The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-05 00:00:00

CANTERBURY HALL AND FINE
ARTS GALLERY.
VICTOR JULIEN, "THE FLYING MAN,"
at half-past Nine.
Last Few Nights of
"THE ENCHANTED HASH "
By Mr. E. Marshall, at a quarter-past Ten o'clock,
Performed upwards of sixty nights with immense success.
Grand Selection from " La Circassienne, " by Mdlle. Negri,
with Band and full Chorus.
Comic—Mr. Randall, Mr. Frederick French, Mr. J. G.
Forde, Mr. Marshall, and Miss B arriet Coveney.
Musical Director, Mr. Jonghmans.
Admission—Hall, Bd. ; Stalls and Balcony, ls.

THE OXFORD, 6. OXFORD-STREET.-
•'LES MERVEILLES GYMNASTIQUES"
By HENRI (aged Eleven years), and PFAU (aged Nine years),
From the "Cirque Napoleon," Paris,

Whose Double Feats on the Flying* Trapeze are unsurpassed
for daring, skill, and grace, EVERY EVENING.
Their performances do not in any way interfere with the
Musical Entertainment, which as usual consists of Two
Operatic Selections alternately from "I' Trovatore," " Er-
"La Traviata," "Simon Boccanegra," "Macbeth,"
Arc., by the entire Company, Full Band and Chorus—(Con-
ducted by Mr. F. Jonghmans)—And Varied Vocal and Instru-
mental Attractions, the Comic portion by Miss Harriet
Coveney, Messrs. Sam Collins, Wood and Son, M. F. Foster,
and W Randall.
Hall, 6d. ; Stalls and Balcony, is. ; Private Boxes, 10s. Bcl.

THE OXFORD 6, OXFORD-STREET.-
A Grand Morning Entertainment, TO-MORROW,
THURSDAY, March 6th,
" LES MERVEILLES GYMNASTIQUES,
By HENItI and PFAI7 (aged Nine and Eleven years) whose
double feats on the Flying Trapeze are unsurpassed. Verdi's
"II Trovatore." Miss Russell, Miss Harrison, Messrs, Mor-
ley, Green, and Albert.
Full Band and Chorus.
Conductor—Mr. F. Jonghmsns. Ballads, Ducts, &c., by
Messrs. Herbert, Tivoli, Sesselsbum, and Madame Enders-
sohn. Solos—Pianoforte—Miss Bryant. Violin—Mr. Viotti
Collins. scotch Duets—Miss Stuart and Miss M. Stuart.
The "Porter's Knot" and " Jones's Sister," by Mr. W.
Randall, and other varied entertainments.
Hall, Is. ; Balcony and Stalls, 2s. ; Private 13oxes, 10s. Cd.
Doors open at Two o'clock; Carriages at Four.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIS DAY.—Morning, 4h. 40m.—Afternoon, 4h. 55m.
TO-MORROW. -Morning, sh. 11m.—Afternoon, sh. 25m.

THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, MARCH 5, 1862.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
32—highest since noon yesterday.
24—lowest tnis morning and during the night.
41—this day at noon.

BAROMETER-29.91.
WlND—South-Westerly ; rather fresh, with fine weather

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THE SUN.
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 1862,

The capture of Fort D,nnelson is now placed
beyond doubt. The struggle seems to have been a
determined and a bloody one, attesting the import-
ance of the position in the opinion of both parties;
but the Federal victory was complete, and it has
filled the North with enthusiastic joy. This is but
natural. It is the second, and by far the greatest,
success in a military attack. The battle of Mill-
spring, in which poor ZOLLICOFFER lost his life,
and his army was thoroughly routed, was an attack
by the Confederates on the Federals, and was, so
far, a parallel to the attack of the North, with the
consequent rout at Bull's Run. It seemed to show
no more than that, as at Bull's Run and Ball's Bluff,
the attacking party was likely to be the unsuccess-
ful one. But at Fort Henry, on the Tennessee,
and now again, at Fort Donnelson, on the Cumber-
land, the Federals have succeeded in the attack.
Fort Henry was thought to be strong, but the gun-
boats made easy work of it. The five thousand
men encamped around it ran away, and left it to a
garrison of sixty to defend the fort, a task to which
they proved quite incompetent, and the capture of
the fort, with its commander and garrison, though a
considerable success, does not seem to have been
one gained against a powerful and obstinate re-
sistance.

