The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-02 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON-BRIDGE.

THIS DAL—Morning, sh. I.4m.—Afternoon, sh. 34m.
To-Momtow.-Morning,
_sh. 56m.—Afternoon, Oh. 20in.

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LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1865.

The arrival of the City of London, which brings
news from New York up to the 18th ult., gives us
little intelligence of a decisive character. The same
transition state of things which has been recorded
by the last two mails appears to continue, and we
are still assured that a great battle is imminent.
There is, however, good ground for anticipating an
immediate collision between the rival forces of
SHERMAN and BEAUREGARD at the Congaree River,
a few miles to the east of Columbia. BEAL:REGARD
has a strong force on the north bank, and there is
said to have been a rumour afloat in Richmond on
the 17th, to th.c effect that an encounter had taken
place, that SHERMAN had been checked, and BEAU-
REGARD killed, but this report was quite'
unreliable.
The Federals have by all accounts gained
posses-
sion of Branchville ; Federal reports say, after
three days' hard fighting, but more trustworthy
versions declare the city to have been evacuated by
the Confederates. The more important part of the
news refers to civil affairs, and we are glad to find

that a new Bill for arming the slaves has been in

troduced into the Confederate House of Repre-
sentatives, so that it is evident the leaders of the
Confederacy have not lost sight of this all important
point. With the Federals in the heart of their
States their great necessity is prompt and vigorous

Action, and promptitude and vigour are impossible
to the best of generals if he has not the requisite
force. He is compelled to measure his strategy by
his circumstances, to delay important movements
to obtain this scheme, because it would require
more men than he can spare, and that
because it would leave some valuable post
unguarde3. He has to employ his veterans on un-
important tasks, and is feeling compelled to put
untrained soldiers into positions of prominence and
trial. With so large a reinforcement as the admis-
sion of the negroes to the ranks would bring, LEE
would be comparatively independent, and all really
patriotic Confederates should at once fling aside
their prejudices and sacrifice their old associations,
with the view of strengthening the hands of the
Commander-in-Chief. LEE has long since expressed
his conviction of the military necessity of the mea-
sure, so that there is no excuse for those who shrink
from their duty. The last Bill was introduced at
an unfortunate, time when the North .had
just insisted on the acceptance of the Con-
stitutional amendment among their conditions
of peace, and naturally such a stipulation
coming from such a quarter served to irritate rather
than persuade the reluctant Southerners. The re-
cent disasters of the South will.have wrought a good
end if they succeed in convincing the slave owners
of the necessity of the measure, and since the Go-
vernment offers them full compensation they have
no excuse. The question for them to consider is,
whether they will agree to a course which the wisest,
the most resolute, and the most patriotic of their
countrymen assure them to be necessary, or whether
they will sacrifice the public interests to their pri-
yate advantages and prejudices, and choose rather
to submit to the risk of Northern triumph, which will
enforce upon them the very thing they now avoid,
and that, too, without compensation for their losses.

In the North meanwhile Mr. LINCOLN has called
an Extraordinary Session of Congress to meet upon
the closing of the present session on the 4th, " to
act upon important communications which he will
then submit." Probably the -want of money will
have some part in those communications, and at any
rate the fact is significant. The Senate, on the mo-
tion of Mr. SUMNER, has unanimously adopted a
resolution declaring that " under no circumstances"
would the Confederacy be recognised by the United
States. This is flinging down the gauntlet without
any reason, and is only a rash defiance without any
good. The temper of the rival belligerents cer-
tainly gives little hope of any pacific arrangement,
so that we may unfortunately look for a further
prolongation of the war until the North gains rea-
son or the South loses courage.

The best satire upon the course pursued by
Prussia in making the conditions respecting the
Duchies is to imagine what would have been said or
written if the same things had been made public
two years ago. What indignation would have been
expressed in all quarters, and how mean and despi-

cable would the Berlin policy have been declared !
But in consequence of the stealing manner in which
matters have been carried on it seems almost as if a
tacit consent was given to these scandalous pro-

ceedings, and that the nefarious transaction was
virtually settled. The grasping character of the
conditions cannot be overrated, and, indeed, one is
puzzled to understand how even Prussian effrontery
can have the impudence to make them. The two
which are to be made a sine qua non are completely
subversive of all independence and nationality
for the Duchies : The right to levy sailors
in the Duchies for the Prussian Navy ;"

the cession to Prussia of the requisite territory for
the establishment of th© canal to connect the Ger-
man Ocean and the Baltic. It would be far more
consistent with truth for the Berlin Cabinet to
declare that it has a right to possess the whole of
the Duchies than to make these inordinate requests
in such an overbearing style and manner. How
can any stretch of ingenuity make out that the
Prussians have a right to levy sailors in any place
but their own territory ? Such a thing is a perfect

