The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-08-11
Relations Between England
and America.

The letter from the sober and thoughtful
New York correspondent Of the Daily NetcS,
printed last Thursday, gives complexion TO
the character Of Mr.. Summers speech which
renders il imperative on the friends Of the
North, in England, to make it quite clear in
America what must be the inevitable result
Of any kind Of demand based on Mr.. SUM-
ner's principle In discussing his speech
last week we were anxious 10 do fall justice
TO the American no less than 10 the English
side Of the question, and gave our view Of
the equity Of the controversy. But We did
not then seriously contemplate even the pos
sibility that America would take up praeti-
eally the attitude which Mr.. Sumner indiea-
ted as the only one she ought 10 take up, if
the question were 10 be reOpeued at all.
We had then no real fear that il ever would
be reopened by America, II it could only be
reOpened IN such tone as that. But the
New York correspondent of the Duly
Ssrs, who IS about the soberest as well as
as the most instructed and Intelligent Eng
lishman in America, evidently entertains
different impression. He expressly states
that in his opinion Mr.. Summers speech GER
tsiuly conveys General Grants view as "to
what ought 10 e done" which of course
means great deal more than as TO the ideal
attitude which ought TO be assumed. "Af-
ter sitting the whole matter as much as one
can, one may say that what will have TO be
doue TO effect settlement is to offer an apo
logy or some expression Of regret for what
has happened, as Canning did when the Leo
pdrd fred on the Chesapeake, and then board
ed her and took away part of her crew. II
NAV not seem that the Alabama grief can
be compared for moment with the ChsSa-
psdks grief, but you must remember that,
Americans being now very much stronger
than they were then, will not stand as much
are, in short, much tOuehier." Then, as
to the amount Of damages, Il is erids5It that
something Is szDscfei and lri BE- Insisted on Orer
and c6Ogs payment for The ships actually dss
trvyei, something, in short, by way Of com
pensStiou for the ships driven from the sea
Grant is reported to have said that be would
consider the cost Of carrying on the war for
one year about the right amount for Eng
land to p4y, and one hears the same thing in
private conversations Now, such state
ments as these coming from such quarter
are about the most serious facts that We have
to consider in England since the Trent affair.
Let Us, at all events, make it perfectly
clear to the United States what Is the asGli-
BshIB concession which the heartiest Eng-
liSh friends of the North would ever think
for s moment of adyisiug,-and what of such
demands as these would be resisted with the
full. unanimous, md even Indignant energy
of the whole English nation
We for our parts,-and there Is. We ina
CINE. a considerable number of Engiishmen
who would 90 with Us in this, though We
can hardly venture to assert that Parliament
would give a majority TO such q proposal
even if made by the commandments
not feel the slightest hesitation in expressing
the most emphatic and frank regret for that
miscarriage Of our own law which led TO the
escape Of the Aldb1DlG, and for any languOT
or failure of legal judgment which may have
been shown Of any such languor or failure
Of legal Judgment can be established, in not
afterwards stopping her on the coast Of Wales
or srFesting her in our colonial ports Fhat
COS q miscarriage of laE, and il vss mis-
carriage doubtless more or less due to an
unfortunate bias of feeling, an unfortunate
uartiality. on the part Of the ruling classes
Of England and it l. on quite other gounds-
grounds Of general international policy We
say nothing about law, which is very doubt
fui /, precedent Of evil omen, the repetition
of which We ought heartily to deprecate and
prevent. And having admitted thus much,
We should feel, Of course, that we were
bound to accept the logic of the situation,
and pay for such part of the losses caused
BY this act of negligence that il, as regards
the individual depFedations Of the Alabama
herself1 as could not be fairy ascribed to
the negligence Of the American navy in
watching for the 4labGaG-Or even, to stretch
a point, for al the Losses caused by that ship,
DEL LDL lDI Lu0eC VI u GDuSOIle-
With regard to the AiGt1Dsd herself, the
Circumstances are notorious, that their is .
strong case towards establishing negligence
on our part, is patent TO the whole country.
That Is not 80 with regard to any Of her con-
sorts. but We should be quite willing to re-
fer to equitable arbitration, whether in any
or all Of those cases the executive govern
ment had been guilty Of clear negligence,
and to paF for the losses caused by them If
that should be decided against US We by
no means say that the English Parliament
would 20 so far as this. We are far from
asserting as much IS that But We do say
that there would be very strong English
party TO oppose war, If peace or war depend
ed ONLY on our conceding As much A. we
have nov spoken OF, and that We should feel
bound to protest against that terrible and
immezsursble calamity with AL our strength,
If We could satisfy America by what seems
10 Is though a generous, still not an IN
reasonable concession