The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-18 00:00:00

ru SUN, ii3ONDOfq, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 18, 1864

After some days of careful discussion the meeting
was adjourned, but not before the question had
been fully considered and the unanimous conclusion
had been arrived at that the proposed Confedera-
tion would be mutually advantageous provided the
terms of union could be equitably arranged. There
would naturally be many difficulties to encounter
in the final adjustment of affairs, but as yet no in-
superable obstacle has presented itself. Accordingly,
the Governor-General summoned a formal con-
ference to meet him at Quebec, on the 10th of
October, for the purpose of giving the scheme a
general and official consideration, It is said that
the Canadian delegates were much impressed by
the great material resources and industrial pros-
perity of the maritime provinces, and they per-
fectly coincide in the opinion that a union would
be highly advantageous to all. '1 he scheme,
although fairly considered, is as yet fettered by no
details, which will have to be arranged at the Quebec
conference. It is in matters of detail that -the
great difficulty will lie, since local jealousies and
individual interests will most probably interfere,
but there appears as yet to be such complete unani•
mity among the provinces on the general principle
of Federation that there is good reason for be-
lieving all minor matters may be disposed of. The
Home Government cannot regard with disfavour
any scheme which tends to strengthen and consos
lidate its dependencies ; and, in fact, the authority
which it has exercised over these provinces has
long been little more than a name. The days have
gone by when England could wish to coerce her
colonists, and, in fact, she would never have
had the right to interfere with a pros
ject of this kind unless she had pledged
herself at the same time to guarantee the security of
the colonial frontier Wise men cannot shut their
eyes to the fact that a very large body of men used
to war in its most unscruplous form may probably be
shortly thrown idle upon the hands of the American
Government, and that they will be very glad to
find a way of disposing of them. Whether a com-
promise be arrived at with the South, or whether
the North pushes on the war until it is forced to con-
fess itself baffled, the Federals will be very glad to
wipe cut the memory of their failure by a fresh
enterprise. Englishmen have proved themselves
a match for tougher antagonists than Mr. STAN-
TON'S heterogeneous regiments, but forewarned
is forearmed. It would be a suicidal act for the
remnants of the Union to provoke a war with this
country, but recklessness seems the order of the
day at Washington and New York. and it is difficult
to calculate the acts of desperation. By presenting
a united front to the Americans the British Pro■
vinces will largely increase their strength, while
the one Central Government will be able to dispose
of men, stores, &c., to the best general advantage.
This second great American Union of States will be
founded on a very different basis ; it will begin
with a full recognition of the rights of each State
to act as its people wish, and it will possess, we will
hope, the substance of civil liberty, and not its sha-
dow. In any case we wish success and good speed
to the enterprise, and all prosperity to our kinsmen
who have the proud task before them of forming
and consolidating a State which shall promote the
great interests of mankind, and do honour to their
mother country.

Drury Lane Theatre,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE. t

[REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

AMERICA..

ARRIVAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN.

(Via Greencastle.)

NEW YORK, OCT. 8 (Morning.)

The Federals, under Barbridge, attacked Salt.
ville, Western Virginia, and were badly repulsed
retreating in confusion, pursued by the Conk.

derates.

A portion of Price's forces have appeared before
Itffirson City.
The Governor of Georgia has declined Sher•
man's proposition for an informal Peace Confe.

rence.
Gold, 100 premium.

NEW YORK, OCT. 8, EVENING.

The Confederates yesterday attacked Butler's
lines, drove in Ksntz, and captured his artillery.
'They then attacked Biuney, but were repulsed.
Binney recaptured Kautz position, and drove the
Confederates to their inner line of defences.
The steamers Night Hawk and Linch had been
destroyed, and the steamer Condor beached off
Wilmington.
The North American arrived at Greencastle
after 7 o'clock this (Tuesday) morning.
Mr Stanton reports that the operations are pro-
gressing satisfactorily before Richmond and Peters-
burg. No engagement has taken place since Satur-
day. Both belligerents were fortifying. It is
reported that Lee is concentrating on Grant's left.

