The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-11 00:00:00

a thousand weak points end not two strong ones ;
that as long as he shall remain President the cause
of Republican iberty in the North will be discredited
throughout the world ;that under his rule the publie
debt must increase from :month to month till its
burden becomes intolerable ; and that, all things
conaidered, "the man whose blundering administra-
tion has done so much to make the South a nation
is the best man to continue the work to its litigi-
mate completion." Gen. M'Clellan, on the other
hand, if elected, would give the Federal cause a
certain amount of eclat in Europe—dispose Euro-
pean statesmen to watch and wait to see what would
came of the new administrators, and in a variety of
other ways tend to prolong the war. These things
considered, they incline more to Mr Lincoln than to
his competitor. They have no love or respect for
either candidate ; but if they dislike one more than
the other it is Gen. M.Ciellau, because, nominated
on a peace platform, he accepted the nomination as
a supporter of the war and had not sufficient sta-
bility of purpose or character to refuse to be carried
away by popular clamour created by the transient
and resultless victory of Atlanta. In shirt, the
Southerners despise Mr Lincoln and hate General
M'Clellan. They consider the one a fool and the
other a knave, and think themselves quite able to
cope with either. I have ilready stated that they are
not discouraged by the recent unfavourable news
from the valley of the Shenandoah, and have only
to add that they believe that whichever of the two
candidates be elected, there will be a popular out-
break in the North-west, which will severely test
the power of the Federal tiovernment, and operate
as a valuable diversion in favour of their cause.
Circumstances, small in themselves, but all con-
verging to one focus, show that this belief is not
ill-founded, and foreshadow a troublesome time in
that region prior to and subsequent to the day of
election.

Royal East Berks Agricultural Association.

This association, which is one of the most important of
the kind in the county, held its annual ploughing match on
Tuesday hat. The ploughing match took place on land at
Hithe Farm, Cockham, in the occupation of Mr J. T. Mills,
Between 30 and 40 teams attended. The attendance on the
field on Tuesday was not so large as it has sometimes been
in former years.
In the evening there was a public dinner in the Town-
Hall, Maidenhead. The attendance was not so large as on
some former occasions. The chair was taken by Mr John
Hercy, the vice-president being Mr Walter, M.P.
After the usual•loyal and constitutional toasts had been
drunk,

Mr HIBBERT proposed " Success to the Royal East Berke
Agricultural Association." (Cheers.) Their institution was
fortunate in obtaining not only the nominal, but the sub-
stantial patronage of the Crown. They had heard that the
Prinee of Wales had promised them a noble annual sub-
scription. He thought, however, with all this that they
ought to have reform. He was not going to talk politics,
but he thought with regard to the association that they
ought to make it of more practical advantage. They had
one of the most popular gentlemen in the neighbourhood
in the chair, one who was known to them as a good land-
lord and a kind friend, and in every way fitted for the post
he filled, and yet when they looked round the room they
could not but notice their diminished ranks, and that in
point of numbers they were not what they ought to be.
(Hear,) They ought not at present to be decrepit. They
bad only been established 25 years, and they ought to be
flourishing. He would suggest that there must be some-
thing unsound in the formation of the society, else it would
hold a better position. Ha trusted that they would make
an effort to put the society on its legs again. (Hear.) He had
given a small prize for cottage husbandry, but he found that
there were only 10 competitors for six prizes. (Laughter.)
It was no honour to win a prize under such circumstances.
It was like coming in second in a race when only two started.
(Laughter.) Ho thought the society had done a great deal
of good, and that it was capable of doing still more good.
(Cheers.) He begged to propose " The Health of the Chair-
man." (Cheers.).
The CHAIRMAN briefly returned thanks.

The CHAIRMAN proposed " The Health of the High
Sheriff," who, with the exception of the Lord-Lieutenant,
held the highest office in the county. The way in which
he had discharged the duties of his office had given the
greatest satisfaction to the Judges.

The HIGH SHERIFF (Mr Hall Say), in responding, said
ho considered it as a compliment paid not so much to the
individual as to the office which he had the honour to fill.
Referring to the operations of the association, Mr Say said
he considered them to be beneficial ; he believed that the
labourer who received a prize went away a prouder and a
happier man, and that ho was regarded as an example to
his parish. (Cheers.)

