The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 23, 1863,

vealed) by whose agency the deadly crime of this
most cruel and gigantic of civil wars is safe eventu-
ally to be avenged.
Another year has been run out in the maintenance
of the struggle against the incursi ons of the North
by the Confederates. Another year ! In that simple
fact—the lapse of another year- —lies the greatest
advantage griined to the cause of the Confederates !
For, as surely as another twelvrJmonth has thus been
traversed by the contending Governments without
bringing th,e ferocious contest in which they are
engaged to a conclusion, or even, we will say, to
the faintest prospect of its proximate conclusion,
so surely are the Federals brought nearer
and nearer to the inevitable bursting at
last of the financial bubble which is for them
the NADAR- Giant by which they aro sus-
tained end carried onward. It is fearful to
reflect, no doubt, that upon either side, upon the
side of the Federals no less than upon the side of
;he Confederates, within this ghastly lapse of time
I;hroughout which the civil contest has been main -
t vaned with such unparalleled ferocity, with such in-
creasing and increasing mutual hatred, sixty thou-
st knd men have been violently swept from the face of
tl ie earth, sixty thousand Federals, sixty thousand
C onfederatos. The solace to the South, in the
p erpetual consciousness of the peril in which it
stands in being opposed by a power so vastly out-
numbering it—the solace to the South, in the re-
cognition eventually of this formidable dispropor-
doe', is discoverable, however, in no way—in the
miserable or, fur that matter, the appalling fact
that the losses of the belligerents in men are, thus
as nearly as may be equivalent. It is discernible
rather in the consideration of the still astound.
ing, the still all but incredible truth that
by this lengthening out their dreadful civil
war ty their heroic resistance to Northern
illusion, the Confederates have caused the
Federals to add recklessly to their already
stupendous debt the gigantic sum of two
hundred millions sterling ! The mere lengthening
out, still further, of the time occupied by the war
must of itself, therefore, obviously forward the inte-
rests of the Confederates—[at a dead loss to them-
selves no doubt, but still to the eventual vindica-
tion triumphantly of what is worth any conceivable
expenditure, their independence !]—must of itself,
we repeat, obviously forward th 3 interests of the
Confederates—if, no otherwise, by hastening on the
period when the financial crash, so long impending
over Washington, can no longer be averted.

A most shocking case has lately occurred in
Tottenham-court-road Chapel ground. It is a very
disgraceful thing to desecrate the bodies of the dead,
and it is very much to be regretted that in conse-
quence of the ground not being consecrated, the
case could not come under the cognisance of the
Ecclesiastical Court. It is well that it should be
generally known that the offence, even in this form,
is punishable by common law, but the powers
given to magistrates in such cases is far too limited.
COLLINS, chairman of the Sanitary Committee,
very truly remarked that all that could be done was
to inflict a penalty of ten pounds, and it is worthy
of notice that in this case referred to the fine ad-
judged was but half that sum. Five pounds is not
at all an adequate sum to be awarded against such
an act. The affair was rendered the more unjus•
tifiable, from the fact that due notice was given at
the time of the sale that the parish would protest
against any building taking place on the spot, as
the ground was full of bodies. It seems, then, un-
accountably outrageous that the purchaser should
thus violate the pledges given, and break the com-
pact entered into at the time of the sale. Some
further particulars were furnished at the meeting
of the St. Pancras Vestry, in which it appeared
that the ground was crowded with the bodies of
those interred there. A former sexton deposed that
since he had ceased to be employed there the
" bodies were buried, not within two feet, but
within six inches of the surface." Of course this
rendered the proceedings all the worse, for it would
be totally impossible to make any alterations or
changes without disturbing a great many bodies.
The details of the transaction, as they were related
at the Marlborough Police-court, are perfectly re-
volting. Mr. COOPER, the solicitor to the Vestry
of St. Pancras, deposed that the human remains
were not separated from the earth and rubbish ;
they were dug up with spade and mattock, and
placed in a heap quite exposed to the view of
passers by. Some persons had gone about exhibit-
ing bones and skulls. In a civilised land, to say
nothing of a Christian country, it is fearful to think
such things can be tolerated, and for all this only a
fine of five pounds was inflicted. It is a pity that
the idle time which is so wasted in Parliament
during the session cannot be filled up by taking
such cases as these into consideration, and seeking
to devise some appropriate remedy, thus to put a
decided stop at once and for ever to the recurrence
of such scandalous proceedings, and to render it
nearly, if not totally, impossible for the repetition
of such an offence to occur. As one of the gentle-
men who attended the vestry declared, the police
law is a farce, for no one who was engaged in any
large building concerns would care for the penalty
of ten pounds or double that amount. It is very
important that some change should be made at once,
for it is highly necessary for the maintenance of
public decorum and decency, and the furtherance of
the principles of morality, that these evils should
be checked at once with a strong hand. Too much
attention cannot be given to this subject, as it is
one which is immediately connected with those
feelings of respect and reverence which should be
cherished and encouraged, and the neglect of which
cannot fail to exercise a most degrading effect, and
to impart deleterious influences on the people who
Practice them. Laws which relate to such subjects
4110ald be stringent, and carry out the principles
that ,
'Ave actuated all nations from the earliest ages,
who 'weer forth to fight "for the ashes of their
fathers and the temples of their gods."

