The national Republican., 1861-07-02
VIRGINIA..

Information from various sources leads US to |
believe that, with all their boastiug and talking,
the rebels have less than sixty thousand troops
in Virginia. But this number is enough to
take the State,and tie invasion from the South is
more positively an invasion than any marching
Of troops into Virginia by the Government could
possibly be.
The Southern Gonfederates had most i'm
portant strategic reasons for striving with all
their power to drive Virginia out Of the Union.
They wished TO make that State the bulwark
against invasion of the Cotton States where the
slaves were numerous,a and where invasion would
be fatal to their cause. The comparatively
wholesome climate of Virginia, and the fact
that its capital Is the centre Of grain-exporting
country, made it desirable to quarter in that
State the hungry legions of rebellion. But
more than all, in the minds of those who engi.
neered this rebellion with more forecast was
the consideration that Virginia, In her noun.
tains and rivers, with her foundries at Rich.
mond, with the guns obtained from the Norfolk
navy yard with Fortress Monroe, which they
fully intended to have, and which Senator
Mason, bullying the Senate, nearly wou-more
than all, was the consideration that Virginia,
with these resources, would enable the rebel.
lousts to confront the Government so eiec
tually, and h,ld them at bay SO long, that they
could negotiate either reconstruction" or
recognition Of independence as separate
Confederacy. How near TO this result it has
come, We leave our readers. who know the
" situation" as we'll as we, to Judge each for
himself The New York 7Ttbun<, or, at
least its Washington correspondent, is con.
6deut that propositions tending to pacific
settlement Of the difficulty" have been made
to our Government. Hear The Tribune msa in
the issue Of the 2sth ultimo, a-t't
l"From our own correspondent WAsHINo.
TON, June 26, 1861. The National Republican
Of this morning is unusually vivaeious and un.
duly vague. The proprietor Is the postmaster
Of this city, and, quarter day being near at
hand, gratitude for daily bread gushes out in
denisls of what be knows nothing about, aud
declarations which, 10 they are not read except
in barber-shops by walters aud slaves, aud at
breakfast tables to fill In the delay Of steaks
and bot rolls, need not be very perspcuous or
precise, The contradiction Is technical. No
| proposal to terminate the war upon the basis
Of the Crittsadsp compromise is under corsd.
Grafton by the Administration Who said
there was7 But the reply shall not be made
under any shelter Of phrsseology. When that
paper, or any other, will declare that no propo
si,tons hate been Submitted 10 any member Of
Ms Administration looking to a pac,fcdtion,
then you shall have my authority, aud then
whoever reads can determine whether my rs
sertiou was made recklessly and at random
But they shall have more. If is desired that
I shall tell the truth, and the whole truth, not
Of this, but Of other matters Of moment, my
mouth shall be opened. do not speak row 70
the editor and proprietor of the paper which is
the organ. do not hold parley with the por-
ter c. the gate ! speak 10 the baron in his
castle. When shall be summoned into the
courtyard to tiltipg match ?"
AS !opg as we are |" the porter OF the gete," !"
We beg to be excused any parleys with man.
alarms SO formidable as the author Of the
foregoing blast, who evidently is Of the kind Of
fellows who would think nothing Of dispatchiug
half dozen like ourselves before breakfast.
Having blown his bugle, be asks when he shall
be " summoned into the yard for fitting.
match2' We can't answer. But if it were
ours to reply, We should treat the matter after
the fashion of the elder Booth, who on one oc.
casion playing Richard III somewhat in
drink, is said 70 have met the actor who al.
bounced hirrsel: as the "early village cock,
With tue request to crow iu some other barn.
yard"
But to suppose that the Administration will
hear to any propositions to compromise " the
difficulty" seems 10 US absurd. The Admins
sratou is composed of gentlemen quite too
aagacious to put themselves for a moment in
any such attitude. If it could be supposed
that they were sensible to fear they would be
far less afraid of what is in front Of them than
Of what is behind them. 1t would not be
Richmond that would make them tremble
There are shadows-not only sba lows, bu,
living forms--north Of Mason and Dixon'r
line, that strike more terror into the soul OF
Richard than could the substance of a thousand
Richmonds.
AS to the difficulty" the danger of com
promise Of which seems to ride like q night
mare through the 1ribune'S slumbers, we have
only to say that we see no difficulty" except
the difficulty the leaders Of the Coste iessoy
have in raising the means to keep their troops
togotber.
Aud their troops are not considerable. Ia,
result Of careful inquiries which we have beer
able to make from various sources, enables US
to say that the Confederates have scarcsl,
sixty thousand troops in Virginia, and no
more than tTeuty thousand elsewhere Ii
Virginia their troops are stationed as follows
at Manassas junction 1900
Forces under Geo. Johustop 1900
At RichR0ud 3,CQ0 to 600