The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-18 00:00:00

THERMOMETER.

This morning
This day at Two o'clock
Barometer-29. 70.
Wind—N.E. ; light breeze, and cloudy.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDUE.
TRIS DAT.—Morning, 2h. 25m.—Afternoon, 2h. 45m.
To-won.now.-Morning, 3h. 3m.—Afternoon, 3a. 20m.

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LONDON, MONDAY, MAY 18, 1863.

Additional particulars have only tended to con
firm us in the impression instantly produced upon The chief subject of interest in Paris just now
our mind by the first telegraphic intimation received is the attack made by M. DE PEESIGNY on the
on Saturday afternoon, and thereupon expressed free discussion of the press. His last action has
by us very distinctly in our columns of that same been to attack the France, which, curiously enough,
evening—in reference to the magnitude of the is one of the most zealous supporters of the Govern-
disaster which had befallen the Federals on Satur- went. The charge brought egainst the journal in
day the 2d and Sunday the 3d of May at Chan- question is that of "in affecting to express the
cellorsville! The triumph there achieved upon secret thoughts of the Government daily, but spe-
those two successive days by the Confederates turns cially in the article incriminated, it distorts and
out—the more we learn of the facts—to have been disguises its policy in the elections so as to mislead
quite unmistakeable. And it appears to have been public opinion." Apparently, Count PERIGNY is
a success obtained by the good generalship of inclined to echo the words of CANNING—" Save
General LEE, the Confederate Commander-in-Chief, me from the candid friend." It has been rumoured
a success confirmed and carried to the climax of that he is personally mortified at something insin-
victory by the vigorous dash and the unflinching uated against himself conoerning the mistake of
determination of General " STONEWALL" JACKSON, putting down the anciens partis. Be this as it may,
the most distinguished among that Commander's the very harsh proceeding referred to is a most
many able and gifted Lieutenants. Not one jot less unwise and very inconsistent one. The st.ntence
than the notorious skedaddle of Bull's Run, the which is said to have given such dire offence is
flight of the Federals from the battle-ground on simple and harmless enough to the eyes of the
the 2d inst. proves to have been a veritable English public, and it would puzzle anyone here to
satire qui pout, Although we have yet to say in what capacity it has deserved a visit from a
learn the number of the killed and lemmissary of police :—" M. le Ministre of the In-
wounded upon these two terrible days ottappa _ leg oftor labours under the delusion that the anciens
enetfs require to be put down, at the very time
when all the world acknowledges that they are
utterly powerless. He has fought them ardntly as
though they were present in the flesh, and has not
perceived that he wee merely contending against
shadows."

conflict, for once the anticipative mention of a
" carnage " awful, threatens to be in no way ex-
aggerated. For three hours and a half on Satur-
day, the 2d, for four hours, immediately after day-
break on the following (Sunday) morning, the work
of butchery seems to have gone on. A butchery
mostly on one side, upon the Saturday, in cons( queues
of the ignominious fight of the Federals before the
victorious Confederates. A butchery somewhat
more equally shared by the belligerents on
Sunday, seeing that then at last the Federal
forces appear to have turned at bay, and to have
met with a sort of desperation of resistance the
fierce onslaught of the foe. Remembering all the
while how nearly identical these opposing armies
are in blood, in birth, in religion, in language—it
cannot be without a shudder that the " News of
Battle" from the American seat of war, of that most
miserable and deplorable of all wars, Civil War, is
brought to us, at uncertain intervals, thus, across
the Atlantic. Jocular references have been
made before now to the extravagant state-
ments put forth (principally by the Federals) since
the commencement of the war, the extravagant
and preposterous statements put forth as
to the number of the killed and wounded upon the
different battlefields, since then, contended for by
the belligerents. If we remember rightly, it was
Punch who facetiously estimated that if thus massed
together into one simple aggregate, the total number
would amount to something like a few odd millions.
The dreadful truth, however, is beyond the reech of
contradiction, that the carnage, though exaggerated
athe
ttlss, in
the time of its occurrence, piecemeal, is, never-
woeful reality, something truly lament-
able in its actual magnitude when it comes to be
looked back at. It has grown, at length, this ag-
gregate of slaughter, to proportions so huge that
Europe cannot but yearn, more earnestly than ever,
to witness, to become the cause of, if that may but
yet prove in any way possible, a reconciliation of
some kind between these infuriated antagonists. The
French EMPEROR has twice essayed to inter fare
be-
tween them with his diplomacy. Twice he lase striven
to secure to himself, there, in theilnotreyreorafts of our
common peace-
maker.
thec e
oson benignantthe
generous effort was
common
uhupmonaenaitcyh,
instantly recog.
ibed7 by all but the over zealous
counsels of the Tuileries, to have been hopelessly
premature. It was so recognised—reluctantly, but
our own unavoidably so recognized—by .
Admini-
strators. In arriving at that conviction, in point
of fact, our Ministers had no choice whatever
before them. The negotiation of a peace
between North and South, then and there, upon
each of those occasions, however desirable it was in
itself, was
all the while, in the actual situation
of things,
simply impracticable. All that a rea-
scnable Government could do under these circum
stances our Government did and did instantly.
That is to say, without a moment's unnecessary
delay they expressed their regret that this was im
possible— waiting themselves watchfully, urging
the French imperial Government to wait in like
manner, always eagerly on the alert for (what
sooner or later must come) the fitting opportunity.
-
Whenever a more than ordinarily great disaster
of any kind happens upon either side, whether upon
the side of the Federals or upon the side of the
Confederates, one is naturally driven to the inquiry
—ls this the opportunity ? The hope comEs to us
almost inevitably now, as it has come to us time
and again before now—it comes to us now, for the
moment, at least, more forcibly than ever—when
General HOOKER'S army (a sort of a grand forlorn
hope in its way after the Federal failures of the
past) is actually understood to have been

