The Sun. — 1862-01-17 (London, England)

FRIDAY, JAN. 3.  Thesuspended their circulation for on order to enable their printers to enjoy New Year's-day, have re-appeared this morninge papersday in having with some expressions of gratification at their finding the world had been able to survive their sbsence. It is almost ludicrous to read their laborious efforts to prove that the people were quite indifferent to the surrender of Mason and Slidell, and to watch the faces which the indifferent people make as they swallow their "great triumph of diplomacy," or" 111 r. Seward's New International Law," or whatever else the fact is called. One paper candidly admits, in a letter from Boston, that the people were exceedingly angry, and would have made short work of the Commissioners ; or as it calls them in another place, " the Ministers to France and E ngland," had they fallen into their hands. It is admitted that the country was in a state of "intense excitement" at the capture of " the two noteriou3 rebels," but Mr. Seward having found out that they were "comparatively insignificant," and that their arrest was not legal in form, the country as suddenly became quite resigned to the surrender. The tone of public feeling in Great Britain is still regarded with apprehension, and is fiercely denounced, but the American press does not consider how entirely its language and the acts of its Government are to blame for the national irritation. Let them remember the writings, and speeches, and acts which have been reported to England, mail after mail, since the seizure, all of them justifying it, after de31aring the intention of the people and the Government to sustain the act. Even as it stands it would seem that the American Government are of opinion the law of nations would justify them in seizing any of our mail steamers in which any "rebel" emissary was a passenger, or in the mail-bag of which a "rebel" despatch could be found, and taking her into port for condemnation. Everything which has gone to England has been of a nature to increase the national excitement, and it will be great surprise to discover that the articles and speeches and public excitement meant just nothing at all but readiness to do whatever the Government liked. In Great Britain we attach weight to such manifestations. Here they mean, on their own showing, nothing whatever so far as foreign Governments are concerned, and the little piece of information thus afforded to ns may be useful on future occasions. There are rumours, to which some credence should be attached, that a vast slave conspiracy has been discovered in the South, and that the leaders have been executed or destroyed. It is affirmed, with alarming probability of truth, that the negoes on Dr. Duncan's plantation, on Dr. Mercer's, and on General Quitman's estate, have been or are in a state of insurrection. The Democratic party wash their hands of any complicity in or approval of such assistance from our natural allies ; but the abolition organs for some time past have been rebuking their leaders for a coyness and unwillingness to encourage the slaves to emancipate themselves, and the readiest way of procuring emancipation is to murder their masters.  The new year opens with a general disposition on the part of the Government and the politicians to tax the people to carry on the war by some process of direct taxation. Here is the new era coming. One writer in the New York Times supposes that that the war will impose a debt of 2,000,000,000 dols., and demands a tax large enough to pay the interest and to keep the Government going; and in proof that such a tax is ye) y easy states that the valuation of real and personal estate in the United States, according to the censuses of 1850 and 1860, was —in 1850, 7,135,780,227 doll.; in 1860, 16,159,616,068 do's. ; increase, 9,023,835,841 dols., or 126 45 per cent. in the 10 years. He further adds that the amount of personal property in the United States, according to the last census was five billions eighty-one millions six hundred and sixty thousand dollars, and it is proposed to raise a re