The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-12 00:00:00

PROSPECTS OF THE CANADIAN

CONFEDERATION.

The Toronto Globe of March 24 asps :—" If the
news sent us last night by one Quebec correspondent
be confirmed, the government of Nova Scotia have
taken steps which indicate that they have aban-
doned the hope of an immediate union of the
British Amara= Provinces. They will submit to
the legislature, it is reported, a scheme for the union
of the maritime provinces, and will proceed with
certain railway works left in abeyance while the
larger scheme was pending. We by no means con-
ceive that these are measures which will place per-
manent barriers in the way of the great confede-
ration. On the contrary, the union of the maritime
provinces will cause a full discussion of the
larger scheme, and elicit favourable opinions in re-
gard to it. The great Confederation, we have no
doubt, will come, and possibly may work more
harmoniously in consequence of the delay in its ac-
complishment. But it is impoeible to conceal from
ourselves that this action on the part of Nova Scotia
is a fresh indication that the larger union is a
thing of the future, not of the present, and it
seems to us that our government will speedily be
called upon to adopt a new policy on the whole
subject. It is impossible that Canada can delay
its constitutional reforms for au indefinite
period, while New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia are going on with their smaller union,
building their railways, and speaking and thinking
of a junction with Canada as a thing of the future.
The peewit government was formed to carry the
larger confederation if it was found practicable,
but, if not, the smaller federal arrangement of
Upper and Lower Canada. If the former cannot
be had, the latter must, of course, be proceeded
with, care being taken to leave an open door for
the Lower Provinces whenever they choose to come
in. The settlement of our difficulties in Canada
will unquestionably have an excellent effect on our
maritime friends, who have been too much led away
by the notion that we desire union with them
simply to help ourselves out of a difficulty."

Tin Ruasfax " PLsous."—The Moniteur of yes-
terday says:—" By information which has quite recently
reached the Emperor's government, it ewers that the
state of the public health tends more sad more to improve
et St. Petersburg. The dimes which hat prevailed there
for some few mouths assumed at first the character of re-
current fever, and afterward' in a greet number of oases
that of typhoid fever, without presetting generally any
particularly serious character. It hes hitherto been severe
scarcely sty where else than in the hoepitela. As to the
Siberian plague, or malignant pustules, the inroads of
which at St. Petersburg have been announced by certain
journals, no symptoms of it have been discovered is that
city."
A FRENCH REIONISCZACZ or Ma. Coeneic.—
M. Louis Jourdan Wit. me follows, fa yesterday's Sikk,
upon the late Yr. Cuban :—" When the date of his health
compelled him to pees the winter in Algeria I often sew him
our dwellings IMO aloes together. Is our eoevereatious I
wee much struck with a oontradietion which made him
nada. This either of the world, this pacific comsopolitss,
wbo weld have liked to Ole eB ultimo. give mob aim the
Moo of Pam, was as Englieluzaa to the beekbose. • Why,'
I said to him, do yes sot szbart your essetry to give •
greens example to the world by disarming behead of en.
podium sallies, apes useless erseseassts Upes this point
Mr. Cohan would have so triilisg. 'No, so,' he replied,
• when you build sae bounded ilegload mast hand three.
soli ee s smembur d perliessest I will always vole the ma-
less ustessary M sesistsis this gestmetiss."

