The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-23 00:00:00

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ment on subjects belonging to the exclusive eontrot of the;:-Yy
individual States—because the proposal of frsedorams th
highest hope and reward which can be offered:te the slave
in itself a declaration that slavery is an inferior condition,
from which he has the capacity and ought to have the desire
to escape—because such a policy is opposed to the steady
and consistent domestic legislation of this State for nearly
half a century, and because such a plan, if otherwise unob.
jectiunable, confers its privileges unequally and unjustly. \
In the Confederate Senate, on the 6th inst., Mr --
Henry, of Kentucky, from the military committee
to whom was referred the house concurrent rens
lution proposing a joint committee of the two
houses respecting the exemption of state cfEcers
from military service, reported the following pre.
amble and joint zeso:ulions Bs a subslitule there-
tor :

Whereas the public exi,g ncy r, quires the services in the
field of all able-bodied men in the Confederate Slates be-
tween the ages of 18 and 45; be it therefore resllved by the
Congress of the Confederate States of Amcrica, that the
gq.vPrnors of the legislatures of ail the States of this Cott-
fccleracy be respectfully re quested to institute en examina-
tion of the lists of all persons ex,,mpted by the laws of their
respective Stales or by the certificates of their governors,
under the provisions cf en act entitled "an Act to organise
frees to serve during the war," approved Feb. 17, 1861,
from military services in the army cf the Confederate States
and that they turn over ad able-bodied perscns between
tits ages of 18 and 45 years to the military authorities of the
Confederate States, so far as the sane can be done con-
sistently wilt the due administration of the laws of the
States.

Mr Barnwell Mill thought that the States had better
be let alone on this subject. The necessity now pressing
upon them NI ould suggest to them the proper measures to
be taken.

Mr Graham thought the measure as altered by the com-
mittee. had been relieved of its offensive feature, but at the
same time was still of opinion that the subject had better
be left with the States. That the governors of the States
had recommended the subject to the attention of the
legislatui es was an additional reason why Congress should
let it alone.

Tie rzsolution was rejected, the vote, on division, being
yeas, 6, nays 7.

The following is the reply of Mr So:vat d to the
request of Lord Whnencliffe, made through ...Mr
Adams, that the £17,000 produced by the Liverpool
b zaar should be distributed among the Confederate
prisoners in the North:—
Department of State, Washington, Dec. 5.
Sir,—l have rece:ved your despatch of the 18th Novem.
ber, No. 807, together with the papers therein mentioned,
viz., a copy of a letter which was addressed to you on the
12th November last by Lord Wharncliffe, and a copy of
your answer to that letter. You will now inform Lord
Vharn, life that permission for au agent of the committee
described by him to visit the insurgents detained in the
military prisons of the United States, and to distribute
among them £17,000 of British gold, is disallowed. Here
it is expected that your correspondence with Lord IVharn.
cliffe will end. That correspondence will necessarily be..
come public. On rea'ling it the American public will be
well aware that, while the United States have ample means
for the support of the prisoners, as well as for every other
exigency of the war in which they are engaged, the insnr
gtnts, who have blindly rushed into that condition, are
suffering no privations that appeal for relief to charity
either at hone or abroad. The American people will be
likely to reflect that the sum thus insidiously headed in the
name of humanity, constitutes no large portion of the pro-
fi.s which its contributors may be justly supposed to have
derived from the insurgents, by exchanging with them arms
and munitions of war for the coveted productions of immo-
ral and enervating slave labour, nor will any portion of the
American people be disposed to regard the sum thus oaten-
taiiously off.red for the relief of captured insurgents as a
too generous equivalent tor the devastation and dissolution
which a civil war, promoted and protracted by British sub-
jects, has spread throughout the Stater, which before were
eminently prosperous and happy. Finally, in view of this
last officious intervention in our domestic affairs, the Arne-
dean people can hardly fail to recall the warning of the
father of our country directed against two great and inti-
mately connected public dangers, viz : Sectional faction
and foreign intrigue. Idu not think the insurgents have
become debased, although they have sadly wandered from
the ways of loyalty and patriotism. I think that, in com-
mon with all our countrymen, they will rejoice in being
saved by their considerate and loyal government from the
grave insult which Lord Wharncliffe and his associates, in
their zeal for the overthrow the United States, have pre-
pared for the victims of this unnatural and hopeless rebel•
lion.-1 am, sir, your obedient servant,
WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

