The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-28 00:00:00

Un;

Ini7D°N, SATURDAY, JAN. 28, 1865.

A RI

'elal Message is never received with indiffer-
ence in parliamentary life,
and it is to be hoped that
a communication just addressed by the QUEEN to a
small but important class of her subjects will meet
with due attention. It is not often that her MA-
JESTY interferes directly in the general • affairs of the
nation, 'and her words, when they are spoken, are
therefore naturally the more effective. On the few
occasions when the QUEEN has openly expressed her
opinions or her sentiments with respect to any
matter exclusive of her routine duties, she has
usually shown a ready appreciation of the wishes
of the nation, and, in fact, has only availed herself
of her position to express with more force and

weight the general feeling of the public. on
the occasion of the lamentable accident at Bir-
mingham her MAJESTY took the opportunity of
making. a decided protest against the performances
of female acrobats—an expression of opinion which
had the beneficial effect of sending such objection-
able exhibitions out of faaion. In the present

The Under Secretary to the Treasury is one who
always speaks with great caution, indeed he carries
that notion to rather too great an extent ever to be
very greatly distinguished. lie, however, errs on •
the safe side, and is not likely to make any great
mistake in his sayings and actions. His speech the
other night was characterised by his usual careful-
ness and deliberation, but it will be seen that he ,
makes many mistakes and gives utterance to several
erroneous opinions. As connected with the Treasury
his words possess an importance which individually
they would not have, and therefore, so far as this is
concerned, this discussion at Bury on the eve of a
new session must be regarded as unsatisfactory and
unpromising as to intentions, and Ministerial plans.
In the first place, he compromised himself by de-
claring that it was wrong to state that the country
was humiliated by the Danish affair. It is all very
fine for the votary of red-tapism, as the right hon.
member is known to be, to remark that we must
narrow the questions in which it was proper for us
to interfere ; but this kind of argument cannot pass
as valid when and where the honour of the country
is at stake ; and it will be a life-long reproach to
all Lord PALMERSTON'S Cabinet and followers that
they pursued so lathe and dishonourable a policy,
and boasted of their evil doing. Truly their
glory seems to be in their shame. Not content with
his cowardly declaration concerning Denmark, Mr.
F. PEEL went on to commit himself about America,
regarding which question he spoke with a true
RUSSELL inspiration, and fashioned his sentences to
a tone that would have delighted the Manchester
clique had they been among his auditory. First of
all, he felt rather guilty that we had recognised the
South as belligerents, and endeavoured to screen
himself and his friends by saying that the North
had done so before we had. Can anything be more
absurd than this ? Why are we eternally to hear
public men and responsible persons committing
these egregious blunders, and proclaiming to the
world that we are afraid of offending such a Power
and this or that State ? Why cannot we rest con-
tent with the consciousness that we have acted
for the best—that honourable intentions have
actuated us, and the desire to serve the claims of
justice and her interests been our prevailing prin-
ciple, instead of indulging in all this clap-trap as to
the expediency of a compromise and the non-neces-
sity for :fulfilling this or that pledge, and carry-
ing out the stipulations of certain Treaties
whose validity we had guaranteed. The tame and
truckling course so much in vogue among our latter
day politicians may serve to keep a Ministry in
place and a party in power, but it will never make
statesmen worthy of the name, patriots who stand
for their country to the last, jealous of her reputa-
tion, and determined to uphold her honour spotless
and secure. If Mr. F. PEEL is enunciating the
policy of the present Cabinet, he is revealing to us a
very mistaken and mischievous line of action, and
one that will not suit the temper of the times,
nor the feeling of the community at large. It would
be impossible for the right hon. gentleman to speak
in stronger terms, or in a more decided manner,
respecting the non-recognition of
seems strange that, in the face of
so many warnings
and in spite of such important facts as evidence,
those in office should be so perverse and pre-
judiced upon this subject. If they are sacrificing
the interests of their country at home and refusing
to aid the cause of humanity abroad, in order to
please the small set of politicians who proclaim a
doctrine that is inimical to the spirit of the people, and
militates against the character of the country, they are
will lead them to failure, and
pursuing a course that
they find that they are leaning upon a broken reed
in their unworthy attempts to make political capital
out of public questions, and gain over those who
might be dangerous, no matter whether such a pro-
ceeding is prejudicial to the welfare of their country
or not, and unmindful of the claims that should
weigh with so important a country as this as to in-
fluencing the
duration of a sanguinary war, and
arresting the progress of a calamity whose conse-
quences are deplorable. According to Mr. F.
PEEL'S argument
we should never a cognise any
belligerent State ; because he puts the case thus,
that we cannot reco •
gmse the South, since the
North has not ‘‘
abandoned its efforts, still

