The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-15 00:00:00

PRICE 4d.
STAMPED sd.

AMERICA.

rom the Times Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, Sept. 2.
The tone of all the journals published in the South-
ern States, and the testimony of every one who has
recently been through them, substantiate the state-
ments I have lately sent you respecting the temper
and disposition of the people towards the North and
the general Government. But as it is very likely
that the class which refuses to believe the late struggle
is completely at an end may still deny that Southern
opinion has been fairly represented by these state-
ments, it may be well to bring forward Southern
evidence itself on the subject. I have told you that
the large body of the Southern people are heartily
rejoiced at the termination of the war, and are anxi-
ous to do everything in their power to return to the
Union and remain at peace. Of course they would
prefer to have won, but since the arbitrament which
they selected has gone against them, they accept the
decision with better sense and judgment than their
so-called friends and advocates, and determine not
to aggravate the misfortunes of their position by
continued and impotent resistance. That this is the
true state of feeling may now be proved out of the
mouths of Southern men and from Southern papers.
Probably some far-seeing writer at a distance may
declare that this, too, is " incredibly disgraceful ;"
but facts, although harder to pick up than large
words, are more useful in enabling any one to judge
of the state of this country or the bent of public
opinion. To turn, then, to Southern papers. With-
out overburdening this letter with extracts, brief
passages may be gleaned which will show the ten-
dency of the whole Southern press. " Instead of
.wanting to try it again," says the Richmond
Republic, " the people of the South never want
to see or hear of war, either with the people of the
North or with any other people under the sun."
And it goes on to complain of the " appalling sel-
fishness and callous indifference manifested to the
welfare of the privates" by the Confederate
Government. If all Europe denied that this latent
bitterness towards Mr. Davis exists in the South as
well as in the North the denial would not change
the fact, palpable to every one in this country who
has eyes and who uses them. Without adopting
Northern opinions respecting the President of the
late Confederacy, I sought in a recent letter upon
Mr. Davis to describe and explain them, endorsing
only the statement that the evidence of cruelty to-
wards Federal prisoners in Southern gaols or pens
was irresistible. The mass of evidence now being
produced in the Wirz trial will show what my au;
thority was for the latter opinion, and, with regard
to Mr. Davis, there is scarcely a public organ in
the whole United States which does not own that
the people are against him. The South think
he ruined their cause, the North that he supported
it too well. Both look upon him with disfavour,
and it cannot be unimportant that the reasons for
this sentiment should be fully explained.
In the same spirit as the Richmond paper, the
Mobile Tribune recommends the State Convention
to support loyal Union men, such, it says—

" As see clearly that slavery is as dead as a red herring,
and that any attempt to restore it, even to a temporary
life, will be almost a crime, will hurt the general good,
keep the State from the civil rehabilitation which is so im-
portant to its future welfare. . . . We must stand high
above our prejudices, and the modes of thought which we
have so sedulously cultivated for the past four years."
The Georgia papers are full of appeals to Northern
men of capital to come and settle in that State,
assuring them of a cordial welcome, The Richmond
Whig begs the public to believe that, " so far as
Virginia is concerned, there is not the shadow of
truth in any statement which represents the great
body of her citizens as other than peaceable, loyal,
and submissive to the Government." Another Rich-
mond paper, the Republic, reproaches bitterly the
professed
_supporter of the Southern cause in
New York, the Daily News, for misrepresenting the
South by constantly declaring that the war " is not
over." It remarks, " There is no foundation for the
sombre pictures of our condition and prospects drawn
by the News." Even in South Carolina it is declared
by Northern men who have latelwassed through that
no trace of enmity is shown towards the North. The
people say, " We brought the war about, and, how-
ever unfortunate may be the issue for us, we are not
going to make it worse by throwing dirt in the face
of the Government." The Constitutionalist, published
at Augusta, Georgia, has the following :
"It is obvious that the State of Georgia stands to-day fully
provided with all the material elements of prosperity; seces-
sion,war, conquest, and emancipation having neither injured
he rsoil, altehd her climate, dammed her rivers„ nor rendered
unproductive those rich natural resources of every kind
wherewith a kind Providence has so amply endowed her."
And it affirms that the people are willing to abide by
the issue of the war. The Tennessee journals express
similar views, and, indeed, it would be easy to fill
columns with extracts to the purport of those already
quoted.

To pass now to what Southern men are saying
and doing. There are plenty of them in New
York, and although not pretending to disguise their
regret at having lost, they face their present position
manfully and resolutely. They are inviting-the co-
operation of Northern-capitalists to enable them to
build bridges and restore roads, and I have been
assured by many that there is plenty of cotton yet
in the South if it could be got together and brought
to market. Information on this point is, however,
too vague to justify any positive conclusions. At
Memphis a public meeting, consisting exclusively of
men who actually carried arms in the Confederate
army,was recently held, and resolutions were passed
acknowledging that the issues raised by the South
when it went to war—namely, its right to secede
and to extend slavery—had been decided as con-
clusively as by " any of the customary forms of
law," and adding, " We regard it as the duty of the
people of the South to energetically apply them-
selves to the work of repairing the losses incurred
during the war, to re-create its prosperity, and by
every means to develope its resources to their
utmost capacity." The meeting also passed the fol-
lowing resolutions :
"That we recognise the abolition ofslawvoe
slavery
7ulda nsoatures tinevi-
tableoiv event—a dead institution—and we
it if we could.

we"hTavheatfawitehiduollnyootbrseegrrveetd,taalinidn
king
h the
wa me
willes tzye
aolaotuhs
l;
yt
ahna
dt
faithfully observe it hereafter.
" That we pledge our honour to give a hearty co-opera-
tion in the restoration of the civil laws of the United States
Government and the Constitution thereof, and will do
everything in our power to uphold the same."
Thereupon the meeting adjourned.
At Richmond a great " mass meeting" has been
held, at which the statement that the South was not
disposed to yield was indignantly denied, and the
following resolution, among others to a similar
effect, was passed :
" That the general temper and disposition of the Southern
people, including our own, are to accept and acquiesce in
the results of the late sanguinary struggle, and to resume
the duties of citizenship in the Union. That the men of
character and ability who have hitherto influenced public
sentimentneither advise nor intend anything different from
the discharge of their duties as citizens of the United
States, and are setting an example of full and ready sub-
mission to the authority of its Government, and counsel a
full recognition of the facts of the actual situation, includ-
ing the accepted and irreversible abolition of slavery."
The National Dramatic Executive Committee
issues an address from New Orleans, in which it de-
clares that even " show of opposition to the gene-
ral Government is extinct," and that, with the ex-
ception of a few who made profits out of contracts
in the late war, everybody desires to make peace
Permanent. Judge 0. A. Cochrane, who lost all
the property he possessed by the war, recently de-
livered an address at Macon, Georgia, affirming that
the people of that and other States had " come out
of the war losing everything but honour." ti We
went into the war," he said, " on the judgment of
human wisdom, to protect slavery ; we came out of
it with not a slave to tread our soil." And he gave
this advice, which was received with applause :--
"Lot us qualify, as voters, to aid in the organisation of