The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-15
IMPORTANT FROM WASHINGTON.
LINCOLN'S INTERVIEW WITH THE
VIRGINIA COMMISSIONERS.
POLICY OF THE ADMINISTRATIONS.

POLICY OF THE ADMINISTRATIONS.
We learn from Washington that the Com
missioners appointed by the Virginia Conven-
tion had q pheasant interview" with Presi-
dent Lincoln last Saturday morning, at nine
o'clock. The Presidents reply was given in
writing follows
Hon. Messrs. Preston, Stuart and Randolph:
Gentlemen-As committee OF the Virginia
Con vention, now in session, you present me n
preamble and resolution in these words
"Bher.as, in the opinion Of this Cony entiou, the
anssran,y which Prsssiss sd9.l IN the bie mind as
tends to pursue toward the seeded States, is ex
tremely injurious to the industrial and CONNER
| excitement which Is unfavorable to the adjust
rnent OF pending difficulties, and threatens a dis
.Re,olred That a committee of three delegates
be appointed to wait ON the President of the
| United States, present to him this preamble aud
resolution, and respectfully ask him to communi-
cate to this Convention the policy which the Fed
eral Executive intends to pursue in regard to the
Confederate States.''
| In answer, have to say that having at the
| beginning of my official term, expressed my
intended policy as plainly as L was able, it is
with deep regret and some modification now
| learn that there is great and Injurious uncer-
| tainty in the public mind, to what that
| policy is, and what course l intend to pursue.
Not having as yet seen occasion to change,
| 1t Is now my purpose to pursue the course
| marked out in the Inaugural Address l COM
| mend Il careful consideration of the whole
document, as the best expression can give of
| my purposes. As l then and therein said, l
| now repeat:
"The power confied to Inc will be used to
hold, occupy. and possess the property and places
beopgingto the Government, and to collect the
| duties and imposts !: but beyond mat is necessa
| ry for these objects there will be no invasion no
using offorce against or among the people any
| where
BY the words "property and places be-
| longing to the Government" chiefly all ude
| to the military posts and property which
| were III the possession of the Government t
| when it came TO my hands.
| But IT. as now appears to be true, in pursuit
| of Il purpose to drive the United States au-
| thority from these places, an unproyoked as
| sault has been made upon Fort Sumter l
| shall hold myself at liberty to repossess, it
| can, like places which had been seized before
| the Government was deyolved upon me.
And in any event, L shall, to the best Of my
ability, repel force by force.
In case it proves true that Fort Sumter has
| been assaulted, as is reported, l shall, per-
| haps, cause the United States mails to be
| withdrawn from all the States which claim to
| have seeded, believing that the commence
| ment of actual war against the Government
justifies and possibly demands it.
| l scarcely need to say that l consider the
military posts and property situated within
| the States which claim to have seeded, as yet
belonging to the Government of the United
States, as much rs they did before the sup
| posed secession.
Whatever else may do for the purpose, i
shall not attempt to collect the duties and
imposts by any armed invasion Of any part OF
| the country-not meaning by this however,
that may not land force deemed necessary
| to relieve a fort upon the border of the coun.
try.
From the fact that have quoted a part OF
the Inaugural Address, it must not be in.
ferred that l repudiate any other part .,the
whole OF which l reaiiirm except so far as
what now say of the mails may be regarded
as modification.
SUICIDE OF STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER,, JR-
| Mr. Stephen Van Rensselaer,. Il we'll known
citizen of New York, committed suicide or
Monday night, in the drinking saloon No. AZ
broadway, in that city, kept by Elizebetf
| Hoyt. He went into the above saloon, anC
calling all persons present up 10 the bar, in
| yited them to drink with him. When his Ii
quor was set before him, he took from hi
pocket small vial containing laudanum, ans
poured quantity of the poison into his glass
| | He then said 10 his friends, "this is my las
drink and Immediately swallowed the con
| tents of the tumbler. physician wa
speedily procured and every remedy was ap
piled to remove the drug from his stomach
but without success, as he expired about on
| O'Clock The deceased was at one time con
| sdered one of the wealthiest men in the State
? | owning an immense tract of land in the vi
4 cinity of Albany, in addition to his other pro
G perty. He was the titular descendant of tn
e Albany Patroons Of that name, but his dis
e solute habits for few years past have brough
| disgrace upon The entire family.
