From Washington.
[special Correspondence of the Dispatch.] Washington, Jan. 8th, 1861.
It was enough to make a Southern man blush to hear the venerable Crittenden pleading on yesterday with the Abolitionists to accept his amendment, which does the South the barest justice, if that, and saves the country from the horrors of war. There they sat, in contemptuous silence, paying no more regard to the petitions of the grey-haired statesman than it he had been a dog. How long must we stand this?
Since 1783 every single solitary compromise has been proffered by Southern men, and every concession has cost the South a moiety of its honor and a vast share of its rights in the common property.
For the life of me I cannot see how we can longer submit to this condition of things.
If the Abolitionists will have war, let them have it.
Toombs boldly declared hemself a rebel, if secession were rebellion, and proclaimed his willingness to throw the bloody spear at any moment.
His points were made with great power, coming like bursts of thunder, at times; but his speech, as a whole, was desultory, interrupted, broken.
It did not flow like Benjamin's, the movement of which was like the majestic tide of the Mississippi.
General Scott is concentrating troops here, ostensibly to protect Lincoln, but, for aught we know, to make an inroad upon Virginia.--We must be on the alert.
The sword is drawn against us; the Federal troops, according to a New York dispatch, will reach Charleston this evening.
Virginia must trust her defence to herself alone.
We will never be more able to take our destiny in our own hands than now.
I am glad you have come out so decidedly for a united South.
What else is left us?--The day of indecision, of party feuds, of weak men, uncertain of purpose and untrue to their State, is past.
The time has come for heroes.
The Mayor of New York city talks about seceding from the State, and a friend of mine lately saw a Rhode Island paper which urged with vehemence the right and duty of that little State to cut itself off from the tyranny of the fanatics of Massachusetts.
But this is all talk.
When it comes to blows, section will be against section, North against South.
We had a salute early this morning in honor of the day, and now another is going on. --There will be a parade and a hundred guns for Anderson.
This reminds me that Clemens, of Virginia, voted in the House yesterday with the Abolitionists, approving Anderson's conduct and Buchanan's determination to sustain him. The vote was not taken without great disorder.
A general fight in the House at an early day is not at all improbable.
Hackett is playing Falstaff at the Theatre.--I have been too busy to hear him. The weather is very mild.
You recollect it was predicted that we would have an exceedingly severe winter.Zed. 