The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-24 00:00:00

all through Tuesday, the battle raged with little in-
tertrissi?n hut what the darkness of night and phy-
sical exhaustion imposed upon the eombatauts.
Still, however, there was do detiale'e results, When
the last despatches left the field Lee raaitted his
position, and was said to have been reinforted,
while the aggregate Imes ef the Federals up to the
evening of Tuesday were reckoned, in killed,
wounded, and missing, 40,000 men. At this •e'ri-;
tical point we are left to wait in suspense for fresh
intelligence. Never did American mails bring in-
formation thdreimportaht than may been looked for
by the next arrival. le ill e.ratet "till advance, and
drive Lee within the lines of Richmond, de will he
fall back exhausted with his efforts, and admit the
enterprise to, be as impracticable to himself as it has
proved to °there; l efeee him ? It is hard to discern
any inclination of the balance, de evenly on the
scales appear to be weighed. On the side &! the
North it must be owned that the expectations enter-
tained cf Grant's prowess have received more confir-
mation than has usaaihk attended the sanguine cal-
culations of the Federals. If he has not achieved ab-
solute success, he has bid for it more desperately
and approached it more nearly than any of his pre-
dcceeecrs in command. He has fully justified his
reputation for dogged and unconquerable tena-
city. After once breaking up froth hTh camp he has
marched straight on incessantly closing with his
adversary, always offering battle, never declining it,
undismayed by losses, undeterred by the most im-
minent danger. For the first time in the history of
this war, a great battle has been followed by an im-
mediate pursuit, bringing on another battle equally
obstinate and bloody. Grant, though alightly
worsted in the actions of the 6th, refused to quit his
hold upon the enemy, or to plead any of the obvious
excuses for suspending the operations of the cam-
paign. It was this stubborness of purpose which
gained him his success at Vicksburg and his favour
with the Northern people. They never thought him
a military genius, but they believed him to be a
most determined man—a man who would bring
everything to the immediate issue of hard fighting,
and who might either beat or be beaten, but who
would never be hesitating or inactive. This estimate
of his character he has fully justified. He has
fought unceasingly, and has clung like a bulldog to
his work. Nor can it be added that he has fought
altogether in vain, for he has advanced as he pro-
posed to advance, and is actually a few miles further
on the road to Richmond. On the other hand, it
now appears beyond all doubt that the successive
retirements of the Confederate commander were but
so many judicious and preconcerted operations of
the campaign. He fell back from the Rapidan with-
out troubling himself to strike a blow. He fell back
again from his second position at Wilderness,
though he is admitted to have had the best of the
encounter ; and the impregnability of his third
position, at Spottsylvanie, has fully justified his
decision. In none of these movements was there the
slightest confusion or other evidence of inferiority.
The game could be better played at one point than
another, and the advantage was not allowed to
escape, The whole road to Richmond, be it re-
membered, is a series of positions which have long
been studied and strengthened by the Confederates,
terminating in a capital fortified by all the defences
which modern art could devise through a period of
three years. Lee, if he falls back, is only falling
back from one strong post to another, till he finds
himself in the strongest post of all. Grant, if he
falls back ever so little, gives up the game, while if
he persists in advancing he discovers harder work
than ever before him at the end of each day's march,
and separates himself from his supplies in the same
proportion. Already, we are told, he has found his
communications intercepted by the Confederate
cavalry, and been compelled to change the base of
his supplies ; and it is intimated, indeed, that the
action of the 10th was not sought by him, and that
he had intended to postpone it for a few hours until
his supplies had come up. We have purposely de-
clined to complicate our survey of these import- nt
operations by the reports of any subsidiary pro-
ceedings, but the reader will probably remember
that this famous expedition against Richmond was
to consist of advances from several directions all
combined in one plan. Such combinations usually
require for their success the co-operation of veteran
troops and skilful Generals under the direction of a
master mind, and these conditions can hardly be
thought to exist in the case before us. Part of the
scheme, indeed, was frustrated by the recent vic-
tories of the Confederates in North Carolina, and it
seems now as if the only important diversion would
be attempted by the advance of General Butler upon
Richmond along the line of the James River. But-
ler, who has always threatened that he—the out-
lawed of the Confederacy—would be the first to
enter their capital, is, if he has advanced to City
Point, nearer Richmond than Grant; but there is
many a bad mile between him and the city; he is
closely observed by General Besuregard, and the
latest advices state that apprehensions were enter•
tained for his safety. As to more remote points,
the Confederates were retaining and improving
their advantages in Mississippi, were holding their
own in Tennessee, and had been successful in some
naval encounters both in the James River and
Albemarle Sound. Finally, in concluding our sur-
vey, we must remark that the intelligence on which
we have based our speculations reaches us mainly
through Federal sources, and is, perhaps, coloured
somewhat favourably for the North. That com-
pletes the case for the judgment or divination of
the public. It seems to perplex the minds of people
in America. The proclamations of President Lin-
eoln and the bulletins of Secretary Stanton speak of
Federal successes, but in terms so moderate and
language so qualified as to exprLss anything vi ther
than confidence ; while the premium on gold, which
was 73 when Grant began his march, and which
fell to 69 at one period, had risen to 77 at the latest
news, and was 75 at the departure of the mail.
