The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-26 00:00:00

NEW YORK.

A private letter from New York on tho Ist, gives us the

following items :
The recent attempt to burn the city has produced a vivid
sensation. Although attempts were made in 16 different
places simultaneously, yet I do not think the aggregate
damage will exceed 10,000 dols. The immediate effect of
this nefarious business is a rich harvest to the fire insurance
companies. Everybody is overhauling his policy.
Those now insure who neer insur'd befor',
And those who were insured insure the more.
The theory of the Republican press that this wholesale
attempt at incendiarism is a Southern conspiracy, in retalia-
tion for Federal atrocities in the Shenandoah Valley, is not
generally credited in this city. The whole affair looks like
a studied fiasco. The object seems to have been to excite an
alarm rather than to destroy property. Had the rebels been
at work they would have selected "a dry, windy night," at
about 2 o'clock in the morning, with the fire-plugs frozen,
and they would not have selected New York, which is "the
city of refuge" to their friends,
Mr Cranston, the proprietor of the New York Hotel
(which, with the Clarendon and the Brevoort House,
escaped the attention of the incendiaries), is of the opinion
that it was the work of thieves, He has addressed the fol-
lowing pointed and pithy note on the subject to the editor
of the New York Times "
New York Hotel, Sunday, Nov. 27.
"Sir,—ln your issue of this morning I find the follow-
ing query, headed Information wanted.'
"' Why was there no attempt to fire the New York Hotel?'
(Signed) " INQUIRING MIND,'
"Editor Times says.-4 Ask the incendiaries.'
"This does not directly point to me; yet, as proprietor
of the New York Hotel, I feel that I can give Inquiring
Mind' a little information.
"In the first place, the New York Hotel is almost ex-
clusively a family hotel, and kept always full, so that a sus-
picious character, one who travels only with a small black
leather bag cannot obtain a room. In fact, it is the general
order that rooms be only given to persons known, and suck
as may be introduced by resident guests of the house.
"Since the war commenced the New York Hotel has had
fewer politicians for its guests than most other hotels, and
no man has has been arrested and taken from it to govern-
ment fortresses for political offences.

"'THE ASTOR HOUSE THE RENDEZVOUS.
" 'Haynes was in the habit of receiving frequent visits
from mysterious individuals, and from this circumstance it
is believed that the Astor House was a sort of rendezvous
for all the conspirators. Fires were made in his room very
often according to the chambermaid, and remarkable con-
sultations seemed to be held there.'
" From the above, taken from to-day's Herald, ycu see
the Astor House was the rendezvous of the conspirators.
Yet Stetson is not accused of keeping an hotel for thieves
and incendiaries. I am led to believe he is only saved by
having his house set on fire.
"Will you oblige me by asking Inquiring Mind' if I
cannot convince toy fellow-citizens of my ' loyalty' in some
other manner than by setting fire to my hotel.—Very truly
your obedient servant, " H1R.411 CRANSTON."
This capital " card" is full of good hits, and is one of
" the topics of the day." I have a little anecdote to
tell you apropos of the "New York Hotel," which ad.
mirably illustrates the coolness, firmness, and independence
of its proprietor. On the night of the Presidential election,
when everybody was half crazy -for the " returns," the
telegraphic operator at the general office refused to give
them to the opeiator in the office of the New York Hotel I
Whereupon Mr Cranston ordered the wires to be cut leading
into his hotel This severed the connection with all the
hotels above him, including the " One Horse Tavern,'
occupied by General Butler I Of course there was a great
hue and ory, but not until the next day, when the "gene-

