The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-12 00:00:00

should be removed, and as they can legally remove I
him, they certainly will do so. The Cabinet by
their acts show that they also bold this impression.
As we last week stated, Mr. SEWARD is sending off
his property to Auburn, and forty boxes have
already been dispatched. Mr. WELLES is dispatch-
ing his goods to Connecticut, and Mr. M‘CtlLLocx
is following his example. Certificates of characters
are the documents on which the Ministers are at
preaent engaged for their weeping adherents now
about to be thrown on the world, but the most
significantis Mr. JOHNSON'S own course, who
has not only packed off some of his baggage to
New York, but has chalked . out for himself
another tour! and if Congress caught it in the
first, what will ANDREW JOHNSON say when
shaken clear of all restraint. We trust, however,
that nothing will induce him to use the great posi-
tion he has held as a means of raising scandal,
which could only have the effect of degrading him-
self and confirming the justice of the action of
Congress. We may here notice that an Appro-
priation Bill passed by the House for $lO,OOO ex-
penses of Impeachment, and $lO,OOO for the mis-
cellaneous expenses of the Senate, sanctione I by
the Senate, has gone to the PRESIDENT for ap-
proval, and will perhaps be the last which will
come before ANDREW JOHNSON, as President. His
withdrawal of the Hon. TllomAs EWING's name, as
Secretary of War, and his substitution of General
Sc TIOFIELD'S, has been variously interpreted. Many
consider it as an offer of the " olive branch" to the
Senate, intended to smooth away the difficulties
that would arise in a verdict of not guilty. Seim-
FIELD, who commands the first military district, is
an officer of high character, well thought of by all
parties, and with no very pronounced political opi-
nions. In case the Senate's verdict, contrary to
expectation, should declare the PRESIDENT not
guilty, and record an act of political virtue as yet
unknown to the world, this appointment will re-
move LORENZO THOMAS and EDWIN STANTON, the
chief stumbling-blocks, and if Mr. JOHNSON be not,
in truth, mad, allow matters to run smoothly for
the remainder of his term. It appears to us to be
the only act dictated by good sense, which has
lately marked the PRESIDENT'S Administration.
The news last night was that the Senate Court
agreed on Thursday to adjourn till Monday, and
to take the final vote on Tuesday. This settles
the question of time, and we now know when to
expect the Verdict.

7112 MORAL OF THE DICKENS BANQUET

(From Me Anglo-American 2 Imes.)

" Bill, who's that queer an ?" '' I don't know;
never saw en like that afore." " Let's 'eave 'alf a
brick at 'lin!" Ignorance is the power that sends
the baked clay flying At., the stranger, for it begets
prejudice, which begets hostility. Irishmen in
California or Melbourne, mobbing industrious
Chinese labourers, are instances, and so are the
Chinese themselves when hedging round a European
factory, and not permitting the " foreign devils"
to cross the barrier. A Turkish rabble at the heels
of a Frank -in Constantinople throwing stones and
curses at the Christian dog is another example.
To the mind of a handsome stranger an unpleasant
question is suggested when he sees an alarmingly
ugly child running in fright from him. He flattered
himself that he was rather a pleasant, attractive-
looking fellow, and judging from appearances the
circle of the little imp's relatives could not be one
of beauty ; but in that lies the cause. The black
woolly-headed cub flies from what. is strange, illus-
trating in its untrained nature an impulse which un-
derlies the better expressed and more courtly pre-
judices of the refined. Because a thing is strange
it is disagreeable, and hence arises the feeling that
impelled the little imp to run, or the English clod
"to 'cave 'alf a brick." If a brogue, the use of un-
accustomed words, or even an uncommon emphasis
on certain syllables, is enough to generate prejudice,
the different air, manner, mode of thought and of
expression, which arise even among kindred widely
separated, and in wholly changed circumstances,
cannot fail to cause mutual repulsion and dislike.
The only cure is frequent intercourse, which not
only makes what is strange familiar, but assimilates,
thus in a twofold way, destroying prejudice. When
DICKENS, 27 years ago, first landed- in America, he
in common with his cetiatryinen knew far less of
Americans than is known now, and Americans
knew less of them. The dissimilarity between the
Old World and the New was infinitely more marked,
and even DickENs, with all his genius and discern-
ment, gave way to the impulse of ',‘-!eaving more
than 'alf a brick" at the strangers. But with riper
years, greater knowledge, and better opportunities,
he has both discovered and corrected his mistake.
Perhaps he truthfully caricatured while not under-
standing what he saw, influenced by the dislike
generated from the unfamiliarity of all around. A
second visit has enabled him better to judge of the
structure whose builders he had satirised a quarter
of a century before. Now he sees the value and
beauty of the edifice, and learns that those engaged
in the work, however disagreeably to him soiled
with lime and mortar, had been well and usefully
employed. Now also he learns that with more
leisure to wash and be clean, in spite of the traces
of work so offensive to his European training, the
labourers not only display some remarkably fine
qualities, but a taste and culture of which he had no
previous conception. When people commence
an acquaintance by heaving bricks at each
other, they do not pursue the best means of
overcoming a natural antipathy, but, on the con-
trary, their acts tend to confirm the dislike. In
dealing with each other the kindred nations should
make ample allowance for the prejudice to which
we have alluded. Being the child of ignorance, it
is most strongly developed iu the gross and vulgar,
and people must always expect to meet on their
travels a large number of such. It is remarkable
characteris•ic of those most strongly imbued with
prejudice that instead of endeavouring to learn any-
thing of the object against which they are thus
biassed, they do exactly the reverse, putting aside
all means of information and avoiding all contact.
In one breath they harshly criticise and in the next
scorn and refuse all knowledge. " Strange, indeed, is
it to hear confident and disagreeable criticisms on
the American character and national spirit by per-
sons who have never crossed the Atlantic, and had
made up their minds not to do so on any account."
These are the words of the Times in commenting
on the great banquet given by the members of the
American Press to CHARLES DICKENS in New
York.

It is marvellous to see the rapidity with which
the prejudice between the kindred nations is break-
ing down, and it is gratifying to us to think that in
our small way we have helped in this good work.
That dinner was the happiest expression of the
change yet given. The speeches far surpassed in
eloquence those ordinarily heard on such occasions.
Mr. DICKENS'S was one that well became the great
author and the great nation for whom he spoke. W hat
a recantation was conveyed in these words—" Wher-
ever I have been in the smallest places equally with
the largest, I have been received with unsurpass-
able politeness, delicacy, and sweet temper, hospi-
tality, consideration, and with unsurpassable re-
spect for the privacy daily enforced upon me by
the nature of my avocation here and the state of
my health." He announced his intention to append
this statement to every future copy of his two books
referring to America, "as an act of plain justice
and honour." In speaking of Americans in Eng-
land, he alluded to the absurdity of supposing they
were regarded as foreigners ; and, singular as may
appear, it is the truth of this which has tended so
much 6 shirpea the prejudice which doubtless has
existed. Those who speak a different language can-
not arouse the prejudice caused by pronunciation,
expression, and mode of thought. Men whose lan-
guage totally differs are regarded as foreigners, and
a prejudiced Jolts BINA, treats such with simple
contempt. In the A'nerican, however, he meets a
man who asserts his superiority in BULL'S own lan-
guage, and JOHN is curried down against the grain.
The narrowness that makes the colliers of Lanca-
shire actually speak of those brought into their
county from Staffordshire as foreigners—that sepa-
rated Great Britain into the three strongly-marked
divisionsof English, Scotch, and Welsh, is not likely
in the first instance to be soothed by a contact
with those who in the mother tongue boldly assert