The New York herald., 1863-04-15

!; thus:-The attack on Charleston should NOD
have been delayed until the rebels had time to
render the city a. impregnable a. nature and
art could make it. When it was made not less
than score Of Monitors should have been eu-
ployed. Fortihcations are of no avail against
Monitors If the channel is clear. In future ope-
ratiOns there. must be means employed for
clearing out obstructions. The harbor of New
York may, with the aid of half dozen Monj-
tors at Sandy Hook, be made absolutely anap-
pr0achable to all hostile fleets. And, finally
wooden war ships, except intended for piratical
purposes, like the Alabama, or to 'overtake such
feet-f0oted corsairs, are entirely behind the age
These are the leading principles, practical and
scientific, to be deduced from the conflict of the
harbor of Charleston.
Our Relations with Engiand am .
i TicIxiish Condition-The Duty of Presi-
II dent Lincoln.
/ \ We have four days later Intelligence
/ Fl, I'm England by the City Of New York
I ffo& which 1t will be seen that Lord
| PaaA ,erston, in . speech at Glasgow. reite-
ratsyN his disgusting and bypocriticsl profes-
sions # strict neutrality between the United
neutrsIA ~ is like the handle Of pitcher, all on
ono sidA In q previous audacious speech.
delivceos\ in the House Of Commons, March
27, In 4 e debates about the Alabama,
in whiot the government was assailed for
its conniYaA ce at the violation of the. neutral-
ty laws In III interest Of the Southern coafsde-
racy, andit 4 te prejudice of the United States,
the Premier ! stoutly denies the accusation.
He says the law requires an affidavit be-
fore the gsv\ 'rnment can act, that Mr..
Adams was-uuah 'e to furnish this, and that if
the .Alabams, thea efore, had been seized with
out it tho go~ernA ,ent would be liable to ar
action resulting In heavy costs and damages.
| But when did the British government ever
scruple to Violate tia spirit, Is noe the letter, Of
any law, natienat or internadonsa, that con-
tiicted with its iaSeaestss. We'Kave nothing TO.
do with the neutsnlty laws Of England. We
bold the governments respOnslbEs'for the viola
tion, or connivauCg at the viel,kton; of inter-
national laws. IT. y . cause sf' war, aud
convenience and oFHsrtunity.
There can be litsas doubt that the Prime
Misister and the Secretary for Fereisp Affairs,
Ead Russell, have bera privy all along to the
building Of war vessels for the. Cotsederste
Statss; but there are none so blind as these who
do not want to sec, and none 30 deaf assthoxe
whotwish MOTTO hear. They are violatiry- the
spirit of the neutrality laws in permittln. .ssas
pectea vessels to lesve port before skeir
honesty is determined They want the rebels
TO obtain a feet by degrees because II will i
a.u;s< -. .cb;.xyrr orca ana IN
permsaently dividing the sourtry The fofegons
conclusion on which John Bull has eet his
heart. Hence, too, tho British government is
encouraging the Confederate loan, which is to
pay fon the Ships lcambased upon cotton
which cannot be delivercd,- and Is not under
the control of the British government. This
is fraud ahd juggle. The cotton may be
coniiscated by our government, for which there
is precedent In point About year ago Mr..
Belmont agent In New York Of the Roths-
childs. claimed large qusatity of tobacco ct
Richmond o. belonging to French merchants,
who hare monopoly Of its sale under tie
laws Of France But JEFF Davis insisted that
the property belonged to Belmont himself,
. naturalizsd citizen of the Northern States,
and accordingly conAscated 1t. Now there il
no reason why our government cannot follow
the example thus set, and cenAscate the cotton
which Is the basis of an illegal loan.
Meantime, as the language of Lord Palmers-
ton is of o very unaccommodatng, not to
say Of . menacing nsture-languags in
which he warns us that we are playing 90
|. dangerous game with England, which " has
great tendency to endanger the friendly rela-
tions existing between the two countries" and
that be- hopes it will not be carried further
it il the duty of the President to call the new
Congress together in extra session. to consider
what measures ought to be adopted in the
event Of q collision with Great Britain. The
Prime Minister not only insinuates threat. but
ostentatiously refuses, without being asked, to |
consent to such alteration in the neutrality
laws as would render them effective, though hs |
admits that, interpreted literally they are who'll
ly impotent The tone Of the speech of the |
Solicitor General was equally combative, and . |
violent TRADE was made by Mr.. Fitzgerald !
touching the capture, by Admiral Wilkes, of |
the British steamship. Peterhoff, on Q lawful |
voyage to Matamoros, which the speaker regards
ss second Trent affair. The London press,
too, are fierce on the subject. The Shipping |
Gdsette urges that, as portion Of the cargo was
French property, the Emperor ought to unite |
with the English government to compel rs- |
spect for neutral rights" The London Times
states that the law ef1cers Of the crown had de-
clared the seizure illegal, and that the West |
India squadron would be ordered forthwith to |
protect the trade with Mexico from repetition
Of similar proceeding; and that meantime
demand would b made for the surrender Il
the Peterhof, which will be probably complied |
with on the part Of the American government
with as much promptituds a. was exhibited in
the Trent affair.