ral office" had made a handsome apology, would Cranston
consent to the "restoration of the union." The cause of
this petty spite is owing to the fact that Mr Cranston has
always been of the opinion that the difficulty between the
North and the South could and should have been settled
without a resort to force. He is a " State-rights man,"
and does not believe that a eoerced union of states is either
democratic or desirable. The New York Hotel before the
war was the great resort of Southern gentlemen with their
families. Here they converted cotton and sugar into
"Charles Heiddieck" and "Chateau Margaux," and here
several Southern refugees continue to reside. It is aloe
the favourite hotel for the better class of Europeans; the
"home" of the well-known Commodore Judkins, of the
"Cunard fleet," and the palace of Prince Napoleon and
the Princess Clotilde, who passed six weeks there in the
summer of 1861. In plain English, the New York is an
aristocratic house, and hence it is not loved by the
" war Christians." Cranston is not only a man of
wealth, but of wit, and is fond of books, pictures,
and fine horses. He drives the best four-in-hand
in the Central Park ; and for a stranger to hail from
the New York on visiting this city is like having one's
letters addressed to the " Carlton," the "Atheneum," or
the "Cosmopolitan "in London. So much for hotels and
the late phosphorus phenomenon. Have you seen the scur-
rilous article in the Now York Times, on the departure of
of Mr Sala, the clever correspondent of the London 2'elo-
graph? It is evidently from the pen of the responsible
editor the Hon. Henry J, Raymond, popularly known as
"the Little villain," who has just been elected to the Lower
House of Congress, but who aspires to succeed Mr Dayton
in Paris, who, it is understood, will resign his post in the
spring. Raymond is quite a master in the art of editorial
vituperation—and he has done his best in Ws farewell to
Sala I At the same time he " improves the occasion "to
heap abuse upon Mackay of the Times, whom he treats as
a mere mass of malicious stupidity. Before the war not
only Mr Raymond of the Times, but his master, the Secre-
tary of State at Washington, regarded Dr Mackay as a poet
and philosopher of the ',first water," and delighted to do
him honour by giving him splendid dinners I But if any
man dare to differ in opinion from the present "party in
power." he is sent to " Coventry," and thence to Hades I

The Governor of New Brunswick and the
Frederickton City Council,

The New Brunswick papers give an account of a
singular charge brought by the Mayor of Frede.
ricton, New Brunswick, against the Lieutenant
Governor of the province, resulting in the passing
of a strong vote of censure on the Governor by the
Fredericton City Council. We quote the following
summary of the affair from the Carleton Sentinel:
A man from the States was a few weeks ago brought
before the Mayor of Fredericton charged with endeavour-
lag to entice soldiers to desert. Oa an examination the
Mayor declared that the charge was not proven, and he
therefore discharged the man, but from evidence it appeared
to his worship that the soldiers who had brought the charge
had not treated the accused right, and suspicions were
awakened that they had picked his pocket. Shortly after•
wards, his excellency the Governor sent for the Mayor, and
the following conversation took place. We quote the state-
ment made before the City Council by his worship—" The
Governor said he was informed that there had been such a
trial, and that the prisoner was acquitted, whilst from the
evidence he should have been convicted. I then stated to
hica that I considered the evidence was not such as could
convict a prisoner, and in consequence acquitted him. I
then, at the Governor's request, went into the details of the
case, and in the course of my remarks said I believed one of
the soldiers had picked the prisoner's pockets. The Go-
vernor asked why the soldiers were not tried for that offence.
I said there was uo specific charge made against them, and
had arrived at this opinion from remarks of witnesses
(alluding to picking the prisoner's pockets). I also said I
believed the prisoner was a native of New Brunswick, and
had been an American sulker. The Governor then asked
why he was not brought up for that offence. I said there
was not suffleient evidence to proceed on such a charge—it

was considered a political offence, and people were averse to

turning informers in cases of that kind. The Governor then
rose in a state of excitement, and said that every man in the
province is a traitor, and that there were hundreds of such
peasons (meaning Yankee deserters) in the country. I then
rose up and replied, I extremely regret that your Excel.-
lency should have made such an assertion as respects the
people of the province in the presence of myself, the Mayor
of the cly of Fredericton." The Governor then asked if
murder was committed would information be given ? I
replied that that was an offence of a different nature. I also
said her Majaty's Government gave licence to persons to
go into foreign service, and in Great Britain when persons
turned informers it became very often necessary to place
them under protection, and after the trial to send them out
of the country to save their liver. The conversation he had
with hie Excellency was, he considered, strictly private, in
the Governor's own room, and he had no idea that it would
have been mentioned out of Government House. however
the first intimation he received that the conversation with
the Governor had been communicated to others was hem
the following letter.
Then follows a letter from Major Sewell, of the 15th 116-
giraent, calling upon the Mayor to substantiate the accusa-
tion against the soldiers—to which the Mayer replied de-
clining the honour of looking up evidence to sift the case,
but offering, if a charge was made against the men, to do
everything in Lis power to assist. To this Major Sewell
writes the Mayof that he has reported the whole proceed-
ings to the officer commanding the troops, for him to take
such steps "as he may deem necessary." Soon after the
Mayor got snother letter from the Major enclosing one
from Lieutenant Colonel Grierson, in which he states
that ‘, the Mayor has made an assertion ho is evi-
dently unable to prove, a most unjustifiable proceeding,
and one that renders him liable to an action for libel."
After other remarks he concluded by saying that the
matter should be laid before Colonel Cole, on his return, to
rest with him to take action for libel against the Mayor
or otherwise, as he may deem expedient; to which his
Worship made the following spicy reply :—" Fredericton,
November 2,1864.—5 i have the honour to acknowledge
the receipt, of your note of yesterday's date covering a foolish
and rather bullying letter from Colonel Grierson, Feeling
convinced that Colonel Cole possesses more good sense than
his two subordinates, I have no expectation that the libel

