The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-21 00:00:00

THE REBELLION IN JAMAICA•

The following private letter, from the Major of
the Ist West India Regiment, has been kindly
handed•to us for publication :

"Up Park Camp, Jamaica., Oct. 24, 1865.
"My Dear Parents,—An awful rebellion has
broken out here. On the 11th inst. the blacks in St.

Thomas-in-the-East, at a place called Morant Bay,
rose in revolt and murdered all the gentlemen assem-
bled at the Courthouse in vestry meeting—Baron
von Kettleholdt, the custos, all the magistrates and
clergymen they overpowered, and killed the volun-
teers, only 18 in number. They burnt the Court-

house, took possession of the volunteers' arms and
ammunition, let the prisoners in gaol loose, and bar-

12"441-36.11114fi1ia... everal gentlemer
without mercy. I send you a newspaper with

whole account. Colonel Wilson, our deputy-adju-
tant, has been made brigadier-general, and to him,
under General O'Connor's orders, is due the quick
suppression of the rebellion.

" On Wednesday, the 11th inst., we (the Ist Wrest)
were being inspected by Major-General O'Connor
at six o'clock a.m. Baron von Kettleholdt was
passing through camp at the time ; he stopped near
my house to .look at the review, and was much
pleased with the appearance of the men and their
manceuvresr and was heard to say if this show was
all in earnest how grand it would be. lie went on
to Morant Bay after the review at four o'clock p.m.
That same day he was inhumanly butchered.
" The general, with Colonel Nelson and staff,
left m at eight o'clock a.m., and came back at 12
o'clock at noon to see our books, orderly-room, hos-
pital, men's dinners, barracks, &c. ; but in the
meantime they had been apprised of an anticipated
riot at Morant Bay, and the first thing they ordered
me to do was to warn one captain, one subaltern,
and 100 men to get ready to start at a moment's
notice. The men were ready in 10 minutes. The
inspection went on and concluded. The general
saw the party under arms, and at four o'clock the
Wolverine, the only man-of-war here, steamed up
to Kingston. The men were marched down and
embarked, but did not leave Port Royal till next
morning. Captain Ross, the captain who went,
only arrived to see the carnage and bury the
slaughtered and mutilated bodies. Marines and
sailors were immediately landed.
" Next day the inspection of the artillery at Port
Royal went on (of course we did not know of the
riot). The general had a gunboat to take him down
and back to Kingston. I had a boat to myself, and
being anxious to get back to camp in case any more
men might be wanted in a hurry, I left them at
Port Royal, and on my way saw the gunboat, which
had reached near to Fort Augusta as I was getting
into Kingston, suddenly turn back and go into Port
Royal again. It seems a messenger was despatched
to inform the general of the riot. He went to the
Aboukir gnardship, got the Onyx, his gunboat, to
go on at once with Captain Luke and 100 more of
my men stationed at Port Royal ; the general then
came back to Kingston in a man-of-war boat.
Next day martial law was proclaimed in St. 1 homas-
in-the-East, county of Surrey—Kingston excepted.
Colonel Nelson was appointed brigadier-general,
and went on to the scene of the retrellitm. A eom-
pany of the 76th came to camp and on to Port
Morant ; another 50 of my men, with Mr. Kelly,
my adjutant ; 50 more of the Ist West to Rock
Fort, with Captain Strachan, then to Spanish Town;
50 of the Ist West to Old Harbour, with Mr. Hop-
kins ; 40 to Linstead, with Mr. Allinson. I left
here with 100 of the 76 (royal) Regiment, and 150
of my own. The Urgent transport came in and
-was immediately despatched, after coaling, to Bar-
badoes, for the 3d Buffs and the 2d West.
" The Plantagenet steamer was despatched to
Nassau for 200 more of the Ist West regiment, and
both axe hourly expected. Two Spanish men-of-
war came in to give assistance, and some more Eng-
lish ones. The admiral is sent for.

