The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-05-01
LONDON CORRESPONDENCE.

LONDON, april IL, 1856.
To the Editor of the National Era:
The Central American question was brought
up in Parliament last Friday highland indeed
the Champion difficulty. Viscount Goderich
wished to know if despatch of the British
Minister to Mr.. Champion, which has found its
way into the English papers through the me-
dunn Of the American press, is authentic; for
it appears, from the despatch in question, that
Mr.. Champion neglected to communicate at
once the offer of arbitration made to our Gov
eminent by Lord Clarendon-and the reason
he gives is, that "he overlooked it."
Mr.. Gladstone followed the Viscount in
pretty severe review of the conduct of the Eng
lish Government in reference to the American
question. Long since, Lord Clarendon had
promised soon to lay before the House the cor
respondence ON the subject, but nothing had
been heard of it; and now, upon being pressed
for a reason, he replies that the Foreign Office
has been so busily engaged on other matters,
that it could not get time to prepare the pa
pers for the Housed Mr.. Gladstone said
for any mere mechanical obstacles to be allowed
to interfere with the production of these papers.
Although the correspondence Of last year was
concluded, he trusted they might understand
from his noble friend that the subject itself had
not passed ont of the hands of the Govern
ment- hear that no ultimatum had been
exchanged between the United States Govern
ment and our own, and that the hope might be
still maintained that these difficulties would
| receive speedy and an amicable termination.
Hear. hear. A grave responsibility lay with
the House, should it remain silent on this ques-
ton. Other voices had gone forth respecting
IT, which he must say had sounded in tones the
most unfavorable to wisdom, to Justice, and
to peace, and to those friendly relations which
he was certain every man in that House desired
to see maintained between Great Britain and
the United States. Cheers. 1t was common
ly reported that the Minister of America, who
had recently arrived in this country, was armed
with powers to deal with the question and he
Mr.. Gladstone) did not wish to press his noble
friend for the production of the papers, but
simply to inform the House of what had been
done, and so put it in position to Judge of its
duties. Hear, hear. He had alluded to the
unwise and inilammatory language used by
certain organs, and rumors had got abroad,
calculated to create 4neasiness in the minds of
members OF that House. For instance, it was
said that additions were about to be made to
our military force in Canada. Hear, hear.
lie hoped, before any such addition was made,
that House would have All opportunity of uttering
its voice respecting this great question, for he
was convinced that that voice would be heard
IN manner calculated to promote the inter-
ests, friendship, and mutual good will of the two
Governments"
Mr.. Gladstone speaks the minds of fve-sixths
of the English people. The Ecening Star, the
Gerry best of the cheap dailies, says;
"After Lord Palmerston's speech, which will
no doubt increase the irritation of the people of
the United States, it is doubly important that
the people should speak out. Let them, as
Mr.. Baxter advised at Dundee, take the mat
ter into their own hands, Let them show the
Government that they will not tolerate feeling
which threatens to embark us in war with the
United States"
in another issue, it says:
8" In lSl2-l3, the Americans had about
100000 tons OF shipping; now they have got
| upwards of 100000 tons, OF rather more than
we have, and their ships are known to bs
| amongst the finest Of the world The total
population of the States was then about
| 100000; it is now 25,OOO,0O Then they
gave US great deal of trouble. We might,
perhaps, as some idle people amongst us boast,
now sweep their commerce from the seas, but
they, In turn, would sweep ours A large por-
| ton OF the great mercantile marine of the two
| countries, no longer employed in supplying
their mutual wants, would be converted into
instruments of mutEal destruction. There wouId
be maritime war in every sea. Our West
India Colonies, dependent, in q great measure.
for food and lumber, on the States, would he
exposed to great privatons and to great depreda.
| tions, and might take it into consideration
whether they should not declare themselves a
neutral State. Our own coasts would temnt
numerous attacks, and we should ourselves
suffer, as we hass rot suffered for many centu.
ries, the horrors of partial invasion and actual
warfare.
"May God forbid that the language of any
politicians, or of any portion of the Press of
England, should ever bring about civil war
between two nations so circumstanced.'
make these extracts to show the real state
of feeling here, Notwithstanding the war-cries
of the Times.
The Paris Patrie, in one of its issues of last
week, contains a singular article upon the sub
ject of cotton cultivation in Algeria. 1t de-
cleres that, now the war is over, the French
Government will bestow great attention to the
subject. 1t states the sterling fact that, during
the war, Algeria has supplied the army with
provisions, besides exporting TO France large
quantities of corn at the same time. The fol.
lowing extract ia worth noticing: