American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-04-18

chiefly directs his attention to the ad
vance of Russia in the farthest East
which has so recently alarmed the Brit
ish authorities, and the effect of her di
plomacy in China and Japan. but he dis
Germs the great part which the United
States will be called upon to play in the
Muscovite combinations, and thence, con-
cludes that il is across the Pacific that
the Gear will shake hands with the Great
Republic. lie is acquiring vast terrific
res, and enriching his Empire with their
resources, building railroads and linking
his Pacific coast with those Of California,
and thereby, with the whole American
continent, by lines Of swift steamships
aud the electric telegraph, while the
Western powers dream on in false secu-
rity, that he is merely recovering from
the losses Of the Crimean War. They
will awaken one day, to find themselves
outwitted and their commerce ruined
Such are some of the main ideas of Nj.
de Mars. But we can do no better than
to translate a few of the telling passages
of his valuable treatise.
"The day he writes, "when Russian
policy shall have succeeded in acquiring
the position it aims at in the waters of
the extreme East, the only force that
could easily and seriously combat her de-
signs, would be that other Power border
ing on the Pacific, which also, seek to
rule the Continent, where it now plays so
grand part. We speak of the United
States of America; but, between these
two Powers, which have equal aspirations,
which seem destined to confront each
other, to clash together on that vast are.
ma of the distant seas, there are more af-
finities than reasons for antagonism and
incompatibility. They are separated in
spirit, in manners, aud institutions, yet
they symyathize, it is useless to deny, in
feeling more or less latent mrs or less
revealed, of hostility to Europe. More
over, it is through interest in time of
peace, and even in war, that they are
drawn together in a certain solidarity, and
led to multiply and bind more closely
their ties of intercourse. This alliance
which is but outlined as yet, no doubt,
but of which, in the events of the last
five years, more than one symptom has
been visible in nightly significant occur
rences, must strengthen with all the com
mercial relations that will be quickly es-
tablished between California and the
Amoor river, SO soon as the grand line Of
communication that is to unite New York, i,
Boston. and the chief manufacturing
cities of the Atlantic slope with San
Francisco, that future port of transit for
the commerce of America, with China
and Japan, shall have been completed
The American traders can then ascend
the Amcor, spread through Siberia to the
interior of Russia, in Europe, and easily
defy English, French, or German compe-
tition, for the very simple reason that
goods which can be delivered on the
Amoor, after thirty or forty days only of
navigation, can be sold more cheaply than
those which shipped at Hamburg, Lon
don, or Marseilles, have to double the
cape Of Good Hope, and must consume
130 or l40 days in making the passage to
the same point
Some idea may be formed of the mate
rial advantages that the Americans will
reap from intercourse of this kind with
the Russians, by what they gain now
1t is enough to recall single fact, which
may be verified by a glance at the official
statistics. From 1849 to 1861, the Amer
lean whaling vessels that fshcG in the
seas of Okhotsk and Kamschatka earned
for their underwriters, profit OF $780,
100000. What then, would be the ben
efits that the Americans must draw from
the wealthy possessions of Russia, when
they shall have had conceded to them,
without competition, the steamship lines
between the AmOor, China, Japan, Cali
fornia and the interior of Siberia the
mining of coal the construction of rail-
roads aud telegraphs, as we now see the
case in the work for the grand line of the
Pacific Ocean telegraph.
The Americans, who are prrctical men,
will not fail to recognize the value of
such relations, aud of a good understand
ing with the Russian Empire. There
will be found, nay, there have already
been found among them, minds to pro-
pagate the rather odd idea of a grand
civilizing mission devolving upon the
United States aud Russia, conjointly.--
Is it even impossible, that in certain ca
ses, the Government of St Petersburg
may find ia the "Yankees" active, or at
all events, efiicacious coadjutors Here,
England is, perhaps, the Power most in-
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