AMERICAN & EUROPEAN AFFAIRS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IV, Issue 189, 26 August 1864, Page 1 (Supplement)

AMERICAN & EUROPEAN AFFAIRS.

£From it Correspondent.] AMERICA. At our last advices jjco still held Grant at ay, but the carnage is said to be fearful. Whether Grant will succeed by sheer force of numbers, and at a terrible loss of life, in forcing a way over or through Lee’s army, or whether Southern generalship will once more prove a match for the superior numbers of the North, the future will show, and probably you will have later informalio via California than via Europe. European Turkey is now disturbed by a sort of ,eo/jp de main revolution. The Circassians are emigrating by tens of thousands rather than submit to the yoke of Russia, against which they have struggled till they have become exhausted; so one more people are driven out of their territory to leave scope for the extension of the Russian empiie. Little is now heard of Poland. Her sons have sacrificed themselves by thousands, but have not succeeded in breaking their fetters ; many of her daughters as well as her sons have been deported to Siberia, and a rod of iron rules the few remaining in their nati .e land. The Conference sitting at London have extended the “ cessation of hostilities” till the 20th inst., so until then all is uncertain. Denmark is of course outvoted by her opponents, two A ustrian, two Prussian, and one acknowledged German, (Baron de Beust), to say nothing of the two English representatives of Duke Ernest of Gotha, Russell, and Clarendon. Our Ministry profess to be “ bound to secresy,” but foreign journals inform us that England has actually proposed the dismemberment of Denmark, not merely by taking from her the German Duchy, Holstein but even most of Schleswig, which is considered more Danish than German, and the Duchy of Lanenborg, about Denmark’s right to which there has not been even a question raised. So our Government, after telling Parliament that though they did not intend to fight if they could do without, but intended to maintain the integrity of Denmark, are proving but tools in the hands of the Germans. If the ministry can get another extension of the truce, they may get the session over, and then have their fling the rest of the year ; but a defeat on an important question would probably be followed by an immediate dissolution of Parliament.

Although the Times has covertly helped the Germans, and some of the ultra-Radical papers cry out against a war for Denmark, yet there is a strong feeling in the country of sympathy with “ right against might,” which even the leading Thunderer cannot altogether ignore, and dare not openly oppose. When such a feeling ceases (to exist in England, “ her glory will departbut it is not easy to foretell how far it will affect the general results at the hustings. ° The Yelverton case has been now some lime before the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords; on the appeal of Mr. Yelverton against the decision in Scotland, which declared her his wife. Were Ito hazard a guess at the result, it would be this ; “ that appellant had duly married respondent,” according to Scotch Law, which requires no particular ceremony, but only “ liability, consent, acknowledgment, and habit.” Even should the lady’s case fail for lack of proof of acknowledgment, there would still be the Irish marriage to fall back on. The leading talent are engaged on the case. The Attor-ney-General and Mr. Whiteside on her side, Mr. Rolt and Sir Hugh Cairns on his, besides several others who will not have the opportunity of addressing the “ highest Court in the realm.” The decision will he a most important one, and her not having a live son to heir the title is the only point lacking. Unless he succeeds, he will have to face two further suits, one fur bigamy, the other for divorce, unless he chooses rather to spend the rest of his life on the continent. The Government have purchased the two Steam Rams jwhich they seized while in the hands of the builders, Messrs. Laird of Birkenhead ; so that difficulty is past, leaving the legal question at issue still unsolved ; hut the Government had failed in their prosecution of the builders of the Alexandra, which was case. Mr. Childers, M.P. for Pontefract, and formerly of Melbourne, is now in office, filling the place vacated by Mr. Stansfeld, (Secretary to the Admiralty.) A Bill to sanction the Hew Zealand Loan is before the Commons, and Mr. Mills, a leading man among the “ so-called” advanced liberals, has given notice of amendment, to throw it overboard on the second reading. The war has been alluded to in both houses, and members who either were ignorant of the lacts, or what would he worse, suppressed theoi, abusedijthe colonists freely, charging them with having all along treated the natives with gross injustice !! ! The leading papers are averse to allowing replies to appear, unless from some person “duly authorised and ticketed,” so the slanders on the colonists pass almost uncontradicted.