The Sun. — London, England, 1863-09-29 00:00:00

The Re bels and the Imperialists in China, (Fran, .z an Occasional Correspoulent of the Times.) SHANGHAT, Aug. 5. Major Gordon has wrested another walled city from th e hands of the rebels—Wokong, lying di rectly s oath of Soochow. He left Quinsan on the 25th of July, and appeared before the walls on the 28th, having captured two strong stockades en route, at a place called Kapoo. The usual earth works, had been thrown up outside the east and west gates, which the rebels manned as the disci plin ed troops approached, showing symptoms of an in tention to make a vigorous defence ; but their determination was not proof against the appearance of a body of 500 men in their rear, and they corn ny :need a retreat towards the city, which a vigorous charge by the 6th Regiment converted into head long flight. Having thus cleared the country Gordon made dispositions for an attack on the city, but the rebels had lost heart ; a few shells were pitched at the walls without eliciting a single shot in reply, and in as short time a deputation of man darins offered to surrender on condition that the lives of the garrison were secured. Tais was, of course, agreed to, and Wokong, with 3,000 prisoners, passed iota possession of the Imperialists, with a loss of only one European officer and 15 men killed and wounded. If the Imperialists are able to hold Wokong its capture will be of considerable import ance, 8.9 its position on the Grand Canal enables its possessors to interrupt communication by that route between Soochow and Hangchow, and further pre ludes an irruption of the rebels into the country around Sooakiong, unless they venture to leave Quinsan and Wokong in their rear, which, judging from their antecedents, they would certainly not venture to do. But a report was current in the settlement yesterday that he had already been obliged to abandon it and concentrate on Quinsan. Indeed, to separate a force of only 3,000 men by a two days' march in the face of the powerful garrison at S oochow would be the extreme of rashness, espe cially as that garrison has received an accession of strength which will render the tenure even of Quinsan problematical. For acme time rumours have been afloat in Shanghai that an expedition was prep acing in aid of the rebels, that Europeans were being enlisted, and arms collected under the auspices of Gen. Burgevine ; but every one desired to think them untrue, loth to believe that a man who had earned so much respect as Burgevine undoubtedly has should have allowed himself to be drawn into a condenened cause. Unfortunately there is no longer room for doubt ; Burgevine him self is believed to be in Soochow tit the present moment, toi;ether with many of his old officers, who have left or i one ground or another since his seces sion from the command. Hayes, Gibb, and Rhode, all form a:ly in command of regiments of disciplined Chinese, are said to be his right-hard men, and he has, be sides, about 300 Europeans of all sorts, some as officers, some as fighting men. The question now '.s, will the rebels give him and his officers suffi cien t power ? If they do, there is nothing to pre ver.t a force equal to Gordon's in quality, and far superior in numbers, from being raised within the next three months, and all the latter's generalship not enable him to maintain himself against ; greatly superior numbers of equally good troops. - Hitherto the rebels have not given any command to such Europeans as have joined them, employing them merely as counsellors to their chiefs, and profiting by their knowledge of gunnery. But it is unlikely that Burgevine would have joined them unless the position he was to occupy 'as clearly defined, and was such as would enable him to discipline and direct men with out interference. In the meantime, until he has succeeded in instilling a certain amount of organi zation into a sufficient number, Soochow is safe ; the disciplined Chinese would never take a breach defended by 300 Europeans, even if Gordon were to risk an attack; and the latter's hope of fright ening them out by scouring the country in their rear must be at an end, for Burgevine will dispel their fears. Latterly, until the present moment, the rebel cause has been declining, but it is not um 31kely that the accession of so much strength and imil;.tary knowledge may enable them to recover all their lost ground. The present is perhaps one of the most critical crisis of the rebellion, and if the British authorities do not act with energy may eventuate in the return of the rebels to the gates of Shanghai, and the loss of all the country that after so hard fighting has been wrested from their hands- Burgevine commenced his new career by a very dashing act. Dr. Macartney, late his military secretary, now a military mandarin in the service of the Futai, and in command of Suoukiong, went up hence to that city in a small steamer called the Kiachao on the evening of the Ist inst. He left her about a hundred yards from the wills and rode to wards the west gate, but had hardly passed over halt the distance when one of the Europeans who had been left on board ran up breathless to say that Burgevine, with about 30 Europeans, had seized the steamer. Dr. Macartney hastened into the city to turn out the troops, and then galloped back to the entrance of the creek, where he had left a large barge as he passed up, hoping to be able to sink her across the entrance bofore the steamer could reach it ; but she had left, the Kiachao passed safely out, and is now, doubtless, under the walls of Soochow. The brilliant successes which Major Gordon had achieved with the handful of men whom the jealous parsimony of the Futai allows him had afforded strong ground for hope that, with Sherard Osborne's powerful aid, the extinction of the Taeping rebel lion would not be long delayed. The limits within which they held power were being gradually drawn tighter around them, and if only the mandarins could have been induced to grant Gordon a larger force there would have been little doubt that the close of the wet cold season would have found them confined to the close neighbourhood, if not within the walls of Nankin. In Chekeang their case is still worse than in Kiangse. After overrunning a great portion of the province with extraordinary rapidity, they have been compelled, almost equally rapidly, to abandon it. Since Ningpo was recap tured, in May, 1862, Tzechee, Fungwha, Yayaou, Sh augyn, Shaoshing, and Shaotsan, have succes sively been recovered, besides other cities of minor _note. T he country to t h e sou th of Hang-cho w Bay and of the Tsientang has been completely cleared of their presence, and Hangchow itself, the third city y in their possession, lies an easy prey to the Imperialists as soon as they can collect sufficient energy to march against it. But the jealousy and antipathy to foreigners of the highest local authority cramps the movements of the disciplined Chinese in Chekeang as much as parsimony here has prevented Gordon's operations from bearing their full fruit: The Fatai, of Ningpo, is one of the old, occlusive, anti-foreign school, and views with intense jealousy% a presence of foreigners in military commend within his Government. The disciplined troops are too formidable for him to dis band; besides, t h e rich merch ants of Ningpo, the principal sources of his revenue, Are alive than he to their v alue, but 4 happily more indulges his spite by refusing to allow them to undertake any offensive operations. There are two dis tinct bodies of disciplined Chinese in the Ningpo Provieees one Franco-Chinese , of 1,500 men, under the ceeetaand d'Aigabelle, formerly an officer in his Imp erial Majesty's navy , which garrisons Shaoshing and the country thence to the Hangchow Bay; the other' Anglo-Chinese, consisting of 1,000 men, commanded by Colonel Cooke, formerly one of Ward's officers, which garrisons Ningpo , and likewise keeps an eye on Yuyaow, Fungwha, and Tzechee. The former, to use siChinese eep Tessl • er), stinks in the nostrils of both mandarins and inhabit ants ; the subordinate officers are lawless and uuseeep t fl ons, and the men are only too willing to emulate the looting propensities of their superiors. The Taotai is very anxious that they should go to Chapoo, capture it and garrison it, by which means they would be removed to one corner of the province, out of his way ; but they demur, and tile Fntai of to their havin g th© , opportunity of Feting. The Anglo- UnineSe are in much better odour, are better officered , and ke p t well i n hand ; th e T ao tai would be delighted to get rid of the French and increase tho strength of this contingent if he could accomplish that object. It is by this force co op-rating with Gordon's that some of the principa' parts in the autumn campaign would have I) , _en played, had not Burgevine disarranged