imposition, and must produce most deleterious
effects upon the notions of nationality in all con-
cerned. As for the cession of a portion of ter-

ritory, that again is a monstrous demand, and can
only be accounted for by the recollection of past
manoeuvres. Yet we find that these requisitions
are not enough, and that many more are mentioned.
At each mouth of the canal large fortified docks are
to be erected for the reception of Prussian men-of-
war. Of course the meaning of this is obvious, that in
case of future outbreaks or disturbances the Prus-
sians may have full command over the place. The
postal and telegraphic departments of the Duchies
are to be under the direction of Prussia, which will
carry to that kingdom an immense power over
social and domestic affairs. The last-named con-
dition is that the forces of the Duchies should be
connected as closely as possible with those of
Prussia. No more stringent terms could possibly
have been made to crush out the last remnants
of nationality from the unfortunate territories they
concern. There can be no doubt that those who
were most inimical to the Danish rules will bit-
terly regret the day when they made any efforts to
obtain the intervention of the Germanic Powers.
They have bid a long adieu to all independence of
words or action, to all national rights, and all
domestic privileges. It is difficult to decide -whether
Austria will accede to these demands or not, but
in any case the matter will not be settled, for there
will still remain the succession question, which will
have to be inquired into. The publication of the
required conditions is certainly a very likely thing
to make any aspirant renounce his claims, and retire
from the prospect of such limited sway and bounded

rule. It may very possibly turn out, that after all
has been said and done, the Prussians will discover
that none of the pretenders have any real and just
claims upon the Duchies, and that King WILLIAM
is the only one who really possesses a right. Should
this prove the case, it is not likely that any
very decided objection will be made, or at
all events not one of a character to prevent
the fulfilment of the BISMARK scheme. A more
melancholy instance of misrule and injustice has
seldom been witnessed in the history of nations than
this episode of the Schleswig-Holstein affair. It
has been a stumbling block to all progress in Pills_
sia—a positive injury to the dispirited Duchies
themselves--and a great injustice to Denmark. The

only real reason for all this is that Prussia sought to
obtain the aggrandisement of her territories, and
has contrived pretty nearly to accomplish this desi-
deratum, by artful stratagem and wily undertakings.
Now that the truth of all the strictures that far
seeing individuals made upon the tactics of German
policy is unmistakeably manifested, it is found very
convenient to drop the discussion ; Mit not the less
a gross outrage has been committed upon national
rights and popular independence, and a lasting dis-
grace inflicted upon the Allasza Powers.

islt
s has satisfactory to findve to that
brin i‘frgn a bill Alderman
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open Lo.
obtained
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the present toll-bridges for the free use of the
i A
Public. The advantages that will thus be conferred
upon the metropolis were ably set forth by the hon.
member. Ile showed that by this means the traffic
will be greatly facilitated, and the communications
across the Thames improved. It was very well
observed by the hon, member that it seems most

s trange that in London, which contains over three
-millions of inhabitants, there were only three free
-toll bridges that connected the northern and south-
tern parts of the metropolis. An unanswerable
argument in favour of this remission of tolls is that
a great boon will thus be conferred upon the work-
ing classes, who now in many instances crowd
-upon the northern side of the river in order to
avoid the inconvenient expense of the tolls
exacted on the bridges. Those who are
employed in the City are thus induced to pass to
the most crowded side, and suffer great incon-
venience thereby. As Mr. SALOMONS stated, there
is far more room on " the south side of the river
for the metropolis to spread itself than on the
crowded northern one. "The plan he proposed was,
that the Metropolitan Board of Works should have
power to levy a general rate of one halfpenny in the
pound for twenty years to raise a fund for the pur-
chase of the "toll-paying bridges," and that the
district in which such bridges was situated should
pay an additional halfpenny in the pound. Further
more, an additional tax of one penny in the pound
to be placed upon all coals that are brought into the
metropolis. Thus, without any particular pressure
of any interest, the desired object will be at-
tained, and the bridges opened "toll free." It is
a satire upon the management of our metropolis
that we have only three bridges toll-free, while in
Paris they have no less than twenty-three. If any
proof were wanted to show the uselessness of the
inconvenient imposition of tolls, it would be fur-
nished by the fact' that the day after Southwark
Bridge was opened free, the traffic thereupon in-
creased ninefold. Surely sufficient evidence has
been afforded by experience to certify that toll
bridges do not pay, and therefore we may entertain
a reasonable hope that no opposition will be made
to Mr. SiLomoN's proposal to refer the Bill to a
Select Committee after the second reading. All
that tends to promote the general interests of the
public should be paid special attention to, and this
question of opening the bridges ought long ago to
have received the notice of the Legislature.

