New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-04

THE NATIONAL OBSERVER.
Lieut.. Maury, rather famOus person for deep
sea explorations, great circle sailing, and Oh
impracticable scheme for rebuilding Southern
commerce. being effected with tie position of
American affairs, takes his pen and writes let.
fer to one Gen. w. G.. Harding OF Tennessee,
which letter was published on separate days in
Nashville paper, the document bting too heavy
for any single issue. What appears to be the
first half Of the epistle has faacn under our OBJ
seryalion; the pcroration has not turned ap, and
the failure of a NAL, usually misfortune, is in
This case grateful relief.
The Lieutenant dates his letter at the Ma
tiona Observatory, and is evidently tckled with
the metaphorical idea suggested; but the reader
cannot help thinking that the day was lowering
AID that the clouds hung very heavily around
the place la the outset he touchinsly alludes to
the story OF Ruth, which he kindly informs his
correspondent is in the Bible and says that if
Tennessee finds herself in trouble, he viii be-
Ruth, and that State shall be- his Naomi. He
then proceeds to complain that the people are so
fond Of reading " sensation paragraphs that
they cannot be- induced to appreciate anything
else, from which We are led To infer that the
Lieutenant has obsor,ed popular Discrimination
TO peruse his literary performances but rs Gen.
Harding is cool-Lcaded aud quiet man. he
thinks it will les safe 10 exercise hs pen on him.
lie accordingly bursts forth with the mildiy
iocoso question. " What's the matteri' This be
answers By saying that politicians, IN Their
longing after power, have drawn geograPh-
zeal linc the consequence is, sectional parties, and
q arrangement Of The Federal machinery,
That's what's The matter! 3"
Going on to look little more closely into the
subject. he declsres that the trouble appears 10
be made BY the Personal Liberty bills and Slay-
cry in the Territories. But if these exciting
causes were removed, be asks, would the country
be- healed And he replies with an !lGhcsed
No! Then very unnecessarily begging bis cor
respondent not f. be startled, be says that the
question with the South il one ol empire, and at
once falls back upon tue Creation aud the DeirGe
TO show tia. tic dcsArc for empire Is universal.
But tho South cannot have The empire they want,
because, so the Lieutenant seems TO think, though
he is even unusually ioggy just here, all tie new
States are f. choose between Slavery and Free
DOM and they win choose the latter. Now, he
says, suppose Senator Rices proposition be adopt
ed. and the Territories be divided into two great
States one Slave and one Free, still the North
would have control ol Congress, and tie cOnsc-
quencc still be scctOnalism.
The great question then follows: What shall
be done 10 save the Union And it is here that
a. Iii ot ,f n.
strong. lie proposes four methods u " restoring
% the lost balances he says there are i've, but
he must have counted one twice. The fret is to
have ga dual Executive Tie second proposes
n division of the Senate into sections, concur.
rent vote Of both being required to make any
thing a law. The third viii make DIE protest
OF twO-thirds Of the Northern or Of the Southern
Senators defeat any bhl-the advantage of this
being that all things would directly be at a dead
lock, and legislation would be as hopeless as tie
attempt of man to Dt lansclf by his boot
straps. The Gurth plan proposes that tie Slave
States be- increased in number by cutting FLORIDA
into two, while the number of Free States VIII
! be reduced by rolling two OF three OF the New
ENGLAND States into one. Even tn Professor
sees that this might meet with tiifiDg opposi'
ton from Vermont and New Hampshire; but he
very quietly removes such objection by SAYING
that amputation must be cheeriuly submitted to
/ in order 10 save life. The letter there ranlhe-
into painfully confusing sentence about lost
balances" "dcrangcd Federal machinery
insutliciency Of counterpOises sin the mdtt oi
which the compositors, or the form, or The editor
powers of endurance, broke down, and the lesson
for the day was hastily brought to an end with
Concluded tomorrow
One of the annoying and tedious incidents o.
the present national difficulty ii this; That al
army Of tinkers are sending out their business
cards with garrlous offers TO mend the broker
Couiederacy, so that il shall be better than new
and since each tinker has connection,
more or less extensive, and all his customers
firmly believe 70 bi, infalDtle III, ihs minds @