The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-05 00:00:00

,76.

E SU

PUBLICATIONS.

2HE NAVY,

'by solid shot. In fact, no visible effects, it is said,
of an extraordinary kind have been produced by
the Whitworth shell beyond the increased penetra-
tion which it has effected.
Experiments have been made at Shoeburynesa
with the 12-pounder guns fired against Mr. Scott
Russell's target, using a new form of round fronted
shot, brought forward by Sir Wm.
Armstrong,with
good effect.

Nov ready at all the Libraries, in 3 vols.,
LAVES OF THE niN*G;
ki OR, BEFOIU AND AFTER, fly the Author of
"Grandmother's Money," &e.
" Slaves of the Ring,' as a story, is superior to any
of the author's previous works. It is developed with great
skill. "_Post.
Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

Owing to the restricted accommodation which
prevails on board the flag ships and receiving ships
at Chatham and the Wore for those continuous ser-
vice and other men rejoining after being pew off
from their previous ships, Admiralty directions
have been received for a report to be made of the
number of officers and men who can be accommo-
dated afloat, and also of the number and names of
those ships, either in the steam or sailing reserve,
which are so fitted as to render it possible to berth
a certain number of men on board each during the
winter months.
The works connected with the construction of the
iron frigate Achilles, 50, 1,200 horse power, have
made considerable advance during the past few
weeks, and should no further interruption take
place there is little doubt that the vessel will be
completed some few months before the time origi-
nally contemplated. On Wednesday another body
of shipwrights were retuoVed from the vessels on
which they have been working at Chatham Dock-
yard, and placed on the iron frigate, malt ing the
number of hands now employed on the Achilles
close upon 1,000. The operation of bending the
remaining plates to form the stem of the frigate was
successfully accomplished in tile factory on Wed-
nesday, under the direction of Mr. Armstrong, for-
merly employed on the Warrior, under whose su-
perintendence all the mechanical details connected
with the preparation of the iron for the Achilles are
carried out. The stem is formed from three longi-
tudinal plates, each about 3in. thick, and weigh-
ing from 16cwt. to 2 tons. The process of bending
the plates for this portion of the vessel has been the
most difficult yet undertaken, and one which has
taxed the efforts as well as the ingenuity of the offi-
cials in the factory. The plates used in the process
have to be bent to the shape of a semicircle,
and to effect this the utmost care is required, as the
slightest flaw or crack in the iron during the opera-
tion causes its instant rejection. The plates as soon
as heated are removed to a powerful hydraulic press,
where the mass is gradually bent to the required
shape. As soon as this operation has been completed
the parts are welded together under the Nasmyth
hammer. The resources of Chatham dockyard not
allowing the iron sternpost to be forged at that
establishment, it has been prepared at a private fac-
tory at Glasgow, and will arrive at the dockyard in
the course of the week, the Rhadamanthus having
been despatched to Glasgow to convey it to Chat-
ham. The internal plating on the midships portion
of the frigate is now completed and ready for the
reception of the teak backing, which will be carried
to a thickness of 18 inches, and on which the exte-
rior 44- inch armour plates will be laid. The whole
of the iron frames, with the exception of a few at
the stem and stern, are now in their place. The
mechanics are now employed in fixing on these the
three-quarter inch iron plates which form the skin
of the vessel. There will be 18 eompartments, as
bulkheads, all of which will be shot proof and water
tight, and several of these have already received the
first portion of their iron plates. The factory for
preparing the plates for the Achilles adjoins the
dock in which the frigate is building, and is fitted
up with annealing furnaces and the most powerful
hydraulic and other machinery, nearly the whole of
which was constructed for the Government by pr
vote firms.