Undoubtedly Grant is in a more difficult situation
than Lee, for if he falls back, which, if he cannot
dislodge his adversary, he must do, it will be under
disadvantage, and if ne advances either by force or
upon the retirement of the Confederates, it will be
under disadvantage still, But he is invincibly
obstinate, he has uncontrolled command, he has
exacted the unreserved support of the Government,
and he has seen the Southern General retire before
him, He will, perhaps, renew h s attack upon Lee,
but if he ever reaches Richmond with en effective
army he will have achieved a miracle of military
success.

HERALD.—There is nothing like a practical an-
swer. Lord Palmerston formally condemned general
theories on Friday night in the debate on our rela-
tions with China. He had ready one of those matter-
of-fact rejoinders which dumbfound ordinary people.
"We must defend our treaty rights. We must pro-
tect our commerce." Of course we must. But Mr
Baxter, a merchant trading with China, and, it is
understeod, the general body in the same interest,
are of opinion that Government is going the very
worst way to secure the prosperity of our Chinese
trade. And as to the treaty rights, the despatches
of Sir Frederick Bruce, our own Minister at the
Court of Pekin, are sufficient to dispose of that
question. This competent authority has emphati-
cally condemned the policy Lord Palmerston is pur-
suing in regard to China. The witnesses we have
cited cannot be considered unfriendly to the Cabinet.
If rumour speaks correctly the hon. member for
Montrose was offered a subordinate, but not unim-
portant, position in the Ministry on the retirement
of Mr Stansfeld. And as to our ambassador to the
Celestial Emperor, official duty and diplomatic skill
both prompt to acquiescence and approval where
the conduct of the Government is not flagrantly
iuconsistent and unpatriotic. The question arises,
why should we interfere at all ? This may be a
general objection, but it is one capable of local
application. The Imperial power of China is not
only barbarous ; it is notoriously cruel. The dynasty
is at the last stage of decline. No foreign aid can
sustain it much longer. Even the most despotic
rule, to last, must have the heart of the people, and
it is wellknown that the Government of Prince Kung
is most unpopular. In fact the Taeping rebellion is
the general uprising of the people—not well con-
ducted indeed, and in this akin to most revolutions,
but at the same time founded on a universal detes-
tation of the reigning authority, and, moreov. r, con-
firmed by a very remarkable career of success. The
set policy of this country is neutrality. We have
maintained the doctrine of non-intervention in an
astounding manner in regard to the belligerent
states of America and in the Dano-German war.
We adhered to it in the Polish outbreak, and it
was our boast during the revolutionary changes in
Italy. It is true much of this impartial dealing was
only a hollow pretence. We were never strictly
neutral, and, perhaps, it may be difficult for any
Government, in the face of the leanings of the
people, to be stoically indifferent to great public
questions. But our Cabinet, or rather our foreign
.
Minister, opposition to the popular will and in-
clination in England, has sided with the Federal
Americans against the Confederates, and has, by his
weak confidence and wavering policy, effectually
aided the cause of Prussia and Austria against Den-
mark, However, it suits Lord Palmerston now to
declare that occasions msy arise when neutrality
would be folly or cowardice, or both. We inter-
fered with Portugal, with Spain, with Turkey,
Syria, and Egypt ; and another great occasion hav-
ing arisen fur the interposition of the Deus ex
machina, we have interfered in China also. Of
course, the gravest reasons for this exceptional
intervention must have occurred. The Premier
sums up his lofty argument under two seductive
heads—our treaty rights and our commerce. We
are bound to defend the one and protect the other.
But the British wgis must be used with moderation
in both. A radius of thirty miles has been drawn
outside the treaty ports; beyond this line of
demarcation the civic strife may rage with the most