The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-10 00:00:00

of the armistice at present, but there will be no objection
to communicate therm at an early period.
DEFEAT OF THE AUSTRIAN SQUADRON.

Mr. B. OSBORN E—l wish to ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department whether the Government have
received information of a collision in the North Sea, off
Heligoland, between the Austrian and Danish ships of
war, and also if they have received any intormation that
the Austrians 'nave got the worst of it. (Cheers and
laughter.)

Sir G. GREY—My right hon, friend the Secretary for
the Colonies received a telegram about 4 o'clock this after-
noon from Heligoland, stating that a naval engagement was
going on between the Austrian squadron, consisting of two
frigates and three gunboats, and the Danish squadron, con-
sisting of two frigates and one corvette, six miles east of
Heligoland; and that the result would be communicated.
Since then we have received an additional telegram from
the governor, stating that the Danes won the action and
defeated the Austrian squadron. (Immense cheering, which
was renewed again and again from all parts of the house.)
The telep;ram continued that one Austrian frigate was in
flames, and that she and the other Austrian frigate and the
gunb oats were making the best of their way to Heligoland.
(Rclnewed cheers.)
CONDITIONS OF THE ARMISTICE.

Mr. DISRAELI—I understand that the conditions of
the armistice have been communicated to another assembly.
It appears to me that matters are not well managed, or with.
due consideration to the House of Commons, if any other
place is better informed upon a subject of so much interest
and importance as an armistice, and that we should be in-
formed by the Government that they had no communica-
tion to make to us. I trust that in future we shall be as

soon informed as another place upon a matter of this im-
T,ortance, and perhaps by this time the Government may
have it in their power to communicate to us what are the
conditions of the armistice.
Sir G. GREY—I stated all the information I had my-
self, which was what is strictly called a suspension of hosti-
lities, which is practically the same thing as an armistice,
had been agreed upon for a month. That was all the in-
formation I had gathered at the time. My noble friend the
Secretary for Foreign Affairs was at the Conference, and
he sent that information to me. It was impossible for him
at the moment to communicate me to me the terms of the
armistice, and I only regret that I did not know them at
the time—but, as I stated, there could be no difficulty in
communicating them at a future time. I can assure the
right hon. gentleman that I withheld no information.
Mr. OSBORNE—Is the right hon. gentleman aware of
them now ?

Sir Q. GREY—No, I am not.
CHELSEA HOSPITAL,

On the order for going into committee of supply,

Colonel NORTH moved an address to the Queen praying
her to relieve the officers of Chelsea hospital from the pay-
ment of rates and taxes charged upon them by a recent
regulation for houses in that establishment occupied by them
in the performance of their duties.
The motion was opposed by Mr. F. PEEL, and upon a
division was negatived by 184 to 102.
The house then went into committee of supply on the
army estimates, and the votes of £750,870 for works, build-
ings, and repairs, £173,883 fur military education, £88,345
for surveys of the United Kingdom, £128,103 for miscel-
laneous services, and £223,334 for the administration of the
army were agreed to, as were also votes amounting to
£2,108,157 for non-effective services.
The Under Secretaries Indemnity Bill was read a third
third time and passed.
The Pier and Harbour Orders Confirmation Bill was read
a second time.
The Naval Prize Acts Repeal Bill and the Naval Prize
Bill wero read a third time and passed,
The Admiralty lands and Works Bill and the Joint-
stock Companies (Foreign Countries) Bill were passed
through committee.
The Partnership Law Amendment Bill was considered

in committee.
Leave was given to introduce several bills ; and
The house adjourned at one o'clock.