" Brigadier-General Nelson yesterday hanged G.
W. Gordon, the chief conspirator, a coloured man,
sentenced to death by a drum-head court-martial.
He has been planning the rebellion for the last
three years. The mob rose before the ap-
pointed time—everything was not quite ready.
They were to have risen at the race time or at
Christmas—murdered all the white men, and some
of the browns, friends of the whites. The browns
were to be under the blacks—the white ladies and
women spared for the blacks and to be slaves.
" Many corps and companies have been formed
in Kingston for its protection. Every one is armed,
&c. I have here upwards of 70 insurgents, pri-
soners, from all quarters—gentlemen, black Baptist
preachers, Methodist preachers, Italians, an Eng-
lishman, a dentist, several Haytians, two generals,
and a host of other cut-throat looking fellows.

" The old pensioners are formed into corps,
under Mr. Vallantine.
" The neck of the rebellion is broken, but the
country is by no means settled, and will require a
strong military force to keep it in order now and in
future.
" The Maroons have behaved most loyally, and
been of good assistance in hunting and taking pri-
soners. Hundreds of the latter have been hanged
and flogged.
" The Ist West were the first in the field, and
have done good service. Colonel Nelson says they
are the best Bashi-Bazouks he has seen. They are
nearly all mounted now, and ride like devils.
The sailors, as usual, are most active and effi-
cient, and a terror to the rebels, who meet from
them speedy justice and retribution. Some of the
atrocities committed by the insurgents, and mostly
women, equal those of the Indian mutiny—such as
tearing out the Rev. Mr. Ilerschell's tongue by the
roots before dead--ripping and cutting up Mr.
Price when alive ; and, to his cries to leave a little

life in him, replying, you area friend of the
white men, not a bit of life will we leave you'—
digging out the eyes of others—cutting off the
baron's head and hand, and saying, holding up his
fingers (held together by threads like sausages),
There, these fingers will write no more lies to the
Queen about us.' Dr. Gerard they were going to
kill, but spared him when he said lam a doctor,
and may be of use to you.' Captain llitchins died
like a hero ; he commanded the 18 volunteers ;
he was hewed and cut to pieces ; he crawled to Dr.
Gerard, clung round his neck, pleading to his savage
assailants for mercy ; they gave him none, but re-
doubled their cutlass blows, which, as he clung on
Dr. Gerard's breast, he (Dr. G.) could feel on his
chest through Capt. Ilitchen's body ; and so they
butchered him as long as he showed any symptoms
of life, and he was literally chopped to pieces. Many
other atrocities they committed—drank the blood of
their victims mixed with their brains, when taking
the oath, to rid Jamaica of all white men, divide
the lands, keep the white ladies and women for
themselves to be their slaves. The 'mob set fire to
the Court-house; where the gentlemen were defend-
ing themselves as best they could ; and on the roof
falling in, they butchered them as they came out.
Torrents of rain have been falling ; but thank God
the worst is over. (6 H. A.."—Liverpool Daily Post.

P..:;.. PE
Royel Institu6'Of British, Architects.
;'O,l
The second ordinary meeting foi:l4sesion 1865 n isri4
66 of the members of this instituW was held last • 30
evening, at Conduit-street, lianolk<ssivare ;
Edward PAnson in the chair. ;_,
The minutes of last meeting having been read
and confirmed,
The CHAIRMAN announced that various donations
; of books and publications had been received. The
thanks of the institute were ordered to be given to
the donors.

Mr. Charles John Innocent, of Sheffield ; Mr.
Edward John Tamer, of 1, Trinity-place, Charing-
cross ; and Mr. Henry Waffling, 26, Queen's-road,
Camden-square, were elected associates of the insti-
tute, Mr. IV. Mackinson, of Stirling, was elected a
fellow.

A letter was read from Mr. Ruilin requesting
that some proper mode be adopted of conveying to
the Institute of British Architects his sense of the
honour which they had done him in electing him an
honorary fellow of the institute.

