The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-08 00:00:00

veyed down to Crossness, a distance of about 14 miles below
London-bridge."
The report was approved,
THE LATE EXPLOSION AT MUTH.
Mr J. W. BAZALGETTE reported as follows upon the late
explosion of a powder magazine at Erith:—" The powder
magazine of Messrs. Hall, which was destroyed on Satur-
day last by an explosion of the gunpowder contained
therein, is situate on the banks of the Thames in the Erith
Marshes, about one mile below the Pumping Station. The
explosion occurred about 20 minutes before 7 o'clock, but
no injury has been done to the drainage works beyond the
fracture of some panes of glass:in the building. There are
two smaller powder magaines situate between that which
has been destroyed and the pumping station, and one of
these, which belongs to Messrs. Hall, is just outside the
fence surrounding the pumping station. There is at the pre-
sent, I am informed, no powder in this store, but it is cer-
tainly much too near to the furnaces connected with the
pumping station ever to be a safe receptacle for gunpowder.
In order to prevent the possibility of its being used for
this purpose I recommend that Mr Buckland be in-
structed to negotiate with Messrs. Hall for the purchase
by the Board of these promises, and report to the Board
thereon. The most formidable danger arising from the ex-
plosion was occasioned by the bursting of about 100 ft. of the
river bank, which, but for the prompt action of one of the
officers of this Board (Mr Houghton), must have resulted in
the destruction of a large amount of property, and probably
of life. The explosion took place about one hour before the
time of low water, and the bank was blown away to near the
level of low water, it being then spring tides. It was seen
that not a moment was to be lost, and the military authori-
ties and others were communicated with. About 450 work-
men, with barrows, planks, and tools, were collected,and by
9 o'clock were zealously striving to accomplish a task which
seemed impossible, and which the rising tide every moment
threatened to defeat. At 11 o'clock the military arrived,
and it was only by their united and most strenuous efforts
that they successfully contended inch by inch with the
rising tide, and thus saved a more widespread and fearful
catastrophe than the explosion itself. I recommend the
praiseworthy conduct of Mr Houghton to the favourable
consideration of the board. I may mention that the main-
tenance and repair of the river bank rests with the Erith
Marsh Commissioners, and the officers of the Metropolitan
Board acted only as volunteers in this emergency; but the
board will no doubt approve their having, under the cir-
cumstances, so promptly undertaken the responsibility.
The embankment having been raised in such haste is still of
insufficient strength to be left, although the tides are daily
becoming weaker, and Mr Webster's men are still, at the
request of the Erith Marsh Commissioners, continuing to
complete the bank. It was quite marvellous the manner
in which the embankment was restored in so short a time
to withstand the action of a high spring tide,"

On tho motion of an hon. membbr, the report was ap-
proved, and ordered to be printed and circulated among the
members.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—The reports of the victory gained by
General Sheridan at Winchester on the 19th of
September are confirmed by the last intelligence,
with an important addition. The Federal Com-
mender was able to follow up his advantage, pur-
sue the retreating Confederates, and renew the
attack. It is one of the very few instances that
have occurred during the war of success imme-
diately turned to such account. We might almost
say it is the only example. The first battle of the
war—Bull Run—gave the Confederates an advan-
tage they could not, at least did not press, and they
thereby missed a :hence of taking Washington,
much as the Allies missed an opportunity of a si-
milar kind after tae battle of the Alma. Antietam
was claimed by the Federals as a vi :tory, but it left
them unable to molest the well-conducted retreat
of the Confederates. M'Clellan's movement on
Richmond was baffled, but he saved his army.
Honker was signally defeated at Fredericksburg,
but notwithstanding his heavy losses withdrew his
troops during the night unpursued. Grant battles
in his circuit of Richmond in this summer's cam-
paign wasted his forces, but each repulse left him
able to form a new plan of operations. Of so many
engagements the result has been doubtful ai or de.
eisive, so that the details of the battle of Winchester
are likely to be more distinctly remembered than
those of greater conflicts. We learn nothing of the
first action in addition to the particulars received
by the first report, except an estimate of the Fede-
ral losses, now said to have amounted to 4,500
in killed and wounded. The number appears pro-
bable from the desperate character of the fighting
towards the close of the day, when for a short time
the Confederates had the advantage. The Federals
were twice broken by the fire of the masked batte-
ries, which an eye-witness states " mowed them
down" by hundreds. The battle seems to have been
won by superior generalship. Sheridan selected the
momPnt for attack with great judgment. The Con.
