The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-11 00:00:00

um SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, !:JITNE 11, 1863.

• drawal. At present great facilities are offered to
unscrupulous parties who do not hesitate to avail
themselves of them, and many abuses result. There
are two special evils which this bill is designed to
prevent—first, the presentation of sham petitions
got up for the purpose of inflicting annoyance, or
of extorting money ; and, secondly, what Mr.
HIINT called corrupt bargains, that is the system of
withdrawing a well-grounded petition on coming
to an agreement with the accused party. A mem-
ber, or his agents who bad bribed his way into Par-
liament, would certainly not hesitate to smooth
away the difficulties of an adverse petition by
the same easy means. Sir F. SLADE,
a gentleman of great experience in elec-
tion matters, stated before the select committee
appointed to inquire into the Corrupt Practices Act
1854, that he had often known sham petitions got
up against members for the purpose of extorting
from them £l,OOO. Mr. Cox, the member for Fins-
bury, confirmed this statement by a passage from
his own experience. He said that a petition was
presented against him in the year 1857, which
charged him and his agents with every crime which
could invalidate an election, But within 24 hours of
striking that petition, a man of respectable position
had called upon him, and told him that if he would
Pay him £5OO the petition should be withdrawn.
The effecting of compromises in the case of well-
founded petitions, is also a disgraceful system, and,
as Mr. HUNT truly observed, such petitions de-
serve no mercy. In many cases there is no doubt
that, as Mr. PHINN said before the Committee,
agents present petitions as people deal cards—as
fast as one side brought forward a petition the
other brought one to match it, quite regardless of
the real merits of the case. Mr. Cox divided the
election petitions into three classes, bona fide
petitions, frivolous and vexatious petitions, and
extortionate petitions. Mr. HUNT'S measure pro-
poses to deal with these several cases. He sug-
gests that at the beginning of each session a
small standing committee shall be appointed
by the general committee of elections, and that
when any person wishes to withdraw
a petition that standing committed should inquire
into the circumstances and make a report to the
House. if the committee report that the petition
is vexatious, the petitioner is to be liable to pay the
costs incurred by the sitting member and other
costs in addition, at the discretion of the committee.
If the petition is discovered to be withdrawn in
consequence of a corrupt compromise, the petitioner
shall forfeit his recognisances of £l,OOO which he
has necessarily previously entered into. rhe
general tone of the House was decided in favour of
the Bill, although exception was naturally taken to
some points of it. It was read a second time, and
was admitted on all sides to be " a step in the right
direction," although, as the Solicitor-General ob-
served, it will be necessary to guard carefully
against any urdue interference with the right of
petitioning. Still, in case of withdrawal, the peti-
tioners refuse to exercise that right, and it is cer-
tainly most unfair that a member should be put to
expense and annoyance merely to gratify a vexatious
spirit. The evils attending compromise and extor-
tion are of a worse degree, and the dignity of the
Legislature can hardly submit to be so trifled with.
With all this professed eagerness for purity of
election and an immaculate Parliament, it is strange
how members still manifest the same extraordi-
nary reluctance to try the radical cure for all these
discrepancies in our representative system, which
is to be found in the Ballot.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.
(REUTER'S TRLEGRAMS.)

(By Telegraph to Cape Race.)

NEW YORK, Jane L

Advices from Vicksburg ere to May 27. The
Federals bad been repulsed in three assaults. The
last assault was made by Gen. Sherman, with 20,000
men, and be lost 600 killed and a large number
wounded. The Federal outer lines were within 100
yards of the Confederate works. The Confederate
fortifications consist of a chain of forts 800 yards
apart, connected by deep entrenchments and ex-
tending several miles. It is supposed that regular
siege operations will be necessary to capture the city.
Apprehensions are entertained of an attack in
Gen. Grant's rear.

Gen. Johnstone was reported to be in the neigh•
bourhood of Jackson, with 15,000 men, short of pro

visions.

Southern journals assert that two gunboats had
been sunk at Vicksburg, and that Gen. Banks had
crossed the Mississippi at Bayou Sara, seven miles
above Port Hudson.
Commodore Porter officially reports that he has
destroyed the navy yards at Yazoo city, together
with three powerful steamers, a formidable ram, all
kinds of machinery, and property valued at two
millions of dole.

