Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-06-20
LATE NORTHERN INTELLIGENCE.
AN INTERCEPTED DESPATCH.

.
| MADRID, March n, 1862.
The Hon. R. M. T. HUNTER, &C., &c-Slr
| have the honor to inform you that arrived
! in Madrid, accompanied by Mr.. Fearn, as the
news Of our reverses was being received. Al
ter waiting some time in the expectation Of
learning its real nature and extent through
Southern papers, applied for and obtained an
interview with Mr.. Calderon Oollantes, the
Spanish Secretary of Foreign Affairs, whose
reception was kind and friendly. | told him
at tho outset that my Government had been
anxious from tho beginning to form friendly
relations with Spain, and had sent me in Au.
gust last instructions to proceed to this Court,
which the arrest and detention of Messrs.
Mason and Slidell had prevented me from
obsying sooner. | stated the nature OF those
instructions. and ventured the hope that the
object Of my mission might be attained With
out too great delay. After expressing his
qualification at my safe arrival, and the assu-
race that would be pleased with the society
of Madrid as all previous American ENJOYS
had been, he asked me whether had any au-
thontic accounts CT our recent reverses, and
expressed great surprise that fifteen thousand
Oonfederates should have surrendered without
greater resistance, regretting the effect that
such disaster WAS Calculated to have upon
| the mo, ale OF our troops.
told him had no authentic information,
| but had no duubt the number vi prisoners was
grossly exaggerated, ny from what had seen
in various American papers, the real number
must be under six thousand that the enemy
was vastly superior in numbers and The resis
lance of Gen. Buckner nil that could be do
sired. uniolded before him map Of the
United States, and pointed out the localities Of
Somerset Fort Henry and Fort Donelson,
showed him the distances from those points to
New Orleans and Texas, along tho line of the
Mississippi River, which the invading army
intended to-follow. | stated that throughout
this distance there We're no roads upon which
the transport Of the matsriet Of an army could
BIO effected, while We had nearly three thousand
leagues of railway which could be used for
purposes of defense, and destroyed es the
enemy advanced, and that, besides, the North
ern troops could stand neither the heat Of our
Summer, nor the malades incident to the
climate. I concluded by saying that, oven
without thesv natural obstacles, noed not tell
O Spanish minister that bravo ard unitod PEG
pic, fighting Tor their nationality and indepen-
dence, could not DO subjugated; the armies OF
| Napoleon gained many important victories IN
Spain and for years occupied its capital and for
tresses, but when the Spanish armies had tean
nearly destroyed tho entire people rose in their
might md drove the imperial leg0ns beyond
the Pyreuees 50 it would Do with us in tho
end. He was we'll pleased with the sllusion,
aud said he had no doubt Of our ultimate sue
cess, provided our people could stand the pri-
| yations which prolracted contest would bring
upon them. He wont On TO Say, that OIL tho
| question OF right he had no doubt it is clearly
with the South, as much rs il had been with
Spain in the French Invasion, or with the
present Queen in the contest With Don Carlos;
but the questions with which foreign Govern.
ments had to deal Was question Of fact, not
of right, We ask 10 be recognized as a Govern
ment de fdct0 we must show, as Spain and
the Queens party had shown, not .n!y that
We had the right 10 establish and Lad established
a Government, but that VIC had Ito power IL
maintain it against all Efforts Of our opponents;
and, as thus far it could not be said we Lad
made that proof further time must elapse be-
fure the Queens Government could recognize
uuTa.
Continuing the conversation, he asked mo
what had bean the result Of the interview CT
Messrs Mason and Slidell and NJ. Thouvenel
| / D.,
that the Emperor Napoleon considered the
disruption Of the Union, and Of its rising
Navy, as = great misfortune to France, and
was, Of late, inclined 10 the hope that il might
be reconstructed; and further that he would,
under no circumstances, incur the enmty Of
the North by taking the lead in recognizing
us, willis the present. Administration in Eng
land Wss, to 4 srosl stuht, composed Of Abe
| -. a.
litiun faction for It's maintenance in power,
: deluding itsolf at the same time With the vain
hope that, ii the civil war was protracted, and
the culture OF cotton cessc1-in whole or in
part-the monopoly of that staple would pass
from the Confederate States TO India, as a
compensation for the present sufferings of The
British manufacturing population But Spain
was differently situated; her interest WINS that
great Powers who would balance each other
fanaticisu, and surely she had no interest that
the monopoly Of the cotton supply should
pass from us TO England. Spain was our
interest was that re should become an ndc
| pendent power.
| Whsn We ware recognized, similarity Of in
|
botWtcb Us uiora cordial friendship aud ALI
ance than had ever existed between two people.
He said BIO hoped it mil ht BIO 30, but he would
not conceal the fact that Mr.. Seward was taking
great pains to convince him that the North had
always been friendly, while the South was ever
hostile to Spain that while the North IVES
their best customer for the sugar of their colo
MES, and supplied them with all they wanted in
exchange no private expeditions had ever
sailed from their ports for the invasion OF Cuba.
but invariably from those Of the South, aid
that if the Confederate States become hereafter
strong Government, their first attempt at
conquest would be upon that Island. al
swered that the representations OF Mr.. Seward
wore disingenuous and untrue formerly tho
North ss we'll as the South wanted Ouba. Tho
North wanted it, ard will ever want ii, for tho
profits OF ils commerce; the South wanted il
to make three new States OF it, and thus obtain
in the Federal Senate six more members, which
would, for time have cquslizod tho power
Of the FREQ and SIsvcholding States in that
body.
With the reconstruction OF the Union, tie
motives OF the South would necessarily revive;
but it does not now and never will again ex.
ist, provided that the independence ofthe Con-
federal States is recognized and securely
established. The South would then deem it
its interest that great country like Spain
should continue slave power. TIE two 10.
eether with Brszil, would have the monopoly
of the system of labor, which alone can make
iatsrtrcpical America and the regions adjoining
It available to the uses Of msn, and 10 great
extent Of the rich product of that labor. Nothing
in tha INST conld eivo an idea of the career Of
prosperity and power which would thus DO open
to US. The time at which Our recognition should
take place was, Of course, exclusively within
tho discretion Of her Majesty's Government;
but could be assured tnSt when that time
arrived our recognition would not b, msdo
dependent upon the seton OF other powers p
At the time of tho resurrection OF tho
Spanish Colonies, the United States had