every pl an . The Futai is now before a not very large but strong and well-garrisoned city named Foyang, whi c h h as delayed him for the past three months, and which he is bent on taking before attacking Hangchow. He will not allow the disciplined troops to either assist him or advance against Hangohow by them selves, so Col. Cooke will probably leave this city on his left, attack Chapoo, and march northwards to act in conjunction with Gordon. In the meantime Gordon is in straits from want of proper supplies of ammunition, which General Brown declines to give him, because the Chinese Government have not yet paid for previous supplies lent them. Anxiety to secure payment for whatever munitions of war he may disburse is doubtless, in the abstract, commendable ; but it may be carried to an extreme and become the reverse of economy in such a case as the present. The disciplined Chinese are the security on the strength of which it was judged possible towithdraw a regiment of Eng lish and a regiment of native troops, and a battery of artillery from Shanghai, without endangering the safety of the settlement ; and it is, therefore, of the greatest moment that the force should be kept on a thoroughly efficient footing. Great part of its strength is moral, arising from the prestige it has acquired, and one of the principal qualities which has contributed to the maintenance of this power is the energy of its movements and the force and rapi dity with which its blows wore delivered. To refuse Gordon shot and shell is, then, to deprive him of the means of action, by so doing to lower his prestige, and, consequently, to weaken the pro tective force of Shanghai. Risking the non payment for a few thousand pounds worth of shot and shell is certainly preferable to risking the reflux of the rebels to the gates of Shanghai and the necessity for the maintenance of another English regiment to protect the English settlement from their inroads. The removal of the force from Soonkiong to Quinsan entailed the loss of a number of its oldest members, men who had accumulated money while in the service from loot, had opened shops, had families, &c., and did not care to desert all for a new city. The place of these has been to a great e xtentsup l p t li is ed a b h y az re a c r r d u o i u t s s from among the rebel pr isoners. experiment to place menyaertws n a a rm d f d ro is in ci t p h li e n e e n w em hi y ch 's ranks in possession of the arms alone give superior strength to his own followers, but Gordon says he can rely on them. If the rebels now gain any successes, however, their fidelity will be sorely tried. Dislike to removal from Soonkiong, however,is not the only reason for th e i r l eav i ng this eontingent, as many hive foiled their way to Ni n gpo and enlisted there, especially men from the Rifles, which Cooke commanded previous to taking command at Ningpo. Chinamen are incomprehen sible beings. Certainly Quinsan itself presents no very great attractions as a residence to counter balance the imminent prospect of an engagement at any moment with an enemy immensely superior in numbers, lying at an inconsiderable distance. The walls enclose a very considerable space of ground, including the Quin•san (Wonderful Hill), from which the city derives its name; but the number of houses is small, and they are mostly of inferior quality. The city is old, and the walls are in many places dilapidated on the outside, bat the rebels had very greatly strengthened the defences within, espe cially at the gates. At the Little West Gate two walls had been erected inside the outer one, the latter having also been much raised. The strength of the place consisted, however, principally in its water defences. From the West to the East Gate the walls are washed by the Soochow Creek—a broad canal, so called, which leads out of the Wong poo at Shanghai, and runs past Fading, Tai-tsan, and Quinsan, to Soochow, and thence to Nankin. Other parts of the wall are also protected by moats, though of less width, and had Gordon not frightened the rebels out by his manoeuvres an assault would pro bably have been attended with great loss. Soochow is distant about 20 miles, and its wells are discernible on a clear day from the summit of the hill of which I have spoken. There is a pagoda on the top, which looks nearly as old as the hill itself, and the ruins of a joss -house evince the taste of the priests in selecting as a residence a spot where a cool breeze is always obtainable, even with the thermometer at 131 deg. in the sun, as it was on the day I visited the spot. An admirable view of the surrounding country with its network of creeks is, of course, commanded from it; but no busy population, no fields of corn, nor other sign of prosperity and cultivation meet the eye. A few wiles east of Tai-tsan, all signs of cultivation cease, the country is deserted, the fields are overrun with rank herbage, the creeks half choked with rushes and duck-weed, and the farm houses ruined and tenantless. The little plantations with which the latter are always surrounded give tokens of long neglect, the hedges are ragged and broken, the little creeks leading up to the houses choked with herbage, and the water-wheels lie rot ting by their sides. Everything betokens complete desolation ; the very birds seem co have deserted the district. Nearer to Soochow, I believe, cultivation reappears; but around Quinsan the country is still a desert. Only a small portion of the area enclosed by the walls is covered by houses; large portions are overgrown with grass, others bear evidence of having once been the sites of considerable buildings; but these are now literally levelled with the ground. A number of tombs lie, or rather stand—for Chinese tombs are upright—immediately at the foot of the hill; but they, too, are ruinous. It is scant praise to say that Quinsan is less dirty than some Chinese cities I have been in, but it is the utmost that can be awarded it. Much is being done by its new possesors to clear away the rubbish which has accumulated in the principal streets; but the by lanes are, as usual, receptacles for every kind of filth. There are as yet few inhabitants besides the military and keepers of eating-houses, which spring up, as though by magic, in every newly conquered city. The latest news from Japan, though of warlike operations, is of peaceful tendency. The Dutch, Americans, and French have each had severe actions with the batteries at Shimonoseki, in the inland sea, and have each inflicted severe punishment on their adversaries. The Medusa was fired on in passing through the sea towards Yokohama ; she slowly pursued her way, replying with effect to the fire to which she was subjected by the Japanese batteries and two armed vessels, and left after having been hulled 17 times and lost four men killed and five wounded. The Wyoming sought the encounter to revenge the attack on the Pembroke, but she, too, had to retire before superior force, after having planted an 11-inch shell in the boiler of the Lance field, which the Prince of Chosen recently bought for £125,000, and sunk the Laurick. The French sent two steamers—the Tancrede and Semiramis— which silenced two batteries, landed an armed party and destroyed the magazines, and marched an armed party into the neighbouring town, to the mayor of which they notified that the inhabitants need be under no apprehension, as the only intention was to punish the batteries for an unprovoked attack on a French vessel. While they were ashore a strong force was observed marching down on them with several field-pieces; but a few well planted shell from the Semiramis had the effect of causing their retreat. Admiral Kuper was reported likely to proceed shortly to the Prince of Satsuma's territory ; so it is to be presumed that he and Colonel Neale have determined to look to him personally for payment of the £25,000 and surrender of Richardson's mur ~derers, which conditions yet remain unfulfilled. 4,I3 VEnTiSEMENT.]—Avoid medicines: they always aggra atethronic complaints, but Du Barry's Delicious Health Restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, which saves fifty times perfect di its costs e other 4,atio remedies, invariably cures them, restoring to the most disordered sleep, re n s , h s i trong nerves, sound lungs, healthy liver, pure blood, r, t functional regularity, and energy out; 66hoa, no 0,0 Paris, Curesdsor,t,e dreadfully dues use dl o el r i , enfeebled.. i t .p()itr li,tl,ead . W_ We extract No. 53,216 of the Marchioness de t p tt l y aint, wasting away for seven year s, debility, with n er : m y palpitation all over, bad digestion, constant slee pl y e n s i e o s r w n v i u s, s . the most intolerable nervous Cure No. 1,771. Lord _ ea t r erford, of many years' d S a y L s i t p a a r e t r t i o i s l i n e: D . _ _ and e i \ c i ro . . 