The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-30 00:00:00

The Peace Movement in New York.

The following is the chief portion of the article
of the New York Herald, published on the 13th
inst., advocating a six months' armistice and the
appointment of Federal commissions to proceed to
Richmond with a view to arranging conditions of
peace:—" In the present state of affairs, if we can
do nothing more, it is all important to the safety of
the country and the administration that we should
place the leaders of the rebellion clearly in the
wrong before their own people and the civilised.
world, and the Government as clearly in the right
before all the people of the loyal States in the fur•
ther prosecution of this dreadful war. We can do
this through a special embassy of three peace com-
missioners to Richmond, if we can do no more.
We believe, however, that through a movement of
this kind, comprehending an armistice of six months,
and a convention of all the States, subject to such
conditions and ratifications as may be hereafter
agreed upon, we can secure a permanent peace
upon the basis of the Union and the Constitu-
tion. Let us suppose, for instance, that Mr Lin.
coin assuming this responsibility for the sake of
peace and a 'decent respect for the opinions of man-
kind,' has detailed three peace commissioners to
Richmond with these simple propositions :—First,
for an armistice for six months; and, second, for a
convention of all the States, to consist of one
delegate from each Congressional district, and two
additional delegates at large from each State ; and
that said convention, thus constituted, shall meet,
say in Baltimore, on the first Monday in December
next, to consider the ways and means for peace—
could anything, in any event, but the greatest ad.
vantage result to the Union side of the house ? No.
Rejected or accepted, the loyal States and the
Government have everything to gain and nothing
to lose in the undertaking. If Jefferson Davis, his
Cabinet and Congress, accept the armistice end the
convention, we shall still retain under the first our
blockade, and all the forts and places wrested from
the enemy as now held by our land and naval forces;
and if the convention shall come to nothing we shall
be in a position to resume the war with all, and
more than all, the advantages which we now com-
mand, But we have great faith in the opinion that
the representatives of the rebellious States, in being
brought into familiar council with those of the
loyal States, where they will be relieved of the
despotic authority of Davis, will be so charmed
with the suspension of the war that they will find
a treaty of peace and reunion, satisfactory to
the North and to the South, an easy achieve-
ment. It is probable that Davis may reject
this convention ; it is possible that he may
reject the armistice, or couple its acceptance with
prosperous conditions of Southern independence ;
but the overtures suggested will compel him to show
his hand, and if he shall flatly refuse to listen to
any propositions of peace, expect upon the basis of
a Southern Confederacy, all doubts, all divisions,
and all discords among the people of the loyal States
will be at an end. The copperhead peace faction
will be disarmed and powerless for furthermisebief,
the North will be united, and divisions and dissen-
sions will break out in the South. Let it be mode
to appear to those people, in their present crippled,
exhausted, and desperate position, under Davis,
that the Government does not seek their subjuga-
tion to an abolition idea, or their destruction, but
their reclamation and salvation i❑ the Union, and
President Lincoln will soon realise the immense
advantages of this peace movement, It will servo
the country and meke sere his re-election, accepted
or rejected at Richmond ; but, short of some con-
cession to public opinion, he may now even. read
the handwriting on the wail. Surely, after having
been so far led astray and betrayed, as Mr. Lincoln
has been, by such trcauhercus guides as Ben. Wade
and Winter Davis, he must now be in a frame of
mind to listen to good advice."

FRENCII ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.—At the last
sitting a paper was received from Dr Gaillouste, on
the insufficiency of the means commonly employed against
the bite of mad dogs and the sting of venomous reptiles. In
his opinion, cupping effected on the wound is greatly to be
preferred. The secretary of the Adademy, however, re-
marked that cupping had already been tried and a report
been presented on the subject to the Academy,in which it was
shown that in most cases the effect of This operation was
only strepensi7e, that is, that it prevented the absorption
of the virus until other therapeutic agents could be procured
to destroy it. M. Chautard communicated certain results
obtained by him in experimenting on currents of induction
traversing rarified gasses. Oa examining the spectra pro-
duced in ench cases, when the gaseous matter was raised to
a state of incandescence by making a current obtained from
Ruhmkorft's machine pass through it, M. Chautard finds
that the red and brilliant light emanating from a tube filled
with hydrogen is gradually transformed into a livid greenish
with tint; the spectrum, instead of presenting three magnifi-
cent band s,red, green,and violet respectively,as usual consists
only of a very pale green band. The tube acquires no heat
during the process. In nitrogen also various colours disap-
pear, the red and orande first, the violet last. In carbonic
acid the bands are very numerous under the influence of an
ordinary current, but if the tension of the circuit be dimi-
nished, the same absorption of the extreme shades takes
place. M. des Essarts sent in a paper on a method of his
for transmitting the oscillating power of the waves of the
sea to certain apparatuses placed on the beach, which 112
ny
he substituted for stearnengines in the various workshops
of arsenals.

NEUTRALISATION OF MILITARY HOSPITALS TN
TIME OF \VAR.—The deliberations of the International
Medical Conference at Gcne,va, have terminated in the con-
clusion of a convention in 10 articles,
which oil m the neu-
tralisation of all military hospitals, of the v hole official
medical staff, and of the wounded. Twelve States only
figure therein a contracting parties, namely, France, the
Grand Duchy of Baden. Bel,,inra, Denmark, Spain, the
Grand Duchy of Reese, Italy, Holland, Portugal, „Prussia,
A an.. Wurtenaburg;
Switzerland,
but the protocol having
been left open, all the other Powerscan accede to the con-

veution,
An interesting ceremony took place two days
ago in the Church of La Charite at Lyons, where
Mgr. de Charbonnel Ordained, as priests, two young
deacota belonging to the establishment of the African Mis-
sions, and who are about to proceed to the Kingdom of
Dahomey. He also baptised a young negro about elevtu
years of age, a native of that czuntry. The church was
crowded with persons to witness the ceremony.