The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-18 00:00:00

them. But in the interval between these two con-
ditions, so graphically described by Gen. BUTLER,
came the interlude of the powder-ship. The passage
of that redoubtable vessel from the sublime to the
ridiculous was a very rapid one, and the shock
which Admiral PORTER confidently expected would
blow him out of his cabin left the face of Fort
Fisher substantially uninjured. Another subject
of complaint against the Admiral is that he chose to
explode the ship when BUTLER was 65 miles off, at
Beaufort, watering his transports, instead of wait-
ing as pre-arranged until the army was on the spot,
ready to take advantage of the confusion which it
was supposed would follow. General BUTLER
shrewdly suspects that the reason for this haste was
the desire of the Admiral to land his marines,
" and put on the works, DAVID PORTER his
'X' mark." As it turned out, the powder-
ship did very little to forward the assault,
but had it fulfilled one-half the expectations
formed of it the capture would not have been diffi-
cult. Gen. BUTLER thinks that the mistake about
the powder ship was in the manner of explosion.
But only a tenth part of the powder ever did ex-
plode, and that consequently it failed of the effect
which had reasonably enough been anticipated from
150 tons of gunpowder. However this may be, we
have had an explosion on land in BUTLER'S speech,
and his strictures of GRANT and PORTER will give
New York, of which he has been within a very short
time the hero and the scapegoat, a new " sensation."
There is, undoubtedly, some truth in his observa-
tions—a fact which will make them none the more
palatable at head-quarters.. But General BUTLER
is too shrewd a man to see any flaws in the
head of the State. He charges his friends
at Lowell to gird themselves up for greater
efforts, to do everything in their power to support
the Government, and to sustain LINCOLN at its
head, since " he is honest, patriotic, capable and
able, and will do all he can for his country." Such
is the verdict of a not quite impartial judge ; but
his remarks on the war are better worth hearing.
Of immediate peace there is, he says, no prospect.
All attempts to get peace by negotiation until
LEE'S army is subdued are perfectly hopeless, and
the fact of appointing LEE generalissimo augurs ill
for any desire for peace on the part of the Confe-
deracy. Another important assertion made by
BUTLER is his declaration that the so-called rebels
will immediately arm their slaves. It is nolonger, he.
says, a question whether the negro can fight, but
who he will fight for. The next campaign, he hopes,
will be the last ; but of this no man can prophesy.
BUTLER'S speech will unquestionably be damaging
to GRANT ; but the speaker knows his ground, and
it would be dangerous for so shaky an Administra-
tion to provoke so bold a speaker to extremes. His
defence is certainly able and ingenious, whatever
military men may think of it ; and he deserves
credit for the assurance which enables him to put a
good face on a failure which was so quickly followed
by another man's success. But, whatever America
may think of her hero, it was in the hour of his
triumph at New Orleans, and not of his failure at
Fort Fisher, that General BUTLER forfeited his
reputation.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS FOR THE
ENS UING WEEK .—Monday—Architects, at 8. Tues-
day—Ethnological, at 8. " Cannibalism and Social Pro-
gress," Mr. Crawford—" Destruction of Aborigines of Chat-
ham Island by Maori Invasion," Mr. Travers ; Statistical,
at 8. "Infant Mortality and alleged Inaccuracies in the
Census," Dr. Farr—" Supposed Decrease of the Turks," Dr.
Hyde Clarke ; Engineers, at 8, "Giffard's Injector." Wed-
nesday—Society of Arts, at 8, "Applications of Geology to
Arts and Manufactures" (Cantor Lectures)—" Municipal
Organisation of Paris and Public Works," Mr. Burnell ;
Geological, at 8, " Lower Silurian Rocks, S.E. Cumber-
land," &c., Professor Ilarkness—" Volcanic Tufa of Lata-
cunga, Cotopaxi," Mr. Spruce—" Flint Implements, Mill-
ford Hill, Salisbury," Dr. Blackmore ; Archeological, at
81, " Antiquities, 'Sm., of Glassforde and Harteste," Mr.
Wilton Nixon—" Discovery of Saxon Coins, Ipswich," Mr.
Francis. Thursday—Royal Academy, at 81, "Sculpture,"
Professor Westnutcott ; Royal, at 81; Antiquaries, at 4
A/her/mum.

