The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-01 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

THIB DAY.—Morning, sh. 31m.—Afternoon, sh. 53m.
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THE SUN.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 180,

The seizure of Sin Juan is an infraction of in-
ternational law. It is, beyond this, a violation of
the rules of honour. It is a flagrant act of robbery
and violence—an act justifiable upon no plea whatso-
ever. E :en the more rational among the Americans
themselves are beginning to recognise the monstrous
injustice and insolence of the whole proceeding.
General HARNEY'S own officers are among the
number of those who reprehend the outrage, upon
the perpetration of which he adventured (appa-
rently without instructions or authorisation of any
kind from Washington) in the name and on behalf
of the United States' Government.

Yet San Juan is still held forcibly in possession
of the American soldiers, to the number of seven
hundred. The island, which is admirably situated
about mid-channel between Vancouver and the
mainland of the North American continent, is won-
fully well adapted for the purposes of a permanent
and powerful cluster of fortifications. It is not
only admirably situated, but it is lofty, and
in many respects capable of being transformed
into the Gibraltar of the Pacific. Let us but yield
quietly possession of San Juan to the Americans,
and allow them to fortify it scientifically, and we
may just as well, with a good grace, make the
United States forthwith a present of our grand new
Colony of British Columbia. It is simply absurd
to dream for an instant of any British Minis-
try tolerating the perpetration, with im-
punity, of outrages so monstrous in themselves,
and so directly calculated to lower the prestige
of England, and to degrade her in the estima-
Lion of the world. Our submission to the seizure of
a little island like that of San Juan, en island in
regard to which we have all along made direct
claims of sovereignty, would be worse in one re-
spect even than the loss of a pitched battle. A dis-
comfiture upon the battle-field might simply be the
result of bad generalship. The craven toleration of
a buccaneering crime like the seizure of San Juan,
would, on the contrary, however, imply before the
whot world an abasement of the national character.
Itwonld be as pernicious, almost we had said as fatal,
to our influence among gie powers of the earth, as
in Mr.Bualies estimation when the Royal Guard's
unresenting view of the insults offered to the
fair Queen MAEIE ANTOINETTE implied tho ex-
tinction among them of the loftier impulses
of chivalry. Time has been, heretofore, as far back
as history can penetrate into the past deeds of this
great Anglo-Saxon race, when the sword of the
nation would leap from its scabbard invariably at
the first hint of an outrage affecting the honoui of
the Crown. But it is impossible to suppose, seri-
ously, for an instant, that the seizure of San Juan
can be accepted as ten fait accompli even by Lord
PALMERSTON'S Government. It is true that
the former Cabinet, presided over by the
Noble Viscount, allowed those two poor
English engineers to languish for months in the
Neapolitan dungeons, to languish there so long
that madness and an attempt at suicide (happily
not successful) were among the consequences. But
we recoil from accepting that lamentable incident
so far as a precedent, that we should be disposed to
regard in any way as a probability the submission
of Lord PALMERSTON'S Government to the
insolent seizure of San Juan by the American
soldiers. Our prestige has been tco painfully
depreciated already elsewhere* to adiiiit of our