The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-08 00:00:00

....
The WEATHER.—San Office, Jan. 8, 1863.

THERMOMETER.
Highest since Noon yesterday
Lowest during the night
This day at N00n.... .
Barometer-29.55, rising fast.
Wind—Westerly, light, with fine weather.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tins DAY.—Morning, 4h. 3m.—Afternoon, 4h. 24m.
To-moitßow.-Morning, 4h. 40m.—Afternoon, 4h. 55m.

• -* S,
•
Cfn USijrAVS ant

LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1863.

Lord PALMERSTON has always something happy
to say on every subject. When others in Parlia-
ment are losing their temper, and uttering all kinds
of angry denunciation or fierce rejoinder, his lord-
ship will rise, and with some well-timed jest or
lively quotation, at onee restore harmony and calm
the ruffled spirits around him. A public man can
hardly possess a more fortunate gift than this
gracious and genial manner. When he passes from
the stonily ;arena of political skirmishes to the
humbler regiGn of private life, his lordship can exer-
cise this faculty to increased advantage and with
fuller effect. At Romsey yesterday the annual
meeting of the Labourers' Encouragement Associa-
tion took place, Lord and Lady PALMERSTON
entered the Town-hall, and were received with
hearty cheers. After the dinner was over, Lord
PALMERSTON made a short address to the company,
which was very well received, and gave the greatest
satisfaction to his auditors. He stated that it al-
ways gave him great pleasure to be present at their
meetings, " where those who have most distin-
guished themselves in the course of the year, either
by skilfulness in their respective occupations, or by
good conduct in the service in which they have been
engaged, come here to receive tokens of the merit
which they have displayed." He then went on to
say that he did not call such gifts " rewards;" but
they were tokens and proofs which testified to their
friends and neighbours what their conduct had

been. Therefore he thought such institutions were
very useful, as they served as encouragements to
agricultural improvement, and also as inducements
to good conduct in their homes. He then went
on at some length to expatiate on the vast
importance of the labouring classes setting
an example of order to their households, and

concluded this passage of his address with the
following impressive words :—" The example which

you give your children will have a greater influ-
ence upon their after conduct in life, than even the
best advice that can be given them ; because, if
children see their parents are idle, and indulging
in bad habits of life, it will be in vaiu to pursue an
opposite course." He then pointed out the diffe-
rent phases of the future as regarded their child-
ren's career in life. Either they would follow the
evil ways so early
a-own, to them, or else they
might ,hope to see them become a source of happi-
ness to themselves, and an advantage to tl3e com-
munity of which they were members. This excel-
lent advice was received with loud cheers, and it is
to be hoped that these words of wisdom will sink
deeply into the memory of their hearers, Since
domestic comfort is a surer preventive to crime

than any other means, however elaborately devised
by philanthropists, and energetically carried out
by wen-meaning but officious visitors. The labourer
who sets an example of sobriety to his family and
friends, and brings up his children in virtue and
integrity, is a benefactor to the community. It has
been the fashion, in some quarters, to animadvert on
this custom of bestowing prizes on labourers, as
derogatory and degrading; but, if viewed from an
impartial point of view, such objection cannot be
valid. It is not the value of the thing bestowed, but
the fact of its being bestowed, that is of consequence,
in the eyes of the receivers. Whenit is acknowledged
that the donation is considered as a
" substantial
proof" of merit, as Lord PALMn"
importance thatEß
happily de-
signated it, it assumes a degree of
it could not otherwise do, but which, invested with
that attribute, cannot be taken from it. Lord
PALMERSTON, in his courteous acknowledgment
of social courtesies, and his happy construction of
passing events, may have wrought a greater benefit
than he supposed, if he has elevated, in the estima-
tion of their neighbours, those meritorious among
their set, or community, for good conduct and
general merit in their vocation.

We were not wrong when we supposed, from
the movements of the Southern President, that
increased activity in the South-west—in the States
having a Mississippi navigation—was intended.
The telegrams by the Norwegians show that this
is the case. With the exception of a small part
of the river
adjacent to Vicksburg, the Federals
have commanded the whole stream since the spring.
Its month is in the hands of General BUTLER, at
New OrleanF, and the river shores of Kentucky
and Tennessee are held by Northern troops. The
passage is nearly free from the North-West States
to the Gulf, and it is the men of the North-West
who have made it so. The strongest inducement
of that vast corn-growing territory to stand by

the Union, being their resolve that the great
river which connects them with the sea shall not
flow through foreign territory. It has long been
known that a powerful fleet of gunboats was in
preparation to complete the possession of the Mis-
sissippi by the Federals ; and hence we presume
the object of the Southern leaders is to regain
the principal places on the river which the Fede-
rals captured last spring, to make them yet
stronger, and thus either to give them all their
Work to do over again, or to compel them to
keep to the north and south of the stream only.

Since DAVIS has been, therefore, in Tennessee
and Mississippi, we find the Confederates taking
the offensive there, and with success. GRANT was
moving down from Tennessee wisthinatFheedcearpatluarremoyf
to co-operate with the
gunboat
Vicksburg, while ROSENCRANZ was apparently to
hold the StatesV
Confederateof Kentucky
ck
eTs the
er Tennesseen
movements
now reported
anyYand
inroads.l
reported to us, and from Northern sources it
anu
inust be remembered, seem likely to embarrass, if
not to endanger, both Generals. The name of
Columbus, as a strong position last spring, will
doubtless be remembered—it is on the Kentucky
side of the Mississippi—and we find the Confede-
rates advancing in great force upon it. Where
these "great forces " suddenly spring from is the
wonder. They have been, however, sufficiently
strong to burn a bridge over the Obion river, in the
north-west of Tennessee, and thus to destroy the
railroad connection between Jackson in that State,
where we may presume the chief Federal strength
is concentrated, and Columbus, which they hope
they can seize before the Federal reinforcements
can arrive. This, so far as we can see, appears to
be their object. If successful they will garotte the
whole north-west on the Mississippi, since Colum-
bus is just below the junction of all the great
north-western rivers with the father of waters.
The Governor of Columbus is, however, confident
that he can hold out.