threat will be acted upon. Should he, however, think proper
to take legal proceedings, I shall be quite ready to meet
your high authority' in a court of justice.—l have the
honow, &c. J. A. Beckwith, Mayor of Fredericton. To
Major Sewell, commanding at Fredericton."
The City Council, after proceeding to discuss the whole
matter, passed the following series of resolutions :—" At
an adjourned special meeting of the City Connell of the city
of Fredericton, hell in the City Council-room, in Frederic-
ton, on Thursday, the 17th November inst., the following
resolutions were unanimously adopted :—Whereas, from
statements made by his Worship the Mayor, at a meeting
of the Council held last evening,.it appears that the deci-
sion given in his Court in the case of a prisoner tried for
enticing soldiers to desert, was brought in question by his
Excellency the Lieutenant Governor; and whereas, from
the evidence adduced, it appears that nothing but true
British justica was meted out to the said prisoner; there-
fore resolved—That this Council fully approve and endorse
the decision given in the said case by his Worship
the Mayor and Alderman Clark, and the subsequent
action taken by his Worship in the matter ; and further
resolved—That this Council, on behalf of the citizens of
Fredericton, cannot allow the_inhabitants of this loyal pro-
vince to be branded as traitors without •giving it their un-
qualified denial; and further resolved—That this accusa-

tion, coming from the highest official dignitary in thepro-
vines, is a direct insult to every British subject residing in
New Brunswick."

THE PERILS OF MISSIONARY LIFE.—I❑ August
lest Bishop Pattebon visited Santa Cruz, in the
Melanesian group. "A great crowd," says the Guardian,
" assembled to meet the Bishop, who waded to shore, and
went and act for some time in a large house in the village,
the boat awaiting his return at the edge of the reef. Mean-
while many canoes were out with the schooner trading in
the most friendly manner, and the boat while waiting for
the Bishop was surrounded by natives standing on the reef
or swimming in the sea. Nothing occurred to cause the
least uneasiness until, on the Bishop returning to the boat
and getting into it, there was some difficulty in clearing the
boat from the natives swimming round her. There was
nothing unusual in this, but the men on the reef began to
bend their bows, and before the Bishcp could ship the rud-
der a shower of arrows fell full upon the boat. Mr Pearce
and Edwin Nobbs were struck at once, the former by an
arrow that pierced his breast, the latter by an arrow in the '
cheek. The boat pulled away, some canoes following, and
then Fisher Young, who was pulling the stroke oar, was
shot through the wrist, but still pulled on. After some
minutes the canoes gave over the chase, the sail was got up,
and the boat gained the schooner. The cause of this sudden
attack remains unknown. There is no doubt but that it was
unpremeditated. The most probable account of it is that
some European vessel had visited the island, and that some
outrage had been committed which the natives supposed was
about to be repeated when they saw some force, however
gentle, used to free the boat. The arrows having been ex-
treated and the wounds dressed, the greatest anxiety fel-
lowed. Were the arrows poisoned ? The wounds were
kept open, and for a little -vhilo there was good hope, Bat
the tetanus began with Fisher Young, and after fearful
agony le died just as the schooner was making the
harbour at Vanua Lava. He was buried oa shore, and
Edwin Nobbs was well enough to attend the funeral. But
lockjaw soon camo on, and he lay suffering for five long
days. 'For five days and nights he never slept,' the Bishop
_writes; he never murmured, never uttered a sound of com-
plaint; at sea. knocking about, detained by heavy contrary
winds from reaching Norfolk Island and seeing rather and
mother, brothers and sisters, there before ho died, he never
murmured,' He was released from his sufferings on Sept
5. The many friends of the Pitcairn people in England will
learn from the death of Elwin Nobbs and Fisher Young that
their interest has not been misplaced. Mr Pearce, afterhis
terrible wound, borne by him also with great cheerfulness i
and fortitude, appeared to be again quite strong and wi,n_.l