Second Edition, Now Ready, Complete in 3 vols., 318. 6d.,
LES MISERABLES, By VICTOR HUGO.
Authorised English Translation.
" There is much to admire in ' Les Miserables.' There are
passages breathing the noblest spirit, with a sustained lofti-
ness of tone. There are others full of touching pathos. M.
Hugo is one of the keenest observers and moat powerful de-
lineators ot the human soul in all its various phases of
emotion."—Saturday Review.
Hurst and 131ackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

1 The number of foreign and British visitors yr-
Royal Arsenal at Woolwich during
milted by tickets to view the departments of the
the season of
the International Exhibition, from May 1 to Nov.
30, was as follows :--6,256 foreigners and 46,086
British subjects, making a total of 52,342 visitors
The half-yearly examination of the gentlemen
cadets at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich
commenced yesterday by the Council of Military
Education, preparatory to the distribution of re-
wards and prizes and the hailing commissions for
the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers.

Now ready at all the Libraries, in 2 vols., 215.,
GREECE AND THE GREEKS ; being the
Narrative of a Winter Residence and Summer Travel
in Greece and its Islands. By FREDRIRA BREMER.
Translated by MARY Howrrr.

"The best book of travels which this charming authoress
has given to the public."—Atheneum.
"Miss Bremer has many things to tell of the King, the
Queen, and the country, that have a special interest as the
present time."—United Service Mag.
Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

THE SOU7HERN SIDE OF THE
AMERICAN WAR.

CHEAP EDITION.
This day is publishef, complete in Otte Volume, price 65.,
THE MILL ON THE FLOSS.
By GEORGE ELIOT,
Author of " Adam Bede," " Silas Marner,"
William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London.
Of whom may he had, uniform with the above.
ADAM BEDE, complete in One Volume, price 6s.

The rat ity of direct intelligence from the Southern
States renders any addition to our knowledge of the
war from that quarter interesting. Having received
files of Southern journals for the month of October,
we make some extracts from them that throw a light
on the spirit with which the more recent events of
the war are regarded; and the effects it has pro-
duced in the States of the Confederation. The dates
of these Richmond and Charleston papers include
the advance of the Southern army northward, the
defeat of the Federals at Manassas, the second bat-
tle of Bull Run, and the first few days of the inva-
sion or incursion into Maryland. News from the
field appears to find its way to the Northern cities
more fully and much more rapidly than to the
Southern centres. For some days after the reverses
of the Federal armies only rumours of the Southern
successes had reached Charleston and Richmond.
The more ample details that confirmed these reports
are mostly taken from the New York journals, and
English readers are already familiar with them.
But something not so well known may be
gathered from the Southern comments on the later
incidents of the campaign, It is evident that the
Government of Jefferson Davis is not exempted from
the pressure of an extreme war party or section in
the South similar to that of the extreme Abolitionists
of the North. The Southern Administration has
been able to resist it more effectually than that of
Mr. Lincoln, but still seems to have partially yielded
to the influence; and this concession has been the
cause of the most considerable check the Confede-
rates have sustained in the field.
The invasion of Maryland proved a mistake; but
it was as much a concession to a popular demand as
the dismissal of M'Clellan on the other side. The
policy of the Southern Government hae been that
of a " defensive war" only. But for many months
this limitation of hostilities has been denounced by
the journals of the violent section of the South as
weak, inefficient, and useless. To repel successive
invasions that left the territory overrun a desert was
rnaolt
aernmoyu gs hh
0.
uTI
dh ahta evenvees
ctahpeewd rfer co km o
bf
et
fhoe lr
e aRr
ceh Fmeodne-
d
was considered a misfortune. It ought to have been
utterly destroyed ; with more energy on the part of
the military commanders it might have been anni-
hilated. It is curious to remark that, while the
Northerners were expressing admiration of the
capacity of the Confederate Government and the
skill of its generals, both were being denounced in
the South as supine, apathetic, and dilatury. Suc-
cess has somewhat improved the tone of the journals.
They are inclined to admit that the Government
was beginning to wake up, and the combinations of
Gen. Lee proved him a great commander. As for
Jackson, he would always have done anything he
had been permitted to attempt. On the eve of the
invasion of Maryland the papers were rejoicing at
the prospect of transferring hostilities to Federal
territory, or, as they call it, " carrying the war
into the Africa of Abolitionism."
The fierce fanatic& of the North have evoked a
spirit on the opposing side that fully equals their
ehto
ahawbenhndwsoi
ant
orhf
etrsavageshouldhei
these
ew eoxdiunetlrtdeem
the
mrbee
ciesonoemauctrteiisooaennw.osf,atrthlf onaefecteohxpuetanescrtseomrniipndnatuaorcttitstohnooeff,
w
in which nothing would be spared.
For instance, the threat to reduce the South to a
wilderness rather than let it go is matched by a
proposal to raze all the public buildings of Wash-
ington to the ground rather than allow it to be the
future political centre of the Government. In the
month of September, when the Federal army had
been again driven to its lines round the capital, it
appeared probable that the city would fall into the
hands of the Confederates. The Charleston Mercury
anticipated that, even if not attacked, " the pro-
gress of events would bring the South into posses-
sion of the old capital." What, in such a case