The CHAIRMAN announced that it bad been
under the consideration of the council to form
committee for the purpose of putting themselves in
communication with the President of the Council in
England and the members of the French Exhibition
for 1867 abroad; and it had been resolved that a
committee should be appointed, to be composed of
the council and ten members of the Royal Institute
of British Architects, and of two representatives
from several other kindred institutions, and to
be called the " Paris Exhibition Architectural
Committee," for the purpose of securing the
suitable representation of British architecture and
of the arts common to architecture, as practised
in this kingdom, in the Paris Universal Exhibi-
tion of 1867. It was also resolved that the pre-
sident be requested to communiate to the Presi-
dent of the Council the formation of this com-
mittee, and to take steps to place the committee in
formal communication with the British commis-
sioner and the I ,iithorities. It was proposed

step to obtain two gentlemen who would be willing
co act as secretaries in promoting the objects of the
committee. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. W. IVnrrE, F.S.A., fellow of the institute,
read a very elaborate paper on " Iron work, its legi-
timate Uses and proper Treatment." The first
question which suggested itself was as to the fitness
of iron for all purposes. This by
bli te standpointj feo argument
that u p o ni r
some was made the
its
m
mon o ought titsaon dbe aups
ed
only for its proper purposes. So long as brick, and
stone, and wood existed, that was to say so long as
the world lasted, these alone would be the staple ma-
terial, the true and universal medium for the ex-
pression of art in forms essentially and strictly ar-
chitectural. But did he, therefore, ignore the use
of iron, and say that it was incapable of artistic
treatment ? By no means. In its degree, and in its
proper fashion, it was capable of as high artistic
treatment as other material, though not to the same
extent. For the expression of bulk, upon which the
proportion of all true architecture—irrespectively of
any particular phase of it—so materially depended,
it was utterly inefficient. For the highest class of art,
again, namely, for the representation of the human
form, and for other followings of nature, it could
never compete with stone or marble, with silver or
gold, or eVon with bronze. In the higher forms of
art the hardest of materials oftentimes were chosen
in spite of their hardness, either for their intrinsic
value or for their capability of manipulation, or for
their fitness to exhibit in a durable and striking
manner the spirit and precision of the artist's hand
and the power of his conception. In every one of these
respects iron was far behind all the other materials
lie had named. Hence, hesaid, it was not a material
of the highest class, in its relation to architecture as
an art. In constructional or mechanical branches
of architecture it henceforth existed as a sub-
sidiary which could not be dispensed with. Iu
extensive works, to be built with vast ac-
commodation, and at a moderate cost, or
within a short limited space of time ; in engineering
works, and such as were more strictly utilitarian
rather than architectural, iron would hold its just
and undisputed sway. The main argument for iron
was its utilitarianism and its general adaptability
to such extensive works as lie had referred to. It
had, however, been admitted that at present it was
useless as compared with brick and mortar for walls
of warehouses for the storage of combustible ma-
terial. It was difficult to Conceive
of iron as of a
material strictly architectural in the sense in which
brick and stone were so. Its very nature forbad it.
It was not even a question of equal availability with
brick and stone for building purposes, but a question-
of equal availability in combination with an equal
capacity for giving expression to form. It was not
pretended by the advocates for iron that anything
but cast or rolled work could be used on a large
scale. Forged work would be useless in the main
structure. It could only be introduced in the sub-
sidiary ornamental details. For the main construc-
tional portions of domestic or ecclesiastical build-
ings, or of public civic buildings which were to be
monuments of art, there need be no fear of the good
sense or the good taste of the country being so
changed as to adopt the universal use of iron. The
minimum of bulk which iron presented placed it
beyond the pale for church architecture especially
It might be used with great advantage for temporary
churches. The author then passed on to an elabo-
rate review of the chief of the different modes of
treatment and other processes which could or could
not be justified by a strict observance of the dis-
tinctive qualities of the material, and concluded
amid the warm applause of the audience.
A brief discussion of a technical nature followed,
and a vote of thanks to Mr. White for his able and
elaborate paper brought the proceedings to a close.

