The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-09 00:00:00

IFEBOAT SERVICES.—Dnring the recent
lAheavy gales some of the t'oats of the Royal Na,ional
Lifeboat Institution have been instrumental in rescuing the
crews of the following wrecked vessels :—STamworth ch
of ooner
Nor T
wheophi-
'us, of Aberdeen, 5 men ; barque , ay, 17;
schooner Northern Lights, of Preston, I ; pilot boat, of St.
lves, 7 ; schooner Arion. of Working,ton, 4; schooner Gipsy,
of Drogheda, 4 ; smack Saucy Jack, of Inverness, 1 ; barque
Marietta, of Lisbon, 'I ; fishing boat, of Filet', 2' • Tenby,
fishing boat, 3 ; and barque Providence, of Dantzic,7. Total
lives saved, 55. The lifeboats also assisted in bringing safely
into port, with their crews, consisting of 29 men, the Italian
brig Camoglino, the schooner Sir Colin Campbell, of Whitby. ,
the scho:;ner Guilts, of Palermo, and the ketch Snip, of Am• •
aterdam. The lifeboats also went off in reply to signals o: t
distress on fourteen occasions, but their services were not
tiltirnately. required. The amount of reward piid for al
these services was £216.
The Committee of the Institution earnestly APPEAL to tl
page it tor ASSISTANLE to euable them to met the cot 1-
tinue:l heavy demands on the Society's 125 liteb at estal )
lishmt tits. Contributions are recciv d by all. the Lon is
and country bankers ; and by the Secietary, hichard Lewi 8
Eaq., at the Institution, 14, ohn- street, Adelphi, London.

ROYAL ENGLISH. OPERA,.,,
COVENT-GARDEN.
Under the Manazement of Miss Louisa Pyne and
Mr. W. Harrisbn.
THIS EVENING, for the 15th time, Balfe's new Opera,
BLANCIIe: DE NEVE itS : Miss Louisa Fyne, Miss Anna.
Hiles, Miss Emma Heywood; Messrs.W. H. Weiss, H. Corri„
A. Cook, A. St. Albyn, C. Lyall, J. Rouse, and W. Harrison.
To conclude with the Second Act of THE DESERT
FLOWER.

Conductor, Mr. A. Mellon.
Doors open at half-past Six— :omnience at Seven.

THEATRE ROYAL DRURY- LANE. -
Managers, Messrs. E. Falconer and F. B. Chatterton.
THIS EVENING, her Majesty's Servants will perform,
the Farce of BEAUTY- OR THE BEAST. Principal cha-
racters by Messrs. Addison, G. F. Neville, Barret, Spencer,
and G. Weston; Mrs Edmund Falconer and Miss R. Leclerq.
After which, Lord Byron's Choral Tragedy, MAN FRED.
Messrs. helps, Ryder, .Rayner, M-agreson, vVard, Spencer ;
Ir
Miss Eburne, Miss E. Atkinson, Miss Leclercq, and Mrs. E.
Falconer. Vocalists—Miss Poole, Miss isitter, Miss Cicely
Notr, Miss Heywood, and Mr. Swift.
Followed by MY lIIA',AET'S IN THE HIGHLANDarde,
S:
characters by Mr. 3. Neville, Mr. G. Weston, Mr. W
Mr. J. Minis ; Mrs. C. Melville and Miss Ilarfleur.

THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET.-
Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr, Buckstone.
THIS EVENING, USED UP. Messrs. C. Math
amesews,
Howe, Rog.ers, Braid, Clark, Cullenford, &c.
; Mesd
Angel, Fitzwilliam, &c.
Followed by THE GOLDEN FLEECE. Messrs. Charles
Mathews, Compton,Weathersby, &o. ; Mesdames C. Mathews,
L. Keeley. Griffith, &C.
With COOL AS A CUCUMBER. Mr. C. Mathews.
And MY HUSBAND'S GEtOncST.
Commee at 7.

