The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-30 00:00:00

would not have proved a Brougham in the abuse of the
Northern people, and "a Government epidemically given
to lying ?" Who does not remember the scowl of all Eng-
land at President Lincoln's emancipation proclamation?-
Your correspondent also says in reference to the be-
ginning of the war—" In England I know that the univer-
sal sympathy was with the North." This differs so essen-
tially from the discovery of all others that I ever knew, of
any experience, that the statement is rather surprising.
A great deal of travelling over the kingdom during the
war forming a contingency to the writer's pecuniary inte-
rests, it was with no small degree of pain that he rarely
met with a friend to the Northern States, but many of
hostile feeling ; and as a pretext for favouiing the South,
they usually contended that the negro had better be a
slave than treated (as they endeavoured to fancy) as ho
was in the Northern States. In fact, the mover about
amongst the English people met with a general chuckle
over the " bursting of the great Republican bubble," and
the pleasing prospects of, a severe punishment upon:the
perpetrators of the "hundreds of (imaginary) Yankee in-
sults."

But perhaps Mr. Rawlings will refer, like many others,
to the moderation of the suffering operatives of Manches-
ter and other places. If so, I would ask what a mass of
people, who had no popular voice, and, as a general thing,
in a much inferior condition socially, pecuniarily, and in
common education to the negroes of equivalent localities of
the Northern States, could effect by any demonstration ?
To have learned the sentiments of the people of Eng-
land he should have visited the discussion halls and favou-
rite places of free-and-easy amusement, from the music
halls of Covent Garden to places of the kind throughout
England, and he would have discovered that whilst the
names of the brave Generals who were fighting the battles
of mankind iiC'eiVe ff" kipTause 'and-a roar of- gram&
and hisses, the very mention of Lee and others, who were
conspicuous in the battles for slavery, were subjects for
the most enthusiastic cheering.

At the earliest possible period England placed the rebels
on a war footing, and throughout the contest carefully
protected and supplied their privateers in all her ports,
and secured the pirates on American commerce from jus-
tice, who had been knowingly following their infernal
mischief long after the war was over. The whole purpose
of the British Government and the people, from the firing
of the first gun at Charleston, was apparently to nurse and
tender to. the save drivers' conspiracy—it being their duty,
according to their leading journal, to "sympathise with the
pure English blood of the South, rather than the plunder-
ing hordes of the North." Contrast all this with the refusal
of the British authorities of a little aid to the. United States
steamer Kearsage, that an English vessel would have
obtained in any port on the globe.

I think that correspondent will call to mind how
eagerly the Trent affair was snapped up as a pretext for
menacing the United States, he will change his construc-
tion of its fall "on the hearts of Englishmen " from that
of "a thunderbolt" to something more appropriate. Within
forty-eight hours after the receipt of the information
(though not from the United States) of the capture of the
rebel commissioners by an ambitious captain, who they
knew to a moral certainty had no instructions to that effect
from his Government, the dockyards and arsenals of Great
Britain were at work on a grand scale, and enormous forces
were hurried off to war with a people who were innocent
of even any charge of offence. This brave enterprise
failed, however, to effect anything as far as the United
States were concerned (the captain having been already,
according to American laws, placed at the disposal of the
British Government to be taken " when they liked and
where they liked"), except a polite invitation from Mr.
Seward to land the belligerent forces at Portland as a more
convenient direction to the Canadas, which were to be
defended from 022 hard-wrought fancy invasion of the
" detested Yankees."

But hopes were still entertained by the British Govern-
ment that they have not acted in vain ; and the press goaded
on the hanker for war. The arsenals were still employed
much of the time both day and night with the great-
est energy, until a " stunner" came across the Atlantic
and suddenly changed the direction of the political vane.
A little iron fighting machine„ which its designer named a
Monitor, as a caution to Europe, had repulsed a powerful
contrivance of a " wonderful people." The Merrimac, the
armour of which had been so long in preparation, was
beaten by the floating cheese-box that had been constructed
within one hundred days, and more of which of a similar
kind were soon to come. " Wooden walls" became imme-
diately at a great discount, and England cried peace and
strict neutrality, but still " patting Pompey on the back."
Again, your correspondent says :—" England had the
courage to refuse to co-operate with France in recognising
the South. America owes her a debt of gratitude foe that."
I think, Mr. Editor, that this gross untruth, which emanated
from the source of hundreds of others touching American
affairs, although sincerely believed by many honest Eng-
lishmen, and also some uninformed Americans, has had its
run about long enough.

