The Threatened Disruption Of The United States

F rom tlio I,on Ion Times, Jan. 18. The nev8 just received frorn the United States is the most LppoTtanf that has como to us since thebeginning of the present troubles. Nn one could read tho intelligence fiotu Washington, and thu letter of our New Yptk Vr" respondant without feeling that thr present inonth is big with the late qt the American Union. We are almo.it af raid to give publiciiy to tte appreiev stuft whioh prevaih. The excessive conlidence of tho Northernera that, ql. would end well is giving away to shafp anxiety, and tbough they seern still to expeot tho preservation of the Union, it is evident that they look for events which must bo most difsastrous to American society. The first step towards what the Southernere and their l'riends epeak of as civil wnr has been taken by President Buchanan, Roused b_v the disapprobalio.'i with wliioh h,U( message has been recoived aH throuri the JN'crth, he has adopted a more vigorous poüuy, and dechired his intentioti of executing the law and upholdmo; th Federal authority, Wlien tbr Charleston convention decreed the m.'1-ossion ol South Carolina, Comaiissionerd wero dispatctied to Washington to negotiate for thu i'ouceabio reuDgoition of tho new natii'iiality. At rst there vere nol wantitig nymptomx that the Presidunt would yield to these treasonablo emissarios. Ho rece ved f;e:n, and iii a manner entered into negotiations with thora, though professing to conaider thom only as '■ distinguished citizens of tho United States from South Carolina." However, the preliminary dotnands of theso gentlemen Uav-e nie.a rejected by the President. The Federal government will not evacuato Fort Sumpter; it will persist in colleeting the customs in tho port of Charleston, and for that purposo has appointed a Cal: lector, who will diichurge hú duties in a reveuue-cutter, under tho protection of a Unted Otates frigate - the Broolo lyn - which was ordered to be in readi: ness to e:art for Charleston at onco. The CommUsioners eonsequently tek'graphed to Gov. Piokens to put tho State on a war foutiüg, and to concéntrate all its forces at once. It is also waid that theiseccssion leaders, havridiscovered that the ürooklyn and onother vessel weru about to leuve Nor-, (olk for Chjr'es'oi, ha'l telographod to their sympatlnzars to h:ive the "Minute Men" in ruadiuess to seize theai. Tb( administratioD was on the wateh to pruvont the act. In short, Mr. Bacbanan seemed likely to act viorousiv in defonce of the Union, eo rnuoh ai tliat Mr. Floyd, Secretary of War and a eouthern partisan, had resigned. Ou ihe olhor hand, thero could bu nodoubt that all the cotton States would seseda witnin inrec weeiís, arm as nctio mar, it any attompt was made ai coerción, the border slavo Státts would giva activo help to the seJédera, and probably j'in the Confederacy. But fnr much oi this we are prepared. That Georgia, Alubansa, and the rest would follow the exampleof South Carolina was cortain,and it could bardly bo supposed that the President would atldiigth m ikoei ma resiatanco to the demand of ihe seceders. YV'hati most important in the lata newa is tl.ip rising ppirit of'the North, and tho growing deternination to uct with vigor Hgtiinst the cüsunionista. Tho Grovern-. ora of the two great States of' New York an 1 Ponn.sylvania luid delivered their messages at the openisg of thg sessioiip ofihuir respeclivoLegisiaturoii.' 'To permit or, acquiesce íd a treasonable conspiracy againstthe natioiml authorities is to confesa that our government is an absolute failure," says thè Gover nor of New York. " The peoplo of the State of New York, in tny judgment, are not prepared for suoii an :tdii.issioQ ; on thu contrary, tbey' will give to the Federal authorilies, in all nocessary raa-asures f.ir tho enioreement of tho laws, their j ast . earnest, and faithfu! support." Senator Spiyohi' had immediately offered a resolutioti authorizing the Governor to tender to tho natLnal administraron 10.