Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-12-19
From the London T'imes
From the London Times. Enropean view of the War An English mans Opinions and Observations of the North and South.


 SIR: A letter of your American cores pondent, from New England in the lime of October 30, concludes with an extfac' from a speech ot MT. Johnson, senate from Tennessee, which contains so mnch misrepresentation as to to the stale ol reg ing and condition of the people in the south eln States, that am induced to askyou IL insert A refutation of misstatements winch from late personal experience, am able t. afford. I will not follow Mir. Johnson through his details of the cold bloode' shooting of a woman further than to say that 1 totally disbeieve the occurrence, bu I will inform him, should he peruse the> lines, that he will, if he enquiries, hear wei authenticated stories of violence and bru- t4ilies on the part of soldiers in the fedora f1rces-to southern resident ladies Tn Mary land-far surpassing this one he narrate" Atrocities may occasionally be committee in the sad state of things now existing oi the other side of the Atlantic, but It Is a unfair to brand the southern cause with tn terms of "coercon, outrage, insult, bias phemy, and crime,' as 1t would be to stig matize the northern cause with similar cpl thets on account of a case ot dreadful viola tion, which know was committed by som men of the s0-called Excelsior Brigade
 What I more particularly wish to dlsa buse your readers of who have read Mir Johnson's speech, is the statement that th' whole secessonist career has been one coercion, and that they never got anything except by coercion. He says, "They coer ced Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Nir ginia out of the union. They attempted in Maryland, and the Governor stoppedit Now. this is notoriously incorrect. Ihes States all passed ordinances of secession and as 10 Maryland, does not Mr. Johnso know that nothing but Fort Mcllenry' [. guns keep Baltimore quiet, and nothing Du. the large Federal force in Maryland and the absence of arms, prevent a unani nous rising?
 Again, he says: "They (tfe Confeder ate,) are attempting coercion fn kentuc&H but the government'have prevented them. This is as incorrect as the rest; the COned crates moved into K ntuclly in self defence An, one looking at the map will zee tha the South conld not allow the North l' occupy Kentucky, as they meant gradua ly to accomplish, without exposing then whole frontier to attack But what are th ia ,t>? Why, Gen. Bu, kner the Confed crate General, pnblicly proclaimed that would withdraw the Conte lerate tr"oi Simultaneously with the withdrawal of th Federal army, procaiming also that ever' inhabitant, what ever Were his opinion should be protected, whirE, having been in Kentucky at the time, can vouch for as having been strictly observed.
 Now few words on coerciDn generally in the Confederate cause. From ample ex p.rience l completely deny it. was ii all the States Mr. John on mentions, and Ao lar f om there being coercion. can bea my testimony that there never was a nor united people, nor more fixed determina ton in any people to achieve their indepen dAnce A gentleman of Louisiana said to me, "the nOrihelnnrs do not know what they have undertakcn; to succeed. 1t mus be d war of animation, not only of every man. but of every woman and chlld." 1u fudge of the unanimity of the States MT. Johnson aludes to, 1t Is only needed to pass through them. Secession flags hyin. from every house, women and children cheering and waving flags to the train, passing filled with soldiers, and from every part sending clothes and supplies to their re latons and friends in the army. 1 traveled with one gentleman who had charge of one hundred boxes for one regiment from Ala bama, and know myself that all the rail way depots were encumbered with similar contributions, ant these not SO much luxu- ries, but real home made necessaries, such as knitted goods, home-spug clothes; im which patriotic work most of the southern women are now occupied.
 1 cannot give better proof of the absence of coercion, and a more forcible instance ot the confidence of the people in the govern ment, than the fact that the Confederate notes are taken at par throughout the whole Confederacy. Let Mr. Johnson contrast this with the fact of the Washington Bank having refused the northern treasury notes, and the report that on this account they are to be suspended as disloyal establishment
 While in the northern States the govern ment have suspended the Aa5eqs corpus, sup pressed trial by jury, interleted with the liberty of the press, and imprisoned exten- sively both men and women for political otlenSeS even on suspicion, fhe southern government have maintained; both the ha- beas corpus and trial by jury In no case has there been suspension of q paper or i'm pr,onment for political opposition; ant though conhscation of northern property has been adopted in the South, it has only been in retaliation of the course first wild lv adopted by the federal government These are facts-et any one read them anu say whether Mr. Johnson Is justified in his assertion as 10 the coercion ot. the conledor- crates, or in his statement thjt secession > robbery, rapine anu murder.
 For myself, 1 can fully syrhpathize with the feelings of q northerner, who sees with re get the division of this great federation; but, at the same time, cannot but admire th. judgement, coniage anl determination that the southnrn States have shown in the present lamentablc struggle. ltiS impos>i- b. 10 travel i'll heir States without recoy- nizng the adm rable law and government that they have maintained since their sep arltion, Or to entirely withhold sympathy from people who, cut off, or nearly 90, from all foreign resources, with naught but their own energies and will, have hitherto successfully maintained defence of the in {. dependence they are determinld to achieve