The China mail gives us but a dismal picture of
the general condition of the Empire. War, revolt,
and general disturbance are desolating almost every
part ; the people are suffering grievous privations,
having been plundered on all sides by the various
forces, besides what the inhabitants of the cities
have lost by the sieges, fires, levies, &c. In the
north-west of China the Mahomedans are actively
engaged against the Imperialists, and in another
part of the country there is a formidable band of
insurgents under an old adherent of the Tien-wang,
and at Jehol the Tartar force has broken completely
loose from control, and has devastated the neigh-
bourhood which they were supposed to protect,
reducing the inhabitants to great wretchedness. It
is said that this outbreak on the part of the Tartars
is partly due to the extortion and oppression of
their officers, and this is another proof of the
immense advantage to the Chinese of employing
foreigners to command their troops. A curious
instance- of the different estimation in which the
Chinese themselves held the Europeans and their
own countrymen was lately shown by an incident
which occurred at Ningpo. There was great alarm
felt in the west in consequence of the outbreak at
Wan-chow, and the acting Futai at Hangchow
had despatched his troops, and sent down to
Ningpo for reinforcements. It was therefore pro-
posed to re-enlist a thousand men belonging
to the disbanded force of Colonel CooKE, who
accordingly presented themselves at the apponted
time and place, and expressed their willingness to
go. When the arrangements were nearly com-
pleted they inquired under what foreigner
they were to serve, and on hearing that
they were to be commanded by native officers
they rushed off in disgust, and neither threats nor
persuasions could induce them to take arms. Col.
CooKE was asked to try his influence, but he very
wisely declined to interfere. As a contrast to the
above, when it was known that Col. CooKE was to
retain a force of 200 men for the protection of the
creeks near Ningpo several thousand men offered
their services. The contrast is striking xhen we
remember the different degree of discipline which is
enforced by Chinese and by European officers,
but the men know how to appreciate justice and
humanity, and find them after all more profitable
than the merciless extortion of their mandrins.
They are, too, not insensible to the different
degrees of distinction which they attain under
foreign leaders, and the Chinese officials are said
to object to the employment of foreigners as
much because they eclipse them in credit, as because
they cost them money. This jealousy is likely
enough to cost them dear in the case of Hangchow,
where infirm and incapable men have been des-
patched, instead of the vigorous disciplined force
that CooKE might have led thither if permitted by
the Chekeang authorities. No doubt the Chinese
have since often regretted the misconduct and
treachery which led to the resignation and removal
of Major GORDON and other British officers. It is
expected that an attack will shortly be made on
Canton, and all available troops are concentrated
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The Two Funerals—Duke and Cardinal.

(From the Owl.)
Twice have our streets by solemn state
Been saddened, and by funeral gloom ;
Twice, since we met, the good and great

Have visited the silent tomb.
And, as the pageants slow proceed,
From either fano, men bare the head,
Whato'er their country, rank, or creed,
In reverence for the exalted dead.
Each, who lies low, had passed his days
In earnest work, at duty's call ;
Each, as a man, had won his praise,
As kind, and good, to great and small.
The one was bred a sailor free,
And many a league he voyaged o'er,
Where laughs the glad Pacific sea,
Or the dread Iceberg locks the shore.
And in tho Senate then he stood,
All active for his country's cause,
Her strength, her happiness, her good,
Her arts, her commerce, and her laws.
The other, bred in cloistered wall,
To serve his Church his dearest aim.
His strength, his mind, his life, his all,
Devoted to exalt her name.

And yet, unkindly upon those
Who dared to differ from his path,
Looked not; nor deemed them hated foes,
Nor vessels fitted for his wrath.
Then while 'tis doomed, beneath the Sun,
Brother shall controvert with brother ;
Nay all our friends be like the one,
And all opponents like the other.

. SOUTHAMPTON, Wednesday.—The North German
Lloyd screw steamship Hansa, Captain H. J. von Santen,
sailed this afternoon for New York, with German, French,
and English mails, 69 cabin passengers (of which number
36 embarked at this port) and a large cargo, including ten
packages of jewellery from Havre, value 125,400 f. The
next steamer of this line leaving for New York will be the
America, Captain H. Wessels, on the 15th inst. ; and the
next to arrive will be the New York, Captain G. Wenke,
due on the 234 with maill from ;ITOll' York of the