0 , 832. indescribable avony from dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma, constipation, fiatulen. y, opasms, sickness, and von,' cough, Maria Jolly." —Cure No. -16,270. Mr. James Roberts, Of vomiting , —Maria years' diseased lungs, ,pitt in ~,- 0/ bloo d , n ii l 7, Surrey, of ment, and partial deufness.—Cure No. 47,121, mis er derange , Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion, gathserliaizabeth spirits, and nervous fancies.— Cure No. 54,816. The gatherings, low T. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk, "of ind i g e stion and t ‘ o j rp' as ' dity or the liver, which had resiste i all medical treatment: In g tins, 1 lb., 2s. 9d. ; 21b., 4s. Gd ; 51b., lls. ; [2l b., 22 5.; 241 b o .—Barry Du Barry and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, London; also Fortnum and Mason ; and all Grocers and Chemists in e YerY iOWLI of the United kingdom. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1863, Disgraceful Proceedings near Guildford. GUILDFORD, Monday Evening.—A riotous disturbance took place last night, resulting in serious injury to upwards of 30 persons, at a small village a mile from Guildford, known as St. Catherine's, being at the foot of a high hill on the Guildford and Portsmouth road. on the summit of which is situated the ruined church of St. Catherine. It appears that on the 4th October will recur the annual fair of the vil lage, and that on that day (Sunday), by virtue of the old charter, the landlords of the village "publics" are allowed to draw beer even during prohibited hours. The Sunday before the fair is known as " Tap-up Sunday," and a similar privilege is recorded. The village usually turns out in great numbers, and some little licence is taken by them in throw ing chestnuts at passers-by, which generally creates a good deal of merriment among the rustics, and has been good naturedly borne by those who have been thus dealt with. This year the larking has been carried on in a most inordi nate manner. Yesterday being Tap-up Sunday upwards of 400 young fellows, many of them being low characters ffrom Guildford, assembled in the village, lining the road on either side in formidable phalanx ; and when any peaceably in clined passenger approached they allowed him or her to get into their midst; they then closed in and inflicte d both insult and injury. Mr. Piggott, dyer, and his wi fe, were driving through the village and were seriously hurt , Mrs. Piggott having her bonnet torn from ber head. Mr. Bailey, of the County Magistrates' Clerk's Office, and his daughter were compelled to go through a very heavy shower of missiles, and the young lady is still suffering from the effects of her fright. Mr. Ellis, of Farncombe, near Godalming, and two other gentlemen who were in company with him, were roughly handled, one having received some bad wounds on his leg from kicks, and the other having their hats com pletelysmashed and their coats torn to shreds. Al issChartres, of Brighton, Mi ss Smythe, and several other ladies were rudely assaulted, one of them having her eye nearly cut out by a stone whilst turning round to appeal to her assailants to desist, and the others either losing their shawls or other articles of wearing apparel. Things got worse toward even lag. Several members of the county constabulary force made their appearance on the scene; but this was only the signal for a still more riotous demonstrat ion than before ; and it was considered advisable, even for the public safety, to leave the mob to their own course, and to prevent them having further victims by placing the police at convenient distances from the village and cautioning passengers against going on the turnpike road, and inducing them to pursue, for their own personal safety's sake, their journey by the river bank instead, th oug h more c i rcu i tous. S e v e r a l fugi tives from the insults of the mob were pursued, however, notwithstanding this precautionary measure; and more than one case occurred in which persons who were pursued down the lane from St. Catherine's-hill were forcibly pushed into the water. At nightfall nothing could restrain the fury of the crowd. Mr. Shrubb, a resident on the Portsmouth road, was incautious enough to appeal to the better sense of the roughs, if they had any ; but he was at once hushed by the loud groans they set up, and assailed with a shower of stones. They next proceeded to his residence, pulled up the whole of the palings of his property, and conveyed it to the top of St. Catherine's, whence they went to the cut ting between the two tunnels on the London and South- Western line of railway, where they carried off all the wooden railings they could get at, and afterwards lighted a huge bonfire, which was keen at a long distance on the sur rounding hills of the county. Much other injury was done to both person and property, which has not as yet been officially reported. The county constabulary, under Mr. Superintendent Parr, are diligently making every inquiry so as to bring the ringleaders of the disturbance to justice, and we have just heard that two or three men have been taken into custody. Should not the chief promoters of these disgraceful transactions be committed, it is feared that the usual demonstrations in this town on the coming anniver sary of Gunpowder Plot will assume a still more riotous aspect than they have hitherto been wont. The New Chelsea Model Barracks. The new and extensive range of building, known as the New Chelsea Model Barracks, which has been erected on the eastern sideof the road leading to Chelsea -brif ge (having previously been handed over by the contractor to the mili tary authorities), was on Friday occupied by the Ist Batta • lion Scots Fusilier Guards, Col. Da Bathe commanding, and twa companies of the Ist Battalion Coldstream Guards. This magnificent building, which up to the present moment has cost about £120,000, has been erected of polychrome brick and stone, in the Romanesque style, by Mr. Higgs, the contractor, Lambeth, from designs by Mr. G. Morgan, the architect, and is fitted up with all the modern conveni ences, and replete with every arrangement calculated to en sure an amount of comfort never yet obtained by the British soldier in the way of barrack accommodation. The barracks have a frontage facing the grounds of Chelsea Hospital of 1,050 feet, with a depth of about 40 feet, the average height being about 60 feet, while at each end of the main build ing, but detached from it, are wings, that at the north end containing the officers' apartments, with cellars, &e., the other at the south end being occupied by the non-commis sioned officers. In front of the barracks the ground between the road and the building is protected by a lofty iron rail ing, broken in the centre by a noble gateway, entering which, on the right, is the guard -house. The facade of the building is broken by seven pavilions, the central one being pierced with a lofty and elegant archway, giving access to the ground at the back of the main building, and flanked by two lofty towers about SOft. high, containing the clock and wind dial, vane, &c. Over the archway of the central pa vilion is a noble lecture room, and in the building en the left of this are the commanding officer's and court-martial rooms, while the portion next the central pavilion on the right is occupied by a splendid library. The barracks vary in height, containing in some portions three and in others four stories, tho greater part of which consist of barrack rooms, with sleeping-quarters for the married sergeants overlooking them. The basement of the building has been so arranged that it may easily be converted into a rifle gallery, with a range of about 350 yards, though one would imagine that the con stant reports during practice would seriously disturb the comfort of the inmates above. Along the back of the bar racks, facing the parade, acovered arcade gives shelter while passing from one part to another. There are also, some yards from the back of the barracks, two detached buildings which will be used as dining-halls. These are each 100 feet long and 50 feet deep, and are furnished with cooking houses and other conveniences. In the southern rear of the barracks are the baths and prison—while a second contract has just been entered into for the construction of quarters for the married soldiers, canteen, with skittle alleys, ball courts, covered gymnasium, chapel, and laundries—the whole, with the buildings already completed and oocupied, covering a triangular plot of ground of about 13 acres, bounden by the road leading to Chelsea-bridge and the Queen's and Commercial roads. When the new buildings are finished the total cost of the barracks will be about £lBo,ooo—money well spent, when our readers remember the inconvenience formerly attending the married and single life of the privates and non-commissioned officers of the British army. That state of things has now been altered, and with the occupation of the new building it is to be hoped a new era in the life of our soldiers has been inaugurated. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE, LYNN AND SUTTON. Yesterday the half-yearly meeting of the proprietors was held at the offices, Bridge-street, Westminster; Mr. H. Tootal in the chair. Mr. BOND, the secretary, read the report, which stated that the works of the railway were now in rapid progress under contract with Messrs. Waring and Eckersley. Vari ous circumstances had contributed to the delay in giving effect to the act of incorporation. Among others was the necessity of obtaining a revision by act of Parliament of the obliga tion which imposed on the company of building a new and costly bridge at Sutton, and of destroying the existing one; and, secondly, some modification of the terms also imposed on the company in purchasing the rights of the existing bridge owners for £22,500. By the amended act of last session, the obligation as to the bridge was repealed, and the company was authorised to use the existing structure, and, with the concurrence of the Cross Keys was proprie tors, £lO,OOO of the purchase money to them to be satisfied in paid up shares of tle company. The act also extended the time originally granted for the purchase of lands and completion of the railway, but the directors anticipated that under the arrangements made by the contractors the rail way would be completed and ready for opening before Mid summer next, Terms had been made with the Great Northern Company for the sale, under the sanction of Par liament, of this company's undertaking to them, at a price equivalent to a clear net return of 41 per cent, on the ex penditure of £117,000, which it was believed would suffice to cover all the liabilities of the Lynn and Sutton Com pany up to the completion and opening of the railway. Since the company was incorporated various circum stances had tended to augment the value of the line, as filling up an essential link in the communication between east and west, and by the completion of the Norwich and Spalding and Lynn and Hunstanton lines, and still more by the granting last session of the line from Peter borough via Wisbech to join this company's railway at Sutton-bridge, thus bringing the whole system of the Mid land Company into communication with the east of England and the Lyna and Sutton route. While, therefore, the directors looked with satisfaction to the completion of the arrangements with the Great Northern and this company, they had confidence in the intrinsic capability of the Lynn and Sutton line to realize a satisfactory return from the traffic which must inevitably flow over it. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, commented on its principal points, and after some discus sion Mr. J. Hunt was elected a director in the room of Mr. Borthwick, resigned. The meeting was then made special, and resolutions were passed empowering the directors to borrow £33,000 for the general purposes of the undertaking, and the meeting sepa -1 rated after a vote of thanks to the chairman and directors. of construction, it was believed, would be fully covered by the authorised capital, and the report was adopted, GREAT WESTERN OF CANADA. It appears that the directors of this company have been informed by their financial agent in Canada that the loss on through traffic, collected and converted, ascertained up to Sept. 12, 1863, amounted to 19,889d01 97c (£4,086 19s 7d), and that there remained a further sum of American funds for conversion at that date of 14,163d0l 76c. In addition to which there were balances in account with connecting rail ways still unadjusted. New Mode of Steering Ships. The " long-shore" residents of the banks of the Thames as well as the denizens of the mass of vessels always an chored tet wean Limehouse and Woolwich, must have been for some three or four weeks past speculating upon the ec centric gyrations of one of her Majesty's gunboats, appa rently indulging in a series of eccentricities very unbecom ing in a craft devoted to the serious purposes of warfare. The vessel thus speculated upon is no other than her Ma jesty's vessel Charger, of 60-horse power, which has been fitted by the well-known firm of Young, Son, and Maguey, of Limehouse, with a marvel of ingenuity in the shape of a screw, which will steer as well as propel the vessel, and which, bringing the whole power of the engines to effect the mancouvring of the vessel, her movements are correspond ingly rapid, even to spinning upon her own centre, and thus, as it were, waltzing up and down the river. Admiral Sir Edward Belcher and a few gentlemen con nected with the English mercantile navy, having been in vited on Saturday to witness a trial of the invention, the Charger proceeded down to Long Reach,,, to test the new screw. The peculiarity of the screw is that a universal joint is placed within the hollow boss of the screw,which is thereby connected with the main shaft, the centre of gravity of the screw and the centre line of the rudder intersecting the centre line of the main shaft, so that the entire weight of the screw is borne by the shaft; and by means of a tail or spindle to the screw projeCting from the boss working in the rudder, or an iron carrier in lieu of rudder, whatever may be the movement of the tiller or wheel, it communicates an equal movement to the screw, which becomes net only the propelling but also the guiding power of the ship, as before mentioned. A series of most interesting experiments were performed to test the power of the screw in twisting the ves sel into every imaginable position, the result being unequi vocally satisfactory, and clearly demonstrating that it is no longer needful to apply double screws, hydraulic steering apparatus, or add any other extra complications to the ma chinery of a steamer, when by a wave of her own ecrew her motion can be directed and controlled at will. Revolving turrets will become obsolete if cur present coloesal screw line-of-battle ships can, by the application of this truly ori ginal contrivance, be made to revolve upon their centres, and deliver their entire broadsides alternately as fast as the guns can be loaded, and in as short time as the cumbersome turret with its single gun can be revolved and trained to the required position. The invention appears to have attracted the serious at trntion of the Admiralty, as is evidenced by the grant of the gun-boat for the experiment, and we therefore hope to see the extensive adoption of this screw in the navy, for it may prove as valuable as an increase in the power of our guns, if it will render the vessels capable of being ma noeuvred with such rapidity. Admiral Belcher expressed his satisfaction at the prospect of one of the great questions of the day being solved in so simple a manner, and appeared highly pleased at the result of the experiment. The steering screw is the invention of Mr. W. J. Curtis, C.E., and the trial screw applied to the Charger was con structed by Messrs. J. and A, Blyth, of Fore-street, Lime • house. GREAT NORTH OF SCOTLAND. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held at Aberdeen on Friday, Sir D. 11. Elphinstone in the chair. The report was &ld as read. - The CHAIRMAN said that the traffic returns for the past half-year showed that the company was in au exceedingly favourable position. The increase was something like £1,700 notwithstanding the very bad harvest of last year. There had been a falling off under the head of agricul tural produce of £7OO. Since last meeting the compeny had entered the Clearing-house for a considerable portion of its traffic, and next month they would enter for the whole, so that they would be able to obtain through rates on much easier terms for all goods sent by through traders. He then referred to the opening of the railway from Forres to Perth, and expressed his conviction that if that line interfered with the traffic (southwards) of the Great North, it would only do so temporarily. Alluding to the meeting held a fortnight back in connexion with the opening of the Highland line, and the gentleman who then presided, he said, although he differed from Mr Ellice iii many matters, he always looked upon him as one of the leading men in h countr y, who guided the affairs of the cou ntr y in the e most delicate crisis to which it was ever tsub jected, and had left a name which was an honour to Aber deenshire. • After some remarks by Mr. Stewart, the vice-chairman of the company, expressive of the willingness of the direc tors of this line to enter into amicable arrangements with the Scottish North Eastern Company towards effecting an amalgamation, the report and statement of accounts were approved. The following dividenis were then declared,—upon the new shares at the fixed rate of £1 lOs per cent. per annum ; the new preference shares (B) at It lOs per cent per annum; the preference stock at Z 7 per cent. per annum ; and the original stock at the rate of £7 per cent. per annum. A vote of thanks to th 3 chairman terminated the proceed ings. DUMFRIE3 AND LOCIKERBY• This line of railway, 141 miles in length, was opened for traffic on the Ist inst. It connects the Caledonian with the Glasgow and South Western, and opens up direct cornmu nication from Galloway and Nithsdale to Edinb ur g h, Leith, and the east and north of Scotland. The line ha s b een con structed entirely from local resources, and wi ll be worked by the Caledonian Company for 30 per cent. of the t raffic receipts. The seventh ordinary general meeting was held on Fri day; Mr. A. Jardine in the chair. The accounts sh owed that the expenditure to Aug. 31 had been £ 114,022, and the receipts on shares and debentures had bee n £101,943. The chairman, in moving tle adoption of the repo r t, expressed his conviction that the traffic, when fairly developed, would yield an ample return to the shareholders. A working agreement with the Caledonian Comp an y fur 10 ycars was unanimously approved. ,ztil;::"o..