Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1862-01-01

From the LONDON Herald, Dec.4
The news from the United Etates leave, NO little
If any, hope of avoiding a5ar 1t ia US
the lew honest Journals and respectable mar -, III
NOfthcrn otates 8Fs shocked and Disguised st the
act of Captain Wilkes. They wonIi 49, - On 7
time desire with England thew Womb ~ @' -n
sacrifice avoid it under the present ciro,4 .,osa
when an army of $50 0G0 meu u1enaces tbsi goTItb
ern frontier, and when they could not sD,aa eIin
or regiment tToLn their present 6ptieg ~ age
war on US IN Can&da or on the seas B,4 above
ELL these men dread and 6etest the idao 90 D war
with Elglaud in had cause. They knoo, rat on
this occasion Europe is with w; RIGHT ia 18th ne;
the law Of nations is on our side; tbey knoIg tbat
we fight not Tor greed, nor for empire nov fyp Uas-
sion, nor for glory; but from the necessary of de
Tending the honor OF our flag snd the fragd On Of
the seas, They know that their rover1mart hga
ere now strained tie law OF IatioHs 10 ,ha inter-
most W laweBs Rrrest3, by uDjugtiflbIe cs1urea,
hy C pQpsr G.6cca2s; and that Eaeland haq borne
these OutTages patiently, rather tuan with 4 ain
gle doubt hanging over her cause, apDesl 10 the
God of Battles. They are grateful Tor the IN
Drecedented fOrbelr8lce Of the greatest naval
Power i'll the world. They are ashamed Of the
reckless aggression and want0n iHscienosGf their
backWOOds statesmen and half gducaksd q .p ora
tors They glad that we have so long tanned
10 tenderness of them, from enlghteniDg bainiully
the ignorance a Mr. Lincoln, and chastihng con
dignly the bT$ygert impertinence of hr Seward
OUsly we have been provoked and how long we
have refrained from vengeance.
If in America, as in England, the educated and
thoughtful men Of the country were the guides of
national opinion and public policy, there would be
no risk of war. Disagreeable though 1t might be
the stolen ENJOYS would be placed On board Brit
ish ship and Captain Wilkes would have BEEN sent
before a court martial. But unhsppily tie educa-
ted classes in America practically disfranChsed
The mob is supreme; and the mob is ruled by pas
sion, and not by principle. They proud of hay
ing nsulted the British flag; they proud of hay
ing defed the law sf nations strange as
it may seem, they are proud of the capture
by manrof-war Of four unsrrned gentlemen on
board unarmed mail steamer. They will not
ear reason; they care nothing for right or law.
The rejoicing Of the Empire City over the cap
ture OF the 'rebep ENJOYS is additional evidence
of temper which makes US shudder at tie pros
pect OF prolong alton OF the present civil C0JIlGt
1t would seem that persone hatred to their antag-
OniSts miDgles IN this to degree never before
witnessed unless 1t were in the guerilla w&r of
Spain against the French invaders. To get hold of
four Southern gentlemen the North will risk srGg-
gle with England. TO haEg q score of Southern
seGmen they are willing 20 make their feud with
the South n war 20 the knife and to ensure the I'M,
mediate execution OF every prisoner taken on ei~
ther side. GA the preposterUus condemnation Of
the ere " OF Confederate vessel, Mr.. Davis very
properly ordered number of Federal officers into
close confinement, giving notice that the execution
of any Of the prisoners taken in the SLYarlah
would be the death warrant of these captvls. The
necessity for such repYsais is painful to any man
Of decent feeling but honor and justice leave no
alternative. The guilt rests with those who begin
the policy of murder The judicial murder OF g
prisoner Of war has left damna5le and iaeflCaa-
bic stain on the memory of the only great general
America ever produced. Mr.. Lincoln has already
parOdis1 The seizure of the Due D E2ghiep. D1eshe
intend to make precedent Of the dastardy Gssas-
sinati0l of Andre If he does hs9maY rest assured
that he will have made fatal b!under. Waen he
has involved himself in war with Great Butaiu,
the Confederate army will work its will with HIS
distracted forces, and for every prisoner when he
may put death his rival will be able To lang
three. Passionate and reckless as has been his
course hitherto, do earnestly trust that he will
stop short of this extreme of wanton wickedaa5s ;
and if he leave his name to posteriy as that o. the
last President Of what once were The United States
we hope that he will not add to this uneny.abla
distin ctien the loathsome fame earned by the de-
Eberate revival, after centuries Of disUse of the
practice of numbering prisoners in cold blood. If
he does, we shall certainly not find fault with the
retaliation but when the first crime has been
avenged we trust-the civilized world will interfere
as il did in Greece, to put an end to a war which
will have become not merely nuisance to com
merce, but q scandal 10 humanity. Such anGtro.
