The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-04 00:00:00

AT LAN T I C TELEGRAPH COMPANY.- 1
S 1 XTFI 0 RDLYART ANNUAL MEETING OF
SHAREHQLD.:RS. ,
NOTICE IS H" BF BY GIVE v, That the Sixth Ordinary- I
Annual Meeting of the Shareholders in the Al lantic Tele-
graph Company will be held at the Loudon Tavern, Bishops-
gate-street, in the City of London, on the purpo
TUUR,DAY, the 19 h
day of 91 arch, 1863, at One o'clock p m., for se of
RECEIVING a REPORT and BALANCE-Silk:ET from
the Directors, and for transacting the ordinary business of
the Company.
And notice is hereby further given that at the said Meeting
a proposal will be made to rescind the second resolution
adopted at the Extraordinary GenPral
hete number Meing of the Share-
Share-
holders on the Bth June, 1859, wh,reby tof
tors was thenceforward limited to 12, and
number lB.
And notice is hereby also given that at the said 31eeting
after the re-election of the Directors retiring by rotation,
some one or more duly qualified Shareholder or Shareholders
pill be offered for election to the additional seats thus created
at the Board.
JAMES STUART WORTLEY, Chairman.
GEO. SAWARD, Secietaty.

"2, Old Broad-street, London. 3d March, 1863.
More than two-thirds of the first issue of the preferential
shares have now been subscribed for. Applications for the
remainder may be made to the Secretary at the above Offices,
from whence also prospectuses and every information may
be obtained.

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-
GARDEN.
Lnder the Management of Miss Louisa Fyne and Mr. W.
Harrison, Sole Lessees.
THIS EVENING, BelllnPs Opera, LA SONNAMBULA :
Parepa, Mrs.Aynsley Cooke, Miss Thiriwall ; Messrs.
weies, John Rouse, C. Lyall, and G. Perren,
Conductor—Mr. A. Mellon.
After which, the Grand Comic Christmas Pantomime, en-
titled HARLEQUIN BEAUTY ANI)ITHE BEAST.
Doors open at halt-past ( bmmence at 7.

THEATRE-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE.--
Lessee' and Manager, Mr. Edmund Falconer.
THIS EVENING, BONNIE DUNDEE ; or, The Gather-
ing of the Clans. Messrs. Henry Lorraine, Edmund Phelps,
Sinclair, Chas. Selby, Henry Haigh; Mrs. D. P. Bowers,
Mrs. Edmund Falconer, ,&c.
After which, the Grand Pantomime of LITTLE GOODY
TWO SHOES.

antagonists. As regards Charleston, it is
all up in that quarter. The generals
have practically confessed their inability to
take it. The defences are so strong that it would
require a force far superior to that at present avail-
able for Mr. LINCOLN to make the attempt with any
chance of success, so that although the blockading
squadron still remains outside the bar, there is no
likelihood of their coming to closer quarters with
the garrison. Meantime, while the Confederates,
confident in the strength of their fortifications, are
concentrating their forces on the various points
threatened with attack, Mr. LINCOLN and his ad-
visers (that is, if he ever listens to advice) are con-
cocting new schemes for imposing on the population,
who are at length awakening to the fact that they
are fighting for an impossibility. His conscription
bill embraces all men, governors of States alone
excepted, between the ages of 20 and 45 years.
This may look very fine on paper, bat in what
will it result? You may bring a horse to the
water, but you can't make him drink. You may
force a man into the army, but you cant make
him fight ; or, if he do fight, it may be on the
wrong side. It is a fact patent to all America,
that, in spite of conscription and bounties, the de-
serters outnumber the recruits. The army of the
Potomac is demoralised. The force before Vicks-
burg is unequal to the work assigned to it, while the
proposed attack on Charleston has been abandoned,
and it is rumoured that the expedition is about to
be directed against Savannah. If such be the ease
it is obvious that it is only done as an excuse for
doing nothing ; bat it is very probable that the
Confederate General, being well informed of all
the movements of the enemy, will be
prepared for them, and Savannah may prove
as unattainable a priza as Charleston, but even if
taken, no material benefit can result from the cap-
ture of a place of no importance. With to-day
ends the Republican majority ; what the Democrats
may effect, remains to be seen. There is yet time
to conclude an honourable peace, while the Federal
Government has at least the semblance of an army
and credit. Will Mr. LINCOLN be guided by the
voice of those who have the interest of America
at heart, and who desire to stay the unnatural waste
of life caused by this fratricidal war, or will he
persevere to the end—an end which is now mani-
fest—a cession of hostilities not caused by the
victory of either side, but by the inability
of the Northern States to find men or
money to prosecute a hopeless contest ? Does the
PRESIDENT, from whom so much was expected,
and who instead of glory has brought disaster and
ruin upon his country, court this last humiliation;
or will the light of reason dawn upon
the mind of ABRAHAM LINCOLN, as it has
already dawned upon that of all intelligent Ameri-
cana, and induce him to adopt the philosophy of a
homely adage, and make the best of a bad job. See-
ing that he cannot make war, let him show to the
world that he can at least make peace.

