The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-25 00:00:00

THE TSU'N, -LON1)ON, MONDAY ''EVE ifiti3llSl4 23, 1852.

mortally wounded; the lieut.-colonel, Brown, and
the major are both wounded, and there is not a cap-
tain of company left to the regiment. The 10th
Maine lost about 150 in killed and wounded, The
sth Connecticut suffered similarly, besides losing
Colonel Chapman, who was taken prisoner. The
46th Pennsylvania has hardly enough men left to
form a full company. Colonel Knipe was wounded
in the arm and head ; but not fatally ; Lieutenant-
Colonel Selfridge was slightly injured, and the
major was shot through the arm.

" But in the confusion of the hour it is impos-
sible to get particulars accurately. Geary's and
Gordon's forces have all suffered. General Geary
is slightly wounded, and a few minutes ago Gene-
ral Banks received an injury from a cavalryman,
who ran violently against him while he was about
to mount his horse.

"General Crawford and staff were nearly being
taken prisoners twice during the fight. On both
occasions they were examining different points,
with a view to a change of position, when they
came upon the rebel pickets. Fortunately, they all
escaped unhurt.
" While I am writing the wounded are being
carried into the rear; for although the firing on
both sides stopped at nine p.m., it is expected that
the fight will be renewed in the morning with
largely augmented forces on both sides.
" Our cavalry force at Madison Court House has
been driven out, and from every point we receive
intimations that the rebels have determined to offer
us an obstinate and bloody resistance.
6, -what the rebel loss has been to-day we cannot
ascertain.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE.

" Culpepper, Va., August 9.

,s In consequence of the advance of the rebels to
this side of the Rapidan Major-General Pope sent
forward two army corps, commanded by General
Banks, to hold them in check.

"At daylight this morning it was discovered that
the enemy had advanced as far as Cedar Run
Mountain, holding its wooded sides and clear slopes.
Only a small portion of their strength, however,
was visible. They also held a range of elevations
and ravines westward of the mountains.

"An elevated spot a mile and a half from the
mountain, and a mile long east and west, was
selected by Gen. Banks as the best place to receive
their attack.

" The forenoon was spent by the enemy in ma-
nce uvres, only occasionally showing themselves. At
three o'clock in the afternoon a battery on our front,
at a mile and a half on our range, opened on us, and
their infantry drove in our pickets in the woods on
our right wing.
" Afterwards, battery after battery was unmasked
on the mountain slopes and on every hill, making a
crescent of batteries of nearly three miles, com-
manding our position for two hours. Our batteries
were exposed to cross fires and flank fires at every
point. The rebels evidently outnumbered us in
guns and weight of metal. We replied shot for shot
till five o'clock, when the rebels opened an enfilade
battery on our right. Gen. Banks here gave orders
to cease firing and charge this battery. The duty
was assigned to Crawford's brigade of Williams's
division; and the 46th Pennsylvania Regiment led
the charge.
" Behind the battery was a thicket of shrub oak,
and before the 46th Pennsylvania Regiment could
reach the guns they were mowed down by a terrific
fire from the thicket. The rest of the brigade was
quickly brought up, and subsequently the rest of
Gens. Williams and Augur's commands, but the
brigades of rebels were found at every point.
" This battle ground was in a thick set wood,with
a ravine on our right. Here nearly all the enemy's
infantry had been concealed during the shelling
after securing themselves from observation by ex-
pelling our pickets.
" This was probably one of the hardest contested
fights in Virginia, lasting until dark, when our
forces retired from the field taking a new position
beyond reach of the enemy's guns, which were in
an advantageous position on the heights.
" Our infantry were badly cut up. We lost two
guns. The enemy's loss was certainly greater than
ours, as their dense columns were frequently riddled
by our artillerists. We took many prisoners.
"Since our correspondent left the field," adds the
New York Times, " large reinforcements have
reached there, and for an hour shots have been ex-
changed."
The Confederate Gen. Bragg is reported to be in
command of 30,000 troops at Battle Creek.

Despatches from St. Louis state that the Federal
Col. MVeill, with 1,000 men, had beaten Porter's
guerillas, 2,500 strong, at Hirksville, on the 7th
Aug., and again near Stockton on the 9th. Porter's
forces were demoralised and broken up. The St.
Louis Democrat learns that the present uprising of
the rebels in Missouri is in accordance with the
plan conceived by Gen. Price after his defeat at Pea
Ridge, when he told his followers to go home, pnt
in their crops, and attend to their business gene-
rally until the harvest and then to rise through the
State and form guerilla bands and be prepared to
meet him in the fall, when he would return again
to back them.

LATEST REPORTS via WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11.

Accounts from Culpepper represent the enemy's
estimated force engaged at 20,000, and our own,
exclusive of cavalry and artillery, as not exceeding
7,000.
The number of United States soldiers wounded
is large, but the wounds are generally slight. The
number of killed is small.
On Saturday night the teamsters let their fires
burn, causing the enemy to shell our new position
for two hours with considerable effect.

