It is worth while noticing that Mr. Blaine, the American
Secretary of State, is steadily pursuing one favourite object of his policy. His agents have summoned a " Congress" of North, Central, and South America, which will, we imagine, practically be a, Congress of diplomatists. They are to meet next week at Washington, and they incline, it is understood, towards " reciprocal trade among American nations,"—that is, we imagine, to Free-trade confined to the two continents. To secure that, each State must denounce the " most-favoured nation " clause in its treaties ; and as that can only be done under the protection of the United States, a long step towards a Protectorate will have been taken. We do not see why the rest of the world should object. After all, the Protectorate exists in fact, though it is covered up under appeals to the Monroe doctrine; and so long as the League is defensive, Europe has no particular need to interfere. Only, if the Union assumes to protect the Spanish States, she ought to prohibit their internal quarrels, and to be responsible if her protégés break international law. We should like to know, as a matter of historical interest•, what attitude the Empire of Brazil, the only great State in the two Americas which is neither English nor Spanish, assumes towards this movement.
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