The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-28 00:00:00

THE FEDERAL EXECUTION.

ALTONA, Dec. 25 (Evening).

The Federal Civil Commissioners have issueil
proclamation stating that Altona will be their E eat
for the transaction of business. The reports pith erto
sent to Herr von Ploen at Copenhagen are het lee-
forth to be forwarded to the commission era.
Prayers are to be put up in the churches only for
the Government, its councillors, and servants.
The Danish troops leave Neumunster to-day.
Duke Frederick has been proclaimed in Pinne-
berg, Elrushorn, and G!uckstadt.
A meeting of deputies from all Ines of the,
country is to be held at EmsUorn on Sunday.

Editors of Newspapers.

--~----

The statistics of the last Decennial Census show that in
1861 there were 1,673 persons engaced in literature in the
capacities of authors, editors, and writers. Of these 1,5',8
were inn, and 145 women. Bearing in mind the great
spreed of education in Great Therein curing the past ten
years, it is remarkable, says the Athenceum, that the above
numbers should differ but slightly trout 6illl lar returns in
ISSI, At that period the numbers professing to be engaged
in literature were 1,501 maws and 109 females. As may be
expected, of the 1,673 persons recorded in 1861 as living by
the profession of literature, more than one-halt (795) reside
in the Metropolitan district.
There is nothing to prevent Mr. Cobden, remarks the
Saturday _Review, from imita'ing, if he pleases, the example
of those choice spirits who supply London news to the
American papers. He is at liberty to publish the names of
the persons aehom he knows or guesses to be the editors,
the contributors, and the correspondents of the Times. ife
may glean or invent facts illustrating their private life, and
may describe, if they have ever had the pleasure of dining
in the same company with him, the kind of wine they pre-
fer, and the dishes to which they are partial. It is by reve-
lations of this sort that the inquiring American strives to
allay the curiosity of his countrymen, and to strip off the
irritating veil of anonymous journalism. Mr. Cobden might
do all this, and yet the wisest way would be, we think, to
take no notice of him. There are certain minor annoyances
to which every man may be subject who adheres to a course
of conduct proved to be, on the whole, beneficial to the
country at large. It is highly desirable to have no more
duels, but it is very annoying that a little man who is pule-
liely horsewhipped by a big man should have no quicker
and more animated mode of getting redress than bringing
his triumphant enemy before a police court. In the same
way it may be hard for a sensitive man to be told that he is a
coward and a libellous scoundrel, and that his name in full
and all his wickedness shall be revealed in the _Morning
Star, But an editor must learn to bear this, because it is
for the public good that anonymous, journalism sh uld go
on. And, practically it is proved that society, when it has
found out that a thing is desirable, can generally manage to
carry it out. The disuse of duelling might have led to in-
tolerable arrogance on the part of bullies no longer in fear
of fitting punishment, or to nervous men shrinking pain..
fully from the imputation of screening their fear under a
politic dislike of duelling. This has not happened, because
society, seeing that if either of these risks became
common, duelling could
mined that neither the bully •y,
should bully with impunity,
not fall into disuse, deter-
nor the nervous have cause to feel ashamed. The bully
was simply cut in society, and the nervous men encouraged,
and there was an end of the whole difficulty. In the same
way, anonymous journalism exposes the criticised to be
wrongly attacked from personal motives, and the critic to
be wrongly suspected of saying secretly what they would
not dare to say openly. Society in a great measur reme-
dies both these evils. If public men are treated unjustly
by a newspaper, it the language used about them is scurril-
ous, if the opinions advocated are manifestly those of a
small clique, or are determined by private considerations,
society condemns the journal to obscurity. It sinks out of
circulation in the educated and governing classes, and de-
rives a precarious support trom those to whom such language
is palatable. If, on the other hand, the anonywn.lB
journalist or editor is wrongfully denounced, even in the
columns of the Morning Star, no great notice is taken of
it, and the world of newspaper readers is content to take its
own measure of the honesty and ability of the articles it
studies. The next time the editor of the Times is threatened
in-
furiated popalar orator, we hope that he will resohrely
with an exposure of his real name and address by an
abide the coming of this mighty stroke of fate, and we will
venture to prophesy he will survive it. ,
There was a time, says the London Review, when the
English aristocracy affected a disdain fcr newspaper writers
and editors, Bat sounder and more generous views prevail.
Men of letters now receive a gracious welcome into the best
society ; and the journals to whose responsible managers
every good house is open, offer the brightest examples of
the self-respect, good faith, and courtesy which belong to
good society.
The revolution in modern journalism has effected an im-
mense change in the relative positions of public speakers
end public writers, In the days of Pitt and Fox states-
men gave the tone to journalists, In the present day the
newspaper instincts the statesman. It drags to light abuses,
collects opinions from practical men, winnows the chaff
from the wheat, points the way to reform, and hands the
question over to the statesman when it is ripe for legisla-
tion. The public orator, when. backed by the press, may be
said to be irresistible ; but unless he is aided by the news-
paper writer, he has little power over public opinion. Mr.
Cobden is himself an illustration of this " modern instance."
His career as an agitator has had two phases. He laboured
to demolish the Corn-laws; he began to be listened to by
the public as the press took up the cause of free trade ; and
came out
ahneakdneeowlertehde
tbbaettLleeewgause won when Navh,e,ngrethate
tact." Mr,
unpopu-
as against the Corn-laws. Yet he incurred so muchn
amain,
Cob-
den's opinions against the Russian. war were quite as
1 aity, and his sentiments were held to be soduin
P and his
lieutenants were beaten in the ofheadquarteereste
I that he was obliged to retire from the West siding,
of Parlia-
mentary is an. energetic and persistent advseu_rage,
the cut _
Reform, the extension of fhle.n tree trade.
of constructing
ting down of the estimates, the imp° 1
every de-
sYruall freeholds to
that may
fortifications, the advantage of
aGovernment. that
mall
mlabenozinbgow7vener, • aunodreteh:onapbolleicyngd?ivf:nuegnlcleadtiinngg,
be made by the Federal
nd
He urges them in
these topics he feels stroll. Times
repute
his
season and out of season. The
powerful voice that enforced echoed,
minuteness. But the
confines reverberated his Free-trade.nthese latter days bee lirt-hest
confines of civilisation,b,
its u silent
hasiellds no longer the
speeches with scrupulus but ill-requited fieelity and
or menacing. The.orator of Jove,
thet
the despised new He
has
measured himself agaiini.s
Iliac ill spaper writer,
and has received afe ce ache-Imre I He can
rthuctkhebypress, and public opinion
sv
thunder of O.
make no way
but is himself
with
is therefore
dead against him.
There never was
a time in the history of mankind when
per editor and newspaper writers had more occa-
sion newspa
their office.
The • •
sion to magnifYe life of modern intellect is
becoming more and more determined to the daily news-
tapers.

