The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-16 00:00:00

AMERICA

(REUTER'S TELEGRAM.)
ARRIVAL OF THE HIBERNIAN.

FAILURE OF THE PEACE NEGOCIATIONS.

The Montreal Ocean Company's steam ship
Hibernian, from Portland on the morning of the
51h inst., arrived at Greencastle at 6.30 p.m. to-
day, 15th inst.

(Via Greencastle.)
NEW YORK, Feb. 3, Evening.

The House of Representatives has passed the
bill for the construction of a ship canal around the
Niagara Falls, and also for the Illinois-Michigan
Canal. The latter will enable gunboats to pass
from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan.
NEW YORK, Feb. 4, Morning.

The Senate has passed the joint resolution, de-
claring Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee not entitled to
representation in the Electoral College.

President Lincoln and Mr. Seward returned to
Washington this morning. The Southern commis-
sioners returned to Richmond last night. The
journals continue their speculations on the peace
question.
The New York Times says it would be too much
to believe that the conference would result in the
immediate cessation of hostilties, but it would be
unwarrantable to predict that the conference had
proved entirely fruitless.
The Herald is apprehensive that the chasm be-
tween submission and recognition will be found too
wide to be bridged over at a peace conference with-
out further aid from Grant and Sherman. It thinks
that Mr. Davis is playing a game of diplomacy,
and has not clothed the commissioners with any
discretion except upon the basis of Southern inde-
pendence, and fears that the conference will end in
smoke.

The Daily News says :—" Mr. Lincoln would not
have hastened to meet Stephens, whom before he
had rudely rebuffed when on a similar mission, un-
less he had known that a few months would witness
an armed European intervention in behalf of the
South. The French tricolour can be seen on the
horizon hastening to blend with the stars and bars
in the question. Lincoln has to answer this—
Shall the North fight France in alliance with or in
antagonism with the South ? Upon Lincoln's
answer depends the future of Republicanism on
the American continent."

The Washington Chronicle, the semi-official organ,
contains an article, to which much significance is
attached, urging the abandonment of the confisca-
tion law, and making the amnesty proclamation
general and without exception. It asks if the North
is afraid to admit its countrymen, submitting to the
constitution and obeying the laws, to all privileges
of the Union, or shall the rapidly demoralising
rebel army be allowed to be reinforced by the mil-
lions of Napoleon and Maximilian.
The Washington correspondent of the New York
Tribune says—" The Radical portion of the Repub-
lican party in Congress are rapidly falling into rank
against Lincoln's peace expedition. The senators
denounce it with unsparing severity, and the Con-
servative Republicans are filled with anxiety at not
knowing the motives or seeing the necessity of Lin-
coln's journey. Its suddenness alarms them, its
secrecy awakens suspicion both in the Senate and
the House of Representatives."

To this end a court of senators to be relied on
has been informally taken to vote against any ar-
rangement with the South that may contravene or
materially exceed the policy of the reunion of the
states and the freedom of the slaves. All parties
will await the result of the conference.

The Washington correspondent of the Herald
says a change has taken place in the tone of the peace
Democrats in Congress. Heretofore they scouted
the idea that the rebels would negotiate on any other
basis than the recognition of their independence,
but they say they were mistaken. The matter is
more serious than they supposed, and they consider
there is a prospect of a settlement without recogni-
tion or further fighting.

The same correspondence says the Secretary of
War has hitherto opposed negotiations on any other
basis than unconditional submission. Yesterday,
when in conversation with a member of Congress,
he conveyed the idea that there was a probability of
an early and amicable termination of the war.
The Daily News Washington correspondent says
" it is well understood in that city that the Confede-
rate Government has received an assurance of an
early French recognition." The object of the com-
missioners from Richmond was to give Lincoln a
chance to anticipate Napoleon's action by granting
the recognition offered by the French.
The situation at Wilmington on the 30th ult.
was unchanged.
The Confederates were still in force in the Federal
front.

General Grant, whilst at Fort Fisher, had an in-
terview with Admiral Porter and General Terry.

The guerillas continue active in Kentucky.
It is reported from St. Louis that there is dis-
affection among several Confederate generals in the
South-west.

The Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts
Legislatures have ratified the constitutional amend-
ment abolishing slavery. It has been also ratified
by the New York Assembly.
The provost marshal general has written a state-
ment that the large quota of troops demanded from
New York is correct.

NEW YORK, FEB. 4, 7 p.m.
Mr. Sumner has proposed the following resolu-
tions in the Senate :
" Resolved,—That all acts of the executive and
legislature, in pursuance of the constitution, and of
treaties made under the United States authority,
are valid throughout the United States, although
certain rebel states fail to participate therein. That
the same rule is equally applicable to a constitutional
amendment.

" Resolved,—That the constitutional amendment
abolishing slavery will be valid as part of the con-
stitution whenever ratified by three-fourths of the
states, de facto, exercising the powers and preroga-
tives of the United States under the constitution.

" Resolved,—That any other rule requiring the
participation of the rebel states, while illogical and
unreasonable, is dangerous in its consequences, in-
asmuch as all recent proclamations, including the
emancipation proclamation ; all recent treaties, in-
cluding the treaty with England for the extinc-
tion of the slave trade ; and all recent acts of Con-
gress, including those creating the national debt,
have been made and ratified without the participa-
tion of the rebel states. Any other rule must tend
to postpone the great day when the prohibition of
slavery will be valid as part of the United States
constitution, but the rule here declared will ensure
the immediate ratification of constitutional amend-
ments."

In the House of Representatives, Mr. Ingersoll
asked permission to offer a resolution, declaring,
that as informal negotiations are now pending be-
tween the United States and the so-called Confede-
rate States, it is the emphatic and deliberate opinion
of the house that no peace can be made to recognise
the traitorous leaders of the rebellion, as they are
not entitled to equal rights and immunities with
loyal citizens.
Mr. Stephens said that he was informed that no
negociatiois were pending, as the contracting par
ties had separated without anything admissible
having been presented.
Mr. Fernando Wood said-7-If, as reported, the
peace negotiations have failed in consequence of an
indisposition on the part of the rebel authorities to
return to their allegiance and duty, and because
they refuse to unite on the basis of the constitution
so far as they represented the peace sentiment, he
would not sustain them in their position. If the
President threw the door open and the answer was
separation and recognition and nothing else, so far
as his efforts were concerned he should aid in con-
quering the enemy's country and obtain by force
what they were unable to obtain by peace.

The latest accounts from General Sherman state
that he was still advancing into South Carolina.

All soldiers in the field hospitals of the army of

the Potomac have been sent to City Point. This
has given rise to a rumour of an intended forward
movement by General Grant.

There has been frequent cheering among the
Confederates in front of Petersburg during the last
few days. The reason is unknown.

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2.30 p.m.

The peace conference between President Lincoln,
Mr. Seward, and the Confederate Commissioners,
has proved a failure. Both Governments remain as
they were.
Gold, 213 f.

NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (Evening).

The Associated Press despatches state that Presi-
dent Lincoln and Mr. Seward had an informal con-
ference with Messrs. Hunter, Stephens, and Camp-
bell on board a steamer at Hampton Roads. The
conference lasted four hours, and it is positively
known that it resulted in no change in the attitude
of either Government. In other words, it was a
failure.