of foreign States, and of
course we cannot dispute our claim to such a mark
of respect. Our international relations are declared
to be of the most friendly character, and so they
ought to be, since, though the San Juan affair
remains a subject of negotiation, we have conceded
all that Americans chose to ask. We had rejected
a treaty because the Senate introduced amend-
ments after the two Governments had agreed on
its terms—but we had to repent, to swallow all
that the Senate, as well as the Cabinet of Washing-
ton demanded, and to sacrifice the Bay Islands—
so of the right of search, and of everything. If
we will but let the Americans absorb San Juan
also, the friendly relations will doubtless continue.
Finally, our PRINCE in his 'teens has the honour
of a place in the.PßEsiDEsres Message, as a pro-
moter of " the kindred and kindly feelings which
Mr. BUCHANAN trusts may ever actuate the Go-
vernment and people of both countries and their
political and social intercourse with each other."
France comes next ; she, too, has done homage
to the determination of our cousins to have it all
their own way—she has agreed to consider French-
men who have become naturalised in the States as
exempt from conscription; and, considering how
strict the conscription law is, and how easy it is to
be naturalised under the law of the States, this is
very obliging on the part of the French judges and
EMPEROR. With Russia, the States are now, as
always, on terms of most affectionate friendship.
Spain does not afford quite so much cause of con-
gratulation ; unless "relations of a less dangerous
character" may be so viewed. As with us on the
Central American question, the Government had
arranged what seemed a very fair scheme for settling
certain claims on the Spanish Government, but the
Senate would not ratify the convention. An irre-
sponsible Senate, whose members no one out of
America knows, are a more convenient instrument
for bullying foreign Governments than a President
and his Cabinet, who have some regard for
their reputation with foreign Governments and
nations. Spain had better give in at once ;
she may be sure that no compromise
will ever suit an American Senate except one to
compromise something more of a poor negro's
chances of liberty. " Give and take," with any
European Power, except perhaps dear Russia, is
out of the question. Cuba, Mr. BUCHANAN still
hankers for with unabated appetite. He does not,
indeed, as he at the Ostend Conference, recom-
mend taking it if Spain would not sell it, but he is
quite sure Spain might as honourably sell it, as
NAPOLEON sold Louisiana to the States. He can-
not forget, but he does not say, that NAPOLEON
sold it, when if he had not done so, England would
have relieved him of any dishonour in the matter,
by taking possession of it without giving him a
penny. Hence the United States got it dirt cheap
—but Spain does not relish eating dirt.
Austria, Turkey, China, and Japan follow—the
association being probably that of old unchanging
Governments breaking down under the upheaving
forces of a new order of things. With Turks and
Austrians the States are on as happy terms as could
be wished, and as Mr. BUCHANAN is quite satisfied
with the honour done to his envoy by being carted
in a prison van to Pekin, while Englishmen made
a vain attempt at the same time to force the
Taku forts, far be it from us to disturb his com-
placency with HIEN-FUNG and his Boards. The
honour of receiving a deputation from Japan our
English sight-seers must envy. We hope next
time the TYCOON will think of us. We have some-
thing to show, if the envoys could be made to under-
stand what they see, which was not found easy in
the States.

Brazil is very amicable; it is a Slave State,
though a comparatively humane one. But the
central States of America are not so well behaved.
Three of the minor republics, therefore—New
Granada, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua—have to
square as well as they can, the claims of American
citizens with the American Government. Mexico
gives most trouble to Mr. BUCHANAN, as well as
to Lord JOHN RUSSELL; a difficulty is found in
catching a Government. What with one supplant-
ing another, and two or three claiming all of them
to be Governments, it is not easy to fix responsi-
bility, even for the most barbarous murder of
Americans engaged in acts of humanity to .the
wounded and dying. What, however, Mr.
BUCHANAN thinks " most important," is that
he has so managed, even in Mexico, as
'to prevent the Governments of the Old World
intervening there. It would seem that, had
we thought it necessary to deprive Mexico of a
portion of her territory—that is, of course, till
she had satisfied our claims--the Murato Doctrine
would have compelled him to resist us even by
force ! We certainly are little likely to attempt
what he threatens us he will not let us do; but
we as certainly should not ask his leave respecting
going to war with Mexico or any independent
State in America, any more than if it was a
European State.

Having gone quite round the globe, Mr
BUCHANAN returns to WaShington, via Kansas,
but we shall not stay to expose as it deserves
his smooth and pleasant description of his par-
tisan, tyrannical, and, in their working, bloody
dealings with that long-oppressed territory.
Happily the territory has been able to baffle
his fraudulent and violent efforts to con-
vert it into a Slave State, though under the
penalty of remaining somewhat longer a territory
instead of becoming a state immediately, and also
of losing a portion of its valuable lands. With the
Mormonites he succeeded better, though he owns
that he grudged the dollars it cost to bring the
Polygamists to submission.
Arrived at Washington, finance occupies his
first attention—he wants a little more money,
but a sum which not only Mr. DIsnAELI
who applies the epithet to the interest of
our National Debt, but what even Mr. GLAD-
STONE and Mr. BRIGHT would regard as " a
flea-bite." The actual expenditure for the year
ending June 30, 1860, is not so many dollars
(55,402,465) as ours has been pounds. Even if we
include the total expenses of the separate states,
and deduct our National Debt from our expenditure,
Mr. BUCHANAN'S subjects would rejoice in taxation,
considerably less than half our own ! Still he needs a
little more than he has been raising ; though he will
want but 62 million dollars next year; and proposes
therefore to revise the Tariff, introducing, as far
as possible, specific instead of ad valorem duties ;
as the latter give rise to very numerous frauds..
Mr. BUCHANAN congratulates the country on his
success in two respects—he has put down the
American-African Slave-trade ; not one slave has
been imported into the country this year. Also,
he has entirely put an end to filibustering ex-
ploits from American ports—(does he forget the
last little affair of WALKER which we helped to
settle). Perhaps, however, this success of the Arch-
filibuster of Ostend, must be ascribed to the well-
known policy which finds old smugglers the best
instruments for the suppression of smuggling. Or,
may we, discarding metre, paraphrase an old motto
—Qui& tulerit Gracchos, de seditione sublata, gratu-

entes?