The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-06-25

The Intrt9ues OF the Rebel Loaders-Ths
Duty Of the Government.
We learn that Senator Hunter, of Virginia,
and Senator Bayard, Of Delaware, are here
incog. as emissaries from the rebel government,
upon secret mission to the politicians, men,
bers of Congress and capitalists, to induce them
to nee their interest with the President and
General Scott to retard the advance of the
grand army upon Richmond till after the meet.
ing of Congress on the Fourth Of July, when it is
expected peace will be patched up in secret
session in that body, under the same corrupt In.
fluences, or that this country will drift into
war with one or more of the Powers of Europe
These agents of the Confederate government are
in New York at present; but there is reason to
believe that they are accredited to all the other
large cities of the North. Their design is to
buy up all the old hunkers and other dried up
politicians and there are plenty of them now
in the market at from SO to S25, or about as
much as Jefferson Davis promises to pay his
corsairs for the dead aud alive, the captured
and killed, on board the prizes which he has
commissioned them to seize or sink on the high
seas.
1t is very evident, therefore, that the rebel
leaders do not want to fight and their whole
concern is chow not to do it." The uprising
of the North-such an one as they never ex-
pected-and the still continued mastering of
serried hosts to march Southwark, have stricken
terror into their hearts. They know the deter
mination of the free States to do or die, and
they quail before it. They find that General
Scott can neither be seduced into the paths of
treason nor circumvented by their strategy
They see that their game is up, aud in despair
they want peace on the best terms on which
they can obtain it. They have found a secret
of which they were not aware till they COM
mitted those overt acts which have aroused the
lion of the North. They now know that 1t
makes no difference as to the final result which
of the armies wins the first battle. If the
rebel troops are defeated that ia the last of
secession, and the last of slavery in the Old
Dominion; but if they are victorious, that will
not be the last of the Union. On the contrary,
the victory, like Dead Sea fruits, would turn to
ashes on the lips; for it would only be the
signal for greater uprising of the North than
before, and fresh army would be sent forth,
with redoubled energy, to vindicate the 60
vernment and crush the rebellion to powder.
Hence II is that the leaders of the instruction
are moving their troops from point to point,
backwards one day and forwards the next, now
int lateral direction to the right and then to the
left, evidently without any military or other pur
pose than to gain time and avoid general battle.
And from all the indications it seems clear
to us that If they were forced into fight they
would throw away their arms and take to their
heels after firing the first shot. This secret
dread of the future paralyzes their courage, and
accounts for their mysterious marching, coun
termarching and endless lodging at Harper's
Ferry and other points, and it is this which
prompts them to send out agents to the North
to persuade their sympathizing friends and
tools to Org "peace, peace" when there can be