The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-01 00:00:00

THERMOMETER.

60
This day at Two o'clock

Barometer—':'.9.6B.
Wind—East ; moderate breeze, and cloudy.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tsis 1 112, 26m.—Afternoon,
DAY.—Morning, 53m.
Ta-mcntuow.-Morning, h. m.—Afternoon, 12h. 26m.

/04
1.044
• , -111021,
urt.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1864.

The marriage of the exiled heir of the House of
Orleans with his fair cousin, one of the Princesses of
Spain
,which took place onMonday last at Kingston-
upon-Thames, excited very naturally profound
sentiments of interest and Sympathy. It is an
event in the present day of no political importance
whatever. So little does the Imperial party ap-
prehend at the hands of the lime of Orleans
that some little time back, when the approaching
marriage of the heir cf the fallen house was first
announced, the Emperor NAPOLEON volunteered
the offer of his congratulations. It was an event,
therefore, of no pol:tieal importance, but it was
nevertheless an incident of deep historic interest
that was witnessed on Monday in that little English
chap!. To the mind of the politician it might
not unnaturally recall the very different scenes of
the two marriages of the par elis of the bride and
bridegroom, the eldest and the youngest of the
sons of LOUIS PIIILIPPZ. Tne marriage of the
Dec DORLEANS was an event of national interest
and hope. The city of Paris presented magnificent
gifts to the young bride, who was then
reasonably enough regarded as the frturo Queen
Hof the FRENCH. A double misfortune put
an end to these anticipations. The bereaved
Duchess of ORLEANS 12',:t to deplore the loss of her
husband, and then, of her son's inheritance. The
regal sPlendours of those nuptials were full soon
indeed overcast with disappointment. The other
'wedding, that of the Due DE MONTPENSIER, was
too much matter of notoriety to be easily forgotten.
It was the culmination of the crafty ambition of
Louis PHILIPPE, and also the " catastrophe" of
his " sinister career." That marriage was intendsd
to render the Orleans influence paramount in Spain
as well as in France, and once more, as in the days
of' Loris XIV., to ann4hilate the Pyrenees. ".//

ts'y a plus de PyreMes"—was the exclamation of
LOUIS XIV. on a similar union between
the royal families of France and Spain. And
so in the pride of his heart thought
King Louts PHILIPPE. And so w—aias I for human
hops and human ambition !—the daughter of that
Spanish Princess is united to the exiled heir of his
own fallen house. Such lessons are almost of too
common occurrence to excite much remark. The
vanity of human ambition has long been proverbial,
and the lesson is also Equally vain. A more pleasant
subject for contemplation is presented by the other
side of the picture. If the ambition of the kingly
head of the house has proved utterly futile, very
different has been the result of the higher ambi-
tion of the royal mother. Queen MARIE AMELIE
had chosen for her family inheritance " that better
part," which is not dependant upon the passing
breath of popular applause, even under most ad-
verse circumstances. The domestic virtues of
the Orleans family have been proverbial ;
and those virtues which adorned them, amid
the splendours of a court surrounding them, still in
exile and misfortune, have been happily rewarded
by the full enjoyment of that—

" Only plant of paradise that has survived the fall."
The wedding at Kingston was rendered especially
interesting by the presence of the venerable lady
who is less remarkable for her royal rank than for
her great misfortunes and her greater virtues. She
has seen her children " rise up and call her blessed,"
and the best prayer that can be offered for the
young bride and bridegroom is that they may
follow in her revered footsteps.