Despatches from Murfreesboro state that the Con-
federate Gen. Marmaduke was reported to have cap.
tured Helena, Arkansas, and many negro soldiers,
all of whom, together with their officers, he had
hung. The public await further advices before
crediting this report.
Gen. Burnside has informed Gen. Bragg that ho
should hang ten Confederate officers if the Confede-
rates retaliated for the two whom Gen. Burnside
asserts were spies, tried and condemned in accord-
ance with the usages of war.
The movement in Gen. Lee's army on the Rappa-
hannock continues, but it is still matter of coojecture
against what point it is directed.

(Per the North American.)
NEW YORK, MAY 30 (Evening).
(By Telegraph to Father Point.)
Nothing decisive hae been yet received from
Vicksburg.
The Ne w York Democratic Committee has passed
resolutions protesting against any negotiations for
peace by the Administration, except upon the basis
of the preservation of the union and of the con-
stitution.

The Jura has been intercepted off Cape Race.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

NEW YORK, MAY 30, EVENING.

Money easy. Gold, 45 per cent. premium; Ex-
change on London Bankers' Bills, 158 i; Stocks
improving—New York Centrals, 1231-; Illinois,
109/ ; Erie, 95?,- ; 6 per cent. ILlited
States Bonds, 108. Cotton quiet. Middling Up-
land, 51c. Flour very firm. Wheat in good de-
mand for export, and lc. higher. Corn improving,
Provisions, c..flee, sugar, and petroleum dull. Mo-
lasses quiet.
The North American takes out 59,000 dollars in
specie.

(REUTER'S EXPRESS.)
(Per the City of Baltimore.)
NEW YORK, May 30.
The fol'owing is the " Situation," from the New
York Herald of May 30 :
Dispatches from Gen. Grant were received at the
War Department yesterday, which are more satis-
factory bicause of an official and reliable character
relative to the condition of afflirs at Vicksburg.
Gen. Grant's despatches are dated Monday, the 25th
inst., three days later than the previous despatches
received by the Government, and they represent the
siege as progressing satisfactorily up to that time,
and that Gen. Grant was quite able to maintain the

investment of the city and repel any attack in his
rear. This is the latest news we have from that
quarter. The intelligence to Friday last, the 22d
inst., telegraphed from the field on Saturday, was
that Grant's army had been repulsed in all parts of
its lines—that the repulse was complete, but the
troops were then intrenching themselves and build-
ing rifle pits. The final success of the Union army
was, however, fully assured. Gen. Grant is reported
by despatches from Memphis as having captured all

the redoubts, takirg some of them by means o:

scaling ladders. Frightful havoc was done by the
enemy's shells during the storming. A telegram
from Murfreesboro yesterday says that General
Grant had made something like a general attack
upon the rebel works at Vicksburg since Sunday
and failed to carry them ; that he had thereupon con-
cluded that the place was too strong to be taken by
assault, and had opened a terrible and sustained fire
upon it with his artillery. General Johnston had
not then attacked General Grant, but was still col-
lecting forces in his rear. He had managed to send
word to the garrison that if they should hold out
for 15 days he would raise the siege with an army
of 100,000 men. He also said he would do this if
he abandoned every other point in his department.
The most interesting news from Gen. Hooker's
army is that a balloon reconnoissance yesterday
failed to discover any indication of a move on the
part of the enemy, although their camps and the
whole country were clearly visible. It was believed,
however, that a portion of the rebel forces had
passed up the Rappahannock.
Our marine brigade in the West has been distin-
guishing itself. An official despatch to the War
Department yesterday from General Ellet, com-
manding the ram fleet, dated Helena, Arkansas,
May 25, says that as his command was descending
the river from Memphis, May 23, the Commissary and
Quartermaster's boat was fired into from the Missis-
sippi side by the enemy, with two pieces of artillery,
about six miles above Austria. He returned next
day and landed his troops, when the cavalry under
Major Hubbard, 200 strong, came up with the
enemy, 1,000 strong, all mounted, and eight miles
out. The fight lasted nearly two hours. The M jor
was compelled to take shelter in a favourable po•i-
tion, where he succeeded in repulsing the enemy,
and finally drove them off before the infantry could
come to his relief.

General Eliet burned the town of Austria, having
first searched every building, As the fire progressed
the discharge of loaded firearms was like volleys of
musketry as the fire reached their hiding places,
and two heavy explosions of powder alto occurred.
The loss of our troops was only two killed and 19
wounded. The enemy lost five killed and three
prisoners.

