The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-23 00:00:00

laws of the country were removed from the
statute books on the same day, their removal
would have no more effect in staying the course of
the secessionists than a Quaker Sezmon would have

in persuading the King of Dahomey to ( ease sacri-
ficing to the manes of his father. We of the North
would humiliate ourselves in ♦ain shr uld we fol-
low Mr. Banks's counsel. Had President Buchanan,

at the beginning of the troubles last November,
announced his intention to maintain the Union,
and sent a military and naval force to Charleston,
at the same time calling upon the Northern States

to repeal their obnoxious laws, the policy now
recommended would probably have prevailed ; but
it is now too late to be of any practical value,
even if there were no principles involved in the
question.
. _

As an evidence of his intention to enforce the
revenue laws, the President has appointed Mr
M'Kibben, of Philadelphia, collector of the port
of Charleston, Mr. Colcroft, the former collector,
having taken service under the new nation of South
Carolina. He would have to set up his office on

board of some armed steam-ship, which should

bring-to every vessel attempting to enter, or which

should succeed in leaving Charleston,: for there is
not an acre of land in South Carolina on which a

national office could now be set up. When Mr.
M'Kibben's appointment was sent into the Senate
for confirmation, the Republicans were desirous of
acting on it at once, and proposed to go into secret
session, all appointments being considered with
closed door; but the Democrats, who have the
majority, refused, and adjourned. Nothing had
been done in the matter up to the time that I

write.
The President's refusal toy recognise the officia
character of the South Carolina commissioners snr.

prised those gentlemen, who were astonished to find
that he had become a changed man. Their work is
over for the present. The South Carolina Conven-
tion has adjourned; but its president is authorised
to call it together whenever he may see fit to do so.
If the accounts from Charleston are trustworthy,
the Carolinians are besieging Fort Sumter, and will
soon open fire upon it; but nothing that comes
thence by telegraph is to be relied upon. The
State troops are much exposed and are overworked,
and consequently are suffering from illness in con-
siderable numbers. The poor fools are in a fair
way to have all the disagreeable incidents of war,
but none of its glories. The sinking of vessels in
the channels that lead to Charleston harbour is
intended to prevent the sending of men and sup-
plies to Fort Sumter, but it will also keep every-
thing in the harbour that is now there, and prevent
the entrance of foreign vessels.
The condition of South Carolina is a strange one.
Although she claims to be an independent nation,
yet she allows the Postmaster of Charleston to in-
form the Postmaster-General of the United States
that he holds himself personally responsible to the
Federal Government for the revenues accruing at
his office ; and consequently existing postal
arrangements are to be maintained. This is held
to be a virtual abdication of that sovereignty which
was resumed so eagerly in December.
The Florida Seceding Convention met at Talla-
hassee on the 3d of January, but instead of taking
the State out of the Union between breakfast and
dinner, as it was expected to do on the day of its
meeting, the Convention did not perfect its organi-
sation until the sth ; and then, after some moderate
discussion of the secession question, it adjourned to
the 7th. Perhaps one of the reasons why Florida
is not ready to jump out of the Union can be found
in the following paragraph, which I take from the
Albany (N.Y.) Journal :
" Before Florida entered the Union she issued a
million or two of dollars of bonds which were taken
by English bankers. They were never paid, nor
was payment of them ever assumed by the general
government. A commission was appointed to
examine the matter a few years since, which sat in
London, but finally concluded that nothing could
be done for the creditors, as Florida, while a mem-
ber of the Union, could not be coerced to pay. But
if Florida goes out and becomes an independent
nation the bondholders will probably ask the Bri-
tish Government to compel payment of these claims
by armed force. Mississippi has a similar prospect
before her in regard to .176. r bonds. Here are two
wars laid out for the new Southern Confederacy, in
addition to its danger of civil and servile ones."
Should Florida secede and become a nation, you
will be able to collect these moneys at a small cost.
A sloop of war with transports enough to hold a
regiment of infantry from Jamaica—gentlemen of
black faces and in red coats and white fronts—
would settle the business and the bills in a week.
Mississippi might be a harder party to deal with,
but she could be whipped into an admission of
justice in a month.
The report that some North Carolinians had
seized Fort Johnson, on Cape Fear River, is not
confirmed. The State Government is moderate,
and if anything has been done of a lawless cha-
racter it is the work of a few individuals. The
Georgians have been active, and have seized Fort
Jackson and Fort Pulaski, which were built to de-
fend the harbour of Savannah. The first-named
fortress is not a post of much importance, having
but 14 guns mounted ; but Fort Pulaski is strong,
and has 150 guns mounted. It is named from the
Pole who took so prominent a part in resisting the
spoilers of his country, but who had to leave that
country, and who entered our service in the Revo-
lution. He was killed in that attack on the
Savannah lines, made October 9, 1799, in which
General Prevost and Colonel Maitland gave us and
our allies, the French, under General Lincoln and
Comte d'Estaign, so complete a licking—the same
affair in which Mr. Joseph Willet lost his left arm.
The Georgians also seized a revenue cutter, but
Governor Brown ordered it to be returned to the
national authorities.
I shall not cumber your columns with accounts
of what congressional committees and caucuses
have not done. They have done nothing. The
following despatch from Washington, under date
of the sth, gives the details of the last attempt to
get up a compromise, and this was rejected by the
Republicans on the 6th :
" The committee on the part of the Border States
—Crittenden, chairman—held their second meet-
ing last night, and at twelve o'clock adopted the
following resolutions :—Recommending a repeal
of all personal liberty bills; that the Fugitive
Slave Law be amended ; for preventing kidnap-
ping; and so as to provide for equalisation of the
commissioner's fee, &c. ; that the constitution
be so amended as to prohibit any interference
with slavery in any States where it now exists;
that Congress shall not abolish slavery in Southern
dockyards, arsenals, &c. ; nor in the district of
Columbia without the consent of Maryland and
the consent of the inhabitants of the district, nor
without compensation ; that Congress shall not in-
terfere with State slave trade; that a line of 36.30
shall be run through all existing territory of the
United States ; that in all north of that line
slavery shall be prohibited, and that south of that
line neither Congress nor territorial legislation
shall hereafter pass any law abolishing, prohibit-
ing, or in any manner interfering with African
slavery, and. that whenever any territory contain-
ing sufficient population for one member of Con-
gress in any area of 60,000 square miles shall apply
for admission as a State, it shall be admitted with
or without slavery, as its constitution may deter-
mine. The committee represented at its meeting
M iryland, Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina,
Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Delaware,
Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
The present intention of the Republican members
is to press forward the regular business of the ses-
sion, and not waste time on impracticable compro.
miss schemes.
The belief that an attack will be made on Wash-
ington by a collection of armed rowdies, headed by
ex-Governor Wise, or by some other lawless fellow,
wh? is ambitious of that kind of notoriety which
so many Spanish-American generals have won, is
on the increase; but men are less alarmed about it
because Government shows a disposition to uphold
the law. It is understood General Scott is paying
particular attention to this matter, and that such a
force will be assembled at Washington as must be
more than sufficient to keep off or strike down the
vagabonds who shall attempt to seize the city. The
militia of the district of Columbia is to be put in
good condition, and a competent soldier—Captain
Stone,
a veteran, who has seen much service, and
who
' a, character for determination—has
been appoin
tea inspector-general. A small
force of regulars could be assembled also, and