The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-02-24
FRIDAY MoRNING.......F FEBRUARY 81, 1865

h' 'ho ooS'''f'Ine VI tnlS contest, ther
was one statesman Of the South, now i
his grave, who stood alone in the Con
fcderacy, and VIC may almost saw tn
continent, in his opinion Of the proba
bility Of English Intervention. This wa
the late John b. Floyd. lie maintained
with distinctness and emphasis, that i
was not merely the disruption of the ole
Union which England sought, but tn,
material ruin of the two belligcrents, ir
order that she might relieve herself of the
commercial rivalry of the one and be in
dependent OF the cotton of the other
compelling the world to look to herself
for not only the manufacture but the
production of her own starle-an infc.
rlor kind, it is true, but still the bes,
(Southern cotton out Of the way) they
could get
| We well rccollect the incredulity with
which these views Of Governor Floyd
were generally received, and yet time
has set the seal of truth to every word
he uttered, and added another to the
many illustrations his life afforded of
statesmanl'ke sagacity. 1t only needed
the application to the probable policy of
England Of the infallible standard of self.
interest to know what would be her
course in this war. The interest of ma
tions is their only principle, and Eng
land is certainly no exception. We
speak of her rs d sv.c..,.nv..., not o.,
people, when we say that nowhere on
the face Of the earth, in ancient or mo-
dern times, can be found more intense
scliishncss than controls her councils
Her policy towards America, in particu-
lar, has been so cold>bloodcd and persist
cnt in its purposes of selfaggrandizemcnt
and revenge that no penalty she can paw
can ever reach the measure of her crime.
For thirty years she has labored with |
deep and unfiagging determination to |
produce the disunion of the American
States. She was actuatcd in those la
bors by the combined influences of in
terest and revenge. She never forgayc
the American Revolution. The loss of
the most rcsplcndcnt jewels of her crown
WAS an objectionable sin. The late war
lddcd fresh flame, which has never vet
'cen cxtinguishcd, to her bitter cxas-
'eration. The telling blows that Perry.
Decatur, Hull, 'Chaunccy, McDonough,
nd others, delivered, humblcd her pride
lpon her favorite element. She would
ave forgiven the successes of General
cott in the North, and of jackson
a the South, but her naval disasters
7ere ranking thorn which the hand of
ime could neither extract nor soothe.
p to that period, she had been the ac>
nowlcdgcd naval mistress of that cle-
lcnt, and it was necessary she should
e so to protect the trade by which she
YES, and to secure her existence as
rst-rate Power. Napoleon once declared
lat, geographically, England was but q
rovincc Of the Grand Empire, but be. +
veen France and England rolled an {
;ean which even the genius of Napoleon
'uld never bridge over to his coveted a
,ey. Suddenly appeared upon the c
atcrs flag which, for the first time,
used the meteor glories Of the British S
inner to trail the sea. In all the late n
ar she only gained two victories in the fa
ntest Of ship to Ship poor consola~ s.
IN for long series of crushing defeats. n
lencetorth the spell of British naval su- a.
emacy was broken. There was an S
her nation whose sailors were as good Il
her own--a nation with nautical tastes W
I'd aptitudes, and with unlimited re- m
nrces OF ship-building and Of men. h
AS time passed on, the commerce of h.
is new rival began to overspread the] III
rid, and not only her commerce n,
produced In abundance cotton whichI th
lid not be equalled In quality n any hs