Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-01-15
LATER FROM EUROPE.
From ia;e European papers received G. this
| otiee, we make some extracts

LATER FROM EUROPE.
From la:e European papers received g. this
otlce, we make some extracts;
rHE ALEXANDRA CASE
The L2ndun "Tme5" has isng editorial
| on this case. wn,cE, it afiirna, has greatly cx,
cited the public mind. 1t says:
While we conceive that the bearing Of the
statute, ili-1rawn as it is, on the case CT the
Alexandra is hy no means 50 ambiguous as il
has been represented We fully admit that an
infinite number OF doubt; may bn started
upon cases moro or less parallel. 1t is al
,nitted that building Al shi o: war for sale Il
the highest bidder is perfectly legitimate
yot it IS easy to conceive circumstances under
which such building, though without any
contract or order from ihc bellisercnt Gov
crnmeut, would b. virtu..lly Identical in 1no-
tive and effect with Illegal equipment More
especially when the place OF saie anil port Ci
departure are one aaJ the same, all tie kar.
ljor5 of the purchasing State being biocka-
del. mercantile adventure and completely
with belhgerent operations must often run
very clo:e TO each other.
Suppose a were to equip. iurni@h, tit cut
and arm a weasel, with the cxpress intent .ha.
she should be empfIysaaiE sthe 5naapsss for
biddcn Lp ka tax, -
nor to Il, who. not having been priYy to the
equipment bought her with the Same intent,
and d!sposea Of her for profit 10 tie bs!lige-
ront-there can be no Question the. 4 would
be guilty Of 4 mis,iemcanb7, and that the Yes.
eel while in his bands might 30 soixad: and
yet the sale from Is to the bcliaercat, where
by .hc neutrality of the country is vi,.atcd,
would be o legitimate TRANSACTION. 60 far us
appears under this section The truth is that
if We once admit such prGsu:upti0us as that
the statute cannot have been aimed 1t euc';
and such acts because others equally us bad
are left untouched or that i. must have such
and Suca an intention because any other would
modiff-ar would not nodifyEsome principle,
Heretofore established, We shsll Lose all on hold
on its natural sense.
There is no limit 10 the paradoIical hypo-
theses that rlay be framed Il This waY, Hnd
tao only refuge from them is t. be tcnli il,
n adherence to the letter cf the law, % IL
iugtrated by its manifest spirit and purpnst
That spirit may TO most properly gatkcrat
from a comparison of the preamble with the
section under consideration. The stctiCn de-
clayes given act dVne with given inten5 TO
be a m;sdemean0r. The prearnb!cs supplies
tue reasons IF this prorisior-r.a: that such
acts may be prejrdcal to and teri to erdau-
ger the peace and welfare Of this kingdom,
and that the laws in force arc not sufficiently
etfectual for preventing the same. If conduct
which appears to he covered by the prohibi-
tions Of the seventh section is calculated 20
havo the dangerous tendency indicated in the
preamble, and yet could no! have keen etfec.
tnollu rn,tratnaH hu tba I
Statute Law prior to- this enactment, il is
surely reasonable 10 suppose that hisconA,ct
was the very mischief which il was the aim
of the Legislature TO rerrcss.
Whether the coniuct attributed to the de-
fendarts was Of this character, and whether
the future construction of vessels OF warl:ke
build, With intent that they shall pass lut.
the service Of . bellgerent, is legal Or illegal,
are the grand points to be deaidnd. 1t may
be thai the Chief Baron was misunderstood
by the jury; IL may be TINT the jury attached
too much weight to some parts Of the evidence,
and too little to others. These are minor mat.
ters: what concerns us is that the Act shau.
shall receive IN Interpretation which may
stand uhshnken and put IN end 20 uncertain
ty. We have right to cxpec; that a nuniai
pal statute, creating AT cGeace shall be def
mite. international Law is VI: ue term, and
means mary thirgs-Intcznaionai usage, in
ternatiOnal duty, international policy. ]; is
not By that standard, but BIZ an Act Of Par
lament. leveled primarily at what would
cthcrw be innocent--viz., enlistment 1n
foreign service that the claimants of the
Alexandra must and will be judged
THE ALLEGED CoNEDERATE WAs STEAMER
IN THE CLYDE.-The same paper gays: IL
will be remem bered that some spondance
- * place lately between the government and
the Glasgow Emancipation Society with rciet-
ence 70 The screw steamer Pampcro, recently
launched from the building yard Of Mrss!S.
Thompson. The Pamrero is at present lying
a. Lancchcld Qaay, BroomiC]aw. = large
number of wolk.acn IRE crpioyed Oh board
in c2m3 3icting her fittings, and i1is expected
she will bc ready fer SCI in the course Of
eight days. 1t is understood that instruc
tions have been received from the government
to the effect that the vessel must be detained
in the meantime; and on Friday evening Her
Maiesty's gurb at Bullfnch proceeded up the
river, and WIS moor.d opposite Lancofed
Quay. The owners of tho Pampero deny that
there are any war fittings shout her, AID al.
cge that she differs litll", if as all, from thoe
merchan. ships Of which ~ many are Du |
on the Clyde every year.
THE EUROPEAN CONGRESS.
PARIS, Nov. 22-1'he "Patrie' &C thu
evening publishes the statement, under re-
serve, that the Emperor, without w:.lrinr 10
draw up programme for the proposed Con
gress, has expressed an opinion that it should
be chiefly occupied With considering the f,l-
lowing subjects Poland, the German Du-
chics, Rome and Venice. and the reforms to
BE- introduced into the United Princ:pal:tics
OF Roumania.
Upnn. the subject of the Congress, the "Me-
moral Diplomatique," of t".d.y, gays tia!
the replies to l5 ou. Of the 20 letters Of invi-
taticn addressed by the Emperor Napoleon l.
the Soveregns ore known, and arc all in the
affirmative. None of tho five Governments
which have not yet officially notified tEoiI
answers will refuse On Wednesday last
Lord Cow!cy delivered the reply o. Qucap
Victoria, stating that, as constitutional
Soversig gn, Her Majesty vas obliged 10 leave
the defnitiyc decision in the hands cf her al
riscrs.
The Same paper says that the Britannia Cabi.
net having applied for frank and cordial expla-
nations of the Imperial programme, NJ Dronyn
de L'huys has replied that, without trenching
upon the prerogatives of the Congress, it wss
tor the Emperorto lay down prelimi
nares Whsn all the replies have been received
the Emperor, however, will hasten to afford
every explanation calculated to display his de.
sire to combine the principles Of justice aud
equity with respect TO- Legitimate rights.
II is asserted that the Emperor received a let'
ter yesterday from tho Duke Of Augds.onburg'
III. de Sartiges is to leave to-morow for
Rome.
Tho Paris papers publish the following tele-
gram
COEsTASTISopLE, Nov. 2l.-"1he Sultan has
r,,l, IN fba Erocaror'o ~,