GUILDHALL, lst December, 1862.—The-COM-
MITTEE for the CITY'S LANDS W
MEET at GUILDHALL, onLETTING WEDNESDAY, the 10th Dil
e-
l
cember last., at One o'clock precisely, to receive PRO-
SALS for LEASES of TWO HOUSES, Nos. 20 and 21,
Houndsditch, in the City of London.
Plans of the Property may be seen, and fonts of tender
Obtained, upon application at the Architect's Office, Guildhall.
FERDINAND BRAND, Comptroller.

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT
INSTITUTION
(Incorporated by Royal Charter).
PATRONESS--Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen.
PRESIDENT—Vice-Admiral his Grace the Duke of Northum-
berland, K.G., F.R.S.
CHAIRMAN—Thos. Baring, Esq., M.P., F.R.S., V.P.
DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN—Thomas Chapman, Eeq., F.R.S., V.P.
APPEAL.
The Committee of Management have to state that, since
hhe beginning of the year 1860, the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution has incurred expenses amounting to £27,260 on
various Lifeboat Establishments on the Coasts of England,
Scotland, and Ireland.
During the same period the Lifeboats of the Institution
have teen instrumental in rescuing the Crews of the follow-
ing Vessels:—
Barque Vermont, of Halifax, U.S.
Schooner William Keith, of Carnarvon
Brig Flying Fish, of Whitby • • • •
Smack Elizabeth Ann, of Lyme Regis • •
Steam Dredge, at Newhaven ..
Schooner Admiral Hood, of Rochester ..
Schooner Susan and Isabella, of Dundee ..
Schooner Rose, of Lynn
Brig Prodroma, of Stockton ..
Brig Eliza, of Middlesborough
Brigantine Frela, of Konigsberg ..
Brigantine Diana, of Fredrikshamn
Brig Gloucester, of South Shields ..
Brig Lovely Nelly, of Seaham
Brigantine Nugget, of Bideford ..
Schooner Prospect, of Berwick
Schooner Ann Mitchell, of Montrose
Schooner Jane Roper, of Ulverstone
Brig Pallas, of Shields ..
Ship Ann Mitchell, of Glasgow ..
Smack John Bull, of Yarmouth ..
Schooner Catherine, of Newry
Barque Niagara, of Shields
A Barge of Teignmouth • • ••
Brig George and James, of London
Brig Zephyr, of Whitby • • ••
Coble Honour, of Cullercoats
Schooner Eliza, of North Shields ..
Barque Oberon, of Liverpool ••
Brigantine Nancy, of Teignmouth
Smack Wonder, of Teignmouth
Brig Scotia, of Sunderland .
Sloop Three Brothers, of Goole •
..
Sloop Charlotte, of Woodbridge ..
Brig Ann, of Blyth
Spanish Barque Primera de Torreviega (saved ves-
sel and one of the crew) ..
Sloop Hope, of Dublin
Schooner Druid, of Aberystwyth
Schooner Hurrell, of Penzance (saved vessel and
crew)
Brig Anne, of Plymouth (saved vessel and crew) 8
Schooner Betsy, of Peterhead (saved vessel and
crew) ..
• . 6
Smack Merrion Lass, of Aberystwyth (saved Irel-
and crew) • • • •
BSch
johoir
TehroFul o.fulaVjhaintbey,
of • (ssatv.efvevsessel and crew 4
Fishing-boats of Whitburn
Brig Arethusa, of Blyth
Schooner Dewi Wyn, of Portmadoo
Flat Cymraes, of Beaumaris .. 2
Schooner William,.
•of Morecambe • • 5
Smack Gipsy, of Newry 4
Schooner Margaret Anne, of Preston •
.. 4
Brig New Draper, of Whitehaven
Schooner William, of Liverpool
