The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-25 00:00:00

LIVES of EMINENT STATESMEN,
in FUN, every week. One Penny

Now Ready, handsomely bound in Magenta cloth, gilt, price
45. 6d. ; post tree, 5e., the
4,ZECOND half-yearly VOLUME of FUN, with
numerous Engravings by talented artists, and humor-
ous Articles by the following distinguished writers:—
W. Bailey, Esq. W. S. Gilbert, Esq.
W. Barber, Esq. T. Hood, Esq.
E. L. Blanehlrd, Esq. T. S. Jerrold, Esq.
G. W. Bridgeman, Esq. W. J. Prowse, Esq.
F. C. Burnand, Esq. Godfrey Turner, Esq.
H. J. Byron, Esq. &c., &a, &c.
Office, 80, Fleet-street, London.

• *. For full particulars of amusements see first page.

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN,
To-morrow Eveninz, the 2d and 3d Acts of THE BOHE-
MIAN GIRL. And HARLEQUIN BEAUTT AND THE
BEAST.

Commence at 7.

THEATRE-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE.
To-morrow Evening., THE NEXT OF KIN. And LITTLE
Go9DY TWO SHOES.

Commence at 7.

THEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET.

To-morrow Evening, OUR AMERICAN COUSIN. After
which, RASSELAS, PRINCE OF ABYSSINIA. And A
DAY AFTER THE WEDDING.
....

Commence at 7.

NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI.
To-morrow Evening., A TICKET OF LEAVE. Fol•
lowed by MARGERY DAW. And GEORGE DE BARN.
WELL
Commence at 7.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
To-morrow Evening, TIME TRIES ALL. After which.
RIQUET WITH THE TUFT.
Commence at 7.

ARGYLL ROOMS, Great Windmill-street, Hay.
market. Open every evening for Promenade and Dancing.

CANTERBURY HALL.—EVERY EVENING.—
Grand Selections from the Popular Operas.—The Comic per-
formances of Unsworth, Eugene. Little Bob, Arthur Lloyd,
Hollingsworth, Dr. Marshall, Miss G. Smithson, drc.—The
Etoße Family, Stc.
Commence at 7.

THE OXFORD, 6, OBFORD-STREET, EVERY
EVENING.—NAZARETH, a new Christmas Song,with full
band and chorus.—" La Circassienne " and "Nabnco,"—
Drew Dean, the great Flautist—the Neapolitan Minstrels—
Miss Caroline Parkes' Christmas Entertainment—Mr. Geo.
Hodson—Mr. Maclagan's Entertainment. Unsworth, the
original of "Or any other man -Eugene, W. Randall, &C.
Commence at 6.

TURNHAM'S GRAND CONCERT HALL, Edge-
ware-road, W.—Open Every Evening.—Operatic Selections.
—Vocal and Instrumental Solos.—Mackney, West, Mr. and
Mrs. Brennan, Sam Collins, &c.
Commence at 7.

_HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
MN DAY.—Morning, 4h. 45m.—Afternoon, sh. 6m.
To-moultow.-Morning, sh. 33m.—Afternoon, sh. 67m.

1,0
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air „ , 6' .ct Z'..\
..i,„ -- 14....-e,pt-,,, ,
......., b., F ( *614- M C

THE SUN.

LONDON, THURSDAY, DEC. 25, 1862.

It will be some consolation to those who are this
day enjoying the blessings of a Happy Christmas
—if they reflect (as millions of our fellow-country-
men well may) that much has indeed been done,
that more is actually doing, or is in active prepara-
tion, for the relief of the dread scourge of famine
now desolating the whole countryside in the
North-west of England, but more particularly in
Lancashire. The knowledge that it is so will spare
from any sense of remorse by contrast those who,
thinking of the distress prevailing in that afflicted
portion of the United Kingdom, might almost have
felt ashamed otherwise of their own happier lot in
the midst of this annual season of festivity. If—
as may alas ! be very safely averred—never before
has a populous region of the earth been so com-
pletely overwhelmed by distress as Lancashire is
overwhelmed at this present writing, we may,
thank Heaven, as confidently aver that—never has
human sympathy for human suffering been more
signally or more spontaneoasly manifested.

