The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-15 00:00:00

COLONIAL.

TEA.—The operations have been very limited, and prices
have remained without any change of importance.
Su GAY.. —A very moderate business has been entered into,
and except for good and fine descriptions, prices have
slightly given way. In the refined market business has
been dull, and quotations show a slight decline.

COFFEE.—A moderate amount of business has been trans-
acted in colonial descriptions at about previous rates.
RlCE.—Only a limited inquiry has been experienced, low
East India qualities, however, havo been at fully previous
prices. In the other descriptions there is no change to
report.
SALTPETRE —Business has been very dull, and prices
have in some instances slightly given way.
TALLOW--A firmer tone has prevailed, the demand for
home consumption having slightly improved, while a large
speculative business has been done for forward delivery.
P,Y.C. on the spot is quoted 435, and last 3 months, 45s 9d
per cwt.

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day.

(RETJTER'S TELEGRAM.)

A strong and firm market all the week, and
though the demand slightly slacked off at the close
prices remain steady. American ld., Brazil
Egyptian and Surat id. to id., Bengal Id., and
China ld. per lb. dearer than last Friday.
Committee quotations for fair are, Orleans 251;
Mobile, 25; Upland, 241 ; Estimated Middling Or-
leans, 231 ; Mobile, 224 ; Upland, 22. Esti-
mated fair Egyptian 221. Sales of the
week, 78,270 bales, including 31,440 on speculation,
and 12,620 for exportation. Stook, 335,900 bales.
Surat 81 to 194. Imports of the week, 64,857
bales. Sales probably about 6,000. Market quiet.

SERIOUS FIRES THIS DAY.—An extensive con-
flagration took place this morning in the Eagle
Wharf-road, in an extensive range of workshops, and be-
fore the flames were extinguished a greater part of the build-
ing was destroyed, and the two adjoining houses severely
damaged. About two o'clock another fire was discovered
by the police, in the house occupied by Mr. Jones, Twister's
court, Bunhill-row. Mrs. Jones and three other persons
were not rescued from the building before they were
severely injured. The house was entirely destroyed,
FEDERAL ARMY RETELATIONS.—Advance copies
of the three volumes of the Report and Evidence
taken before the Committee on the Conduct of the War
have just been furnished to the various correspondents of
the Federal press. These volumes make in the aggregate
1,928 large octavo pages. It appears from a cursory glance
at the documents that Major-General Butler was asked
whether intoxicating liquors were used in the army. To
this General Butler replied as follows :—" They are, to a
most woful extent." As an illustration, General Butler
said, "We used to send a picket guard up a mile and a
half from Fortress Monroe. The men would leave per-
fectly sober, yet every night when they came back we
would have trouble with them on account of their being
drunk. Where they got the liquor from we could
not tell. Night after night me instituted a rigorous
examination, but it wss always the same. The men were
examined over and over again, their canteens were in-
spected, and yet we could find no liquor about them. At last
it was observed that they seemed to hold their guns up very
straight, and, upon an examination being made, it was found
that every gun- barrel was filled with whiskey; and it is not
always the soldiers who do this. I ordered a search of the
Adams's Express Company, and examined the packages
sent to the soldiers by their friends, and in one day I have
taken 160 different packages of liquor from the trunks, boxes,
and packages sent to the soldiers by their sympathising
friends at home." General Butler says he took measures to
suppress this abuse. Capt. Williams, Brigade Commissary in
General Blenker's division, said, in answer to the question as
regards sobriety, &c., " I think it safe to say that you can go
there any day in the week, and find, on an average, 600 men
in that division who you would say were unfit for duty—drunk
enough to put the whole division to flight on the field of
battle." Since this testimony was taken the liquor supplies
have, to a considerable extent, been abridged. It appears by
the testimony of Major-General Butler (Feb. 2, 1863) that
11 days before Major-General Banks left New York, it was
known in New Orleans that the former was to be superseded
by him, and a bet of "one hundred to ten dollars" was
made in a " Smash club-room" that within 20 days General
Butler would bo relieved by General Banks. Gen. Wcitzel's
scouts brought in the same news from the Tether and a
n.
"drunken broker," whom General Butler had put on tp
Island for " three months," and who had served out his
time there, came to General Shepley as early as that day,
and boasted of the fact of " General Butler being superseded
by General Banks." Lieut.-Colonel Fiske, of the 2d New
Hampshire regiment, testified that he was informed by a
Staff officer, about tho Bth of February, 1862, that the
enemy had cried out the countersign across the Potomac
river before our pickets had received it. The countersign
was ' Chippeway.' This was the day when the Pensacola
was expected down. The supposed reason givenforei.t
Thewas
that it might have been taken from the telegraph Wire.
information was telegraphed down to our division 'that the
Pensacola would come down that night.' What the rebels
cried out was ' The Pensacola is coming down to-night,
isn't she ? Damn her, we are ready for her I We have
got your countersign—Chippewa., The witness said ho
had no other theory
by which to explain how
the enemy
obtained the countersign,

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at
the usual hour.
THE VIADUCT OVER LUDGATE-HILL.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from the
Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's against the proposed rail-
way viaduct over Ludgate-hill.
Lord CHELMSFOR also presented petitions to the
same effect. He regretted the petitioners had not considered
this subject before the bill authorizing the cr.nstruction of
the viaduct had come before the house. The only question
that now remained was, whether the powers given by the
bill could be stayed.
Lord HARRIS said he considered the railway would be
a great public convenience, and as nearly four millions of
money had been spent in bringing it to the Surrey side of
the water, it would be a very serious matter to alter the
provisions of the measure.
After a few words from Lord WODEHOUSE,
Lord REDESDALE said that, although the London,
Chatham, and Dover Railway had powers to make
the viaduct, they did not intend to continue the line beyond
Earl-street, Blackfriars, at present from want of capital,
and they had now a bill before Parliament for the purpose
of raising capital, and for further powers. It was of course
a very important question as to what the house could do
with regard to the powers already granted. It ought not to
bo disposad of in a conversation at a moment's notice. It
would be advisable that the committee on the bill should
know the opinion of the house upon the point.
The subject then droppel.
DUCHY OF CORNWALL MANAGEMENT BILL.
On the motion of the Duke of NEWCASTLE, this bill
was read a second time, and it was agreed to take the dis-
cussion on going into committee on Friday, June b.