LeggerNimrod, of Castletown
Brig Providence, of Shields ..
Brig Mayflower. of Newcastle .. • •
Schooner Village Maid, of Fleetwood ..
Barque Guyana, of Glasgow
Brig Roman Empress, of Shields
Brig San Spiridione, of Galaxlde
Schooner Voador du Vonga, of Vienna ..
French Brig La Jenne Marie Therese ..
Barque Perseverance, of Scarborough ..
Schooner Elizabeth, of Bridgewater • •
Ship Danube, of Belfast • • •• ea
Schooner Hortensia, of Hanover ..
Schooner Oregon, of Stonehaven
Brig St. Michel, of Marans
Schooner Epimachus, of Amsterdam ..
Barque Druid, of Sunderland •• • •
Schooner Bellona, of Red Bay.. ..
Brig Pioneer, of Carnarvon
Schooner Princess Alice, of Ipswich ..
Brig Minerva, of Workington
Schooner Elizabeth and Hannah, of Newburgh .. 6
Brig Sisters, of W hitby 9
Brigantine Matilda, of Stockholm .. .. 4
Brig Jane, of North Shields .. 10
Brig Trial, of Poole .. . • • • 7
Schooner Liberty, of Dublin .. .. 3
Schooner Sylphiden, of Nakskov (saved vessel and
crew)•• .• •• •• ••
Barque Frederick, of Dublin • • • •
Barge Peace, of London
Lugger Saucy Lass, of Lowestoft
Smack
Pilot cutt Adv
ereWnturhim, e, oofH Lf arowestoft wich.. ..
Barque 'Undaunted, of Aberdeen • •••
11
Wrecked boat on Blackwater Bank, •on the Irish
coast
•• •• ••
Schooner Skylark, of Folkestone
Brig Lively, of Clay, Norfolk ..
Schooner Rook, of Liverpool • • ..
Barque Robert Watson, of Sunderland
Schooner Auchincruive, of Grangemouth ..
Schooner Friends, of Lynn
Schooner Eliza Anne, of Dublin ..
Brig Content, of Sunderland
Smack Ellen Owens, of Cardigan ..
•• • •
Smackßarque
FCreoddasrih na
me , of
of Bermuda •.
Sloop William, of Liverpool ..
8
PS loorotpugEulie zs
ea bßeat hrq,
uoef TC
reuzi gnym
U.5...1 o u t.h. S
. .
14
•
Ship Annie E. Hooper, of Baltimore, 4
Barque Henry Everest, of Rochester .. ••
!_
Total .. .. • . ••• 762
v eodrthese aansdr
eowt hare rd
sL
to
fo the-boat
e cr
crews
servicest
sthe f lon ti opt h a
hasa
also granted re wards a mounting to £572 for saving 562
shipwrecked persons, by shore-boats and other means. mak-
ing a total of 1,302 persons saved from a watery grave during
the last two years and a half.
The number of lives saved by the Life-boats of the
Society, and other means, since its formation, is 12,690;
for which services 82 Gold Medals, 712 Silver Medals, and
£16,00 in cash have been paid in rewards. The Institu-
tion has also expended X 64,300 on Life-boats, Life-boat
Transporting-can cages, and Boat-houses.
The public cannot but symnathise with the vigorous efforts
now being made by this Institution to save the lives of Ship-
'Mph. help was never more needed than at
t he present time, when, through the extraordinary exertions
the Society has made within the past few years, it has now
One Hundred and Twenty-three Lite-boats under its man-
agement, for the maintenance of which, in a state of thorough
efficiency, a large permanent annual income is absolutely
needed, if its humane mission is to be perpetuated.
The Committee gratefully acknowledge the following con-
tributions :