Sixteen or seventeen years ago, when the
potato blight had reduced the chief part of
the inhabitants of Ireland to the lowest depth
of destitution all classes of the community
there were not involved so completely as the
Lancashire people are at this moment in one

common ruin. Sixteen or seventeen years ago
when the country suddenly awoke, as recently, to a
sense that it had to deal with an immense calamity
—the Government had not then, as it has quite
clearly in the present instance, the opportunity of
standing aloof while the people themselves, of their
own free will, dealt with the appalling desolation
around them. So eagerly and magnanimously have
the contributions for the distress in Lancashire been
poured in now for months and months past from all
directions, from the very rich and from the very
poor, from the high and from the low, from the
idle and from the industrious, that the Administra-
tion and the Legislature have had nothing what-
ever to do in the way of direct co-operation or en-
couragement. At the close of the last session of
Parliament, who is there that does not recollect the
prevailing sense abroad among politicians of all
ranks and classes, that—probably—there would be
found a necessity a little later on in 1862, for
an extraordinary winter session of the Legis-
lature i It was for some time considered, in
truth, that a brief winter session, sooner or later,
would be found a thing inevitable. Yet 1862 is
now within a very few short days (amongst the
shortest in the twelve months) within view of its
close, and there has been no necessity whatever yet
of anything at all of the kind. The benevolence of
the community at large has proved as yet to be
fully equal to this immense and dire emergency.
Over the saddened homes of the factory operatives
and others all through Lancashire and the conti-
guous counties, might be inscribed as truthfully as
over our Great London Hospitals—over that class of
institutions sublimely designed in France Hotels
.Dieu—that noble and beautiful inscription which
we well remember M. GIiTZOT some years back to
have spoken of as one that always went straight to
his heart whenever his eyes lit upon it while tra-
versing the streets of our metropolis—" Supported
by Voluntary Contributions!" As truthfully, we
repeat, might those touching and heartening
words be inscribed over thousands of the homes
of the see.e
ted operatives of Lancashire as they
are actually inscribed over so many of our own
eleemosynary
institutions. And the words might
be placed there over the lintels of those doors in
the north-west or England, without derogating in
any way from the honest sense of dignity always
vital in the hearts and
minds of that intelligent
population. The relief now distributed there
either in kind or in money, among the hundreds of
thousands of factory operatives til
ialtogether out
of work, is no mere vulgar charitable
bounty. It
in point of fact, nothing whatever
of the kind.
/nest) are not doles; these are not any ordinary
alms ; this Is not in the least acommonplace
ed coin by coin into those en:
e'ated palms
of charity—drePP
of the man and women and children of
Zinc shire! The relief now systematically afforded
bythe nation to tne inhabitants of the manufacturing
districts ought, when viewed in its true light, to be
regarded as a Tribute from the rest of tho nation to
the Industry, the Thrift, the Probity:, th,,, Intelli-
gence, and the noble-hearted resignation and
that
high-minded endurance manifested by
distinguished section of our English popu-
lation. As such it is offered—with respect, with
affection. As such it may be received—it is, we
do believe, &lug received—without one qualm of
wounded feeling, rather (it might even be said
without extravagance) with an honest senso of
pride in the recognition of these resplendent evi-

deuces of appreciation by the rest of the community.
The oneness of feeling of a whole people was
never more affectingly signalised.

The patriotic ardour of our race has been
as clearly manifested by these results of the
Cotton Famine in Lancashire as the loving
loyalty of Her MAJESTY'S subjects, their de-
votion to Her MAJESTY'S Crown and per-
son were made apparent to the whole world by the
nation's sympathy throughout the year just now
upon the eve of expiring—the nation's tender and
profound sympathy over the early death of the be-
loved CONSORT of the SOVEREIGN.

Gratefully conscious of the fervour of this
patriotic and loyal unanimity of feeling
throughout all ranks and classes of the
community, we may all, in a recollection of
these simple truths, find an additional sweet-
ness added to the home enjoyments of this
present Christmas—even though those enjoyments
(as is but inevitable under the circumstances) are
sobered under the reflection that there is still a
sore remembrance of a heavy grief in the heart of
our gracious QUEEN, and many bitter privations
still to be endured, and if possible assuaged,
among a very notable division of her people.

