Year: 1861




There is in various quarters belief that q
war between the United States and Great
Britain is inevitable Ii appears in the Cana
da newspapers, which assume that there must
be such war; and strongly urge immediate
and thorough preparation on the lakes and
along the frontier. Englishmen at Washing
ton, it is said, are sure that such a war will
come and most of the people in Great Britain
talk and act as if it were certainty. Ameri-
cans in Europe take similar view of the ex-
listing trouble, and it is telegraphed from
Washington, as specially noteworthy, that "a
gentleman occupying high position in Paris


saps in private letter, that, "in well-lnformed
csrcles" there, it is fully believed that our gov
erdment cannot avoid rupture with England


This general expectation of a war between
the two countries has been created, not ny any
COURAGE" seen or imagined in the Trent case,
but by the evident disposition Of the British
government to be hostile toward us, and to
enable the secessionists to complete a destruc-
tion of tie union. The taking of Mason and
SIidel from the Trent was not an Courage"
We may grant fully that it was an irregular
method of doing what we had right to do,
that Capt. Wilkes should not have seemed TO
assume the functions of a court of admiralty,
and that such course of proceeding should
not be approved. Grant all this, and still there
was no Outrage" done or intended to Great
Britain. There was nothing that might not
have been set right by quiet and friendly re.
~, 81; tbo
insane portion of the British world. There
fore it is nowise surprising that so many peo-
pie believe that Great Britain is using the
Trent affair chiefly US pretext for open hos
tiity.


There is enough in the uniriendly behavior
Of Great Britain to justify such an opinion;
and it may in the end tlrn out to be more
nearly correct than any other. Still, we feel
quite sure that no such war will come at pres
en. John Bull is the most brazen, canting,
detestable, goddess old hypocrite below the
sun, and hypocrites are not accustomed to de-
fly public opinion. lie has miscalculated this
time, and will get an unexpected lesson. 1t
is plain that there is in England very conf
dent belief that the American people will be.
have so unreasonably as to make it impossible
Tor our government to he conciiatory and for
bearing Some OF the English newspapers
talk very strongly OF what the American
"mob" will do under the excitement of this
dispute about the seizure oil Mason and Sill
dell, and the English government itself doubt
less has counted on having this "mob" behave
so badly as to put the public opinion OF the
civilized world on the side of Great Britain.
1t will not be so, and when this is seen, John
Bull will not venture to undertake What he has
intended TO do


1t is not wholly cotton that draws on the
ruling class in Great Britain to this manifesfa-
tion OF hostility TO our government. Hatred
OF our institutions, and eagerness to crush the
power that encourages political freedom in Eu.
rope, operate quite as strongly. Moreover, if
''the great republic could be divided and bro
ken up, Great Britain might become con-
trolling power in North America and be more
secure in her dominion of the sea- So they
reason, and on such grounds they would de.
clare war against US and recognize tie ''south-
ern confederacy." The Paris Debats SAYS
very earnestly that France has no motive for
desiring to lessen the power of our govern
ment. With England, however, the case is
different, and the hostility and canting mean
ness she has shown us since this rebellion be-
gan will come back to her hereafter TO her
sorrow.