The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-22 00:00:00

.---r., , Z0e„,,,,,,.,.... ./fl.2e s----4-.:--,___-
bugle sounding in their front, preceded or :76116*ii PAPE-rt.
the militia, bearing with them the amok ~..,„T.
r
and tattered remnants of the flag under ' hie;l:they;l-_
had marched to sanguinary defeat under ..jp,ely lir,,, :s.,
side, or Hooker, or to fruitless victory miderVe;;;W7..44
tan. And what, it may be asked, matleWa*X
so jubilant and brought all these crowdie-Into
streets ? Nothing but the return of several theel
regiments from the Army of the Potomac—who had.
borne the brunt of the battles of Virginia, and were
determined to fight no more—regiments Which,
like the Irish Brigade, had lost as many as tisree-
fourths or seven-eighths of their men in strugg)es
with the camp fever, the enemy's bullets, and the'
blundering and ignorant surgery oft heir own medical
efficers, and whom all New York intended to honour
by a grand public reception. It was this which
brought the motley population into the highways
rejoicing; it was this which day after day excited
their expectation and their enthusiasm, and seemed
to drive the female portion of the spectators well-
nigh frantic with delight. The great bulk of these
returning braves having been detained at Phila-
delphia longer than was expected, did not arrive in
New York on S.:a urday in time to receive the
obstreperous welcome which awaited them, and
passed noiselessly through the city near midnight.
Under the circumstances the " ovation," as it was
called, was postponed until yesterday afternoon,
when New York turned out once again the immense
mass of its pleasure-seeking population. As the
ragged and sunburnt heroes marched along in their
pictareeque raggedness, the men shouted at every
corner, the boys from every tree-top and lamp-post,
while the women at window and balcony waved
their handkerchiefs, white as flags of truce, but
symbolizing no such blessed meaning. Amid a
hurricane of welcome such as these, the 37th and
38th Regiments—or such poor fragments as war
had left of them—toiled up the long road from the
City-hall to the Fifth Avenue Hotel, where,
stationed at a balcony overlooking Aladisousquare,
was their old commander, General 111‘Clellan.
It was-now the turn of the soldiers to cheer, and
as soon as they caught sight Of- " Little Mac,"
such wild hurrahs arose as threw into com-
parative whisperings all the previous shouts of the
day, and, being swollen by the sympathizing re-
sponses of the crowd of onlookers, gradually deep-
ened into that loud and long-continued roar of an
excited people, which is one of the sublimest sounds
in nature. General M'Clellan acknowledged by
gestures alone, the cordial greeting of his former
comrades, who passed in review before him, and
persisted in keeping silence, though the multitude
vociferously demanded that he should make a
speech. In the evening a banquet was given
to the soldiers, at which only 150 were pre-
sent and about 1,000 citizens, Genera M'Clellan
did not appear, but his name may be said to have
presided over the festivities. Mr. Opdyke, the Mayor
of New York, was in the chair, and in the little ap-
propriate speech which be made was constantly in-
terrupted by cheers for M'Clellan again and again
renewed, and always led off by the soldiers. There
being loud calls for Judge M'Cunn, a prominent
member of the Mozart-hall Democracy, and formerly
colonel of the 37th Regiment, that gentleman arose,
complimented his old comrades on their bravery,
deplored how very few of them were left out of the
1,000 who composed it, advised them to take care of
their money, and wound up by declaring that though
once as enthusiastic for the war as any of his coun-
trymen, he was now for peace, and hoped it would
speedily dawn upon the land. This sentiment was
loudly cheered by the soldiers, but it was too much
for the chairman of the evening—a civilian, who had
never mingled in a battle, or smelt gunpowder, ex-
cept when fired as a harmless salute, and who had
besides a fat contract from the Government for the
supply of army clothing. Rising hurriedly, and in
a state of considerable excitement, Mayor Opdyke
exclaimed, " When a city judge stands up before me
and cries ' Peace! peace !' when there is no peace ;
it is time for me to say' War ! war to the bitter end."
Immediately there was a tumult which threatened to
become a fight. Judge M'Cunn, who was pushed off
the platform into the body of thecrowd by some one,
perhaps an indignant contractor, but not the Mayor,
was evidectly the favourite of the soldiers, a party
of whom, excited by the whiskey-punch served out
to them, seized their ex-Colonel as he fell, and bore
him in triumph on their shoulders high above the
crowd, shouting vigorously meanwhile for M'Cunn
and M•Clellan. The mayor in vain endeavoured to
restore order, and ultimately proclaimed the meet-
ing adjourned, and retired in disgue. The heroes
had become, if not positively drunk, a little too
much heated by liquor and speeches to be altogether
responsible for their behaviour, and it required a
good deal of patience on the part of the auditors,
and of mingled suavity and firmness on the
part of the police to preserve order. Ultimately,
however, all went well. The judge rescued himself
from his triumphal but uneasy seat, and after a few
more speeches and sentiments, and a vehement out-
burst of enthusiasm for M'Clellan, the proceedings
were brought to a close without the indiscriminate
battle a la Donnybrook.
The reception and review of the soldiers were all
very well, but the banquet was a mistake, which is
not likely to be repeated. After all, the occasion
was one for sorrow rather than for joy. These re-
turning regiments wereasprecious as drops of blood
oozing from the heart of the Republic in the hour of
its greatest need ; a hemorrhage that, if long con-
tinued, may become fatal, Had the original enthu-
siasm of these men not been cooled down by time and
mismanagement, it would have required but small
persuasion on the part of the Government to induce
them to remain in the ranks; but all persuasion
failed. The lions had had enough of the asses.
They had lost faith, if not in the cause, most cer-
tainly in the men by whom it was conducted, and
had returned home with the determination to take
no further part in the war, unless in common with
others of their age and condition, it should fall to
their lot to become the victims of the conscription.
Meanwhile, the conscription lags. The enrolment
has commenced, but makes small and slow progress;
and even if the Government, in spite of the warn-
ings it. has received that New York and other States
swarm with secret societies of working men pledged
to resist the draught, individually and collectively,
should determine to carry out the Act of Congress
and call for 300,000 fresh levies, the very lowest
number with which it can hape during the summer
to carry up its armies to the numerical standard of
last year—it is scarcely possible to complete the
arrangement for a draught under a couple of
months, by which time the summer will have
well nigh passed away, and not at all probable
that half the number can be trained and brought
into a proper state of efficiency before the winter.
So urgent is the need of men, and 80 dilatory or
so timid is the Government in the matter of the
conscription, as almost to warrant the suspicion that
it has became hopeless of final success, and has com-
mitted the management of affairs to chance and cir-
cumstance, hoping for the best, but quite resigned
for the worst that may befall. Great, however,
must have been the previous sins of this nation if it
be justly punished with a Lincoln for a President
and a Hooker for a General.

