The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-07-19

ton, and has been referred to only incidentally
in the elaborate Address alluded to.
Hy~ An Englishman in America closes, in
the following article for the Era, his spirited
of his native country.-Ed. Era.
THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE ON ENGLAND.
The writer of "the European Imbroglio "
lays it down that England, as community,
has never yet stricken blow in behalf of free
dom, never one tending to the advancement of
civilization" This proposition is what wish
to confute but first take this allegation:
off we look to the continent of Europe, we
perceive that she made war upon the people of
France, because they were endeavoring to es-
tablish their rights, because they had abolished
the feudal privileges of the mobiles, because the
clergy and nobility were made liable to taxa
ton, because trial by jury had been establish
ed, because heavy taxes had been abolished,
and because perfect freedom of religious wor-
ship had been secured. Such were all the
causes of complaint against France on the day
of the declaration of war in 1893"
A ridiculous blunder! made, however, more
by design than in ignorance, suspect. Let me
expose it. In the first place, the people of
France made war against England in 1893,
not England against France. The declaration
of war came from the Girondists. Next, as to
the causes of complaint the political changes
indicated by the Tribune, as we'll as all those
made in the early stages of the revolution, in
stead of rousing hostility in the community of
England, awakened in it prodigious amount
of Gallican sympathy and enthusiasm. Even
Burke's causes of complaint were not those
mentioned by the Trib,ne-even he admitted
that the constitu int had made many valuable
reforms; Burke directed his batteries against the
seizure of the clergy lands and single Demo
cratically elected Chamber. But Burke, with
all his qualified censures, did not represent the
community of England The replies Of priestly
Macintosh and the in6del Paine put him out
of Court his promise to rejoin was never fulfill
ed. George III did not meet the other despots
of Europe at the Convention of Pilnitz, in 1890.
In point Of fact, perfectly friendly relations
were maintained between England and France,
until after the dethronement of Louis, on Au-
gust 10th, 1892. George III then withdrew
his Ambassador from Paris, because he did not
recognise the legality of the act of instruction
The fendish September massacres threw q
thrill of horror over Europe, and chilled French
sympathy in England, as well az in all Christ
endom. In the winter of 1892, Pitt complain
ed of two things-the opening of the Scheldt
and the declaration of the Jacobin Convention
that they would help all people against their
Governments. These were the only complaints
laid by England up to that time. In January
1898, the poor King Louis was butchered in
cold blood. This act was looked upon in England
as Satanic, and the calm verdict of history rati
fes that cotemporaneous impression. Then the
British Government gave the French Charge
notice that he must quit the kingdom, and this
notice was the declared reason of France en-
terng into war with England-an imprudent
and unuAifable step on the part of France, in
my opinion, and the cause of an Had of woes
to the world.
do not desire to be understood sc wishing
success to England in that war, after it had
begun. As England thenceforth acted in ALI
ance with the German despots for the restora
ton of the Bourbon dynasty and the noblesse
l am not sorry that the Duke of Works expe
dition against Dunkirk failed. l grieve rather
than rejoice over the destruction of the French
navy, by Admiral Howe. In short, regard the
war of 1898 to 1901 as a melancholy one, anG
share the sentiments of our great statesman
Fox, In regard to it but one of my chief rea
sons for so thinking is, that the embodiment o
the civilized West gave an opportunity to ths
Tribune friend barbarous Russia and Russia's
fit Governor, the Empress Catherine, to ag
grandize herself by o second and third " swal
lowing up" of Poland-processes which would
not have been performed or attempted, had not
England and France been at war with each
other. The second French war from the peace
of Amiens to that of 1857 was, on the part OIL
England, war for selfpreservation against the
towering ambition of Bonaparte, and was &C
cepted as an unavoidable necessity by Britons
of all parties.
Enough On this point, ! appeal to every
one qualified to Judge whether the 4ri6itne'S
reckless allegations in respect to England and
the French war have one jot OF truth in them.
With what object does the Tribune seek to
paint the devil blacker than he actually is
What can we think of the morality of print
that speculates upon the ignorance of its read
ers on an out-ofthe-way point of diplomatic
history, by making deliberate miscellaneous
which it calculates ninety-nine one hundredths
of its readers will not be able to deteet2
I cannot defend the policy pursued at the
peace by our Tory Government towards Genoa
Venice, and Norway and the only explana
ton can offer is, that England did the bidding
of the Tfi6une's favorite, the Muscovite En-
peror. The Liverpool Ministry played the Rus
sian game as long as Castlereagh lived. How
ever, we have long ago broken the Tory power
ct home, and drawn its fangs. Leave them to
us. We have done more; we have broken
with the Tory "holy alliances on our East
and are now looking abroad for new liberal con
nections in the West; and, among others, we
reckon upon our transatlantic cousins. Is there
anything criminal in this?
Why does the Tribune leave off his rcsunai
of our foreign policy at 1915? Why does he
not speak of Cannings glorious acts-his refu
sal to join Russia. Austria, Prussia, and France
| (then Legitimist,) to put down the Republics o
| South American Canning uttered the splendid
threat, that he would create New World, tt
redress the balance of the Old" On this ques
ton, England and the United States, Canning
and President Monroe, stood side by side; and
| thank GodI Russia was foiled, and Soutt
| America saved, by both of US. England un
der Canning freed the Portuguese Constitution
| alists, at their request, from the yoke of thu
| Spanish and domestic Absolutists. Were thes.
no strokes for Freedom?
No acknowledgment is made by the ~ 7
| Tribune of the efforts made, and successful,
| made, by Lords Grey and Palmerston, in con
junction with the French nation, TO save Bel