CAPTURE OF A FORGER IN SPAlN.—lnformation
has been received by the City Police that W. Geo.
Head, charged with forging a cheque- for £620 upon the
Bank of London in Aug. last, is now in the custody of one
of the City detectives at Vigo, in Spain. The prisoner,
who is only 19 years old, was clerk to Mr. Elliott, a solici-
tor, and having obtained a blank cheque from his master's
book, he filled it up for the sum of £620, and forged his
signature so cleverly that the money was at once paid him
in notes, which ho exchanged for gold. The police were
communicated with, and from information received they
came to the conclusion that he had left England in a ship
for Oporto. A telegram was accordingly forwarded to the
police authorities of that town, the prisoner was taken into
custody, and £5OO in gold was found upon him. He was
detained for some time, but as no ono appeared against him
from England, he was discharged with a passport for Eng-
land, but the money was detained, with the exception o!na
sum sufficient to take him home. Instead of
where
etbuo
wasg
to this country, he made his way to Madrid, wb
the
found in an almost destitute state, and was t arrestedßy
that time
Spanish police for being without a
passport. By
of what had
the authorities of this country
being, however, no extradition
and ho made his way to
Spanish authorities set him free, and
found him so sick of hig
taken place, and Huggott wasdbesetperaletmacthyowdittehMEadnriglda.mli:htehree
Vigo, followed by Huggott,
the officers back
PaanN3':essel at Vigo to
rtadventuresoetulii
England.iom et h. aTt
-That the fearful annual mortality of
[ADVERTMEMENT.,
to pills and medicines,
if, instead of flying blindly
hheoyeianrosenntoewdm;w:aacitere•
arrested. ly relieving the patient, have in
which, though apparent
increasing
60,000 young chi'dren and delicate persons of all ages may be
the danger of life, we were simply to study how
and with it
reality' no o her tendency thin that of debility,
to increase the vital force by imparting new and pure blood,
upon which the harmonious development of the whole frame
depends, has been successfully proved by Du Barry's Inva-
lids' and Infai.ts' Food, the Revalenta Arablca, and its
thousands of cures annually. It yields three times as mu:h
easily assimilated nourishment as the best meat, bnd for
children it i s the best substitute for human mile. Dr.
Bout's, physician to the S.smaritan Hospital for Women and
children-the best authority on such matters his admir-
able publication on Food, says—Amongst the vegetable sub-
stances, th .t which comes closest t ► milk in its composi:ioa
is, without doubt, Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food, con"
aining both Phosphoric acid in abundance and chloride of
potassium ; it also includ-s casein, the slaw principle
is found iu nitlk in iti constituent part 4. No wonder, there-
fereoliat under its influence 'nifty children affected withi,
at-ophy (wasting away of the body, and market debiatesYt,
have completely recovered. 1 have given
1"ilh
theta:Yu my
advantage in such eases; and so far as I may j
own experience, practice fully carries out
from a knowledge of its composition, led us
it2olb.,
225. ; 141 b.
In tins,l lb., 25.9 d. ; 21b., 4s. 6d ; 51b., Its.
,„,, street, London;
IN.—Barry Du Barry and Co., N 0.77. 'ter-
; likewi e
also Phillips, tea dealers, s, King William-streetudlget theory,
r 49, Bishopsg,rate-
sdm ; 330, Strand;
at 61, Gracechurch-street ; 4, che
sire t Within ; 63, 150, and 298,
T°lternhatn-street
-court-road ; 96,
51, Upper Baker-street ;
103,
Upper-street, Islington, N. . Harvey, Notting-hill; Close
Brothers, 65, High-street ; and Stubbs, Queen's-terrace, St.
John's -wcod, London ; and all respectable grocers and the-
mists.--Beware of spurious imitations.

LONDON, TUESDAY, NOV. 21, 1865.

The more the proceedings which have recently
taken place in Jamaica are dwelt upon the more
extraordinary the whole affair seems to be. Nothing
has at all transpired which can tend to throw any light
upon the causes of the disaster otherwise than can
be accounted for through the spirit of discontent
that was fermented. The outbreak of this rebellion
was certainly premature, and therefore, of course,
was the more alarming, because the authorities had
no opportunities afforded to them of taking note of
suspicious signs and tokens, or of observing any
manifestations of discontent among the negroes.
Taking all things intfconsideration, it may well be
considered that we have cause to rejoice things were
no worse instead of wondering if they might not have
been better arranged. The affair which inaugurated
the rebellion in itself was of so trifling a character
that it did not tend to alarm the authorities, and
was, therefore, in reality of no use in preparing them
for the tragedy that was to come. It is, of course,
always easy to judge after the event what should
have been done, but in this case it may fairly be

