The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-17 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1863.

The Telegrams now showering in upon us from the
.Etna come fast and thick, with tidings as hot and
fierce as though they were redhot stones and boiling
lava. They are tidings still of the fiercest fighting,
hither and thither, at opposite extremities of that
vast and already fearfully ravaged seat of war in
America. Here the storming by the Federals of
Port Hudson—yonder their persistence in the
siege of Vicksburg—yonder, far away to the North,
the preparation of General LEE at the head of his
victorious Confederates to cross the Rappahannock,
and the preparation, on the other hand, of General
HooRER to prevent his crossing it—if possible.
The Battle which we now learn was raging all
through the 27th and the 28th ult. between the
Federal forces, under General BANKS, and the Con-
federate defenders of Port Hudson, proves to have
cost.the former on the first day of the assault, that
is on the 27th, alone, from two to four thousand
men placed ho?-8 de combat. And all to no purpose,
as previously had befallen the Federal troops
under General GRANT before Vicksburg. All to no
purpose, at any rate, up to the moment when these
last adviecs left the scene of conflict. The Northern
army having been withdrawn by its commander
from its advanced position—retreating in obedi-
ence to those orders along its whole line to its
original position before this attack upon Port Hud-
son had been commenced. According to the belief
prevalent in the North, when the "Etna was leaving,
the Federals and General BANKS would there and
then, in that resumed original position, await the
reinforcements which had been hastily sent
for by that commander, from New Orleans. In
the meantime, so far from the Northern army
under General GRANT, resuming its inter-
rupted attack upon Vicksburg, it was stated
to be on the contrary engaged up to the very close
of May in erecting earthworks with a view to its
own protection ! The utmost show of audacity on
its part being directed to certain cautious and gin-
gerly operations in mining, to the end that some
of the Confederate forts might be safely blown up.
As to the bombardment of the beieagured city by
the fleet lying off there on the Mississippi, that
seems to have proved so utterly futile and ineffectual
from first to last, as to draw from Admiral PORTER
the naïve acknowledgment that the Confederate
works in defence of Vicksburg were really and truly
stronger than he should have looked for ! What
renders the position of GRANT all the more serious
after his reiterated repulses from Vicksburg by the
Confederates, is the doubt entertained as to the pro
bable doings, as to the possible position of the most
formidable leader of the Confederates in that part of
the seat of war. It used to be thus always, it will
be remembered, during the lifetime of General
STONEWALL JACKSON in regard to his movements. It
has more than once so happened, very uotably, in the
instance of General BEAUREGARD. It is precisely
in this way falling out now in reference to General
JOHNSTONE. The Federals upon that subject seem
to be fairly bewildered. They know not in what
direction to look for him. Now his appearance is
to be confidently awaited from this—now, again,
from that, totally opposite, quarter. The likelihood
being all the while that JOHNSTONE will eventually
" turn up" when and where he is least expected. The
favourite notion in his regard, according to the last
accounts, appeared to be that, with from 15,000 to
30,000(rather rough guesses, these, evidently as to the
mere number of followers he had contrived to gather
together) he was making his way steadily in between
the Big Black River' and theYazoo, with the design of
recapturing Haines Bluff, and of so interrupting any
further Federal communication by means of the latter
river, that is the Yazoo. So much
credit, indeed,
was attached to this statement as to his
where
abauts and his intentions, that one corps of the Fede-
ral army bad been actually detached and sent forth
in the direction indicated with a view to interrupt
JOHNSTONE on his march. So cheerless, however,

appearLd to be the prospects in reference to this
unhappy siege of Vicksburg, that one of the New
York papers (tile World) actually owns to a belief
that it will drag its slow length along all through
the summer, That is to say, of course, if the Con-
federates will hear of it. At the very time, moreover,
that this confident avowal of almost hopelessness,
in regard to the capture of Vicksburg, is
blurted out at New York—comes to the Federal
popu!ation an ugly rumour enough from the direction
of Vicksburg: one, however, that we hardly in any
way feel disposed to credit : a rumour to the effect
that Generai GRANT, haring been repulsed at all
Pointe, had fallen back upon the line of the Big
-Black River, where he was preparing himself to
prevent the crossing over of TOHNSTONE to the re-

lief of Vcksburg from farther assaults—to prevent
the Confederate General from crossing, not by con•
fronting him with a single corps, but with the
whole force of the army under his (GRANT'S) com-
mand.

It is a curious coincidence, we would remark,
before closing these running commentaries on the
last telegrams brought to us by the Etna from
America—it is, to say the least of it, an exceedingly
curious coincidence, that while on the 16th of
June the member for Birmingham, here,
in England, is addressing a large meeting
at the London Tavern, in words full of
reproach to the Government and the Press of Eng-
land, because they have not hounded on this miser-
able war of the North against the Confederates—on
the 3d instant, that is at a distance of not quite a
fortnight previously, an enthusiastic meeting was
taking place in New York, in the name and
in furtherance of the Principles of the Democratic
State Peace Conventior.. A meeting very remark-
able both in numbers and in enthusiasm. Resolu-
tions being there passed—not by large majorities,
but by acclamation—resolutions declaring—
What? Mr. BRIGHT must surely have
already been interested to see—What ! De-
claring among other things—that the Go-
vernment has no constitutional power to
coerce States by military force—that if the power
of coercion exists it is of a legal, and not of a
military character—that the democracy cannot
sustain a war against sovereign States—and con•
sequently that, in obedience to the dictates of
right, and justice, and humanity, this shameful
war should cease!