The close
"t the
the anxious Danish Rigsraad has given the
and
tatty of addressing his people on
indulging
is quiet and mode-
afLirs, His IVIA3,IIIn,g position of the national
its tone,
recriminations, althont4 git
rate in
in neither threats nor
points out that the pre-
tensions of the Diet are neither founded on reason
nor right. Ring CIIRIsTio
rem.
that when they assembled in
ii...1.5nd.s the members
that the long-vcNed question of th'et was thought
(let
.tostitutional
relations of the monarchy was
111 eIY and con-
clusively settled. Such ought to have beeuth
and we should have heard no more of that 'case,
% political
bugbear, the Schleswig-Holstein question, had it
not been for the secret influences of German arabi.
tion. The KING explains that the Constitution of
the 18th of November—the Constitution, that is,
which he has just given his assent to for Denmark
and Schleswig, and whose withdrawal is now being
made a sine qua non by the Germans—is founded
on the same basis as that of the Constitution which
is at present in force for the whole monarchy. By
the old and the new alike are the common affairs
of the kingdom distinguished from those specially
concerning its several provinces individually. In
neither is the Rigsrasd directed to interfere in
matters only concerning the provinces; and it is,
consequently, difficult to see upon what ground"

the malcontents of the Duchies base their objection
to the new Constitution. King CHRISTIAN declares
it to be a misunderstanding on the part of the
Powers which prevents them from recognising the
treaties on, account of the edict of the 18th of
November; but we are glad to see that he an-
nounces no intention of withdrawing that edict with
the view of conciliating his enemies. He says,
boldly enough, that a desire to dismember
the Danish monarchy has arisen in Ger-
many, but expresses a hope, though not
a very confident one, that Europe will maintain his
rights. He further tells the Rigsraad that although
he does not recognise the Federal execution as jus-
tifiable, he has thought it advisable to withdraw his
troops across the Eider to avoid a collision. It is
to be hoped that the Danish Government will take
that river for a limit beyond which the invaders
must not be suffered to pass, and England should
intimate pretty plainly to her German allies that
she will not regard the passage of that boundary by
armed troops as a casusbelli. Had she done so years
ago, when the Pruth lay between the Russians and
the Danubian provinces, she would have spared
Europe the Crimean war. Another struggle, in-
volving many Powers, and stimulated by many con-
flicting interests, is now imminent. It may be
averted by a bold and manly policy on the part of
our Government, but will they act in such a spirit ?
How have Lord PALMERSTON'S frank and straight-
forward words, at the close of the Session, been fol-
lowed up by the foreign policy of his Cabinet ? A
representative of their views has been sent to Den-
mark, indeed, to congratulate King CHRISTIAN on
his accession to a troubled and doubtful dignity.
All that has yet been learned of the mission of Lord
WODEHOUSE is that he has counselled conciliatory
measures, and recommended important modifica-
tions in the constitution of the 18th of November.
If this is the best aid that England can give in such
a crisis her Prime Minister should not have spoken
so boldly. If his denunciations of German ambition,
and the vision of a German fleet riding in the har-
bour of Kiel, as the real motive-springs of the dis,
satisfaction with Denmark, were to be Yox et pre-
terea nihil, they have merely served to mislead the
nation which trusted his good sense and clear judg
ment to take more active measures when occasion
called. Whether, like the old story of the lion, he
thought it advisable to let the Germans into the
Dachy for the pleasure of turning them out
again, we cannot say, but it is certain that
being in virtual possession of Holstein the Germans
will be troublesome customers to dislodge. The
public enthusiasm in the Fatherland was in no way
diminished. At a public meeting of the members
of the different German representative bodies held
in Frankfort on Monday, 900 members were present,
as well as great numbers of the public. The reso-
lutions passed were unanimously in favour of the
Prince of AUGUSTENBURG. In the Prussian Upper
House it was on the same day boldly proposed that
Prussia should withdraw from the London Treaty.
It was not, however, happily for Prussia, sufficiently
supported. It is therefore not too soon for England
and her representatives to assume some decided
attitude, and the sooner she does so the more effica-
cious will her aid be to the Danes, and the better
for the credit of Lord PALMERSTON'S Government.