The CHAIRMAN said that the neat toast would be sure to
be received with great pleasure ; it was the health of their
county members. (Cheers.) They were pleased to see one
of them present. Mr Benyon had written to apologise for
his absence, but he had accepted the chairmanship of a
dinner at Lamborne, and, as that engagement clashed with
the dinner at Maidenhead, he could not be present at the
latter. The other member, Mr Bouverie, was not able to
attend, as he was not very well. With regard to the conduct
of their members in the House of Commons, they were
always present when anything of consequence was brought
before it. With regard to Mr Walter, he could say that he
had never absented himself when the interest of the county
or of the country required his presence. (Hear, hear.) In-
deed, he thought that all of their members had acted their
parts very well, although they went into different lobbies.
They did the best they could for the interest of the county,
He begged to propose "The health of the County Mem-
bers." (Cheers )
Mr WALTER, who was received with cheers, said that
on behalf of himself and his hon. friends and colleagues,
who were unfortunately prevented from being present, he
begged to thank them for the kind manner in which they
had received the toast. It was one of those honours which
members of Parliament were accustomed to look forward

to at that time of the year, when labourers received
rewards for their services—(great laughter)—and members
of Parliament belonged to that useful class. And such was
the generosity of their employers that, as in the case men-
tioned by Mr Hibbert with regard to other branches of in-
dustry, there were more prizes than candidates—(laughter)
—for he (Mr Walter) was the sole recipient of the honour
paid to the county members, or rather he was the only mem-
ber present to acknowledge the compliment. lie was quite
aware that it was not to their political services that they
were indebted for the compliments palmed them on these
occasions, but rather from the circumstance that from the
position they occupied, they were able to discuss those ques-
tions in which they were all concerned, but with which
politics had but little to do. He need not tell them that of
late years, partly from internal and partly from external
causes, Parliament might almost be said to have abdicated
its political functions. As soon as the Budget had been dis-
posed of, and when they knew how much they had to pay,
and how they would be likely to stand for the coming year,
Parliament occupied itself with measures relating to the
education of young sinners and the reformation of old ones,
with questions of prison discipline, questions of local
taxation, the highway question, the turnpike question, and
many others, the objects of which were to make England a
country not only more wealthy, but more comfortable and
happy than it is at present. The Parliament sun sets in
August, but
" Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale"

(laughter)—the moon being represented by various societies
for the advancement of social science and other objects, and
these questions were being taken up by such a number of
Parliaments that it was difficult to say who was in Parlia-
ment and who was not. (Laughter.) These societies were
becoming one of the greatest features of the age. He would
not go so far as to say, as did Mr Disraeli, that these social
congresses would enable them to get out of the sulky silence
which characterised their forefathers (laughter), and make
them fit to live in merry England, but he thought that the
more they met and discussed these questions, the more likely

they were to promote those reforms which would render the

people better and happier. (Cheers.) But these meetings
were of but little value if tho talk was always on one side,
and if persons were not'at liberty to point out in what way
these societies were capable of being improved. MrHibbert,
as an old friend of the institution, had made some remarks
in which he entirely concurred, but he (Mr Walter) bad for

years contended that there was something not sound in
these societies. He should not now enter into the subject;
he should have another opportunity next year, when he
understood he was to have the honour of being their presi-
dent, to show some material points in which these societies
might be improved. The sum and substance of the objections
he had were that the societies did too much or too little. If
they attempted so much they ought to do it more thoroughly
and to have a number of prizes of such a value that it would be
worth while to compete for them ; or if they could not do
this they ought not to give prizes for such a variety of
things. He knew that there were many who agreed with
him in his opinions upon this subject, though they might
not say so openly. The hon. gentleman again thanked them
fir drinking his health, and resumed his seat amid cheers.
Mr BULSTIIODE, the secretary, then read the list of prizes.
The CHAIRMAN proposed "The Health of Mr Mills,"
thanking him for the use of his land.
Mr MILLS responded, and said that they had helped him
forward with his work, and he said that he ought of the
1 two to be obliged to them rather than they to him. He was
happy to let them have the use of the land, though some
persons objected to their land being ploughed by a society
because the work was so badly done. (Laughter.)
Mr F. Pococx proposed "The Health of the Judges."
Mr THUMPER, in responding, said they would all lament
with Mr Hibbert the decline of the society, but he hoped
1 that thero would be a great revival. He thought the socie-
ties were of great benefit ; they certainly improved the
ploughing, and they also promoted good fellowship. (Cheers.)
He hoped, if through any feeling of jealousy any persons