CE UM T H EAT RE
pu Under the Sole Management of Mr. Fechter.
BEL DE NIONIO (a Triump'aant Success) will be repeated
Every Evening until further notice.
THIS EVENING, the Comedietta, by W. Gilbert, entitled
UNCLE BABY: Messrs. Widdlcombe, J. G. Shore, Charles ;
Miss P. Leclercq, and CArlott a Leclercq.
After which, at Eight o'clock, BEL DEMONIO, a Love
Story, in Twelve Tablaux, 1 aken from Stendhal's "Italian
Chronicle-," by Mr. John Brouzham. Principal charae
tet by Mr. Fechter, supported by Messrs. Jordan, Charles,-
Brou,vhsm, Emery,
_Raymond, Moreland, Smith, Clifford,
Collett, Andrews, Sims ; Miss Kate Terry, E. Lavenue, M
Lee, and Miss Elsworthy.
Doors open at half-past 6—commence at 7.

LEA H.-EVERY NIGHT,

MISS BATESIAN.—LEAII.—Tins EVENING,
the 61st appearance of the great Tragic Actress, Miss
BNTEMAN, in the character of LEAH. In consequence of
the unboundd success with which Miss Bateman's imperso-
nation of the prir.cipal character in the new Five Act Drama
of L RAH has been attended. Mr iVebster begs to announce
that it will be performed EVERY EVENING until further
notice.

'NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI.-
sole Pronriator and i►Tanaerer, ItTr. B. Webster.
THIS EVENING, at 7, THE TRAGEDY QUEEN: Mrs.
Stirling%
At 8, the New Drama of LEAH : Bth wee of Miss Bate-
man, supported by Messrs. Arthur Stirling, R. Phillips, Bil-
ling-ton, Stuart, Stephenson, Eburne; Miss H. Simms, and
Airs. Billing-ten.
To conclude with THE IRISH TIGER ; Miss K. Kelly
and Mr. Stephenson.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Manazer, Mr. W. H. Swanborough.
THIS EVENING, MIRIAM'S CRIME. Messrs. Geo.
Honey, Parselle, Belford, Turner, Miss K. Saville, and Miss
Xanders.
Followed by (14th time) PATIENT PENELOPE or, The
Return of Ulysses. Messrs. Honey and Fenton ; Mesdames
irfanboroug-h and Simpson.
After which, MT NEW PLACE. Mr. A. Wood.
Commence at 7.

ROYAL SADLER'S-WELLS THEATRE.
tit anageress, Miss Marriott.
THIS EVENING, INGOHAR. Messrs. D. H. Jones,
Gresham, Bennett ; Miss Marriott, and Mrs. Wallis.
To conclude with THE BRIGAND : Mr. D. H. Jones, Miss
Mandlebert.

Box-office open from 11 to 4.

T" THIRD EDITION OF "THE SUN,"
Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIG-ENCE,
out be had Every Evening' of

G. R. GLY.NIE, News AGENT,
No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE,
THIS Dew.—Morning, 12h. 27m.—Afternoon, 12h. 50m,
Yo-moußow.-Morninz, lh. 11m.—Afternoon, lh. 36a,

The Weather—Sun Office, Dec. 9, 1863.

THERMOMETER.

This day at Two o'clock 52
Barometer-29.93.
; moderate, with rain.

4421,41 g --2'7 S 444 14"'

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9, 1863.

