The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-22 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OV THE SUN.

Sir,—Until yesterday, when I observed the serious
manner in which a conversation said to have taken
place between the chief Minister of her Majesty's admi-
nistration and myself is now treated, I did not consider
it incumbent on me to " volunteer a formal public dis-
closure," "in order not to allow such a statement to go
abroad uncontradicted," and therefore I now rectify the
omission, and declare that I have never been honoured
by any conversation or communication with or from
Lord Aberdeen relative to the command in the Baltic,
or in regard to operations to be conducted in that or
any other quarter.
Permit me to add a line in justice to Admiral Napier,
against whom the " indignant dissatisfaction of the
nation" is said to be roused—namely, that success could
not have attended the operations of combustible ships
against stone batteries firing red-hot shot, however
coolly unresisting walls may be leisurely demolished.
There is but one means whereby to place the oppo-
nents on an equal footing, and that I have confidentially
laid before the Government; with the hope that a pro-
tracted defensive war should not linger on, to the disor-
ganisation of Europe and the ruin of our country.—l
am, sir, your obliged and obedient servant,
London, Sept. 21. D UND ONALD.

TIIE BALTIC.-"FAIR PLAY IS A JEWEL."

LORDS ABERDEEN AND DUNDONALD AND
SIR CHARLES NAPIER.

In relation to the Eastern question Lord Aberdeen
has sins enough to answer for : there is no use in lay-
ing imaginary ones at his door ; nor, if it were, would
it be honest to do so. Common justice requires that he
should be exonerated from certain baseless charges
which have been brought against him by some of our
contemporaries of hampering by his instructions the
operations of the Baltic fleet. The assertion so con-
fidently made that Lord Dundonald was offered the
command of the Baltic fleet, but declined it because he
could not get carte blanche, is untrue. The command of
the fleet • was never offered to Lord Dundonald. The
public voice was so unanimous and decided in behalf of
Sir Charles Napier that Ministers saw from the first any
other choice was impossible. On his part, Sir Charles
was so eager to obtain the command that he made no
conditions ; but, on the other hand, Ministers, wisely
shrinking from the responsibility of hampering him by
orders that might prove impracticable, laid no restric-
tions upon him. One only condition was made, and that
probably on account of an impression—created by some i
" friends " of Sir Charles—that he was likely to act
rashly. He was enjoined to run no great risks, unless
for objects commensurate to the risks run. This maxim
his own good sense would have led him to act upon. It
.is exactly the maxim which a man who "looks to so many
moves beforehand " would spontaneously select for his
guidance. This injunction —or rather warning—or
apart, he bad carte blanche given him by the Executive,
as the despatches—hereafter doubtless to be called for
and printed—will prove. Nor has Sir Charles Napier
been recalled from the Baltic. The responsibility for the
success of the campaign rests with the Admiral ; any,
glory it may bring will be his. We still retain our con-
fidence in Sir Charles Napier's skill, judicious caution,
and well-timed daring. But we cannot conceal from,
ourselves that if the campaign is wound up without
some more decisive action than the capture and destruc-
tion of the forts at Boixiarsund, strong reasons, sup-
ported by a weighty array of unquestionable facts, will
be required to justify the omission. For his own repo-.
tation s sake, no less than for the honour of our flag,',
and the speedy and honourable termination of the war,l
Sir Charles Napier is bound at least to " leave his card";
at Cronstadt.—Daily News.

THE COURT AT BALMORAL—Since the arrival of her

Majesty, the progress of the new building has been ex•
amined, and it is not improbable that some slight modi-
fication of details may be adopted. His Royal High.
ness spends a good deal of time sp.orting, and the usual
walks and drives are engaged in by all the royal party ;
but nothing has occurred out of the ordinary routine.
Lady Marian Alford is entertaining a distinguished
party at Ashridge-house, Berkhempstead. The dinner
party on Tuesday included the Duchess of Cambridge
and the Princess Mary, with Lady Suffield and Major
Purvis in attendance - the Marquis of Northampton,
the Earl anti Countess of Clarendon, the Earl and Countess
of Hardwicke and the Ladies Yorke, the Marquis of
Winchester, Earl Brownlow, Lord and Lady Alwyn
Compton, Lord Spencer Compton, Viscount and Vis-
countess Cranley, Sir Thomas Sebright, Bart., Madame
de Norman, the Rev. A. G. Woolward, Mr. C. S.
Dickens, and Mr. Spencer Wells.
The whole of the Southampton steamers, ten in num-
ber, taken up by Government, were engaged in the Ist,
4th, and sth divisions of the Crimean expedition. Four
of these steamers belong to the Royal Mail Company,
three to the Peninsular Company, and three to the Ge-
neral Screw Company.
LITTLE WAR PROBLEMS.—IetIy, Given—An army of
occupation. Required—To find, if you can, what it has
occupied, and what has been the particular nature of its
occupation. 2dly, Given—An army of expedition.
Required—To find out, if possible, the amount of expe-
dition it has shown, and whether Pickford, or any com-
mon carrier, would not have expedited matters much
more quickly in infinitely less time.—Punch.
PERRY DEFENCE FUND.—Received from " A Farmer's
Wife, Denzey Hundred, Essex," and an " Enemy to
Oppression." 2s. 6d.

