The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-09 00:00:00

what they believed to be
the " credit of doing
claim for himselt and those who were of his opi-
nionf
Englishmen, and it is going out
Fated privilege o
right." This is assuredly the undenied and undis-
puted
was to announce the amalga-
of the prescribed routine to interfere with it. The
object of this meeting
major of the Central Association for the Recogni.
tion of the Confederate States and the old association
called the Southern Club. The name about to be
given to the united associations was the " Southern
Independence Association." In reference to Earl
RUSSELL'S declaration that there was a great prepon-
derance of those who sympathised with the North
over the number of those who favoured the South,
Lord WHARNCLIFFE aptly remarked that this
proved the truth of what he had before said, that
the minds of their statesmen must be under a
great deception, when they could make such
statements. He had no hesitation in giving
it as his opinion that there was not any-
thing like one-third of the population of England
in favour of the North. Many will corroborate
this statement, and only the devoted adherents of
Earl RUSSELL can be persuaded ta credit his ex-
travagant assertion. It would hardly be exaggera-
tion to say that the direct opposite to the Foreign
Secretary's calculation would be the correct one.
At a meeting in Birmingham, where Mr. BRIGHT
made some grand oration, while the audience cheered
his oratory, they received his political arguments
with silence. Meanwhile Mr. SCHOLEFIELD, who
was of the opposite opinion, was greatly ap-
plauded. The backbone of this association was
" the recognition of the South, and the forma-
tion of terms of amity with that distin-
guished nation." Lord WHARNCLIFFE laid par-
ticular stress upon the unfounded imputation that
the South were encouraging slavery, and that the
charge had been made against those who supported
that struggling nation that they aided or abetted
the work. He thought they should try to remove
this impression, because many influential bodies
were against it. The fact is, that where there is
the semblance of a foundation for misrepresentation,
opponents are too prone to take advantage of the
opportunity, and to turn it to suit their own views.
The notion of the American contest being a " war
of slavery" is downright absurd as to argument,
and flagrantly unjust as to principle. All who un-
derstand the American question will acknowledge
the error of the assertion that Lord WHARNCLIFFE
was so wisely anxious to refute, and so stop the
mischievous spread of the calumny. The noble
chairman also drew attention to the results that
would ensue from the subjugation of the South by
the North. He spoke advisedly, for he had twine
visited the country, and he declared that the s=ave
was in a much worse position in the North than in
the South; the negroes were shunned on all sides,
and regarded as pariahs and outcasts. In the South,
on the contrary, the blacks and whites were to-
gether side by side. This fact was abundantly
proved in the late insurrection at New York, where
a hundred blacks were killed in cold blood. The
noble lord justly observed that the ruling
spirit of the war had got beyond independence and
empire ; the North were goaded on by revenge'
Lastly, the noble chairman spoke of the policy of
conciliating the South, declaring that soon there
would be a war with the United States unless they
changed their tons towards us, and that thee most
assuredly our best defence would be in having
secured the friendship of the South. They might
hereafter hope to effect a gradual eztinction of
slavery, and by the recognition of the South they
would do another good act by " putting the curb
upon the violence of the most mischievous W
nation on the face of the earth." Lord riARN-
CUM'S address was a most admirable one,
and deserves to be treated with attention.
Had we
at an earlier period put these precepts into practice
the result would have been that we should now be
reaping inestimable and incalculable advantages ;
and how many of our working classes
would have
been spared dreadful sufferings and a cruel position ?
It is to be trusted that thie Association will go on
and prosper, and the more disseminated are its
principles, the deeper rooted its ideas, and the more
extended its views, the better will it be for the pro-
sperity of the community, and the more conducive
to the honour of the country. kir. SeeetcE, who
spoke subsequently at the meeting, very properly
animadverted uron the unfairness of the
declara-
tion of the advocates of the Federal cause,
that a large majority was on their
side, for in
the higher classes it was indisputable that there
was a balance in favour of the South;
and as for
the working men, many times had
deputations
from them come forward to " protest against the
colour given to their opinions, and to urge the hold-
ing of meetings in favour of the South." The Fe-
deral party had now organised an
agitation, and
they must therefore meet them with their own
weapons. Mr. SPENCE also said that the conflict-
ing accounts daily received of the victories gained
' alternately, seemed to prove that some other
agency was
wanted to stop the terribe tide
of bloodshed. "This evil could not be reached but
by the action and influence of some third party •
some European Power." There
is great truth in
this, and all who subscribe to these sentiments
should now stand forth to uphold them, to carry
oat their tenets, and to forward their projects. It
will be a blessing to humanity to stop the spread of
the most cruel civil war that has
yet afflicted the
and it this benevolent and beneficent
human race,
work is to be accomplished by any European nation,
why should
England be slow to move, and back-
ward in making any
effort, This is not a suitable
position to be assumed by a country that should be
first and foremost in all great undertakings, that
should lead the van in the march of progress, the
guide and guardian of less favoured lands.