Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-07-20
British Filibusters.

1t is little singular that when the govern
ments Of England and France have been read
ing TO the United States homilies upon the
heinous sin Of coveting our neighbors' posses
sions, and upon the enormity Of permitting ex-
petitions to be fitted out in our ports, that
one of these nations should, in the case of Con-
sui Dillon, have been arraigned before the tri-
bunals Of the United States for having violated
this very law, whilst the other has been, in the
person of Consul Rowecroft at Cincinnati, re-
buked for doing the same thing. England,
who, little more thana year ago, ntimated that
she intended to carry out the same policy Of
limitation upon this side of the Atlantic that
she had projected upon the other, finds herself
unable to furnish her quota Of men for the re-
duction of Sebastopol, and actually directs b
foreign legion to be enlisted, the principal con-
tributions to which seem to have been expected
from the United States. In former times, when
that arrogant Power ruled the main, she had
nothing to do upon an emergency, but to board
a sufficient number of American vessels, and
she could make up very sufficient force Of
seamen; or, before she had encouraged the de-
portation of SO many Irish Catholics for the
purpose of creating disturbance in the Uni
ted States she would have had no difficulty in
obtaining any number of machines, who, clad
in regulation jackets, would do well enough to
fill trenches. But within single short year
this mighty mistress of the ocean has been
Inundated with reverses which, sooner or
later, come TO all human prosperity, and, to
complete her humiliation, has been compelled
to appear before an Ohio commissioner, give
bail to respect the laws, and listen to a lecture
upon the propriety of keeping the public peace,
and being Of good behaviour towards our citi-
zens generally.
We have been struck with significant and
rather unnecessary disclosure, made by Consul
Rowecroft, upon his examination. He made a
point in his defence that his duties were ''more
ministerial than consular, and said that he had
been sent here By his government at time
sohen 1t aoas supposed that a set Of prirateerS
acere organizing to inrade Cuba, which, ftrue,
it was his duty to report to his government. y
We think that his particular duties were
rather those Of spy than Of consul, or min
lister either. But we have always thought that
the interference Of England and France in our
negotiations with Spain, and their suspicious
and officious engagement to patrol the Gulf of
Mexico, and so protect the Island of Cuba, was
extremely disrespcctful to the United States
and incompatible with those relations Of amity
which exist between those Powers. Indeed,
we have always thought that the Ostend Con-
ference erred greatly in questioning the right
of Spain to establish such institutions within
her own dominions, as she might prefer, and
should rather have demanded of England and
France some explanation Of their arrogant and
offensive interference in our negotiations but,
passing over this blunder of our national admin
istration, we recur to the signal inconsistency
under which England denounces us as a nation of
filibusters, and sending spies and informers to
procure heproof of this disgraceful imputation,
has been brought up to the bar of justice as one
Of the first and most fragrant offenders against
the very enactment which she was so intent to
enforce We wish some American Punch
would depict Victoria before an Ohio Justice,
bound to keep the peace on charge Of having
kidnapped certain Paddles, who she maintains
with much gesticulation, are her own fugitive
property