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA,

(From the Times Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, APRIL 26.
The most hopeful of optimists, though he were as
easy to satisfy as Candide, or to console as Micawber,
might fail, if he were an observer of contemporary
history and manners i❑ the Federal North, to draw

comfort from the present situation, whether social.
pilitical, or military. If he found limitless paper
money, limitless debt, limitless extravagance, and
limitless corruption, how could he hope for the sta-
bility of a Republican form of Government, of which
the only possible basis is frugality, simplicity, and
public virtue. If he found that, in the crisis of the
most fearful war which ever sflEcted the world,
the men in supreme direction of affairs were isr

more interested in the prolongation or renewal of
their own powers than in the conduct of their
armies in the field, that they withdrew their confi-
dence from their beat generals for fear that they
should be successful, and so become dangerous—that
each Minister thought and acted for himself with-
out reference to his colleagues or superiors—that
the chief magistrate was afraid to act upon a high

principle, though sometimes compehed to avow one,
lest it should lead him into mischief or raise up
enemies against him—how could he hope that goad
could come out of such evil, or that leaders such as

hese could lead the nation anyhow but wrong ? If,

continuing his survey, he looked from the great
cities to the camps, and found armies mainly corn-
posed of mercenaries, officered by politicians, led
by generals without experience, education or
manners, and only respected by the rank and file if
they displayed the qualities of the bulldog, and not

those of the strategist—how could he expect that

such armies could successfully compEte with a foe
their equal in numbers, and their superior in
generalship, with the additional stimulus of fight-
ing for home and independence ? Where, under
such circumstances, could a Northern Caudide
find a pretext for thinking or saying that all was
for the best, and how could INlicawber deceive
himself with the idea that anything except dis-
grace and disaster could by any possibility " turn
up ?''

The Governors of the five Western States of Wis-
consin, lowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, with
the view of permitting the President to reinforce
the al-lilies of Gen. Grant and Gen. Thomas with all

the veteran troop 3 now doing garrison duty in dis-
tricts remote from the scene of war, have jointly
offered to raise 100,000 men, to serve for 100 days,
to be clothed, armed, and equipped by the Federal
Government. The President has accepted the offer,

and Congress has bee❑ asked to vote 20,000,000 of
greenbacks for the purpose. This new force is to
garrison all the posts and forts on the frontier ; and,
as there will be no fighting, the 100,000 militiamen,
mostly belonging to the rowdy and adventurous
class of the great towns, and not to the rural popu-
lation, required at this season of the year in other

geld work than that of war, will probably think
no particular hardship to leave their homes for
awhile at the cost of the Government, and earn a
holiday and a few of the bloodlees laurels of
patriotism by one and the same effort.
Contrary to general expectition neither Lee nor
Grant hag yet made a move. The two csommtur.a.rEs
watch each other from opposite sites of the Rapidan,
each too wary and vigilant to strike a premature
blow. Meanwhile the fortune of war in other
directions is wholly in favour of the Confederates.
The surrender of Plymouth is a heavy blow to the
North, and if it be followed, as many fear it will,
by the capture of Newbern and the other cities and
towns of North Carolina now held by Federal forces,
it may disarrange all the plans of General Grant
for the advance upon Richmond, which was to have
been made simultaneously from three separate
directions, of which `girth Carolina was one. The
failure of General Banks in Louisiana, though still
represented as a victory by some of the silly
newspapers of this city, looks more disastrous the
more the circumstances are known. His intention
was to march upon Shreveport, the State capital of
Louisiana, where the Confederate Governor, Mr.
Allen, holds court and authority, and where the
Louisiana Legislature has assembled. He had not
arrived half way towards that city when his ad-
vanced cavalry was set upon and routed with heavy
loss, and after a succession of battles, which lasted
with varying fortune for three days, he only saved
his entire force from destruction by a rapid night
retreat to the place whence he came with a loss of
men and material of which the Government will not
permit the exact amount to be known, and with a
toss of military character which he will not be allowed
to retrieve. General B inks is a candidate for the
Presidency, and is therefore disliked by every mem-
ber of the Administration. It is already urged that
he ought to be removed from the command of the
army of the Gulf; that he is singularly unfortunate
4B a general ; that he knows nothing about military
movements, and that he is toc old to learn. " Off
with his head, therefore, and so much for Banke,"
is the cry of the cffie.ials, re-echoed by the regular
eflete,e of the al my, and all tee little military aris-