federate forces were extended from Martinsburg,
southward to Winchester, a line more than 20 miles
in length. After the attack it was too late to bring
the scattered divisions together. One corps was
able to arrive on the field, in consequence of the
advance of several Federal regiments having been
"accidentally delayed," but Gen. Early could not
collect all his strength for effectual resistance. The
very large number of prisoners taken by the Fede-
rals proves the want of combination and support on
the Confederate side, while the fact than eight of
the Southern Generals were killed and wounded
speaks to the severity of the fight. Gen. Early re-
treated through the town of Winchester during the
night of the 19th and the following day. That his
enemy should have been capable of following him
so closely is what distinguishes this engagement
from so many others. On the 21st the Confederates
made a stand at a point named Fisher's-hill, about
three miles south of Strasburg, on a branch of the
Shenandoah River. The official reports state that
this point is thirty miles south of the field of bat-
tle, but this must be its extreme distance. It is
also described as a strongly intrenched position,
though, unless previously strengthened, the Con-
federates after each a retreat must have worked
with incredible activity to have constructed any de-
fences worth naming. Here Gen. Early was ate
tacked by the Federals in the afternoon of the 21st.
The first assault was repulsed, but finally the posi-
tion was turned, and the Confederates were again
compelled to retreat, leaving sixteen cannon behind
them. The Federal Commander could not say how
many prisoners he had captured, nor the amount of
loss on ei,her side. But at the latest date he was
continuing the pursuit southwards down the valley
of the Shenandoah. Wo have yet heard nothing of
the battle from any Southern authority. But on the
other band the reports are given as from the Federal
officers in command, and state the time and place of
every incident vary circumstantially. If the details
of the second action of the 21st are confirmed, the
Confederates have suffered a decided check in
Northern Virginia. They have lost from 50 to 70
miles of the ground they held on the 19th. But
here the eternal difficulty of war on the American
Continent arises to perplex any one who attempts
to calculate the consequences of victory or defeat in
the, field. The extent of territory is so vast that
tracts equal to two or three English counties may be
given up by a retreating force, without any very
perceptible material advantage to those who occupy
them. Of course, the moral effect of a victory is not
determined by this question of space. But in other
respects it has a very important bearing on the
value of what is won and lost. On the northern
border of Virginia the Confederates were rather in
an aggressive than a defensive position ; and their
inroads into Maryland and Pennsylvania have not
on the whole been fortunate, except as a mode of
obtaining supplies. They had retreated success-
fully after the last incursion, but had not entirely
quitted what must be considered Northern ground.
Even after the defeat at Winchester and the retreat
of thirty miles southward to Strasburg, the Con-
federates, on the ground of the second battle, were
actually to the north of -Washington, and only
seventy miles west of it. In their retreat they
skirted the western edge of half the old battle-
grounds of the war—Bull Run, Manassas, Front
Royal, Gainsville, Fairfax, Culpepper, and several
other points on which Washington has been de-
fended. Except for attacking the seat of the Fede-
ral Government, or making another inroad into
Maryland, it is difficult to perceive a military reason
for retaining an army on the ground which the Con-
federate General has been compelled to abandon. It
is doubtful which was the main object of General
Early—to keep Sheridan's army detached from
Grant's force at Petersburg, or hold a position from
which an attempt to invade Maryland might be re-
newed. Possibly both purposes might have been
combined, and the defeat at Winchester is a con-
sequence of attempting too much in presence of a
vigilant enemy. But, whatever the effect of these
defeats to the South, they have occurred at a time
that trebles their importance to the Federal Go-
vernment. Sherman, in Georgia, and Sheridan
have rescued the official party from the chance of
defeat in the Presidential election. "We do the
Washington Cabinet no injustice in assuming that
it values these military successes more for their
effect on the election than on the war. They
have broken up the Democratic Opposition and
waited the Republicans. General Fremont finds
his nor.ination useless, and has declined the contest.
The extreme or Abolitionist section of the Repub-
licans, that was ready to combine v.ith the war
democrats, is again absorbed in the main body of
the party. They still believe, as General Fremont
states, that " Mr. Lincoln's Administration has been
politically, militarily, and financially a failure."
They regret that it must be prolonged, but they are
compelled to recognise him as a necessity. And
indeed, Mr. Lincoln, or his most dexterous sup-
porters, have left so few points of difference between
him and the Democratic candidate that there is
scarcely a question of principle to be tried by the