But this is not all. They appear to have treated
ROSENCRANZ himself, as they did M'CLELLAN,
POPE, and BURNSIDE. They have swept round
and burnt a city in his rear ; thus compelling him
to think of protecting himself instead of aiding
General GRANT, or Columbus. Indeed, this
General, who should be marching against Vicks-
burg, is said to be so hampered that he cannot move
twenty miles in any direction from his camp. The
capture of Holly Springs is also a serious matter
for the Federals. It is in the State of Mississippi,
on the railroad which connects Memphis with
Vicksburg, and not very far from the former city.
By the large supplies and stores captured there,
estimated at £lOO,OOO value, we may presume it
was a depot for the army acting against Vicksburg.
The Federals have thus lost, it would seem, both
their property, and, what is still more important,
their communications with Memphis in their cam-
paign against Vicksburg. There is, indeed, ano-
ther branch of the railroad to Memphis, but were
not this out of working order, it seems hardly
likely the Federals would have accumulated so
many stores farther inland. If the Union City
burnt by the Confederates be the one near Memphis,
the Federals must be kept on the alert there also,
by the enemy. Thus in the whole western portion
of Kentucky and Tennessee, down to the northern
part of Mississippi, where since the last battle of
Corinth the Federals have been masters of every-
thing, they are once more put on the defensive.
ROSENCRANE himself is threatened at Nashville,
GRANT quails in his route to JACKSON, in Missis-
sippi and Vicksburg, and the commander of the
all important post of Columbus whistles to keep
up his courage. We shall soon learn whether the
effort to anticipate the spring movements of the
river gunboats has been successful.

We cannot wonder, therefore, that the position
of things in the South-West is attracting appre-
hensive attention in the North. Kentucky itself,
which even DAVIS gave up, being threatened in
parts, the ever ready and formidable guerilla MOR-
GAN, giving them endless trouble even where there
is no intention to keep possession. On the Federal
side in these parts, where the chief successes have
hitherto occurred, we hear of little doing. The
Federals have destroyed some Confederate works
in Arkansas ; and BANKS, with his large fleet, was
seen moving into the Gulf to Ship Island, whence
he was to act against Mobile, and eventually to
supersede the renowned BUTLER at New Orleans.
What his success will be against the only important
Confederate fortress left on the Gulf is, of course,
quite uncertain. As it commands the only remain-
ing railroad northwards, its loss would be a heavy
blow to the Gulf States, since many ships, it is be-
lieved, still run the blockade there. On the Rappa-
hannock there is no movement; but there is one of
very doubtful impart by the Confederates in the
Shenandoah Valley, south of Harper's Ferry. The
Confederates have suddenly quitted Winchester
and retreated to Staunton, considerably further
South, destroying the railroad between the two
places. The probability is, that regarding Rich-
mond as quite safe from an attack in that direc-
tion, the Confederates are collecting all the troops
they can spare for their campaign against ROSEN-
CRANE and GRANT in Kentucky and the South-
West. That is the part of the war in which we
now look for additional Federal disasters. BURN-
SIDE will be only held in check. The attack will
be in the district indicated.
The political difficulties of the North seem to in
crease. The Bill for the admission of Western Vir- J
g ini a
and a s a
the
State isno
winthe hands of the Democrats,PRESI-
DENT; victorious at the elections,
and the Republicans by whom he was placed
deathin
betweent their
the
power, are worrying him to
opposite demands. There can be no doubttha
partition of any of the Sovereign States by a mere
Act of Congress is a flagrant violation of the Con-
stitution. But the question returns, Can rebellion
be met without such violations. It would seem to
be most appropriate to recognise the loyal half of
the State as the State, to have accepted its members
and senators as the true representatives of Virginia,
and not for such a constitutionalist as Mr. LINCOLN
to
western meet
half
by illegality. That, in some way,
the
of the "Old Dominion" ought to
enjoy its federal rights, seeing it remains loyal, is
clear, and we cannot think it very material in what
way it is done. The North could never surrender
this loyal
contention, one
portion of the South. The proclamation
for the Ist of January was also the subject of fierce
take time to consipdae
issue it at the time fled;
party determining
id. te. t e rvirt:
time the other that lie shall
for predicting Which party is right—but we rather
look for some evasion of •it by the
i. 111::: otfhanto groundsheshal
PRESIDENT. It
seems to be agreed that if he does issue the procla-
mation, those parts of slavedom whi •
ch are now held
by the Federal forces will be exempted
from its ope, I
ration.

Perhaps the saddest piece of intelligence is, that
of a retaliatory proclamation by JEFFERSON DAVIS.
BUTLER and all his officers are to be hanged if
taken. Negroes taken in arms, and Federal offi-
cers in command of them, are to be hanged ; and
so forth. DAVIS ought to know his position best,
but if it can only be held by such means it must be
very desperate, far more so than we should sup-
pose, only from the contents of these telegrams.
All Europe will agree that no persons in the Stites