" Shall we have war ?"—was the interrogative
salutation with which almost every Christmas
party met last year. The news of the first outrage
had arrived, the British demand, of which our
rulers did not tell us the precise terms, had gone
forth; we knew that the Federals had received the
hero WILKES, the captor of an unarmed vessel, with
shouts of exultation, and that Americans of all
classes, the silent PRESIDENT excepted, loudly
triumphed in the exploit; but we knew no more.
" They will never be so mad as to get two great
wars on their hands at once," said one ; " they are
so intoxicated with getting the two arch traitors
into their hands that they are prepared for any-
thing," said another; " but of what use can these
two men be to them," said a third; "use—why
they are half the brains of the Southern business,"
said a fourth ; " our Government thinks there is
danger, for it is sending troops to Canada," said a
fifth; "and that very fact, showing brother JONA-
THAN that we do not mean to be trifled with, will
make Mr. SEWARD himself sober," said a sixth—'
and so the chit-chat ran in the circle which having
just met, sat awaiting, as good temperedly as they
could, the intimation that dinner was ready.
More genial chat, and "chaffing," and compli-
ments, and adult questions, to bring out the chil-
dren's laughing answers, followed :—yet, again,
later in the day, when the seniors fell together in
knots—those to whom price lists, and consols and
shares, and the course of exchange, and the rate of
discount, are matters of unfailing interest—again
with them, the question would " crop out." The
few data would be balanced afresh ; but the longer
they were balanced the more equal they appeared.
It seemed like an even toss for conjecture, which
should get the day—reason with British deter-
mination to back her, or un-reason with Yankee
vanity and impulsiveness for bottle-holders. It was,
indeed, a serious Christmas riddle. No man was
entitled to say he had guessed it; yet every man
might be implicated in the consequences of the an-
swer. No one could think of fear, for a moment;
yet no one wished, so soon again, for doubled in-
come-tax, and all the anxieties of the Crimean war.
And thus Christmas passed over us, and we passed
through it ; sufficiently incredulous of war on such
absurd grounds to miss nothing of its merriness
—yet sufficiently uncertain of American sanity, not
to be quite confident of peace.
By the end of the next month all had
blown over. The commissioners themselves,
and, of course, a grandis et verbosa epistola
from Mr. SEWARD had arrived. The worth-
less men had cost us £BOO,OOO, bat they had
developed in an unexpected manner, in every part
of the Island, the spontaneous zeal of our brave
tars for the honour of the flag of their QUEEN; a
measure had also been furnished of the value of
American threats. Mr. SEWARD, like the zebra,
whom Mr. RAREY had tamed, after showing him-
self that international law was against him, went
out of the business with a parting shriek and kick
at us, and at law too—declaring that he would not,
in a like case, surrender men unlawfully taken, if
it were contrary to the interest of the United States.
Lord RUSSELL, very properly, quietly accepted the
men, and left to Mr. SEWARD, and the United States
all the honour of supposing it possible that it could
be for their interest to act unlawfully.

This Christmas is disturbed by no such fears.
Europe has become quieter. The Emperor
of the FRENcii, indeed, still persists in
retaining stolen goods, even after having
confessed to their being stolen ; but the rumours of
war are nowhere, unless perhaps it be of a coup
d'etat war by the King of PRUSSIA on his own
people. England must now be, indeed, in high
favour among the peoples of Europe. All monarchi-
cal and aristocratic as we are, the Greeks are look-
ing to us to insure to them our institutions. While
Americans of the North boast that they are fighting
to preserve for the Rations of the earth a model re-
public, the nations themselves seem to spurn the
model, and to look to our example rather. Italy
will not hear of American Federalism and Repub-
licanism. It asks an English and constitutional
unity, and is labouring with all the moral aid we
can furnish to secure that unity against the heart-
less military violence and political machinaticns of
the despot of Paris. Greece, too, scouts the Ame-
rican model; it sees life, hope, safety only in the
English model. Europe will not quarrel with us.
As to America herself, we must put up with the
SEWARD remonstrances and the fury of Mr. CAS-
SIUS CLAY, and regard the olive branch of the Sub-
scription for Lancashire as the true indication of
the sentiments of the better part of America. So
far as England is concerned, she may happily cele-
brate her Christmas beneath the motto " PEACE ON
EARTH—GOODWILL TOWARDS MEN."

Whatever the English friends of the South, reck-
less of the hateful crime which it seeks independence
to perpetrate, may say, the North sees its way to
reasonable means of humbling the Divine-Right-
of-Slavery men. We do not lay so much stress on
what is doing on the Rappahannock. Richmond
may be reached from thence, or it may not—victory
may alternate, as before, between the Federals and
Confederates. What we look at is the sure, though
gradual, working of negro emanicipation along the
coast, up the Mississippi, and in the Border States,
which must soon give way. Our readers may havo
noticed the remarks of Mr. STANTON, the American
Secretary of War, which appeared in 71w Sun yes-
terday. They appear to us unusually reasonable
for an
American Secretary, and the facts he refers 1
already
ito be facts. He seems fairly,
to we know
last sentence of
we think, to main
heisreport to the PRESIDENT :
the position he takes in the
6, So far from th
enemy was ever so vulnerati,lfe,,ci,fatrhe
southern States being invincible, no
means at hand are
and a vol
employed against them.
voluntary
for
properYapretrurni to loyalty
com-
pensated emancipation
nibeealdnisinaatlYcormejmecatnedd, osftitlhie the
eovernment cannottofn- ofthe
ac-
complish a restoration
the suppression of the rebellion and fail
to
of peaceful relations which were designed to be esta-
"2