The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-09 00:00:00

THERMOMETER.

This day at Two o'clock 52

Barometer-29.93.
Wind—S.-W. ; moderate, with rain.

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9, 1663.

The intelligence brought to us by this last mail
from the opposite shores of the Atlantic, gives us
but a broken view of the situation of things just
now between the belligerents. We see but half of
what had just then occurred! The tidings, coming
as usual through the North, suffers distortion.
Whatever there was, of good'news for the Federals,
t.. 0 be related, is told fully and eagerly, and with
I_4" highest possible colouring. Whatever there
7 of bad news for the Federals, is just as sedu-
101151y suppressed, as far, that is, of course, as sup-
pression Was in any way possible. And wherever it
(the bad new
8' that is) contrived to peep out, in spite
of these efforts at its suppression, it does so bat dimly,
partially, fragmentarily, For instance: the news
from the south-eastern
borders of Tennessee is bid
out boldly, blatantly, The Confederate army under
BRAGG is described
driven back by the Federals
under General 0R& at the pas de charge—the
Southerners being, in
effect, it is said, abso-
lutely routed. Sixty
cannon taken we
don't know how many killed,
wounded, and
captured—and, as a matt"
of course, in
consequence of this brilliant success of GRANT'S—
'BURNSIDE saved from the doom
otherwise all but
inevitably awaiting him in the plan,
shelter in
which he had been entrapped—ii,oivii" ‘
v I Suffi-
ciently full, possibly for once true, uere and
there
particular accounts are thus furnished by tiles_
s last
edvices from New York as to the issue of the resent
contest between GRANT and BRAGG in the vicinity
of Chattamanga and %Chattanooga on the borders
of Tennessee. Accounts they are that look more
than ugly, that appear to be nothing less than dis.
sastrous to BRAGG and his followers. Accounts
under any circumstances that relate, there can be
little doubt of this, to one of the most brilliant suc-
cesses yet obtained by the North over the Confe-
derates. Meanwhile nothing whatever is said
about certain warlike movements that, in spite of
such studied silence in regard to them, it
is quite manifest have recently been taking
place between the main armies of the North
and of the South upon the banks of the Rapidan.
According to the cant phrase of our time, the reti-
cencemanifested by the North, thus, in regard to
those recent movementsof a warlike character along
the banks of
the hipidan, now on this side, now
on that, evidences pretty clearly that the news frem
that direction is
to the cause at an3'
thing
rather than satisfactory
the Federals. had the result of
these movements
lihouhnia satisfactory, we may be
quite certain we have known all about it.
We should have had accounts furnished to us from
the ii,spidan, quite a 5 ezpi!
borders of Tennessee. yet
that
ts those from the
something had
taken place there, on the Rapidan, b
etween MEADE
and LEE—and that something, moreover, a some_
considerable •Di
thing of very c Portnnee_
cannot for
an instant be doubted. Our reasons for 80 Saying
being simply these—that whereas General MEAD",
was known to have crossed the Rapidan by three
fords, on the 261 h. and 27th of November,
whereas on the latter date, that is the

27th, 'navy cannonading was heard at Orange
Court House (where, in consequence of this same
heavy cennonading, a battle is supposed to have
been then and there taking place)—on the afternoon
of the very next day, the 28th, it was stated at
New York that there was no further news from
Virginia! Yet—by reason of what was vaguely
and mysteriously spoken of as certain " unfavour-
able military rumours," gold rose on that same
28th at one leap from 43-} to 471 premium ! Yet—
all the while that gold was making this very
sinister leap—" no further news from Virginia !"
This rise of gold, this denial of news—have at any
rate, together, a very suspicious significance.