Ü00 rniütii "to put down insurroction in ono part of country." It is probable that Jr'eunsylvania will be equally energetiü. Tho West will oertuioly tako up the question still more wannly. We now inderstand tho anxiety which pruv: iU i: tho Snu.h, anJ iriagine hov a dununcialion of the noithern project of tivil war, like that contened u ttie spiejh ut Mr. BvojamiB, tha other tíay, shonld work on thu feelings C'f tho galleries in a southern city' like Washington. But what is thé great danger - what is the temptation to a violent cour-;e, aguinst which this gentleman thoughtii nece-isary to waru the North ? Wben the President haa solemnly declarad that, thougli South, Carolina is no: constitutionally entitfeii' to secedo, yet she cannotbü hindered iu the revolutionary exercise of her sovereig:i rights ; when the House of Represent ati ves havo oted, hy a large ma jority, that the omploytnont of lorce to coerce tho seeeding States is impracticable ; when the Oustom-House and tho Postoffice are aoüially worked by Carolinian officials; when the New York press heads the news from Charleston with the title, '' Forcign IiHoiiigence," what can be tho chance ot cvil war against which the t-enator from Louisittna thinks it right solemnly to wam his fellow?? Tbat ia a questiüf' to whi;;h no oertain answ.-r oau be givon at preseut, evon in America, much less in this country. Tho minds of mon across the Atlantic are agitated by oo otïrrences to which nothing similar is recordedlo the' history oi this country. WIk;ü the JJritish fleet mutiuied at tha More, when Ireland was in open rebel!ion, when Bonaparte was ;;t Eoulqgïui,when Engliiud stood afonó ag'aih.st tha Consolidated French E:npi;-e - at any of these periods people rnight be anxious, ilarmed, depressed ; but they had i conlideuce ia the future, since they feit that a na. ion can never be destroyed but by its own guilt. Thinking men in America are probably more disoouraged than we were when the sword of a military despotism was at our brcauïs.They feel that their country riifis'the greatest risk of all dangérs - that of' being ruined by itsolf. No foreign enemy, no European tyrant, no base uligarchy thrcatens them. The fabric of democratie govornment is to bö rent asunder in tho name of pbpular right, ana by means oí universal sunrages. Caricatures represent the jiibilation ot the ' European sovereigns at the event. Sermons are fullofdespondeney. Publio speeches in the North have generally aöected to doubt the seriousness of tht rnovements and have 'expréssec tiis ' eor.tiilence that the sep'iratiorl will on!y be teraporaFy. This, iri faet, ia the hope whiuh has kopt the North, and ■ stil'l moro the West, quiet. lt was still ndulged at the close of last vear, and ' it reinains to be soon how far it i:i foanded on a right estímate of thïng'. Bat, supposing the sanguine politicturis, of whom Mr. Sdwnrd is a type, to boiu ; the wrong ; supposing tbe gulf between frea and elave sóil, wheD once made, Vu ' ttidtï !:;iv Iftöre tfnd n.uiv-; itfipiiOMIlg ttt ]i;i ef, r ;lic oüiical ambinoú, w Uit; pecmiiary inusresífl u( the S.mtlit mets to bátrattftHtl b llicir new ili 'lcj-n(lfin-L', wluii wül int ttiu m! ion ot n-t ut ino FnlriiiiHin ': ill the '"novUi giwu ui) :lli lliu shivo Öt-ulee ■uil ilio vu; 6intinfn'. wbitili lies ti iho Sniiili aod VVbs.1 of ilicm ? Are uil ilie ,''c;:in:S ! -::r! Kall miï)i (111 ld Ü6 i,,i,.-oiic by ..o yotiih ifNew Entlaiid anii New Vcríí, Uliwawid Mioli;;;an, the M iist ;icüvo ;ilni (.