The French Emperor has ever maintained the senti-
ments expressed by him in his speech on the opening of
the Chamber of Deputies in 1862. He said—" As much as
we may regret the state of affairs in America., we must
not interfere as long as the rights of neutrals are respected."
It is understood to be true, that when the war was raging
at; its highest the Emperor sought the co-operation of
England in bringing about an amicable means of peace,
but he distinctly stated to the United States Minister that
nothing more was meant ; but it so happened that just
about this time some Confederate successes impressed Eng-
land with confidence in their ultimate victory, and any
chance of American disruption was not likely to meet with
interference by the direst enemy to the &public.
So current was this story of the French desire for
British co-operation in the recognition of the South that
Earl Russell was called upon for correspondence upon the
subject ; but his reply was, if I am correct, th..s.t he knew
of nothing of the kind.
I think your correspondent cannot forget, however, that
to some extent the case was somewhat reversed by a com-
mittee of Englishmen going to France, seeking an audience
with the Emperor, in order to obtain his assent to joining
England in the favourite recognition scheme ; and he may
not forget at the same time how ridiculous those gentle-
men made themselves in the undertaking. I don't think
America owes England much of "a debt of gratitude" for
the failure of that famous party to obtain the French Em-
peror's influence.

It is probable that your correspondent is correct in say-
ing he knows " that the Canadas would not have been
British possessions a fortnight if America had willed it,"
—he might have said, if America had permitted it.

It is the second time thattho United States Government
has secured the Canadas to Great Britain, notwithstanding
the repeated taunts that the " Yankees " hanker for its
possession; and it is to be regretted that, whilst the
American Government is but executing its own principles
of justice, it cannot, at the same time, be in reciproca-
tion of honest intentions from those it protects.
As to "how England shall repay America," it is pro-
bably now known. Though England has refused to refer
the demands and even ignore the claim, it will neverthe-
less be paid in full, and, I think, without any objection
being made in a hostile way.—Very respectfully,
T. S.

A NEW PICTURE BY MR. HOLMAN HUNT must
interest all who will go to Messrs. Colnaghi's for
the purpose of seeing it. There may be examined his
latest work, one having a subject removed from those of his
former pictures, but equalling them in brilliancy of execu-
tion, fidelity, and power in characterisation. We do not
regret that an able artist should give a minor portion of
his time to themes less intense in feeling, and of humbler
aim than may be usual with him ; accordingly, we com-
mend this effort with such a subject as was afforded
by pigeons gathered on a wet day about a dovecote,
and passing the time as well as they can. The painter's
approaching departure for the East, and the promise it
conveys of graver work, gives zest and interest to the pre-
sent picture, which is styled " The Festival of St. Swithin''
—pigeon moping • about their elevated houses, while the
rain comes down, and the flying scud mocks their
hopes of sunshine ere sunsetting. The birds cluster
on the ledges of the cote : some have retreated
to the interior ; others, in various moods of rest-
lessness, fight without ; ono, with a dark-green and
gleaming breast—a mixture of bronze and gold7-is en-
sconced, and, with blinking eyes of scarlet fire, looks out Of
the dark. A dappled bird, of lovely cinnamon hue that is
dashed with white and flecked with glancing metallic green,
alights on the edge of the little gallery before the chamber
of its mate, flutters, and with rosy claws clutches its edge.
From the lower tier of pigeon-holes a tenant looks forth,
and sulkily pulls at a straw. Under the leeward eave of the
high-pitched roof of the tenement, a darkly-feathered bird
hurdles in desperate humour with the persistent rain that,
gathering near his head, falls in heavy drops to gather in a
stream below, and pour away in an exasperating manner;
he waits the long-coming relief. On the other side, where
the daylight falls, is perched a pair huddling under the
eaves; the one, as his feathers are ruffled, looks like
Humpty Dumpty, and glows in dun and green fires
of feathers. The background is a landscape, a garden,
thickly massed trees, a church tower looking,
vill
overthem, while, nearer, modern houses of the
sort appear. The truth with which Mr. Hunt has rendered
the effect of daylight—the breadth of brilliancy rather
than of massed shadow, so often the recourse of painters
—the splendour as well as the softness of the chiaroscuro
in this picture, deserve most attentive examination and the
highest applause. Mr. Hunt seems bent upon refuting the
common practical dogma that breadth is only obtainable
in masses of shadow ; ha finds it iu expanse of . light.
Atheneum.