city as that apparently meaitsted by the Govern
nent of the Northern States would be fly pun.
ished by the joint intervention Of the civilized
powers TO suppress that Government altogether as
a scourge to mankind and G. disgrace to ciyIliza4
ton.
WHAT ENGLAND THINKS OF YANKEE BR4VAD0.
From tbs Londen Pos: Government O:gan,) Dec. 4.
The members Of the Fourth estate" on the Fed.
eral side, who probably WELD greater influence Ut
the present moment IN determining the course of
the civil contest than the President the Senators
and the popular representatives OF the Northern
provinces, all taken together have as we learn By
the intelligence brought by the Persia slready *
pressed their opinion the nature Of the act con-
mitted by Captain Wilkes, and INDUCED IN extreme
~ characteristic speGul2tions on the problbe Sc
ZION of this country. There would not appear to
be- it is only fair to state il The organs Of the New
YOrk press, judging from their com nents ca the
efair. anything like the same astonishing un&nG.i.
ty in jlstfyjng the proceedings Of Captain Wilkes
which has been shgWn by the whole English press
Ia pronCunCing their condemnation We are told
that sGme OF tie New York journals &llu3e to the
probsble necessity Of their government beirg c0u~
PEELED to tender an apology and to offer rcparat0n
and even to surrender the persons OF the Southern
Commissioners; and the fact that such CLEANS OF
C3uG1Ol sense and common lg7tiC3 should 05 vIsl-
b. in eny portion CT the Federal press oGgh5 10 b
duly ChTouicled But the general tone of Federal
journalism Is precisely what might have been ex-
pected, long course Of impunity ard insolence Of
action, and still greater lugOeHCe Of language,
appears to have created IN the maids Of the i ed
eral politicians an oyer.weening estimate Of their
own superiority, and disbelief in the possibility 81
their insoience being curbed, not dssmilar tlas
entertained by the Emperor Nicholas on the eve Of
the. Crimean war. The parallel which the great
master Of political soienoe in antiquity
has drawn between the single Gesnolic
ruler and the many headed de- posic MOB
Rnds is latest confirmation in the fact that t6e
crowded mSrts ofNew York, as in the innarisl
nails OF ST. Petersburg, the parasites to the vanity
and Panderers to tie pride Of the Democratic tc
rant have succeeded in warping his Judgment and
perverting his intellect as completely as was the
case with the late Autocrat of all the Russes The
opinion running through most of the New York
journals that Eogsud WILL on learning the oUtro -
committed agaipet her flag, speak only those y,ords
Of sound and fury which like ST idiots tale sicri
fy nothing-that after hectering and rantiny IiIc
Bomoastes Furioso she will quietly pocket tho n.
suit which she has just sustained, reveals bg,lvis
mind and displays bully'a logic They III
write thus are as ignorant of the plaa TEACHINGS If
common sense as they are OF the English chars"ser
We have not the slightest wish to quarrel with orr
human being. or about Gny political question If o..
can avoid doing so. But the most pacific 1o"u
Knows right well that, If he tamely allows his hal
to be punched once by common street bulIv nnt
many days will pass over before he Is certain 90
having his head punched again. ~
4t Is right that there should not be room for -
slightest Glipapprehension or mistake in this rar
of the husinpss On tho OH Of, 10 Poit