Aa attempt to cheek the 'dream of oar infantry seems to
have bees mole by a rebel division under Griffin, near the
Boydtows Oak-road, oe Thursday afternoon. But the
resistance apemen to have been of the feeblest Mad, sod
probably see eel, aliempled is the hope of otitis some
delay te meal* Lee to swans his themes ia the aim enter-
gamey. The daisy of t►is advanced ear stay, whisk was
doubtless attributed by Lee to Gnat's fear of riekiag the
possibilities of another desperate aeries of sorties like those
of Saturday, moms to have put the rebel general altogether
off his guard. The prisoners taken confer that the
movement was a complete surprise. And to this fact
possibly it will be fooled that we shell mainly owe the
poetess at least of that part et the programme w►ich Gene.
sal Sheridsa has bees thetemeeed to any oat. At the last
moment, when the real scope al Gemini Grant's ZOOTIIIIMIt
Mlle to be ooderstood—deeperate efforts seam to have been
made by Lee to hurry leeward whatever force he mold
spare for the defence of the Southside Reamed. As Sheri-
dan had sufficient time to strike that road at an early hour
yesterday, it is altogether probable that be has headed off
Lee's detersive force: and that both Richmond sad Peters-
bergh are to-day completely isolated from every portion of
the Ooefederacy outside of Virginia.
Thomas's 'igloo is sweeping down through the !Donation
of Seath•weetern Virginia--effectually berries every foot-
path of egress for Lee in the direetioe of East Tennessee.
Johnethe is so prifeetly position' either to strike Sherman
in his front, or to bring up his shattered faeces to the aid
of his chief, that the Richmond papers masa that he has not
been beard from gam the battle of Fayetteville. It seems,
thee, scarcely any longer open to on to gumptioo that this
moaned rebellion is soon to receive its final blow almost
within eight of the Confederate capital, and in the very
hied of the commeoweelth which has ben, for four years,
Ur mainstay of the coespiracy.
In a recent letter to his father at Covington,
Ky., General Grant mays :—" We are now having
fine weather, and I think will be able to wind up
matters about Itichniond soon I am anxious to
have Lee hold on where be is a short time longer,
eo that I can get him into a position where he must
lose a great portion of his army. The rebellion has
lost its vitality, and, if I am not mistake; there
will be no rebel army of any great dimensions a
few weeks hence. Any great catastrophe to any of
our armies would, of course, revive the enemy for a
short time, but I expect no such thing to happen."
The following despatches are published by the
New York press :
Newborn, North Carolina, March 28.
The armies in North Carolina are taking a brief repose.
Sherman's forces were much in need of shoes, clothing, end
other necessaries, prior to striking the finishing blow to the
rebel confederacy. All is quiet at the front. The enemy
show no signs of life. Where they ere, or what they are
about, appears to be a matter of indifference just now.
Gener►l Sheerese's headquarters are to be removed from
Savannah to Newborn ; General Howard's headquarters
from Beaufort. South Carolina, are also to be re-
moved to this point. Five hundred and fourteen begs of
mails arrived here on Sonde, and Monday for General Mow
man's army. Another beta of 500 rebel prisoners arrived
here from Goldsboro on Sunday. They left yesterday tor
the North. More than half of them desire to take the
oath of allegiance. A general payment of all the troupe ie
this department has been milked to be made up to De-
cember 31. . .

Washiogtos, Man* 31.

Information from City Point, dated at 2 o'clock on Thurs-
day altarnooth says that vary hairy cannonading cam-
mimed at half.past 10 o'clock oa that morning, and was
_ _ .

very furious until half-past lis the afteroom, in the direc-
tion of the Peteraburgb front. A lattlswas probably in pro-
gress ; but no particulars were known at City Point at the
time the mail boat left. Information from the advance of
the army of the Potomac, dated Hatcher's Ras, Thurs-
day tooroteg, shows the locality of our army, under
General Grant, at that time to be in aline parallel with and
east of the Boydtown plank-road and west of Hatchets
Run. Them important positions lave bees gained with
but little resistance from the seem,. The Fifth Corps had
a sharp soeosoter with the seamy as the Quaker-road oe
Wednesday, but lint in the affair loss than 300
men, sod drove the rebels nearly a mils with
Nereus lose to them, and raptured • number of
primates. Richmond papers of Wednesday report
that General Sheridan passed Dinwiddie Court-bouse so
Wedoesda► morning, and they think his destination is the
Soutbride Railroad. The sew canal man whose boat was
smashed by General Sheridan on hie late raid, sod who wu
so lionised by the Richmond papers as bevies joined the
rebel coloured recruits in • fervor of indignation against the
"yanks,' ban deser►ed to our lima, and brings with him
20 new rebel uniforms.
- - -

--
General Sherman has issued the following con-
gratnlatory order to his troops :
Had ibming Military Division of the Mlosimippi 1.
the Field ow Bestoesvilio, Mara 22.
The Gess& Commaadum goaciames to the army that
ygsterday it beat,* its owe ebosu ground, the ocarsetrated
armies of the enemy, who has did la disordsr, lam* his
deed, woo**, and mimeses is oar buds, sad bani.
Mg two bridges oo his rMnst. Os the mune day
Msjor•Cieweral Schofield, from Newburg, mitered sad
octopi* Goldsborougb, aml lisjot•Onteral Terry, from
Wilmington, secured Caz'abridge amen& gad laid a
pospna bridge somas New Eiger, so that om campaign
has molted is o glaricmg mama. Mist • mush of most
extraordinary chmasiter, snarly 500 miles, over swamps sad
rivers deemed impeesthis to others, at the meat iselmesat
mum of tha year, sad &Mug our thief rapplim from •
nom sal waled ssustrgi we rembef ear destinthiem is
good health mad einditice. I the* tie army sad mum lb
that the gogoniossat sad people homer than far fhb saw
display of physical and mad quanta* whisk teasel hamar
upon the whole astioo. Yon shill a* hogs rail. semi all
the supplies that eau ha bees& from the risk rameries
arid 'Weisman of err megmillast stanitry, Wens sofa
esaliatidag ea sow sad 'retried abangem
W. T. 81111111,1, 1161*(Maers1 Comnsadhig.

LORD CHANIZLICLADA 0/71CI, MARCH 3L —.-
Natio. le Ural ghee that ►R Ilejoetee buthdev will los
kepi ca Wokasarhibe Milk d lay aut.—Oa:oc