.. 16
.. 2
.. 5
- 3
.. 9
.. 6
.. 5

.. .. 7
.. .. 6
.. .. 5
- .. 6
.. .. 1

.. 7
.. 15
.. a

Her Majesty's screw steamsloop Racer, 11, Capt.
Algernon M'Lennan Lyons, from North America
and the West Indies, was on Tuesday warped into
basin at Woolwich, and is ordered to be paid off
on Tuesday next. The Racer was the first ship
sent out to the American coast by the Admiralty
on their receiving intelligence of the blockade.
She maintained a most important position there in
in protecting British interests during the troubles.
Capt. Lyons, whose promotion to his post rank was
notified in The Sun of Tuesday, received the appro-
bation of their lordships on his arrival in England
for his zealous and gallant conduct. During her
cruise in the Havannah the greater portion of her
officers and many of the crew were attacked with
yellow fever, and a frightful mortality ensued, eight
officers and 21 men falling victims to the disease in
the course of eight or ten days at Cuba.
The screw corvette Archer, 13, and the Osprey,
4, were on Wednesday ordered to be brought for-
ward at Woolwich with the most urgent despatch,
to be commissioned, as stated, for Capt. S. Osborne's
China expedition. The Archer is to be supplied
with new boilers, and the ship and engines are to
be thoroughly overhauled and repaired. The Osprey
was recently launched at Deptford, and is in good
condition.

.. 8
.. 8
.. 4
.. 19
.. 10
.. 2
.. 8
.. 6
.. 5
.. 4
.. 17

.. s
.. 5

.. 1
.. 5

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Lieut. C. E. S. Woodman, to
the Terror; Lieut. R. H. Swindon, to the Pylades;
0. L. Llewellyn, surgeon, to the Pylades; T.
H. Taylor, assist.-surg., to the St. Vincent, for
the Sealark ; Dr. R. Ferguson, assist.-surg., to
the Victory, for Hasler Hospital ; J. Lambert,
acting assist.-engineer, to the Megeera ; J. Hor-
rocks, acting assist.-engineer, to the Pylades:;
T. C. J. Dryden, paymaster, additional, to the
Fisgard; H. C. W. E. Batchelor, clerk to the
Meanee ; W. M. Chambers, chief engineer to the
coed-class
first-class
ltd.
agsa
3sn tae
assist.-engineers,
Winter tenet
nghr
gie
nianpene:der,
ir,aBAdt,o.e
stPto;
hu
Fre Purvis,
thesru,
Pyladesmufirbrcesetl-ll ca lna
acting
tai
fannosgdr-
cAti.ngS hsae:nedr_ealansds
assist.J 0 1
engineer, Stout, s e
jthoehnSpitaunnknear:lB,J.a
to the Indus, as supernumerary.

