The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-14 00:00:00

---,
he the opportunity, would be as 'willing as he is
able to defend their rights. Still the complete
overthrow of a nation's hopes cannot take place►
withcut causing a signal change, and the remarks
of the Dayblaclet are most opportune, and well
represent the true circumstances of the case.
That journal contrasts the present visit of
the Princess with the leave-taking of last year,
and points to the moral that is contained i❑ the
"enthusiastic demonstrations," and the " silent
welceme.' Such facts speak for themselves, and
do not need the tongue of wisdom to make them
plain, ncr the voice of eloquence to make them
memorable. The Dayb!adet truly says that in the
expressions of delight at the departure of the Prin•
cess there was a double significance, they were
meant to celebrate not only a personal, but a
national union: Of course, in such a light, the
present moment is in every respect different, there
is the sound of mourning for the voice of rejoicing,
and the bitter feeling of disappointment for the eager
expression of hope. There are no roses to scatter
before her, because they have all been strewn
upon the tombs of the warriors who had fallen.
After perusing this epitome of the national senti.
ment, it remains to us to reflect upon the causes
that have produced such effects, and the actions
whose issues have been such deplorable conse-
quences. Why is it that Denmark is desolated,
and the young Princess returns to find the land
of her birth wrapt in a pall, and the people re•
maining panic-stricken, as it were, in the valley
of the shadow of death. Why have the nations of
the world beheld a spectacle which has renewed the
thoughts of past days of tyranny and oppression in
the history of ages gone by. There can be but one
answer to all these queries, and that is a painful
one to give. The conduct of England has been
the cause, the mainspring, and origin of the offence.
The fact is that nations, no more than
individuals, can play at power ; the strong
mast show themselves willing to exert their
strength, or else it will be of no avail to those
whom they may wish to succour. It is very likely
that Earl Itussenn and his colleagues really thought
that the moral influence of Great Britain would
have some weight in the councils of Europe, but
the event has shown how lamentably he was mis-
taken, and we are left to mourn over his mistake,
while the victims reap the bitter fruits of his inca-
pacity to think and his reluctance to act. This
subject of Denmark is an oft-told tale; but it is
true, and it cannot be too much dwelt upon. If we
are to seek the annals of the past for knowledge
the present teaches us still more and better, bat
people prefer to comment upon subjects not so per.
sonal. It will long be a sorrowful era in the annals
of England that this spoliation of Denmark should
have been permitted ; and indeed the memory of
the defalcation will remain a lasting stain upon
the fair fame of her rulers. To abandon the weak
to the strong is always a base action, but to give
up a people who had reason to trust us was indeed
dastardly, and no plausible explanation of the affair
can do anything to mitigate the nature of the evil,
or to lessen the enormity of the conduct according
,o the reader of truth and honour.

The details of the Chicago Convention prove that
its proceedings were the effect of no mere local or
sectarian influence, but the expression of the long-

6 uppressed feelings of the great mass of the

- -
Northern people. The enthusiasm of the assembly

knew no bounds, and found ready expression on
behalf of any allusion to the restoration of peace
and the recognition of civil rights. It was no in-
significant assembly in point of numbers, for it is

said that never before bas there been so great a
concourse. As one of the American journals de-

scribes it, writing on the day of gathering—" In
numbers, enthusiasm, sincerity of purpose, sad true

patriotism, the great Convention which met here a

noon to-day is without precedent in the history of
American politics." From every side the people

time pouring into the town un'il the streets were
thronged, and the great hotels almost impassab:e

inside. On the Sunday, the day before the opening
alone, no less than 27,000 people poured into the

town, brought by the eleven different railroads

which centre there. large delegations were con-
tinually arriving with bands of music, firing salutes

in answer to the cheers with which they were

greeted. It was calculated that more than a hun

dred thousand visitors were in Chicago, and, in ad-
dition to the regular meeting, large miss meetings
were held throughout the day at the chief hotel€

and in the btreets. At night, on the 29th of August,
the day of the opening, four immense meetings
were held, and silty thousand persons were in the
streets listening to the speeches. The Missouri and
Illinois delegations held mass meetings, and " en-
dorsed M'CLELLAN in the warmest manner." So
that the verdict of the great West is unmistakably
for peace; but it is not the verdict of the Western

States alone, since the New York delegation held
a meeting to vote for a nominee, at which the
names of four candidates were brought forward,
leaving General M'CLELLAN 53 votes; Jaage NEL•
SON, the next in number, 11 ; CHARLES O'CONNOR,
2; and JAMES GUTHRIE, 1. So that the risk of

rivalry from these gentlemen is not a very serious
one for M'CLELLAN. Meanwhile, the interior
of the great hall was no less animated than
the streets of Chicago. The presentation of the
credentials by the delegates gave rise to vivid
demonstrations of enthusiasm, especially when the
representatives of the Western States came forward.
But when the delegates from Kentucky advanced
to the platform, the whole assembly rose to their
feet and cheered for old Kentucky. The recollec-
tion of the martial law established in that province
gave fresh zeal to the cheers that rung to the roof
at every allusion to the rights of the people. In
recognition of one of the most valuable of those
rights—a free press—the Chicago limes received
the compliment of a serenade from an immense
crowd, and speeches were made in answer to it'
declaring that the freedom of the press would here-
after be maintained at all costs, The address of
Governor SEYMOUR was in harmony with his openly
proclaimed opinions, and was straightforward,
manly, and explicit, It expressed the convictions
which people of this country earnestly desire
to see thebrought home to the heart of every Ameri-
can, and which have been long silently but surely
gaining ground, until we see their full strength
evidenced in the assembly at Chicago. Four years
ago, said Governor SEY3IOUR) the party which now
rules the States had its birth on this opal ; let it
de where it was born. Four years ago a eon -
lention met in the city of Chicago when the country
waa peaceful, prosperous, and nailed. " Its dele•
gates did not wish to destroy our Government, to
overwhelm us with debt, or to drench our land with
blood, but they were animated by an ignorance of
the spirit of our institutions, the character of our
people, and the condition of our land." All these
direful results have been brought about, and, as
Governor Surmoun truly said, the party in
power have marched on step by step to con.
elusions " which at the outset they would have
chunk from in horror. The refusal of the LINCOLN

party to entertain the idea of a compromise was
especially censured by all parties. They demand
conditions, it was declared, which have nothing to
do with the Constitution, and which they have no
right to ask. They put obstacles in tile way of any