OPENING OF A 'NEW CATHOLIC CHAPEL AT
DUNooN.—On Thursday St. Mun's Catholic Chapel
was opened hero for public worship by the Right Rev. Dr.
Murdoch of Glasgow, bishop of the diocese, with pontifical
high mass. A largo number of priests took part in the ser-
vices. The choir sang a mass specially composed for the
occasion. The Catholics at Dunoon, Kira, Kilmun, and
lunellan, numbering about 200 in the winter and ,c,OO dur-
ing the summer season, had no place of worship in the
Cowal district until about twelve months ago, when the
Rev. Joseph Small was appointed to take charge of them.
Having purchased a site at the corner of Albert and Ed-
ward-street, or nearly between Dunoon and Kira, Mr.
Small has sticeeeded in erecting the. present chapel at a cost
Plain, substantially and
of £4OO. The building is a very harktionto edifice the
tt.hmlig'hhere are sittings for about
modern Gothic style. It was designed and completed by
neatly
lJyofihnnisPhlet(iil i
250 persona. The apse for the altar is beautifully orna-
mented, and has.a vestry on each side. Along with the
chapel has also been secured a considerable space of ground,
with a house for the elorgyman.—scommi.

---- -
According to La Nation the forthcoming work
of the Emperor of the French the " Vie de Cesar"
is now going through the press at the Imperial printing-
office. There will be three volumes. The first is ready for
publication, while the second is in hand ; both will appear
together. The third volume will be issued by itself, at a
somewhat later period.