The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-12 00:00:00

t hem to be more generally known, the adoption of
the " improved rudder" will become general. The
attention of the Government should be particularly
( lirected to such improvements ; and, after the
'satisfactory experience of the Columbine, the new
;rudder, here noticed, ought, certainly, to be affixed
:to every vessel in course of construction.

Mr.VILLIERs has been trying to set forward the
claims of her MAJESTY'S Ministers to public ap-
proval with the best possible grace. Perhaps all
may not concur in the validity of his arguments,
and may even go so far as to assert that he has
spoken with the prejudices and prejudging of one
in the Ministry, and not with the deliberate sur-
vey and unbiassed opinions of one who regards the
transactions of the day from afar. It might have
been very satisfactory for Mr. VILLIERS to draw
inferences from the favourable reception accorded
to the ntimes of the Ministers, as to its representa-
tion of the sentiments of the country, but it is to be
questioned if such really were the case, and if the
general verdict of the nation would coincide with
the flattering testimony of the Wolverhampton c'n-
stituents. In the first place, the right hon. gentle-
man was highly elated because the opponents of the
Government were not desirous of displacing them.
This idea may be carried too far, and some day the
country may evidence a wish to displace a Govern-
ment that contains even men of such " extraordi-
nary talent" as Mr. GLADSTONE, and also " men of
such large experience as Lords RUSSELL and PAL-
mERSTON.” Too late they may find out that they
are mistaken, and the courtesy of their political
opponents, while it does them honour, cannot re-
dound to their credit in a particular manner, and is
aconvenient mode of settling awkward affairs. In
his remarks on America, Mr.VILLIERs displayed the
weakness of his cause, and showed how the interior
affairs of the Cabinet are being arranged. It is
something rather peculiar to listen to such argu-
ments as these, even when it is considered that
they may be uttered by a man who is in a position
that requires some ingenious explanations. When
we are told that the pledge of neutrality to each
conflicting party in America " has been strict'.y and
honourably observed," we are tempted to inquire if
the conveyor of such information has studied the
public events of the day. How does this compre-
hensive statement coincide with the question now
in dispute in the courts of law—how does it accord
with the redoubtable affair of the rams in the
Mersey. It is really astonishing to find a gentle-
man in Mr. VILLIERS' position put forward so un-
tenable an argument in support of the Ministry,
when all the facts of the case are patent to the
world, and are in diametrical opposition to his
views of the matter. When it is notorious that one
of the chief members of the Cabinet has announced
his intention of altering the laws of the land in
order to forward the interests and carry out the
intentions of one of the belligerent parties, of what
avail is it to declaim and declare that nothing is
to be done, or is doing, to suit the wishes of either
side. It is really quite absurd, and, like all very
extreme measures, can but militate against the
cause that it professes to serve. The general topic
of conversation, and the chief subject of discussion
in the newspapers, has been the extraordinary
favouritism shown by Ministers to the Federals ;
and now we have a member of the Cabinet coming
forward to say to his constituents that a strict and
honourable neutrality has been maintained. After
this we may expect anything remarkable or incom-
prehensible in the way of confidential disclosures,
that are only uttered to be widely circulated and
extensively spread about. The allusions to the
"spirit and success" with which the honour of the

British flag has been vindicated seem very purpose•
less, when we call to mind the insults received and
the injuries inflicted on our vessels, and the

almost total stoppage to our commerce in

some localities. When unlimited power is
given to a bullying Government like that of

Washington to issue mecret orders,.and to make

public decrees by which they may waylay and cap-

;ure the vessels of a nation that was once the mis

,ress of the deep ; when the flag that " braved a

,housand years the battle and the breeze" is to be

no protection from ignominious capture and over-
weening insolence of inspection, it is a waste of
time and a loss of words to attempt to exonerate,
still less to extol, the conduct of affairs which have
brought things to such a pass. When we reflect

on what is now and what has been, the natural

exclamation must be, tempora mutantur et nos

mutanum in illis ; and, therefore, these grandilo•

quent asseverations regarding the vast benefits and

blessings that accrue from the present system seem

at the best to be rather out of place. It is all very
well to say that the Americans are to settle their

affairs as they please, and no one has a right to

interfere; but that immunity Cannot apply to their

persistence in meddling with our affairs, and it can.

not indemnify our Government for coming forward

in so marked a manner to render their assistance,

and to propitiate them at all hazards, even when
the issue turned upon the forfeiture of political

support and of offence given to important interests
in the community. If the only claim to success,

and the highest tribute to the merit of this Govern

went when it departs, is, according to this dis

course, their advocacy of the nonintervention prin-
ciple, then they stand but a very sorry chance, and
are likely to come off very badly indeed. Mr.
VILLIERS has made a❑ agreeable and interesting

speech, which doubtless delighted his hearers and
will be highly applauded by his colleagues, but

as regards the soundness of the arguments of the
address it is otherwise, and more difficult to discourse
of it. Great allowances are always to be made for these
speeches, and of course no one dreams of attaching
the same import to them as they would to the same
things said in another place, but still these state-
meats are more or less the exponents of the policy
and the epitome off the plans of action desired by
'2" in authority. It is then certain that our
Ministers are leaning on a reed if they hope that
the time
ourst and spiritless course now adopted in
American ''itlirs will be their road to honour, or
a complicated
those statesmen
tthieg approaching
satisfaction. Nothing
"''nest and energetic conduct in such
vphroectiadrions series of events, and
much, but°h:oteaeutrimid
nwoillilcyd:wbiliQYl l neveradei e
and shuffling
elded spirits who love
more and despise
and condemn all treatment of the great' questions of
theirtileir vciouuwnst'rythe bold
and
a nation with the petty an
views of a
pr(judice
. d class of politicians, din.
m:tairniganconverts to

The condition of the cotton trade i,
doubt, a serious consideration to the psl:itil°"
owners of the Southern States. Their chief
turner, suddenly deprived of the accustomed supply,
is forced to look elsewhere for the raw material,
and the Confederate cotton cultivators may justly
feel uneasy at the prospect of flourishing cotton,
markets opening up in other quarters. They have
long been accustomed to contribute nearly the
whole amount required by our mills that they find
it difficult to realise the possibility, now confidently
talked about, of a sufficient quantity of raw mate-
r. t b ial being derived from other places. Neither can
any supposed that they will look very kindly on
of the efforts now making to extend the growth
and culture of the cotton
plant, and we must be