The New York herald., 1864-08-05

deut may forget his political schemes when
there are fifty thousand rebel soldiers on ther
way down the valley.
John Bulrs Bill Against tho United
statcs-lndemnity Claims.
We have received COPY Of an important
return made to the British House of Commons
by the British government, which will doubt
less be found very interesting on this side the
Atlantic. This return is a schedule of all the
claims made to the British government by
British subjects for indemnity for injuries
which they suppose to have been inflicted
upon them by the United States in the course
of the present war. There are four hundred
and fifty claims, and though there is no means
Of arriving at tho exact amount involved in the
whole number, it must be very large iuasmuch
as one-half the claims are for the value Of ves-
sells captured as blockade runners by United
States cruisers. This return is a very import
ant document in many points of view; but it is
especially important as being one side Of q
very heavy account between the United States
and Great Britain. This is England's side Of
the account. and is tolerably heavy. Our side
Of the account is yet to be made out.
But we have already at hand one considera-
BILE item that can be put down on our side.
Unquestionably the large figures ON our side
will be due to the depredatioHs Of the British
pirates that have cruised against our COM
merce for the last three years under rebel
colors. 1t would be unwise to make up q
statement of the depredations of these ships
while some of them are yet aAoat; but the
most destructive of them has finished her
career. The Alabama has gone down in the
English Channel, under the guns of an Ame-
rican ship, not with cher colors" flying, as the
French papers enormously state, butfying the
white flag She went down making in her last
hour ptiful appeal for truce, though in her
dealings with unarmed merchantmen no truce of
any kind was ever thought upon. She is re-
cognized now more than ever as an English
ship. Some Of the English papers say "she
was as much an English as Confederate ves-
sell" One of them says cher end was English
too," as if they had already ackno wledged that
the rest Of her was English. She was built in
England, armed in England, and mann ed
by English sailors. Two-thlrds Of her Of
fcers were Englishmen. She has given the
last proof in her power that she was
English by striking her colors to her natural
master-an American ship Of the same size.
There is no possible doubt that this English
ship has destroyed two hundred American
merchantmen. Here Is just the number OF
ships for which indemnity is claimed by Brit
ish subjects. We need 60 no further than this
to establish large balance In our favor; for
our claims are undoubted, while many Of the
English claims are for notorious blockade run.
ners. 1--we want to go further than the ships
and establish any balance on claims for or
against persons, we can ask John Bull whether
those British officers from the Alabama have
violated the neutrality of England.
In the present schedule we have the data for
history Of the part that commercial John Bull
has taken in the war. He Is model Of injured
innocence here as everywhere else. He has
many grievances, and he claims indemnity
on many scoresS but his largest score is
the mercantile one. John is . thrifty
tradesman and bold. He will take
large risk to send his goods whore they are
worth five hundred per cent, and so he tries the
blockade and the blockaders to the utmost But
with all bis skill, out of three hundred ships
two hundred will be caught. As soon as John
has heard Of the loss Of his two hundred ships
he ceases to be thrifty tradesman. He be-
comes British subject" He tells the public
Of his bitter grievances through the press. He
speaks of the freedom Of the seas. He de-
nounces the right Of search and the impudent
Yankees who have once more insulted the flag
that's braved thousand years the battle and
the breeze" Finally, be thinks that his natural
impudence and some hard lying may save his
precious property even yet, and SO he makes an
application for indemnity, and tells her Males.
ty's government that two hundred aud twenty
blockade. Some of Johns ships are very un-
fortunate, having been captured two or three
times. In these cases it appears that the ships
were restored from the first capture, the evil
dence perhaps not being sufficient to condems
them. But they stuck to the business and were
caught again, when the evidence was better.
Though tho greater number of the claims ore
referable to blockade running, some are upon
other subjects. Many refer to the draft and
claim damages for alleged %mproper con-
scripion," "enforced enlistment 'imprison-
ment," &c. In nearly all Of those cases in
which British subjects claimed exemption il
was found that the claimant had exercised the
rights Of citizenship in the United States and
was mot entitled to protection" T.. Jarmay
complained in September, 1863, o. the alleged
intention of the United States government to
detain him In the United States" lie proba-
bly, wanted to co to Canada before an other
draft was made One indignant British subject