There is no quality which Englishmen think more
of than fair play, and in cases where it is grossly
violated the offender is certain, sooner or later, to be
called to account pretty sharply. A more notable
instance could not be given of bias and prejudice than
that evidenced by the conduct of our Government
with regard to the policy of neutrality, as it is
called, towards America. President DAVIS may
well speak of the "marked partiality of England
towards the Federals," and the strange inconsis-
tency which pervades their conduct in respect to
the purchase of supplies by the belligerents. A
glaring instance of this has recently come to light.
All the employges of Government at the dockyard of
Sheerness who volunteered to fit out and equip the
Rappahannock are discharged, fur breaking the
laws of the country which apply to neutrality. Also,
it is stated, that those of the Royal Naval Reserve
who belong to the Alabama, Florida, and Georgia
are struck from the list, with the loss of all pay and
pension. Now this may suit the views of those in
authority at present, but while a spark of their old
fire animates the minds of Englishmen, it will be
pronounced as truckling policy and arbitrary use
of power, which should only be entrusted to those
more worthy of exercising it. The Government do
not withdraw their support from the establishments
which furnish arms and ammunition to the Federals,
so that their hard and harsh decrees have not even
the merit of consistency to bear them out, and can-
not lay claim to being the result of a strict scrutiny
into the justice of the case. Such conduct is so
unfair that the most bitter opponent to the Minis-
terial cause will feel more regret and shame as
Englishmen that such an order should emanate
from our Statesmen, than satisfaction at the con-
viction that they are dealing a blow to their own
reputation, such as no rival could inflict or contem-
porary occasion. It comes to this, if we are to have
one law for one belligerent and another for the other,
we had better leave off all talk about our indepen-
dence as a nation and our impartiality as a Go-
vernment. Nothing can be more extraordinary
than the measures which have been lately adopted
in regard to America ; and it is to be hoped that
when Parliament meets a strict investigation will
be made, and the honour of the country vindicated,
even if it should be at the eleventh hour that the
affair is taken up in the right spirit.

BRAIN SPECTRES.—The brain makes ghosts both
sleeping and waking. A man was lying in troubled
sleep when a phantom, with the cold hand of a corpse, seised
his right arm. Awaking in horror, he found upon his arm
still the impression of the cold hand of the corpse, and it
was only after reflecting that he found the terrible appari-
tion to be due to the deadening of his own left hand of a
frosty night, which had subsequently grasped his right
arm. This was a real ghost of the brain, which the awaken-
ing of the senses and the understanding explained. M.
Gratiolet narrates a dream of his own which is singularly
illustrative of how the brain makes ghosts in sleep. Many
years ago, when occupied in studying the organisation of
the brain, he prepared a great number both of human and
animal brains. Ho caretully stripped off the membranes
and placed the brains in alcohol. Such were his daily occu-
pations, when one night he thought he had taken out his
own brain from his own skull. He stripped it of its mem-
branes. Ha put it into alcohol, and then he fancied
he took his brain out of the alcohol and replaced it in his
skull. But, contracted by the action of the spirit, it was
much reduced in size, and did not at all fill up the skull.
He felt it shuffling about in his head. This teeling threw
him into such a great perplexity that he awoke with a start,
as if from nightmare. N, Gratiolet, every time ho prepared
the brain of a man, must have felt that his own brain re-
eembled it. This impression awakening in a brain imper.
fectly asleep, whilst neither the senses nor the judgment
were active, the physiologist carried on an operation in his
sleep which probably had often occurred to his fancy when
at his work, and which had then been summarily dismissed
very frequently. A pursuit which had at last become one
of routine, and the association of himself with his study
explain the bizarre and ghastly dream of M. Gratiolet. A
ajensation. from the gripe of a cold hand, misinterpreted by
some satisfaction faculties,
acting without the aid of the discerning
accounts for the ghastly vision of the other sleeaputtin
levahraitbeu,per.
CAA/
Stai:lotll:ethYaetarlludnaSl Vincent has with-
drawn AND ARCHLIIEDES.—We learn with
drawn his claim
horses as the last bona
upon c
White's having Aalrscohiniclaeidmeesd, conse-
quentthosefide bidder.l Lord Stamford will, we
are given to understand,
and between the gallant eaa tic 7 Captain White his claim,
y anct Liienallnd his lordship the affair
, tired of ythaerranged. The public
dubious auction, and we trust that thej)roceedings at this
are,has bheoewnecvoenr:etnhioernotul
ghl_
omatter will now
be liuffered to sink iAto
Pla rgtti
g Life

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE PAPAL STATES.
CONDEMNATION OF BOOKS.

ROME, DEC. 22.

The Congregation of the Index has condemned
all the works of Georges Sand, and different works
of various French, German, and Italian authors.

