The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-28 00:00:00

if it do not exasperate, the South. He declared
that the peaceful re-election of Mr Lincoln was

a proof that the Government was embalmed in the
hearts of the p2ople, and that consequently it was
the strongest Government on earth. lie thought

:hat hereafter it would be considered more honour.

able to be draughted than to volunteer to fight the

battles of a Government so beneficent—a sentiment

.n which it is not likely that many Americans, or

many Irishmen or Germans, will be found to par•
ticipate when the draught has to be enforced. He at

;he same time expressed another opinion which no

on© in either section of the once United States or in

Europe is likely to controvert—that a" black man
would fill as large a grave if he fell in battle as if
his colour were white." Mr. Lincoln was no longer
he said, the President of a minority, but of an over°
whelming majority of the American people, and
being such he had a great opportunity to hold out
the olive branch to the South. "Now was the

time," he thought, " when it might be said to the
deluded people, ' Come back, come back ! This is
the last time of asking. Come back ! Leave feed.
ing upon husks and live with us upon the fat of the
land l Let bygones be bygones, and our country
shall be at peace for ever !'" He went on to state
that he would not only offer complete oblivion of

the past to the whole Southern people, but uncouth-
tional pardon and amnesty to the leaders. It is to be
supposed, as he made no exception that he included
in this magnanimous offer of mercy Mr. Jefferson
Davis, whom in the Electoral College of 1856 he
strenuously supported as the most befitting candi-
date for the Presidency. But, knowing that the
Southern people and their leaders will refuse to
come hack, General Butler went on to explain what
he would propose to do after his fair and final offers
were rejected. On his own behalf and that of all

who voted for Mr. Lin coin, he offered subjugation,
confiscation, and enter mination,---war to the hilt,
war until not a man should be left in the South
except the negroee. " Let it be understood,"
he said, if this final offer be rejected, that here•
after we (the North) shall pay no more bounties,
but taking counsel from the Roman method
of carrying on war, that we shall say to oar
young men, Look to the fair fields of the
sunny South, and, unless they take our
amnesty, share these fair fields out among you, to
belong to you and to your heirs for ever !' " The
ladies waved their white handkerchiefs and the
gentlemen clapped their white-gloved hands in tes•
timony of their approval of this trenchant and truc-
ulent proposal. At the close of the speech the Rev.
H. W. Beecher, one of the most delighted of the
auditory, unable to restrain his enthusiasm, pro-
claimed that Benjamin F. Butler was the true man
to be President of the United States, and then and
there nominated him as successor to Mr Lincoln in
1868- " I beg you all distinctly to understand,"
added Mr Beecher with his customary jocosity,
" that Ido not nominate him." On this arose cries
from all parts of the room of " You do, you do !"
" Butler for President !" " Butler for ever !" Mr.
H. Greeley, having been observed in the crowd was
called upon in the usual manner for a speech; but
the philosopher was too discreet to commit himself,
and disappeared, like Beecher, behind the conve-
nient hoops of applauding beauty. The General
himself, and his more intimate associates, took ad.
vantage of the lull to withdraw to the dinner which
awaited them. What passed at the table history
may perhaps record hereafter. At present nothing
is known of the proceedings, except that the Gene-
ral's health was drunk with all the honours as the
" coming man" of America—the next and the great-
est of all the Presidents, Geo. Washington alone ex.
cepted. There may be a doubt in some minds of the
General's fitness for the place ; but there can scarcely
be a doubt that, fit or unfit, the Northern people
deserve him.
Tne state of military affairs may be very briefly
described. All is quiet before Petersburg and Rich-
mond, but an offensive movement on the part of
Gen. Grant is daily anticipated. General Sheridan
holds the upper portion of the Shenandoah Valley,
but his tegiure is precarious. The grand natal
assault upon Wilmington, in consequence of the
inability of General Grant to spare a co-operating
land force, has been postponed, if not abandoned ;
and General scrtnan, without destroying and
evacuating Atlanta, as was erroneously reported,
has disappeared with his whole army, and gone no
one knows whither. His mysterious movement is
differently interpreted. Some military critics assert
that he is advancing upon Charleston, a long, a
weary, and a cl .ngerous march from Chattanooga.
Others, both military and civilian, insist that Sa-
vannah is his object. Others, again, will listen to
no explanation that will not admit Mobile to be
the prize at which he aims ; while a fourth division
of the mystified public declares that Lynchburg,
the real key to Richmond, is to be seized,and that
General Sherman, with that instrument in his pos-
session, will forthwith unlock the gates of the Con•
federate capital, and march into it from the one side
while General Grant enters from the other. The
Southern journals hint at great events as likely to
occur immediately in Georgia—so that on both
sides of the Potomac the expectations of the public
are excited, and, the party politics of the election
having bad their day, attention again reverts to
the war and to the closing scenes of the not very
brilliant or decisive campaign of 1864.