,BOILER EXPLOSION AT ASFlTON.—Yesterday morning
about six o'clock a boiler explosion took place at the
Mill of Messrs. Bradbury and Co. Ashton-under Lyne,
by which the engineer, James Taylor, was killed. No
other casualty happened, but a large destruction of pro-
perty took place.
The late Postmistress of Birmingham is dead. Her
salary was 8001. a-year.
The next overland India and China mail, due the lat-
ter end of this month, should be accompanied by an
Australian mail, the dates of which should be :—Sydney,
July 20 ; Melbourne, July 241 and Adelaide, July 27.
POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN PRUSSIA AND
ENGLAND.—A letter from Hamburg, of the 14th inst.,
in Voss's Gazette, says :—"M. Schinuckert, Postmaster-
General of Prussia, arrived here this morning from Ber-
lin, to confer with a high functionary of the English Post.
office, whom he had appointed to meet here. It is said
that this interview relates to the conclusion of a new
Convention between England and Prussia, relative to
letters and telegraphic despatches."
CRYSTAL PALACE, Sept. 21.—SHILLING DAT.—Ad-
rhission at the doors, 6,134; admission by season tickets,
677 ; total, 6,811.
SCOTTISH CENTRAL RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for the
week ending Sept. 17, 1864 22,053 1 6i
Corresponding week last year 2,586 16 1
LIVERPOOL, THIIRSDAY.—The concluding musical per.
formanCe in celebration of the inauguration of St.
George's Hall took place last evening, and was, perhaps,
the most successful of the series. The price of admis-
sion was reduced to half-a-crown, in order that the work-
ing classes might have the advantage of hearing some of
the principal vocalists who had been engaged, and con-
sequently the rush was very great—far beyond what had
been anticipated.
The continental advices yesterday describe general firm-
ness in the appearance of the exchanges, and, although
sbine further amount of gold has been sent to Paris, the
operation can scarcely leave any appreciable profit. The
letters from Rome state that the Pontifical Government
have contracted a loan of abbot 850,000/. with the house
of Rothschild for the withdrawal of paper money. From
Moscow a heavy failure has been announped, the firm
being that of Lukin and Skuratoff, cotton manufacturers,
vfith liabilities for 100,0001. They were in high credit,
and part of the loss will,fal4a this,side.
AN AGED COUPLE ,DROWl4l);;44.;melancholy acci-
dent occurred near Dreylideti, tlie• night of
Saturday last—two aged peOfile havii4 fallen into the
canal, and thus lost tlniir

STATE OF TRADE.—Lace has apparently experienced
to some slight extent a share of that.improvement which,
if to set in at all, we stated last week might be expected
to commence betwixt the 20th and 30th. There has not
been yet time to determine the extent to which transac-
tions may proceed—but we trust that the encourage-
ment always afforded by an abundant harvest will not
be lost upon trade. In hosiery the home trade continues
to occasion some activity, in the absence of American
orders to the extent which might naturally have been
anticipated ; but the same cause as in the lace branches
is likely to support hosiery business. In the cotton
hosiery trade things are, however, very flat, and nothing
at all doing for home consumption, and our merchants
are looking Ivith anxiety for American spring orders in
the hope that they will be good. A little doing in merino
goods for the home trade, but nothing of any amount;
although fancy goods are a little more in demand.
Merino and cotton yarns continue firm at present prices.
-,-Nottivahamshire Guardian. -
KOSSUTH'S PROPOSED VISIT. TO NEWCASTLE.—The
committee appointed to make arrangements for the visit
of M. Kossuth to Newcastle have just received a letter
6om him stating, that in the present crisis of the Eastern
war, it is, in ,his opinion, most advisable to wait the
,i4aue_of the visit to Sebastopol before addressing the in.
likbitants of that district.