The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-06 00:00:00

flashed by electric telegraph from the seat of war,
fragments of information so horrible of their kind
as this telegram :—" The bombardment of Sonder-
borg continued all day yesterday. Fifteen hun-
dred shells were thrown. The main street is
destroyed. Fifty-seven persons were killed
and wounded. The women and children have
deserted the town." If there were adequate
cause for this war, frightful occurrences of
the above nature would, unhappily, be only of a
piece with the cruelties inseparable from the carry-
ing out of all wars. But—in regard to this
shameful war made by Prussia and Austria upon
Denmark—intelligence, like that, reads like the
veriest record of a wanton atrocity. And, in etti
deuce that we are not in any way exaggerating
when we so speak of it—need we do more
than direct attention yet once again, in the light
of those flaming shells, to tt.e number of fifteen
hundred, thrown into the streets of Sonderburg,
may we not, in the ghastly glare of that bombard-
ment, direct attention here anew to the fact
that Denmark had indicated her readiness to
consent to a discussion of the Schleswig-
Holstein difficulties as between her own Parliament
and the legislative and administrative authorities of
the Germanic Diet—when the two leading Powers
of Germany, in despite of that honourable
concession on the part of the Danish
Sovereign and his Government, nay in
direct and almost it would seem con-
temptuous opposition to the remonstrances of her
Britannic Majesty's Government, marched their
armies to the northern frontiers of Germany—
crossed those frontiers—overran Holstein—entered
Schleswig—occupied the chief part of that province,
a province, to say the least of it, far more Danish
than German in its character, in its language, in
its traditions—advancing even audaciously into
that peninsula of Jutland which is noto-
riously, to the knowledge of all Europe,
an integral part of Denmark Proper ! Yet a war
thus canselessly commenced, is still being carried
on, as we see it is now being carried on at Sonder-
burg !

The debate on the Mails in the provinces, which
took place on Monday, concerned a subject which
is deserving of attention. It is a great mistake for
legislators to consider these questions of little
moment, and for Ministers to push them aside with
haste and contempt, because they concern the com-
fort and convenience of a portion of the subjects in
these realms; and if these are few and far between
with the many who throng the crowded city, that
is no reason why they should be neglected and put
aside. The secret is, that where any arrangement
concerns a large or an influential section of the com-
munity, it is sure to be fully canvassed, and the
powers that be are perforce induced to take cognis-
ance of it, because of the weight attached to the
remonstrance, or the fear that is engendered by the
wrath of an important portion of the inhabitants of
the place in question. It is otherwise, however,
when the rights, or rather the wrongs, of isolated
branches of the population are mooted. Mr. LONG
moved for a select committee on the Post Office,
" with an especial view to the improvement of the
existing arrangements for the transmission of mails
in the provincial districts." This is a very desirable
thing, and it is very much to be regretted that
success did not attend the efforts of the hon. mem-
ber; at all events, the subject has been started,- and
it is to be hoped that it will not be allowed to drop,
and that nest session we may see some marked
change take place in these transactions. Mr. LONG
explained the chief points of the question in a very
lucid speech, which was supported and acquiesced
in by several hon, members, so that there is no
cause to despair of the attempt being one day
more successful than it has hitherto been. In
the course of his explanations he remarked that
the most clumsy arrangements still prevailed iu
many of our provincial towns, the mails being
despatched by a foot messenger or by a horse and
cart instead of by rail. The consequence of these
faulty plans, of course, is that it often takes three
days for a letter to be sent and an answer received
between towns of only a few miles distance apart.
Can anything be more preposterous than such a
state of things. The inconvenience must be appa-
rent to all, and it is quite impossible to over-esti-
mate or exaggerate the importance which it mast
be to many to get their letters quickly sent to their
destination, and to receive a reply in as brief a
space as possible. It seems very hard that because
a person lives in a comparatively retired spot he
cannot obtain this advantage, which is, indeed, one
of the choicest boons of civilisation, and with its
scientific triumphs has wrought out a change in
the habits and customs of the population. No
better reason can be adduced for the necessity of a
change being required than this fact being put forth,
that it takes four days to send a letter and receive
an answer at the distance of nine miles. The Post
Office authorities are deaf to all the complaints that
are made to them, and this is doubtless a very con-
venient habit for themselves, but not a very pleasant
or profitable one so far as the public are concerned.
Mr. PEEL made a very rambling speech, the up
start of which was that nothing could be done ;
one of the chief reasons that he cited against the
arguments and suggestions of Mr. LONG being,
that the expense would be too considerable if the
Post Office was compelled to make use of the rail-
ways in all oases instead of employing cheaper
modes of transmission. It seems to all who con-
eider the question at all that this is very like a
contradiction in terms, because where is the utility
of the present enormous addition to trains in all
places if no benefit is to accrue therefrom. For
few purposes can the railway prove more efficient
than for the expedition of the mails, and it is quite
idle and absurd to talk of the expense when
matters of so much moment are at stake.
The Chancellor of the • Exchequer was obliged to
come to the rescue, and give his important aid to
carry the point of the Government as opposed to the
benefit of the community and the claims of justice,,
reason, and common sense. The right hon. gentle-
man spoke quietly enough, and did not seem at all
impressed with the merits of his case, but he just
spoke according to rale, to keep up the stand-still
policy on which all departments of the Government
appear to pride themselves. Of course he was able
with his tact and adaptation to make the worse
appear the better cause to the uninitiated, but in
such an instance failure would have been more
honourable than success. There was little really
to be made of the right hon. gentleman's speech,
but it may be worth while just to glance briefly at
his chief arguments. In the first place, he said that
the Post-office yielded a revenue of a million and a
half, and that this sum stood in the place of taxa-
tion, so that it must not be interfered with. It is
always dangerous for a statesman to have a hobby,
and it is well known that Mr. GLADSTONE has a
perfect mania for taxation. His extreme notion of
looking upon everything in the light of rendering
services to the revenue is most ridiculous. When
we remember his unwarrantable notion for taxing
the public charities last year it is not to be won-
nered at that he should set his face against all the
proposed improvements and most salutary altera-
tions in the Post-office department. It often takes
time to effect any striking change or to produce any
great benefit in any di'ieien or department of the