less its hopes of subjugating it." Can anything
be more inconsistent than this style of reasoning,
because is it likely that one of the parties in a con-
flict would recognise the rights of the other ? and,
according to the showing of this speech, we must
wait to admit the independence of the South until
the North has done so. Further on, when he
discoursed upon more serious themes, the right hon.
gentleman rather forgot himself, and by his own
showing exhibited the great evils to which an
unequal policy had given rise. He stated that we
were threatened with a rival in the matter of a
national debt, and seemed likely to lose the repu-
tation of so long a standing as to being the highest
in such an affair. America, which had a public
debt not less than four hundred millions
sterling, must have an annual charge upon

it far more than ours. Does not this suffi-
ciently exemplify the inquiry that is accruing to
those whose cause we pretend to serve, and form a
striking warning to those who forsake the line of
action where duty points and to which honour calls,
in order to tread the devious paths of expediency
or the dangerous road of compromise. Mr. PEEL
gave a hint to his vehement peace friends, which they
will not thank him for, notwithstanding that there
is some truth in it. He stated that he desired an
increase of the franchise to a certain extent, but he
deprecated the proposals that some made of a
startling and sudden change. He argued that if
the mere numerical majority of those who lived
by their hand was in the constituencies,
the " House of Commons would become the repre-
sentative of one class, though not necessarily of one
opinion, and thereby would lose that characteristic
which it had so enjoyed of being the representative
of all classes and interests in the country, which
thus acted as a check upon each other, and secured
that everything done should be for the general
good." So :much for the effect of Mr. BRIGHT'S

oratory and the arguments of his friend upon this
representative of the Treasury. The comparison
which the right hon. gentleman made concerning
the House of Commons and " Congress" was very
good, and indeed it furnished the most salient point
of his speech. He said that they might well ask if
Congress had been blotted out of the institutions
of America, for it was most extraordinary that
at a time like this it should have been of so little
account. All must agree with the passage which
expresses the impotence of the influence, and the
failure of the establishment of the National Assem-
bly in the crisis that has occurred. Has there been,
he effectively asked, " a voice out of Congress heard
with power sufficient to stir a single wave in that
great commotion ?" To do him justice, it would
seem as if in the latter part of his speech the right
hon. gentleman spoke more from his own observa-

tions and convictions, and less in the jargon of offi-
cial language, and hence it was incomparably the
best part of his harangue, though perhaps not quite
so calculated to win approval from those refined
j udges who reign supreme in the Treasury, and to
whom he naturally looks as the oracles of wit and
wisdom.

The intelligence from India is not of a striking
nature. Happily affairs are, generally speaking, in
a tranquil condition, and the political changes
which are being introduced are not very subversive
in their character. Mr. MAINE's Bill for the aboli-

tion of grand juries in the Presidency towns, is very
unpopular among most classes ; but, for some reason
or other, it is likely to be carried by the Govern-
ment. Two other legal measures are looked on with
more favour—one being the extension of small
cause courts, and the other a Bill for amending the
constitution of the chief courts in the Punjaub and
its dependencies. European criminals will hence-
forward be amenable to courts in the Mofus-
sil, whereas hitherto it has been necessary
to bring such offenders to one of the
Presidency towns, a consideration which
naturally often prevented the prosecution of a cul-
prit, since a journey of a thousand miles is no light
undertaking as a preliminary to punishing a dis-
honest servant, or even to bringing a worse crimi-
nal to justice. The new measure establishes courts
in the large towns, which courts are to be presided
over by European judges travelling on circuit. It is
not surprising that such a scheme should be gene-
rally approved, since its advantages over the pre-
sent system are at once apparent. The effects of
the late disastrous storm are still being severely felt
in Bengal. Terrible sickness and famine are prey-
ing upon the unhappy people, and it is difficult to
organise any system of relief commensurate with
their wants. The destruction of human life
in the great cyclone was appalling. It has been
calculated that 60,000 persons perished. The island
of Saugor, which formerly contained 8,200 people,
now has only 1,200. The remaining 7,000 were
swept off and drowned by the terrible storm-wave
to which so much disaster was attributable. As a
natural consequence of the varied evils attendant
upon the catastrophe, epidemic sickness is raging
among the population, and in some places commit-
ting fearful havoc. Great complaints are made of

