The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-24 00:00:00

sively. One of the foremost among the advocates
of Catb .olic Emancipation, he was in his time the
Champ ion par excellence of the great and sacred in-
terests of National Education. His work upon that
" high argument" may still be turned back to with
profit, as one of the earliest and one of the
most reliable and authoritative text books upon
the whole of the complex theme of popular edu-
catio n. His History of the " Catholic Association"
again, a work if we remember rightly, in two large
octavo volumes, will always rank among the more
authentic annals of that intersting period of transi-
t tion for Ireland, but for Catholic Ireland particu-

larly, Among his lighter contributions to literature
honourable mention will still be made for some
time " Walks in Rome," and his
"Oriental
to
Sketches.'
of hie
advancement though few in number, and there-
fore easily enumerated, were marked and
eminent in themselves. Mr. WYSE was for
a year or two one of the Lords of the
Treasury. From 1846 to 1849 he was Joint
Secretary to the Board of Control. And it was in
1849, as we have already taken occasion to remark
that the hon. gentleman became a right hon. gen-
tleman upon his appointment as her MAJESTY'S
Minister at Athens, when he was, immediately
prior to his departure for Greece, sworn in a Privy
Councillor. Five years ago, that is 1857, he
was created a Civil Knight Commander of
the Order of the Bath. In reference to his do•
mestic life enough will have been said, when it has
been remarked that the late Ambassador at Athens
was married in 1821 to one of the daughters (still
living) of his Imperial Highnese Prince LUCIEN
BONAPARTE—Sir THOMAS having separated seven
years afterwards from the mother of his two sons
(and his only children) ALFRED NAPOLEON and
WILLIAM BONAPARTE WYSE. Peace and honour
to the memory of this eminent servant of the
Crown, this loyal subject, liberal-minded citizen,
and accomplished gentleman.

Successive accounts do not better those which
first arrived, as to the great battle at Pittsburg
Landing. The Cincinnati Times is, of course, a
Northern paper, and though three or four hundred
miles from the field of battle, is the nearest great
capital to it. Its account of the conclusion of the
second day's fight is altogether different from that
of former Federal statements. Instead of General
GB.ANT charging the wavering Confederates with
five regiments, and the cavalry following the
routed Southerners, we are presented with a
kind of Homeric picture of the lion retiring
slowly from the fold before the clamorous shepherds,
but not condescending to flee. They fell back, we
are told, keeping up a fire of artillery as they
retreated. The next sentence in the telegram we
must suppose to be taken from another source, folk
it merely repeats the old account. That of the
Cincinnati Times, however, certainly agrees best
with the Northern confession to a loss of seven
thousand, two thousand of these being taken pri-
soners. We are yet in the dark, however, as to
whether these prisoners were sent back to Corinth
during the night after the first day's battle, which
seems most likely, or whether they were still with
the Confederate army in its final retreat on Corinth.
It seems pretty certain that altogether the Federals
had much the worst of it; though their losses would
be much more easily replaced than those of the
Con federates.

The work before M'CLELLAN at Yorktown, and
onwards to Richmond, seems to be more difficult
than he had expected. The defences of the place,
so well known in the revolutionary war, are very
strong. We have a description of them from the
pan of an Englishman who was over them repeatedly
in October last, and he thus writes—
" The fortifications at Yorktown, although hastily
constructed, are of a formidable character. The
town is protected from assault on its western and
along a portion of its southern front by an impass-
able marsh, and a stream called Wormley's Creek,
which runs into York River, east of the town, and
a mile or two below it, rendering the approach of
artillery on that side difficult, if not impossible.
The Confederate army, however, has not relied ex-
clusively upon these natural defences, bat has, in
addition, constructed a double line of strong earth-
works around the town, upon which numerous
heavy guns are mounted." It is remarkable that
the lines are in great part identical with those con-
structed by Lord CoRNWALLIS, and that in digging
a magazine, three workmen, came on an old one of
his containing loaded shells, the powder of which
still burnt on being dried, after lying there eighty
years.

The works are represented as well planned, the
country cleared of trees to give full range to the
heavy guns, the marshes flooded, the roads ob-
structed, and the distances accurately measured.
Heavy water batteries make it difficult for a fleet
to approach, and they enfilade a considerable portion
of the lines. Gloucester Point on the opposite side
of the river is also strongly fortified, and the
whole system of works commanding both the
water and the land is reported, from the writer's
Ipersonal observation, to be of the most formidable
character.

But our informant shows
that IYPCLELLAN'a
difficulties will not stop there. " The fortifications
of Yorktown and Gloucester Point," he adds, " are,
however, but a fractional part of the vast system of
works built for the defence of the peninsula. Should
the Federal troops succeed in capturing Yorktown
—an impossibility in my opinion—and make an ad-
vance upon Richmond, they would encounter a suc-
cession of fortified lines, stretching across from one
river to the other, each requiring time and labour,
besides a very large force and a heavy siege train to
take it. Should the Confederates defend these
lines with but ordinary courage, it will be impossible
for General M'CLELLAN to advance up the peninsula
without a far greater force than can be spared for
this purpose." We shall wait, therefore, with no
small solicitude to hear how M'CLELLAN has suc-
ceeded against what does appear to 'be an almost
inexpugnable series of works.

Better even in its way than the magnificent dis-
play of Monday last upon the Downs, near Brighton,
was the speech delivered last evening at Willis's
Rooms by the Inspector-General of Volunteers. It
was, in point of fact, a Review of the Review ! It
was a comment upon that memorable day's proceed-
ings in every respect worthy of Col. M'Atußpo. It
collected together, as it were, into a focus the more
conspicuous and the more important of the salient
facts brought to light by Easter Monday's demon-
stration. First and foremost among those facts—a
fact in itself in every way memorable was the
circumstance of a force of 20,000 men having, as
Colonel M'MURDo expressed it, been thrown
down upon the coast fifty miles fr.)m their
starting point by breakfast time. An incident
of itself marking out a new era in the art of war.
As distinctly marking out a new era, in this way,
by land, as the Merrimac and the Monitor mark
one out in regard to sea fighting. The punctuality
noticeable throughout the whole of this extraordi-
nary and hitherto unexampled operation, more-
over, the Inspector-General of the Volunteers would
not for an instant recognise as the result merely of
la certain amount of clever arransement. "Arrang-