permitted to remark that had more care or caution
been used after. the rescue of the negro from the
Court-house the results might have been less dis-
astrous. It is always wisest to be on the safe side,
and surely so outrageous an action should have in-
spired some degree of apprehension into the minds
of the authorities. Governor ETRE took no time
in taking steps to prevent the spread of the evil,
which he was prescient enough to see had taken
root, but so much time was lost before he was in-
formed of the riots that the lives of many of the un-
fortunate inhabitants of Morant Town could not
be saved. Still the arrival of the Wolverine was
mom opportune, because by this means the unhappy
refugees were rescued from their perilous position,
so that a great deal is due to the foresight and
sagacity of the Governor, and he must have rejoiced
at the result of his providential care and prompt
decision. So much depends, in circumstances of
this kind, upon energy and discernment, for while
doubts are arising and difficulties being weighed
over the opportunity for action may go by, and a
general confusion arise which cannot easily be set
to rights, nor can its consequences be soon for-
gotten. It is to be hoped that the Colonial Minis-
ter and the Cabinet in general will appreciate the
conduct of the Governor, for it is due to his exer-
tions and the zeal with which his orders were obeyed
that a complete and general outbreak did not take
place, which would have occasioned incalculable
distress to many in this country, besides a conside-
rable destruction of property. Besides the preven-
tive measures which were adopted, it was wise to
resolve upon the immediate execution of the ring-
leaders ; for, had a different course been followed,
the rebels could not have been so easily intimidated.
An affair like this outbreak in Jamaica can only be
put down by the exercise of stern justice, and it
was only acting with due regard to the safety of the
inhabitants, and, in the end, with consistency to-
wards the rebels, to enforce the penalty of the laws
in each case of flagrant rebellion.
Those who exclaim against such a course as being
too arbitrary seem to forget, in their zeal for the
blacks, that a still harder measure was dealt out by
them towards the unoffending inhabitants whom
they cruelly tortured and brutally massacred. It is
unfortunate that at this juncture any person should
be found eager or willing to advocate the cause or
put forward the claims of such miscreants, as the
ringleaders of the insurrection have proved them-
selves to be. When men get an idea into their heads
they are often apt to go to extremes, and persist in
their original notions, however much circumstances
may have changed since they first took them up.
Such prejudice, however, is no proof of their sound
judgment or good sense, and must cause regret to
all discriminating observers. When a catastrophe
like the one just recorded occurs, it is the proper
thing for all lovers of peace and promoters of order to
make common cause against those who offend against
the laws, and not to exhibit to the delinquents a want
of unity and a difference of opinion, of which ad-
vantage may be taken at a future time.

Dr. UNDERHILL has written a letter concerning
this affair, in which he attaches great blame to
Governor EIRE, and " disclaims the responsibility"
which he fastens upon him, the responsibility in
question being, he avers, the Governor's, and not
his. He publishes the letter to which allusion has
been made, and which was addressed to Mr. CARD-
WELL in January last by Dr. UNDERHILL. This
document presents a most unfavourable account
of the condition of the island of Jamaica.
'The continually increasing distress of the
coloured population is said to give rise to
great apprehensions, and the following extract
from one of the letters the writer has re-
ceived from Jamaica is a very good illustration
of the style of the communication :—" Crime has
fearfully increased, the number of prisoners in the
penitentiary and gaols is considerably more than
double the average, and nearly all for one crime,
larceny. Summonses for petty debts disclose an
amount of pecuniary difficulty which has never
before been experienced, and applications for paro-
chial and private relief prove that multitudes are
suffering from want little removed from starvation.
The extreme poverty of the people is considered to be
the cause of the evil that exists, and Dr. UNDERHILL
expresses his fears that unless something be speedily
done to afford employment and encourage the
outlay of capital in Jamaica, most distressing con-
sequences will ensue ; indeed he goes so far as to
prognosticate the " entire failure of the island."
There may doubtless be great truth in some of these
statements in the abstract, but an exaggerated tone
prevails in regard to the condition of the coloured
population, and nothing had occurred at the time
referred to to justify so wholesale a denunciation
as is found in these words. In reference to the
Government of Jamaica, it is said that it is a
course of action " which, while it incalculably ap-
preciates the misery arising from natural causes,
renders certain the ultimate destination of every
class, planter and peasant, European_ and Creole.
Whatever sufferings might have been felt by the
negroes they have entirely done away with the
sympathy that would otherwise have been theirs,
and they must adopt a very different course before
confidence can be reposed in them. It appears
that too much latitude has been allowed to them
instead of too little, and they have abused their
opportunities and lost their chances of improvement
in so conspicuous a manner that it must be evi-
dent to all experienced persons that in future a
strict supervision must be kept over them.

