Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-12-21
our CASE ~ ENGLAND.
The Views of the London Post, tn
Organ of the British Government.

The Views of the London Post, the
Organ of the British Government.
Tnnt ,De must den,lnd an apology from the
american GoUernment and the restoration Of
the passengers seized on board the Vest LaIsu
null steamer. is so obvicus, that the Court
Circultr need only inform us, as it does
that CaJinef Council ,0us held yesterday. to
mike as certHH of the determination that IL
must hdue urriUed at.
We have therefore no hesitation in "s-
svr.iug til tt dispatches will beat once for
wardrl to Lord Lyons, instrncting him to
cIuiol the persons Of the gentlemen hHke" from
under The projection Of The English .fdg. to-
gether sOuh M adequate apology for the o"t.
rage committed 6V The captain Of the San Ja-
cinto If these demands are not at once COM
piled ,Ujih Lord Lyons UN break of diPto-
myHc relations 1OUh the Cd6inet at Pdshing-
ton and return to this country.
The time has now passed d'cGY for legal
accommodation. which has been exhausted
ny the snbrlrty of the press, ""d which,
for practical purposes, has been brought
10 n close by the unanimous opinion Of the
Mw officers Of the CrOWn. Tint we had
suffered gross ntfront, in the mNuner
in which the net of Capt Wilkes was
D. rpetrated, was patent eUen before the
pjraticaL nature of the act had been
legally established and it would, apart
from its illegAlity, haze been incom-
p1H6Ie sUiih the maintenance Of the
frjsndLy relations rhich before existed tCith the
federal government Of america. We are re
lurtnutly constrained Therefore to see, IN
this matter. an act as Wnfriendty IN spirit as
ii is pirahcaL in lao. We should be but toD
Glad to think that there is any prospect of
such conduct meeting with dishv"wnl at
the hands of the Cabinet at Washington -
But every consideration leads us tn Hpprc-
hend that the captain of the San Jacimto
acted under the direct authority OF his gov
ernmeut. 1t seems quite impossible to
conceive that in so highly disciplined and
directly subOrdinattd service as the navy
of the United States, any officer would ven
ture. of his own motion, to take part in
volving issues of peace and war. Messr5.
Sldell and Mason were i'll II special manner
objects of the vengeance Of the federal gov
ernment. The San Jacinto, although lately
arriving from Africa, had been lurking in
the waIers of the West Indies for some six
weeks, no doubt in pursuance OF orders from
the government of Washington, and there
aupears to be no difficulty in assuming that
the San Jucinto received these orders from
Havana. where she had touched, aud
whence she promptly steamed OFT to inter
cept the Trent in the Bahama channel.
1t might have been thought that the gov
ernment at Washington had its hands too
fulL already to be willing to encounter fresh
dangers. government obviously unable
to cone successfully with its present ant"go-
nists would be in an incomPar"''ly wors--
position ,oHh Dtayntime poDer ready 10
blockade its ports, and thereby to destroy one
of its chiefnlsuns of attack against The South
srn Confederacy. 1t is true that govern
ments, either in transports of passion, or in
vehement tide of warfare, may grow
reckless of a fresh antagonism; and the Tan
ouaqe Of Mr.. SetOard has no doubt bee"
naughty enough for the prowdest days Of 4nUer-
| fcqn unity. Whatever may have been the
temper IN which this scheme was enuncl-
ated, before he took the Office on the 4th OF
March last, for the compensation Of the
North out of our Canadian domintons,
on account of its contingent losses in the
South, or ,OhGteUer the purpose for 1'dich
he more lately appealed TO the Govern
ors Of the bordering States to yfortiY Their
frontiers against oUcrt acts of hostility from
| Great Britain, it seems impossible to divest
such proceedings nf the character of me-
mace. We should, however. be reluctant
to attnrb undue signifaeuce TO the astule
design. which it is not unreasonable to AS
crib. to the Cabinet of Washington, of re-
liDunishiug contest which they mty Hl-
ready perceive to heshopele4sI under the
prospect of engaging in another which, by