The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-27 00:00:00

AMERICAN AFFAIRS.

The proverbial gratitude of republics receives another
illustration in the case of Gen. M'Clellan, who, whatever
his former shortcomings, has of late deserved well of his
country. The pretext assigned for his removal is plainly
insincere, for how came disobedience to a positive order of
the 6th October to leave him still in command for many
weeks P Nor could it be the interests of the country, for
Burnside possesses no pretensions that could outweigh so
grave an evil as change of command in the midst of criti•
cal operations. The small successes he obtained on the
Coast came to an end as soon as gunboats ceased to be avail-
able. At the battle of Shar?sburgh his delay in attacking
the right wing of the Confederates was fatal to success. On
the other hand, M'Clellan's advance from Washington
after Pope's crushing defeat, and his operations in Mary-
lany, are more creditable to the North than any incidents
of the war ; they saved it, indeed, from sinking into imme-
diate ruin. His talent for organisation and possession of
the confidence of the army go for nothing where fitness for
office is excluded from all consideration.

The very cause assigned for the removal of M'Clellan is
one that does credit to his judgment. It was essential to
the purposes of the North that the battle of Sharpsburgh
should be regarded as a victory. By ingeniously mixing
up in the despatches the results of the prior engagement on
the South Mountain—in which a Confederate division was
driven back with loss—the colour of a victory was imparted
to it. Gen. Lee, with equal precision, might have proved
it a defeat, by throwing into a description of it the prisoners
and guns of Harper's Ferry. But, whatever the exigencies
of the Washington censorship—and they compelled the
suppression of his detailed report—M'Clellan no doubt
knew well that he had sustained a very damaging repulse.
He tried the experircent of crossing the Potomac at once,
and paid dearly for it. To have thrown forward that mass
of half-disciplined men, shattered in an engagement that
deprived them of 13 Generals ; to have pushed them at
once into a hostile country, in pursuit of an enemy able to
move with greater celerity, superior in cavalry, and pos.
missed of exclusive information, and this at a season when
decisive advantage was hopeless, and the final check would
be fatal—this would have been to carry his army straight
into the jaws of ruin. In no instance has M'Clellan served
his country so well as in the caution by which he has pre-
served the army for the North at the sacrifice of his own
repute.

His dismissal immediately upon the triumph of the Con-
servative party, who had unwisely associated his name with
their cause, indicates an intention at Washington to defy
public opinion, and take advantage of the possession of
office to carry out their own views. Much they can con-
trol ; but not times and seasons, snow or rains, and unless
Burnside be prepared to make war with an eye to the Money
Market only, he will have to go into winter quarters as
M'Clellan intended to do, for his recent advance was plainly
but a military promenade to divert public impatience, and
once in winter quarters what can the country gain by this
change ? Reorganisation will then be the only duty, and
in this M'Clellan peculiarly excelled. The measure
will widen at once the divisions that exist, with this fur-
ther effect,—that the defeat or success of the army will cease
to be a matter thoroughly national, and become one of hope
or fear to contending factions. It is written, " A house
divided against itself cannot stand." Nor can the inmates
of such a house be well prepared to go out to war against
their neighbours.
This disunion of the North has existed all along, although
hitherto latent, and strange it is that it should exist among
a people who are shedding all this blood to force union upon
others. An advocate or friend of the Federals, second to
none in earnestness or ability, has just told us that Ameri-
can freedom is "a sham." Long ago Channing observed,
" The tsg,, of individual action is gone. Truth can haraly
be heard, unless shouted by a crowd." When the age of
individual action is gone that of individual thought is gone.
It is the inevitable result of Democracy, when attempted
on so vast a scale, that the minority becomes • abject, the
majority defpotic. The essence of freedom, its completeness
in the individual man, becomes extinguished, and men move
no longer by the guidance of reason and choice, but as fish
move in a shoal, by the volition of the mass. And what
single principle has been urged in support of this war of
subjugation that is not a " sham" or a delusion ? Take the
spirit of nationality. Is it this spirit that is developed in
German generals and Irish soldiers; that has now recruit-
ing agents in Europe to decoy all manner of foreigners;
that requires a conscription to force men from their homes
or bribe mercenaries to fight for them ? Take the principle
of emancipation—that love of the distant negro that legis-
lates to forbid his presence, and schemes to transport him
as a convict ; that beholds in him an angel in theory, but
treats him as a leper in practice; that forbids slavery in terri-
tories where it cannot exist, but is ready to foster it where
it flourishes ; that, denouncing it as a curse, proposes to free
the wicked from it, but to leave it still clinging to the righ-
teous; that in one district reviles it as "the sum of all
villanies," and in another offers it as a bonus or reward for
loyalty. As a matter of principle surely nothing so hollow,
so ludicrous as this, was ever recorded in history I And
what of another principle alleged,—reverence for the
Union ? Where is the union among those who are fight-