Yesterday (Sunday) morning the rebels were not
in sight on our fronts but the indications were that
they were reinforced on Saturday night, and were
attempting to flank our movements.
Nothing has yet been heard of General Buford
at Madison Court-house.

During last night trains arrived here from Cul-
pepper bringing a number of officers wounded in the
late battle and skirmishes in that vicinity. They
are mostly wounded in the arms and legs, although
one or two are more seriously injured in other parts
of the body, one of them having received no less
than four bullets in his hips. Vehieles were in at-
tendance on the arrival of the trains, and the suf-
ferers were speedily removed, many of them to
public-houses.

THE PREVENTION OF COLLIERY
A CcIPENTS.

At the close of the late session of Parliament an
act WAS passed to amend the law relating to coal
mines ; and its adoption, it is hoped, will prevent a
recurrence of scenes with which the public mind was
shocked at the Hartley and other collieries by the
frightful loss of human life. The Government, soon
after the accident at Hartley, required a report, and
the opinion given was that there should be two
shafts or outlets to every mine ; the principal fea-
ture in the new act, therefore, is to make ample
provision on that subject. The act is to apply to
coal and ironstone mines mentioned in the seventh
section of the act 23 and 24 Viet., c. 151, and re-
ferred to the " Principal Act." An " existing
mine" is to mean a mine that is actually being
worked at the time of the passing of this act, and a
" new mine" is to mean a mine opened after the
passing of the act, or an old mine, the working of
which is begun afresh after the passing of the act.
It is now enacted that it shall not be lawful for the
owner of a new mine, and after the Ist of January,
1865, it shall not be lawful for the owner of an exist-
ing mine to employ any person in working within
such mine, or to permit any person to be in such
mine for the purpose of working therein, unless
there are in communication with every seam of the
mine, for the time being, at least two shafts of out-
lets at work, separated by natural strata of not less
than ten feet in breadth, by which shafts or outlets
distinct means of ingress and egress are available to
the persons employed in the mine; but it shall not
be necessary for the two shafts or outlets to belong
to the same mine, if the persons therein employed
have available means of ingress and egress by not
less than two shafts or outlets, one or more of
which may belong to another mine. The provi-
sion is not to apply to opening a new mine for
the purpose of searching for or moving minerals,
or to any working for the purpose of making
a communication between two or more shafts, so
long as not more than twenty persons are employed
at any one time in the new mine or working. If the
owner of an existing mine object to the Secretary
of State that, by reason of the nature of the mine,
or from other special circumstances, he cannot com-
ply with the new law, a reference is to be made to
arbitration, and an extension of time may be
granted, or the owner required to make two outlets
for the safety of the workpeople, or otherwise.
Further, the act provides a summary proceeding,
by way of injunction, to restrain the owner working
a mine to which there are not two shafts or outlets.
Any of the courts of equity or common law may,
on the application of the Attorney-General, acting
on behalf of the Secretary of State, prohibit by in-
junction the working of any mine in which any
person is employed in working or is permitted to be
for the purpose of working in contravention of the
provisions of the act, and may award costs ; but the
section is to be without prejudice to any other
remedy permitted by law for enforcing the act. No
person is to be precluded by any agreement made
before the passing of the act from doing anything
that may be necessary for providing an additional
shaft or outlet to a mine where the Rini() is now
required, nor be liable under any agreement to any
penalty or forfeiture for doing what may be neces-
sary to comply with the present act. The powers
now given are to be construed with the Principal
Act, and it is fervently to be hoped that, by the
exercise of the authority now vested in the Govern-
ment, there will be no further sacrifice of human
life by accidents in coal mines.—Observer.

Fire, a large number of lives are annually sacri-
ficed, simply because the means for extinguishing
fires are not sufficiently comprehensive and effec-
tive. The fire brigade, we are quite willing to ad-
mit, do wonders, but it is too much to expect ima
possibilities from them. The number of ordinary
fire hand-engines at too few, and we believe that
at the present time there are not there than three
steam land engines in the metropolis. Now, as it
frequently happens that Ave or six fires occur in
different parts of the metropolis in a single night,
it is impossible with the present limited force that
all can be properly attended to. We believe it
was shown before Mr. Hankey's select committee
that a large portion of that wealthy district known
as Tyburnia was entirely left unprotected, and
that there was no fire brigade station; so that if a
fire broke out, the only resource would be the pa-
rish engines until the regular engines could be
brought from the more central parts of the metro-
polis. The insurance companies, in order to induce
the legislature to relieve them from the expense of
keeping up the fire brigade, intentionally declined
to create a new station in this district, and prefer

o run the risk of being called on to pay largely for
. . .

losses by firo than extend the present system,which
they complain of as being so very costly. It is prey
sumed that the fire insurance companies will only
be too glad to assist the Duke of Sutherland in his
praiseworthy efforts, and that they will contribute
liberally to any expenses that may be incurred.—
Observer.