The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-30 00:00:00

sion and rebellion. They insist that the true policy
is to conquer and to subdue them, and to abolish,
with or without compensation, but with compensa-
tion if it would make the matter less difficult, the
hateful system which has produced all the mischief.
They urge the vigorous prosecution of the war, the
confiscation of the property of .all rebels, great or
small, and death to the civil and military leaders of
the Confederacy; They also deny the right of any
of the rebellious States to be considered as States one
moment after they have been conquered, and would
degrade them into the rankof territories, like the new
States that are growing in the wilderness, having
no rights whatsoever, but such as they would derive
from the paramount authority and grace of the
Federal Government, Vaich alone would appoint
their officers until such time as the Southern people
had re-acquired the right of self-government under
the constitution by a long course of probationary
discipline, during the continuance of which slavery
should have utterly disappeared irom among them.
This party is not numerous, but it is eloquent, un-
tiring, zealous, and fanatical. Its great defect is
that it takes no cognizance of the immense difficulty
of the work it would undertake ; that it despises
or ignores facts and worships theories; that it would
emancipate the negro, and then leave him to die ;
that, like all doctrinaires, it makes no account of
human passions, weaknesses, and errors; that it
would govern the world on the principle of pure
reason, though a thousand blood revolutions might
be the consequence ; and that in one word it is
impracticable. But it is, nevertheless, a great
power in American affairs, is represented by at least
two members of the Cabinet, and becomes more
formidable to contend against the longer the war
continues.

It would be treason for an American, but will
not be so in an Englishman, to say, after a careful
and friendly consideration of all the difficulties of
the case, that the first of these three parties is the
only one whose principles are calculated to give
peace to this Continent. The second, if immedi-
ately succssful, would reproduce the war at no re-
mote period ; while, if the objects of the third were
avowed and adopted by the Federal Government,
the threat of Mr. Jefferson Davis that the South
would carry on the war for 20 years after the loss
of Richmond, and of every city and port of the
Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf Mexico, would cer-
tainly be realised. In that case Europe would de-
cide whether it were or were not for its interest to
throw its weight into the scale to expedite a settle-
ment in favour of the Confederacy.

Thus, as " the Unionists " allege, the " Seces-
sions " and the " Abolitionists " travel to the same
terminus, though by different routes. And thus,
also, the " Unionists " themselves only postpone for
a time a result that is ultimately inevitable. Such,
dispassionately stated, is the real difficulty of the
American civil war as it presents itself to the mind
of an impartial spectator.

INTERESTING CONFEDERATE

DOCUMENT.

The following letter from a Confederate agent in
this country has fallen into the hands of the United
States Government :

" Liverpool, Ist April, 1862.
"To Major I. Gorgas, C. S. Artillery, War
Department.

" I have had great difficulties to contend with in
shipping the field artillery which, as I have previ-
ously informed you, I should soon send from Ham-
burg.
" Messrs. Frazer, Trenholm, and Co., of this city,
placed at my disposal a fine ship, the Bahama, which
I supposed would take all the batteries. It is found,
however, that the cargo is so difficult to stow that
but six or seven batteries can be taken on board the
Bahama.

" I went to Hamburg to superintend in person the
shipment; but finding soon after my arrival that
every step I took was watched by spies sent from
London by the United States Minister, as well as
by the United States Consul in Hamburg, and
learning that this consul had declared publicly that
the ship being known to have Confederate Govern-
ment stores on board, would be captured ; after tak-
ing legal advice and carefully considering the
matter, I determined to leave Hamburg and endea-
vourl to dispose of the batteries to some purchasers
1 of such merchandise in England.

" I accordingly came to this country, and sold the
whole ten batteries to Capt. Blakely, late of the
Royal Artillery, who is now engaged in the manu-
facture of artillery. He is now in Hamburg attend-
ing to the shipping of the batteries.
" Just after my arrival in England I received a
telegram from Hamburg, informing me that one of
the lighters from which the Bahama was receiving
her cargo had been run into by a British steamer
under charge of a Hamburg pilot, and sunk, with
eight pieces and carriages, &c., on board. There
are reasons for thinking the pilot was bribed to
commit the act, and the inhabitants being unani-
mously *posed to the Confederacy, it is probable
that it will be impossible for me to recover any
damages. I have had the satisfaction, how-
ever, this morning of receiving a telegram
from Captain Blakely, informing me that the
lighter had been raised, and the water being fresh,
the carriages pre not materially injured.
" Immediately on my arrival in England, I set
about obtainihg a ship to take the remainder of the
batteries left by the Bahama and such other articles
as might be ready.
" I have the satisfaction of being able to inform
you that I have succeeded in engaging the steam-
ship Melita for this work, and that she leaves
Liverpool tc-day for Hamburg. From Hamburg
she will proceed to London, and there take on board
the following articles :-10,000 rifles (about), 2,000
barrels powder, 5,000 sets accoutrements, 5,000
knapsacks, 300 cavalry swords, 10,000 yards light
blue cloth, 3,000 pairs shoes, 6,000 bayonet scab-
, bards, 1,000 cavalry belts, 250 saddles, &c., complete.

" In addition to the above, I have had offered to
me about 50,000 pairs of French shoes and 25,000
shirts, cotton. If the holder of these shoes and
shirts will take my order on the Confederate trea-
sury, payable in the Confederacy, in payment for
them, I shall purchase them. The shoes are of the
French army pattern, and although not by any
means equal to shoes that I have purchased in Eng-
land, still I have thought that they would be ser-
viceable, and that possibly they might be much
needed by the army.

" I have previously informed you that I have had
reason to be entirely satisfied with the London
Armstrong Company in all transactions that I have
had with them. The rifles manufactured by this
company are far superior to those obtained from
almost every other source, and possessing, more-
over, the advantage of being interchargeable. I
have requested the chairman to hand me a tender
for supplying 40,000 rifles from their manufactory.
Inclosed I have the honour to submit a copy of their
proposition. In case the department should de-
sire me to make this contract, I beg to be in-
formed at the earliest moment, as otherwise
I may find it impossible to arrange the matter.
Thinking it possible that the department might de-
sire a smaller bore, I made inquiries on this point,
and found that they could make a smaller bore, but
not without altering several of the machines. The
exterior of the rifle would have to be left the same
as at present. It is the opinion of some British
officers that the barrel of the Enfield rifle is too

light. Making the bore smaller, therefore, would
rather be an improvement, in giving greater
strength to the rifle.
" The Austrian bore is slightly smaller than the
English, but almost every other European Govern-
ment rifle is of a larger bore. The Austrian rifle is
a very serviceable weapon, though to one accus-
tomed to Enfield and Springfield arms, they have a
very rough appearance. _ _ _

"I am in a position to purchase 20,000 or 30,000
Austrian rifles, at about 40s. each, say about 10
dole. At present I am not in a position, as regards
funde, to make the purchase, inasmuch as I owe at
least 400,000 dole. than I have the means of paying.
" I have thought it necessary,
of my duty, to press the credit of the Confederacy
as far as possible in the discharge
~ 'without endangering its good
name ; but I must now limit myself to the con-
tracts already made ; I must pay my debts before
doing any more. As soon, however, as money suffi-
cient for the purpose is received, I shall invest it