The Federal loss north and south of the James
River, on Friday and Saturday, is estimated at
4,000.

The Northern papers contain a report that the
larger portion of Grant's corps has recrossed from
the North side of the James River, bat states that
be retains his position in the surrounding forts.
General Lee reports that in the engagement
south of Petersburg the Federals broke through a
portion of his line on the Squirrel Level road, but
were .driven back with a loss of 400 prisoners.
General Hampton then drove the enemy, capturing
500 prisoners.

Mr Stanton reports that the Confederates in
Sherman's rear, after capturing Big Shanty, were
pursued and driven from the field with heavy loss,
leaving behind them their dead and wounded.
Unofficial despatches report that the Confederates
left 1,000 dead and wounded.
It is reported that Furrest's transportation has
been captured. The gunboats would prevent his
retreat across the Tennessee river.

Southern papers state that Hood had moved his
army 35 miles westward without molestation.
Sheridan is at Harrisonburg, Guerillas occa-
sionally intercept his supply trains. Early reports
on the 29th that if the people will guard against
raiding he is in a position to check Sheridan's
further advance.

Ewing's force has arrived at RAla, Missouri,
after having lost 300 prisoners.
Price is reported to be six miles west of Union
City, on the Jefferson City Road. It is supposed
that he purposes attempting the capture of Jeffer-
son City and the establishment of a State Govern-
ment. It is reported that Price attempted to
cross the Osage River, but was repulsed by the
Federals.

The Pacific Railroad, eight miles from Jefferson
City, has been burned. Several trains between St
Louis and Hannibal have also been burned.

Admiral Farragut retains the command a'
Mobile,

The Macon 7clegraph contains a speech alleged
to have been delivered by Jefferson Davis, assert-
ing that Sherman will be compelled to re-enact the
retreat of Moscow, that the independence of the
South would be established and the enemy defeated
if half the absent troops returned to their duty.
The Southern press is dissatisfied with the speech,
and doubts its authenticity.

In accordance with a resolution passed by con -
vention, the Governor of Tennessee has issued an
order that all persons voting in the Presidential
election must swear ta oppose an armistice and
peace negotiations with armed rebels until constitu.
tional laws and constitutional proclamations are re.
established throughout the States. The Govern or
of Tennessee has conscripted white men and negroes
between eighteen and forty-five years of age.

v.nder than over that of last season, which was far
from being a favourable one. Much pulp is made ;
from 6 to 8 per cent. more than the usual propor-
tion, but every one knows that when there is much
bran, there is little flour."

The planet Mars is visible at present in the eon•
stellation of Taurus, between Aldebaran, a star of
the first magnitude and Beta Tauri. This planet,
the real size of which is six times that of the moon,
will be very near our satellite on or about this day
(18th).
As a young girl of 18, residing in the Rue Ste..
Anne, was the day before yesterday leaning out of
a third fbor window, watering some flowers, she
lost her balance, and failing headlong into the court,
received such serious injuries that she died in a few
minutes after. The deceased was a fine young
woman and about to be married.

BOURSE, 0:t. 17.—The market continues firm,
but without any material improvement in prices.
Tzees, for the Account, are now at. 6.5 f. 25c., and
Mobilier at 902 f. 50e. Railway Market quiet, but
firm. The market again became rather heavy to.
wards the close, and left off as follows :

41 per Cents 92 10
Do. end month —
3 per Cents
Do. end month 65 20
Credit Mobilier 892 Si
Do. end month B9O
Bank Shares 3390
Credit Foncier ll6O
Roman 72

Italian Loan . 65 60
Do. end month.... 65 85
Ditto Threes ..
New Mexican .... CO 50
Russian ..
Austrian .. —
Spanish Threes.„..
Rome Debt
Deferred

RAIL WAYS.

O
Northern
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern
Western
Eastern
Sardinian i•
Austrian
Lorphard
North of Spain
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona

Cash. Account.
830 „. 835
970 970
887 50 .. 887 5)
585 580
495 995
497 50 .. 498 75
330 330
432 50 „ 435
515 ~ 515
375 375
463 50 .. 465 -
- 20)

The Colony of Victoria.

