The Portland daily press., 1867-12-13
DAILY PRESS.
ND.
Friday Morning, December l3, 1867.
PORTLAND,
"Perffdious Albion.v

"Perddious Albion.o
Among the many curious declarations
made by Congressman last summer, while
they were taking holiday on the great
plans of the West in the rollicking manner OF
schoolboys in vacation, was that of Sena-
tor Chandler of Michigan. He pro posed that
the United States should seize the Canadas
as reparation for the loss occasioned by the
piracies of the Alabama. The same gentle
man now seriously proposes to declare King
Theodore of Abyssinla entitled to belligerent
rights, and to allow him to fit out privateers
in American ports to prey upon British COM
merce.
Senator Chandler's recklessness does not
give greatly exaggerated impression of the
feeling of hostility which periodically, ev-
er since the beginning Of the war, has pervad-
ed the minds of the citizens OF this country
toward "perfdious Albion" Just now there
is marked recurrence Of this unfriendly feel
ing. The Alabama claims constitute an ever
present cause Of irritation, and as often as
Lord Stanley and Secretary Seward have a
ASotS oPuAe VI SOAASopOuuSuSC anu tuC puDlC
is made aware that it has resulted in nothing
the popular mind becomes infamed with al
most the wrath excited by the Mason and
Slidell affair of 1851. Just now there is an
unfortunate concurrence of other circumstan-
ces that adds to the violence of this indigna-
ton. The alleged Illegal proceedings on the
part Of the British government toward Am
erican citizens who have been arrest
ed in England and Ireland increase
ten-fold the already intense hostil-
ity Of our naturalized fellow-citizens.
Everything that has occurred to mollify the
passions OF the two nations, now takes new
aspect to suit the bellicose spirit of the hour.
The speech made by Earl Russell, few
months ago, at the dinner given to William
Lloyd Garrison, was as oil upon troubled wa
tiers, Tor it was regarded as a formal recan-
tation OF the errors he had committed while
acting the part OF accessory to Jefferson Da-
Wis in the capacity of Her Majesty's Secretary
for Foreign Affairs. But the English Anti
Slavery Reporter now explains that his Lord
ship meant nothing at all but to be polite to
Mr.. Garrison and to acknowledge his satS-
faction with the course pursued by Mr. Lin
coin, viewing that course in.the light of events
that had occurred since the close of the
war. Again, Rev. Newman Hall of London is
now speaking in this country for the express
purpose of allaying the sentiments of jeal-
ousy and hatred which are always more
or less active in the minds of Amer
leans and Englshmen toward each other
He has assured us that the sympathy which
his government seemed to feel for the South
was unreal, and that the great mass of the
people always had been friendly to the North.
Mr. Hall has surprised every audience before
which he has appeared by the apparently
conclusive evidence adduced to show the
earnestness with which the English lower
and middle classes desired the triumph of the
North and Liberty. There was beginning to
be a well-defined feeling of chagrin that
the shrewd Yankee nation should have
been SO stupid and so mulish as
to doubt the honor and truth of
so kindly and generous and confiding per-
sonage as dear old unselfish John Bull. But
just as the sensibllities OF the people were
becoming so excited by the pleasant state
ments of Mr.. Hall that in another month they
would have been ready to rush into the arms
of their British cousins and beg them for the
love of Heaven never to mention those silly
Alabama claims again, thanking them for CIV
ing our illustrious Admiral Semmes so favor
able an opportunity to display the pure and
immaculate nature of American valor,
Capt. Mayne Reid, the well-known English
novelist, addresses the public through the
columns OF the Washington Chronicle and
fatty contradicts the Rev. Mr.. Hall in every
one of his statements. He says that the un-
friendliness of the English government to-
ward the North was something very real in
deed; that it still continues; that all classes
OF the people except the very lowest are in
perfect sympathy with it; that it arises from
the basest and most selfish motive "a desire to
see the downfall of our nation and of repub-
lican institutions, and, in short, that it is the
most wanton wickednees. So between the
novelist, who is cynic aud a Red Republican,
and the divine, who is suspected by ill-natur-
edfolks of painting things coulear-de-rose be-
cause he wants to collect money for his church
spire, things are left very much as at the be-
ginning. aa 1uQa