The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-10 00:00:00

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THE SUN.

LONDON, TUESDAY, DEC. 10, 1861.

Human nature is such that every tragedy and
every grave epic must have its amusing interludes,
if at least our poets would conform their fictions to
facts. Our own " Immortal Bard" has taught all
Englishmen this lesson; and even the few conver-
sant with the regular measured stately productions
of the Grecian Tragic Muse learn their notions of
propriety from the teacher who has surpassed them
all. So .we moralized for a moment as we read the
story of the reception of the " gallant" Captain
WILKES by the citizens of the American Athens.
The worthy Bostonians perceived that, as in olden
times every court must have its fool, and every
good tragedy something to relax the features for a
minute, that they may return with more freedom to
the expression of pity and terror, so the serious busi-
ness of the San Jacinto and the Trent must have a
dash of the ludicrous in some one of the scenes, and
they were willing to be the performers of that part.

So, to entertain all Europe, and England espe-
cially, they entertained the hero of the San Jacinto.
Some Mr. J. W. EDMONDS, unknown, we are sorry
to confess, to our editorial omniscience, presided.
He was well up in his part. When the American
performers exhibited at the Alhambra, one of the
clown's witty remarks on the jumping feats was
that he had a brother who jumped so high that he
never, came down again. Oratorically Mr. ED3IONDS
performed the same tremendous feat. He started
with the "patriotic impulses," rather the "patriotic
instincts" of a hero, who, by one " live act," (sic) a
" deed of daring," had " clothed himself with a
power over the minds of his people which could not
come from title or escutcheon "—from those empty,
ragged things which silly Englishmen prize.
Having jumped so high at first, Mr. J. W.
EDMONDS could not of course come down—he spoke
of the " splendour of the . chievement," of its " vi-
brations reaching the far west ;" aye, more, of reach-
ing the dens of the traitors, "the clicks" of the
achievement or vibration, or splendour, we hardly
know which, " being like the clicks of the death-
watch" in the said dens; he spoke of the " brilliancy
of the action" which "raised the patriotic pulse of
the whole people," of the " resources," the " wis-
dom," and the "prudence" of the "man of the hour"
—indeed, for to the end we must get, where we find
Mr. J. W. EDMONDS still aloft they were
" making history fast," &c., &c., &c., &c.—and
when " the records of our naval history is made up,
there will be no names more luminous upon its
pages than DUPONT and WILKES."
The patriotism and instinct, and splendour,
and clicks, and brilliance, and prudence,
and history-making, and luminosity being
at last finished ; the old sailor himself, we
are bound to say, came forth a little more
soberly—thanks, profound gratitude, for such a
dinner, and such a reception, and such a speech
were his natural opening. Then he told the story
of his
Trentisbril hlianatabrave achievement, which, having
thirteen sixty-eight pounders at his orders, while
the
thought no
particular n,
fetahte 0
fwborrathvyoryta. r
Tdhoeubctlaepss.
tain, however, must do his.a
audiencepa r t i n the
that f u
asn ma anka ivnagl
—so, instead of telling h
commander, he looked at his instructions and
orders, it seems he turned Jurist,—he had a civil
ilaw library on board—to his cabin study he went,
and took down his VATTEL, "his KENT, hii:
war,ANN, and the rest," and decided for himself
that he had the right to seize the two gentlemen
and their secretaries. Them has been some grave
argument here on the error of supposing that a
Captain at sea could turnbut lliimdsidelfiit, in asay"sJucdagpetaionf
a Court of Prize,'' —but
WILKES, and I glory
„in
Ohfavninneg
thingdone Captain
WILKES and would do it again.
WILKES did boast for his men andhimself—he
t
might have captured the Vent herself,

hare got a prize worth 150,000 dollars for himself
and his crew—but they all waived that privilege.
" Prudent" captain ! Dearly bought dollars would
they have proved ; the Trent in Boston harbour
would have hardly found a purchaser amongst the
wide-awake Yankees, and she would not have been
taken back but with a heavy claim for damages.
Before the meeting was over, a judge BIGELOW,
a name honourably known to us in the literary
world, but borne doubtless by a very different gen-
tleman, was called on to back the seaman's law.
And very cleverly did the gentleman of the long
robe do his part. It would not do to utter
law contrary to the wishes of the " distinguished"
assembly, and the "brave" captor of the merchant
vessel ;—so he would not go into details ; he would
speak rather as a man of common sense. There
were some cases so plain that they did not need
law books and counsel, and all that to investigate ;
he had not read up on the subject, but off hand,
there and then, he being at a dinner party, not on
the bench, would pronounce for the captain's law.
Common sense, not nice distinctions, were the thing
now. Sophistry must yield to clear reason, and
what reason could be clearer than that which Cap-
tain WILKES had for seizing the Commissioners on
board the British mailship. But the droll fellow of
a judge was not content with this merely. He and
the captain had exchanged parts. The captain, talk-
ing about" KENT, WHEATON, and the rest of them,"
and the judge talkiug about bluff common sense
and reason. But there seemed to be an under current
of suspicion running through his mind. He had
taken care to leave himself free to study the case
and change his legal opinion, but not only that, he
finished up a sufficient quantity of Yankee bragga-
docio, by proposing as a sentiment, "England and
the United States !" Verily, a DANIEL come to
judgment ! How can England but reciprocate the
sentiment—that is, provided we know where to find
the United States—when she finds her ships seized
by sailor-lawyers, and the seizure justified by
lawyer-sailors.
Governor ANDREW mile forward more in the
style of the first speaker, talking of the " wise and
prescient judgment, the manly and heroic success"
of Captain WILKES—he told the meeting of the
cheer raised by himself, the Secretary of War, and
others who happened to be present at the moment
the telegram announcing the capture arrived,
and of the pleasure he felt in Massachusetts having
to furnish soon a prison for the traitors ; and " that
there might be nothing left to crown the exultation
of the American heart, Commodore WILKES fired
his shot across the bows of the ship that
bore the British Lion at its head." Well
done, Governor ANDREWS ! We only fear your
crowned Exultation will shortly have to dis-
crown herself, and look needlessly little on account
of her own folly.
We must do Lieutenant FAIRFAX, a Virginian
by birth and attachments, though he had remained
faithful to his commission, the justice to say that his
narrative of the transaction, in which he took so
prominent a part, was worthy of a gentleman and a
sailor. He had been as courteous on board
as his duty, acting under command, permitted, and
he was courteous to those whom he addressed;
but it seems to us, even from his speech to those who
applauded the transaction, that he at least would
much rather have had nothing to do with it; We
strongly suspect that Lieutenant FAIRFAX has real
good breeding in him, and really " patriotic in-
stincts and prudence," and that he well knows that
the second and third acts of this will be performed
in very different styles.

