The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-28 00:00:00

meeting was held at the Cooper Institute, in New
York, on the evening of Oct. 13. Horatio S,vmour,
the Democratic candidate for the govern rahip of
New York, and other leading democrats, ddressed
the meeting.

Mr. John Van Buren, in a lengthy speech, cast
some ridicule on the administration, and drew a dis-
heartening picture of the difficulties of war in which
the nation is engaged, amused his audience by ridi-
culous sketches of Dickenson, Fremont, Greeley,
and the Republican leaders, and paid a high com-
pliment to Gen. M'Clellan, which drew down en-
thusiastic applause. He informed the Republican
enemies of Gen. M'Clellan that if they would keep
on they would make him President of the United
States, He denounced Mr. Wadsworth as bitterly
hostile to Gen. M'Clellan and as a disunionist ; and
he declared the purpose of the Democracy to be to
stand by President Lincoln as long as he would let
them and stand by Gen. INl‘Clellan whether he would
let them or not. The most contemptible government
on the face of the earth he declared to be the Repub-
lican government of the Northern States, and after
making that declaration he cried, "And now, ho !
for Fort Lafayette." He had been dieting himself
for the last ten months, and thought he could
stand Fort Lafayette for two months. It could
not hold more than 500, who would not be missed
out of the Democratic majority, and then the fort
would be better garrisoned than it was before. His
plan was that M'Clellan should move on to Rich-
. mond, that then a convention should be called,
and their Southern brethren invited to it. The
constitution might then be altered and the provi-
sions made more distinct, so that they should here-
after live in peace ; and, if the South would not
stay he would say to them, in the language of
General Scott, "Wayward sisters, depart in peace."
He professed his conviction of the triumph of
the Democracy at the coming election, and said
that what at first was wanted was that New York
should see to it that her votes were deposited in
the ballot boxes. They should not lose their time
in talking, and, if the people did call them traitors,
they must not stop to talk, but go to the poll.
They had been told that the Southern folks would
not live, and in his judgment they ought not to
live, under abolition sway, and he would not live
with them if they would.
The following letter from General Scott to Mr.
Seward was read by Mr. John Van Buren during
his speech :

"-Washington, March 2, 1861.

" Dear Sir,—Hoping that in a day or two the
new President will have happily passed through all
personal dangers, and find himself installed an
honoured successor of the great Washington, with
you as the chief of his Cabinet, I beg to repeat in
writing what I have before said to you orally—
this supplement to my printed ' Views' (dated in
October last) on the highly disordered condition of
our (so late) happy and glorious Union. To meet
the extraordinary exigencies of the time it seems to
me that I am guilty of no arrogance in limiting the
President's field of selection to one of the four
plans of procedure subjoined :
" 1. Throw off the old and assume a new desig-
nation—the Union Party. Adopt the conciliatory
measures proposed by Mr. Crittenden or the Peace
Convention, and my life upon it we shall have no
new case of secession, but on the contrary an early
return of many, if not all, of the states which have
broken off from the Union. Without some equally
benign measure the remaining slaveholding states
will probably join the Montgomery Confederacy in
less than 60 days, when this city being included in
a foreign country would require a permanent garri-
son of at least 35,000 to protect the government
within it.

" 2. Collect the duties on foreign goods outside
the ports of which the government has lost the com-
mand, or close such ports by act of Congress, and
blockade them.

"3. Conquer the seceded states by invading
armies. No doubt this might be done in two or
three years by a young and able general—a Wolfe,
a Desaix, or a Hoche—with 300,000 disciplined
men, estimating a third for garrisons and the loss
of the greater number by skirmishes, sieges, battles,
and Southern fevers. The destruction of life and
property on the other side would be frightful, how-
ever perfect the moral discipline of the invader.
"The conquest, completed at that enormous
waste of human life to the North and North-West,
with at least 250,000,000 dollars added thereto,
and cui bone ? Fifteen devastated provinces, not to
be brought into harmony with their conquerors,
but to be held for generations by heavy garisons, at
an expense quadruple the net duties or taxes which
it would be possible to extort from them, followed
by a protector or an emperor.
"4. Say to the seceded states, Wayward sisters,
depart in peace!

"In haste, I remain very truly yours,
" WINFIELD SCOTT.

" Hon. MT. H. Seward, &c."

The following resolutions were passed :
" Itesolved—That, as we desire a vigorous prose-
cution of war, the conservative citizens of this city
will continue cheerfully the support given to it
by contributions of men and treasure ; but we will
at the same time insist on the fulfilment by the pre-
sent administration of the solemn pledge, almost
unanimously given, of the Congress of the United
States,' That this war is not waged on their part
in any spirit of oppression, or for any purpose of
overthrowing or interfering with the rights and
established institutions of the States, but to defend
and maintain the supremacy of the constitution, and
to preserve the 'Union with all the dignity, equality,
and rights of the several States unimpaired, and
that as soon as these objects are accomplished the
ought to cease.'

