The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-16 00:00:00

nation for peace, charged by Mr Lincoln with authority
for stating his own views and receiving those of President
Davis ?" Both answered in the affirmative, and I then
said that the President would see them at my office the
same evening at 9 p.m.—that, at least, I presumed he would
—but if he objected after hearing my report they should he
informed. They were than recommitted to the charge of
Cul. Ould,
with the understanding that they wera to be re-
conducted to my office at the appointed hour, unless other-
wise directed. _ _ _

This interview,connected with the report previously made
by Col. Ould, left on my mind the decided impression that
Mr Lincoln was averse to sending formal commissioners to
open negotiations, lest he might thereby be deemed to have
recognised the independence of the Concede) acy, and that
he was anxious to learn whether the conditions on which
alone he would be w.lling to take such a step would be
yielded by the Confederacy ; that with this view he had
placed his messengers in a condition to satisfy us that they
really came from him, without committing himself to any-
thing in event of a disagree.nent as to such conditions as
he considered to be indispensable. On informing the Pre-
sident thereof of my conclusion, he determined that no
question of form or etiquette should be an obstacle to his
receiving any overtures that promised, however remotely,
to result in putting an end to the carnage which marked the
continuance of hostilities.
The President came to my office at 9 o'clock in the even-
ing, and Col. Ould came a few moments later, with Messrs.
Jacquess and Gilmore, The President said to them that he
had heard from me that they came as messengers of peace
from Mr Lincoln ; that as such they were welcome ;
that the Confederacy had never concealed its desire for
peace, and that he was ready to hear whatever they had to
offer on that subject.
Mr Gilmore then addressed tr'reside lie ni, and in a few
minutes had conveyed the information that those two gen-
tlemen had come to Richmond impressed with the idea that
this Government would accept a peace on the basis of a re-
construction of the Union, the abolition of slavery, and the
grant of an amnesty to the people of the States as repen-
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of all the people of both Confederations, and the majority of
the cotes thus taken was to determine that as welt as all
other disputed questions. These were stated to be Mr Lin-
coln's views. The President answered that as these pro-
posals had been prefaced by the remark that the people, of
the North were a majority, and that a majority ought to
govern, the offer was, in effect, a proposal that the Confede-
rate States should surrender at discretion, admit that they
had been wrong from the beginning of the contest, submit
to the mercy of their enemies, and avow themselves to be in
need of pardon for crimes; that extermination was prefer-
able to such dishonour.

He stated that it they were themselves so unacquainted
with the form of their own Government as to make such
propositions, Mr Lincoln ought to have known, when giving
them his views, that it was out of the power of the Confe-
derate Government to act on the subject of the domestic
institutions of the several States, each State having exclu-
sive jurisdiction on that point, still less to commit the de-
cision of such a question to the vote of a foreign people;
that the separation of the States was au accomplished fact ;
that ha had no authority to receive proposals for negotiation
except by virtue of his office as President of an independent
Confederacy, and on this basis alone must proposals be made
to him.

At one period of the conversation Mr Gilmore made use
of some language referring to those States as " rebels "
while rendering an account of Mr Lincoln's views, and
apologised for the word. The President desired him to
proceed, that no offence was taken, and that he wished Mr.
Lincoln's language to be repeated to him as exactly as pos.
sible. Some further conversation took place, substantially
to the same effect as the foregoing, when the President rose
to indicate that the interview was at an end. The two gen-
tleman were then recommitted to the charge of Col. Ould,
and left Richmond the next day.

This account of the visit of Messrs Gilmore and Jacquess
to Richmond has been rendered necessary by publication
made by one or both of them since their return to the United
States, notwithstanding the agreement that their visit was
to be kept secret. They have, perhaps, concluded that as
the promise of secrecy was made at their request, it was per-
missible to disregard it. IA e had no reason for desiring to
conceal what occurred, and have, therefore, no complaint to
make.of the publicity given to the fact of the visit. The
extreme inaccuracy of Mr Gilmore's narrative will be ap-
parent to you from the foregoing statement.
Y6ll have, no do übt, seen in the Northern papers an ac-
count of another conference on the subject of peace, which
took pace in Canada at about the same day, between Messrs
C. C. Clay and J. P. Holecrube, Confederate citizens of the
highest character and position, and Mr Horace Greeley, of
New York. acting with authority of President Lincoln. It
is deemed not improper to inform you that Messrs Clay and '
Holcombe, although enjoying in an eminent degree the
confiden, a and esteem of the President, were strictly accu-
rate in their statement that they were without an [authority
from this Government to treat with that of the United
States on any sulject whatever. We had no knowledge of
their conference with Mr Greeley, nor of their proposed
visit to Washington, till we saw the newspaper publications.
A. significant confirmation of the truth of the statement of
Messrs Gilmore and Jacquess, that they came as messen-
gers- from Mr Lincoln, is to be found in the fact that the
views of Mr Lincoln, as stated by them to the President,
are in exact conformity with the offensive paper kddressed
to "whom it may concern, which was sent by Mr Lincoln
to Messrs Clay and Holcombe by the hands of his private
secretary, Mr Hay, and which was properly regarded by
those gentlemen as an intimation that Mr Lincoln wss
unwilling that this war should cease while it was in his
power to continue hostilities.—l am, very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
J. P. BENTAIAIN, Secretary of State.
Hon. James M. Mason, Commissioner to the
Continent, Sec., Sec., Paris.