the indifference of the rich native Bengalese to the
sufferings of their poorer countrymen, whose num-
bers are so vast that they are with difficulty
reached by the comparatively few Europeans who are
scattered among them. The crops have• also in parts
been much damaged by the inroads of the sea
water, and famine is therefore added to the other
horrors. It is a pitiable spectacle, and it is to be
hoped that the great cyclone of 1864 may long be
memorable, not only for its devastation, but its
singularity.
An interesting, though melancholy, piece of in.
telligence connected with India, reaches us from
another quarter. From Constantinople we hear
of the premature death of Col. PATRICK STEWART,
of the Royal Engineers, to whose unremitting exer-
tions and public spirit we owe the speedy prospect
of telegraphic communication with India. Un-
fortunately he fell a victim to his labours
in the public service ; and having nearly
seen the successful termination of his labours
he died at the early age of 32, of illness mainly
attributable to over exertion. He will be followed
to the grave by the unanimous regrets of his coun-
trymen, who have to deplore not only the loss of
an able and accomplished officer, but of a man whose
energy, perseverance, and force of character marked
him out for undertakings of exceptional difficulty
and importance.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS FOR THE
ENSUING WEEK.—Actuaries, at 7, Table of Loga-
rithms
onge
iecrasi atat 88,
rk
ys n
x and
ofWarehouses,the
Negro,'
e g
r o
rithms and Anti-Logarithms,' Part 11., Mr. Gray. Tues-
day—Engineers,
To,ac
31'
Skullai.Marseilles.'
l le
Ex-
humed in Bedfordshire,' Dr. Peacock ; History of Anthro-
pology,' Mr. Bendyshe. Royal Institution, at 3,
Professor Tyndall. Wednesday—Society- of Litera-
ture, at 81. Society of Arts, at 8, London Sewage ancj
Agriculture,' Mr. Morton. Thursday—Royal Institution,
at 3, Electricity,' Professor Tyndall. Royal Academy, at
8, Architecture,' Professor Smirke. Linnean, at 8,
' Climbing Plants,' Mr. Darwin. Chemical, at 8, 'Lecture
Illustrations,' Dr. Hofmann. Royal, at 81. Antiquaries,
at 81. Friday—Archteological Institute, at 4. Philologi-
cal, at 8, Welsh Grammar and Etymology,' Mr. Rhys and
Rev. G. C. Geldart. Royal Institution, at 8, Aluminium,
Ethide and Methide,' Professor Odling. Saturday—Royal
Institution, at 3, 'Nervous System,' Professor Marshall.—
Atlienxum.
By advices received this mail the Hong Kong and
Ch• a Gas Company are informed of the successful light-
ing up of the city of Upng Kong with gas.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAM.)

AMERICA.
(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)
ARRIVAL OF THE ETNA.
(Via Crookhaven.)

The Inman steamship Etna, from New York
on the 14th, arrived at Queenstown at 10.15 a.m.
to-day. She brings $135,400 in specie, and 165
passengers. She landed 28 passengers, and pro-
ceeded for Liverpool at 11 a.m.
NEW YORK, JAN. 14.

Advices from Savannah to the Bth inst. state that
affairs in that city were quiet and unchanged. Ru-
mours were current that a majority of the inhabi-
tants in the interior of Georgia had declared in
favour of the United States Government. The Go-
vernor was said to have disbanded the State Militia
and to be heading the movement. Serious conflicts
between the loyal and Secession inhabitants were
imminent.

These rumours require confirmation.
General Butler's official report on the Wilming-
ton expedition attributes its failure to a want of
promptness on the part of the fleet, and expresses
his conviction, which is shared by General Weitzel,
that nothing but butchery could follow an assault.
Butler says he was relieved because he could not
countenance such an awful sacrifice of life, knowing
the fort to be impregnable.
The James River has suddenly overflown, rushing
through the bulkheads of the Dutch Gap Canal.
Mr. Foote, of Mississippi, has been captured
while endeavouring to get within the Federal lines,
and was conveyed back to Richmond.
Deserters from General Lee's army assert that
some of his troops have lately been sent from Rich-
mond to confront Sherman.

General Rosser has captured Beverley, Western
Virginia, with the garrison.

Nothing definite has transpired relative to the
reported unofficial peace mission of Mr. Blair to
Richmond.

The Tallahassee is stated to be under arrest at

Bermuda.

NEW YORK, JAN. 14.