" Resolved—That the investigations by Congress
and the state legislatures have disclosed the exist-
enee of fearful and unexampled corruption and
extravagance—that uuless these enormous frauds
be checked the whole country must be involved in
bankruptcy and dishonour ; that we would be
faithless to the principles of honesty and economy
in the administration of public affairs if we did not
expose and denounce these wrongs on the industry
and great masses of the people ; and that, in the
language of our friends of New Jersey, we solemnly
protest against such reckless extravagance and
infamous peculation.
" Resolved,--That we highly approve and cheer-
fully endorse the truthfal arguments against whole-
sale emancipation presented by President Lincoln
in his interview with the ' Chicago delegation' in
the month of September last, satisfied as we are, in
the language of the President himself, that the
measure must be necessarily inoperative and inex-
pedient,' and that' no possible good can result from
the issuing such a proclamation.'
" Resolved,—That, in the language of the re-
visers of the statutes of this State, the writ of
habeas corpus is the great bulwark of personal li-
berty to the citizen.' (Applause.) That if in Eng-
land it points out to the humblest individual in the
realm effectual means as well to release himself
though committed by the King in Council, as
to punish those who unconstitutionally misuse
him, then in this republican country it should at
least be as effective to protect an American citi-
zen from arrest upois mere suspicion or inuendo
of disloyal practices even by the highest officers
in the land. We hold that the privilege of the writ
of habeas corpus can only be suspended by act of
Congress, and that the question of the power of the
President to suspend it must be decided by the
Supreme Court, a decision to which both the Presi-
dent and ourselves must yield. (Great applause.)
" Resolved,—That, faithful to our own record,
we renew our vows of loyalty to the Union and the
constitution, and stand now and ever supporting the
strong arm of the Government as the only break-
water between the constitutional rights of the
people of the United States and the rising flood of
ve"vhelnling force and lawlessness.
and wadssvorth
is
at in the nomination of Seymour
State, the the respective parties of the
line
Whosbdeirstinctly
tween those
as it was
and clearly drawn be-
and the Union believe in the constitution as it is
who seek to establish
ju
their stead a new consti-
(aPPlause)—and the men
tution and a new Union.
lt Resolved,—That we reeonarae d
A.toibthe electors
of this State th ticket not
around th e a 4 s!lection willninated t'
at'
tend to check en the
extra-

vagance and corruption in public officers, give new
vigour to the prosecution of the present war, and
assure the people that the Union and the constitu-
tion for which our fathers made sacrifices still lire
in all their original vigour."

A draft for 2,000 men was expected to be carried
out at Boston on the day the Europa left that
port.
It was supposed that the draft in New York
would take place on or about the 10th of November
—i.e., after the coming election.

Copies of two confidential letters, written by
General Beauregard as to the Confederate plans in
Kentucky, had fallen into the hands of the Federal
Government, and were made public. It appears
from these captured papers that the programme
' laid down by General Bragg was really nothing
less than the capture of Louisville and Cincinnati,
and carrying the war into the North-West. Beau-
regard even goes so far as to give Bragg minute
directions how to proceed, and points out the works
that it would be necessary to construct at Louis-
ville and Cincinnati to hold these cities after cap-
ture.

The New York limes of Oct. 14 gives the fol-
lowing summary of news :
" Our special correspondent at Harper's Ferry
sends us the gratifying assurance that a forward
moment of the army of the Potomac has been de-
termined upon, and that in a few days at furthest
it will be on the Virginia side of the Potomac, en-
gaged in offensive operations against the rebels.
Our correspondent traces this promise of action
directly to the late visit of the President.
" Our despatches published yesterday morning,
giving accounts of the escape of the rebel cavalry
across the Potomac, are fully confirmed this morn-
ing. They first attempted to cross at Norland's
Ford, but met with opposition there from a force of
our infantry. They then divided and crossed the
river in small bodies at different points. It is said
that General Stuart and General Wade Hampton
were both with the expedition, and that the cavalry
consisted of detachments from Virginia and South
Carolina regiments. Our cavalry, under General
Pleasanton, was a little too late to intercept the
rebels before they crossed the river. The skir-
mishing appears to have been without material
results. The Pennsylvanians were again thrown
into a state of perturbation yesterday, by the report
received in Harrisburg, that a rebel force, 30,000
strong, had made their appearance in Franklin
county, and carried off untold numbers of horses,
&c. It subsequently transpired that the fright
was occasioned by a number of stragglers from
Stuart's force, who appeared more anxious to make
their escape than to do any damage.
" It is now believed that the draft will take place
in this State on the 10th of November.
"It is said that henceforth Rienzi is to be the
head quarters of the national forces in Mississippi,
instead of Corinth as heretofore. Rienzi is a short
distance south of Corinth on the Mobile and Ohio
Railroad.

