The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-07

newspapers containing accounts ol tDe feulan
invasion of Canada, and copious comments
therpupon, Probably it would be too much to
hope that the Times and its contemporaries
would reproduce those admirable dissertations
on the rights and duties of neutras by which
we were instructed during the tour years of the
Rebellion. 1t was an object then to show that
neutrality covered all privileges and few obliga-
tions. Now, the English press, having COM
pleted ITS homllies on that side of the question,
will present the other view with equal sincerity
and force, and will discover vast number OF
duties which the American Government is called
upon TO perform in order to prevent an
expedition from its own soil into British
territory. Mr. Vernon Harcourt, having ey.
hausted his learning and his logic TO
prove that no precedent could be found
against the fitting out OF piratical cruisers 10
neutral ports 10 prey on the commerce of bel
ugerent, will reappear in the Times with fresh
arguments for the obligation resting on our
authorities to protect the Canada frontier of a
thousand miles AGAINST all hostile excursions.
we nave not the slightest doubt that he will
succeed in this new enterprise as well as in the
old, and we can easily predict that the dear,
stupid British public, with its chronic inca
pacity for seeing two sides of a question at the
same time, will read its morning Bible and cells
torcus" its prophet, with a faith not less i'm
plicit than when he discoursed upon the same
topic from different point of view. It will not
De olincult TO adduce, IN this new liue of argu-
we may compare for instance the crossing of
the Fenians with the escape OF the Alabama.
We find General Grant, the moment the matter
promised 10 become serious, hurrying to Buffalo,
summontng his officers to duty, and suggesting
tnat the militia be called out to prevent hostile
expeditions from leaving the United States. 1t
would complete the parallel were we able to
say that the Lords of the Admiralty when frat
warned of the Alabama hurried down to
Liverpool to lay an embargo on her departure.
When 1t was announced that the Fenians were
moving between the American and Canadian
shores, the armed American steamer Aichi1nn
with number OF consorts, paCrolled the inter,
Vening waters to prevent ther reinforcements
or retreat. The name of the British man-of-
war which Old police duty IN the Mersey to
intercept the alabama on a similar occasion has
escaped our memory. We find General Mnade
1irst at Eastpo1t in Maine then in Buffalo. n
Y, then racing along the rail ways to Ogdens-
puIs, 10 resist successive movements OF the
remains against different parts OF Canada
Who is his British rival in activity and zeal
When the forces under O'NeiIl are compelled To
retreat, the Michigan captures them, and Sir
frederick Bruce at Washington begs Mr. Seward
That they may be detained till demand can be
made for their eXtradtion. Mr. Sc ward with
Is reverence for precedents, might have Quoted
70 Slr Frederick Bruce the Shenandoah return.
5hg 10 Liverpool with British crew, and could
have recalled with much effect the naturalization
oil Lord Clarendon that there was no evidence
upon which any OF the men could be held Fol-
loving that example, he should have directed
Ine oiscnarge OF the mistaken patriots whom
the indlscrcet commander of the Miohi-
gan had made prisoners. But we find
MI Seward ordering their detention in the Gus
5ody OF the United States Marshal. Surely, this
is such an act of dsrespect to the Foreign Minis
1er OF Great Brtaia as VIII provoke dignified
Temonstrance.
When Sir Frederick addressed Mr.. Seward on
the general subject of invasion, he should have
been met, as MIR. Adams was met by Earl Rus
sell, with the assurance that the Foreign Office
was IN possession OF no official information on
Inc subject. He should have been assured that
due inquiry would be made. He should have
Deen referred to the Collector of Customs at
Buffalo as the proper official to institute an in
yestigation, and, by the Collector, should have
Deen passed along to the Board of Advisers and
by them to the District Attorney, and by him to
1he Grand Jury for the District and so on indie
hnltely. That would have been in strict accord
ance with British precedent and it is greatly to
De regretted that Mr.. Seward should have shown
himself so oreetful OF these monuments of in
Iernanonal law arising out of our own most re-
cent diplomatic negotiation. The fact that he
exchanges places with Earl Russell, ami Sir
frederick Bruce with Mr.. Adams, cannot alter
The law under which the cases are to be dec Ided.
Ihe TACT that 1t is your bull and not nv OK that
was gored, never did make any difference
Well, VIC believe the British nation and Gov.
eminent, though they did us grievous wrong
ano harm, are still capable OF generous inn
pulses, and will be put to honorable shame by
me strenuous and intelligent efforts of our Gov
Srnmenc 10 execute its neutrality obligations
10 have gone back to British precedents. TO
nave caIied up all the remembrances from our
civil war which might have justified us in disre-
Sardmg International comfy and good will
%oulo have eratihed a momentary passion
among the people; but we are sure that twenty
years hence America will be glad to recollect
Ihat no evaporation was bitter enough to cause
violation OF our duties, or to occasion an off.
Gal blindness towards the acts of men who
WIN only liberation extended them could
easily have wrested from Great Britain her
most important North American colony.
whether, however, our Government has not
shown an over-anXious and superserViceable
zeal against the Fenians, is matter on which
there may be two opinions. We would have
had the President do bis whole duty under the
law, yet keep rieidly within the requirements of
international comfy. There was no occasion
to do more than our duty. We had a legal,
not moral OBLIGATION, to ,,reat Britain. and we
doubt whether all the activity on the frontier
which Washington kilograms have stimulated
comes within the limits of the law.
The European G isis Plans of Prussia,
From the Daily Neaos
II may not be generally known that all al mo
Prussia, under the lead of Bismark, has had
other objects in view besides mere territorial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by the absorption of the Elbe
Ouchles-Schlesw wig-Holstein. Prussia has what
may almost be called hereditary plan for the
auture. She is determined to become a great
naval as well as military power in the northern
centre of Europe. AS at present constituted
her territorial limits conHne her to the Baltic,
The southern coast of which only is under her
rule. What Russia seeks by her medltated ad-
vance 10 the South, and by striving TO Dossess
1he Bosphorus and the Dardanelles PrnsSia inY
tends to obtain by the possession of ScbIeswio
and Holste1n. Her main ports of Dantzic or5
Stettn are dependent ON the free and unob-