The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-12-28

The London Times two Years A 60.

The London Times TWO Years So'
Having been in London two years ago, when
the San Juan difficulty was in tho mouth OF ev'
cry one, had an opportunity of hearing what
the English people generally would think OF a
war between that country and this. firmly
believe that if TIE English Government now IN
power should precipitatc war upon them, with
no other pretext than the pretended insult ny
Com Wilkes, that Ministry would not stand
six months. Nothing could be SO unpopular iii
England as war with the United States, and
Lord John is as we'll aware Of this as he is of
the utter disgrace such step would bring upon
himself When the news first came Of the seizure
of the island Of San Juan by Gen. Harvey, the
tone Of the English people and press was very
defiant, but on calmer, second thought, the
universal conclusion was, i" that war with the
United States would not pay, even if we have to
come down little.' The feeling of every hon.
est Englishman is reflected by the following ex-
tract from the London Times of Nov. II, 1859 :
War between England and America is impos
siblc. Such is the secure conviction of every
rational man in America, and of rybody of
every age and station in England. Perhaps it
is also the conviction of the wild banditti who
swarm upon our frontiers, and Of their unprin-
cipled spmpatbizers who habitually write up
war in the newspapers and spout war speeches
in the towns. War is impossible, not only by
reason of the strong sympathies which bind us
together, not only by reason OF our common Or
igin and our closely intertwined interests, but
also by reason of the terrific character which
every one knows that such contest must as
sumo. A war between England and America
would be almost a civil wharf.-the most bitter
the most relentless, and the most cruel of all
wars 1t could be produced only by exaspera-
ton on both sides arisen to the pitch of ma
ional madness As it went on it would certain
iy be marked b. an intensity Of passion which
won Id, as has happened in all civil war, carry
the combatants beyond the influence of the or
binary courteSies and moderatons of q mere ma
tional contest Notwithstanding any stipula-
tons that may have been made in calm moments
the commerce Of both countries would be the
prey of rovers and pirates upon every Sea Eng
land g strength and England's treasure would
be wasted in distant expeditions 10 destroy those
glorious and peaceful achievements of her own
children which are now her pride; our factories
would be closed, and tn million and half of
mouths dependent upon them would be with
out bread putting forth in our anger all our
strength, We should be defenceless among our
European neighboIs, and VIC should fall, at
| least for that time, from our place as equal
among the greatest of the great Powers of the
world. On the other side of the Atlantic the
spectacle would be one of at least equal horror,
! the fir cities of the Atlantic in flames, their
commerce gone; ana their somewhat inflated
system OF commercial credit rent; the swift
strides of that genius Of improves cnt which
wanders SO restlessly up and down arrested !
population destroyed u ruthcss war between
slaves and masters raging through hall the land ;
bloodshed on the seas and boodshed on the land
and nothing growing but fierce and unnatural
hatre9s Europe and Asia would look on with
surprise and exulation, watching the paroxysms
Ct frenzy among that terrible Anglo-Saxun race
which had seemed to monopoize the .Almightys
permission to 80 forth and people the earth
wondering to see that vast family, whose expan-
sion they had enved, whose industral energy
they had found it vain to emulate and whose
free Thoughts, waited over the world, were ever
sowing themselves in uncopgenal soils, now en-
gagged in the mad enterprise Of destroying their
common property and shedding their own blood
These thoughts, although unspoken. are present
to every mind. 1t is they which produce lha'
universal conviction which peryades both cOun
tries, that IN event so disastrous and so purpose
less could never be worked out by reasoning
beings.