" The rebels in Memphis had reports on Tuesday
that the Confederates, who were so badly beaten at
Corinth, had recovered themselves, and given Ro-
sencranz a severe whipping on Sunday. They have
found out their mistake by this time.
" From the statements of refugees lately from
Richmond we learn that the Merrimac No. 2, or
Richmond, as she is named by the rebels, is nearly
ready for service, having received her iron armour,
which is five inches thick. She is pierced for six
guns—two Columbiads on each side, and a pivot
gun fore and aft. At the Tredegard work a 10-inch
rifle gun, 15 feet long, is being finished, for which
at the same time steel-pointed shot are being made.
The rebels state that they have now 10 gunboats on
the James River similar to the Teazer, each of which
carries rifled guns, and that they have but little to
fear for the safety of the city from a naval attack.
"It is understood that the division of Gen. Cox,
which lately occupied the Kanawha Valley, and
which has lately passed through a brief campaign
in the east, is now on its way to Western Virginia,
and will form a part of Major-Gen. Cox's command
in that department. These troops are now at or
near Cumberland."

The latest despatches confirm the statement that
Stuart's Confederate cavalry succeeded in recrossing
the Potomac into Virginia, almost without moles-
tation. It is stated that General M'Clellan had
given instructions to the divisional commander at
Poolesville, which, if carried out, would have
prevented the return of Gen. Stuart to Virginia,
but that these instructions were not carried out.
An investigation into the cause of this error was
going on at Washington, with a view to elicit all
the facts, and put the charge of this negligence
upon the proper parties. That there was gross
neglect somewhere is evident. A Washington
telegram of the 14th says :

" A memorial was submitted to the President to-
day by General Wallbridge and Messrs. Stevens,
M'Cendy, Lathrop, Wesandock, and others, on the
practicability of sending a Federal force to retake
Texas, and the demand for a proclamation an-
nouncing the policy of the Government to be simply
the restoration of the Federal Constitutional Go-
vernment where it is subverted. After tracing the
probable designs of Napoleon with Mexico in con-
travention of the Monroe doctrine, the memorial
says, with reference to Texas :—' Recent advises
inform us that if the loyal people of that section of
the country could be positively assured of the assis-
tance of the Federal Government large numbers
would immediately flock to the standard of the old
flag who have been induced by misrepresentation
to believe that the action of the Constitutional
Government of the United States has been under-
taken to subjugate them and overthrow all their
civil and political rights, instead of furnishing
them immunity and protection against the odious
oligarchy which, under the title of a Confederate
Government, has endeavoured to subvert the repre-
sent4tive Constitutional Government of the Federal
Union, and erect upon its ruins a ferocious military
despotism which ignores the welfare, privileges,
and prosperity of the masses for the advancement
of the few, who, by intimidation and violence, are
temporarily directing the administration of their
public affairs.'"
Nashville was said to be completely surrounded
by Confederate guerillas, and the Federal troops in
the city were living on half rations. Provisions
were held at fabulous prices.

Ad vices from New Orleans are to the Ist inst.
A correspondence had taken place between Dr.
Mercer and General Butler on the question of
neutrality, the former claiming a right to remain
neutral as between the Rebel Government and the
United States, having never taken the oath of alle-
giance to the one, and not wishing to do so to the
other. General Butler replied that he could not
recognise any such neutrality; that every person
must be regarded as either a friend or an enemy.
'rhe time for taking the oath of allegiance had
been extended to the 4th inst., and the rush to the
provost marshal's offices continued unabated.

The news of the Federal victories in Maryland,
it is said, having done much to stir up the dormant
patriotism of the inhabitants, the steamer Iberville
had been fired upon by guerillas while on her pas-
sage from Iberville. Forty or fifty shots were fired
at her from a battery of four rifled 6-pounders, 10
of which took effect in different parts of the boat,
but without doing material damage.
Californian dates are to Oct. 14, Business was
unsettled. Merchants were apparently disinclined
to make new engagements, until further advices
from the East in regard to war prospects and cur-
rency matters. There was considerable demand for
shipping, which could not be supplied until after
the arrival of a fleet of vessels.

The town of I lowland Flats, Sierra county, has
been almost totally destroyed by fire.

The steamer Sierra Nevada had arrived from the
northern coast. She brought 120,000 dols. in trea-
sure from British Columbia, and over 100,000 dols.
in the hands of the passengers.
There was continued excitement in financial and
commercial circles in New York. Gold and ex-
change rapidly advancing, and stocks and produce
being affected in a proportionate degree. The latest
commercial news, via Halifax, has been already
published, and supersedes that, contained in the
newspapers. The New York City Bank statement
for the week shows an increase of 4,617,891 dols.