The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-02-15


The Rebels Disgusted.
The sharply defined issue of diplomatic We
racity which has been raised between the Sec
Rotary Of State and the French Minister at
Washington has very naturally drawn the pub
Lie attention to the consideration Of ovr foreign
affairs. We therefore avail ourselves of the
occasion to spread befbre or readers this
morning budget Of very interesting extracts
from leading rebel journals, touching the
foreign relations Of Jef. Davis, the question Of
an armistice, and the peace movement at
tempted by vallandigham and others Of that
disturbing faction of the Northern democracy.
Taking all these extracts together, it will be
seen that the rebels are indignant and Disguised
with the position which they maintain among
the nations of the earth, which they complain,
after two years of successful warfare for their
rights, is nothing better than the position Of
rebels and traitors. Taking them in the order
presented, the Charleston Mercury pronounces
against European Intervention or arbitration,
but advocates an armistice through the friendly
Offices Of France. Intervention, it fears, would
cut off from the Southern confederacy
the border slave States reclaimed from
the rebellion or adhering to the Union,
while an armistce would result In the
complete breaking down of the United
States government, with the collapse of its in
flated paper money and credit system. But
this Charleston philosopher fails to ask the
question, what would become of the five hun
drd millions Of Confederate scrip aHoat if
brought under an armistice, into competition
in the South with United States Treasury notess
1t strikes us, in this view Of the subject that an
armistice of even sixty days would PROSTATE
the whole financial fabric Of JEFF Davis in the
dust. But the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle and Sen
tinel puts in the same objections to an armistioe
that are advanced by his Charleston confede-
rate against foreign intervention-the danger of
losing thereby the border slave States, which
now, absolutely or partially, are held by the
armed forces Of the Union. This objection
shows that the rebels still entertain tho prepos-
ferrous notion that Maryland, Virginia, Ken
lucky and Missouri belong to them, and that
Southern independence without these States is
not to be thought Of. While this hallucnation
exists in Georgia, Mr. John Van Buren, il right
in his opinion that it is folly for Northern demo-
Gratis to be talking of compromises, armisticcs
or peace conventions in New York.
But the rebel leaders are still lsboring under
another deusion. They have made the Disco
very that England's pretences Of sympathy for
their cause are nothing but Hypocrisy and treach-
cry; that her game is to knock the heads Of the
North and the South together until both Sec
tons are destroyed and at her mercy, and that
she still desires the abolition of African slavery
everywhere. But the Richmond Enquirer il so
deeply impressed, meantime. with the concet
that Louis Napoleon loves the South and hates
"the Yankees" because che knows the crea.
lures" that it pronounces the Emperors Mexi.
can letter to General Forey as nothing more
than a transparent forgery of "some assiduous
correspondent in New York newspaper Office"
This delusion will soon be removed and
with the discovery that Louis Napoleon
is looking after his own interests in
Mexico, and not the interests OF JEFF.
Davis we suspect that the rebel chiefs and
their organs at Richmond will change their
views as to the friendly inclinations Of France
We regard this Mexican enterprise of Napo.
leon as flank movement against Southern
coniederacy Of the most damaging character.
for Mexico, by the chief conspirators In this re.
belion. has always been regarded as a certain
aud indispensable item Of dlbus.egine annsxA-