The National tribune., 1898-05-19
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BY SIR ARTHUR JAMES LYoN-FREMANTLE.
BY SIR ARTHUR JAMES LYONFREMANTLE
KEN G. C. B. now Lieutenant- General British Army.

works, and the woods have been cut down
! to give range. An Eruption of the enemy
I'm this direction has evidently been con-
templated; and we met brigade of in
fantry halfway between Petersburg and
Richmond on its way to garrison the latter
place, as the Yankees are reported to be
menacing in that neighorhood.
The scenery near Richmond is very
pretty, and rather English-looking. The
view of the James River from the railway
bridge is quite beautiful though the water
| is rather low at present. The weather was
extremely hot and oppressive, and, for the
| first time since | LETT Havana, i really
suffered from the heat.
called on Gen. Cooper, Adiutant-Generaf
to the Confederate forces, and senior Gen
eraI in the army. He is brother-in-iaw to
Mr.. Mason, the Southern Commissioner in
London. l then called upon Mr.. Benjamin,
the Secretary OF State, who made an APP
pointment with me 10 meet him at his
house. The public offices are handsome
stone buildings, and seem to be well ar
| ranged for business. l found at least as
much difficulty in gaining access to the
great men as there would be in European
countries; but when once admitted, was
treated with the greatest courtesy. The
ante-rooms were crowded with people
patiently waiting for an audience.
The streets OF Richmond are named and
numbered in most puZZling manner, and
the greater part of the houses are not
numbered at all. 1t is the most billy
city have ever seen in America, and its
population is unnaturally swollen since
the commencement of the war. The fact of
there being abundance OF ice appeared TO
me an immense luxury, as | had never
seen any before in the South; but ii seems
that the Winters are quite severe in north
ern Virginia. / was sorry to hear in the
highest quarters the gloOmiest forebodIngs
with regard to the fate OF VickSburg. This
fortress is in fact given up, and all now
despair of Gen. Johnston's being able to
effect anything towards its relief.
Mr.. Benjamin is a stout, dapper little
man, evidently of Hebrew extraction, and
of undoubted talent. He IS Loulslanlan.
and was Senator for that State IN the old
United States Congress, and believe he Is
accounted a very clever lawyer and
brilliant orator.
He told me that he had filled the onerous
post of Secretary of War during the first
seven months of the secession, and can
easily believe that he found it no sinecure.
We conversed for long time about the
origin of secession which he Indignantly
denied was brought about, as the Yankees
assert. by the interested Vaccinations OF
individuals. He declared that, for the last
10 years the Southern statesmen had
openly stated in Congress what would take
place; but the NorthernerS never would
believe they were in earnest, and had
often replied by the taunt, The South was
so bound to and dependent on the North,
that she couldn't be kicked out OF the
Union"
He said that the Southern armies had
ALWAYS been immensely outnumbeIed in
all their battles, and that until recently
Gen. Lee could never muster more than
sc, coo effective men. He confessed that
the Southern forces consisted altogether of
about $50 ,0OO to 100000 men; and when
asked him where they all were, he replied
| that. on account of the enormous tract OF
| country to be defended, ard the immense
advantages the enemy possessed Dy MS
| facilities for sea and river transportation,
the South was obliged to keep large bodies
of men unemployed, and at great distances
| from each other awaiting the sudden In
yasions or raids to which they were con-
tinually exposed. Besides which, the
Northern troops, which numbered The sup
posed) 600 OG0 men, having had as yet but
| little defensive warfare, could all De em--
ployed for aggressive purposes.
He asserted that England had still, and,
always had had it in her power to termi-
! nate the war by recognition, ana Dy max
| ing a commercial treaty with the South;
| and he denied that the Yankees really
would dare to 20 to war with Great Britain
for doing so. however much they might
swagger about it; he said that recognition
| would not increase the Yankee hatred or
England for this, whether Just or unjust
| was already as intense as IT could possibly
| be- | then alluded to the supposed ease
with which they could OveTrun Canada
| and to the temptation which its unprOr
| tected towns must offer to the large mum
! hers of Irish and German mercenar1eS In
! the Northern armies. He answered, Ihey
/ probably could not do that so easily as
| some people suppose, and they kn0" per
| fectly well that you could deprive them or
| California "a far more serious loss) with
much greater ease.
| This consideration, together with the
| certainty of an entire blockade OF thelp
/ ports. the total destruction OF their trade,
| and an invasion on a large scale Dy me
| Southern troops, in reality prevents the
| possibility of their declaring war upon
| England at the present time, any more
| than they did at the period OF the Mason
| Slidell affair.
| MIR. BENJAMIN told me that his property
| had lately been confiScated in New orleans,
! and that his two sisters had been turned,
neck and crop into the streets there, with.
| only one trunk, which they had been
| forced to carry themselves. Everyone was
| afraid to give them shelter, except an
| Englishwoman, who protected them until
/ they could get out of the city.
Talking of the Just admiration which the
English newspapers accorded to Stonewan
| Jackson he expressed, however, his as
| Punishment that they should have praised
| so highly his strategic skill in out -manuver-
! ing Pope at Manassas, and Hooker at
Charlottesville, totally ignoring that in
both cases the movements were planned
and ordered by Gen. Lee, for whom (Mr.
| BENJAMIN said) Jackson had the most
''childlike reverence.
| Mr.. BENJAMIN complained OF MIR. Russell
| of the Times for holding him up to fame as
! a "gambler'-a story which he understood
| Mr.. Russell had learnt from Mr.. Charles
| Sumnef at Washington. But even sup
posing that this was really the case, Mr.
| BENJAMIN was of opinion that such
| revelation of his private life was In ex-
| tremely bad taste, after Mr.. Russell had
partaken of his (Mr. Benjamin 81 hoSpl-
| tally at Montgomery.
| He said the ConfederateS were more
/ amused than annoyed at the term rebel,
which was so constantly applied to thems
| but he only wished mildly to remark that
| in order to be a rebel" a person must
| rebel against someone who has right to
| govern him; and he thought it would be
| very difficult to discover such right as
| existing in the Northern over the Southern
| States.
| In order to prepare a treaty OF peace, no
! said. at would only be necessary to write
| on a blank sheet of paper the words self
government Let the Yankees accord
| that. and they might fill up the paper in
any manner they chose. We don't want
any State that doesn't want us; but we
only wish that each State should decide
fairly upon its own destiny. All we are
struggling for is to be let alone"
Ito be continued0