The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-04 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4, 1863.

Although Parliament will be formally opened to-
morrow, its Members will hardly buckle to their
work in earnest immediately. The marriage of His
Royal Highness the Prince of WALES, even after
the assembling of the Lords and Commons, cannot
but afford both Ministers and Opposition a yet fur-
ther interval for preparation. Any immediate dis-
turbance of the actual "situation," politically spe9,k-
ing, would, at the very least, it is felt on all hands,
be singularly inopportune. Therefore, until after
the brilliant ceremonial which is about to take
place—(strangely disappointing it is that we should
have to say, at Windsor, instead of in the metro-
polis)—the proceedings of the Legislature will be
merely of a preliminary character. The foils will
be handled, crossed, and sprung. Hostile attitudes
will be struck, probably enough, by one or another
of the leading fencers. But hardly isany
way likely that until after the happy bride and
bridegroom are away upon their honey_ moon, that
even were a pretence at a serious lunge will be made
by the most impatient master of the science among
the eager ranks of the Conservative Opposition. Then
—Sa Sa ! —carte and tierce—thrust and parry—
the blades will be flashing rapidly, we doubt not,
and in serious earnest. In earnest so serious, and
with an impetuosity so bald and resolute of its kind,
that, ten thousand chances to one, this session,
but what some stray button will have flown off in
the struggle—with a result that may be conjec-
tured.

Foremost among the labours of the session about
to commence to-morrrow will be a very labour
love, the arrangement by the House of Commons
of a suitable dotation for his Royal Highness the
Prince of WALES, or rather for his coming bride the
fair young Danish Princess. Thanks to the provident
care with which the beloved and revered PRINCE
CONSORT husbanded the funds and estates set
apart for the Heir Apparent from the date of his
birth, now a little over one and twenty years ago,
the resources at the command of the Prince of
WALES, upon his entrance into public life at the
dawn of his manhood, are as ample as could reason-
ably have been hoped by the loyal subjects of the
SOVEREIGN. Yet, beyond the revenues pouring
thus in regular course into the coffers of his Royal
Highness, there will necessarily require to be a
fitting dotation voted by the House of Commons,
now that his Royal Highness is aboat to espouse, that
ohoiee not of diplomacy, but of his own affections,
of Denmark.
the Princess ALEXANDRA And
whatever that dote tion is decided to be,
who will
begrudge it ? Not the most parsimonious stickler
for economy in Parliament or out of Parliament!
The member for Lambeth might look benignantly
at the passing of that first vote of the session nemine
contradicente. It might almost assuage the manes
of the late member for Montrose—this welcome dis•
bursement of the public money, against the eager
suggestion of which even his voice would infallibly
not have been raised even in a whisper in terms of
deprecation. Freighted the vote will be as it
passes through the House with the love and hope
and gratitude of a loyal and happy generation of
freeborn Englishmen. Threefold in their way are
these heart-drawn feelings of the subjects of the
Crown, referring as they do to the past,to the pre-
sent, and to the future. Gratitude in the past to
the memory of the PRINCE CONSORT ! Love as
present, no less than in the
well as gratitude in the
past to the reigning SOVEREIGN of these realms,
the most benignant and enlightened of all the Con-
s that have for centuries
titutional Sovereigns
graced the throne of England ! Hope the fairest,
the brightest, the most auspicious in the radiant
future now opening up before his Royal Highness
the PRINCE OF WALES. After the vote in Feb-
ruary will come the marriage in March : and then,
before those approaching ides of March have far
advanced upon us—then, hardly later will come the
fierce political contention now looming up more
visibly than the proverbial thunder-cloud the size

of a man's hand, just now emerging above the rim
of the horizon.

That legislative thundercloud is not, as it has
been for the last few years, broadly financial of its
kind ! The latest of those passing storm
clouds having proved eventually to have had
not merely a silver, but, as the happy
issue shows, a very golden lining! From
a succession of depressing deficits we have now
the prospect of suddenly springing up to a
most exhiliarating and refreshing surplus. A sur-
plus all the more welcome, coming as it does to us,
upon the morrow of a formidable depression and
even a protracted destitution in the manufacturing
districts, more particularly in the north-west of
England, but above all in once flourishing,
opulent, laborious Lancashire. For once, after
so long a gap of difficulties, the question before the
Chancellor of the Exchequer is to be what taxes
were to be remitted—not as happened in the instance
of the impost upon paper, at an inopportune moment,
when its advantages were somewhat equivocal, but
eagerly and unhesitatingly as a boon accorded
with an open hand to the whole community. The
pleasant bewilderment now will be, as to whether
the war tax on tea and sugar shall be remitted, or an
abatement made in the duty upon tobacco, or two-
pence in the pound dropped deliciously from that
depressing incubus of the income-tax ! Delightful
hesitation it will be—one awakening all the nation's
hopes, instead of, as hitherto, latterly, all its som-
brest fears, when the Master Orator of Finance shall
rise on the appointed evening, and advancing a
step from the treasury bench to the table of the
House, there unfold the secrets of that mystic
wallet of a Chancellor of theErchequer—his Budget.
Not in that direction—happily—are we to look
for the still more than ever inevi►able provocative
to discussion! More this session by the way than
any mere provocative to discussion the
opening up of a deliberately arranged debate
that in its consequences will possibly, will proba-
bly lead to an adverse division ; an event certain—
supposing it should really come to pass (and almost
every one expects it !)—an event certain not
in that case to lead to a resignation of Ministers,
but to a dissolution of the present Parliament.
Parties are so nicely balanced now in the House of
Commons that less than a straw, a mere breath
might turn the scale at any moment. At any
moment, that is, when the Session shall have really
commenced in earnest—and commence in earnest
it will, we may rest assured, immediately after the
Prince's Marriage.