TALLEYRAND, in alluding to the act of come im-
portant personage that had caused great confusion
observed that "it was worse than a crime, it was a
blunder ;" and surely this remark might with true
force be applied to the Count de PERSIGNY at the
present juncture. Nothing could be more impolitic
than to offend, by an overt act of harshness, just
when it is so important and essential to be on good
terms with every one, and to maintain a Lie cha-
racter before the eyes of the nation. In a private
and personal sense also it is nearly as great an error
as in a public view of the matter it seems a mis-
take. It is always a false move to allow any pri-
vate motive to actuate a public action, and the com-
bination in this instance of an affront that is too
trivial to take up at all with the recognition of a
political wrong in a mere form of expression, con-
duces to place the Minister of the Interior in a
false position before the country as a statesman.
He has been too ready to rush into extremes, and
has shown himself incapable of that restraint and
endurance which are such essential qualities in
any man who has to come prominently forward
and brave the attacks of various opinions, and
offend the prejudices of several classes.
The system of surveillance that has long been ex-
ercised over the press of France has been often
lamented by the impartial lookers-on in the neigh-
bouring States. When the EMPEROR trede his
famous speech some months ego, exhorting the
French to emulate the English in the glory and
success of their free institutions, it was hoped that
this eterated expression of liberal sentiments would
inaugurate a better and brighter deriod for the
Press, since, in nothing could our continental
brethren so 'wisely or so happily tread in their foot-
steps. Those who indulged in such expectations
will be doomed to disappointment, if this event is
to be the Precursor of the Government policy in the
eventful time of the elections, All well-wh-hers to
the Napoleonic rule will deplore this unwise pro-
ceeding, which must damp the expectations of
rtteuli
danger
and therefore friends, and give a brindle to the enemy, through
its abruptness and severity. There is one satisfac-
tion,
ss however, thatt
wheEeTaPER must
hopeoßca thndoatj, withuasst
he
pleases,
s foresightand his
u
ref
sr
co
imnand
t afar,h
ethese
ea nd
discrimination,revoke t
regulations,hheves
eh
cvahi
rl
11)
ti
;r scentarny.
nice over and trample down the weak and powerless
to do harm, while they incense and infuriate others,
who, if not exactly strong men, may some day be
dangerous to the welfare, if not inimical, to the ex-
toltthise
pnroetsslikinelyF, if perfect
the privilege wou
freedfreedom
Id be abused, and, at all es ente, it
mice, that
eft- ae
red lnl on dynasty
d.
would be worth while to settle the vexed qeastion,
once and for all, by
mekirig the experiment. The
coal could easily be put on again if it were the
case, and the Government that made the Experi-
ment would be entitled to the best thank.; of the
community, while it would gain the applause Etnd
admiration of Europe for its noble endeavour to
raise the standard of freedom in the heart of its
dominions. It is the same with Eatiuns ea with
individuals, those are always the strongest who have
discussions, and do not • shrink from any from any
criticism, but rather court
conduct is valid, they will stand the test, and that
if their actions are mistaken, this is the wisest way
of proving them. The judgment of one generation