The intelligence brought to us by this last mail
from the opposite shores of the Atlantic, gives us
but a broken view of the situation of things just
now between the belligerents. We see but half of
what had just then occurred ! The tidings, coming
as usual through the North, suffers distortion.
Whatever there was, of good-news for the Federals,
to be related, is told fully and eagerly, and with
the highest possible colouring. Whatever there
was, of bad news for the Fedarals, is just as sedu-
lously suppressed, as far, that is, of course, as sup-
pression was in any way possible. And wherever it
(the bad news, that is) contrived to peep out, in spite
°„„itt
rtrile.se efforts at its suppression, it does so bat dimly,
fragmentarily, For instance: the news
from the south-eastern borders of Tennessee is told
out boldly, blatently. The Confederate army under
BRAGG is described as driven back by the Federals
under General
GRANT at the pas de charge—the
Southerners
being, in effect, it is said, abso-
lutely routed.
Sixty cannon taken —we
don't know how
many
wounded, and
captured—and, as 7Y killed,
amattter of course, in
consequence of this
the
doom
success of GRANT'S—,
BURNSIDE saved from
otherwise all but
inevitably awaiting him
place of. shelter in
which he had been entrap
! Suffi-
ciently full, possibly for once true here and there
particular accounts are thus furnished
by
ttheesreecleanstt
advices from New York as to the issue, h
contest between GRANT and BRAGG the vicinity
of Chattamauga and Chattanooga
the borders
of Tennessee. Accounts they are that look more
than ugly, that appear to be nothing less than di:
eastrous to BRAGG and his followers. Asoetuit4
under any circumstances that relate, there can be
little doubt of this, to one of the most brilliant sue.
cesses yet obtained by the North over the Confe-
derates. Meanwhile nothing whatever is said
about certain warlike movements that, in spite of
such studied silence in regard to them, it
is quite manifest have recently been taking
place between the main armies of the North
and of the South upon the banks of the Rapidan.
According to the cant phrase of our time, the reti-
cence manifested by the North, thus, in regard to
those recent movements of a warlike character along
the banks of the Rapidan, now on this side, now
on that, evidences pretty clearly that the news from
that direction is anything rather than satisfactory
to the cause of the Federals. Had the result of
these movements been satisfactory, we may be
quite certain we should have known all about it.
We should have e
the Rapidan,
quite
ed accounts furnished to us from
as explicit as those from the
borders of Tennessee. Yet that something had
taken place there, on the Rapidan, between MEADE
and
LEE—
„and that somethinc., moreover, a some-
thing of very considerable m
i
portance—cannot for
an instant be doubted. Our reasons for so sayingbeing simply these—that Whereas General 11
EADE
was keowe to Lave crossed the Rapidan by three
fords, on the 26th and 27t4 of November,
whereas on the latter date, that is the

27th, heavy cannonading was heard at Orange
Court House (where, in consequence of this same
heavy cennonading, a battle is supposed to have
been then and there taking place)—on the afternoon
of the very next day, the 28th, it was stated at
New York that there was no further news from
Virginia! Yet—by reason of what was vaguely
and mysteriously spoken of as certain " unfavour-
able military rumours," gold rose on that same
28th at one leap from 43:7 to 471- premium ! Yet—
all the while that gold was making this very
sinister leap—" no further news from Virginia!"
This rise of gold, this denial of newt—have at any
rate, together, a vcry suspicious significance.