= OTTOMAN (3MYRNA TO AIDIN). yes terday at the London Tave rn ; Sir M. Ste p hen son in the The half-yearly meeting of this com p any Was held chair. stati Mr. S. J. Cooke, the secretary, hating read th e notice convening the meeting, th e re p ort was taken a s read. tthoeccpausriponose. The Ottom a n The CHAIRMAN, i n moving the adoption of th e report, stated that the arrangem ents a pp roved at the r ecent special meetings t o o f e t o h m e company for obtaining the in creased capital to Aidie , Would beyond be ng suffi ciently fresh in their recc llection to render an y remarks from Government had met the q uestion in a just and liberal spirit as soon as it was explain ed to thembyMr. C rampton, whose ple m te the railway ha d socur edthefurther concessi on under which t h h im at u th n e n y ec w e o s u sa l r d y be on suiffihecicpn rtesfeonr perseverance the new capital wou ld bt guaranteed. A telegram received on Friday announced the despatch from Constantinople to the ambassador in Londm of the official docu men t s , d u ly signed and sealed, nowever much they must all lament the unavoidable length of time still required to complete the line, they had yet much to le satisfied With. The canal com petition was diminished, tle revenue was increasing (the last week showing £761), the financial state of the whole country was improving under the able Ministers Fuad and Ali Pasha, gas was just introduced into Smyrna, cotton machinery was becoming generally employed, and the cul tivation of cotton was extencing• Travellers could now see the ruins of Ephesus, and it a brief tour of a few weeks visit the classical and histcrical sht,,, i n the district ; the ancient Tralles or Aidin, the Meander, the Seven Churches of Asia, the plain of Troy, Patni°s) end Athens on the route home- He referred to those faoilitiee not in an xsthetic spirit, but because the inducements would weigh with travellers and augment the traffic receipts )1 the line. The route to India would assuredly be by a lire through Constantinople, and the work was nearer at hard than was generally believed. This would p l ac e Turkey it a pre-eminent position financi ally and politically, and hethought that only good results could attend it. With thenew concession, the certainty of obtaining all the capital reluired, an efficient staff, an active contractor, and, he might edd, an indulgent and reasonable proprietary, they need hale no fear of a successful issue to their common labours. (hear.) Mr. W. DENT sowndedthe motion for the adoption of the report and statement of accounts. Mr. BROWNE thought the accounts did not show the exact position of the cows, , v y s affairs, and that some items in them should be more expicit and stated differently. The CHAIRMAN said there were running (accounts, and until they were settled the result could not appear in the general s tatement. They wild only insert the money re ceived, but not that in prospective. The suggestions of Mr. Browne should have the attention of the directors and au ditors, and he hoped by the text meeting an improvement would be made. The report and statement if accounts were then unani mously adopted, and the proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman and directors. LLANGOLLEN AND CORWEN. The half-yearly meeting;;;ield at Llangollen on Satur day, Colonel Tottenham in the chair. The directors re ported that constant progress had been made with the works, that the operations in Berwyn-tunnel were proceed ing day and night, that one portion was already used for the conveyance of goods, and that the other portions would be ready by the time the tunnel was completed. Tho report was adopted. VALE OE LLANGOLLEN. At the half - yearlymeeting, on Saturday, at Llangollen, Colonel Tottenham ii the chair, the report was adopted. The chief points in the report were that the railway had been safely and satisfactorily worked by the Great Western Rail way Company; that goods were now added to the passenger traffic, and that the accounts warranted a dividend at the w hich had arisen as t o th e terms of the working agreement with of 3 per cent. ; Mt un til th e a dju s t m e n t of a question hth the Great Western Railway Company the directors considered it expedient to postpone the declaration of a dividend. The question only applied to the pant year. UDBRIGHT, The fifth ordinar7 general meeting was held on Friday, Mr. M'Culloch in the chair. The report stated that it was expected the line would be opened far traffic in November. The statement of accounts showed that the receipts had been £45,546, and the expenditure £13,907. The line was about 10 miles in length, and would connect Kirkcudbright with the Dumfries and Castle Douglas, the Portpatrick, and tho Glasgow and South-Western Railways. The cost SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. POST.—When Earl Russell, in acknowledging the hospitality with which he has been entertained at Blairgowrie, favoured the hosts with a review of the foreign policy of the English Cabinet during the period he has held his present office, he might congratulate himself on having pitched on a fruit ful theme. When Lord Pahnerston's Administra tion was formed the war in Italy had not come to a close, and since then a revolution in the American Republic, an armed intervention in Mexico, and a widespread insurrection, extending over a con siderable portion of central Europe, have thrown more than an ordinary share of business into the office of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. With so many topics to which to refer, Earl Russell accordingly experienced little difficulty in making a long and interesting speech; and if he did not remind his hearers of the negotiations which he so happily conducted with the Govern. ments of Brazil and Denmark, we can only attribute the omission to a natural unwillingness to refer to transactions in which his personal skill in diplo• macy was so singularly displayed. Poland and America of necessity constituted the staple of his discourse; and as the great issues raised in those countries still remain unsolved, the Foreign Secretary specially endeavoured to justify the policy hitherto pursued by her Majesty's Govern ment. Results not unfrequently supply the best justification for proceedings whose expediency at the time of their inception is problematical ; but as neither in the case of the American civil war, nor of the Polish insurrection, matters have reached that stage when the consequences can be accurately foreseen, it is not possible to employ the most conclusive of all argument?, that of jus tification by events. In both these quarrels Eag land has observed the strictest neutrality ; and, however either of them may terminate, it is not diffi cult to show that the Government of this country deserve credit for having so far saved it from being embroiled in foreign disputes. If ultimately, how ever, this kingdom should find itself engaged in active hostilities, the question would of course arise whether so unfortunate a result might not have been averted by the prosecution, on the part of the Government, of a different policy. Events have fortunately as yet not flowed into this channel, and in the meanwhile it is neither unreasonable to congratulate ourselves on our present -good fortune, nor unjustifiable to hope that we may henceforth steer clear of the many difficulties by which we are surrounded, and through which, under the guidance of the present Government, the vessel of tee State has hitherto been so successfully steered. We have so frequently of late found it necessary to discuss the policy pursued by this country as well as be France and Austria in respect to the Polish question, that