Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-11-13
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

OF this country seems determined to laugh at
the insane rawlings with which the London
I'n'e' announces the sailing of the 400 gun
Meet Tor our waters. Had there been the
slightest ground for the voIley of vulgar abuse
and the avalanche of BADLY false allegations
which the Times took occasion to hurl at the
United States, the reception of its article an!
the news of the sailing of the feet hither-
ward, would have been different Their utter
fslsehood, as well as that of the pretence un-
der which Britain seeks to blustsr, us how
ever, is the key to the fact that nobody
equanimity has been disturbed by all this
cutting up On the other side of the herring
pond.
Instead Of there being expeditions now ft-
ting out in our ports to invade ireland, ia
maica and Central America, which this Gov
eminent win not or cannot suppress, as tho
Thunderer alleges, there has been no previous
time, for years past, when there has existed
so little disposition on the part Of any Of our
population or on that Of refugees among us, to
invade the territorial rights of others.
So far as the conduct of our people and
Government in the current Russian war is con-
cened, it embraces an instance of good faith On
our part unexampled in the history of nations
Thus, with thousands of ports, and every ia
cility to that end, no privateers have been
fitted out for either side in this country. The
only effort whatever to violate the pledge of
strict neutrality under which we rest, was tn at
of the British Government itself, to recruit an
army here for the Crimea, SO promptly put
down by our authorities, and so far, punished,
as far as the law allows.
On the strength Of the silliest rumor imagi-
nable, the British Consul at New York caused
to be " Hbelled" bark being prepared for
the China trade; and when this Government
had promptly vindicated the integrity of its
neutrality in this war by acting on tho mis-
representation Of the functionary mentioned
above, the counsel of the latter almost as
promptly admitted that he had lodged erro
neous information, and was satisfied that the
vessels errand was lawful one, and that ho-
cargo and equipments were only such as prop
erly appertaincd to her contemplated yoy age
in the China trade
So much for the Thunderer's" silly allega-
tons with reference to what is goir on in the
United States, designed to set at nought the
letter or spirit of cur neutralit laws, to in
jure England in her commerce, or colonies, or
at home.
Now, in reply to the Thunderer's jeremiad
over cur propensity TO annex contiguous ter
ritory, it is surely sufficient to point to the
fact that we have made no annexation not in
conformity with justice and the principles Of
International law. We defy the world to
place a finger on any instance to the con.
trary! On the other hand, where in the world
has she a single possession that she has &C.
CURED in a similar way? Beyond the Cape
Of Good Hope she annexes, annually, more
territory than we have acquired since we be-
came nation. At this moment the beggared
princes, whose territories she has seized, are
wandering, penniless, in every CLINE; and we
have reason to know that there are now at
least half a dozen Of them in England sueins
for their just rights. Yet she assumes to read
US n ASsSVh VI thO AiOl al JueeiOC VI hetiOuS
The Neutrality Law.-The New York Conn
nueretal AdUeTtiSer very properly suggests
the propriety tf a modification Of the neu-
trality law, which would better enable
the Government to prevent the successful de-
parture Of flibustering expeditions from this
country, by land and sea. The only law to
that end in evistaroa l. thot of 1919 ub;cb Ia
to punish offences against cur duty Of neutral
ity, &c, and is not preventive, unfortunately.
During the Canadian re bellion, las it stermed, }
when there was q disposition of our turbulent
and reckless to rush over our Northern from
tier to take part in those difficulties, Congress
passed q special act, which expired with the
occasion for it. Since then we have had DO
preventive act, though one is sadly needed
indeed. Our neighbors in Mexico, In the
West Indies. and in Central and South Amer
lea, are so weak that we have not only to pre-
serve the ordinary neutrality Of other govern
Inents, but are compelled to exercise a sort Of
police jurisdiction in their favor, lest portions
Of our unemployed and adventurous popula-
tion may rush out in night and commit tres
pass upon them. After the French consul at
San Francisco had put it out CT the power Of
this Government to keep Walker, for instance,
from doing further harm than he had perpe-
trated in Sonora, by refusing to obey the man
date of the court calling on him to testify
against Walker, there was no law whatever
by which he and his followers could be pre-
vented from leaving California to prey On
Central America, as our citizens have consti-
tutionally the right to bear arms, and to 60
singly, whittier they will, on shipboard or
otherwise. He and they left California for
their last expedition in that way, in which,
for want of law TO prevent them, the Govern
ment could not interfere in their movements,
whatever may have been the suspicious of its
officers in that region as to their intentions.
The Return Of the Thurder-gust.-Our
friends Of the IateLiigeneer in their contro-