Public expectation is to a certain extent satisfied.
The long pending question of the rams is Mai•
tively settled. Those black sheep which, if the
threats.and remonstrances of Mr. ADAMS, and the
big words and truckling actions of Earl RUSSELL
have any s:gnificance, were to involve this country
in a war with the United States, have been peace.
fully folded with the flocks of Great Britain. This
is a third instance in which the Government have
been defeated, for if, as in the present instance, the
case be settled by compromise, the contest ends in
a drawn battle, the aggressor must of necessity be
considered to have failed in his attack. So it has
been with each and every attempt made by the law
officers of the Crown to show that there was just
cause to detain vessels building in our private yards
for foreign nations. In the case of the Alexandra,
after " fighting back in fierce delay" from court to
court, the House of Lords decided against th,...
Government; but, after all, this victory was to a
certain extent gained upon technical grounds rather
than upon the real merits of• the case, although
borne out by the original verdict of a jury. In the
case of the Pampero, which was tried in Scotland,
a compromise was come to, the prosecution not
being strong enough to ensure conviction ; and now
in the case of the notorious Birkenhead rams, at the
eleventh hour, her Majesty's Government are fain
to purchase those very ships which were seized with
so much ostentation last year, and to render which
seizure certain the anxiety of the Admiralty jeo-
pardised the safety of a fine frigate and her ship's
company. The Attorney-General admitted in the
House of Commons that, although the law officers
of the Crown relied upon the goodness of their
case, they were by no means confident of obtaining
a verdict, and that they therefore considered dia-
-1 cretion to be the better part of valour, and
bought up their opponents. This was perhaps
the wisest course for both parties to pursue,
for although it is more than probable that M.
BRAITABX, who is now admitted to have been the
bona fide owner of the rams, no matter to whom he
was afterwards to transfer them, would have ulti-
mately carried his case; the tedious and expensive
delays to which the law cfficers of the Crown conic
have subjected them would most probably hove
virtually frustrated the purpose for which the vessels
were built. A favourable verdict by an impartial
jury in such cases is of no immediate benefit, for
the Crown prosecutors, like GOLDSMITH'S school-

master,—

"Even when beaten, can argue still "

The Frenchman, no doubt, having learned to his
cost what influence Mr. Areeets exercised over Earl
RUSSELL, reluctantly relinquished the contest, and
disposed of the two splendid ships wieich were all
but completed for him by Messrs, -I,AIRD, and in all
probability gave orders for craft to be built
in the yard of one of idis countrymen, who, if he
possessed not all the appliances and resources of
the great Meeley firm, could at least trust to the
protectiera of his Government, which, .however
exac;:ing it might be in its own requirements, was
rot to be intimidated by any foreign Power. It
M. BRATARY was, as is generally supposed, com•
missioned by the Confederate Government to cause
these vessels to be constructed, and has followed
the course which we have suggested, and have
every reason to believe to be the fact, ho has acted
wisely. President LINCOLN and Mr. SEWARD are
too wise in.their generation to use the language to
the French EMPEROR which they know they can
employ with impunity and also with advantage to
the English Government. There was great bluster
and talk both in Washington and New York
about the New Mexican empire, but it all
ended in smoke. The Americans, with all their
bounce, are quicksighted and intelligent people, and
they know full well that the reply of Louis Nero-
LEON to an insolent message would have been the
immediate raising of the blockade of the Southern
ports, and the closing of those of New York and
Boston. This would not suit their views, and al.
though it was safe enough to talk large on American
soil, it was deemed prudent for their representative
to be civil in the French capital. If Southern re-
ports are to be credited, and although all American
reports must be taken cum grand sails, the South-
erners are less given to mendacity than the North■
erners, they will be furnished this summer with
some twenty steamers from Europe. We hope that
this is no exaggeration, but we regret that the
pusillanimity of our Government has deprived our
shipbuilders of the undoubted right to sell their
wares to any customer not at war with this country.
The Foreign Enlistment Act is a dead letter as
regards the interests of the Northern States, it is
strained to the utmost against the Confederates.
Let England be again involved in a European war
and we shall soon see how the Americans will
repay our truckling policy. We have earned their
coatempi, and they will then laugh at all laws of
neutrality, and shape their course as it best suits
their own interests. With regard to the purchase
of the rams by the Government, it is in one respect
highly satisfactory. These vessels are pronounced
by competent authorities to be models of naval
architecture. No Government surveyor or ad-
miralty constructor has had a hand in drawing
their lines, and as they have been built in one of
the first yards in the kingdom, and are in too
advanced a stage to be spoiled by official inter-
ference, there can be little doubt that they will
realise all that is expected of them. Here, then,
we shall have two fast well armed turret ships to
compare with the Prince Albert recently launched
from the yard of Messrs SAMUDA, and the Royal
Sovereign being converted at Chatham. The
Prince Albert is said to be a very handsome
ship, with fine lines, but if report be true her en-
gine power will not enable her to attain a greater