The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-01 00:00:00

and sense in our architecture. For our churches
sometimes for our public buildings (as the new
Assize Courts at Manchester by Mr. Waterhouse,
or the St. Giles' Schools by Mr. Edward Barry), wce
have architects equal to, or even better than, the
best Frenchmen. If the building speculator never
and the private person rarely employs them for our
houses, the sole reason is, that they do not care to
do so. The truth is that, from the Premier down-
wards, we love domestic ugliness; we are enchanted
with architectural commonplace ; we think it a
proud boast, fit for a Briton, to contrast the cold,
angular, and forbidding look of the exterior with
the comfort inside. Other nations, meanwhile, have
comfort and beauty too; for that the taste shown in.
the French dwelling-houses and railway stations
does not impair their comfort, we readily confess
when the dissatisfied Englishman compares his inn
or terminus with those across the water. Indeed,
the idea that beauty and comfort are in any sense
apposing or competing qualities is in itself, often as
we hear it, the simple confession of complacent
ignorance. It is like fancying that geology is op-
posed to cookery, or that common sense is hostile
to the rule of three.

'Almost everybody feels the force of this vevatious
contrast when he returns from Paris to London ;
it is the burden of every traveller's story. And
we have here dwelt upon it because those who have
the credit of England at heart must wish to see
this consciousness of our inferiority in domestic
architecture utilised for our improvement, not re-
ferred in an idle way to anything in the materials
employed in France, or in the Imperial system.
Improvement here is, strictly, a matter publici furls.
Every one who builds, or allows to be built for him,
an ugly house, perpetuates an eyesore to annoy or
deaden the taste of thousands. And that ninety-
nine out of every hundred houses recently built in
London are eyesores is, we believe, not open to
denial. On the chapter of materials we cannot fur-
ther enter now. But, returning to our more imme-
diate subject, an examination of recent French
architecture will show that the excellence of it, so
far as it goes, is due to what Governments can but.
remotely influence—the general taste of the people,.

*lra 0
Cart
omig, tio,Dube

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Nov. 30.
The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses Princess Helena and Princess Louise, went
to London this morning, and visited the Dowager
Duchess of Sutherland and Lady Augusta Bruce,
at their respective residences.

Her Majesty honoured Mr. Foley and Mr. Theed
with a visit at their studios. At Mr. Foley's the
Queen inspected the monument to the late General
Bruce, and at Mr. Theed's her Majesty inspected
the statues of the Prince Consort and the Duchess
of Kent, which are in progress.
in attendance were the Hon. Mrs. Bruce, Major
General Hon. A. Hood, and Colonel F. Ponsonby.
The Royal party returned to Windsor Castle at
ten minutes past two p.m.
Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of
Prussia, attended by the Countess Hohenthal and
Major Von bchweinitz, also went to London.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and
the Crown Prince of Prussia went out shooting.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Bath have
left Claridge's Hotel for Longleat, Wilts, where they will
receive a party of visitors this week. The gentlemen are
likely to have some first-class shooting over the preserves.
The Earl of Malmesbury returned to town on
Saturday from visiting the Earl and Countess of Derby at
Knowsley. The countess returned the same day from
Bleinheim, where her ladyship had been among the guests
of the Doke and Duchess of Marlborough.

Financial Position of Federal America,

The loans and bonds of the Northern States bear
a much higher interest than the debt of European
Powers. To bring the apparent rate of interest on
the debt down to 3 2-3 d per cent., the Washington
pamphleteer includes the debt which he considers is
not bearing interest, and so strikes his average. For
obvious reasons this mode of calculation must be
rejected. The American loans, in fact, have been
contracted at rates of interest varying from 5 to
7 3-10th per cent. The two largest sums have been
only obtained at 6 and 7 3-10th per cent.; so that,
as national burdens to be dealt with in the future,
this gigantic pile of debt is much more serious than
it looks if the total of the principal is only regarded.
The average rate of interest on interest-bearing
loans, in May last, is admitted to have been 6 per
cent. ; and Mr. Chase has been driven to the reck-
less issuing of paper, merely to escape the respon-
sibility of raising money at so ruinous a price.
The visions of the Government financiers as to
the repayment of their debt of, say, ultimately
.£500,000,000 sterling—a low computation--with
£300,000,000 sterling bearing interest at six per
cent., are as wild as their boastful comparisons
with England, and their song of triumph over the
absence of taxation. They talk of extinguishing
the debt in twelve years and eight months, and at
the very farthest, in twenty-one years and eleven
months. It must be manifest that, even if this com-
putation were well-grounded, it would suppose
political stability in the residuary States which
there is no reason to expect. It would also require
moral qualities in the American nation that thal
are known not to possess. The maintenance °f
the Federal bond in the North, with Democrat
and Republican tugging in different direc-
tions, for a quarter of a century, is an
improbability so great, that the world can
build nothing on a hope so delusive; and it is
equally an improbability that, even if the bond
were preserved the taxes would be borne by S
people who have only to excite a popular clamour
to get rid of them. In the first season of depres-
sion affecting the trading and operative classes,
they would be swept away.
But how much would require to be raised yearly ?
The friends of Mr. Chase say 189,500,000 dollars
would carry on the Government, pay interest on
the debt, and provide for its extinguishment in
the period already specified. Let us see how the
matter stands. The total peace expenditure was
133,000,000 dollars. With 56,50d0,
oaonod dollars,
finally
therefore, the debt is to be appeased,
a surplus, no
wiped off. If there were reallyb:
doubt a great deal could done. But if
willingness of the
Northernthe tax-besatraitnegs
sresourcesh
dollars, there will be no such and h
remainder to apply
to the purposes of the debt. There is an obvious
fallacy in calculating the future expenses of the
nation by the standard of former times. The
the limit of 189 500 000
American States of the North are entering apon an
entirely new existence, and no one can undertake to
define what its conditions and necessities will be.
It is absolutely certain, however, that its expendi-
ture will be more in keeping with European than
American precedents, and we cannot see ground
for assuming that the nation's resources will
go on augmenting
in the same ratio as
in the earlier periods of the history of the United
States. Not only must an army, and probably a
very large one, be maintained, in order to protect
an arbitrary frontier, and to prevent surprise, but
that army will itself create political difficulties, ens
involve we know not what in the way of trouble
and outlay. It may create war by a demoratic in-
solence which there will be no proper power in
popular Executive, distracted by quadrennial
.con-
tests for the Presidency, to repress. Conflicts with
the South, with Canada, or of one State with another
%re
(most likely of all), will break in rudely upon
asb
amiable and honest scheme of the men of the P,„
for the annihilation of the National Debt.r
calculation as to its redemption in 12 ytars,oortth:run
are in short a delusion. Americans—the.N
to ba
saddled with a national debt from which they cans
nation and the Southern both—are henceforth
not shake themselves free, except by revolution_of...
dishonour. The madness of the North hoatshie l'u
yier-
duced the people of the residuary States to
manent disgusts of grievous taxattioont,ovolvei
red i.
upon them necessities which seem
Dublin University Nagugine.
cal change in their principles of Governm