Gold, 219. Exchange. 241. New York Central,
1174 ; Erie, 84 ; Illinois CentrA 1211; 6 per Cent.
United States Bonds, 1881, Registered, 1124 ; 5.20
Bonds, 1092- ; Cotton, 110. Breadstuffs and pro-
visions irregular. Coffee quiet. Sugar steady.
Petroleum, refined, 93 (? 73). Freight nominal.
NEW YORK, JAN. 14 (Morning).
The rumours of peace negotiations continue.
Slavery has been abolished in Missouri.
The Federal Senate has passed a resolution to
give twelve months' notice for the termination of
the Reciprocity Treaty with Canada.

A despatch from General Hood confirms the
news of the movement of General Thomas towards
Eastport, and the concentration of supplies there.
Hood is said to be fortifying and going into
winter quarters'. at Corinth. Hood's report of the
battle of Nashville states that he lost 50 guns. his
loss in killed and wounded was small.

Forrest is concentrating a large force at Paris.

Tennessee.

Paducah, Kentucky, is said to be threatened.
Rosser's cavalry have captured Beverley, Western
Virginia, with the garrison, and afterwards re-
treated.

Grierson, during his raid from Memphis, defeated
the Confederates at Egypt, on the Mobile and Ohio
Railroad, capturing 500 prisoners. He also de-
stroyed 30 miles of the Mississippi Central Railroad
below Granada.

The rumour of Price's death is contradicted.
Fighting was rumoured to be progressing, near
Mobile, on the 31st.
General Butler, in his farewell order to the army,
says :—" I refused to uselessly sacrifice the soldiers'
lives, and am relieved from the command. The
wasted blood of my men does not stain my gar-
ments. lam responsible to God and the country

for my actions."
Butler's report of the attack on Fort Fisher was
published at the request of General Grant, who
endorses it, and says it was never contemplated that
Butler should accompany the expedition, Weitzel
having been specially named to command the expe-
dition. He denies that he instructed Butler to re-
turn after effecting a landing. His instructions
contemplated no withdrawal, or failure after a land-
ing was made. He ascribes the failure partly to
the delay caused by the experiment of exploding
gunpowder in the open air.

The Richmond Examiner calls for a Convention
in Virginia, to revise the military affairs of the Con-
federacy and transfer the supreme command to Lee.
The Enquirer opposes such a Convention, and re-
commends the Government to enlarge Lee's autho-
rity.

The Missouri Constitutional Convention has
adopted an ordinance for the immediate and uncon-
ditional abolition of slavery.
Mr. Fessenden has been elected as Senator from
Maine.

The jury has failed to agree upon a verdict in
he Opdyke-weed trial.
The Moravian, China, and Edinburgh have ar-

rived out.

NEW YORK, JAN. 14.

It is reported that the Committee of Ways and
Means disapprove Mr. Fessenden's proposal to issue
$200,000,000 7.30 bonds.
Mr. Francis Blair arrived at Richmond on the
9th inst., it is reported on a peace mission.

Washington despatches assert that the Confede-
rate Congress, in secret session, appointed fifteen
commissioners, including Vice-President Stephens
and several prominent men favourable to peace, to
proceed to the North to confer with the Federals
on the subject of peace. It is further rumoured that
the Commissioners have asked permission of the
Federal authorities to proceed North.
Sherman has sent the 17th corps to Beaufort,
Carolina, to co-operate with Foster between Poca-
taligo and Coosawatche. 2,000 of Sherman's troops
are reported to be on the Oconnee river marching
towards South-Western Georgia. One column is
marching on Grahamsville.
Richmond papers announce that Sherman's Go-
vernment of Savannah is conciliatory. _ .

Savannah papers publish unreliable reports that
the inhabitants of several counties of Georgia are
arming in favour of the Union.

LATEST COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, Jan. 14.

' Money easy. Gold, 2181. Exchange on Lon-
don, 2411 ; do. on Paris, 2.10 2.15. Stocks, prices
lower : New York Centrals, 115 15-16 ; Illinois,
125 ; Erie, 83i ; Five-Twenty Bonds, 1094. Cot-
ton dull: middling Upland, 108. Flour steady;
wheat flat ; corn quiet. Provisions and coffee
slightly firmer. Sugar, good inquiry ; molasses
quiet. Petroleum, crude, Mc. ; refined, 73c.

(PER THE TELEGRAPHIC NEWS ASSOCIATION.)
in the Federal Senate Mr. Hale opposed the re-
peal of the Reciprocity Treaty with Canada. lie
denied that the United States had been a loser by
the treaty, and said that England would regard the
repeal as an act of retaliation. Senator Sumner
admitted that the commerce between the States and
Canada had yearly iflereaged, but he. doubted whe-