The weekly meeting of the Manchester Central
Committee presented some interesting features.
The noble Chairman communicated to the members
the answer which ho had received from the Home
Secretary in reference to matters connected with
the Public Works Act. In this reply, Sir GEORGE
GREY promises that every effort shall be made, on
behalf of the Government and the Loan Commis-
sioners, to reduce the preliminary expenses of the
loans in question to the smallest possible minimum.
It is to be hoped that this promise will be strictly
adhered to, and that no unnecessary formalities will
be suffered to consume the time and money which
at this season of the year are so especially precious.
The report of the Secretary gives evidence of that
uncertainty in the prospects of the cotton trade
which those who are well qualified to judge have
already foretold as too probable. The numbers in
full work have decreased nearly 18,000 in the past
month, while the lists of those on short time and
out of work show a corresponding increase. There
is no especial ground for uneasiness in this state-
ment, as such fluctuations have been foreseen and
calculated upon. During the winter months it is
too probable that variations in the numbers em-
ployed will be very frequent ; and it is even said to
be probable that the present month will show a
considerable diminution in the quantity of work,
owing to the state of the money market, although
that, as we have before observed, is partly due to
the cotton trade itself. Of course, the decrease of
work has produced a corresponding increase of pau-
perism, so that 1,300 additional persons are now in
receipt of relief from the guardians, and nearly
2,000 are entirely dependent on the relief funds. It
is satisfactory to know that the estimate of the com-
mittee allowed for all such contingencies, and that
the favourable aspect of affairs last month was not
accepted as an index of the winter. Nevertheless,
the news is on the whole satisfactory, especially
as regards the results of the Public Works Act. It
appears that the works already undertaken in con-
formity with its provisions have provided occupa-
tion for 1,461 cotton operatives, in addition to 301
unskilled and 420 skilled labourers. The doubts
which some persons expressed of the ability of the
mill workers to turn their hands to a totally dif-
ferent trade prove to have been altogether un-
founded, as 055 of the unskilled are allowed to earn
ordinary wagos at piece work, and they have be-
come so proficient in their new trade as to be able
on an average to earn not less than 10s. to 108. 6d.
per head weekly. This is satisfactory news, and
exemplifies the truth that a readiness to adapt one-
self to a new profession depends less on the cha-
racter of the previous occupation than on the de-
gree of mental intelligence. The rapidity with
which the Volunteers, most of them men of
sedentary habits, acquired the drill aad became
proficient in the use of their unaccustomed
weapons, was universally commented on,
and it was explained by the superior
standard of education and general intelligence
throughout the various corps, as well as the willing
ck,,a hpqrty spirit with which they went about their
work. The agricultural class, from whom our re-
cruits are principally drawn, are certainly more
accustomed to out-door exercise and the use of their
muscles than the volunteer fresh from his desk and
counter, yet the mental aptitude and pliability so
far exceeded any physical advantages as to supply
a large body of well-trained and efficient riflemen
within a period which would certainly have left
the same number of ploughmen little better than
raw recruits. The same reasoning no doubt ap-
plies to the change in the habits of the Lancashire
mill hands. They are known to belong to a well-
educated and intelligent class. If their frames
have been dwarfed by early toil, and exhausted by
long hours of close and incessant labour, their facul-
ties have been sharpened and their wits kept bright
by the interchange of ideas, and the general mental
standard of the community. The question of suc-
cess in any new undertaking depends less on pre-
vious training than on individual capacity, and the
men of Lancashire are not likely to fail in this. As
yet, too, we hear no complaints of the effects of out-
door employment upon their health, though the
weather they have experienced has been none of the
mildest. The wise forethought of the Committee
has probably provided in a great measure agains

this by s sufficient supply of warm clothing,
and it is to be hoped the liberality of the pub.
tic will enable them to continue such provision.
Some discussion ensued at the meeting respecting
the receipt of relief by some of the men engaged on
public works. The committee, it seems, are willing
to grant some subsidiary aid to unskilled operatives
during a month or six weeks' training, as well as
making them grants of warm clothing, but

here its labours very properly terminate. The

object of the act was to render a large

proportion of the unemployed mill hands

altogether independent of charitable aid, and tha

object is, of course, defeated by the men employed
under the act continuing as recipients of relief.
Such an arrangement is no gain to the men or their

families, as they are paid less wages in considera-

tion of the amount received from the relief corn-
mittees. The functions of Public Works Boards

and of relief committees are, as Sir J. K. SHUTTLE•

WORTH very justly observed, entirely distinct, and
any attempt, however well intentioned, to combine

laera will prove unsatisfactory.

The resolutions

Which
Sir
J. K. SHUTTLEWORTH proposed, and
:hiti,ell were subsequently agreed to by the com-
mittee, e
c:f e
relief embodied the principle that men in re-
should not be employed on public
work ,u
s ,aaken under the now act. No doubt
individual em
es may offer some exception, and it
is to be presume
be shown in
suspended from
instances
other causes; but the .
and the committee
employment
unnecessary harshness will
-4nees where heads of families are
principle is doubt
ing it. Meanwhile the prospects
trade are decidedly encouregi'n
of India are now pretty Well
ells;
:::::::te from bad weather or
s Taeolf theicat:
no sound,
wisely in establish-
:co:l:i::
established, and the
most sceptical are beginning .1.
.0 ad.....!, '
Lutz that there
is no reason to doubt that, with
time, labour, and cultivation, the lumen
cotton
fields will become our principal source of supply:
It has been proved, too, beyond a doubt that the
quality of Indian cotton is not necessarily in-
ferior, but that samples raised from American
seed have surpassed expectation. The stimulus
given everywhere to cotton cultivation by the
suspension of the American supply has
im-
portant results in Queensland, in Jam produced
ioa, in South

America, and other quarters. A very important

auxiliary is promised in Egypt. That country,
as is well known, is well adapted for the