The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-01 00:00:00

shallow, and the rumours whyclae
dustriously circulated relati toe li
the b
Sf'oinuthgrn eia-
eagerness for peace are not to be trusted. Presi-
dent LINCOLN is straining every nerve to improve
the aspect of Northern affairs before the notable
4th of March, both in civil and military matters.
In the military line he hag spared no effort or expense
to push forward matters at Wilmington, and he has
been rewarded by the capture of Fort Fisher, which
Federal pride will easily convert into the most im-
portant part of the enterprise. In civil affairs he
has despatched BLAIR with his unauthorised pro-
posals, he has circulated reports of the universal
desire of ‘the Southern people for peace, of the
wish of the inhabitants of Georgia to re-enter the
Union, and other kindred rumours. Further, he
has endeavoured through his emissaries to tamper
with the loyalty of :the Southern people to their
self-chosen President. Spies and Northern agents
are insidiously busy in trying to sow dissension
between the two great leaders of the Confederacy,
by the exaltation of LEE at the expense of DAVIS ;
they have tried to incite the people to overt acts of
disaffection, and they have succeeded apparently
in opening communications with an ex-representa-
tive, and in securing the allegiance of a Richmond
organ of opinion. Still the wishedfor submission
has not come, and neither President, General,
Congress, or press, shows any signs of approaching
it. Mr. DAVIS has, indeed, expressed his willing-
ness either to receive or to send properly accre-
dited Commissioners to treat of peace, which
is all that could possibly be expected of him,
but it is not likely that he would pay much heed to
the proposals of an emissary who could easily be
disavowed when his suggestions were agreed to. It
is no sign of the decadence of the South that the
mission should excite some interest in Richmond, or
that the prospects of peace should be the chief topic
in the Southern capital. That is but the natural
result of such a visit, but so long as President LIN-
COLN declines to send duly qualified persons on a
mission of so much importance, and prefers to shel-
ter it under the elastic title of " semi-official," that
very mode of communication proves his persistent
determination to withhold that recognition of
Southern independence which is the one step inse-
parable from a firm and lasting peace.

We are in the habit of boasting a good deal of

the decent and orderly conduct of London mobs.
We pride ourselves on the self-control and respect
for the law which our lower orders share for the

most part with those above them ; and on all great
occasions of public festivity or solemnity which
gather together a vast concourse of men and
women, we point with pride to the few unarmed
officials who are thinly scattered among the crowds
which line our highways, and whose blue coats are
sufficient to keep order, and contrast the conduct

of a London crowd with that of any other metro

polis in the world. It would seem, however, that
either our race is deteriorating, or that we have
boasted too soon, from the experience of the last
few days. However undesirable or unseemly may
be street riots on the occasion of a royal marriage,
a public funeral, or any other impressive spectacle,
there is certainly more excuse for any ebullition of
excitement at those exceptional times. But in the
ordinary routine of daily life, without any shadow
of reason or excuse, we find riotous mobs, con-
sisting of several hundreds of persons, collecting in
the public parks, and, under the excuse of snow-
balling, assaulting and annoying every respectable
person—going so far as to knock gentlemen down,
to cut open the faces of ladies and children with
sharp missiles, and tc pelt with granite stmt and
flints those who were endeavouring to convey a cul-
prit to the station-house. This does not look much
like English order and respect for the law, and it
does not say much in favour of the improvement
produced by education in our lower orders. Such
scenes as those which took place in the parks, both
at the east-end and west-end, on Sunday, were a
disgrace to our civilisation. Our self-government
is not worth much if it cannot secure the safety of
respectable citizens in the metropolis itself. A great
deal was said about the danger of the streets at
night in the time of the garotters, but here, in broad
daylight, an army of ruffians take possession of our
public gardens and inflict what unprovoked injuries
they choose without let or hindrance. Two or three
men were taken, it is true, before the magistrates
and punished with a few days' imprisonment, but
the great body of the offenders pursued their sport
unmolested. A labourer was brought before Mr.
KNox, at Marylebone Police-court, chaiged with
snowballing in the Regent's-park, and from the
evidence of the constable it appeared that he had
been apprehended just as he had succeeded
in knocking off two gentlemen's hats, bit it was
with the greatest difficulty that he was got to the
station-house, as an attempt was made to release

In this instance the prisoner was one of

the ringleaders of " a large mob of rough fellows"
who had formed themselves into a gang and pelted
every respectable person, yet Mr. Kliox let him
off with the easy sentence of five shillings fine
or three days' imprisonment. Mr. TYRWHITT, at
Marlborough-street, was more severe, and two lads,
who were admitted not to be foremost in the fray,
were sentenced respectively to fines of £2 and £3,
and a month and six weeks' imprisonment. These
punishments were not too severe, considering the
nature of the charge, but the other was much too
light. In Kensington-gardens, where these lads
were taken, a gentleman, who appeared in court,
gave evidence of having been knocked down seve-
ral times, and his stick broken. When he first
saw the snow-balling going on he thought it was
merely a game, but he soon discovered his mistake.
Of course, this witness did not see a single park-
keeper or constable present to stop the riot, though
here it was more manageable, since at last the mob
was driven off, and, as we have seen, two of the
offenders captured. But disorder seems to have
reached its height in Victoria-park, where the rioters
numbered, it is said, 1,200, and where their conduct
was beyond all bounds. Vehicles were pelted till
their windows were broken, and their horses in

1 some cases took fright, so that dangerous accidents
were narrowly escaped. Heads were cut open by
stones and ice being rolled up in the snowballs,
and women and children escaping from the riot
were seen with bleeding faces and clothes spoilt
with the merciless pelting. The police endeavoured
to stop the outrages, but, being few in number,
were poi eerless to keep order. One of them suc-
ceeded in capturing one of the ringleaders, and
with the assistance of some gentlemen started for
the station. The mob, numbering many hundreds,
tried to rescue him, but they kept them off until,
unfortunately, they came to a part of the road
which had been recently strewed with flint and gra-
nite. These missiles were poured upon those who
were guarding the prisoner, several of whom were
badly hurt. The officer in charge was at last
thrown a
having
out -without
the
a-ciwilom:dalkiecicked until he was obliged to let
an go after all The •
the boe. obrijeocr;
the way of their anthdenhadisvinpgersheadd,
their fun
arrival found the windows ows broken,
police, who on their tardy
any payment, they got out of
culprits, and other traces
of disorder, but the
as might have been ex-
pected, vanished from
The two or
three rioter's who had been scene,capt
'Rea were brought