Our army correspondence from different sources,
which we give to-day, presents an excellent history,
in detail, of all the minor incidents and movements,
which combine to make up the picture of camp life
in all its curious vicissitudes, from Virginia to the
Far West—the courtesies between corps and corps,
the interesting ceremonies of flag presentations,
the distribution of medals and crosses to the brave,
and the dangerous irregular conflicts with guerillas
and hostile pickets.

Mr. Vallandigham appears by the latest reports to
be in a very uncomfortable position. He is at pre-
sent reported to be at General Bragg's headquar-
ters at Shelbyville, Tenn., awaiting-the fiat of Mr.
Davis. It is said that the latter gentleman, in
reply to a question of General Bragg as to the dis-
position of Mr. V., stated that if he took the oath
of allegiance to the Southern Confederacy he might
remain within its jurisdiction, but if he refused he
must be sent back within the Federal lines. As Mr.
Vallandigham has always professed to be an uncom-
promising Union man, and as he is not regarded
with a very friendly feeling at the S,uth, it is not
likely that he will conform to Mr. Jefferson David's
demand, so that we may see him back again before
long, to be once more adjudicated upon and disposed
of by the United States Government.
The recent raids of the privateer Alabama on the
coast of Brazil have provoked the authorities of that
country to remove the commander at Fernando de
Noronha, for permitting her to comulit depreda-
tions in Brazilian waters, and her presence in that
region was forbidden by his successor. The Navy
Department sent the Vanderbilt down there to ,our:
after the Alabama, with a view especially to Fer-
nando de Noronha; but es soon as she got to the
West Indies Admiral Wilkes took pOlitAbbiol2 of her

as his flagship, and she was cruising under his
direction at last accounts.

SOUTHERN ACCOUNTS FROM VICKSBURG.
The following despatches from General Pember,
ton, the commander at Vicksburg, were sant to
Jackson, Mississippi, and from thence telegraphed
to President Davis :

VICKSBURG, May 20, 1863.
The enemy assaulted our entrenchments yester-
day on our centre and left. They were repulsed
with heavy loss. Our loss is small. The enemy's
force is at least 60,000.

VICKSBURG, May 21, 1863.
The enemy kept up a heavy artillery fire yester
day. Two of our guns were dismounted in the
centre. Our works, however, were uninjured.
Their sharpshooters picked cff officers and men an
day. Our works were repaired and our guns re-
placed last night. Our men are encouraged by a
report that General Johnstone is near with a large
army, and are in good spirits.

May 21, 2 p.m.

We have had brisk artillery and musketry firing
today; also heavy mortar firing from gunboats.
Eight o'cicck, p.m.

During the past two days transports with troops
have gone up the river. Their destination is
unknown.

(Telegrams to the Richmond Examiner.)
MOBILE, May 23, 1863.

A special despatch to the Advertiser and _Register,
dated to-day, says :—The latest from Vickburg is
to Thursday night. The enemy had been foiled in
all his efforts. His dead strew the ground in front
of our works. According to one estimate his loss
is 10,000.

The following are the latest despatches from
Vicksburg in full :

MOBILE, May 25.
The Jackson Mississzpian, of Saturday, says :
The enemy have attacked the works at Vicks-
burg six times—three times yesterday, and each
time were repulsed with immense loss. General
Stevenson says he can hold Vicksburg indefinitely.

(From the Richmond Examiner, _May 27.)
The only news we have of affairs about Vicksburg
is contained in the telegraphic despatches pub-
lished in another column. Up to the time of the
closing of the War-office last night nothing addi-
tional had been received.

It was reported yesterday morning that at a late
hour on the previous night the President had re-
ceived official intelligence that General Johnstone
had attacked and routed Grant, and captured 17,000
prisoners. The report was without foundation in
fact.

HALIFAX, N.S,, May 29.

The election yesterday resulted in the serious de-
feat of the Government party. "John Jones'.
Howe is defeated. [This means " the Hon. Joseph
Howe."]
The Opposition will have at least 40 members in
the next Legislature.

In the last Legislature the Opposition had 24
members and the Government 28.

BOSTON, May 29.
Major-General Butler dined at Young's Hotel
to-day. He left for 1.43we1i in the afternoon train,
and will delirer an address in that city to-night in
furtherance of aid to the suffering poor of Ireland.

ATLANTA, May 23.

Gen. Grant entered the State of Mississippi by
crossing the river five miles below Grand Gulf with
from 60,000 to 100,000 men, including a heavy
force of cavalry. He has received no reinforcements
from Louisana, but receives accessions con3tautl)
from the west bank of the river. His transporca-
tion is all on the river, and must cling to the river
banks.