ing to impose union upon others ? If all the nations of
Europe were thrown together, there would be no discord-
ance so virulent, no such disunion as exists within the
North itself, between Democrat and Abolitionist, between
New York and Massachusetts. There are honest men swept
along by these delusions, but as regards the infinite majo-
rity, they are merely pretexts to clot k passion, pride, and
self-interest, and to blind those in Europe who fail to see
through them.

The result of the election in Illinois is peculiarly signifi-
cant, as that is Mr. Lincoln's State. The fact of his being
a Western President contributed greatly to the popularity
of the war in the West in its early days, when that State
assumed the title of the " war nest of the North." Its
population being largely of foreign birth it sent an enor-
mous force to the army in the field. The tax-gatherer has
not yet appeared there, and paper money is abundant. In
spite of all this, the Government is defeated in the most
emphatic manner. The Americans are not a people to be
sent from their homes into political dungeons at the mere
pleasure of Mr. Stanton's " live men" without coming to
dislike such a system, nor have they so entirely forgotten
the principles of their origin and constitution as to see them
repudiated and despised without impatience. The most
important consideration now is to determine what position
to assign to the victorious party as it concerns the continu-
ance of the war.
A peace party exists within its ranks, but as a minority,
and therefore dumb and powerless. The majority would,
no doubt, make peace with its old allies by any conceivable
guarantee of slavery or other concession that would re-
store the Union. But peace on the basis of a re-union
would be scouted by the Southerners. They would make
the reply we received in our attempt to treat with the first
Congress—that after Independence should be admitted they
would treat on other points, but not till then. You very
justly observe that the war for the restoration of the Union
has destroyed the possibility of its restoration. All the ele-
ments that severed it continue in force, while others are
added, many and intense, to the outrages and sufferings of
the war. In addition to this the former cohesive force in
South havetalk
the prestige of the Union is gone for ever. A powerful
e
up would
hfierenteefrai;
people who have thrown off subjection to a detested rule can
nenonmbore be persuaded to return under it than a strong man
their independence
their best Pebluodoed):
eddisbceacrknminentot
etnhoeunghursteoryse.e
that
te
apenyopplaetcohif
patching
only lead to a renewal of the strife a few years
ntsorofasrueeetheesf3:. of such a splidrit. that, after declaring
tchl i
the
ewtaor discussafter an dinelftehned faceit,
tohfeythe
will world,ahandaonhd shedding
edasd itnhge
Peacye
of which the Democratic
hethis discovery ?
pyttrwt would instantly reject and de-
cline which was not based on their in-
dependence.ing thus impossible in the direction
They differ makingfromt
are men of experienceywinillththise_y
tchoanttitnhueye
amerrt'e ,
d of some capacity and
judgment. Hence the Democratic leaders may be regarded
as for war so long as they can he
of Europe encourages them Rin'epafflaboilriypse earnrseepa;
whenever that hope be extinguishepde for success—for pesos
for refusal of The present attitude
re-
cognition, in the face of the sufferings
re-
garded as proof of doubt in the European endured, must be
issue of the contest. Of this doubt they mind, as to the
will naturally give
themselves the benefit. Before mediae:.
the Northern mina must arrive at a
Coonudciatin be accepted,
tem-
per to accept it. The object of any
means and
to be
taken by Europe in the interests of peace shourled
produce this condition of mind to
extinguishu be to
delusive hopes, and satisfy all thoughtful men i
North that further expenditure of life or treasure woullidt bee
fruitless. European recognition needs no one's acquies-

eence ; it comprises no guarantee, it defines n,) boundaries,
it involves no intervention, it consists with perfect neutra-
lity by the international law of all American jurists—in
this case the best authorities. Its silent, peaceful'
but irre-
sistible moral influence would soon be felt. Every Ame-
rican knows it to be a verdict that never was repealed or
pronounced in vain. At once the peace section of the
Democratic party would obtain a foothold on which to rally,
form, and erect itself. With the army going into winter
quarters, paper money depreciating, the tax-gatherer step-
ping out, and dissensions growing wider day by day, all
circumstances would concur to add to the effect. Within a
brief period from the date of recognition perseverance in
the war would become so plainly useless and hopeless that
the Conservative leaders, now in the ascendant, would ac-
cept the reality however reluctantly, submit to destiny, and
proceed to demand peace to save their own section of the
continent from the anarchy, dismemberment, and ruin now
pending over it.—Times.