Lord Russell's allusions to recent negotiations may be dismissed with but 'dttle comment. But one observation which he thought proper to make is so just and forcible that we cannot pass it by without remark. Having reminded his hearers that in his place in Parliament he stated that in his opinion neither the obligations nor the interest of England required that we should go to war for Poland, he went on to say—" Holding that opinion, I think it unbecoming of us to rail at Rtesia when we are not prepared forcibly to resist her aggression." Nothing can be more conclu blve. But, ou the other hand, may not one in quire, as in fact the French Cabinet is to day inquiring, why, holding this opinion, England took upon herself with other Powers to dictate to Russia the proper way of governing her domi nions? Was it "becoming" to accept voluntarily the office of censor, and in the same breath to declare everything wanting which could give weight to the reproof? These are questions not pat by us, but put by Poland, in whose breast false hopes nave been excited, and by France, who not unnaturally re tents the affront which has been passed on her, in conjunction with the other two Powers, by the Rus sian Government. No one doubts that it is not for the interest of England to go to war for Poland; but may it not well be impolitic to declare such event out of the bounds of possibility ? England derived no material benefit from going to war for Turkey nine years since ; but for all that she found herself obliged to invade the Crimea. We have never'questioued the soundness of a policy directed with the view of pre serving England from being entangled in a European war, but we have feared lest such a result would be hastened instead of averted by frequent and posi tive assurances that such a contingency was utterly impossible. The course taken by the Government of this country in respect to the American belligerents has, except at Washington and Richmond, met with universal approval. Iu recognising the South as belligerents we committed, as Earl Russell forcibly pointed out, no breach of neutrality. It was impos sible to treat the uprising of six millions of people as that petty rebellion and domestic disturbance which in the first instance the Government of the Northern States would have had us believe it to be. But independently of this consideration, our exten sive maritime relations rendered it necessary that the character of Confederate cruisers should be especially determined. If we did not re cognise the belligerent character of the Con federate States, we would have been obliged to treat their privateers as pirates, and by so doing would have most glaringly violated that neutrality we are so anxious to preserve. Nor does the oft-repeated assertion that the Confederates were rebels against the Union, even admitting its truth, furnish any ground for impugning the conduct of the English Government in acknowledging their belligerent character. It assuredly is not for the descendants of those who nearly a century ago shook off allegiance to the English Crown to cry down rebellion as of necessity unlawful. The peo ple of this country, as Earl Russell reminded his hearers, rebelled against Charles I. and James 11. ; and it was their descendants who, by rebelling against George 111., laid the foundation of the Ame rican Republic. It is not therefore withoat surprise that we hear from American orators and statesmen angry and oft-repeated denunciations of rebellion as the greatest of social crimes ; and we may well wonder at the singular aspect of a Government— the offspring of successful revolution, and theo retically absolutely dependent on popular suffrage— assuming the tone and adopting the language of Oriental despotism. It is the constant complaint of the Northern States that they are misunderstood. On this side of the Atlantic the true objects with which the war is protracted are not acknowledged, and the genuine philanthropy which counsels the extermination of a kindred race does not meet with the appreciation which it deserves. In extenuation we can only say that we employ to the best of our ability the judgment with which we are endowed. Battles have been fought extending over several days, and the slain have been counted by thousands, but when the accounts have reached us we have sought in vain for the evidences of that Christian spirit—that motive principle of this mighty war, which we have been so frequently called upon to admire, if not to emulate. We have been charged with taking pleasure in the continuance of hostili ties, and throwing obstructions in the way of an amicable settlement. We may well, to quote the words of Lord Russell, lose patience when charges of this kind are brought against us, not by an ill regulated press, but by men whose talents and edu cation have placed them in the foremost rank of American statesmen. We can well afford to disre gard misrepresentations so palpable as these; but we cannot, without misgiving, look forward to a time when those representations may still obtain credence with the American people. How long the judicial blindness with which they are now afflicted may last no one can tell. We can only hope that when a war which has so completely distorted the judgment of an intelligent people shall come to an end, the American nation will acknowledge that they possess no closer friends or more sincere well wishers than that people from whom, and by no distant interval, they trace their descent. HERALD.—The long inaction of the great armies of the belligerents in America is at end. From Virginia and Tennessee we have intelligence of an approaching conflict. By this time in all proba bility two great battles have been fought decisive of the respective campaigns in thaw states. The news its not unexpected. For some time past it has been rutnoured that the Coufederate troops were gathering in Eastern Tennessee, tied when the abandonment of Chattanooga and Knoxville with out a blow was announced, it was very generally surmised in well-informed quarters that the evaena- Alen of those important positions was not effected without a distinct etrategical object, that an en counter between the two armies would sooner or later take place, and that a position so easily defen sible would not he finally surrendered without a tremendous conflict. It would now appear that the retrogade movement from Chattanooga was made with the two-fold purpose of drawing ltosecranz further from the base of operations, and of effecting a junction with reinforcements from the army of Virginia. The accounts, it is true, are somewhat obscure and perplexing. An action ha said to have taken place at Lafayette, Tennessee, in which the Federals sustained a defeat. But a glance at the map khows that Lafayette, Tennessee, i 9 far in the rear of the Federal armies, and that the encounter i must have taken place east or south-east of Chatta nooga, in the direction of Lafayette, in the state of Georgia. It was reported by the last mail that Rosecranz and Burnside had occupied Chattanooga and Knoxville; and it is hardly likely that they advanced so far with a Confederate force between them. The probability seems to be that the Federal advance from Chattanooga was continued with a view of feeling the enemy and ascertaining his strength, and that somewhere between this place and Lafay ette the Confederates encountered the invaders and drove them back. This supposition is strengthened by the announcement that Gen. Longstreet, with 20,000 men, had passed through Resaca, in the state of Georgia, and that a portioo of his force had actually reached Lafayette. It was known that Bragg had retreated in a south-easterly direction, that a division or two of Johnstone's army had reinforced him, and that Buckner was on the Atlanta Road with another division. If our view be correct, their several forces have been concen trated in the vicinity of Lafayette, and have hand somely repulsed the Federal advance, compelling Rosecranz to resume the defensive, and even threat ening his communications with their superior cavalry. We shall not be surprised to learn that the Confederate commanders, availing themselves of their interior lines of communication, have con centrated near Ceattalsooga a force equal, possibly superior, in numbers to the Federal army, and that Rosecranz's only chance is the naturally strong position he has taken up on Checkamanga Creek, a mile or two south of Chattanooga. By this time the battle has been fought. It is obvious that the Federals must fight at a considerable disadvantage, at a distance of 200 miles' from their basis of opera tions, and that, while a Confederate reverse will only lose Eastern Tennessee, a Federal defeat may bring about the destruction of Rosecranz's army. In the meantime the Federals have made the best move they could make under the circumstances. Acting, apparently, on