The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-20 00:00:00

AMERICA,

LIVERPOOL, Feb. 19.
The royal mail steam-ship Cuba arrived in the
Mersey this afternoon.

All attempts to board her have been frustrated
by the tempestuous state of the river, and it is not
likely that this will be effected before to-morrow
morning.

NEW YORK, FEB. 7 (Morning).

The New York Times gives the following par-
ticulars of the peace conference at Fort Monroe,
which are supposed to be derived from official
sources :
After President Lincoln and Mr. Seward returned
to Washington a Cabinet meeting was summoned,
and the following leading points of the conference
submitted.
Mr. Seward, on his arrival at Fort Monroe, in-
vited the commissioners to an interview. The com-
missioners informed Mr. Seward, in reply, of their
desire to proceed to Washington to discuss the
question of peace with the President. Mr. Seward
said that the President desired that the interview
should take place at Fort Monroe, and was coming
there for that purpose. The commissioners pressed
for leave to visit Washington, alleging that the
Confederate Government only consented to send
them in consequence of Mr. Blair's assurance
that they could have a personal interview with
President Lincoln. Lincoln's arrival was after-
wards announced ; whereupon he and Mr. Seward
had an interview with the commissioners on board a
Federal vessel. The interview was friendly and
tempered throughout. Linnolnprin• (tally conducted
the conversation on the Federal side, and Mr. Hun-
ter on the Confederate, Mr. Stephens occasionally
taking part in it. The commissioners spoke solely
and exclusively on the part of the Confederate Go-
vernment, and declared at the outset, and through-
out the conference, their entire lack of authority to
make, receive, or consider any proposition looking
to an end of the war except on the basis of the
recognition of the independence of the Confederates
as a preliminary condition. Lincoln presented the
shbject to them in every conceivable form, sug-
gesting the liberal and considerate modification of
whatever in the existing legislation or action of
the Federal Government might be regarded as
specially hostile to the rights and interests, or
wounding to the pride of the Southern people ;
but in no single particular could he induce them to
swerve for a moment from their demand for recog-
nition. They did not present this constitutionally,
as resting on their own convictions and wishes, but
as a condition which their Government had made
absolutely indispensable to any negotiations or dis-
cussions concerning peace. President Lincoln in-
formed them at every point that such recognition
was utterly and totally out of the question. The
United States could stop the war and arrest the
movement of the armies, even temporarily, upon the
condition precedent that the national authority be
recognised and obeyed over the whole United States
territory.

This point conceded, he assured them that upon
every other matter of difference they would be
treated with the utmost liberality, but without the
recognition of that authority the war must con-
tinue. All the conversation came back and turned
upon this irreconcileable difficulty. Neither side
could be swerved a hair's breadth from its position,
and the attempt at negotiation was therefore an
utter failure. Upon separating it was distinctly
understood, and explicitly stated, that the action and
attitude of each Government was to be precisely
what it would have been if this interview had never
taken place. The Cabinet received these explana-
tion as satisfactory and complete. The feeling was
unanimous that the country must now arouse itself
to renewed efforts, and prepare to make fresh sacri-
fices in defence of the integrity of the Union.
The New York Herald. does not consider the
conference as an entire failure. It will open the
door to further negotiation, after the commissioners
have communicated the result of their interview at
Richmond, and the conference will probably be held
again.

The Daily News says a way has been opened for
future conferences that may prove more fruitful of
happy consequences.
It still asserts that the commissioners came armed
with the certainty of French recognition. The ques-
tion now is, whether the South will achieve inde-
pendence by their armies forcing intervention, or by
voluntary recognition.

The Times thinks that it is the inability of the
North to acknowledge independence, and the ina-
bility of the South to abandon independence, that
renders negotiation so difficult, and is likely to ren-
der it so fruitless.

The New York Tribune says the result of the con-
ference is a frightful disappointment. A vigorous
prosecution of the war, with full ranks and a full
Treasury, and 60 days will suffice to kill the rebel-
lion.

The Washington Intelligencer states that the com-
missioners declared that civil war would result in
the South if a reconstruction proposition was sub-.
witted to the people.
Mr. Sumner has called for information in Con-
grew relative to President Lincoln's peace mission.
Mr. Cox, of Ohio, a peace democrat, has offered
a resolution in the House of Representatives declar-
ing that the President was entitled to the gratitude
of the country for endeavouring to ascertain the
disposition of the insurgents, with a view to nego-
tiations for peace and the restoration of the Union.
The President is requested to omit no honourable
exertion hereafter which may lead to peace and
union.

A motion to table the resolution was defeated.
Mr. Fernando Wood's resolution, declaring it to
be the duty of the President to maintain the
Union, has passed the House of Representatives.
The article in the Richmond Sentinel on Monday
last, universally copied into our newspapers as a
semi-official announcement of the nature and object
of their mission, was careful to state, in language
sufficiently explicit, that it was a mere mission of
inquiry without :powers to negotiate. We repro-
duce the following statement from the article in the
Sentinel :
On Mr. Blair's second visit to Richmond he
brought the consent of Mr. Lincoln to receive and
confer with any agents informally sent, with a
view to the restoration of peace. The three gen-
tlemen who left yesterday were thereupon selected
by President Davis, and they have gone without
formal credentials, and merely as informal agents,
to see whether it be possible to place a conference
for peace on any basis which may serve for attain-
ing so desirable a result. As informal agents with-
out powers, seeking information, but possessing no
authority to act, they could have taken no other
ground in their interview with the President than
that on which they are reported to have stood with
such rooted persistency. As agents of the Confede-
rate Government they could not make any conces-
sions that would overstep their powers; and, hav-
ing no powers at all, they could of course concede
nothing. It would have been a breach of trust to
compromise the authority or lower the pretensions
of the Government that sent them."
Advice, from
NEW YORK, Feb. 8.
that on the raorri* Gen.
Grant's headquarters state
of the sth inst. the fifth corps,
preceded by Gregg'sin cavalry, moved towards Ream's
station, encountering on the road, who re-
treated before the Ideaervilvradvance.
reached Rowanty Creek,
nwiahich they constructed
At noon they
a/bridge. The 3d Pennsylvear
Cavalry were then
sent out to make a connection
two divisions of which had gone outwith
on
second corps,
cn the Vaughan
Road as far as Hatcher's Run, to
that direction. demonstrate in
On reaching the Run, the first brigade of the
2d
the
e
Corps charged and took the line of rifle pits on h
west side, but with slight loss. They advanced
mile across the Run, driving the Confederate pickets
before them. Here the Federals erected a strong
line of breastworks, making their position perfectly
secure, and the connection between both corps was
afterwards formed.
The 2d division of the 2d Corps, before reaching
Hatcher's Run, turned to the right, and, advancing
in a north-westerly direction, found the enemy in a
strong position in the vicinity.
The Federals having thrown up a line of breast-