The Presidential canvass in the United States has fairly begun.
It will agitate the Union for a whole year. As with our "'Derby," more horses are named than are likely to start—three on the Whig, and as many on the Democratic side. In so far as this country has any interest in, the strife, the recommendations and drawbacks of the candidates are pretty equally balanced. The Whigs are wedded to commercial " protection " ; the Democrats are favour- able to aggression and conquest. Unluckily, the Whigs do not appear by any means so stanch in their peace and nonintervention principles as the Democrats in their free-trade principles. The odds are in favour of an ineligible President This state of affairs throws a curious light upon that romance of foreign policy which dreams of a league of Great Britain, France, and America, to in- tervene in foreign affairs for the purpose of preventing intervention. We should be finely holpen between two allies, one of whom, having cut " a monstrous eantle " out of the dominions of Mexico, is hungering for another slice and turning greedy eyes upon Cuba, while the other is actually upholding the wretched Papal govern- ment at Rome by its troops. Time was when Americans were loud in their protests that no European government had a right or should be allowed' to interfere in the politics of their continent. That might be all very well so long as they abstained from interferingin the poli- tics of Europe ; but if Mr. Walker, one of their candidates for the highest office in the Union, did not misrepresent them at South- ampton—if they are indeed " straining like greyhounds in the leash" for a run against " the despots "—what will they have to say against a little retaliation at home ?
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