We take the following summary from the Mel•
bourne Argus of Aug. 25:

The question of transportation has occupied a very large
share of public attention during the month. The essence
of a despatch from Mr Cardwell to his Excellenoy, com-
municating tha determination of the Home Government as
to transportation to Western Australia, has been made
public ; and the debate in the House of Lords on the
Penal Servitule Bill has left us at no loss to understand the
arguments on which the decision of her Majesty's Govern-
ment has been based.

Mr Cardwell's despatch has excited a general feeling of
disappointment, which finds vent through every public
chance'.. The Ministry have already invited all the colo-
nists, excepting Western Australia, to unite in common
action to oppose the continuance of the system, and there
can scarcely be a doubt that this course will be taken,
They also send home by the present,mail intimation of their
intention to withdraw from the contract for the postal ser-
vice with the mother country unless the mail steamships
cease to touch at any port in Western Australia.
The border customs question has assumed an aspect
which promises some trouble to the Governments of Victoria
and New South Wales, and some inconvenience to the inha-
bitants of the Riverine District and the merchants who trade
with them. The Murray River Railway will be finished in
the course of three or four weeks. Echuca, the township on
the Victorian side of the river, M ill then become the port for
the trade of the vast plains which stretch northwards to
Cooper's Creek, watered by the Lachlan, the Merumbidgee,
the Darling, the Warrego, and other rivers. These plains,
however, are within the limits of New South -Wales and
Queensland, and, as the tariff of Victoria is much more
liberal than that of New South Wales, the Sydney Govern-
ment proposes that the Victorian authorities should collect
the extra duties on goods sent across the Murray from this
colony, handing the amount over to the Treasurer of New
South Wales, on payment of a commission.for collection.

In commercial matters the state of the colony is sound,
and the yield of gold for the year has, so far, been very
satisfactory.

THE GOLDFIELDS.

This is the dull season of the year for all engaged in out-
door work, and it is but natural that dulness should be
complained of on the goldfields. As long as the days are
short and the ground wet there is little inducement to stir
from any spot where a living can be made ; but the time is
approaching when the miners become restless, and well or
ill judged movements are to be looked for. The news from
New Zealand has not, for several months past, been of a
character to draw men from here ; on the contrary, the re-
turn flow has been steady since last summer, but whether
the stream may take a turn the other way during the com-
ing spring it is at present impossible to guess. The last new
field opened there, in the province of Marlborough, though
free from the extreme cold suffered in Otago, seems to be
little better adapted for winter digging than the gold coun-
try further south, but deep sinking promises to answer well,
and we have reports of new tracts of auriferous land having
been discovered near the west coast, in the province of Can-
terbury snd Nelson ; so that accounts may at any moment
reach us of so favourable a kind as to attract the attention
of our miners at a time when rushes there must be in some
direction or other. None of the movements lately within
our own territory have been on a large scale, the greatest
numbers of men having been collected at new spots in
the Whipstick part of the oid Bendigo district, which
has in past years been the scene of so many rushes, of
longer or shorter duration. The gold found in this scrubby
tract of country is mostly coarse; that is to say, consists
principally of lumps of large or small size, and is widely
scattered, not in runs or leads, so that the expectations
raised by the opening of a good patch are seldom realieed•
Water is also scarce in most part of the scrub and the ad-
vent of summer has often sealed the fate of a promising
rush. The places lately opened may or may not be of a more
permanent character, tut they are at present of more impor-
tance than any of the other portions of new ground taken
up within the last month or two. At one of these a nugget
weighing 240 z was found, and this alone formed no mean
attraction at the commencement of a rush. In the other prin-
cipal mining districts the changes have been few. The deep
leads in the vicinity of Daylestatd are being steadily followed
up, and this place affords further evidence, if such were
needed, of the value of a fixed population, as of all the towns
on the goldfields it has made the most progress within the
last 12 months.