The last news from America, just received by the
City of Baltimore and the Jura, reach to Saturday
evening, the 24th January, and seem to indicate
pretty plainly that the beginning of the end is
about to commence. The money value of Mr.
CHASE'S greenbacks has touched the culminating
point. Gold is up to 50 per cent., and paper is
down in the same proportion, and it will require
all the financial wit of Mr. CHASE and more than
the liberality of Wall-street to redress the balance
of American credit. Even the confidence of
the hopeful money-changers is shaken at last.
The matchless integrity of the Government
and the boundless belief of money making patriots
have come to a sort of dead-look at the very
moment when everything was expected to run
smooth as before. It is an awkward conjurcture for
both parties—and rumour as usual runs riot in the
regions of doubt. Nor does contradiction reassure
the hopeful, for no sooner is one ugly report dis-
posed of than the unbelieving shake their heads
and whisper—" Wait till to-morrow t" " I tremble
for the army of the Potomac, says one—and I have
sad misgivings for the army of the South West,"
says another. So the dumb shudder of apprehen-
sion, but serves the more to magnify their terrors.
It seems that the army of the Potomac was once
more ordered to cross the Rappahannock and
march to Richmond, now that the " Rebel" army
is diminished in strength by General LONGSTREET'S
division having gone to reinforce the army of
General BRAGG in Tennessee—there to test the
ability of General ROSECRANZ. In the hope of
infusing more courage into his army, General
BURNSIDE issued an address on the 20th, telling
them that they are about to meet the enemy once
more, and to strike a great and mortal blow at the
rebellion, and so gain that decisive victory which is
due to the country. In order to accomplish this
achievement, he reminds them that the late bril-
liant actions in North Carolina, Tennessee, and
Arkansas have divided and weakened the enemy on
the Rappahannock, and that therefore the fame that
awaits their deeds will be most glorious. We wait
to see.

This army consisted of 135,000—a force sufficient,
if properly handled, to conquer the South three
times over. But no; the order to move on was
countermanded from one day to another, and yet
again they did not move ! The very sight of the
Rappahannock seems to have evoked the spectres
of their fallen friends on the other side of that
terrific gulph from which there is no return, to
shake their gory locks at the coming " doomed."
And no wonder. The men, however brave, were
dissatisfied at not receiving their pay—their want
of confidence in the general was openly expressed,
and the state of the army altogether was not con
sidered " hopeful."
If thus matters stood on the eve of battle no
wonder that much solicitation was felt in New
York from the absence of all authentic news for
three days. It was reported that General HOOKER
had crossed about twelve miles above Falmouth—
but there was no confirmation—and heavy
storms had rendered the roads so bad as
to make them impassable for heavy artillery
and ammunition waggons. The army had there-
fore returned to its previous quarters, and there
were doubts if the promised advance would be
resumed. Thus matters remained up to the even-
ing of the 24th on the famous Rappahannock, which
seems to delight in " thwarting" storms at the
critical moment of eventful hape! To make the
disappointment still greater, the Federals had made
up their minds to "surprise" the enemy at the points
designated for crossing the river, but if they did, the
surprise from such a quarter would be something
new to " STONEWALL" JACKSON, for weasels are
not often caught asleep.
But if the Federals were unlucky on one river,
fortune seems to have made amends on another.
They have captured several places ontheWhhaivtee
River, in Arkansas, and their light gunboats
ascended some 300 miles up the stream. Little
Rock, the eapital of Arkansas, on that great river,
is also said to have been captured by the Federal
fleet. Smart operations are also being carried
on along the Eastern seaboard with chequered
success—at Wilmington and other ports—
and gigantic preparations are going forward for
attacks on Charleston, several iron-clads and formid-
able steamers of war being congregated for that
purpose, while the Confederates are busy at work
to give them a warm reception. The steamer
a
Columbia, which was captured year ago while
endeavouring to run the blockade at Charleston,
and converted into a ship of war by the Federals,
ran aground of Noith Carolina Coast, and was re-
Icaptured by the Confederates.
General FITZJOIIN PORTER has been convicted

of disobedience, to General POPE and dismissed,
much to the 'dissatisfaction of the army; and the
President has, confirmed the finding of the court ;
while POPE has escaped scot-free, with .a new
command into the bargain. This will not add to
Mr. LINCOLN'S popularity in the army any more
than his schemes for raising the wind in the money
market will contribute to his credit. Indeed, Con-
gress rejected the banking scheme presented
by the Committee of Ways and Means, so that
the Government must go and fish in other
troubled waters to catch more gulls. The banksdo
not object to general taxation, but they have a spe-
cial horror to the collector coming to their own
counters for more grist to the national mill. It was
unwise of Mr. CHASE to touch them on that tender
point, forgetting that the banks have great in-
fluence with "our members" in Parliament.

No Speaker has been yet elected in Albany,
though they have shaken the ballet-box nineteen
times without result. This is electioneering in right
good earnest, so much so that the Senate had re-
quested Governor SEYMOUR. to call out the militia
to settle the matter ! SEYMOUR very properly
declined. The freedom of election has come
to a pretty pass indeed if the military
are to supersede the Civil Power in the model
Republic! Mr. SEYMOUR has no idea of taking a
leaf cut of Mr. LINCOLN'S book of expediency to
preserve, or rather to reconstruct, the Union, for in
that book of inconsistency—
" Necessity and President just answer to a tittle ;
Necessity has no law, and LINCOLN quite as little I"