The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-13 00:00:00

.tiEWS PAPER
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the people of South Carolina, and that O\
rities at Washington have been informed of the present
mediation, of Virginia a vessel of war has been sent to the
South with troops and munitions of war concentrated on
the soil of Virginia.
"Resolved unanimously,—That in these circuraldances
this Aassembly, with rene wed 'assurance of cordial respect
and esteem for the people of Virginia, and high considera-
tion for her Commissioner, decline entering into the nego-
tiations proposed by both branches of the Virginia Legisla-
ture." • •

pracß 4.D. STAMPED, SD.

also proposes resolutions declaratory of the consti
thtionality of the Fugitive Slave Law, and the
necessity of enforcing it, and repealing all State
laws interfering with it, but that that law ought
to be amended, so as to make it less unjust.
Lastly in the catalogue, of which by thili time I
am afraid: you have had qUite enough, cotne the
resolutions of &Virginia Legislature, transmitted
by the President to Congress yesterday in a special
message. They invite all the States, non-slavehold-.
ing as well ap slavehoiding, to send Commissioners.
to_ment in Washington on the 4th February, " to
consider and, if practicable, agree upon some
suitable' adjustment." Ex-President Tyler, Mr.
Rives (fortnei' Ministet at 'Paris), Judge Broaken-
brough, 'Mr. Summers, and Mr. Seddon are named
the Commissioners by Virginia. In the opinion of
Virginia, the resolutions of Mr. Crittenden, as
amended, will form a suitable basis of adjustment.
They ask the Commissioners if they agree upon any
plan of adjustment, requiring amendments to the
Constitution, to submit them te'COngress for the
purpose of having them properly enacted there; and
if they catinotagiee, the Virginia Commissioners
are to report that fact to the Legislature, that it
may be faid before a convention of the people. One
Commissioner is sent to the President, and one to'
each of the seceding States, to' request them to
abstain, pending the proceedings contemplated by
the resolutions, from any avts c?kulated to produce
a collision.

Notwithstanding the violent tone of these 'resolu-
tions; Fort Sumter will not be attacked, irthe volun-
teers can be restrained. The leaders•earnestly de-
sire to preserve peace, but the soldiers May break
loose any time. Fort Pickens at Pensacola will be
reinforced, probably without resistance.
The New York and Erie Railroad was sold yes-
terday, under the decree for the foreclosure of the
sth mortgage, and subject to the liens of the Ist,
2d, 3d, and 4th mortgages for principal and interest,
and to'thelien of the sth mortgage for principal.
It was .bought in by Mr. Gregory and Mr. Ban-
croft Davis, trustees for the unsecured creditors
and stockholders under thD contract for reorgani-
sadon, who bid the amdullt ,of the whole mortgage
interest in arrear, taking a credit until the 31st of
Dec2mber on the paymant, and hexing the right to
have the net earnings applied w the reduction of
tnortgage interest in the meantime.

