The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-10 00:00:00

founded in its exposition of the national feeling in
many States of the Union, it will be seen what is in
store for the Government, and that Mr. Seward had
no small danger to face when he resolved to yield
up Mason and Slidell, and it will also be observed
that American Senators do not always speak wisely,
temperately, or with knowledge of law, and that in
a grave question of international right they can
appeal to the prejudices and passions of the igno-
rant and inflammable masses of the fierce democracy,
which they can wield in no other way, A great evil
is averted from Great Britain, but it is impossible
to deny that a very serious mischief is generated in
the United States themselves, and that there will
be a clamour against the President and his Cabinet.
There will be irritation, too, in the volunteer army.
Some of the regiments were rejoicing over the pro-
spect of a war with the British, whom, perhaps,
they think more easy to be beaten than the Confe-
derates. In the quasi-French and foreign regiments
such' a sentiment was said to prevail very strongly.
The Irish element will also be excited and angry
that they could not meet their fellow-countrymen
in Canada, who, according to Mr. M'Gee, are quite
ready for them whenever they come, in a way they
do not anticipate. With the intestinal struggle be-
tween the Abolitionists and the Democrats, with
an empty treasury, and with a civil war on
their hands, the prospects of , the people of -1*
United States `are dark enough without any
additional cause of disunion and faction. Let
January pass over without some great victory
and the fate of the Government is sealed, and
with it something more goes too. At present
General M'Clellan is unwell. The weather is very
fine. Republican generals ought never tobe unwell
—time is passing away. But the respectable public
will find itself quite mistaken if it supposes it is
master of the situation. It is in for the war for the
Union, and it must abide the consequences and sub-
mit to all the agencies it has evoked. Perhaps it
rubbed its eyes a little on Christmas morning when
it saw Dragoons with drawn swords at all the an-
gles of the streets to keep order in Washington,
where the sight of a soldier a year ago was a strange
phenomenon. The Dragoons are there still, and I
was reprimanded by one of them yesterday for can-
tering down the street. They are nominally to keep
order, and perhaps they may be withdrawn when
the holydays are over ; but it is certainly such a
spectacle as I never beheld elsewhere in America.
The people take to it quite naturally. Then there
are heavy patrols through the streets, just in the
old Austrian fashion in Milan not long ago. As
soon as General Burnside's expedition is ready it
will proceed from Annapolis, and possibly make a
diversion on the right flank and rear of the Confe.
derate position on the Lower Potomac. Captain
David Porter's mortar-boat flotilla, fitting out at
New York, may be intended to co-operate. with it ;
but at all events it is expected that General
M'Clellan will be enabled to make an onward move-
ment, with every chance of distracting the Confe-
derates by placing them between two fires, as soon
as Burnside has fairly landed and has made some
progress below. The action at Dranesville has given
this army more confidence, and has been admitted
by the Confederates to be a serious disaster for
their men. The superior arms of the Federalists
must in the long run establish a moral as well
as a physical advantage over their opponents.
A fowling-piece is but a poor match for
an Enfield rifle While the South is cut off
from Europe, unless by the chance passage of a
vessel through the blockade, the North is importing
arms by tens of thousands, and the Hamburg
steamers each week are freighted with munitions of
war for the Federal troops, All that ought to give
victory in numbers, wealth, and resources, is on their
side, and still their progress is not sure, and is very
slow. But of its ultimate rapidity and success I
have no doubt, and never had any, with the im-
portant proviso that the people pay taxes and give
money to the Government to carry on the war. The
Treasury Department announces that it is now ready
to issue the 7 3-10 notes of the second 50 millions
taken by the banks, and it is hoped that subscrip-
tions will flow in ; but to my notion that source of
income is nearly dried up, and the investments have
been falling off at a great rate within the last few
weeks. The Far West may be excluded from all
calculations founded on tax collections, and the Go-
vernment will get little indeed from Michigan,
Western Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. By the
next mail I will forward the extracts of my journal,
in which are some details which may be interesting.
The melancholy and surprising intelligence of
the Prince Consort's death was received here on
Tuesday, by telegraph, which reported that the
newspapers of the 15th, brought by the Persia,
and taken from her when she was spoken off Cape
Race the day before, contained a statement that his
Royal Highness expired on the previous day. It
sensibly affected every Englishman in our small
community, and for some time we hoped against
hope that the intelligence was untrue, or that there
was some error in the name ; but at last the fact
was established, and a deep and universal emotion
filled our hearts, mingling with the profoundest
sympathy for the Queen, and for those on whom
the blow has fallen so heavily. If anything could
console Her Majesty for the loss, which is irrepar-
able, it would be the exhibition of the nation's
grief and the common sorrow of her whole people ;
but it is a tribute to her virtues and to the character
of Prince Albert which is of singular value, that in
the midst of the excitement arising out of the diffi-
culties between the two countries the American
press has with one voice expressed its sympathy
with the Queen in her grief, and has announced
the event in a manner very creditable to the people
and gratifying to us. It touches the English heart
to hear Queen Victoria spoken of as she is by all
classes in A merica, and, though the praise may be
extorted by the blameless life and the dom. estic
tqualities
pride in the honour showered on our Queen by those
spolef atsha en
twtoomuasntoan listen
the St oe v
it,r e legen id,
tto s
takenot
who are by no means friendly to her subjects. Her
misfortune and the calamity to the Royal family
and to the country have been treated with respect-
ful condolence in America. May the tears of the
wife in whose grief all English-speaking races
share be wiped away, and long may she be spared
to her country and her children after the Comforter
has come and soothed her affliction

The following notice appeared in the National
Intelligencer on Christmas-day:—
" THE DEATH OF PRINCE ALBERT. _ _

" It was yesterday announced under our telegraphic head
that Prince Albert, the estimable and virtuous Consort
of Queen Victoria, died on the 15th of the present month.
The intelligence was as unexpected in this country as it will
be desolating to the home of the exalted lady who is held'
in highest respect, not only among her subjects, but where-
ever she is known, for those qualities which equally adorn
the public and the private station, but which, in her case,
have been made especially conspicuous by the peculiar
felicity allotted to her, under Providence, in the rela-
tions of wife and mother, as well as in those which she
sustains as the honoured Queen of a loyal people. Called
as she now is to sit in the shadow of a great affliction, she
will be attended by the sympathies of millions in our own
country who but a few months ago found pride and plea-
sure in tendering to her eldest son the cordial civilities which
were meant no less in homage to the virtues of the mother
than to the titled rank of the Royal visitor. No passing
cloud in the diplomatic relations of the two countries will
be suffered to check this natural impulse of the American
people at the present moment. May we not rather hope
that it will only afford the better occasion of revealing how
sincere is the friendly feeling really existing between the
two peoples, and how impossible as well as unnatural a
thing would be a war between them I"

THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT.—Yesterday the
Lord Mayor issued a notice convening a public meeting in
the Egyptian-hall of the Mansion-house on Tuesday next,
at two o'clock, to 'consider the propriety of inviting contri-
butions for the erection of a suitable memorial of his late
loyal Highness tile, Prince Consort. His lordship has
also requested the attendance of many gentlemen of rank
and influence to take part in the proceedings, aAd to aid in
Carrying out the proposed object.