The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-31 00:00:00

ally scattered to the winds by Lord SOTIN RUSSELL'S
indignant denial, and by Lord PALMERSTON'S scorn-
ful and laughing refutation of them.

We do not know that there is much to complain
of in the principles and practice of American
blockades, as they are illustrated by the correspon-
dence just published. They first proclaim the
blockades as to be "set on foot" at certain ports ;
they do not regard the blockade, however, as com-
mencing from the issue of the proclamation, but
from the time when a force is stationed at the port
sufficiently strong and watchful to warn, indivi-
dually, each vessel as it approaches the port.
Nothing but a resistance of this warning is regarded
as a breach of blockade. All vessels, also, actually
in the port are allowed 15 days to depart, and they
may do so with or without cargo ; nor would it
be inquired into whether they had taken the cargo
on board after the blockade had been actually
established.

There have occurred, however, two or three cases
of hardship, in which Mr. SEWARD does not appear
to us to have fairly carried out his assurance to
Lord LYONS, "That if in any individual cases the
rules of blockade should bear hardly on British
vessels he should be ready to consider the equity
of the matter, and to receive favourably any repre-
sentations he might make on behalf of the interests
of British subjects." To most persons it will
appear as if the equity of the following case de-
manded favourable consideration. Mr. J. LEAY-
CROFT applies for power to send British vessels to
take away cargoes which have been bought and
paid for in the blockaded port. In another case
power was asked to send for oak plank
which had been bought and paid for,
in part fulfilment of a contract for the British
Government. Mr. SEWARD regrets categorically to
refuse all the applications, four in number ! He
pleads that the same rules had been enforced
against American merchants having cotton at
Norfolk, which they wished to bring away in
American bottoms. The rule appears harsh against
their own merchants, that is on the supposition,
that as in the case of the British merchants they
had paid for the goods. If they had not, some-
thing might of course be said in favour of prevent-
ing the enemy from getting money into his hands.
To us it seems that reason, courtesy, and equity
were all on the side of allowing the merchants of
another country to take away the goods by ships
going for them in ballast, as proposed, when the
rebels had already secured the merchant's money.
Practically, indeed, Mr. SEWARD'S policy gives to
his enemies both the money and the goods. He
injures his friends and benefits his enemies. The
latter may be high morality ; but the former is
neither good morality nor good policy.
We must say, however, that Mr. SEWARD is not
exactly the politician we had, till the late contest,
supposed him to be. He can talk too much blarney
and bluster. Amongst the territories which " mani-
fest destiny" was to give to the now shattered
Union, he had the taste to mention the Canadas.
His warning to European politicians to dismiss
from their heads all thoughts of a secession being
permitted, will not be forgotten. Nor can we
relish much more this repudiation of
" the equity" of a pretty clear case.
The Minister Plenipotentiary to St. Petersburg
seems to be a gentleman of the same class, one who
could take in hand to lecture us on what we should
think for our honour and our interest. In the
proclamation, too, of Mr. LINCOLN, signed by Mr.
SEWARD, we find the astounding assertion,
that if "any person" under the "pretended
authority of the said (seceded) states" should
molest any vessels of the United States, or
the persons or cargo on board of one, " such per-
son will be held answerable to the laws of the
United States for the prevention of piracy !" States
which have agreed to abolish privateering might
consistently take this ground ; but Mr. LINCOLN
could only take it by denying to the Southern
States the belligerent rights which, hateful as their
cause is, Lord JOHN RUSSELL has humanely and
wisely asserted for them. It is, indeed, but to
introduce civilised views of what common humanity
demands in mitigation of the horrors of war. A little
modesty would surely better comport with the pre-
sent position of the broken up Union, than a con-
tinuance of that arrogance with which the United
States were wont to beard the senior nations of the
Old World. We have no fear, however, but that
our Foreign-office will Rerform its duties in a firm
yet becoming manner.

THE COURT.—Her Majesty and his Royal High-
ness the Prince Consort, and the youthful members of the
Royal Family, are expected to arrive at Buckingham Palace
either on Monday or Wednesday next for the season. It is
also expected that the Queen will occasionally visit White
Lodge, in Richmond-park, during the season.

The Earl of Nlornington has arrived at the
Cl trendon from Paris.

The Earl and Countess Delawarr and Sir Alex-
ander and Lady Arabella Bannerman are expected to ar-
rive in London in the course of the ensuing week from
Genoa, after passing several months in Italy.

We understand that a marriage is shortly to take
place between the Right Hon. William Hutt, Vice Presi.
dent of the Board of Trade, and Mrs. Hughes, daughter of
the Hon. Sir Francis Stanhope, and widow of Col. Hughes,
brother of the late Lord Pinorben.

MONUMENT TO SHAKSPEARE.—A public meet-
ing will be held shortly, in connection with the above ob-
ject, at the Theatre Royal, Drury. lane, which E. T.Smith,
Esq., has liberally granted for the occasion.

Government have granted the Royal Irish Aca-
demy £lOO a year for the recovery of antiquities in Ireland
through the agency of the constabulary.
The Charity Commissioners have given notice
that the well-known library of Archbishop Tenison, in the
parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, will be sold by auction.
M. Thiers has resolved to make over the prize
of 20,000 f. which has just been awarded to him, to the
French Academy, to be bestowed by them upon some
writer whom they may select.

The Ost-Deutsche Post of Vienna says:—" M.
Wagner's opera of Lohengrin' has just been performed
here. The public appeared anxious to console the com-
poser for the check he had recently received in Paris. The
house was crowded, and at the end of the overture there
arose a tempest of applause which continued until M. Wag-
ner advanced to the front of his box and thanked the public
for the honour conferred on him."

The correspondence between Mr. Aleoelr, our
minister at Yeddo, and Lord John Russell, respecting the
recent difficulties in Japan, has been published. These
documents comprise a history of the diplomatic events
which grew out of the murder of the American Secretary
of Legation. Mr. Alcock's closing despatch announces
the restoration of friendly relations with the Japanese go-
vernment, and his return to Yeddo. Lord John Russell
expresses his satisfaction with this announcement, and
approves of the course taken by Mr. Alcock. •
The Italian Chamber of Deputies, in its sitting
of the 28th, commenced the debate on the bill for
recognising the claims of such officers as, under
the fallen dynasties, had been deprived of their
grades from political motives. After a long dis-
cussion, it was agreed that the claims of those only
should be admitted who had offered to serve in
1859 ; after which the Chamber voted tne first
three articles.

At the meeting of the Trust and Loan Company
of Upper Canada, to-day, it was stated that the
net profits for the six months ending the 31st of
March last, amounted to .£14,020 6s. ld., which,
added to the sum brought forward, gave an avail-
able balance of £14,416 15s. id., from which the
directors declared a dividend at the rate of 8 per
cent. per annum, free of income-tax. It was agreed
that one half of the surplus profit over 6 per eent.,
and the usual charge for interest, amounting toge-
ther to £3,474 Os. 10d. should be added to the
Reserve Fund, and that £250 be applied to the re-
demption of preliminary expenses, leaving a sum of
£67 14k, 31 to be carried forward.