Several of the other States have already ap-
pointed Commissioners to meet the Virginia Com-
missioners, under the belief that something may
yet be done to harmonize public opinion in that
section of the country. But unless the Virginia
Commissioners are prepared to recede from the
ground of the resolutions, and take something
less than Mr. Crittenden's resolutions, there is little
prospect of their agreeing.
A private letter from Washington, dated yester-
day, says :
" The secession excitement is increasing in the Border
States. The Conservative men are really alarmed. Think
of Cassius M. Clay coming on as the ambassador of Gover-
nor Magoffin and the prominent men of both parties, who
have been persecuting him for years, and who now beg him
to act for them here in helping to save the Union. He goes
strongly for the Adams resolution (to admit New Mexico
and Washington immediately as States), which he says will
suffice ; but the Northern men are backing from that now.
I was told that on a canvass during the past week 82 men
were found opposed to giving that. My own opinion is
that something like that will pass, and that Crittenden will
amend his resolutions in that sense. The country at large
will accept almost anything that is called Crittenden's re-
solutions, and, as I say, they will probably be so altered by
him that they will get the support of at least the Conserva-
tive wing of the Republicans."
There is great apprehension. in Washington lest
the long-meditated attack should take place, not-
withstanding the precautions taken by General
Scott to avoid it. A large organization exists pledged
to that object, to oppose which General Scott has
only about 750 regulars and 1,500 militia. The
General professes to feel great confidence in his
ability to protect the Government and archives with
the force at his command, One week from to-mor-
row is the day for counting the votes for the
President in presence of both Houses of Congress,
and whatever is done will probably be done before
that time,
Mr. Callamer, of Vermont, has introduced a bill
into the Senate, authorising the President to dis-
continue any ports of entry (giving notice by pro-
clamation) whenever, in his Gpinion, it becomes
impracticable to collect the public revenue at such
port, and also to suspend the postal service in any
part of the country where it cannot be 'effectually
and securely performed. This strikes at the foot
of secession. If it beeornrS a law, it will enable
Mr. Lincoln, when President, to cut off the mails
of the seceding States (which have been a heavy
annual burden to the Treasury), and to make all
commerce with Savannah, Charleston, Mobile, New
Orleans, and other ports in seceding States illegal.
The Union party believe that this will operate in-
juriously upon the commerce of the South, without
affecting the general trade of the 'country with the
rest of the world. Foreign vessels (with coffee for
instance, for New Orleans) will, they argue, avoida
port where there is no officer to give them a legal
clearance, and seek one where trade is unquestion-
ably legal, and where there is no fear of civil war.
Thus the exports and imports of the country will
be sent out and brought in at New York, Boston,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The great trunk
railways, instead of competing with each other for
frieghts at ruinous rates, are to be overburdened
with remunerating traffic. If collision can be
avoided, the North, they argue, obeying the laws,
and submitting itself to the restraints of the Con-
stitution, will be compelled to do the business of
its more turbulent neighbour. On the other side,
however, the South looks to Europe to interfere, to
prevent the blockade of their harbours and the
destruction of their commerce. I enclose a short
extract from a Southern paper, showing the views
that are entertained there :
"We learn, upon authority which we seem perfectly
reliable, that a few days ago President Buchanan notified
the British Consul at Charleston that no foreign flag would
be recognised in Charleston harbour. Upon receipt of this
information the Consul communicated the fact to Lord
Lyons, the British Minister at Washington, stating that
English vessels were in port empty, and waiting to be
freighted, and asked to bo instructed is the premises. He
was immediately telegraphed by Lord Lyons to ' load with
cotton and go.' The captains of the vessels did as in-
structed, and we presume aro now far on the way to their
proper destination.
" In scanning the above the reader must not hastily con.
elude that the conduct of the British Minister was an
officious intermeddling with our internal affairs. It must
be remembered that there is a treaty of amity and commerce
between Groat Britain and the United States which
guarantees the vessels of the former against molestation or
obstruction by the authorities or citizens of the latter while
engaged in the pursuits of lawful commerce in the harbours
of the United States. The obligation to observe this treaty
can in no wise be affected by the fact that the Federal
Government should deem it advisable to blockade one or
more of the Southern ports. But, even without a treaty,
our transatlantic brethren could never consent to the enforce-
ment of such a policy. Their shipping interest and their
immense manufacturing system would go to pieces under the
shock, to be succeeded by a revolution which would shake
the foundations of more than one throne in Europe. There
can now no longer be any doubt that England, at least, has
an equal interest with ourselves in the preservation of her
present commercial relations with the South, and, should
an attempt be made forcibly to disturb them, we can quietly
fold our arms and enjoy the display of fireworks from
Federal and British frigates along our coast. The over-
powering strength of our position is that an injury inflicted
upon us will react with accumulated energy upon the civi-
lised world. The North may not now appreciate this truth,
but the time is not far distant when she will."
I omitted, by the by, when speaking of the Vir-
ginia resolutions, to say that when the Comraissior
to South Carolina made his appearance at Charles-
tond the Legislature of that State turned a very co
shoulder to him. They passed the following reso-
lutions at once :
Resolved unanimously,-- the General Assembly
of South Carolina tenders to the Legislature of the State of
Virginia their acknowledgn.ietnt of friendly motives
ission m rusted to Hon. Judge Ro-
which inspired the m
bertson, her Commissioner.
"Resolved unanimously,—That candour, which is due
to the long-continued sympathy and respect which has sub-
sisted between Virginia and South Carolina, induces this
Assembly to declare with frankness that they do not deem
it advisable to initiate negotiations when they have no
desire or intention to promote the ultimate object in view,
that object being, as declared in the resolution of the Vir-
ginia Legislature, the procurement of amendments or new
guarantees to the Constitution of the United States.
"Resolved unanimously,—That the separation of South
Carolina from the Federal Union is final, and she has no
further interests in the Constitution of the United States ;
and that the only appropriate negociationsbetween her and
the Federal Government are as to their mutual relations as
foreign States.
" Resolved unanimously,—That this Assembl further y
owes it to the State of
the Government of the United
no confidence in
States; that the most solemn pledges of that Government
have been disregarded ; that under the pretence: of preserv-
ing property hostile troops have been attempted' to be intro-
duced into one of the fortresses of this State, concealed in