The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-05-07
THE BRITISH PRESS ON AMERICAN
AFFAIRS.
THE AMERICAS RBvoLGTIoy.
FRAN the London Times. 18th


It needs no comment of ours to impress the
public with the great importance of the ne VS.
from America. We are anxious TO speak with
caution on this subject, and not cause alarm
which may possibly prove TO have been ,unne-
cessary. Therefore we would rather let the
teiegraphic summary from Queens town speak
for itself The steamer left New York on the
9th, and on the day previous the signs of an
approaching conflict, which had been visible
for some weeks before, became so marked that
panic took place in Wall street. In what
may be called the two chief cities of the rival
Federations the belief that var was at hand
prevailed equally In New York there was
a. we have said panic the Stock Ex-
change, while from Charleston the telegraph
announced that the dreaded moment had
rived, and rupture would at once take place.
1t was even feared that military operations
had begun on the part OF the Sou therners. No
news had been received from Fort Piekens for
several days, and this had lea 10 the belief
that the communication had been cut oil by
the Sou thern troops. From Charleston il
WAS announced that Ma alor Anderson had been
called upon to evacuate Fort Sumter within
forty-eight hours, the alternative being that
the place would be bonn mDarded. The belief at
Washington was that the Government there
was as determined as that OF the secessionists.
Every man had been ordered on duty afri-
gate, with TWO first-class merchant steamers,
would sail at once with sealed orders, but we
learn from private source that there were
sJll doubts TO whether they were intended
to relieve Fort Pickens, or to proceed to St.
Domingo.
Such Is the momentous intelligence which
We publish to-day. We may here, however,
repeat the hope so often expressed on this side
OF the ocean, that If the two sections of the
late Union be deS tined 10 separation, the
change may be accomplished without the
splling of blood. 1t may, perhaps, be too
late 10 indulge III such wishes. yet we Will
not give up all hope that even at the last hour
moderate counsels may have prevailed, and
that this tTatrcidaI war has been checked in
the outset. But, supposing that the worst
has happened, and, either through the naval
operations OF the United States or an attack
on the Federal forts by their rivals, hos ties
have begun, it Is plain that II conflict of no
common kind must follow. The Confederate
States, though without navy, and conse-
quently forced for the most part, to remain
the defensive, will be an enemy not easy to
deal with. True, they are not powerful III
men or resources as they anticipated some
months ago. The fidelity of the border States
to the Union has been & great disappoin tment
to the Montgomery politicians and their am
bilious President. The Border States, par
ticularly Kentucky and Tennessee, con tain II
population which, for military purposes,
SURPRISES, perhaps, any iii the Union -
The fine race which iuhabits these regions
would prove formidable enemies TO the (foy
ernment at Washington if they had resolved
on seeding. Then there would have been the
accession OF large white population without
any great admiXLure Of negroes, and further
more con usiderable wealth, which III the pre-
sent state OF the Southern EXChequer would
nave oeen very acceptable But, though Tor
the present, ut least, the border States stand
fast by the Union, yet the South shows bold
front. The seven seeding States, being III
earnest and lighting for their independence,
have raised an army which the other twenty
seven nave not Yet succeeded in fnltCulug.-
According to all accounts, the Sou thern levits
are large, Well-dlsclplined, and i'll high spirits.
For weeks it has been difficult TO keep the
Charleston regiments from attacking Fort
sumter, and at Pensacola we Hnd that Fort
PiCkens was hard pressed by considerable
force. The iron foundries i'll Virginia We're
turhIng out guns 10 be used against the Gov
ernment which owns the allegiance OF Virgin
Ia itself. - troops, PROVISIONS and ANN uni
tiOn were flowing in to NE Con federate army
was the intelligence received a few days
since. 1t seems clear that, il peace be pre-
served, 1t will not be by any yielding on the
part OF the SecesSionists.