The Conservative Land Society's offices will be
closed from Saturday to Monday, Dec. 26, inclusive, for the
Christmas holidays.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER AND
THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.—The Hon. F.
Lygon, who was one of the Lords of the Treasury under
Lord Derby's Government, has addressed a letter to a
Church paper, in which he indicates what will be the tactics
of the Conservative party in reference to Mr Gladstone's
candidature for the University of Oxford at the next gene-
ral election. He says he does not wish to address himself
to any but those whose principles and wishes are Conserva-
tive, and who desire to maintain the constitution in Church
and State—which ho believes to be the case with
a large preponderance of members of the University.
Tin it grievance, he says, is this—That the splendid talents
of Mr Gladstone, which should be ranged on the side of
the Church, are freely bestowed in and out of Parliament
to advance the political power of men whose hostility to
the temporal welfare of the Church and her dogmatic
authority is their chief if not sole bond of union. In
reference to Mr Gladstone's efforts out of Parliament,
Mr Lygon refers to the Flintshiro election, where Mr
Gladstone, he says, spared no pains to promote the re-
turn of Lord Richard Grosvenor, whose vote has never
been wanting to support the measures promoted by the
Liberation Society of Episcopal Nominations. Mr. Lygon
remarks, I will say no more but that I fail to see that the
appointments of the last two years atone for the many
scandals which have followed the earlier appointments of
the Administration." Mr Lygon then proceeds :—" With
regard to the opposition which Mr Gladstone commenced,
but from family circumstances did not carry out, against
the Divorce Court Bill, a regard for the truth compels me
to say that the Divorce Bill, with all its iniquity, was
launched into the world by the Government of Lerd Aber-
deen, of which Mr Gladstone was a leading member ; and
though I freely admit that in 1857 he made a splendid
effort to arrest the progress of the bill, yet at most this can
only be taken as an act of very partial reparation for the
s'd temerity of 1831, which was destined to bear Buell tit-
ter fruit to the Church of Ged iu this realm. Of the Burials
Bill, and Mr Gladstone's course thereon, I assert on com-
petent authority that Mr Gladstone gave the measure a
strenuous support, until he was outvoted in the select com-
mittee on a proposal of his own, that any Nonconformist
intending to invade our churchyards in the manner pro•
posed should give a pledge that no breach of the peace
should occur. On this chimerical plan being rejected,
Nlr Gladstone then, and then only, saw fit to oppose the
bill, which nevertheless passed the select committee,
and was defeated on the third reading by Tory
organisation. The Berne year saw Mr Gladstone's
eager support of the Clergy Relief Bill, which
wantonly withdrew from the doctrine and practice of
the indelibility of holy orders those temporal safeguards
with which, under existing circumstances, the Church of
England can ill afford to dispense." Mr Lygon considers
that some reasonable explanation is due from Mr Glad-
stone's colleagues fur the indifference shown in the case of
the riots in St. George's-in-the-East, and censures the right
hon. gentleman's "fierce onslaught" upon charitable en-
dowments. Mr Lygon comes to the c tnclasion that the
statesman who gains the confidence of the Conservative party
as the champion of Church and State, must forfeit their
sympathy and regard when leaguing his political fortunes
with those of the bitter enemies of the Church of England.
Mr Lygon's letter is supposed to be the avant coitrrier for
the introduction of Mr G. Hardy, M.P., to the notice of
the Oxford University electors.
A BURGLAR DISPUTING WITS A JUDGE.--
Messrs. George Smith and George Carr, formerly in
business as burglars, but now convicts in confinement, seem
to be rather interesting specimens of their class. Breaking
into a house at Whitley, in Worcestershire, they happened
to encounter, just as they had placed a quantity of stolen
goods ready for removal, the owner of that house, who shot
one of them and so belaboured the other that he was obliged
as his companion had done, to await the arrival
Brought before Mr Justice Byles, at 'Wore
cot to
stlthiee down,repolice.Assizes on Tuesday, their behaviour was worthy of
their previous conduct, aad their sentence a just reward for
both. Mr S.uith, who by characterising something imma-
terial in one of the statements of a witness as a " thunder-
s; lie" showed his general admiration of truthfulness. also
1 endeavoured to shine as a logician. Inasmuch as he had
stolen nothing, he could not see how he had been brought
in guilty of burglary. Of the attempt he was prepared to
admit himself guilty, that being only a misdemeanour—but
of the ac•ual crime ho contended he was innocent. Mr
Just ice Byles pointed out to him, in the mildest manner
possible, that to break into a dwelling-houae, even without
stealing anything,wae burglary, and that a manifest inten-
tion to steal was theft. Be'," argued Mr Smith, with
great elegance of diction, " I was to shove my hand into
your pocket, and not to take anything out, what would you
charge me with—stealing, ur the attempt ?" Replied his
lordship, avoiding the direct question—in view, no doubt, of
the recent decision of Queen's Bench—" If the goods are
removed with an intait that they shall be stolen, it is steal-
ing," Still ISlr Smith was not contented, nor was Mr
err, for they both returned to the argument, and after
some time declined to be convinced against their will that
the essence of crime lies in ile intent. They were evidently
dogged old thieves. So his lordship gave them a sentence
cf five years' penal servitude— a sentence which was amply
justified by that Llaephemous piece of impertinence with
which its recipients took leave of the presiding judge.—
E ins in.94,2;ii ra5.6.