had been led to withdraw from the society, that such feel-
ings would be extinguished by time. With regard to the
ploughirg, it was creditable on the whole, and the cham-
pion ploughing was very well done. Mr Trumper went at
some length into questions with regard to the harvest and
cultivation of the land, and in the course of his remarks
expressed his dissent from some of the views recently stated
by Mr Disraeli.
Several oth3r toasts were subsequently proposed and re-
sponded to. The proceedings were enlivened by singing by
Messrs. Dyson, Da Lacy, and Penniket. Mr De Lacy was
very warmly applauded for his performance on the cornet-
a-piston.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—The reception given to the Prince and
Princess of Wales in. Denmark and Sweden deserves
recognition no less than commemoration at our
hands. The public have already learnt the principal
incidents of this remarkable progress. The succes-
sion of festivities, the exhibitions of rarities, the
display of national characteristics, and all the vari-
ous entertainments which countries so interesting
and so hospitable could offer, have been described
from day to day in these columns, but while we read
the story we should do well to reflect on the popular
spirit which such a cordiality of welcome expressed.
Not -only by Kings and Princes, but by all the
people of the land—not only in Denmark, but in
Sweden too, have the illustrious visitors been re-
ceived with a fervour of kindness which no thoughts
of political difficulty were permitted to alloy, The
Princess of Wales is a Danish lady, and the alli-
ance between the royal families of England and
Denmark is of the nearest kind, but the Danes,
nevertheless, are in distress, and they might be
pardoned for believing, though the belief would be
wrong, that their distress could have been averted
by the mere will of this country. At any rate they
probably calculated on obtaining from us more sup-
port than they received, and such disappointments,
however unavoidable, are apt to leave a little anger
behind. But no such feeling tinged the welcome
with which the visit of the Prince and Princess was
hailed. Not if English arms had actually preserved
the Duchies for Denmark could Denmark have
shown greater or more affectionate hospitality to
her illustrious guests, while Sweden, with less obvi-
ous incentives to such demonstrations, was equally
forward in displaying them. The extension,
indeed, of the royal tour from Copenhagen
to Stockholm has produced an extraordinary ma-
nifestation of Swedish opinion, and we should be
less sensible than Englishmen are supposed to be if
we did not recognize and appreciate so friendly a
disposition on the part of a noble and distinguished
nation. Sweden was not invited to these cordial de-
monstrations of amity by the claims of a fresh alli-
ance, nor does there subsist between her and Eng-
land that tradifional connexion which links us to
Denmark. It might indeed be imagined that modern
Sweden would be rather French than English in
its taste and leanings, but this Royal visit has
shown the affinity of race and congeniality of dist.
position preponderate over other influences, and
that in national sympathies the Northmen are
Northmen still. Sweden promptly joined handewith
Denmark in giving a welcome to England, and the
desire evinced by all classes of thenstion to cultivate
the friendship of Englishmen has been remarkable
and gratifying in the extreme. It is the more re.
markable, indeed, as being so uninvited. The pre-
sent relations of the two countries, though perfectly
amicable, involve little practical approximation.
the political intercourse is less than it was two cen-
turies ago, commercial intercourse is comparatively
slight, and social intercourse slighter still. Even
our national passion for travel does not carry Eng•
lishmen in any number to Sweden, nor do the
singular attractions of Swedish field sports draw
many British sportsmen aeries the German Ocean.
Sweden is less known to us probably than Spain,
and yet there were times when even Spain was of
less importance to Europe end England than this
rugged country of Sweden. If what has happened
once may happen again, we may see the Swedes
govern the destinies of Europe. Twice, indeed,
has this part been theirs, once under Gustavus
Adolphus, and once under Charles XII., and if
the life of Charles Gustavus had been pro-
longed it is possibie that another of such
epochs might have been created_ We have
talked little of Sweden lately, but at the great
settlement of Europe, in 1648, she was one of the
dispensing Powers ; he counted for as much as we
ourselves did in the Triple Alliance, and in those
days her military repiatation eclipsed that of most
other States. Perhaps it was from a recollection of
these traditions as well as on other grounds that the
title of Sweden to participate in European settle-
ments was recognised in 1815 ; but it will occur to
every reflecting reader that the nation which now
volunteers so hearty an expression of goodwill to
England is a nation the alliance of which has been
valuable in times past, and may perhaps be valuable
in times to cone. These are days when international
acquaintance can really do a good deal. It is not
that popular sympathies overrule political alliances,
but that a people like the English have the power
of effecting much apart from any political transac
tions whatever. We possess in abundance that in
which most countries are deficient—capital. We
have plenty of money, and we are equally ready to
spend or to invest it. Show us a country with strik-
ing scenery, interesting characteristics, attractive
sports, and a genial population, and our gold will
flow there in torrents. Show us a country again,
with mines, minerals, or any other species of native
wealth, and we can find the means by which that
wealth may be developed. Something of this sort
we think ought to flow from the disposition which
the Swedes have shown during this Royal visit.
In receiving their princely guests they made open
demonstration of their feeling towards England,
and such feelings are precisely those by which
Englishmen are attracted. Perhaps we are a
little unreasonable in our travelling demands, but
we are always allured by civility and goodwill, and
this is what we have been taught to anticipate in
Sweden. Let it not be thought that popular sym-
pathies go for nothing because they are no longer
recognised as ground for war. We did not go to
war for Denmark, but if the Danes will reflect they
will see that we did everything short of this. When
the question of the Duchies was first constituted by
the demise of the Crown, we were ready to abide
by the Treaty of 1852—more ready indeed than any
other Power. When the dispute broke out we ex-
pressed our opinion of its rightsaand we gave Den-
mark advice which, if followed, would have miti-
gated the results of the strife. We did the Danes
one good turn after another at successive stages of
the quarrel, and though no party in the State would
accept the responsibility of advising war, there was
no secret made of the sympathies and feelings of the
people. We consider such sympathies as valuable,
and we look with extreme satisfaction on the na-
tional disposition of the Danes which this Royal
visit has disclosed. The people of Denmark and
Sweden may confidently assure themselves that not
a particle of their friendship has been thrown away,
We have followed step by step the progress of the
Royal pair from capital to capital, from castle to
castle, and from one public assembly to another, and
we have marked the demonstrations of affectionate
welcome with which an English Prince and Prin-