■lilerpii-niL' popuh." ticiu ot '.il e Ki'jniiiiii-y It Sn.ilü C'uioliijn stwífeK) il Gvwrgiai Fforii, Ala .:l!IIM, fftitftóSÍpJii Al knllSa.s, JíOUÍííÍiirfii, !nlli; il a tíiwitlnero EWwutJoii be t.iniitd, ;:i.ii tfk itH pliu-o ll!lion_' the l'c.uis's of tliu earlh. ttu-re cmi In' nn l!O, t.f keopinf dw bordón .-h.vr Htü'es. TliU-u il be draw 11 liy allinity tn ile'.arh llirt'isclvcs Iroui the NoMll nifd i!n 1 1 it; sluvholtfmg i' riclcra'.iun.- Nt.n'ii ('uioliiiti, 'IViiucce, Eentucky, MtsHftort1; Virgïn'a, ftlsryluttd, wmio, will thfcn be diaeooiated frotn thu iroS States. Siicli au ewnt unnnot be jvo-nrdt-'d vvuhmit disnray by the most, utaunch abolitioniíw. h. would, infecí j iit'ike the Southern FcJeration the rent . United States Bt fier. a ivrritori pietent and vrj.iptctir? i coneer'ned and reiwe the N'irtU lo what our afaxtlorê wtmïd hacèeaUrdé '■;." The paople of iffistón tr PhitKdolphia raight Üo dislin'Miishfd for thwïi' ubiKty and enterprfrb, Imt tliey would Ueioivg tci a oountrV witli bnrdly a givater fulcro ihan , Uíihada. Every natural ndvantage would bo on the sulo of the elavë öime. Look nt thu mp and y--u will tre what ;i rrorfow dip of country comi oses ilio freó soii of the Americac Fui!er;itk)ii. Only the sea coast frurn tho Blitish frontier tntfié Dolaware be longs U it; all the rest, Btretoliing iar ;tvay down tho Atlanüc nlong the Culf of Mexico, is in the hands of the slaveowners. The n.ou'.h of the Mis HSiippï is theiip; the Missouri and Arkansas, the grent arlertei til the extremo West, aro theira. Virginia pesfhea a spur of tiirritory to withm less than n' himilrt'i! miles f Lake lürie, and thus divk'u's the Ailantw f ee Statea from tlie West in a rnanner highly duiigerous to thi-ir future Union. Indeed, it wdodbiful whéihrthjoonneotion between Nfe York and New Kno-land on tiio one hïind, aml Illinois and the nt'ighporiDg States on the othcr ccüld Ic'g uurvive ttie total separiitu'n öt'thoSoiiih Tho Nortb would havo a lerritory as straggling as that of l'rusíia, nnd t He western región wotíld soun find it advantageotw tö dissolve its unión with the easterri. Jn the incantime al! lite riches ín tho New World woulü be in the grap of the Soulhcrners. Instoad of esploring the inhospitable 'regions in the naighl, r hood of Uio liritish froctier, whicli would bo all that would reiiütin i' the Norlh, tho slaveowneiS would oarry th'ír''íiridoñiable proper'. y" into lunds blessed vsith overy advantage of climato, Boil, nnd mineral wealth. Texas haB tèrrilory enoitgh to makè thrce or fo'ui great Stales.' New Mexieo is about to be adinítt'el íh slavo ; tigns. Ari.onu wül follow. Mexico] muit, in a playeáis, he conqueretl, and the Souliernert, lords aftktmoêt magnijren'. ilomain in the world wuuld control the piss:cc betwem the tiro tCiílVS. __ , I In tsbort, U the ümon lo's Bouth Carolina go, there is r.o sayinsr what inny go witti it. K is very wel] to specuía'te ón the return of an erring sister, but ejperience shows that secessione, whén once mudo, are hot easily recall ed It ie the nature of cracks to widen and bothatthe Nortb and Wesi there are nnwse.s of people so earnest in the advocacy ofstrong tnea-ure.s to prevent a disrupion that the President may be foriíed iuto active measúres. For our own part, whatever opunons Amencans miiv have of Englfeh polioy, we beg to aesure tliL'in that in this country there is only ony wish - that tho Union may urvive lliis terrible trial. Sliould Providenc-o deeree it otherwise, we earnestly pray that the BepáTatióh ir.ay bo an BtHicahle onc. Civil war in a floutishing country and ainong a kindred peopfo can nevor be conteinplated without horror by a nation üke ours, and wo trust that ntiithcr the violenco of the people nerthe weakoesaof ihcir leaders wilhbring thia calumity on the Amorican Union,