Ohone ! for THE O'DONOGHUE! Surely nothing
but an Irish howl can be a really fit and proper
accompaniment to his name. The "definite article"
is certainly tho appropriate prefix to it. Of all
the O'DONOGHTJES—not forgetting CHARLES
LEVER'S, otherwise HARRY LORREQUER'S—this is,
without any doubt of it, The O'DONOGHUE. Wonder-
ful—considering what may be now called his ante-
cedents—that any constituency (even in Ireland)
should enable him to add to his name the mystic
initials M.P. A politician who can talk and act,
as THE O'DONOGHUE has now been for some time
past talking and acting, is, in sober seriousness be
it said, hardly the man to be entrusted with the rank
and responsibilities appertaining to a Legislator.
Why, compared with the deeds and words of this
harmless BOBADIL, the impassioned songs of DAVIS,
the preposterous proclamations of MITCHELL, the
fantastic demonstrations of O'BRIEN, the high-
flown aspirations of EMMETT, the audacious pro-
jects of TONE, the hopes and prayers of the noble
FITZGERALD, were loyalty itself.
The Times yesterday spoke of the last exploit of
THE O'DONOGHUE as something bearing a singular
resemblance to " playing at high treason." The
political crime perpetrated in this latest meeting of
the so-called Nationalists is beyond any question
as nearly allied to the supreme crime of leze =Yeats
as well could be. It is only saved from the other-
wise inevitable punishment consequent upon the
evidence of that heinous guilt by its intense ridicu-
lousness. It escapes the doom of being " crushed
out," somewhat after the fashion that that extremely
nasty little vermin the skunk does. Only in this
instance, absurdity takes the place of the villanous
odour emitted by the transatlantic reptile when
pursued and driven to bay. The powers that
he could not—we may rest assured—deal seriously
with any display like that recently made by the
O'DoNoGiluE ; the Government in other words
could not lay its avenging grasp upon any such
disloyal criminality—Why ? Simply because it must
infallibly almost die of laughing at the attempt. It
is the egregious folly of any such sayings and
doings as those of the O'DONOGHUE that are their
shield from punishment. Seriously to confront
with the majesty of the law any such utterly ridi-
culous demonstrations were as absurd as it would
have been supposing a royal army in battle array,
horse, foot, and artillery had been led forth a dozen
and a half years ago against the young Ireland
hero, skulking behind the poor widow's petticoats in
the famous cabbage-garden ! Fancy England taking
seriously to heart any such nonsensical rhodomon-
tade as this—with all its outre interruptions !—lt is
TM& O'DONOGHUE talking and the Dublin nation-
alists responding to him :—" Every free people, and
every people venturing to exercise the privilege of
freedom, will take whatever side appears most in
accordance with their honour and their interests.
(Bravo.) It is, therefore, clearly the duty of such
a people, at such a momentous crisis, to deliberate
well before they decide upon a course of action—
(heeir, hear, and cheers)—to think, speak, and act
for themselves, and to be the guardians of their
own honour. (Great cheering and waving of hats.)
Now, I think the time has arrived for testing whe-
then. Ireland has a right to shape her course with a
view exclusively to her own interests, whether she
(lite si
fobsr ,hetahre, and
guardians
haa a right to think, speak, and act for herself—
cheers.) Nova I
cheers)—andof Irel awn dh'esthhoenr
nlnrirs,hm(eGnraeat
are
believe such an opportunity has
neuter occurred before—(bravo)—and I fear such an
oprliortunity may never offer again—(cheers)—and
whsle so many millions of Irishmen are yet
to be found in this island—of true Irishmen, I mean
—animated with that indomitable ' • -
spirit which for
more than 600 years has refused to acquiesce in
fort ign domination. We all know 'hat hostile