The New York herald., 1869-05-22
Our Relations with Great Britain-M
Goodwin Smith ON tho Situation.

Our Relations with Great Britain-Mr.
Goodwin Smith ON tho Situation.
What fuss the Senate of the United States,
connected as the action of that august body
has been with the speech Of Senator Sumner,
has created in Great Britain! Our special
cable dispatches, our special correspondence
and the extracts which from day to day we
have made from the more prominent British
journals prove how deep and how general is
the excitement which has been produced on
the other side Of the Atlantic. Weeks have
now passed since great American statesman,
a man Of culture, dignity and large experience,
and but little in the habit of humoring the
mob, honestly expressed his thoughts on the
Alabama treaty, and by the fair, clear and ex-
haustive statement of the case convinced the
American people that there still lived among
them men to whom their destinies might
safely be entrusted. The rejection of the
Clarendon-Johnson treaty was with us fore
gone conclusion. The action of the Senate
and the speech of Sumner while they please d
did not surprise us. Our minds were already
made up. The action of the Senate justified
our conviction, and the speech Of Mr. Sumner
gave fair and full expression to the national
sentiment. The result was that we were salts
fed, but not at all demonstrative.
1t has been altogether different with our So
called cousins on the other side. Their rela-
tons with America, the ridiculous manner in
which we have treated Minister johnson, the
outrageous demands of Sumner, the probable
results Of war with the great republic Of the
West-these and kindred subjects have made
British journalists wholly forgetful of all do
mestic questions. Mr.. Gladstone, Mr. Bright
Mr.. Disraeli, Irish Church reform, House of
Lords reform and all other names and reforms
have temporarily given place TO the new and
unlooked-for phase Of the unsettled ques-
ton between John Bull and Brother Jonathan
Hitherto the sentiments engendered by Sum-
ner's speech have been expressed only by the
journalists. Some Of the journals have been
furious and bellicose in the extreme. Some
Of them have made admissions to the effect
that John Bull was partially in the wrong,
that so far as he was wrongdoing he should
confess his fault, but that he must not, on
any account, submit 10 coercion or insult.
Others, again, are timid, full of fear and EVIL
dently at their wits end. All this fuss and
fary contrasts strangely with the composurs
and comparative indifference Of the American
people. We know how the case stands. We
are satisfied that IL has now been fairly and
fully stated. We know who we are and what
we can do, If need be- and we are totally re-
gardless Of consequences.
In this connection It IL impossible TO over
look the fact that mighty change has passed
over the British mind during the last few years
in regard to the United States. It is
not many years since it was the habit
ual custom of British authors who
happened to visit this country to accept our
hospitality, TO worm themselves into our conf
dence, to study our institutions and all for no
higher or more noble purpose than, first Of all,
to fill their purses, and secondly, on their re-
turn home, to make their countrymen laugh at
the oddities and eccentricities which, In exag-
gerated language, they unjustly and ungrate-
fully ascribed to as. There have been many
such offenders. The greatest of them all has
second time revisited these shores, has a
second time been generously treated, and has
had the honesty and the manliness TO confess
and ask forgiveness for bis former offence.
! Our late civil war has worked wonders on our