The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-11 00:00:00

have the American privateers again. But where
-ttre they to sail from ? The whole south seaboard
of .the States, which were their great harbours of
exit and refuge, will be closed against them. No
Northern privateers can sail from these harbours,
and if one enters it will be captured. The whole of
the ports of the European Powers are closed against
privateers, and there are only two or three harbours
which the Americans have, which can be easily
blockaded, so that any attempt at privateering
would be checkmated. (Hear.) I believe, when it
is not the interest of America to go to war with as,
it may also be shown to them that it is con-
sistent with their character and honour to re-
main at peace. (Hear,) I believe that these two
motives combined will make them ready to meet
half way the judicious concessions asked by Eng-
land. Whether there is peace or war in America, I
hold the disruption of the Union to be an accom-
plished fact. Only two questions then remain to be
asked. First, what should be the effect of the divi-
sion of the Union on slavery. My belief is that it
must be the death blow of slavery, because I hold it
to be impossible that the slave and the free states
can co-exist side by side unless the legislation of the
one assists the institutions of the other. It is said
the North will be weakened by losing one half of
the Union. At the end of the last century it was
said that if we allowed the American colonies to de-
part the glory of England was gone. But the colo-
nies broke away, and what was considered a great
calamity to England has turned out its greatest
blessing ; so it will be with the North. The North
will be emancipated from the stain of slavery, but
while they are connected with it they cannot be
safe and prosperous. The separation will give
strength to the Northern States. They will start
up a new empire. The disasters of the present day
having opened their eyes to the unsafe parts of the
constitution, they will form a stronger Government
when the law will be not the American law but the
old English law; when the few will govern and the
many obey, instead of every man governing and
no man obeying. (Hear.) When they have reverted
to principles of government more sound and rational
you will then see a new empire start forth with a
new future before it—with a higher intelligence,
with a sounder morality, with a purer patriotism—
and then if old England is fallen or decayed she
may still live again in the blood and the sinews of
a young Anglo-Saxon giant, who inherits her
energies and perpetuates her language, her civili-
sation, and religion to nations and ages yet unborn.
(Cheers.) I trust this is not too sanguine a pic-
ture I have drawn of the termination of this
unhappy crisis. I t;ust that what is for the
future of America will be seen by the statesmen
of England, and that to England and all the
world they will prove themselves worthy of a higher
character and nobler future. But this we must feel,
that if unhappily the reverse is to be the case, if
war is to decide these painful and unhappy difficul-
ties, there never was a time when England was in
such a condition as to make the results of that war
both brief and certain. Commercially our position
is sound. Financially it is so good, that while other
nations are endeavouring to extricate themselves
from the prospect of :bankruptcy, the only quarrel
with the House of Commons is whether the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer shall put on or take off ano-
ther million of taxes. Practically speaking, our.
people are the most loyal on the face of the whole
earth. If we go into the war there is not a man in
England who will not regard the commencement of
it with great reluctance and with great pain—there
is not one who would not hail its termination with
joy. All we can pray is, that if this war is to take
place it may be as brief as possible—as bloodless as
possible, and that while it may give safety to Eng-
land it may also be a blessing, from the lesson it
teaches and the high inducements it holds out, to
America herself. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. STANTON moved a resolution thanking Mr.
Horsman for attending, and for his readiness at all
times to appear before his constituents and court in-
quiry into his conduct, and expressing its pleasure
at hearing his opinions on the various topics of pub-
lic interest which he had touched upon.
The resolution was agreed to and the proceedings
terminated.