.. z
.. 11

.. 6
.. 5
.. 3
•• 5
6
4
5
.. 5

ehonld be done with it? Policy would require its
destruction, and the reasons are very coolly stated :
" As long as the magnificent and costly public
buildings exist, Washington constitutes a tempta-
tion to the North to keep it for their capital city,
as they have already attempted to do since the

.. a
—134

secession of the States now Confederate. And yet,
being on the soil of a Southern slaveholding State,
this is incompatible with Southern views. Hence
Washington, with its great public structures, must
constitute a bone of contention, the North being
desirous of holding the city, and the South
desirous of ousting the North from Southern terri-
tory. To the North, Washington without the build-
ings would be undesirable, and to the South the
buildingsothfold
Govern
ma reen a
utterly valueless.reconstruction
s tr ußeconstruction
desirable
ionf
Union would alone render it a proper seat
the eyes of the Southern public."
It bad been supposed, indeed,!that when forced
to abandon the city the Federal Government would
itself give up the hope of returning to it, and before
its retreat destroy the Capitol, all the public offices,
and the " White House," to prevent their falling
into the hands of the enemy. But this the Mercury
treats as an " idle imagination." The good work, if
it ever be done, must be accomplished by Southern
hands and Confederate powder barrels. And the

£ s. d
Her Majesty the Queen .. annual 50 0 0
A Lady at Leith, per W. G. Slater, Esq.. don. 100 0 0
Clerk, Colonel, R.A. annual 1 1 0
Cotton, Sir St. Vincent, Bart.. .. .. don. 25 0 0
Contts and Co., Messrs., Bankers .. .. annual 10 0 0
Erle, Lord Chief Justice . don. 10 10 0
Fanshawe, Vice-Admiral Sir A., K.C.B. .. 2d don. 25 0 0
Harvey. Rev. G. G. and Mrs. .. don. 30 0
Lambton, Messrs. W. H. & Co., Bankers .. don. 21 0 0
Lanesborough, the Earl of .. .• • • annual 50 0
Legacy of the late Wm. Lupton, Esq., of
Salford.. •• •• ••
Martin, Sir Henry, Bart. ..
Moore, Rev. G. B.
Robartes, T. J. Agar, Esq., M.P. ..
Stirling, Col. Sir Anthony, K.C.8...
Trench, Lady Helena ..

destruction is recommended by an assurance that
the voice of peace would be heard amid the " die-

___
parting towers :"
"For our part, we consider it as a consummation
devoutly to be wished, as a piece of admirable gene-
ralship,The razing of those structures would be the fall of
of high State policy.
and a master stroke

•• 100 0 0
.. 7th don. 10 0 0
.. don. 15 15 0
• annual 5 0 0
.. annual 2 0 0
▪ don. 30 0 0

It would have more
the last hope of the Union.

Donations and Annual Subscriptions will be thankfully re-
ceived by the Bankers of the Institution, Messrs. Willis,
Percival, and Co., 76, Lombard-street; Messrs. Coutts and
Co., 59, Strand; Messrs. Berries, Farquhar, and Co., 16, St.
James's-street, London ; by a 1 the Bankers in the United
Kingdom ; and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis, Esq., at
the Office of the Institution, 14, John-street, Adelphi, Lon-
don, W.C.

effect upon the Northern mind and upon foreign
nations abroad than the achievement of 20 battles
for the Confederate cause. Take Washington, blow
up every public building, redeem the States over-
cbryipPtsutftrinogm a3tsontoce4isn
ycaomarps
we should nestle in the arms
old,trhu en
of peace."
second
aaon
dd class hold
da
our
e or f
Januarye co nwe
s