Altogether different is this third victory. It is
not only success in an attack, but in an attack on a
very strong and a stoutly defended position. The
fort was defended by at least the 15,000 prisoners,
who, if there be not the customary exaggerations,have
actually surrendered ; and the old traitor secre-
tary, now General FLOYD, is said to have decamped
during the night with 5,000 more. If the Federals
numbered 40,000, half that number of Confederates
behind the works of a fort must have been a for-
midable force indeed. The attack on Fort Donuel-
son lasted indeed just as many days as that on Fort
Henry lasted hours. The firing too from the fort
must have been severe. In the former case one
gunboat was indeed injured, but it was by a chance
shot entering the boiler. At Fort Donnelson
the six gunboats which took pat t in the
engagement were all badly disabled previous to
the surrender. At one time the Confederates made
_a sally, and actually captured one of the Federal
batteries, though it was afterwards retaken. This
shoes, however, of what a determir ed kind the
contest was. It would a
found the appear as
if the Federals
Malakhoff of the position in some re-
doubts which eommanded
capture of these the forts, and that the
t,:eder
was
le proximate cause of the
surrender. Th
of life and wounded
BO
was considerable, showing al the desperate nature
of the struggle.

The success wasp however, complete. Three

Generals, and fifteen thousand soldiers, prisoners, 1
and an immense quantity of war material, such a
heavy loss to the ill-supplied Southerns, are,
together with the military position, the reward
of the hard-earned" victory. It fully wipes out
the disgrace of Bull's Run. It was a similar
attack by an army on a position fortified, appa-
rently, quite as strongly as Manassas. But here
was no desertion of volunteers—no turning back
in hopeless panic at the cry of masked batteries ;
instead of panic and flight, there was a
day after day renewal of the fight, and a
determination to prove what sort of stuff the
Northerners were really made of. The
panic, if any was on the side of the South. The
cunning old Secretary at least showed more of the
craft by which he used his office under BUCHANAN
to strip the South of Federal troops, and to fill it
with military stores, than of the vaunted courage
of Southern chivalry. If any man, in the whole
business, deserves hanging, it is doubtless this same
FLOYD, who, therefore, no doubt, wisely took to his
heels.

We can but imperfectly conjecture the probable
results of these successes in Tennessee. Two
questions of importance need to be answered first
—where is General BEAUREGARD, who seems to be
the hero of the Confederates. He went some time
ago from Manassas to Tennessee ; is he or is he not
there now ? Is he at its capital Nashville to which
he was said to have gone, and whither the
Federalists are now preparing to march.
Next what has become of the Federal forces
which evacuated their strong position at
Bowling Green in Kentucky and which must
have 'one southward into Tennessee. Were part
of them a: Fort Donnelson P If so, we should pro-
bably have heard of it. Or, are they not with the
scattered remnants of ZOLLICOFFER'S army, and
those which escaped from the two forts just cap-
tured, concentrating in some strong position in
Tennessee, perhaps round Nashville, under General
BEAUREGARD ? Time, and the advance of the
Federals, only can reveal the truth; for the South
are wonderfully clever in concealing their move-
ments and their numbers. The Federal Generals
seem confident. They will not rest on their
successes. They are advancing to another position,
Clarksville, which it is said will also be contested.
And we are told, rather singularly, that two Con-
federate generals are advancing on the capital,
Nashville, via Franklin, though Franklin is south
of Nashville. Are we to conclude that the Fede-
rals in the western part of Tennessee have pene-
trated to the southern boundary of Tennesse, and are
marching thence northward on her capital,so co-ope-
rating with those who are marching on Clarksville.
According to one statement, Cumberland River on
which Fort Donnelson stood, is to be the line con-
tested by both parties. The Confederates are
mustering their forces there; and BUELL, the
Federal General has also 80,000 men on its banks.
The advance of the North, according to all the
c the , a
n Federals,t
de a Con_
reports, some of which, however, need confirma-
tion, is equally decided in other quarters. In
the further west, in Missouri,
federate General
again
masters
i sfleeing
ofbefore PRICE, h
Springfield,
con-
siderable number of his officers and soldiers have
been captured. It is also said that Savannah, the
capital of Georgia, not far from Charleston, has
been captured. Of the complete success of BURN-
SIDE'S expedition we have already had information;
so that, on both sides of the central army, the Fede-
ralists are obviously making way, and predicting,
with increased confidence, the triumphant result of
the ninety days.

