Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-01-09
xelmunt Throuiele.
fHR PERFIDY OF ENGLAND.
TEE CASE OF MASON AND sLIpELL.

brilliant succcsses which have attended the
Federal arms in all quarters during the last
week, the clouded prospect which frowns
from the Atlantic. bstween us and Great
Britain, ai,.orbs the principal attention OF
al serious thinkers and, under the discus |
sion Of that topic. even such dashlng J, tn. !
umphs rs tho Z ot Drsinesvile and Missouri
become, for the iile, matters Of secondary
interest.
The reason OF this, doubtless, is, that
every ono 10 is W. already nave The rebellion
effectually thrut,cd hut. iuli0siug the ex-
ample of the traveller who has hi knee up |
on the breast Of an assassin, We are i0rcod 10
postpone portion oI our satisfaction, III Or
der to turn am ,re immetia'e attention 70
the impending bludgepu Ola wcl-rccncn'Z1d |
highwayman who has Just advanced upon
us FROM the covert This is the view taken
bv all parties here and iron this conviction
will proceed all the agile movements ot a
eurpri-ed diplomacy and upon It rests that
cullen reticeilce OF passion. which even
powerful people are capable ot, while wlSiiy
waiting for their hour.
The conduct Of Great Britain towards the
United States is, unfortunately, susceptible
Of no other translation than is painted III the
foregoing picture.
Leaving or Government q legacy ofslave-
~, so intcrinineled with the tibres OF our
.younQ condition that We could not at oncc
safely Cit IL out, she turned upon US a way
fare of insult for our modified retention OF
the institution. She opened this denuncia-
Z ton in face OF our public efforts TO reduce
the evil; but when she gave sign. Ola slli-
cere humanity, by tn, einaiciphiIon oi lfei
own slaves in the West Indies. the world
felt disposed, notwithstanding India, to en-.
tertain her philanthropy as genuine. NO
community recognized thls sacrifice so
promptly AS the people OF these Noithcrn
States, aud it was. widely felt among US,
that there was n rcRgious sense, aud policy,
in common between England and ourselves.
There grew up, iii short, sentiment such as
promotes amity and love. and in this spirit
did the North gradually yield its ancient
grudge, and yearn again toward the mothei
country The section of our land which was
most incredulous of Englanls motive was
the South. The declaration in that quarter
was, that. having been driven to emancipa'
ton BY influences she could not CONTROL the
policy OF England was to reduce our compe
tition in tropical production by inf1lcting the
pame blight of enamel patton upon ua. The
South, on this subject, spared no form OF in
vective-no degree ofimputation against the
mock philanthropy OF Britain, and, pursuing
the deduction from the base of selfishness Il
its final point, insisted that the main objec
of the agitation was TO iomcnt distraction be
tween the two grand sections of our country
with the view of dividing the power Of
prospective rival on the seas. 1t was tn
domineering Southern element in Congres
which constantly reiterated this complaint
and the generous forbearance Of he North
from this suspicion. may DO measured b
the fact, that we constantly refused to en-
tertaip it, though all the while, aa recen
events have shown, it was entirely true.
While it was the inyarable policy Of on
Government to be friendly, il was tho Sout
which constantly reiterated England's pc
6dy, threatened nom intercourse from h
majesty King Cotton, denounced our repre'
sivs Gu operation on the coast Of Africa as
national disgrncc, proclaimed the expansio
of "the divine institution to the conque'
Of the tropics, and attempted the reOpenin
Of the slave trade, NJ a preliminary to thu
movement, in connection with the prolOgu
of recession. Pursuing its antipathies, th
South succeeded in compromising the aspet
of the country against France aud Englan
in favor of silre Russia during the Crimea
war; and wreaked a final spite on aboiiti.o
England, BY putting an insult upon tt
Prince of Wales as soon as he yentured
place his foot within their boundaries.
Under these circumstances, and relyir
upon the sincerity Of English declaration
we of the North had a right to expect, if N
tho sympathy Of England against tho rcvo
Of the slave lords, at least her dignified r.
serve in favor Of the Government with whic
she had so long maintained legitimate rel
tious and broken bread. We certainly We
warranted In not believing for an instan
that she would stultity herself by abando
ing her vaunted instincts, aud by giving c
couragement and countenance 10 the aims
90 foul and wicked rebellion
To our astonishment, however, the Br
ish press at once took sides against US al
tho British Government, whose cognizun
Of our good faith was fresh in the nstan
Of our firm discouragoment Of the Canadi!
rebellion, made haste TO recognize the rebel
even within Q month after their attack
Sumter, as an equal bclligorent power wi
the Government they had so long done bu
iness with as the United States II was d
6cult for us at first to realize this fact, or
comprehend the philosophy of such an d
tonishing result but numerous declaratio
Of English journalists and statesmen so
stripped the disguise from her simulat
principles, and openly acknowledged that
was Britain's policy to reduce the growi
power Of our country, by encouraging its {
vision and at the same time to strength
her own aristocratic system by proving
mocracy untenable To put some color
deoorum, however, upon this peridious re
Station, she issued Queens proclamatc
charging her subjects not to give aid or CO.
fort TO either party, and warning them tl
II they carried, tor either of them, porsol
or dispatches, or other articles contraba