If the Confederates have had cause to lament the
prevalence of discord in their councils, very cer-
tainly the North cannot boast of unity among its
leaders. A family quarrel generally lets out a good
many secrets, and those who appointed BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN BUTLER might have known that the
American public would soon hear a little plain
speaking about their own mistakes or misdoings.
General BUTLER does not rejoice in the most en-
viable reputation over here. His name, in fact, is
a word of reproach to the Government which
tolerated his conduct at New Orleans, and which
placed him in command. At the same time,
there is no doubt that, whatever his shortcom-
ings in other respects, he possesses a good share
of that " 'cuteness" and shrewdness on which the
Yankees collectivelyand individually are wont to pride
themselves. He has, too, that gift of speech which
they seldom lack, and a full amount of that con-
fidence, not to say assurance, which is also commonly
associated with the American character. All these
qualities combined make him a dangerous enemy
on a platform, if he is not a very formidable foe
outside the walls of a fort ; and while he assurers
his good friends and neighbours at Lowell that he
has no intention of attacking any one, and that he
does not care a rappee for the opinion of the outside
world, he continues to give the impression that
PoRTEn is a timid and self-seeking Admiral, GRANT
a rash and incompetent General, and he himself a
martyr to his humane care for his men! BUTLER
a martyr to his humanity ! Certainly the wonders
developed by the American war are great. His
previous career has not been such as to lead us to
suppose that the lives of his men and the happiness
of their families were his primary consideration.
However, perhaps, he thought fit to turn over a
new
leafevr
and
practise humanity henceforward; only
not being accustomed tothe
theex oercpispeosoiftesueexhtrecmone:
con-
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Converts are usually themost zeacolorulse,aanns_d BUTLER,
of the reign of terror at
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COMING MUSICAL EVENTS. —Among the numerous
revivals promised in various quarters, says the Reader, are
Gounod's " Medecin malgre lui," to come out in English at
Covent-garden shortly ; Cherubini's " Medea," and Mozart's
" Zaubertiote," to be produced during the Italian season at
her Majesty's; and Mr. Costa's " Naaman," expected to be
performed by the Sacred Harmonic Society in April.
ALARM OF FIRE AT WINDSOR CASTLE.---Yester-
day afternoon, about half-past two o'clock, much
excitement was caused by an alarm of fire at The
Deanery, Windsor Castle, the residence of the Hon. and
Very Rev. Gerald Wellesley. The fire was first discovered
by the housekeeper, who had noticed some smoke about
the place as early as ten o'clock in the morning, and as she
found that.the smoke increased she became alarmed and at
once sent to Mr. Turnbull, the architect, who, assisted by
the Castle fire brigade, immediately attended, and pro-
ceeded to the drawing-room. Here, on examination, it
was found that the joists under the hearth-stone were on
fire, and a supply of water being obtained, the hose was at
once applied, and the fire speedily extinguished. Very
little damage has been done either to the house or furni-
ture.

TIIE MURDERER'S SUICIDE.—Among other pieces
of the evidence sworn to by the prisoner who sat next
George Townley in chapel immediately before his act of
self-destruction on the prison staircase, were, the follow-
ing:—I recollect that on Sunday, the 12th instant, I was
sitting on the right of the deceased at chapel. He was
very quiet till the last hymn was sung. He then got up,
opened his Prayer-book, and sang out the two last verses
very loudly. I never heard him do that before. He said
to me, "319th hymn." That was the right hymn. He
afterwards shut his Prayer-book, repeated the Service, and
then, going before me, walked out. He made a full stop at
the bottom step in the chapel, dropped his Prayer-book,
got hold of the rails round the gallery, put his feet on the
steps, and sprang right over, head over heels, and, as he
fell, he exclaimed, " Oh!" He fell flat on his face below.
I always sat by his side. I never saw anything particular
in him. He was always very quiet. He never used to
speak. I have never been spoken to by any one on the
subject of his death, and I speak without the least fear
what I know of the case. We were all singing when the
deceased began to sing. He sang very loudly the follow-
ing hymn :

" He who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day ;"

and accordingly discretion is the betterh reading,pa
part of,
Gen. BUTLER'S valour. According to
failures, if they are not disasters, are to be accepted
as triumphs. So far from success being a virtue, it
is rather a reproach, for what great battle was
ever won without loss of life ? Gen. BUTLER has
three feathers in his military cap, and if the world
calls them white rather than red, that is his very
subject of self-congratulation. "
44 the credit and the I claim," he says,
glory ot not haying assaulted

-
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless,
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness ;
Where is death's sting ? Where, grave, the victory ?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my
.closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee,
In life, in death, 0 Lord, abide with me.
Am •
en.
He used to walk out of his cell and go into the chapel and
sit down. He never used to speak to any one. When he
jumped over the warder was about twenty-four feet from
him. He sprang over so suddenly that I ham) opportu-
nity of catching hold of him.

, Fort Fisher," and to this triumph he fortunately LATEST INTELLIGENCE
adds two others. He failed at Big Bethel, and he •
failed at the Dutch Gap Canal. It would really (REUTER'S EXPRESS.)
have spoiled the symmetry of his career if he had
achieved any great military success ; and he asks
for nothing else for his epitaph than the words,
" Here lies the General who saved the lives of his
soldiers at Big Bethel and Fort Fisher, and who
never commanded the army of the Potomac."
There is only one little omission to be
filled up by an impartial observer the
item "who desolated New Orleans" should certainly
find a place in the list of this hero's merits. But
part of the credit of the failure at Fort Fisher,
according to BUTLER'S account, is justly due to
Admiral PORTER. Everything was propitious for
the assault, the weather was superlatively fine, the
sea surprisingly smooth, the wind was zephyr-like,
the fort was comparatively undefended, and BUT-
LER'S army was on the qui vine for three days, but
there was a space where PORTER was not, and the
golden opportunity was lost. By the time the
attack was made hurricanes succeeded zephyrs ;
breakers, mountains high, replaced gentle waves ;
storms took the place of sunshine ; reinforcements
arrived in the fort, and only a third of BUTLER'S
men could land, while the fleet had expended
all its ammunition, and could not support

AMERICA.
(Arrival of the Borussia.)
SOUTHAMPTON, FEB. 18.

The Hamburg and American Company's steamer
Borussia, from New York on the 4th instant, has
arrived. She brings 45 passengers for Southamp-
ton and Havre and 71 for Hamburg, $22,500 for
England, $128,000 for France, and $1,900 for
Hamburg.

Her news has been fully anticipated per the
Hibernian.

THE BOMBAY MAILS.
MALTA, FEB. 17.
The Ripon left here at 8 p.m. to-day, and the
Delhi will sail to-morrow morning.
The former may be expected at Marseilles on the
20th, and the latter at Southampton about the
27th inst.

GIBRALTAR, FEB. 17.

The Ellora, with the heavy portion of the Cal-
cutta, China, and Australian mails, left at 10 a.m.
yesterday. She may be expected at Southampton
about the 21st inst.

The Massilia from Southampton, on the 12th
inst., arrived to-day at 5 p.m., and leaves at 9
p.m. for Alexandria.