THE CAUSES of PREMATURE DECAY.—
Authors of eminence have ascribed the decline of the
Roman empire to the effeminacy of manners, which precluded
resistance ; and this effeminacy they trace chiefly to vicious
habits acquired in early life, by which, in our own time, an
influential journalist has endeavoured to account for the de-
cline of population in the Asiatic provinces of Turkey.
The peculiar source of physical and moral degeneracy al-
luded to has at all times been specially deprecated by philo-
sophers and philanthropists. It besets inexperienced youth,
laying the foundation of future misery, poisoning the nuptial
and
with bitter malignity; destroying health, curtailing life,
and making it, during its brief career, a scene of anguish, from
the consciousness of humiliating infirmity.
The evil is but too rife in our age and country ; and expe-
rience can often discern the sad results in the early deaths,
the hereditary and perpetuated ailments, and the matri-
monialncordsandscar ands ion "mysterious."
described, in convential p
ar-
lance, as, unaccountable"
sound-
ness and vigour form su-h a prominent constituent in human
happiness, sufferers maysfacteriulotuiess.'w'
hlonsecases othreatened injury to or suspension
may have their fears removed, the mis-
chief, however severe and inveterate, eradicated, and their
warmest hopes of restoration to life's prerogatives fully
realised
Dr. L I'AIERT, M.D., has been engaged for 20 years in the
treatment of these disorders and his treatise on "Self -Pre-
servation " describes how all the attributes of Manhood are
lost or suspended, and how they can be restored and main-
tained in health and 'vigour to an advanced period of life.
Price ls , post free in a sea ed envelope 20 stamps, by Mann,
39, Cornhill ; or from the Author who may be consulted
daily, from 11 till 2 and 6 till 8, at his residence,
37, BEDFORD-SQUARE, London.

It may be urged that this violent language is not
used without provocation; but the spirit in which
such suggestions can be made is evidently rendering
peace all but impossible.

There is much in the Southern journals to prove
that the pressure of the war upon the population of
the Confederate States is very severe, though com-
fpeerntshaeteadrmbyysiuscca ity,ersesailnth e field. The conscription
and now includes all be-
tween Substitutes are
allwed the, n
Contain numerous adver-
tisements for them. The
.price offered for one is
notprivate oaadge thes o
papersflB and
35'
left, we presume, to
When stated it is never
le always
arrangement, announced,hu being ems—
£4oo. Desertions arel
numerous,
us than
ier
ous,
and 2,000 dole., o
hitherto
there r
appears to have been
an unwillingness to punish the offence with the
severity of military law. Comparative impunity
has increased the evil to an
extent that has made

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un

repression a necessity, and recently the crime has
been severely expiated. In several cases the punish-
ment of death has been inflicted. It is said that the
extreme penalty has been exacted without sufficient
notice that the Government had determined to en-
force a greater strictness of discipline. Some de-
serters from the Confederates who had enlisted in
Federal regiments were taken prisoners during the
last battle of Bull Run ; they were shot on the field.
One curse of the war seems to afflict both parties
in about equal degree. The confusion of the
period has made it the harvest of the dishonest.
The Government and army of the South are infested
by gangs of sharpers, too many of whom have
secured offici 1 oppm tunities for cheating. The
" smart man" is not so sectional as the quarrel ; he
is found in both ranks, and cheats under either flag
with equal industry. It is asserted that " notori-
ously and utterly principled men" have been em-
ployed in the Southern army as quartermasters,
and as a consequence "flagrant and enormous pecu-
lation has been carried on." A Richmond corre-
spondent of the Mercury says :
" A good deal of money has been made here by
worthless wretches, who by hook or by crook ma-
naged to get authority to raise companies. Forth-
with they advertised to take substitutes, and the
substitutes poured in, received a half or a third of
the money paid for them, and left the rest in the
villain-captain's hands, to be paid after getting into
camp. This dons, the substitutes went their ways,
sold themselves to other parties, the villain-captain's
company never went into camp, and so thousands
on thousands of dollars have been made. Some of
these villain-captains are now decorated with ball
and chain in Castle Thunder, the new military
prison, but others are off to parts unknown."
Though they are equally denounced as sharpers,
another class of speculators can scarcely be consi-
dered so culpable. These are the acute traders,
who watch events with an eye to bargains as suc-
cess or defeat opens up chances of the market. A
rush of these merchants of the war from Richmond
is thus described :
" No sooner was it known here that Fredericks-
burg was evacuated than our merchants bolted off
to buy up the stocks of Yankee goods there. The
news reached here at dusk, and it is believed that
200 sharpers left in 20 minutes afterwards, in bug-
gies. Fredericksburg was probably gutted by
them before daybreak."
Another evil from which the South is suffering
severely, is the extent to which the paper cur-
rency of the Government is counterfeited. The
forgeries are of the notes of 20, 50, and 100 dol-
lars ; and even the banks find it difficult to dis-
tinguish the genuine notes from the spurious. The
Southerners assert that many of these counterfeits
are executed in the Northern cities, and that the
" felony is patronised" by the Federal Govern-
ment. Those who have had any experience of
American currency will rather believe that this
peculiar industry never required Government pa-
tronage to flourish at the expense of the community.
The immense issues of notes on both sides during
the war have only given greater facility to syste-
matic fraud. The Secretary of the Confederate
Treasury in his report appended to the President's
Message to Congress is compelled to allude to these