public service, but time may work wonders, espe•
cially if courage and patience are brought to bear
upon it, and it is to be trusted that the excellent
suggestions of Mr. LONG, and the wise remarks of
many others, will eventually turn to profit, and
thus many who are now in provincial retirement
may not be shut out from the advantages of a speedy
communication with their friends and correspon-
nents, and lose the benefits which so many others
enjoy and participate in freely.

The votes for the Navy Estimates were not
allowed to pass the House of Commons without
discussion or dispute. The vote of £1,164,100 for
naval stores for the building, repair, and outfit of
the fleet, steam machinery, and ships built by con-
tract was especially subjected to criticism. Mr. P.
BERKELEY complained that a large number of
vessels were being annually withdrawn from the
effective list ; Mr. CORRY expressed his dissatisfac-
tion with the reduction of the sum set aside for the
building of armour-plated ships, and censured the
imprudence of the Admiralty in not laying down
more vessels of this kind, since as it took two years
to build them, we could not increase our present
number of 25 until the year 1867 at the earliest.
The strength of the French Navy was anxiously
discussed, and Mr. LINDSAY only expressed the
opinion of a geod many members, when he declared
that England should not rest satisfied with equal-
ling France in the strength of her navy, but should
rival that of France and any other Power com-
bined. The First Lord of the Admiralty, in an-
swer to these various remonstrances, confessed that
our reserves were not at present in a satisfactory
condition, but denied that things were altogether
so bad as had been represented. The tendency of
the day was, no doubt, he said, to build armour-
plated vessels, and we are glad to find that an
experiment is about to be made of combining wood
and iron in shipbuilding. It is not possible, as
we know, to combine copper and iron, owing to
the electric action, while the wooden frame
is liable to rot, and the iron bottoms
soon get so foul as to lose their speed and become
unmanageable. If, therefore, the plan of combin-
ing a wooden bottom with an iron frame be success•
fully carried out, a very important advance will
have been made in shipbuilding. Both the new
vessels to be tried on this plan are to be constructed
on the twin screw principle, one of the most im-
portant of naval improvements of recent times, and
one which is destined to effect as great a revolution
as the introduction of the paddle. We may rea-
sonably anticipate, judging from past experience,
that the double screw will be in common use in the
merchant service before it is extensively employed
by the Admiralty, It is a sign of better times,
however, that they should have already adopted it
in some of their new vessels. With regard to the
complaints brought forward by hon. members, there
is certainly no reason why the Government should
relax its efforts in building ships, since ships will
always be wanted, and it is surely better to keep up
a constant moderate supply than have to give hur•
ried orders in a moment of panic. With regard to
the deficiency of armour-plated ships we have
already shown how that evil can be remedied' at
very little cost of time or money, by putting an
iron belt round the water line of some of our old
wooden walls. The additional weight could be
easily set right by removing one or two guns, and
by this means we should not only be able promptly
to supply an important addition to our iron-plated
fleet, but turn to useful account valuable material
now lying idle. Men of all ranks are too ready
to run away with new inventions, casting old stores
aside, and readily believing that the new has ren-
dered the o:d obsolete and unworthy of notice.
But while there is a frank admission
on the part of the First Lord of the Admiralty,
that our naval reserves are deficient in strength and
number, and while the country is asked for £lOO,OOO
increase on the vote to bring them up to the neces-
sary standard, it is surely well worth while to
look a little at what we have in hand, and to ask
how far the old tried sea-worthy vessels can be
adapted to the latest improvements of skill and
science. The Admiralty may rely upon it that any
rational scheme for the improvement of the navy
is certain to meet with popular support, and no
more than a fair share of that criticism and con-
sideration at the hands of the house than is neces-
sary to give the matter a fair hearing. There is no
branch of the public service' in which Englislemee
take a deeper or more general interest ',haa the
navy, and its efficiency and force are points no less
dear to the national pride than essential to the
national safety. It is owing to x long course of
expenditure so lavish, and prejudice so narrow,
that Admiralty mal-administration has become a
byword, that the naval estimates are looked on
with disfavour. The public have found, from long
and unsatisfactory experience, that notwithstanding
the large sums so regularly asked for, and so freely
voted, there is never money enough to reward
merit, to encourage invention, or to give new plans
or experiments a fair trial. The money wasted in
alterations of new vessels, cutting off decks, re-
modelling shapes, &c., would go a long way towards
reinforcing our fleet. However, we cannot make
amends for past mistakes by rushing into the oppo-
site extreme, and therefore let our shipbuilding go
steadily on, since, if Rome was not built in a day,
so neither can be a well equipped man-of-war.