Among the many encouraging items of news
which reach us from the shores of America, which
indicate the gradual restoration of tranquillity and
outward peace to the States of the Confederacy,
the people of this country are perhaps too much
inclined to forget the terrible devastation of the
war. The impressions of an English traveller in
the South, as addressed to a contemporary, are,
therefore, not unsuitable reading at this time, as
they serve to remind us that the struggle for South-
ern independence was something more than a hasty
resolution, a visionary dream of fanatics and en-
thusiasts. It arose from the deep and resolute
conviction of a whole people, who believed that
they had a right to independent government, and
that it was within their power to achieve it, and
who made the most heroic efforts and endured the
most bitter sacrifices during a period of four years,
during which they received little or no external aid,
while they had every disadvantage to contend
against. Had they had a smaller extent of country
to defend they might have had a better chance.
The stories of sieges and assaults in which the de-
fenders compel their assailants to retreat, and
outweigh numbers by courage and endurance,
have mostly been confined to towns or for-
tresses. Even in the memorable siege of
Malta the Knights had only an island to
defend, not a vast and expansive territory to which
their forces were totally inadequate. It is becom-
ing in some quarters the impression that the South
collapsed because the people grew tired of the war,
and began to think that le jeu ne valait pas la
chaudelle, and that as soon as the struggle really
came home to them they abandoned what had been
all along a matter of indifference. No doubt there
watasth last, ae
good deal of disaffection and unwillingness
esPacially among the planters, who

looked with a jealous eye on the open declaration
of DAVIS and LEE that the negroes ought to be
impressed. Their losses, at least, no Englishman
will regret, nor will they gain much pity for their
compulsory abandonment of their property which
the change of circumstances forced upon them.
The tone of the Southern Congress showed any-
thing but the unanimity and patriotism required in
such an emergency, and JEFFERSON DAVIS was too
constitutional a ruler to enforce the measures which
he believed to be indispensable to the safety of his
own Government. His voice was raised indeed in
warning and expostulation, and for this the Con-
gress called him sharply to account, declaring
that he was exciting unnecessary alarm
among the people, and they immediately
issued a counter statement declaring that
the prospects of the Confederacy were sanguine,
even while the enemy was at their very doors. We
can all remember the grave and dignified reply
made by the Southern President, in which he
mournfully said he hoped they might find him mis-
taken. It must, indeed, have been a bitter disap-
pointment for JEFFERSON DAVIS to watch the in-
evitable collapse of a Government which rested on
popular representation, and which failed to find in
the Representative Assembly the support which it
required. We can fancy that his own fate seemed
to him at that moment a matter of indifference
compared to the failure of the cause to which he had
devoted himself heart and soul. Had DAVIS been
a man of different temper the result might possibly
have been different, or the struggle, at least, would
have been prolonged. Had ANDREW JOHNSON been
at the head of the Confederacy his strong will might
have bent the planters to the necessities of the hour,
but JEFFERSON DAVIS and his associates were too
faithful to the principle that they ruled by the will
of the people for the success of their cause. North
and South both suffered from the war to an extent
which it is difficult to realise from mere figures,
but the South has paid by far the heaviest penalty. A
grim but striking fact brings home to us the vast
extent of the destruction. It seems that the trade
in bones has become a profitable occupation in the
South, and at this we need not wonder, when we
hear that in the valley of the Shenandoah alone it
is said that 160,000 skeletons of horses have been
collected. At Fredericksburg, another name of
terrible memory, a bone mill has been established,
and has been in active work during the past five
months, waggon loads arriving there daily. And
how many human bones cumber the green fields of
the Southern States ? What a vast amount of
human suffering and wretchedness does not this
war, which has now passed into a name, repre-
sent ! It is said that on the boats and trains going
northward travellers are often surprised to see a
large box with a skull and crossbones painted
outside, together with a name and date. This con-
tains the remains of some Northern soldier who
fell in the South, and whose relatives wish to have
him buried near them. American ingenuity has
turned even this melancholy wish into a sort of
profit, and the removal of corpses has become a
thriving trade. The Southern ;people are too
poor for any such "luxury of woe," and accord-
ingly these mournful conveyances are seldom seen
moving towards the Southern States. The poverty
of the South is indeed something fearful, and even
in Richmond itself the wealthiest classes are poorer
than the poorest tradesman used to be. There are
many reasons for this. The Confederate currency
lost all its value suddenly, and those who held a
good sum one day were penniless the next. Again,
the barbarous conduct of the Northern Generals,
who, like SHERIDAN in the fertile valley of the
Shenandoah, ruthlessly destroyed the crops and
granaries and burn the homesteads of the
people, has been productive of much of what
we may call unnecessary misery. Then the
obstinate laziness of the blacks, who believe for the
most part that Congress intends to give them lands
for their support, hinders the cultivation of the
land and the sowing of the crops, and. there is,
therefore, little prospect of a good harvest redeem-
ing matters. The negroes themselves, according to
the official report, have suffered terribly from
scarcity. A struggle like that which America has
just passed through could not fail to leave its traces
on all classes. In its extent and in the magnitude
of the armies employed on both sides it rivalled
the wars of antiquity, in which every able-bodied
man in the country was called to bear arms. Surely
this survey carries two lessons. It should teach
European powers to be patient during the inevitable
transition state through which America is now pass-
ing, remembering how much she has suffered, and
how hard a task lies before her statesmen, while it
should also warn the A mericans themselves to be
less hasty in provoking another gigantic contest
before the wounds so recently inflicted have fairly
closed.

THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PASTON LETTERS.—
The first meeting of the Society of Antiquaries
since the long vacation was held last evening at
Somerset-house, Mr. Frederick Ouvry in the chair.
After some routine business had been transacted, the
secretary (Mr. Christopher Knight-Watson) said that
recently his attention had been directed to an article in
the Fortnightly Review, by Mr. Herman Merivale, im-
pugning the authenticity of the famous Paston Letters.
He (Mr. Watson) immediately put himself in communica-
tion with Mr. Bruce, who was the most competent person
to decide as to the internal evidence of the letters, and Mr.
Almack, who, there was reason to believe, could speak as
to what might be termed the internal evidence, in conse-
quence of his long residence in that part of England where
the Preston family dwelt, and his acquaintance with Mr.
Dalton, the intimate friend of Sir John Fenn, who helped
him into the publication of the letters. In the meantime,
Mr. Philip Frere, the literary representative of Sir John
Fenn, instituted a search among the papers of his father,
the late Sergeant Frere, who edited the fifth volume of the
letters. The result was the discovery of the original MS.
of the letters comprised in the fifth published volume, to-
gether with a mass of undated letters and other documents
connected with the publication of the whole. There was
reason to hope that these originals would be laid before the
society on an early occasion, when Mr. Bruce and Mr. Al-
mack would make some valuable communications on the
subject. He (Mr. Watson) had received a letter from
Philip Frere, in which he stated the particulars of
the discovery of the original documents at his resi-
dence at Dungate, Cambridgeshire. It appeared that
the late Sergeant Frere could never find the originals
of the fifth volume, though he was by no means an
ignorant or careless successor of Sir John Fenn. On
the contrary, ho put such originals as he could find
into the hands of his son Philip, then a schoolboy, and
taught him to read and decipher them. Afterwards, in
1830, he forwarded such documents as he had to the Bishop
of Llandaff, for that learned prelate's inspection. Very
recently, however, Mr. Philip Frere, found a box about
2ft. square, marked "Paston Letters." On opening it he
found the specimens which had been sent to the Bishop of
Llandaff, below them various undated documents of the
15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, and in another tier the long
missing originals of the fifth volume, complete and in ex-
act order. These, of course, furnished a triumphant an-
swer and refutation to the charge brought against Sir John
ho Fenn iu reference to the authenticity of the Paston Letters.
T chairman remarked that as an attack of this kind had
been
request to Mr. Philip Frere to lay
made it was desirable that all the evidence that could
be procured should be produced. Perhaps it would be ad-
visable to send a special
the manuscripts alluded to before the society. Mr. Richard
Cull said he would use his personal influence with Mr.
From to attain the desired object. Re might mention that
he had himself gone over the MSS. with Serjeant Frere,
and compared the originals with the printed letters. That
was about 1834 or 1835. The serjeant died in 1836, and
after his death he (Mr. Cull) saw portions of the MSS. of
the first four volumes, and many letters still unpublished.
He well remembered they were kept in a box which an-
swered to the one described in Mr. Philip Frere's commu-
nication. He had no doubt that Mr. Frere would be glad
to send the documents in question for inspection by Fel-
lows of the society.