the information that Lee's army has been weakened by the withdrawal of Longstreet's division, the whole of Meade's army has advanced to the Rapidan. Lee's army may fight on the old battle-ground, or if it is too weak to risk an engage ment in the open field, fall back upon the impreg nable lines about Richmond. The Confederates have an enormous advantage in their railway corn munication, which enables them, as their necessities may dictate, to reinforce their Virginian or Ten nessee army. It is quite possible that Loe will act entirely on the defensive, re use all offer of battle, and await at Richmond the issue of the struggle in East Tennessee. Placing the numbers of the Confederate soldiers in the field at 300,000, we can sue no reason why there should not be in this quarter a force quite sufficient to account for Rosecranz, and yet leave Richmond amply protected. We must, however, wait for further news before we venture to discuss Lee's move ments. The Federals have always been singularly misinformed respecting the operations of their op ponents. It is quite likely they have been deceived on the present occasion, and that Lee may not have sent one man South, the object of the rumour being to entice Meade from a st. ong position, and induce him to become the assailant. Under any circum stances a battle is imminent, and the next mail may bring es the most momentous intelligence that has yet reached us from the seat of war. From other parts of the Confederacy the news is decidedly favourable to the South. Gen. Gillmore is making little or no progress at Charleston. The Federals has been repulsed in an assault upon Fort Sumter with a loss of one-third of the attacking force in captured atone. 'The besieged had mounted two enormous Blakely guns which had somewhat awed the crews of the iron-clads. Forts Moultrie and Bee held out bravely; and a tremendous fire was kept up on the Federal position on Morris Island from half a dozen batteries. It is significant that we do not now hear that the siege of Charleston is " progressing." The invasion of Texas has not commenced auspiciously. Two gunboats have been destroyed or captured at Sabine Pass in the Gulf, and the rest of the expedi tion has returned. Theneighbourhood of Opelousas and the country of the Tesche are occupied by Con federate troops, and will offer a stout resistance to Federal progress. We shall not be surprised to learn that here, too, the Federals have met with a surprise and a defeat. On the whole, the prospect is brightening for the Confederates, despite Mr. Seward's boastful anticipations. It would be pre sumptuous to attempt to forecast the issue of the grave results now pending, but at least there is no reason to despair of the fortunes of the South. TimES.—lt is now some time since a long vaca tion speech has been directed to questions so im portant and interesting as those just discussed by Lord Russell at Blairgowrie. In the fearless and candid address which we yesterday reported his lordship explained without reserve the foreign policy of the Government, and, though we derive from that exposition much assurance and much satisfaction, we see also by how slender a thread the peace of Europe may at any moment hang. The Russian question, serious as it is, we may at once dismiss, for, though Lord Russell intimates that the recent acts of the Imperial Government may entail weighty consequences, he repeats the declaration that Eng land will not go to war with Russia for Poland, and it is to'erably certain that Russia will not go to war with England for anything else. The Mexican question, too, may be safely put aside. As we are not proposing to interfere with the Mexicans in one way or the other—either to constitute a Govern ment for them, or to protest against any which we may find constituted and accepted—we can hardly incur any serious obligations in that quarter. But the case is, unfortunately, different when we come to the belligerents of America. Both Federals and Confederates are aissatisfied with our neutrality, both discontented with the position which they oc cupy in our eyes, and both angrily desirous of some thing which we cannot give them. The letters of our correspondent in the Southern States will have prepared the public for the question of which Lord Russell now speaks as raised between the British Government and the Confederate authorities. It was an important question beyond a doubt, and none the less so because it involved a principle of great interest to ourselves. The blockade which now closes the Southern ports forms the most effective engine in the hands of President Lincoln and the most formidable obstacle in the way of President Davis. The possible interruption of this blockade by one of the Powers of Europe has been the dread of the North and the hope of the South ever since the war began. At length the Southern Government made a formal protest, and demanded of us that, in pursuance of doctrines to which this country had assented, the blockade should be declared ineffective. President Davis alleged not only that the blockade, as a matter of fact, was con stantly eluded, but that it must in itself, as pro fessing to extend over 3,000 miles of coast, be prac tically unsubstantial and imaginary. Now, here again, as on many occasions during the American war, we found ourselves confronted with one of the old questions which in times past we had discussed at the cannon's mouth. It was the interest of a maritime belligerent such as Great Britain to stretch the privileges of blockaders, and to put the greatest possible stress upon an enemy at the least possible cost. It was the interest of neutrals to limit these privileges, and to reduce the system of blockade to the dimensions of strict reality. It could not be allowed, they said, that a maritime Power should merely proclaim a port blockaded. She must actually blockade it, so that access is rendered almost impossible, and that obligation would con veniently curtail her power of interfering with neutral commerce. We had recently adhered to this doctrine, and the Confederate Government accordingly challenged our judgment on the actual effectiveness and consequent legitimacy of the Fede ral blockade. Lord Russell's exposition of the principles maintained by Government will certainly satisfy the public. Ho did not deny that a blockade of 3,000 miles of coast must at intervals be imper fect, bat he took the common sense view of the case in pronouncing it a good and effective blockade according to the spirit of international law. If, in deed, it were not so, it would follow that no exten sive blockade could be possible at all. The Federal States have satisfied the reason of the case by throw ing their whole energies into the operation, and the exceptional instances in which the blockade is eluded are only sufficient to prove the rule of its reality. There followed another question of more present and visible importance. The Government of Washington complained of the escape of the Alabama from a British port, and were threatened, it is said, with war in case any more vessels of a similar character were sent to sea from this country. Within the last month her Majesty's Government has ordered the detention of two vessels lying in the Mersey, and destined by report for the service of the Confederates ; so that while the law of the case is doubtful, and even the facts uncertain, it might seem that England had been shaping her course rather by a sense of fear than a conviction of right. That idea, however, Lord Russeli's speech strives to dispel. We cannot say that we think the law on this point so plain as the advisers of the Crown seem to suppose, and Lord Russell's exposition of it is the erie weak part of his remarkable speech. It appears from his lordship's words that the perplexi ties of the Government in the matter have arisen not so much from the obscurity of the law as from deficiencies in the evidence of facts. The law officers of the Crown, we are informed, did say that the Alabama could be lawfully detained, but not until it was too late to detain her. In like manner Lord Russell now states, us beyond dispute—though many aro inclined to dispute it—that it we allow any vessel to depart armed from our ports and attack a foreign belligerent, we are virtually taking part in the war. In the case of the suspected wesels ih the Mersey there is a new and curious feature created by the incidents of modern warfare. These ships are steam rams—that is to say, ships constructed for the purpose of destroying other ships by the impact of their iron prows. They carry, therefore, their armament in their very form and build, and are virtually armed vessels before they have got a single gun on board. This brings titern, according to the advisers of the Crown, even while empty, within the scope of the law ; but, though Lord Russell, in reviewing