It may be as well to explain here that that great political Union hitherto called the United States of America may be more properly divided into three than into two distinct interests, In England we have long heard of North and South as pitted against each other, and we have always understood that the Southern politicians, or Democrats, have prevailed over the Northern politicians, or Republicans, because they were assisted in their views by Northern men of mark who have held Southern principles—­that is, by Northern men who have been willing to obtain political power by joining themselves to the Southern party.  That, as far as I can understand, has been the general idea in England, and in a broad way it has been true, But as years have advanced, and as the States have extended themselves westward, a third large party has been formed, which sometimes rejoices to call itself The Great West; and though, at the present time, the West and the North are joined together against the South, the interests of the North and West are not, I think, more closely interwoven than are those of the West and South; and when the final settlement of this question shall be made, there will doubtless be great difficulty in satisfying the different aspirations and feelings of two great free-soil populations.  The North, I think, will ultimately perceive that it will gain much by the secession of the South; but it will be very difficult to make the West believe that secession will suit its views.

I will attempt, in a rough way, to divide the States, as they seem to divide themselves, into these three parties.  As to the majority of them, there is no difficulty in locating them; but this cannot be done with absolute certainty as to some few that lie on the borders.

New England consists of six States, of which all of course belong to the North.  They are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut—­the six States which should be most dear to England, and in which the political success of the United States as a nation is to my eyes the most apparent.  But even in them there was till quite of late a strong section so opposed to the Republican party as to give a material aid to the South.  This, I think, was particularly so in New Hampshire, from whence President Pierce came.  He had been one of the Senators from New Hampshire; and yet to him, as President, is affixed the disgrace—­whether truly affixed or not I do not say—­of having first used his power in secretly organizing those arrangements which led to secession and assisted at its birth.  In Massachusetts itself, also, there was a strong Democratic party, of which Massachusetts now seems to be somewhat ashamed.  Then, to make up the North, must be added the two great States of New York and Pennsylvania and the small State of New Jersey.  The West will not agree even to this absolutely, seeing that they claim all territory west of the Alleghanies, and that a portion of Pennsylvania and some part also