Year: 1863

y


therefore the United States must mot bombard


rebellioas city. Saoh i the latest chapter Of
| consular impndence


Despite these various protests, Charleston
| was bombarded for second time on Sunday
night, and It will, II not soon surrendered, bs


totally destroyed. Thus the object for which


the forts about it were built-its defence-is
defeated, and the forts rendered Of No account.
The Army Assembling. ~ View York.
I ss What Will We Do with TT ..g
A vast amount Of speculation is being In
| dulged in, and very naturally, as to the desti-


nation Of the splendid army that is being con-


centrsted at this point The city is full Of
troops, and all the islands In the bay and the
adjacent country for miles around are dotted


with encampments. There is at present force
of over thirty thousand men in and around
New York, and 1t is being daily increased, 80
that we may expect It in q week or two to
reach the figure Of ffty thousand men. II is
composed Of infantry, cavalry and artillery in
due proportion, and Is in every respect on
cered, equipped and disciplined up to the high
est standard Of excellence.


What will we do with il!


That is the question that is puzzling the
minds Of the whole community. At 6rst it was
supposed that it was intended to overawe and
repress all riotous demonstrations that the
enforcement Of the Conscription law might give
rise to. That was q mistake. The draft has
been going on with the utmost regularity, in


peace and good temper, without the remotest


approach to resistance. and yet the army,


instead of being withdrawn as it would be II
that were the object Of its being sent here, Is


being steadily reinforced. Then, again, few
wise heads among our own citizens and great
many nervous people in the British provinces
have come to the conclusion that we are about
to anticipate events by crossing the Sc. Law
renee and quietly annexing the Csnadas to the
American republic. Not yet. That will come
by and by; but the army Of fifty thousand
men encamping in and around New York is not
destined for that pleasant and easy conquest
and our Canadian friends need not get excited
for yet little while. Others might imagine
that it was intended for operation against the
rebels, except that It is plain to everybody
that the confederacy is at Its last gasp, and
that il Is entirely unnecessary to have recourse
10 any new army to accelerate its dissolution.


Mono Of these guesses, therefore, are correct.


And yet this mysterious army must have des-
tination. What is It, We will try our hand at
unraveiling the mystery.


We had, when this Southern rebellion broke
out, . republic as neighbor-a republic nnfor-
tunate, it is true, and suffering calamitously from
civil discords. While we we're engaged in re-
storing our own government and putting down
armed treason an ambitious European Power
stepped IN and overthrow our neighbors gov
ernment, establishing in its place the monar-
chical principle, which 10 entirely contrary to
the instincts snd interests both Of Mexico and


Of the United States. Well, now that by the


virtual subjugation of our own rebellion We,
can afford to pay some little attention to our


neighbor's affairs, we propose to undo what


has been done or attempted to be done by the
Emperor Of the French. The army about


which 80 much speculation has been indnlged


in is intended for that little piece Of business


II will probably be transported without much


loss Of time to the harbor Of Vera Cruz, and


will plant the emblem Of freedom on the castle
OF San Jnan d'Ulloa. 1t will not be the first
time for that flag to foat from those ramparts


The French army will thus be locked up in the


interior, and will not be very well able to get


out until the imperial programme is thorough
ly renounced and abandoned. Our sister re-
public will then be left free either to recon-
stitute herself and make another effort at civil
religious and constitutional freedom, or will
IF srto tho cn vrtIv voc
States of the American Union.


All this can be accomplished without much
trouble or difficulty, and unless Louis Napoleon
desires to have q war with us he will be left
free to withdraw his forces. II he desires war


he cen be indulged to any extent he wishes in
that costly luxury. He made the great mistake
of supposing that the American republic was
in such straits that he might carry out, with
little or no risk, his ambitious views on this
continent. We will try, with all proper polite
ness, to undccevc him. We are neither regard
less Of the welfare Of our neighbors nor unable


to defend them. Our ability keeps pace with


our will. We cannot permit exploded princi-
| pies of government to be ferced upon any
people in this hemisphere by European despots.
Civil and religious liberty belongs to this con-


tinsnt, and must not be supplanted. The
French ruler has, therefore. committed grave
political error in supposing that We would


quietly acquiesce in bis policy. Because we


allowed Southern demagogues to swagger and
boast-not deeming u worth while to notice
their silly talk about Southern valor and North


ern cowardice-Louis Napoleon seems to have


swallowed all that nonsense, and to suppose


that he might experiment at pleasure on this


side OF the Atlantic. The time has come for


him to be taught that the people Of the free
States Of America have In themselves the


wealth, the power, the resolution and the abili-
| " not only to crush out rebellion at home, but