New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-06
rur AMERICAN QUESTION IN
EUROPE.
rfom Our Own Correspondent.

The Ironsides question is tie unexhansied order
Of the dav here as well as in Euglapd Experiments
made within the psst few days at Vincennes, tho'sh
little talked about by the French lay public and no'
reported and commented in the publc prints were
ss tborouc, and came to much the same results as
the cotemporaneous experiments made al S1oebury-
ness of which the English ppers give full accounts
full of interest. The reeu st Vincennes and at Shoe
buryness seems to be that no ron-rls;ed vessel yet
constructed is nvulnerable to the last improved a.
tilery | cay seems TO be; for the lay commentators
on. and some Of the ssnguine professional artil-
lersts engaged IN, these experiments by land Oh
navsl probiem are in position somewhat an iosous
to that of those authors Of Theologc, Dialogues oe-
tween a Protestant aud Rom list, or an inh'ei
and Believer who make the arguments lor oo''
sides. To smash through fixed target iepiese..'mS
as near as may be some hundred squsre leet u 'ne
si1es of the Monitor or the Warrior in the couise oi
sn hours firing from gun III hA'0 chosen l0'"oh
in fine, to destroy the equation by Tostnlaimg tue
enemy's passyity--is to arrive at z. l.. d. iiss
y. dCpaonstragGER being still dcs5derGtHm. The
second practical experiment by the Merrimac anc
Monitor is looked for here with strained eXIecatiOni
not all our land batteries having direct an interest
for the TREMENDOUSLY balancing European Powers.
Meantime. the construction Of gulboas, floating
bsttefes aud sea steamers of the srmored sort, is
pushed on with an uures.ing but not over-has,y
activity Speed is not overlooked in aiming a:
strength of resistance. The Minister OF M7rIne,
freed from the enhancement O. Pa~l'm' niaiy auG
journalistic debates, seeks the control OF theoretle Al
and practical scientific and experienced advisers.
But while tie naval battle In Hampton Roads has
such singular reflex importance i'll Europe regarded
from the point of view OF the United Service Ciuo
and future Balance Of Power, the changing phases
and general orilt of our great American Revelation
are watched with una5aed interest by hlstorico-
philosophical political, sud poico-economicai oo-
servers Since the common talk here, the common
fear with you, of European intervention, or Ieeoehi-
ton which few months ago seemed TO mean mnch
the same thing practically, Las sutsided, you may care
now even less than You vocerOusly said you cared
then for European opinion Of the Question Ameri'
came. And yet, it is possible that European opnon
iswcrth our needing sill, and is possibly Profitable
for instruction aud would say for doctrine and re-
proof and correction, except my patriotic assurance
that our Eothern doctrine would God your rel orler
could only guess what ii isl is iniallby eound that
On TO Richmond ony became reproysbe with the
" mastery" backward advance on Washington; that
our Just anger toward Abolitionst England for not
sympashizing with Our most soemniy and officially
declared and practically exercised military, naval,
and political effort and purpose to defend protect,
and restore the Slave States and their peculiar insi
tuition to q union with Freedom-exceptDg, say
patriotic assurance on these and other cognae points
would give larger significance than l now dar'
give to the opinion of thoughtful, unIreludice'
European studous spectators Of the great Reyolu
tionary drama " Wlich we are acting out.
civil war waged between SIX or eight millioD
on one side and twenty odd millions on the Other
side, for the common purpose OF keeping in subjec
ton some four millions who are, by necessity, the
ratural and would If they could, be the effective
allies of the twenty millions who reject their ALI
ance is certainly, in it's details, novelty i'll history
But, utterly abnormal as is this accidental exception
in civil history, it does not at all change, though il
seems to aim at violating, the laws of human nature.
That the four, six eight millions OF Southern folks
are as well united in defense of their error as the
preponderatiDg Northern millions united in st.
king them, is patent here in Europe. That four
six. or eight Millions occupying much ground, al
good military strategic ground, their more numer
Gus opponents having over their more numerous op
ponents the immense advantage Of self-cefense, th
inner side Of the circle, aud definite policy are Il
be subjected by purely military processes is possible
but not in the sixty in the ninety days Of exalte
Northern foolish propheis Possible is; probable
may be proved TO te, regarded purely q niitar.
question. But conquest and possession by militar,
tenure is not restoration. Up TO the present tim
European tine is 10 days behind American time j
is clear to calm judgment, however invisible TO pas
sion ate feeling that there is enlisted In tbe
the c. s. A., much TO say the least Of IT. Of unity
and self-sacIice and sndarDg spirit of defense as
i'll the cause OF the L. 5. a. OF unity and sacrifice
and spirit Of attack.
Now, if the laws of human nature, ruling one thou
sand millions OF human minds, rGliDg without pro
test through the past historical ages, all changed
since 1861 by virtue Of accidental fight among est
than forty nnlions-why, then surely the European
opinion respecting our American revolution has nc
such authority as American opinion claimed in re-
spect OF the European revolution OF 1873, OF the
Crimean war, OF tie Italian Thoughtful
American spectators OF European dramas have been
cODIetent critics; European thougBtful spectators
OF the American drama have no rgnt to feel and nc
capacity to Judge!
But they acM Judge, these insane Europeans. And
in their judgments tie last received American news
that our Washington Senate has voted approval OF
the bill for abolshing Human Slavery in the District
of Columbia, has deeper meaning than had the
news of the taking Of Forts Henry and Doneson
and the false report of the taking Of NewO Orleans
and Of Island No. TO- The difference Of appreciation
by our wisest friends and our shrewdest enemies
here, of our material military victories, aud our
moral political advances, would astonsh, lot 10 say
disgust, many Of the faithful with YOU But on the
strictly chronological side, few thugs better
worth noting than comparison Of the Northern
patriotic view Of things to-day with the view taken
of them by wise European spectators three months
ago Even much berated LII. ID. Russell, bis let
ters, their expressed views, dated months age, are
argue for nothing am simply your reporter,