CUB were everywhere received. We have learnt
the feeling entertained towards this country in the
old kingdoms of the North, and there is enough of
Northern blood in us to render reciprocity easy, and
to insure, we trust, a cordial and advantageous con-
flexion between States so similarly minded and so
amicably disposed.
HERALD.—If we are to give credence to reports
from the East the completion of the Suez Canal is
likely to encounter political as well as natural ob-
structions. After having submitted the case, as
between themselves and the shareholders of the
company carrying on that undertaking, to the
arbitration of the Emperor Napoleon, the Egyptian
Government finds itself saddled with a debt of over
three millions sterling, to reimburse the company
for the restitution of a portion only of the vast con-
cession which was gratuitously granted them. The
Emperor's decision appears to have astonished and
dissatisfied the Pacha and his Ministry ; and an ap.
peal is, it is said, about to be made to his justice, in
the hope of obtaining a modification of his award.
This appeal, if made, may doubtless be responded to,
and the decision so much objected to may be revised
and modified, so as to render the sacrifice to be made
less onerous to the Egyptians, even at the risk of
dissatisfying the French shareholders, who have
already accepted with acclamation, as well they
might, the result of an arbitration which at once
provides them with capital not onlysufficient to com-
plete their undertaking, but, in addition, to replace
a very considerable portion of the funds already ex-
pended, But the disagreement between the Pacha
and the Suez Canal Company, no matter how ar-
ranged, is of small importance when compared with
the " difficulty"—to use an Americanism—which
seems likely to arise between both those parties and
the Porte. The Pacha is bound by his engagements
het
to permit the execution of the canal, in w
has also a large personal interest as a sharehihoclder
but the Ottoman Government disclaims all
partici-
pation in that agreement, ignores theacittsopfoiwtsevraass-
sal, and, claiming the right to exercise
suzerain
whatever
and
asserted
the
refusesinst insists
consentts o n
tthe
e tow anyrk s i
n compromiseproge
r s s
being at once discontinued, althoughit
by M. de Lesseps—and we must suppose with
truth, for otherwise it is not likely is
that
company would have been so foolish as to lay
h
such great
out its money on a work attended with
sufficient guarantee for
expense without having a
its security—that the necessary assent was
in reality obtained from the Porte before the com-
mencement of operations, through the medium of
the French Oovernment, an assertion which is now,