The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-23 00:00:00

eal ar purpose, or bent upon reaching what point in
rticular, as their destination. The present mails,
ho wever, as we have intimated, explain all that
r e eded explanation in the last. The tidings they
t wing to us, account for that notable movement of
I .JEE'S, by the results they relate. Gen. BURNSIDE
I US been defeated—his antagonist, General BRAGG,
I allying been enabled to accomplish that achievement
of his defeat, by means of certain timely reinforce-
rr .eats. Remembering how far apart the confront-
lg Northerns and Southerns under BURNSIDE and
:BRAGG are from the confronting main armies of the
:Federals under MEADE and the Confederates under
"LEE, it will be appreciated all the more readily,
,even by the unprofeesional observers of these events,
_now masterly again have been the maece lyres
organised by the Confederate Commander-in-
Chief. The plans of LEE in regard to
MEADE, and in regard to BURNSIDE, are
still to the last perfectly harmonious. By
reason of those plans being adventured upon
and successfully carried out, his main army (di-
minished as we know, and thus diminished, more-
over, for very good reasons indeed)—LEE'S main
army falls back before the collective advance of the
Federals under MEADE : an advance to which the
' latter have been tempted by the above-mentioned
diminution of the Confederate forces, their diminu-
tier], that is, by the sum of those very troops de-
spatched from them in hot haste away into Ten-
nessee. The Confederates, in fact, as the result of
this astute manoeuvring of LEE'S, have fallen back
south of the Rappahannock, south of the Rapidan
They have simply withdrawn thus to their old
positionsouth of the Rapidan—the Federals in
following
them up so far, gaining, in effect, nothing
whatever from their antagonist, beyond capturing
about half of a small body of men who had made a
foolhardy resistance to three carps of MEADE'S
army on the north aide of the Rappahannock.
While these things were occurring as to the
relative positions occupied by the main armies
of the Federals and Confederates, the latter
were signally worsting the Federals under
General BURNSIDE in Tennessee ! There, at that
point, the key to the mystery is discernable. We
now learn, upon sufficiently reliable authority,
seeing that it is General GRANT who reports the
fact to the Federal Government at Washington,
that two of General BURNSIDE'S advanced positions
had been attacked by the Confederates, and that the
forces occupying them had been captured. Rumours
of the ugliest character were reported to be flying
about when these tidings left the American shores,
the darkest, the gloomiest rumours as to General
BURNSIDE having been subjected to a really disas
trous discomfiture. Rumours they appear to be,
moreover, sufficiently well founded, if only for inas-
much as they seem to be borne out by the an-
nouncement of General BURNSIDE'S compulsory
resignation. Elsewhere, among our telegrams of
this afternoon, will be found a remarkably suc-
cinct and detailed narrative, from the hand
of General LEE himself, recounting, in the
form of an official report to the War
Department at Riotimond, the circumstances leading
to, and attending upon, the late strategic movements
that have taken place between the Rapidan and the
Rappahannock. To this remarkable despatch we
would here direct very particular attention. It
directs a keen and vivid beam of light through a
dense and hitherto, in parts, all but impenetrable
haze of confusion.

The condition of the labouring classes during
the winter season is generally a matter of some
anxiety and importance, especially when, as at

present, we have indications of somewhat severe

weather. We have not begun the winter very
satisfactorily in the metropolis, for we hear every
day of the large numbers who apply at the unions
for relief, as well as for nightly admission to the
casual wards. To such a height has this evil in-
creased that a regular discussion has been opened
on the subject, and the questions of district asylums,
temporary relief and shelter, and the obstacles
which exist in the way of any better administra-
tion of the Poor Laws, or any improvement in
their construction, have become matters of daily
talk and argument. We have received, too, several
painful and startling warnings of late to remind
us that our social arrangements are by no means
infallible, since men, women, and children can die
in our midst of absolute want and starvation. While
the question of how to dispose of these nightly
wayfarers is remaining under consideration there is
another point which presses on publio attention, and
that is the vast numbers failure of whose employ-
ment drives them to join the band of paupers. We
shall probably be none of us much surprised to
learn that several hundreds of needlewomen are
already reckoned among them. The wearying
nature of their employment, the long stretch of in-
cessant labour which it requires to earn the barest
living, and the miserable sums earned in proportion
to the labour, have all been matters of com-
mon note since HOOD sang his stirring
" Song of the Shirt." Since then needlewomen's
societies and institutions have been founded, their
cause has been advocated by philanthropists, and
helped forward by much kindly charitable labour.
One of the most considerable of these establish-
ments is located in Hinde-street, Manchester-square,
where everything is conducted in the most business.
like manner, and where the managers undertake to
supply good work on fair terms. This institution
has been in existence for several years, and was at
one time very well supported. Unfortunately, such
is no longer the case, and a letter addressed by the
manageress, Miss BARLEE, to our princ'pal morning
contemporary, reveals a state of distress among the
female workers of London which is startling at this
early period of the cold season. Miss BARLEE
states that for several years the society with which
She is connected has kept several hundred women
constantly employed, but that this season, owing to
he failure of the supply of work, at least 400 have
been
deprived of employment. This is bad enough,
on" rest of these women are entirely dependent
their
needle for support, and affirm that they
must go to t,
Miss tmlazsunion if that fails to keep them. But
us that, revelations go still further. She tells
havingapplied to the large City warehouses
for work, the answerswhich she received showed
the distress to be
not
Siati but general. " We have
twice as many hands
ita
Thousands of
watuSilean find employment
uwpviaerhrksi
which
fhdoertdo
oahka fewn:x.
for." " will a day " " Muhl
pence - • eery has
great boon,
k." One poor woman got,
hand-
work."
question of
some holland cats to make, each 408(
work, and for each the Payment was
hours' close
,1 The introduction of the sewing
• machine has
hurried on the consideration of the
•
suitable employment for women. The needle has
always been poor, laboriong, and uncertain re.
source, but it is now
failing them altogether, Hun-
dreds who helped out a scanty income by its taea„,
are now deprived of tile acceptabieaddoirtiosnutpopothrteiirt
wants; thousands whose sole means
was are now hovering between pauperism and vice.
What is to be done with them and for them ? Can-
not our active social reformers devise some relief
for need so pressing, extremity
undeserved ?
The great origin of the evil undoubtedly is that
mistaken custom or habit of thinking which, until
the last few years, forbade a woman to earn her
living other than by teaching, dom Ftic service, or