THE TUNNEL THROUGH MOUNI

CEIVIS.

(From the Newcastle Daily Journal.)
Most of our readers know that a gigantic work in
engineering is in progress in the Alps, being no less than
the cutting of a tunnel eight miles in length through
Mount Cenis, for the route of the Franco-Italian:Railway.
Some idea of the extensive nature of the tunnel may be
gathered from the facts that it is to cost no less than
£2,500,000 sterling, and that the time allowed for its com-
pletion is twenty years. The progress already made in
the tunnel is not considerable. Two machines are at
work, but nothing authentic is known as to their capabili-
ties, or the rate at which they are working, and there is
good reason to believe that the statements which have
appeared in the public journals respecting the work
done are exaggerated. The principle upon which they pro-
ceed does not, indeed, admit of their making rapid progress.
They bore a number of holes in the face of the rock, and into
these holes powder is inaerto‘and the rock is blasted.
Very often, however, when the rock is very hard, the ex-
plosion makes no impression upon it. The utmost speed
obtained is less than 3 feet in 12 hours; and this is effected
at a great expense of manual labour, no less than 50 or 60 men
being engaged about each machine, which is itself a very
costly construction. Upwards of £200,000 has already been
spent on the machinery and compressers. It is net surprising
that the promoters of the undertaking have become dissatis-
fied with the probable cost of the work as at present con-
ducted, and with the prospect of having to wait during the
long period of 20 years for its completion. We are able to
state, however, that there has been invented a new machine,
which will undoubtedly do wonders, both in reducting the
cost and in shortening the time for the completion of this
wonderful work—the tunnel through the Alps. It is the
invention of an English officer, Capt. Penrice, late of the
Royal Engineers ; and a company under the title of the
Patent Steam Tunnelling and Mining Machine Company
(Limited) has been formed in London for bringing it into
general use, not only on Mount Cenie but wherever tun-
nelling work is required. The inventim owes its rise ori-
ginally to the necessities connected with the siege of Se-
bastopol. During that memorable siege the principle of the
invention was conceived by Capt. Pendce, who brought it
before the British and French Governments. The autho-
rities of the English War-office were of opinion that it
might be available for undermining Sebastopol, and accord-
ingly Sir Wm. Armstrong was engaged to construct two.
Messrs. Fox and Henderson at the same time constructed
two machines for the French Government ; but before they
were finished the war was ended, and the Governments did
not pursue the investigation into the merits of the invention.
However, a company has been formed for its development
as a commercial enterprise ; and the work of construct-
ing the machines has been placed in the hands of Messrs.
Hawks, Crawshay, and Co., of Gateshead. Messrs. Hawks
and Co. have been engaged for several months in perfecting
a machine on the principle of Capt. Penrice's patent, and
we were late'y favoured with an inspection of it, and are
therefore enabled to state, from actual observation, what it
is capable of doing. The machine is erected in the Clax-
ton Quarry, belonging to Mr. Cail, the railway contractor,
situate at the head of Gateshead, and has been the subject
of intense wonder and curiosity in the neighbourhood—a
wonder and curiosity which have not been decreased by the
reserve which has been maintained respecting the machine,
and the strictness with which prying eyes have been ex-
cluded from it and its achievements. We will now give a
general and popular description of the machine, and of
some of the difficulties which have been encountered in its
construction 'and adaptation to the purpose for which it is
designed. The question of ventilation has been solved in
the most satisfactory manner. In the open ground in the
quarry, which is of very great extent, there is erected an
engine used for supplying air to the tunnel by means of a
fan blast, which acts, however, by suction outwards, in-
stead of by the usual way of drawing air inwards. A tube
is carried along the top of the tunnel, at the head of which
a partial vacuum is formed, the vacuum being reSded by the
air which rushes into the tunnel. This tube is the chimney
of the boiler, and the exhaust steam of the engine being
driven into it, the ventilation is increased by this means also.
The ash-pan is closed, an air-pipe is carried forward from
it to the head of the bore, so that all the air drawn through
the furnace by the exhaust of the engine and suction fan is
taken direct from the inner end of the tunnel, where it is
replaced by fresh air from the exterior, and a very strong
draught is created. The heat from the boiler is confined by