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.
ARRIVAL OF THE CITY OF BOSTON.
(Via Roche's Point.)

The Inman steamer City of Boston, from New
York, on the 11th inst., arrived at Queenstown at
8.15 a.m. to-day (Tuesday), with the mails,
$130,000 in specie, and 189 passengers. She landed
42 passengers and proceeded at 8.30 a.m. for Liver-
pool.

NEW YORK, Nov. 11 (Morning).

President Johnson has announced that the pas-
sage of the constitutional amendment is necessary
for the full restoration of the Southern States to the
Union.
Captain Wirz has been hanged.

The New York Times says that Mr. Seward re-
plied to Earl Russell's last despatch six weeks ago,
informing the latter that he could not press the
suggestion fDr arbitration nor consent to submit
any question to the decision of a commission unless
all claims at issue between the two Governments
were also submitted. Mr. Seward's despatch is
supposed to be mainly to ascertain what topics Earl
Russell proposed to submit to a Commission.
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Money tight. Gold, 1461. Exchange on London,
159 ; on Paris, 3.561. Stocks declining down-
wards. New York Centrals, 691 i Illinois, 1351 ;
Erie, 9211 Five-Twenty Bonds, 101/. Cotton
supply firm. Middling Upland, 52. Flour declin-
ing—Wheat firm. Corn depressed. Provisions
steady. Coffee steady. Sugar quiet. Molasses
steady. Petroleum dull. Crude, 37 ; refined, 60.

OVERLAND MAILS.

CALCUTTA, Nov. 8.

Owing to a sudden change in the river (Hooghley)
the Mooltan is 'leaped and cannot leave here until
the 14th instant.

NoTE.—The proper date of departure is Novem-
ber 9th, it is therefore probable that the Calcutta,
China, and Australian Mails, due at Marseilles on
the 11th, and Southampton on the 19th December,
will be five days late.

SPAIN.
MADRID, Nov. 20.
The Court will leave La Granja for Pardo on
the Ist December.
The Queen will not return to Madrid until the
opening of the Cortes.

SWEDEN.

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 20 (Evening.)

The final vote upon the reform of the Constitution
will probably be taken on the 6th December next.
The reform party are daily gaining fresh adherents
in the Upper House. Numerous addresses in favour
of reform continue to be presented, among which
is one from the University of Upsala.

RUSSIA.

ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 19.

While reports received from Asia, by way of
Constantinople and Trieste, represent the Emir of
Bokhara as a conquering hero, before whom the
Russians bow their diminished heads, it appears from
intelligence just published by the Invalide Russe
that the Sovereign in question has' never even
attacked the garrison at Taschkend at all. His be-
haviour, on the contrary, seems to be"of the most
respectable character towards Gen. Tschernaieff, to
whom he is said to have just despatched his third
embassy. In addition to this, it appears that the
Emir has quite enough upon his hands in his own
country. He had commenced hostilities against
the Kliptschaks, by which both parties were
weakened, and the Emir, having remained
with the greater portion of his forces in Khokand,
had by that course materially assisted his opponents
to gain the victory. One of the latter, Schagri-
Schialz of Bokhara, availed himself of the Emir's
weakness to get up an insurrection. In consequence
the Emir had sent on his infantry to the-scene of
action, and was about to follow in person. No
change had taken place in the situation of affairs
at Taschkend. On the 30th August r(igth Septem-
ber) General Tschernaieff gave a tirrhd -7uet, at
which 30,000 persons were present, ..uout any
disorder whatever taking place. Thi4' cyent made
a great impression upon the inhabithntk