The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-12 00:00:00

TEE CONTEST IN AMERICA.

(From the Spectator.)
Unless history is a record of misleading prece-
slents, the
American Government will in a month be
strongerhe for its defeats. That it should be so
'llst be the wish of every Englishman, for the
fcon-
Zillences of defeat must be disastrous to human free-
The South in possession of Washington, and
I)°,-see,,roecognised. as a Power, would be in the best
tio„LE.I 12._t0 realise itsdream of conquest and spolia-
t,e'l The army which had defeated the North, or
driven it back from its soil, would overrun
tot:aitc° as easily as the first conquerors. of the
1.37- Once masters of the silver mines, and of
414 3reat taxable population, the Southern leaders
'Mi in
tothin a few years organise an army which
laEtv, g en the American continent could with-
be and which would speedily bring about a
PettlatnitY—the armed iterference of Europe
Aosertral America. Such a power, while unop-
Will might reopen the slave trade, and would cer-
t'lti so extend the area of slavery as to render its
aßaillhettion all but impossible.
to The first barrier
44;4' misfortune so terriblethe world is the
tver-gth of the American goverment, and
shoringhow-
its failures, or however deep our dis-
kyh. its tone, it is with that government that the
.ftPlkthies of all free men perforce must lie.
Rte,..18 freedom which is at stake, and before that
Eleit'' interest all others must disappear; bwuatywoef
kit Petedge frankly the difficulties in the
en English friends of the North. Never was there
of ./18(3 which required so thorough a
suppression
hf!iglish tastes, prejudices, and sense of natural
P:opi From the insults heaped on theo
English
14terfe to the last resolution of Congress not to
''lat,;ell3 with " state rights," every step of the
14is marked by incidents which exo-
niti high-principled Englishmen a feelingbelieve
tilars disgust. Americans really appear to
natione
I\vitiitnileir bombast terrifies England,.tr mistress
sato a
1.1-11 t a fleet can frighten the mis__
ourf the seas
kett atter of future punishment. Ifgovern-
ißa
.Pr°claims its neutrality, some envoy declares
414eech, full of brag and bad grammar, that t_h_e,
titt'tblY republic will yet avenge the wrong.r_
tletiVllß out the proclamation, privateers are for. hjlady
Ittee„.? Bell their plunder in British ports,
`` pa"ttB w,ith an air of majestic: self-restraint that
titter " half-hearted'' atonement." And now,
bet a-,u,e defeat at Manassas, Congress has passed an
rho -040 rising the President to station squadrons on
f
the Oh seas -stop all vessels bound for the ports of
tariff and collect the dues fixed by an American
114 tarbar pirate never laid down a rule more
naikeVcontemptYuous of international law. Congressia
!on' n:4B Well collect taxes in Liverpool, oredvyes
0";,' the passage of the Atlantic, or demand n
is
lilt right to sail out of oar ownlports. There
(114 poor pretence of enforcing a blockade;
"ilea in may enter Charleston after payment of
Ziel;tllnitillat; Gulf of Mexico, the blockade is at
rann.
„ scarcely ossible to believe that a Gove
14ter,d":PPosed to be guided by educate d men can
oWn enforce such an act, except against its
now-tiufJects ; but the American Government has
it,`R,htrii,'„°,l. Years an inability to understand any
8 its own, which may well arouse a pain-
;"Poilla iR-Tving- An incurable vulgarity of soul
0
a°tug that affect its judgment, to disable it from
sillCYectly Principles may be sound even though
0,, conducive to American profit. The re-
-I°C/r1(14. '1,"48 instance, may be most disastrous to the
meet "utWe will not yet believe that a Govern-
'ti"ts,whii,- has staked its existence on a war for
13Y n- will atte
44 or . erupt to levy means for the contest
gEtrilsed system of plunder on the high seas.

- -- _
'1 biee
toig, slug was held at Chesterfield, on Saturday
s
aceidelit.4 übscription for the sufferers by the Clay
4)0, aiul
01,,ti0 company
of tgoo. Luker subscriptions were promised,
owning the
.works contributed
Stio.r,
4ft u 8 EFFECTS OF Pour, AIR. making a total
el-110u._ a
of ago, was
erig.ae(i'2_„ Man named John Parish, 28 Years
Southwark
—On Saturday
trilz„rwith others to clean out a sewer in the
.%311,0 sy concluded that th first
an escape of
teise hey Parish was the to descend, but from the
bettoi:therE,
t d"eeraled, andr rn Parish lying at. the
thq ~,,,hoY with difficult aIS
and brought him to
Cin3,,,.rlace. li_
was y raised . him . foul air.
oyorr.klospitaLuwwlie.recoLievely.eenadzsaninsensihbolepestoafte
without ret: