EUROPE AND AMERICA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IV, Issue 203, 2 December 1864, Page 2

EUROPE AND AMERICA.

(Front'a correspondent;)- "• ■ 1 • o ' ! ‘n .... , -NonKsiixi{E > .§ept, 24..;';' i!

i The American..war still, rages; the car- c nage on the Northern side is fearful to contemplate ; the Southerners are losing ground, but are far from being conquered; if they keep up their hearts the North will not be able to coerce them, nor, judging by present appearances, even to'exterminate them; for the North appears to lose men at the rate of ■ three or lour to one Southern. President Lincoln is abused by a large portion of the ? Press in this country as Well as in America. Having no prejudice in favor of either North or South, or Democrat or Republican, my' opinion is that Lincoln is no more “rightly chargeable” with the war and the evils attending it than nine-tenths of his countrymen of all parties ; but was only, and still is, only carrying into effect the wishes ol a large portion of his countrymen. He, as President, could not sanction the disruption of that Union of which both Northern and Southern politicians and publicists had been : wont to boast.

When the time comes, when the North feels itself nimble to obtain its desire over the South, then Lincoln or any other President will have to settle terms of peace and separation. But the North would never have consented, to separation without trying its utmost to prevent it, and would have execrated the name of Lincoln for ever if lie had attempted to settle the terms of separation. The greatest part of the English press are violent partisans of one side or other, and consequently the comments on “ the situation” differ as widely as possible.

Europe appears to be almost quieted down after the short but sanguinary war in the the North. Denmark has had to “ kuckle down” to the power of Austria and Prussia combined, and has been divided ; the parts severed from her are at the disposal of Prussia, and it is not yet known whether they will be formally annexed, or handed to somebody willing to hold them as Prussia’s vassal. Our Government, after a deal of hbsi* tating, determined at last to interfere, “if the French Emperor would join the do,he declined, so they also drew back; they were on the verge of war, but feared to go into it alone; and were admitted!} left without an ally among the first-rate powers. ■ What a commentary on our diplomacy is this! De-

lied by one Power last year, treated' with ignominious contempt by two more; and with sarcasm ■ by the yfourth and nearest, as the Danes,- (very naturally) feel very sore at England, who undertook to be their executor, and left, them them to get out of the scrape as.best they might. Our Govern-, meat have sent the Prince' and Princess of Wales on a Tour in the North, as if the sight of English Royalty would compensate for the lack of English help in their necessity-

The Polish leaders have been executed (/.E, judicially murdered) by the Russians, .- and for the present Poland may be said to be quiet; but it is like the . quiet of the grave; her bravest sons have shed tbeir : blood in vain ; until another generation has grown up Russia tray calculate on impunity in scourging her victim. Yet, strange though it may sound, when peace was made with Russia, France was willing to make the restoration, of Poland a sine qua non, and that . at the rjsk of cpmLuing, the,, struggle; but English ministers declined, ‘ preferring to have some assurances and unofficial promises from a Russian Minister

that Poland should be. treated with Justice, &c. ■ ■ : ■ Prince Humbert of Italy has been on a visit to England, he went to the “ St. Eegei'” at Doncaster'. It was won by Blair Athol, General Peel second. LOCAL. It is uncertain whether Parliament will be summoned again or dissolved. The Government having escaped a direct . censure by a majority of eighteen votes, are masters of the situation, and can please themselves, and choose their own time for a general election. Their policy was condemned as strongly by some members who voted with them as by the Opposition; but it was a question of confidence, between Pam and Dizzy; Popular Pam beating Doubled Dizzy by a larger majority than generally anticipated. Disraeli spoke decidedly against going to war, so there was no question but that of the personnel of the ministry. The harvest is nearly all secured in good condition, and will probably yield a fair average of wheat; oats and barley are probably rather under an average. Turnips are a total failure in many parts. Store stock has consequently been almost unsaleable, ami lathbtejiaye sold for less in September than iiTJune. We have had a summer of drought, unsurpassed since 1826, if ever then. Cholera has appeared, but not so extensively as ori some former occasions. Fires, railway smashes,' murders, &c. have been quite frequent enough lately. Last winter the Wold farmers were scared by the firing of a number'of stackyards ; two men were convicted at the assizes, on very slight evidence, but fires were but seldom raised after their apprehension ; now the East Biding magistrates have taken the precaution of sending to gaol for three months a fellow who had said he would keep the Wolds alight the coming winter.