The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-27 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA,

(From tke limes Correspondent)

BALTIMORE, June 13.
A story is told in Baltimore by a gentleman who
was recently in Richmond, that the Southern Pres
sident was asked in his presence how soon he thought
the war would end ? Placing his hand upon the
head of a little boy, not five years of age, Mr. Davis
replied," Not till this child is an old man." Mr.
Davis's sorrowful anticipation is shared in this
city, if not further corn. All expectation that the
Fedezals will conquer the Confederates, or the Con-
federates the Federate, has subsided. The exhaustion
of neither party is deemed possible. The interven-
tion of Great Britain and France has ceased to be
looked for. The capture of Richmond, if effected—
which few believe—may gratify the pride of the
North, but Will not expedite the subjugation of the
South. The strength of the Confederates lies in no
city and no locality, but in the hearts of a people,
whom the prolongation of hostilities may exasperate,
but can never incline to peace. The only chance
that promises speedier results than Northern vice
tory is Northern defeat, to be achieved over
Grant or Sherman, it matters not which. The
idea of those who see in the independence
of the South the only chance for the preserva-
tion of the liberties of the North is, that
such a defeat in the midst of the Presidential con-
test would lead to a commercial panic and a furious
agitation of popular
passions,
out of which would
the North. Then it is argued
tshperiSngouathcimviiighatr ielitort the recognition of its
ra
brina
inde-
pendence from that powerful
Northern party which
in such an event would certainly arise to prevent
the farther d
victory iB
e willnteg nottion of the Republic. But
Federal success, and
the child will become a youth, the youth a man, and
Federal
the man grow gray with the burden of 70 winters
before the South will learn submission. The South
can bear defeat. The question is if the Worth can
bear it without political convulsion. It would seem,
frem the plight of General Grant ; from his inac-
tivity for the last eight days—from the fearful
losses be has endured—from the readiness of Gene-
ral Lee to confront and foil him at any point upon
which he may select to hurl his legions—from the
well-known though strenously denied fact that the
Confederates in every battle have inflicted at least
three times the damage they have sustained ; and
from the fact, equally ominous, but not so stoutly
contested, that a siege of Richmond might consume
the sureener and Grant's army along with it by the
diseases and fevers of an encampment among the
swamps of the Chickahominy, that this great ques-
tion may have a speedier answer than most people
anticipated a month ago, and that Grant's defeat,
retreat, or withdrawal, is not only imminent from
day to day, but will be followed by complications
far graver and more perilous than attended the
drawn battles of M'Clellan and; Meade, or the ree
verses of Pope, Burnside, and Hooker.
The indications to-day are that Grant will try
another charge of base, and risk another great
battle, before resorting to the last extremity of a
siege. Air. Stanton's curt despatches lead to the
inference that the movement has already corn-
menced, and the guarded letters of the New
York and Plailadelpeie journals name the James
River as the new starting point of his much-en-
during army. It ie, perhaps, sufficient critieiem