The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-19 00:00:00

place themselves, in his opinion, in a very awkward position.
"There are reports that the President has sent the
Brooklyn and Harriet Lane to Charleston with reinforce
ments to Major Anderson. He has done no sa, h thing.
He will not do so either until an attack is made upon Fort
Sumter. Major Anderson has informed the Pre ident that
he has sufficient force and munitions of war for he present,
and can defend himself from any attack whit h the Caro-
linians can make. Therefore the President will be in no
hurry to send reinforcements under these c,r cumstances.
" When the South Carolina Commissioners make their
report to the Governor and Convention it may change the
aspect of affairs. They were advised before they left here
by many Southern senators not to be precipitate or aggres-
sive towards the Government in their movements. They
expressed a wish and desire that matters might be adjusted
even yet.
" The whole issue now is, whether the Senate will sus-
tain the President in collecting the revenue. If they refuse
to confirm the collector whom the President has nominated,
he cannot, of course, collect the revenue. The Southern
senators intend to make the fight in the executive Session,
and they assert, with a good deal of confidence, that no col-
lector for a Southern port can be confirmed. Upon their
action hinges the whole question, and it is so regarded by
the President. If the Southern senators can hold a few
Northern democratic senators—such, for instance, as Lane,
Gwin, Bright, Fitch, and Rice—they may defeat M'lntire's
confirmation, or any other names that may be sent to the
Senate. They have determined to make the fight, and have
informed the President to that effect. They have thus far
defeated all attempts to go into an executive Session. The
Republicans will vote in a body for confirming the collec-
tor."

At Washington the Republican members of the
House, to the number of 90, held an important
caucus on the evening of the 4th, at which a pro-
position made by Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, that the
Republicans should discourage all discussion of the
political crisis, and devote themselves altogether to
the passage of the Appropriation Bills and other
necessary legislation, was adopted. Mr. Hale, of
Pennsylvania, who is on the Crittenden Committee,
submitted a series of resolutions to the caucus,
which were concurred in by many Republicans and
opposed by others. They were to the effect that
all territory north of 36 deg. 30 min. is to be free ;
that south of this line, whenever 100,000 inhabi-
tants shall form a State constitution, they shall be
admitted, with or without slavery, as the people
may determine; and that in the meantime neither
Congress nor the Territorial Legislature shall either
prohibit or exclude slavery therefrom. This pro-
position found a good many advocates. Mr. Sher-
man, of Ohio, proposed some amendments; but,
without coming to any conclusion, they adjourned
to the following day.

Governor Blair, of Michigan, in his inaugural
address, sent to the Legislature of that State on
the 4th, denies the right of secession, and says that
if, without yielding this point, it could be done, he
presumes that the country generally would be
willing to let the restless little State of South
Caiolina step out. He denies that the Personal
Liberty Laws have prevented the execution of the
Fugitive Slave Law in a single instance. He is
unwilling that Michigan should comply with a
demand to repeal any of her laws when it is accom-
panied with trireats. He recommends that the
Legislature speedily assure the country that Michi-
gan will stand ity the Union, and to proffer to the
President her whole military force in its defence.

The inaugural address of Governor Yackson, of
Missouri, was delivered on the 4th. It is devoted
almost exclusively to a discussion of the national
troubles, and takes the position that Missouri must
stand by the other slaveholding States, whatever
course they may pursue—the interests of all being
identical. Missouri, however, is in favour of re-
maining in the Union so long as there is a hope of
maintaining the guarantees of the Constitution.
The Governor is opposed to coercion in any event,
but recommends the calling of a State Convention
to ascertain the will of the people.
The Florida State Convention met on the 3d and
without effecting a permanent organisation, ad-
journed to the sth at noon.
The Delaware Legislature organised at Dover on
the 2d. The Hon. H.Dickenson, the Commissioner
from Mississippi. was received on the following day
and made secession addresses to both Houses. He
was heard • throughout with mingled cheers and
hisses, and subsequently a Joint resolution was
adopted disapproving secession as a remedy for
existing difficulties, and disfavouring the resolu-
tions adopted by the Mississippi Legislature.
Governor Banks delivered his valedictory address
before the Massachusetts Legislature and a large
audience of citizens at the State-house in Boston
on the 3d. From it we learn that the assessed value
of property in the State is 897,000,000 dols.' and
that the enrolled militia number upwards of
155,000 men. The Governor, after an allusisn to
the Personal Liberty Law, the removal of which
from the statute-books he recommends, concludes
with an argument against the right or possibility
of peaceable secession.

One hundred prominent citizens of Philadelphia
mot on the 4th, and considered a number of plans
for meeting the present national crisis. The tone
of the meeting was evidently in favour of enforcing
the laws and putting down secession by force, but
no action was taken.

We have later advices from the Pacific by the
Pony Express, which left San Francisco on the 22d
alt., and arrived at Fort Kearney on the 3d inst.
The President's message was publshed in San Fran-
cisco on the 19th ult:, having been telegraphed en-
tire—first from St. Louis to Fort Kearney to over-
take the Pony, and then from Sacramento. The
message and the proceedings of Congress, so far as
received, had incmasrd the anxiety in the public
mind relative to the secession movement in the
Sonthern States. The talk relative to a Republic
of the Pacific had been revived, but received very
little encouragement, the general sentiment being
in favour of remaining in the Union to the last.
By the Cahawba, arrived at New York, we have
dates from Havannah to Dec. 28. The continued
receipt of unfavourable news from Europe and the
United States had rendered business there exceed-
ingly dull. Nothing of interest had occurred.
The steamship Northern Light arrived at New
York on the 4th, from the Central American and
South Pacific States. The news from New Granada
is important. Some formidable successes had been
obtained by the forces in rebellion against the Go-
vernment. On the 19th of December Santa Marta,
which had been besieged for nearly a month, sur-
rendered, and the Federal troops, having evacuated
the town, were forwarded to Panama. The American
consular agent at Santa Marta took refuge on board
a British man-of-war that opportunely appeared in
port at the time. It was further reported that the
Government troops had suffered a defeat at a place
called the Banco, on the Magdalena River. Some
1,500 men on each side were engaged. In the State
of Santander the Revolutionists were also reported
to have been victorious. A large body of men were
marching on the capital. From Central and South
America the news is unimportant. The Peruvian
Congress had granted extraordinary powers to the
President to make war against Bolivia, but Bolivia
declared herself capable of defending herself. Several
prisoners in Costa Rica, under sentence of banish-
ment for complicity in the late attempted revolu-
tion, had been rescued by a British man-of-war and
brought to Aspinwall.