The " annual benefit" of Mr. BERKELEY, as Lord
PALMYRSTON, with that pleasantry which is often
a convenient method of dealing with awkward sub-
jects, styled the oft-repeated question of the Ballot,
took place last evening, with the customary result.
Mr. BERKELEY, in introducing the old familiar

motion, reminded the House that this was the

fifteenth occasion on which, as the successor of Mr.
GROTE and Sir HENRY WARD, he had brought
forward the question of the Ballot. In support of
his motion he cited the example of numerous
societies, besides the cluts, of which most of his
Parliamentary antagonists are members, and re-
ferred to the experience of other countries, as show-

ing how beneficial was the introduction of the
Ballot, even under the most unfavourable circum-
stances. In France it has enabled the Opposition
candidates to enter the Chamber of Deputies in the

face of a despotic Government. In Australia it
has been serviceable, although, from the general
character and condition of the people, no country
needs it less. In America, the hope of reversing
the mad policy which is urging the North to ruin,
lies in the ballot box; while in our own country
we have, unhappily, only two many illustrations of
the necessity of reforming our present mode of Par-

liamentary elections. Mr. BERKELEY alluded to
an incident which gave a very striking support to
his theory. At a recent election the Conservative
candidate commenced his address with the words,
" I abhor the ballot." The next day, however, this
hater of secret voting informed his supporters that
he regretted being compelled to withdraw from the
contest, as a great territorial influence had been
brought to bear on it, and, therefore, he could not
go to the poll without involving many of his humble
supporters in instant ruin. As Mr. BERKELEY
justly observed, one of these addresses was a com-
mentary on the other. Let us hope that the
results of the present "honest and English
system" has made a convert of the gen-
tleman in question. The ingenuity with
which some landlords evade the Corrupt
Practices Act—one man declaring he gave his
tenant notice for the shape of his nose—was also
forcibly shown by Mr. BERKELEY. We suppose
these subterfuges and ingenious devices are consi-
dered English and manly by the opposers of the
system of secret voting. Lord PALMERSTON having
repeated the old, timeworn arguments, which are
never subjected to the test of practice, determined,
with his usual readiness and daring, not to shrink
from the advocacy of his opinions, even though, as
leader of the Liberal army, he was attacking one of
its chief positions. But all arguments, sneers, and
denunciations fail before the " inexorable logic of
facts." This unaccommodating evidence shows us
how measure after measure, reform after reform, are
powerless to touch the evil. Now candidates and
agents can evade the acts that forbid bribery and
treating with a facility only too gladly welcomed
by the lower class of electors ; now landlords and
employers can escape the consequences of open in-
timidation by a thousand secret byeways—the end
of which is only too surely known to the " indeperi-
dent" voter. The need of election committees and
11 bribery petitions is a disgrace to our age and con-
stitution. It was only the other night that a mem-
ber introduced a bill to guard against fraud and
corruption with regard to those very petitions, a
fact which proves significantly enough how hope-
less are such piecemeal reforms and precautions.
It is notorious that almost every one of the clauses
of Corrupt Practices Bills may be easily evaded.
Who can prevent a man from acting in the capacity
of a disinterested friend of the candidate ? and
who shall prevent that disinterested friend from
receiving a token of his friendship, or, what
is more, who will know that he receives
it P The confusion, and sometimes the riots,
of a contested election would be effectually
prevented by secret voting, so we may certainly
expect a strong and persistent opposition from all
who profit by the weakness or vices of their fellows.
Still there is no reason to despair of the good cause
being won. Every year it gains in strength, every
year its supporters make their protest against the
folly that leaves weakness open to temptation, and
exposes dependence to the abuse of power; and
similar perseverance has won many a harder fight
before now. The gradual adoption of the Ballot in
so many of our social and municipal arrangements
is the best proof of the feeling of the middle classes,
and when once the public is thoroughly convinced
of the urgent need and benefit of its adoption, when
the public voice is once loudly raised to demand
honest elections and independent representatives
the virtuous indignation of the upholders of open
voting will prove powerless against it, and the
Ballot will be won.

Yesterday was a grand day for Oxford, and one
that will long live in the recollection of all who
were fortunate enough to ba present. As has been
the ease with the numerous meetings and cere-
monies in which the Prince and Princess have borne
part,
everything went off auspiciously on this
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the
ee entertainment had also,
welcomei t
witnessedo f novelty.sh e
e anything
of:I vitthhTiinnh
gge
Princess could never have
like it before, and the
in all quarters had in its enthusia received
chivalric in its devotion. The Prinene
was not a stranger to many present. ReALhES
ae
passed some time at Oxford during the course
of his extended and excellent education, and
therefore greater interest was imparted to his
presence in those halls and colleges where he had
dwelt as a schular before visiting Ca m as a prince.
When the Prince and Princess ha entered the
Sheldonian theatre there was a bust of applaube