FORT SIIMTER.--The following is an extract from
4, letter dared Feb. 22 We were obliged to go
by night, as the fart is only situated 1,400 yards from Bat-
tery Gregg from where the Yankees generallyshell the Owe
night end day, and would sink you in a minute did not the
darkness cover your approach. We started about 6 o'clock.
It had just got dark. and alter an hour's hail we reached it.
35,000 shells have now been thrown against this devoted
place, a mass of iron equal to 3,000 tons of iron. Several
times the fiagste has been shot away, and as quickly re-
placed, and P;dll the cry is no surrender.' The place, as
we approached it, looked like a mound in the middle of the
water. All of a sudden the moon burst forth, and showed
us the place with the distinctness of day. The scene is
deeply impressed on my memory. The place looked as if an
earthquake had taken place, end thrown down. the walls, or
like some magnificent ruin which the hand of time had de-
solated. The jagged edges of the walls standing out in bold
relief, with the sentries pacing slowly up and down the
ramparts, made it truly an impressive sight. Fortunately,
they were not shelling when I was there; it being very well
protected by sandbags, however, in place of the walls, very
few men got hit. The fort is about four acres in size, all the
walls are down except the west on the side of the city,
which is partly so; however, it is stronger than ever, and
it will long prove a thorn in the sides of the Yankees.

STRALSUND, April 2.—A notification from Berlin,
dated March 29, states that it is hereby made known that
the intended blockade of the harbours of Stralsund, Wol-
gest, Barth, Griefawalde, and Cammin by the Danes has
not yet been carried into effect.

THE ST. GEORGE'S CHALLENGE VASE.—Lieute
Colonel C. H. Lindsay, commanding the St. George's
Rifles, has addressed a letter to the various commanding
officers of Volunteer Battalions in Great Britain respecting
the rules in future to be observed in the competition for the
St. George's Challenge Vase. He states that two competi-
tors, instead of one, are to be admitted from each battalion
to take part in the contest this year. They are to be selected
as before, the number of those in each battalion competing
for selection being raised, however, to 20, Where, from want
of butt accommodation, a battalion is unable to return a
minimum of 20, it will be expected to pay the full amount
of the entrance fees (2s a head), as if the whole number had
come forward. The entrance fees, a list of the competitors
in each battalion, with their numbers, and the names of the
two selected numbers, must be forwarded to the chairman
of the Challenge Vase Committee, 39, Maddox-street, W.,
at latest ten days before the meeting of the association at
Wimbledon. Extra money prizes will be awarded by the
Vase Committee to the ten best shots, concerning which a
detailed notice will be given in the amended rules, which j
are preparix for dr011,1411973.