New-York tribune., 1867-09-19
LONDON. Sept. ], 1861.

ROPEAN SOLDIERS THINK OF SHERIDAN.
From Our own Correspondent
LONDON Sept 7, 1867.
1t is considered that Mr. Seward does not
really desire a settlement of the Alabama claims
The charge is strong one TO bring against the man
who more than any other individual holds in his
hands the issues Of peace aud war between England
and America But if this theory be not the correct
one. Mr.. Stewards diplomacy is hard TO understand
The Alabama business in fair way OF adjust
ment Earl Russell, the original sinner had gone
out of Office IL need not be supposed that Lord
Stanley was over-aDxiOus 10 defend the political
reputation Of his political rival On the other hand by
his declarations in Parliament aud by the coneiaory
tone in which the present Foreign Minister renewed
the negotiations which under Lord Russell, had
come TO an abrupt conclusion, Lord Stanley showed
a disposition 10 arrive at fair agreement what le
is reported as saying privately comm ms me s,lccity
of lis purpose. Public opinion IN England has tho
same tendency. IL is really felt here tiat the Ala
bama business is an ugly one. No Engiishman Oi
high station in politics wants 10 acknowledge tIat
Great Britain acted with positive bad faith III the
matter but nobody now denies that If the Ministry
had shown a little more energy, the escape OF the
Anglo-Rebel pirates would have been prevented n
special excuse is even put forward 1or the deiay
which ntervened between the receipt OF MT Adams
last communication and the orders whieh went
Ii is admitted that Mr.. Adamss evidence was sup
pled i'm time IL is alleged that Sir John Harding,
The law officer To whom the evidence was submitted
for an opinion was at that time temporarily insane
became suddenly so, believe 80 that his Incapacity
was unknown, and the papers lay idle for some pre-
cious days i'm his hands | do not know whether this
has been publicly stated the fact that 1t Is privately
pressed az an apology is evidence OF the need that IN
felt and of the desire that is felt that some plausible
explauaton should he given. Add TO this Lord Stan
cys known good feeling toward America, the visible
effort in his dispatches to come TO some terms the
ambition which as dlplomatst, ne wond teel 10
arrange an embarrassing dispute, and think must
be conceded that the blame for the present failure OF
the arbitration plan does not rest wholly with him
Mr. Seward is thought here 10 have conducted the
correspondence with creditable vgor, and even with
considerable skill Of the diplomatic kind. or the
latter talent he has now given a new evidence by
shifting his ground at the moment when ms adver-
sary was about to coneede the point In controversy
That he should do does not exactly tend to show
that he wished to see the matter ended. III he did
not wish to see ii ended, but wished, as men say
here, to keep the quarrel open, as resource in
the difficulties of home politics, he would naturally
resort TO some such expedent az his late dispatches
put forward. America has for tiree years pressed
her claims TO indemnity for the depredations of the
Alabama and the cOmradecorsai OF that ship She
proposed arbitration. England rejected arbitration
The Ministry which rejected it went out OF office
and the discussion reopened with new Minis
try in no way responsible for the errors OF the Old
The new Ministry indicated PLAIN desire 1or an
amicable settlement and readiness to agree TO ar
bitration 1t is at this moment that Mr. Seward sud-
denly presents new claim, based upon the prema-
ture recognition Of the Confederacy by Great Britain
and demands that damages arising out OF that injury
should be included in the arbitration: confess
/ do not see how Lord Stanley could yield to this
new demand. 1t is difficult to believe that MI sew
it. Had the complaint of the eagerness with when
LordIPalmerstOn's Government welcomed the Conted-
begeren been presented s tpSns ns San
mixed up with the pending Alabama negotiations
BY itself, it is just; advanced in company with the
Alabama claims it subjects the American Govern
ment to the reproach Of desiring not so much the set
tlement as the continuance OF, grievance IL that
becomes the opinion OF EnIopeIoi the Llbera, Eu-
fewer to advocate the inherent justice of the claim
than to complain Of the injustice with which it is
kept alive Mr. Seward th puts ms to the
which by Earl Russell was just ground Of reproach
to England. Is it any the less just against Americai
Mr. Wells has done a real service VIC by his letter on
weeks before the stockholders and their organs
who make business of bearing" American bonds
can resume effectively their habitual msrepresenta-
tions. The article In the July Bldckcood which Mr..
Wells rcfutes is no worse than many another in the
same and other periodicals. It's writer made the
understand, at time when Mr.. Wells, who does un-
derstand them, was at hand to expose the fraud.
The days when Bldckrood was an important maga-
zine past yet IL can scarcely have sunk low
to be indifferent TO such an exposure Of its fraudu-
lent treatment of grave subject. But what answer
can be made to Mr.. Wells, or what apology
TO its readersf To pass minor mis-
takes, the article asserts that the income
and property tax is the main reliance
of the American Government that the receipts of the
Federal Treasury less than its expenses that the
amount of the National Debt at the close of the war
has never been definitely stated, and that to this day
it has never been clearly explained whether the
present amount of debt admitted by the American
Secretary of the Treasury he be not exclusive of
greenbacks and other forms of Federal paper unrep
resented by gold and silver. The writer insnuates
that the portion Of the debt paid of wac paid by an
issue of greenbacks, that the process was a mere
jqggle and , ne @sserts in substance
In mystery, and he assumes that they are fraudu-
lently manipulated Is it possible to suppose man
who assumes to write on finance % grossly ignorant
"a moi 10 know that every one Of these statements