means of water tanks, which cover the surface of the boiler,
and as there is a thick lining of felt between the boiler and
the water tanks, the constant supply does not at all inter-
fere with the generation of steam. By these means the ven-
tilation at the face of the rock is maintained ; and so far
from there being excessive heat, when we saw the machine
the thermometer at the face of the rock registered below 60
deg. Fahrenheit, although a large locomotive boiler was
within the tunnel, and working at a pressure of 1201 b. to
the inch. The mode in which the machine operates is this :
A number of large chisels are inserted in the radial arms of
a circular piece of metal, which is made to revolve, and at
the same time to strike the face of the rock very rapidly.
The advantage of the rotatory motion is, that the chisels are
These
blows chipping against an edge as they revolve.
blows are delivered at the rate of from 400 to 500 a minute,
by a mass exceeding nine tons in weight, so that the rock
catches it pretty well. The debris fall to the ground and is
carried off beneath the machine by means of rakes, attached
dredgers. Three
mTuhcLies
tt oa
haenn endless
ocelahasi na
n, ed
hr ya r mb
harbours
bin y tmheea san
smofe
engines are employed in furnishing motive power to the ma-
chine; one, a donkey-engine, feeds the principal boiler with
water, and pumps water upon the face of the rock, while the
machine is in operation. The water is useful both for
preventing a vast quantity of dust being formed, -and also
ofgt
acori:
eteahosiefss
nts usedht
aiennrgo
ft to
kyr
Ipropellingicarryfnocylinder
eturning
r fthean nde
cfg therethis
course
ro
as the mouth of the tunnel.
aanboduftotrwdoritvointhrg teheeinsleihdeeso,fintheerder
It also keeps down the heat and freshens the air. Another
donkey-engine supplies the ventilation ; arasnwihndoaithedtg, t
obt
the
hwienaiorgrh
chisels,
onlyeat
hul ee:
machine
headhnv
very
aro
ynf
maint cylinder.giv e
the n
e're
ehses
ary stroke
ra-
pidityo
of hammer-like action to the chisels. Such beingithe
nature of the machine, let us see what it can do. When we
saw it at work it had burrowed it way to a distance of 60
feet from the mouth of the tunnel, and had cut the last 12
feet in 33 hours. To give an idea of the immense power
which is concentrated by this machine on a small area, we
may mention that a new machine of only 6 feet 2in. in dia-
meter is being constructed for mining purposes by Messrs.
Hawks and Crawshay, and will work up to an indicated
power of 600 horses. In fact, it seems scarcely possible to
get more out of steam and steel than is done by Captain
Penrice's machine. Not only have the mechanical de-
tails been overcome, but the principle of the invention
has been proved by actual working to be sound, and et
the utmost practical value. So far has the invention been
carried into practical use, that it is no longer an
experiment but a reality ; and the gallant captain has felt
himself justified by the results in asking the Italian
Government, who are the most deeply interested in
the construction of the Mount Cenis Tunnel, to inspect the
machine for themselves. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Turin
despatched Signor Cabella to the Tyne,with instructions to
inspect the machine and report upon it to them. The Signor
arrived he saw the machine in operation;
and considered
con-
sidered it capable, even in its present state, of completing
afewdatyhse ago;
results something wonderful. He
the Mount Cenis tunnel in less than five years. And not
only will there be a great saving of time by Capt. Penrice's
machine, but the cost will also, as a matter of course, be
immensely reduced. The use of these machines will not be
confined to railway tunnelling, hut they will be employed
in mining; and Mr. Matthias Dunn, the Government in-
spector of mines for this district, has seen Capt. Penrice's
high approval of it, as of the utmost value in coal mining.
The machine is simple, considering the varied and difficult
machine at work in Mr. Cail's quarry, and has expressed
nature of the work it has to do ; it is, in fact, so simple that
a boy can manage it, and a fireman and two labourers, to
remove the debris, are all the staff it requires, the monster,
in reality, eating its own way through the rock.

ST. GEORGE'S RIFLES.—The annual concert of
this regiment will tato place in St. James's-hall on the 14th
of January, 1863, on which occasion Mr. Sims Reeves will
appear, as well as M. Benedict and several other distin-
guished artists, who are members of the corps. The Hon,
Colonel Lindsay, who commands the regiment, will, at the
request of several of his members, perform upon the cornet-
a-piston, for which he has been for many years distin-
guished as an amateur.
CRYSTAL PALACE.—One Shilling Day, Wednes-
day,payment, 286 ; by season
ticketZsv7.o26;
totalAd visitors,26.--Admissions
s in s6ll
866.