Ii ioouId be u great political error, not to say
| q crime. II the Republican. President shouE,t
pIunge tie Neto World into 11Qr in order 10
ShoD hiS dttac'tmeht to has purity or his con-
SfSteRcy t1itt has former principles. When
Mr.. Buchanan published his unhappy mes
sage-a document 10 which il is proba bly,
owing that South Carolina was followed into
secession by six other Srates-the Republican
party, ana indeed opinion generally through =
ont the North, was much inflamed agaius
the President that Mr.. Lincoln found or fan
cied il necessary to repudiate these senti-
| ments. lncauhously giving utterance TO his
own opinions wherever he came on his Jour
ney from tie West, he arrived at Washington
pledged not only 10 keep bat TO reta1e the forts
belonging 10 the Union in the seeded States
and 10 refuse any recognition of Southern in :
dependence. The collection OF the duties ut the
southern ports WAS also made Il part of the
new Presidents programme. How difficult it
has been found TO carry out all this is evident
| from the long delay which has taken place
| Before Mr.. buchanan left office Major Ander-
| son was in extreme danger no time was to
| be lost in relieving Fort PIckens and the Con
| federate States themselves were lowering
| their tariff and letting in the productions OF
| Europe at II rate which would make every
| idler in the Border States take TO smuggling
| at once. 1t was thought that the moment
| Mr.. Lincoln was Installed a resolution would
| be taken. But this was not 10 be. For full
| month the President and his Cabinet have
| been debating what is to be done, and only on
| the 9th of April is it announced that the policy
| OF coercion has trium phed.
The delay seems all the more TO be regretted
| since confidence among men of business had
been almost restored. There was up to nearly
| the last day OF March feeling that the worst
| was over, and that, however lamen bic nigh
| be the disruption of the Republic, there would
not be added TO this misfortune the still great
| er calamity OF civil war. The absorbing in ter
| est in military and political matters was
| passing away, and business was resuming its
| usual course. What Will be- the result of q
collision between the two Governments is
| more than any one can predict. The vision ol
| privateers AT sea and partisan bands along the
| frontier must be so terrible 10 Americans that
|
| may restrain the of their rulers. But
| should this quarrel begin and continue unit
| both sides are reused into animosity, the war
/ though short, may be as savage as any tha
| has been carried on even by the SPANS h race
| The Americans are in the highest degree ex
| citable and yindictive the ferocity which
they carry into their domestic conflicts would
| be Increased largely when one side fanced IT,
| self to be sting tyrants and the other pun
| ishing traitors. But we had rather not spec
| ulate on great a calamity as such a wal
| would be We would rather hope that the
| good sense OF the Americans and the peaceful
counsels of this country may bring about a re
| Cancellation before the dispute has been too
| tar enyenomed. As long as the two sections
! OF the Union refrain from hostiiities, it would
be the height OF arrogance and folly 10 interfere
| but when the soil and seas of the New World
| are likely to be stained with blood, foreign ma
tions may surely renons trate in the cause ol
humanity.
THE SOUTH NEVER TO BE sUBDUED By ARMS.
From the Liverpool Times 2Oth.l
The latest accounts from America are omi
| nous in the extreme, and it is greatly to b,
| feared that the North and South will, after
| all, come to blows We had hoped differen
| result, and we hope so still, but IL is useless
| to disguise the feeling which prevails not less
| in New York than in Charleston, that a dead
| ly collision is impending-a fratricidal WA
| imminent For this melancholy state O
things people in Europe were not prepared
| The tone OF the new Presidents inaugural ad
| dress poin ted TO war, but his subsequent con
| duct has been at variance with this belief, anC
hopes were entertained that, as the Sou II
| could not be again seduced into the Union, sh,
| would not be coerced. We may receive, a
| any hour or any day, intelligence that tn,
deadly conflict has begun, and once com
| menced there is no telling now long 1t may
continue or where IL may end.
| America, in this hour OF her fate, can b
| said to owe little TO the judgment of her Pres
| idents-the last or the present. Mr.. buchan
an g i'll -omened message TO Congress, at tn,
| end of his term, was direct incentive 10 tn,
breaking up of the Federal com pact and nov