all these circum stances, promises that right shall be done, he de clares in the plainest and most uncompromising language that not the slightest concession or sur render shall be made to threats. "We will not adopt any measure that we think to be wrong. WO will not yield a jot of British law or British right in consequence of the menaces of any foreign Power." These words, which were received by the audience with the loudest applause, should be proof sufficient that the honour of the country runs no risk in the hands of her Majesty's Government - But the feature of his lordship's speech which will commend itself most readily to the public is the homely common sense and practical honesty which pervades every portion of the argument. Though the Foreign Secretary cannot pretend to neglect the letter of the law, Lord Russell is far more solicitous about its spirit. His rule is evidently sought not so much in the page of jurists as in the golden maxim of morality, "Do as you would be done by." He puts England in the position of the Federal States, and asks what we, if wo were so circumstanced, might be expected to do. Having satisfied himself on that point, be proposed that the Federals should be allowed to do the same, and when the Americans are capable of forming a calm and unbiassed judgment of our policy they will give us credit for these good inten tions. At present, unhappily, they are in no im partial mood, and it is seldom, indeed, that a Mini ster of State has been compelled to speak of the opinion of a foreign country in language so strong as that used by Lord Russell in describing the speechee and writings of Americans. He acknow ledged the impartiality of the Federal Government and the reasonableness of Mr. Seward himself, but of American orators in general, and of Mr. Sumner in particular, he could only say that their efforts directly tended to plunge two great countries into war. Of that contingency the Americans may now, learn our thoughts from the mouth of a M inister' whose words will find a faithful echo in the breasts of his countrymen. England will use every effort for the preservation of peace ; she will do " every thing which she thinks just and right" towards, Americans, but she " will be ready to meet attack if unjustly attacked, and ready to bear her part is the contest, if contest there must be." COUNTRY MARKETS. ‘l , - - GLOUCESTER—SEPT. 26. The show of English wheat to-day was moderate, and the attendance small. Farmers were unwilling sellers, at a reduction of Is per qr on the currencies of the last week• Foreign wheat was again very dull, and at fully is per qr decline. Barley, beans, and oats were without change. COLCHESTER—SEPT. 26. There was a less supply of wheat to-day, but quite equal to the demand, and the rates of last week were about 18 Per qr lower. Barley of fine quality realised late prices; other sorts is cheaper. Beans and peas as before. Wheat,' ; white. 44s 608 Beans, Mazagan .. 33s 3 66 red 42s 46s middle & 5ma11.358 3 86 Barley Oats CHELMSFORD—SEPT. 25. At this corn exchange to-day there was a fair supply of wheat, most of which changed hands at last week's prices, but in some cases a reduction of about is per qr had to be submitted to. There was no alteration in other articles, with a heavy trade. Wheat, old white 30s 47s new 44s 48s old red 36s 42s new 40s 44s Barley 28s 36s Chevalier 2Bs 39s Grinding 22s 31s Malt 6lB 67s Chevalier .64s 69s Oats 2os 28s Peas, Partridge 37s 408 White 39s 408 Boiling ... 40s 4 33 Dun 33s 36 3 Ditto new —B -- -0 Beans, Tick, old 343 398 new -8 --s Harrow Ticks 3ss 408 new —s -- 0 Mazagan .,308 380 KIRKCALDY GRAIN—SEPT. 26. Wheat. Barley. Oats. First ....35s Od 27s Od I 22s Od Second ..36s Od 23s Od 23s 6d Third....42s Od 31s Od 25s Od To-day we had good supplies of all descriptions of grain at market. The trade was inactive. Barley is and oati3 ca per qr under last week's rates. COAL 11 Prices of Coal per 'lon at s. d. Byass's Bebside West Hartley ....16 9 walker Primrose 12 3 Carway.; and Duttryn Malting 2O 0 Eden Main 17 9 Holywell 17 3 Lambert's West Hart- ley 16 6 Wylam 17 0 Co wpcn Hartley 16 9 Ships at marks ARKET. the close of the market. 0. d. Walls End..Haswell. .19 0 Rough Hall 17 9 South lielloe l7 9 Hetton 19 () Braddyll's Hetton 18 3 Framwellgato.. l7 6 Tunstall .....• Caradoc lB 3 Russel's Hetton 18 3 KeiperGrange l7 9 Riddell .. 17 3 It, 44 ; sold, 41. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton. Oct. 19. via Marseilles Oct. 13. Jrazil and Cape Verds, by British packet. Oct. 6. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Hama Sept. 2 8 . China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southarnpton.Oct. 2. via Marseilles Sept. 21. Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton Oct. 2. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Oct. 2_ via Marseilles Sept. :47. India (Bombay), via Southampton .. Oct. 1 2-• via Marseilles Oct. 5. Portugal.... Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Oct. 2. •—• via Marseilles Oct. l o i n ` Newfoundland Oporto and Vigo .. U. S. and British N. America, ty Brit. packet Sept. A by U.S. packet by Canadian packet, Oct. 2. W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriile .. Oct. 10. Bahamas, via New York .oet. 22. Mexico All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, } Sept. 26. California. and British Columbia.. DESPERATE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN A STAG AND A GILLIE.—An incident has lately occurred at a stag chase in the forest of Glanavon, which causes eeesi• derablo alarm among keepers and gillies. Mr. John Meal• son, Glenavon, an athletic youth of 17, had occasion to sliP a brace of hounds at one of the antlered monarchs of the mountain near the summit of Ben-y-Buird. The chase was truly exciting, and prosecuted with such swiftness and vigour as only stag and hound could do. It extended over some miles, until ono of the hounds compelled the noble animal, for the sake of his lacerated haunches, to turn and keep him at bay. Assisted by his skill as huntsman in taking a near cut to the place which was most likely to be the field of engagement, the nimble-footed moun taineer came in sight of the stag and hound struggling desperately, and on observing that his trusty hound Was coming off second best in the match he bounded with renewed alacrity to his rescue. By this time the hound was in a great measure exhausted, in consequence of the effusion of blood which followed the uner• ring blows dealt by the stag with his antlers, and in allpro bability helwould soon have become the victim of his exas.. perated foe. The youth rushed in the face of the infuriated animal, and applied his massive bludgeon with might and main, which in a few rounds was flying from the substary tial horns of the stag in splinters in every direction. Being; now, by the loss of his bludgeon, in a defenceless condition► his antagonist sprang upon him, and with one jerk heaved him over a largo stone like a bundle of straw, and ho scarcely had got to his feet when the desperate animal was coming; with the finishing stroke. It was now do or die. Convel' sively he seized the animal's horn with his left hand, whil e with his right he thrust his skien dhu into his heart, en d thus terminated his career.—Elgin Courant. Births. CLAYTON.—On the 23d inst., at Gloucester, the wife of Captain Clayton, author of "II Pillegriuo,,, scc,, of 9, daughter. RIBBLESDA.LE.—On the 26th inst., at Paris, Lady Ribble' dale, of a daughter. RYAIER.—On the 27th inst., at North•end, Croydon, 14 r 5 ' Samuel Lee Rymer, of a son. YOUNG.—On the 24th inst., at The Limes, Croydon-coul° mon, the wile of D. Hill Young, Esq., of a daughter. Marriages. HILL-.-THOMPSON.—On the 23th inst., at Saint Pe fer's Church, Walworth, Mr. Henry Hill, of Camberwell, to Sarah, second daughter of Mr. Thomas Thompson. POLE—LANDS.—On the 24th Pet inst at St. George's, C 3l r terbury, Sir Per Van.-Notten ., Pole, Bart., to Louisat third daughter of the late Samuel Lands, Es(l•t Y' as India Company's C. 8., Bombay. • Deaths. arcl CHITTY.-0a the 28th inst., at Walham-green, Edw Chitty, Esq., of Lincoln's-inn, aged 60. - CALDWELL.—On the 23d inst., Wm, Caldwell, •'‘cl 9 late of 11.M.'s Customs, aged 72. DAsitwoo—On the 24th inst., at natal; Dashwood, Bart. Sir J. Richard th FABER —On the 26th inst., at The OratorY, London, the Very Rev. Frederick William Faber, D.P., aged 49. Beng al, aged 51. FINCH—On the 24th inst , Bordeaux, Frederick Finch, Esq., of Shahporcondee:Tirhoot, at 1 4, Westbourne.r. ark- MACKAY.—On the 20th inst ., terrace, Lieut. Colonel Angus Mackay, late 21st kt.N. l3 . Fusiliers. London : Pr;ii,‘d and f:ll.,!islied ny 'WILLIAM ANDIt.E-Ne, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TnE SuN Office No. 112 Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the ceulitY c ' t aiddiesex —TueBOY, September 29,_1863 AL