The deficiency of the South in resources will now
begin to tell upon it. The loss of so much
material of war, and the loss of the prestige of long
defensive success, and the absolute want of money,
must now be felt severely. The North has already
considerably extended its territory. Missouri,
Kentucky, and even Tennessee, may be re-
garded as theirs, and the Carolinas and
Georgia must succumb when their seaports
towns are all held by Federal troops. And then,
also, the hitherto proud State of Virginia, already
deprived of its western portion, will be compelled
to humble itself. It cannot long hold out with the
loss of the Atlantic ports, and of the more
northern States bordering on the Mississippi. Even
if the North should be disposed to make terms with
the Gulf States, which is not very likely, she would
be enabled to demand three-fourths of the old
Union.

It is not often that we notice such want of taste
and good feeling as were evidenced in the remarks
of Mr. WHALLEY last night, concerning the College
of Maynooth. It seems to be the fashion now-
a-days to disparage Ireland in every way, and to
bring forward every question that can at all draw
ridicule upon the people. The Galway contract
was made the subject of all sorts of calumny, atd
now there seem to arise a variety of subjects that
give rise to animadversions in various quarters.
Only the other day Sir ROBERT PEEL was called
to account for using unwarrantable language in
regard to a meeting. Although he was sheltered
by the forms of the house, that did not prevent his
condemnation in the minds of the public at large, and
most probably in the opinion of the members of the
House to whom he addressed his violent harangue.
Following in his wake Mr. WHALLEY repudiates
the idea of there being any sympathy with the
QUEEN in the College of Maynooth. He asserted
hat the address in question did not really represent
the feelings of the students of the college, but had
been forced upon them by their superiors, and that
n fact the whole thing was a sham. Now,
before going into the merits or rather demerits
Df the question it will occur to all reflective minds
ghat to moot such a subject is in itself most unbe-
oming. Surely death is too solemn and sacred a
Thing to be made the pis aller of any political dis-
pute; or the stalking-horse of any clap-trap oratory
or discussion. Whether the affair was genuine
or not, far better would it have been to have
left it alone than suggest that any body of
individuals was so hardened and insensible
as to refuse to condole with one suffering under so
heavy a calamity. Sir ROBERT PEEL'S answer was
short end to the point. It stated that he had a
letter from his friend, the Very Rev. Dr. RUSSELL,
the President of the Institution, which was quite
sufficient to prove its bona fide character. The chief
speech of the occasion was that of Mr. BERNAL
OSBORNE, who appeared in his best character—
that ready repartee, and that love of satire which
disti.iguish him, were here displayed to full
effect, and shone conspicuous in his smart reply.
He alluded to the fact that the song Mr. WHALLEY
had quoted was in constant requisition in his
speeches, that he had heard it himself in Dublin
read at full length in the Rotunda, when he ob-
tained a ticket to attend a meeting where Mr.
WHALLEY'S name was advertised in red
letters in the bill. At that assembly that
gentleman charged the priests and people of
Ireland vs ith disloyalty. In conclusion, the hon.
member thus forcibly demonstrated the folly and
absurdity, to say nothing of the impropriety, of
the
is
a proceedingsgreat Ido hope, sir, that though '
therelackof business this session, if we
:—"
are to have this Maynooth debate revived the