The usual number of new reefs has been discovered, and
the richest of these are of course among the mountains. It
those at and near the Crooked River at all answer expecta-
tions when crushing power is brought to bear upon them,
Wood's Point must fall from its pre-eminence, for scarcely
a week passes without the announcement of some fresh
discovery, and the exhibition of specimens better than
the last, notwithstanding the great difficulty of pros-
pecting among the mountains while so much snow lies
upon the ground. When this clears away they will be
explored in all directions, and great must be the effect of
such an accession of population to those regions as could not
have ventured into them had not the main lines of road been
opened. The Wood's Point reefs are still yielding largely,
but although we often hear of the large dividends received
by shareholders in town, the actual returns obtained from
the stone crushed are seldom made public. On the older reefs
very high yields have been the exception of late ; an increase
of crushing power making up for the declining average yield
from the quartz. Still, large cakes of amalgamated gold are
occasionally turned out from the mills—a lot, of stone from
the oft-named March Reef, at Inglewood, having lately
produced one of 512cz. 121 wt. Another, weighing 556cz ,
was also obtained at Pleasant Creek, the produce of 283
tons of stone out of a claim on the cross reef, and some
smaller parcels of stone out of Sloane's Reef, at the same
place, have averaged from 3oz. to 10ez. to the ton. The lately
found rich veins in different reefs at Tarrangower have also
been yielding stone highly suggestive of the old times in this
district; the first ton from a new reef, found at Creswick
three or four weeks since, produced 610 z. siwt, Daring the
last month the Port Phillip Company at Clunes crushed
4,175 tons of stone for the Clunes Company, with a yield
of 1,4060 z. 16dwt., or an average of 6,lwt. 17gr. to the ton.
Of all the deep lead companies at Ballarat, the Band of
Hope has lately been getting the largest returns, having
washed out 1,472 ounces in one week; but, as the debts
incurred before gold was struck have to be paid off, only a
small portion of this has been devoted to the payment of
dividends. The Buninyong Company has been paying the
largest dividends during the month—X4o per share for each
of the two fortnights—while the Koh-i-noor Company paid
£32 per share for ono fortnight and £3B per share for the
other. The Great Extended Company has paid little in the
way of dividends for some weeks past, the men being prin-
cipally engaged in trying a new reef found in their claim.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, SOUTH KEN-
SINGTON,—The attraction at these gardens yester-
day was the competition of the two celebrated bands of the
Hon. Artillery Company and of the London Rifle Bilge&
This was the final trial between them for the first prizt:.
Immediately on the gates being open the Hon. Artillery
Company band played the overture to " Masaniello." The
judges appointed to decide the question of superior excel-
lence in the execution of the subjects chosen were Messrs
Weddell, late bandmaster of the Ist Life Guards, Mr Smyth,
bandmaster of the Royal Artillery band, and Mr Collins,
bandmaster of the Royal Engineers. The subjects chosen
by the respective bands were : —The llon. Artillery Com,
party—Selection from Un B tllo in Maschera" (Verdi),
and selections from " Ruy 131::s" (Glover) ; by the London
Rifle Brigade band selections from " Un Ballo in Maschera"
(Verdi), ditto from "I 1 Don Giovanni" (Mozart). The
bandmasters were Mr Hird of the Hon. Artillery Company,
and Mr E. Stanton of the London Rifle Brigade. The
weather was so unpropitious that the attendance of
visitors was very sc...nty. The decision of the umpires was
not made known, nor will it be, as we were informed, until
it is first communicated to the council. Many of the
ladies, we fear, must have been sadly inconvenienced by
tb,e rain,

The Confederation of British North

America.

MONTREAL, C.E , Oct. 3.

An organised opposition is being got up against
the proposed Confederation scheme by Mr. Lanctot
and his confreres of .L' Union, in which other Franco•
Canadians participate. They regard the measure
as inimical to their political interests, and as likely
to detract from the autonomy of the French race.
At an indignation meeting lately convoked, for
the purpose of oppo.iing any alteration in the form
of government, the following resolution was sub-
mitted, clause by clause, and carried by acclama•