A FALSE ALARM.

Otago Witness, Issue 746, 17 March 1866, Page 1

A FALSE ALARM.

(From the Daily Times, March 10.)

Colonial interest in American affairs was somewhat rudely revived by the telegram received from the Bluff on Thursday morning. It contained an extract from intelligence brought by the Souchays to Brisbane, where she had arrived via Batavia, with English dates to the 16th January, which had been transmitted from Brisbane to Melbourne by telesraph. No doubt the late dates of the English news tended to ■create the impression thit the American was equally recent ; and as the tone of the inlormation was more than usually warlike, it was calculated to induce alarm. The paragraph was a summary of the on dits passing in New York, which were to the effect that at a cabinet meeting of the American Ministry, the President had directed "Mr Seward to propose an ulti- " matum for presentation to the English *' Government, in the event of which not " being -complied with, the Minister was to " ask for his passport and go home," Assuming the substance of this intelligence to have been true, although the cessation of diplomatic relations between two Governments does notnecessarily imply that war will inevitably ensue, it points to disagreements of so serious a natue that two such powerful nations as England and the Unired States could scarcely be expected to arrive at a solution of them without an appeal to arras. The known difficult questions at present at issue, gave such a coloring to these statements that it is not surprising some alarm should have been caused on receipt of them both in Australia and in Dunedin. Ihe vast interests, colonial and mercantile at stake ; the unpreparedness of all the colonies for effectual resistance should an attack he made upon them ; the temptation to privateers or vessels of war to lay the large seaboard ci'ies under contribution, and destroy or capture the vessels in their ports, render a wai with a naval power like the United States, an evec t fraught with evil. It is therefore fortunate that there is every reason to believe the statements to be without foundation, and they were most probably put into circulation for stock jobbing purposes in Wall street. This conclusion is fairly arrived at from the date of the advices, which are stated to be the 12th of December, under which date the Times, of the 26th of December, published a letter from its own correspondent in New York, in which no mention whatever is made of any of the circumstances. Another correspondent on the same date, alluding to the questions in abeyance between the two countries, says " Nothing ■* has been yet done in either House, nor " is anything yet hinted at, dtfining our * relations with England. The nearest " approach to it has been the proposal of *' a bill and its immediate passage by the " Lower House, prohibiting the importa- *' tion of for* ign cattle, excepting from " Canada. This is to prevent the cattle " disease reaching America. Although " Congress is sihnt about England now ; " resolutions must soon come demanding " war, for there are quite as many mem- *' bers restless under English complica- " tions as there are under French ones." Whatever these opinions of the Times' -sorresponden's are worth, it is certain, up to the date given, there was no serious apprehension entertained of an early war between the two countries. But although there may not be any immediate danger of hostilities, such alarms as that experienced ought not to be allowed to pass ■without our deriving the lesson from them which they are calculated to teach. Our Melbourne ndghbors were roused one morning to a consciousness of their liability to a sudden and unex ected attack, by tteunlooked for arrival of the Shenandoah. Had Melbourne been a hostile instead of a friendly port, there is no reason to suppose that there would have been greater difficulty in entering it, than was experienced by that \es«el; nor could any effectual resistance have been offered to the mischief so formidable a cruiser could have inflicted upon the shipping there. British -vessels might have been on the look out -for her, but the history of her cruise, and the damage that, single-handed, was inflicted upon American commerce, proves how easily a vessel so armed and equipped can evade pursuit. Unchecked, she pursued her predatory course, burning and destroying the shipping of the Northern States notwithstanding their numerous and well appointed Navy ; and 60 conscious is the Victorian Government of the ex-

posed^&&yl§slrof Melbourne, that application wa9 made some time ago to the English Government for fortifications and means to repel an attack. But the danger is the greater, as it may one day come upon us without our being aware of the outbreak of a war. Before the Colonies could receive intelligence of it, an enemy might be in our port, and Dunedin laid under contribution. The United States have ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. From the latter, privateers might issue immediately on war being declared and they could reach our shores earlier than in • telli»ence transmitted by the Anglo Indian ! telegraph. How then are we prepared to receive such visitors ? On shore the crews would be at a disadvantage compared with the number of Volunteers who would be ready to encounter them. But it would not be on shore that they would choose to fight ; and without being able to strike an effectual blow in selfdefence, it would be most probably considered advisable, in order to prevent a greater calamity, to get rid of them j by heavy payments. To prevent so degrading an alternative, it is high time effectual arrangements were made for the defence of the Port. More than once this necessity has been felt when danger loomed in the distance ; but " Wolf " has been cried so often, and so often proved a false alarm, that it is to be feared it will be disregarded until the enemy is in our harbor.