The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-10 00:00:00

true !" the victories turn eut to have been—every one
of them—repulses. The Confederate flag still waves
(pot the Federal flag) "over the bloodstained walls
of Vicksburg." What says MANHATTAN a little later
on in his uncompromising way ? Surely hometruths
were never so bluntly spoken right out before! Corns
were never trodden upon more ponderously ! " There
are many," quoth this rough and ready Junius of
the Yankees, " Who do not believe Vicksburg is
taken. Ifor one." There is a touch of ROEBUCK
in his style. It is very dramatic, thoroughly
honest, indiscreet (according to the official
view of indiscretion), but always manly,
and always comprehensible. " Why" asks MAN-
HATTAN, with a keen eye to the reductio ad
absurdum," should 20,000 or even 10,000 men in
that city (i.e., Vicksburg) surrender without firing
a gun ? It is not the usual rebel praetice. The
name of every man in Vicksbur g would be con-
signed to infamy if it was so. Yet, to have this
news true, the immense force must have run away
as if they were frightened sheep. Ido not believe
they did. Consequently Ido not think Vicksbm g
is ours just now. It may be by-and-bye. Again,
I. will believe that we have gained a great success
when I hear what has become of General JOHN-
STONE and his army, He is the best general in
the rebel service. [MANHATTA/i should have saia
what he probably here meant—Nosy that STONE-
WALL JACKSON is no more.] As yet, we have
no accounts of him, and he is a man that must
be reckoned as of some account in a fight before
we claim a decided victory. We are all up in
the air now. All inflated with this great
victory. GOD grant it may prove true, if it will
bring this cruel and unnatural civil war to
an end one hour sooner. Defeat has no effect
'upon our spirits. It depresses us for a moment, but
like old topers, we drink up the next morning our
dead liquor, and get more excited than ever. To-
day or to-morrow may come the news Vicksburg
is not taken. JOHNSTONE and the other Gene-
rals have combined—a battle has been fought—
and our poor fellows have been slaughtered
to the extent of 15,000 or 20,000. GRANT and
his army are prisoners.' " All which—though
put by MANHATTAN only hypothically—is in the
highest degree probable, The facts still being that
Vicksburg, when these last advices left, yet held
out, and that since Jackson fell into the hands of
the Federals nothing whatever has been heard or
seen by them of General JOHNSTONE—that General
being notoriously engaged in gathering reinforce-
ments together at Canton or thereabouts with a
view (if he can only contrive to do it in time) to
raise the siege of Vicksburg !

Last night the " Security from Violence Bill"
was read a second time in the. House of Lords.
Lord CARNARVON moved the second reading. This
noble lord has before distinguished himself on the
subject of prison discipline, and through his exer-
tions has brought the case before the public very
fully. He explained the purport of his measure as
very simple and very short. He proceeded briefly
to answer the objections which he knew many per-
sons entertained to the proposal. In the first place,
it was said that to award a particular punishment
for a particular offence was special legislation.
Now, he argued that it might be desirable to put a
number of offences in one category, but that it was
seldom practicable. On the contrary, said his
lordship, it has been very much the genius of Eng-
lish legislation to deal with each particular case and
suggest the most suitable remedy. It was a uni-
versally acknowledged fact that crime had increased
during the last few years, especially had offences
augmented in attacks on the person which were
known as " garotting." Last autumn this crime was
committed to a frightfulextent, and though some said
there was exaggeration in these statements, yet the
great number of convictions proved that there was
good ground for alarm. It was true that there was
a large decrease now, but that might be mainly
attributable to the summer season, which did not
offer such facilities for the commission of the offence.
Finally, Lord CARNARVON said that he objected
to what might be termed "panic legislation."
But it was precisely to prevent that undesirable
result that he wished their lordships now to
dispose of the affair. There was great force in this
suggestion of Lord CARNARTON'S, for if nothing is
done this session, in all probability there will be a
renewal of the disgraceful scenes of last autumn,
and then there will be so much indignation felt in
some quarters, and so much terror exhibited ire
others, that it will end in a panic requiring
the Legislature at last to interfere. In
pursuance of the nature of this offence his
lordship said that it was well known that
the perpetrators of the crime of " garotting "
were generally those who had often before been con-
victed, and he added these appropriate remarks on
the perversion of justice that has so often taken
place of late years. "And where such violence has
been used as is calculated to result in murder we
must rot draw too nice a distinction if an intent
to murder has been frustrated by some Provi-
dential interposition or some fortunate accident. I
must say that Parliament has to thank itself in a
great degree for this state of things. Unfortunately
it has been for some years the study of Parliament
to mitigate every rigour of the law, to cut down
punishments, to abate the severity of sentences, and
even when they are pronounced, to modify them
very considerably. I think this course of legis-
lation has contributed materially to give rise to a
special case; and as we have such a case to deal with
we ought not to hesitate to apply a special remedy." 1
This was a well-deserved reproof to those who are
scandalised at the idea of exercising severity to-
wards prisoners, but who at the same time persist in
frustrating the objects of all old established forms
of punishment. They deprecate the introduction
of new measures, while they virtually annul the
effect of the old ones. In support of the proposal
for the infliction of corporal punishment Lord CAR-
NARVON alluded to the efficacy of the system in
putting a stop to the attempts at violence on the
person of her MAJESTY. It had also been proved to
be effectual in preventing the recurrence of acts of
destruction against works of art. Lord CRANWORTH
moved an amendment, however, that the bill be read
a second time that day six months. He gave as
his reason that it was not possible to prevent par,
titular crimes by special acts. His lordship also
said that he looked upon the principle of the mea-
sure as objectionable. Fortunately, however, the
House did not appear to coincide with this view of
the question, for the amendment was negatived
without a division. Lord GRANVILLE was

apparently anxious to prevent the mea-
sure from passing, and yet was wise enough
to know that he would sustain defeat in
doing 80. Under the circumstances he had better
have had the grace to keep quiet, for the state
of things as regards the " garotters" reflects great
discredit on the Ministers, and, in fact, upon all
in authority. They follow their own pet schemes
with great eagerness, and are always ready to ad-
vocate their own views; but the safety of the public
is quite another question. It is all very well for
Lord GRANVILLE and his friends to laugh at chi-
merical fears and to denounce panic legislation, but
if their own families were in a different grade of
society they would not like
them to run the risk of
such attacks. For the sake of kes ing up the re-