forgeries, and recommends measures for preventing
them. It will be necessary to change many of the
plates and make new issues. The counterfeit paper
has had some effect in raising the price of the
necessaries of life in the South above even the

war rate.
The advertising pages of the journals contain
many indications of the state of hostilities. There
are lists of contributions in food, clothing, and me-
dicine for the army, military orders, offers for sub-

stitutes, and the hue-and•cry of deserters, now
rather more numerous than the run-away negroes.
The substitute system seems to create deserters, as
the large State bounties create them in the North.
In the towns and the camps near them the con-
duct of the soldiers is not quite exemplary. Heavy
complaints are made of the assaults and robberies
committed in Richmond at night. In other re-
spects the business of life is not much changed or
interrupted. Estates are sold and bought as usual.
The tradesmen's stocks of goods, certainly not of
native manufacture, announced as " just received,"
indicate that the blockade is not so complete in prac-
tice as in theory. The effect of the exclusion of im-
ports, that on such a long sea coast cannot be total,
is chiefly felt in the cost of articles; they are of.-
fered "at moderate war prices," which, no doubt,
would be considered far from moderate in time of

peace. Provisions are dear, but have not reached

the rates that would prove excessive scarcity.
The market price of meat in Charleston is a little
above that of the retail shops of London, and
poultry is cheaper. The quotations are extravagant
for South Carolina, though the average of Middle-
sex; the Northern journals exaggerate, as usual, in
describing them as " famine prices." The ordinary
course of public amusements is not checked and
very little altered by the war. In Richmond two
theatres are open every night, playing the oldest
English stock pieces of the severest " legitimate
drama." One of these houses has issued a rather
curious announcement. The first reprisal made by
the South for the confiscation policy of the Federal
Congress is enforced by a Richmond manager on a
shadowy kind of theatrical property—Mr. Forrest's

" great tragic play" of " Matamora." Some years
since Mr. Forrest offered a prize for a tragedy, and
obtained " Metamora,the Last of the Wampanoags,"
from the competition. His exclusive right to per-
form the character of the Indian hero has, it ap-
pears, hitherto " been scrupulously respected by
managers and actors throughout the world." This
. .

right of custom Mr. Forrest has forfeited by poli-
tical offences, and here is the managerial decree of
confiscation :

"Now, Mr. Forrest having thought proper to
lavish the profits accruing to him from this and
other of his plays for years past in supporting the
insane attempt of the Northern despotism to subju-
gate the South and crush the spirit and liberties
of that very people who have added much to his
fortune and his fame, the management feel that it
is but an act of justice to appropriate for the
amusement of the public this great standard play,
upon which Mr. Forrest has built his reputation."
So " Matamora," with its future profits, is appro-
priated accordingly ! The many English dramatic
writers who have " lost their hair" on the war path
of American enterprise will not regret to see the
scalp of a native added to the collection of " appro-
priations." Another proof of the small effect the
present state of public affairs produces on the great
current of social life is given in a paragraph that
might furnish an illustration to the Registrar-
General :

" The war does not affect the marriage market in
any perceptible degree in Richmond, 30 licenses
having been issued by the clerk of the Hustings
Court during the month of August. This is

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