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

t hem to l' e more generally known, the adoption of
he "it ,proved rudder" will become general. The
a ttenti, Jn of the Government should be particularly
direct ed to such improvements ; and, after the
satin! actory experience of the Columbine, the new
rude ter, here noticed, ought, certainly, to be affixed
to, every vessel in course of construction.

Mr. VILLIERS has been trying to set forward the
c laims of her MAJESTY'S Ministers to public ap-
-1 ,roval with the best possible grace. Perhaps all
i aay not concur in the validity of his arguments,
s ,nd may even go so far as to assert that he has
Ppoken with the prejudices and prejudging of one
in the Ministry, and not with the
wodheo regardsliberat the
deliberate
and unbiassed opinions of one
'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 names 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
a convenient mode of settling awkward affairs. In
his remarks on America, Mr.Venmens displayed the
weakness of his cause, and showed bow 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 stricey 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 secret orders, and to make
public decrees by which they may waylay and cap-
ture the vessels of a nation that was once the mis-
tress of the deep ; when the flag that " braved a
thousand 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, ternpora 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 60 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-
ment when it departs, is, according to this dis-
course, their advocacy of the non-intervention prin-
ciple, then they stand bat a very sorry chance, and
are likely to come off very badly indeed. Mr.
VILLIERS has made an 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-
ments are more or less the exponents of the policy
and the epitome of the plans of action desired by
h
e let authority. It is then certain that our
l'Anaietersbatrltee leaning on a reed if they hope that
American and spiritless course now adopted in
aff
toshvueirisittdaoraoalythaiitz
awpiplrlobacehittihgeisratriosafadettioon. honour,Nuthinoor
a complicate::
those statesmen
the
holdetteneedd in
and
precarious
and energetic conduct in such
,viPtieecarious series of events, and
policy
ioweuwinlslt7rynenieureahuo,
baudtoiapotnaoutrimid.. and shuffling
making converts to
decided spirits who love
themore, and despise
a, great questions at
atthhneediirreovcndemn all treatment °f
a nation with the petty and
prejudiced class of politicians. sectarian views of a

ne condition of the cotton trade
1.
5' 'Nithout
doubt, a serious consideration
to the
owners of the Southern States. The' Pi4utetonn
,r chief
t-Aner, suddenly deprived of the accustomed supply eUB.'
is forced to look elsewhere for the raw material,
and the Confederate cotton cultivators may justly
feel Justly
feel uneasy at the prospect of flourishing
markets opening up in other qtorters. They have
so long been accustomed to contribute nearly the
whole amount required by our mills that they find
it difficuit to realise the possibility, now confidently
talked about, of a sufficient quantity of raw mate-
rial being derived from other places. Neither can
it be supposed that they will look very kindly on
Y of the efforts now making to extend the growth
and culture of the cotton plant, atd we must be