We sincerely regret that Lord PALMERSTON did
not find himself again in the minority last night,
according to the prevailing fashion of the present
session. The result of the division on the Munci-
pal Elections Bill reflects as little credit on the
House of Commons as the Premier's speech did on
his character as a Liberal. We have long been
unfortunately aware of Lord PALMERSTON'S aver-
sion to the Ballot, but we were scarcely prepared
for so open and decided a profession of it. We all
know that theory is a great deal easier and
more convenient than practice, and accordingly
the hon. members of the Lower House prefer to
indulge in high sounding platitudes about purity
of election, and pathetic lamentations over the
weakness of voters and the wickedness of agents,
to taking the smallest step in the direction of real
and substantial reform, in the shape of the Ballot.
Professedly the reason for this reluctance is to be
found in the solemn platitudes in which Lord
PALEERSTON indulged last night. We apprehend
that the real motive is rather due to the anticipa-
tion of its inconvenient success than of its failure.
The application of the Ballot, which was proposed
last night, did not refer to Parliamentary elections.
It was to municipal elections that the test was to
be applied, and it was distinctly specified as simply
experimental. Mr. LOCKE declared that in these
elections " a great amount of bribery, drunkenness,
and intimidation, or at least cajolery, took place,"
and the object of the bill in question was to apply
to small boroughs in the country a system
which had worked well in the metropolis, where
voting papers are used in all large parishes.
The members who spoke against the bill were, at
least, honest in their admission that it was solely
for fear of its proving a wedge for the introduction
of the dreaded Ballot that they opposed it—not on
the grounds of inefficiency or superfluity. A speaker
on the Opposition side having observed that, if they
suffered this bill to pass the second reading, the
hon. member for Bristol would infallibly cite it as
an awkward precedent in behalf of the
Ballot, Mr. BERKELEY, the consistent cham-
pion of that much needed reform, boldly
declared the bill to be a step in the right direction
and deserving of support. It was justly observed
by some speakers that this was a good opportunity
for trying how the much talked-of Ballot worked,
but that argument probably influenced the repre-
sentatives of nomination boroughs, the successful
candidates at sharply contested elections, to post•
pone the awkward experiment. Still the ministry,
taught by sad experience, may possibly have anti-
cipated another adverse division, for Lord PAL-
MERSTON came to the rescue, and with lofty tone and
high sounding morality, protested against the
possession of political power without poli-
tical responsibility. " I think, says the gay
and easy Premier in his new character of
Mentor," that a man should take the re-
sponsibility, whether for good or evil, of the
course he has thought it his duty to follow. I
think that respensibility ought to go hand in hand
with political action." It beisatboe b
hoped that
dhthapintrLocrid.
PALMERSTON is willing to abide
pie and to accept the responsibility of the evils
resulting from bribery and undue influence.
Does his lordship seriously believe that no consti-
tuent has reason to be ashamed of his open vote P
that no landlord agent, or man of wealth and in-
fluence need shrink from the revelation of the
secret history of elections ? Does he indeed credit
that every voter adopts the course which "he
deems it his duty to follow "—that either can-
didate or elector always allows his fellow-
' citizens to know how or under what
influence his vote is given ? If so, his lord-