LETTER OF PRINCE CZARTORYSKI.
BERNE, DEC. 21.
Rumours having been recently current in the
press that General Mieroslawski had been dis-
missed by the Polish National Government from
his post as General Organiser of the Polish forces
out of Poland, the following letter of Prince
Ladislaus Czartoryski to the Polish agent here may
not be thought devoid of interest :
" PARIS, Dec. 16.
"Dear Sir,—To your inquiry whether I know
anything of the dismissal of General Mieroslawski,
I hasten to reply that I have received no credible
information with regard to the matter. The
despatches received here a few days ago from
the National Government, not only contained
no allusion to any such dismissal, but manifestly
retained General Mieroslawski in the official cha-
racter with which he was formerly clothed.
" I avail myself of this opportunity to repeat the
declaration I have already previously made, that I
consider myself and General Mieroslawski officials
of the National Government, and that the General
may reckon upon my assistance in every respect to
the full extent of the instructions which I have
received.

" Receive, &c.,
" Prince LADISLAUS CZARTORYSKI,
Diplomatic Agent of the National Government."

SAN DOMINGO.
MADRID, DEC. 22.

A steamer has arrived at Cadiz with news from
San Domingo to the 20th ult., confirming the defeat
of the Insurgents, and stating that a great number
of them had asked for pardon.

THE SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN QUESTION,
HAMBURG, DEC. 22 (Evening).
It is positively stated here that Hanoverian troops
will relieve the Austrians quartered in this city,
and that the whole of the Austrians will march into
Holstein.

THE EXECUTION IN HOLSTEIN.

BERLIN, Dec. 21,

The Federal troops are to enter Holstein the day
after to-morrow. Then will be the time to exclaim,
" .1-oda est alee," for those who still maintain that
the conflict is certain of pacific solution are either
deceived or wish to reassure the faint-hearted at
any price.

The German public generally will feel extremely
disappointed if the Danish quarrel terminates simply
with execution, and diplomacy succeeds in bringing
about one of those arrangements characterised in
Germany as "einenfoulen Frieden" (a rotten peace)
The Germans are bent upon the independence of
the twu Duchies, and mean to achieve it, if their
Governments do not stand in the way.
It is not easy to set Germany in motion, but it is
less easy still to arrest its progress where it was
once commenced to move. It will be difficult for
Prussia and Austria to permit the Danes to hold
their lines of fortifications at the Schleswig frontier
upon Holstein territory; and it is by no means
certain that, considering the excitement of the
population of Copenhagen, King Christian will dare
to order the evacuation of those military points. It
will be still more difficult for the Federal troops to
prevent the popular meetings which will proclaim
Duke Frederick as soon as the Danes have left.
The French papers Conseitutionnel and La France
point out that this embroglio is one proof the more
of the necessity of a Congress. Could such an as-
sembly have met immediately after the death of the
King of Denmark to discuss the question, it might
have succeeded in finding a pacific solution, but it
is now too late, and public opinion in Germany is
vehement against the idea of any interference what-
ever .of foreign Powers in the nationality dispute.
It would be hazardous to rely upon the firm
resolution of the Cabinets of Berlin and Vienna to
oppose the impetus of the German nation to the
end. They have left themselves a loophole in re
serving the succession question. It is well known
at Vienna that the assistance of Germany in certain
other eventualities is only to be reckoned upon if
Francis Joseph determines to satisfy the public
wish in the present dispute. It is even reported
that confidential communications in this sense have
been made by Bavaria and other German States
who act with Austria. As regards Prussia, it is
positively stated that the military party is urging
on the King, and that his Majesty's resistance is
more apparent than real.

PORTUGAL.

LISBON, ,DEc. 22.

The Government journal affirms that Ministers
will bring in a bill next session abolishing the to-
bacco monopoly.
The Federal corvette Saint Louis has arrived
here.

quoted at 1,037 f. 500. R
firm. The market closed

41 per Cents .. 94 10
Do. end month....
3 per Cents:
Do. end month 66 40
Credit MobiHer.... 1033 75
Do. end month 1033 75
Bank Shares 3350
Credit Foncier l2lO
Roman .

RAIL'

6ilway Market quiet, but
as follows :

Italian L0an...... 71 70
Do. end month....
New ditto ........
Do. end month....
Russian ........
Austrian ........
Spanish Threes.... 52
[Tome Debt ...... 51k
Deferred ........ 43a

'Airt3.
Cash. Account.
970 .. 967 50
965 .. 965

Orleans
Northern
New ditto
Lyons and Mediterranean
New ditto ...
Geneva..
Southern .. 677 50 .. 678 75
Western
Eastern
Sanlinian ..
Austrian
Lorph.ird
North of Spain ..... 517 50 .. 617 50
Saragossa.. 617 50 617 50
Ditto to Barcelona 302 50

925 -

•• - -
.. 926 25