TIIE NEW ROYAL ACADEMICIANS.—Mr. E. 7.
and Mr. Faed, between Mr. Cooke and
Millais and Mr. "P,
• W. Cooke have been elected
Feed is the yoangest associate, and it
Royal Academicians,
the contest being between Mr.Millaia
now vacant among
highest honours Mr• Horsley. Mr.
such a one to come
into immediate comperilioA foe the
is very unusual for
Four or five seats are
of the Academy.
soulptor.
her way to As the Sir Isaac Newton was on
100 passengers on
Al-
bany on the night of the sth.
Associates—one a whom must be a
aboveiLl'occurred,—the bottom of
board, 'when a terrific
explosiono out, the fire hurled through
one of the boilers was
thrown
cabin, and the vessel
the ventilator into
inextin-
guishably fired. the
eor seven persons were killed, but nll
The New York limes describes the
confusion :—" When the burning
downof great
e ventilator into the lower cabin, they
coals came lctios. One gentleman, lifting a cup of
scattered in 81,,,,,h, was struck and burnt on his hand.
tshceenreesatawoearee rescued.
coffee to
coffee •thr. own boiling over his face by a
A. lady had
red-hot haislig Weng into the cup.
one-third of the pas-
et on fire. About
rs were women and children,
and the most inde-
scribable,enge terror reigned. The wildest rumours ran from
th to ear that the boat was sinking, and a scene
woe.
of heart-rending agony occurred. Fortunately there
breve men on board, who checked the
her Another
clothes
,hioastidnisl
were coal,
frantic women and shamed the cowardly men, and thus
saved many who would have recklessly rushed to the
guards and thrown themselves overboard ; but it required,
the greatest courage and self-possession to prevent the
most fearful results. Many of the lady passengers made
wild efforts to throw themselves into the water. In ten
minutes after the explosion the entire midships was in.
flames. The passengers had, fortunately, nearly all rushed
alt. A guardian angel was at hand—the steamer Daniel
S. Miller, of Coxsacle, commanded by Captain John Smith
—ever honoured be his name—with three barges in tow.
He ran up to the starboard quarters, made fast, and, at once
set himself to work to save this passengers. The ladies and
children were first passed on board. Several cowardly men
tried to crowd in advance of them, but were summarily thrust
back by the brave spirits who sought to rescue. Selfishness
bad an exemplification on this occasion—one man had four
life-preservers on his person. There were a number of
valuable horses on board. One escaped and swam to Fort
Washington, and was captured by the Dolicemen of eapt.
Wilson's precinct."

deputies in the third circumscription
The Moniteur publishes Imperial decrees fixing.
the 17th and 18th January for the new election for
of depart-
meat of the Bas-Rhin, the second of the Gara, and
the first of the Wosges, in the place of M. Z)rm de
Bulach,
M. Ernest Andre, and Count Boucier
Villers, whose eiectiovs were recently annulled.