The weekly meeting of the Manchester Central
Committee presented some interesting features.
The noble Chairman communicated to the members
the answer which he had received from the Home
Secretary in reference to matters connected with
the Public Works Act. In this reply, Sir GEORGE
GREY promise's that every effort shall be made, on
.behalf of the Government and the Loan Commis-
sioners, to reduce the preliminary expenses of the
loans in question to the smallest possible minimum.
It is to be hoped that this promise will be strictly
adhered to, and that no unnecessary formalities will
be suffered to consume the time and money which
at this season of the year are so especially precious.
in the
Secretary gives evidence of that
Ther
ept
uncertaintyorthe prospects of the cotton trade
which those who are well qualified to judge have
already foretold as too probable. The numbers in
fall work have decreased nearly 18,000 in the past
month, while the lists of those on short time and
,ent of work show a corresponding increase. There
is no especial ground for uneasiness in this state-
ment, as such fluctuations have been foreseen and
calculated upon. During the winter months it is
too probable that variations in the numbers em-
ployed will be very frequent ; and it is even said to
be probable that the present month will show a
considerable diminution in the quantity of work,
owing to the state of the money market, although
that, as we have before observed, is partly due to
the cotton trade itself. Of course, the decrease of
work has produced a corresponding increase of pau-
perism, so that 1,300 additional persons are now in
receipt of relief from the guardians, and nearly
2,000 are entirely dependent on the relief funds. It
is satisfactory to know that the estimate of the com-
mittee allowed for all such contingencies, and that
the favourable aspect of affairs last month was not
accepted as an index of the winter. Nevertheless,
the news is on the whole satisfactory, especially
as regards the results of the Public Works Act. It
appears that the works already undertaken in con-
formity with its provisions have provided occupa-
tion for 1,461 cotton operatives, in addition to 301
unskilled and 420 skilled labourers. The doubts
which some persons expressed of the ability of the
mill workers to turn their hands to a totally dif-
ferent trade prove to have been altogether un-
founded, as 955 of the unskilled are allowed to earn
ordinary wages at piece work, and they have be-
come so proficient in their new trade as to be able
on an average to earn not less than 10s. to 10s. 6d.
per head weekly. This is satisfactory news, and
exemplifies the truth that a readiness to adapt one-
self to a new profession depends less on the cha-
racter of the previous occupation than on the de-
gree of mental intelligence. The rapidity with
which the Volunteers, most of them men of
sedentary habits, acquired the drill and became
proficient in the use of their unaccustomed
weapons, was universally commented on,
and it was explained by the superior
standard of education and general intelligence
throughout the various corps, as well as the willing
and hearty spirit with which they went about their
work. The agricultural class, from whom our re-
cruits are principally drawn, are certainly more
accustomed to out-door exercise and the use of their
muscles than the volunteer fresh from his desk and
counter, yet the mental aptitude and pliability so
far exceeded any physical advantages as to supply
a large body of well-trained and efficient riflemen
within a period which would certainly have left
the same number of ploughmen little better than
raw recruits. The same reasoning no doubt ap-
plies to the change in the habits of the Lancashire
mill hands. They are known to belong to a well-
educated and intelligent class. If their frames
have been dwarfed by early toil, and exhausted by
long hours of close and incessant labour, their facul-
ties have been sharpened and their wits kept bright
by the interchange of ideas, and the general mental
standard of the community. The question of suc-
cess in any new undertaking depends less on pre-
vious training than on individual capacity, and the
men of Lancashire are not likely to fail in this. As
yet, too, we hear no complaints of the effects of out-
door employment upon their health, though the
weather they have experienced has been none of the
mildest. The wise forethought of the Committee
has probably provided in a great measure against
this by a sufficient supply of warm clothing,
and it is to be hoped the liberality of the pub-
lic will enable them to continue such provision.
Some discussion ensued at the meeting respecting
the receipt of relief by some of the men engaged on
public works. The committee, it seems, are willing
to grant some subsidiary aid to unskilled operatives
during a month or six weeks' training, as well as
making them grants of warm clothing, but
here its labours very properly terminate. The

object of the act was to render a large
proportion of the unemployed mill hands

altogether independent of charitable aid, and that

object is, of course, defeated by the men employed
under the act continuing as recipients of relief.
Such an arrangement is no gain to the men or their

families, as they are paid less wages in considera

tion of the amount received from the relief com-
mittees. The functions of Public Works Boards

"d of relief committees are, as Sir J. K. SHUTTLE.
L,
Volt
m
111 very justly observed, entirely distinct and
I "3' Eaten, ,
_ _ h
the phowever well intentioned, to combine
whiejsuilr prove unsatisfactory. The resolutions
which
vet:. li. SHUTTLEWORTH proposed, and
mittee,
re-
ceipt of relief
Subsequentlyembodied the
agreed to by the com-
mittee,
undertaken the
individual cases may principle that men in re-
elliid:dnoeof
ritertbhseeo
meme newplouyoetd. onNo
doubt
uobulbict
exception, and it
is to be presumed that no ~,,,,c
ec
of families are
eseary harshness will
be shown in instances
where heads
osuthseprencdueodsesfr;obmutemthpe principleloymect
fr
i:all: Oad weather or
and the committee have done doubtvise_y sound,
1 la establish-
ing it. Meanwhile the prospect,
of the cotton
trade are decidedly encouraging. T,,...
-A. capacities
of India are now pretty well established, arid the
that most sceptical are beginning to admit
--4 t there
is no reason to doubt that, with a little more

time, labour, and cultivation, the Indian cotton.
fields will become our principal source of supply.
It has been proved, too, beyond a doubt that the
quality of Indian cotton is not necessarily in-
ferior, but that samples raised from American
seed have surpassed expectation. The stimulus
given everywhere to cotton cultivation by the
suspension of the American supply has produced im-

portant results in Queensland, in Join .ica, in South

America, and other quarters. A very important
auxiliary is promised in Egypt. That country,
a 8 is well known, is well adal ted for the