I |
0 FROM BuESos ArREs.-The latest intelIi
: gence from that place is up to the 14th of Feb
| ruary. The news of the terrible massacre a
: San Juan, previously reported, is confirmed
i The number of men butchered in cold bloc
e after the capture of that place is given at 81
;, | hundred. AT Buenos Ayres the most terribl
|, | excitement prevailed i'll consequence, and re
;. | venge was the sentiment of all parties. Tn
e General Government of the Argeu tine Con
IL federacy has approved the action of Colont
n Saa, the commander at the slaughter, by MAX
ing him a present of two thousand ounces {
IS gold. In the course of a few months the oil
: feud between the Federalists and the Unita
l. rians is expected to break out again Tn
| former party is mainly confined to the uppt
provinces. The Governor of Buenos Ayrt
had addressed letter to the Federal Admir-
y istration demanding an explanation i'll refel
e ence to the San Juan atfair-an event that
~ charged upon the intermeddling conduct
{ that province itself, which is but poorly prt
$ pared for war. 1t was supposed that Urqu
p would take command of the Federal troop
u i'll case the two parties should come to blow
A WIFE IN SEARCH OF HER HUSBAND ii
n New York Supreme Court, on Wednesda..
l. before Justice Clerke, Mrs. Sarah Locke al
10 piled for a writ of hdbens corpus, for the pu
- pose of obtaining possession of her husban
:" who, she alleges, is kept from her by h
v father. 1t appears that year or more az
r Charles +. Locke, who was on a visit to FL
rope, became acq uanted with the petition
"a at Birmingham. England, and that he liv.
=. with her there some time. They came to III
,p country in the, latter part of 1850, and we
% married in Brooklyn, on the 1st of Janual
10 last, by the Rey Benjamin Whalen, Ba
;. list minister. They lived together until Il
as eth OF Gy, when Mr.. Locke sudden
ne disapa ais wife alleges that he is !, $
de- to Cali The wife is an intelligen
q good-looklhg young woman.
,Wu w DEcADENCE or THE FRENCH MERCANTILE NJ
no iRINE.-Attention abroad is being directed
" " | the decrease in the mercantile marine
- | France. The discussion which has been
~ =, progress in the French legisla tive body mp,
- the Imperial addIess. and upon kindred topi
= | in the British P;riiament, are conclusive
e. | this point. 1t is shown that in the year Is
=, the number of French ships entering Britt
- ports were ,0l0, while in 1859 they had fall
n OF to 5,946 and in the latter year France h
h. ~, 200 less tons of shipping than she had in t
year 1857. As expressed by q member of Pa
Lament, "there is in fact, steady progIe
IS. downward in the mercantile marine
u | France
u u A LAW MOVE Against TRAINS HORSE RAJ
~ WAY IN IoNDOs.-By late English papers
n0 appears that on the 18th ult., at the Mary
-, bone Police Court, Mr.. G. Train, promoter
~. the tram railways On common roads. appear
Oa s'a on remand before Mr. Yardley, on SUI
no M mons, charged ''tEat he did, ON the 18th
PC March, in the parish Of ST. George. Hano,
u Square, in the county OF Middlesex, twhi
y" parish is within the jurisdiction of Marif
by rough street Police Court,) unlawfnlly bre
lst up and inure the surface of certain pub
road called Uxbridge Road, being a turnp
| road After short disc ussion between
mt counsel In the case, thu magistrate annount
ra. that he would give hi, decision the foilowi