, 1865-03-28
From the London Times, Fe5uary 81, 1861

eudOleu W uIScSG INC IuLeliSeuCC com
municated by Mr.. Seward Of a proposition
for terminating the American war by a
combined attack Of the beIligerents on
some foreign Power. In the speculation
itself there was little novelty. It had
been current in America for the last three
years, and was produced at intervals by
both Northern and Southern journals as
an obvious method of escaping from a
national difficulty. But we now learn,
on official authority, that this character
istic idea has been not only entertained,
but d eiberately discussed and considered
by thel representatives of the belIigcrent
Cover nments in conference assembled.
With the Confederate ENJOYS it was the
solution which they 'seemed chiefly to
favour They suggested hat the ques-
ton of union or separation should be left
in suspense, that in the meantime there
should be "a mutual direction of the
~"efforts of the Government, as we'll as
''those Of the insurgents, to some cX-
"%trinsic policy or scheme for a season."
and that negotiations on the great point
at issue should be resumed after this d.
version had produced It's palliative fleets.
The Federal representatives, being no
other than the President In person and
the Secretary of State himself, took this
proposal, says Mr.. Seward, into their de-
liberate consideration, but came to the
conclusion that it involved an armistico
or cessation of hostilities, which was too
favourable to the South to be allowed,
and they rejected it therefore on that
ground, This is a most remarkable piece
Of information to be conveyed TO us with
such promptitude and candour, and, in
deed, the circumstances of the communi-
cation arc in themselves not q little sim
gular.
The Conference between the Northern
and Southern representatives took place
on the Sd of the present month. Within
o week of the time-that is to say, on the
8th-Congross moved for papers in ex-
PLANTATION Of the transaction, and on the
10th Mr.. Lincoln duly transmitted the
documents required. The business was
thus despatched with extraordinary ex-
petition; but this was not all. On the
9th of the month, the single day which
interviewed between the motion for these
papers and their production, Mr.. Seward
added a most important document TO the
series. He sat down and penned in his
own style a long despatch to Mr.. Adams,
beginning with an enunciation of political
aphorisms, developing the theme in a
difuse aud candid narrative Of proceed
ings, and concluding with a pertinentb but
not very important reflection. The de-
spatch thus written was actually trans
mitted with the rest of the papers to the
Federal Congress before it was posted to
Mr.. Adams. It was published at Wash
ington on the 10th, whereas the mail
which was to carry it TO Europe did not
leave New York before the 18th, and as
it appeared in our columns on the 23rd
Mr.. Adams only perused the letter ad-
dressed to him by his Government at the
same moment that the whole country was
perusing it also. Did Mr.. Seward antici-
pate any particular effect from the intel
ligence which he was SO very eager to
bring before US?
The President, it will have been OBJ
served, said nothing in his communica-
tions about the ''extrinsic policy or
scheme" on which it was proposed to
concentrate the efforts of the belligerents