The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, _LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 10, 1.669.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS-LAST EVENING.

- - -
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY.

It was announced to their lordships that at the meeting
of the Hudson's Bay Company the proposition of the Go-
vernment had been accepted.
The house then proceeded to consider the motion of
Earl Russell, with respect to the right of Lord Wensley-
dale to sit and vote in Parliament. The noble earl briefly
reviewed the precedents, and stated that in the bill which
he intended to lay upon the table he should provide that
the number of life peerages should not exceed twenty-
eight, and that not more than four should be created in
one year.

Tho Marquis of SALISBURY said the bill appeared to
be founded on sound principles.
The bill was read a first time.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-LAST EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
THE NEW LAW COURTS.

Sir R. PALMER presented a petition from tho members
of the Temple and Lincoln's-inn against tho alteration of
the site of the courts from Carey-street to the Thames
E nbankment

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

bergs, earthquakes, and hurricanes will do business
with agents not empowered to buy, they run the
risk of having the bargain contemptuously set aside
by the Legislature, and there is then no use in blaming
the Republic, and calling that, bad faith, which is
really their own ignorance of the power of the men
with whom they deal. Senator Sumner's earnest
remonstrance may prevail, and the United States
complete the purchase, but indications lead us to
incline to a very different opinion.

Our readers who turn to the article on the Tenure-
of-Office Act in another column, and see the lecture
Senator Sprague fired at the galleries of the Cham-
fer, will sympathise with those accustomed to occupy
these seats, as they cannot know how to behave in
view of the action taken by the Senators themselves.
On March 26, when discussing thelndianAppropria-
tion Bill, the two distinguished Senators, Morton
and Fessenden, took headers into each other. Fes-
senden spoke with contempt of Morton's financial
theories, and Morton sneered bitterly at Fessenden
as a lecturer to the Senate. The galleries naturally re-
garded this as in earnest, but while eagerly looking for
a further development of the quarrel they found the
Senators chatting together in the most friendly way
and shaking hands. Unless the Senators tell the
spectators when to laugh and when to cry they can-
not know. We recommend the coursepursued by the
lady in " Great Expectations" who sends for Pip,
and says, " Now, play." If Senator Sprague would
exclaim when the time came, " Now, laugh," the
galleries would know what to do.
The Andrew Johnson, whom the Times correspon-
dent killed some days ago, is " up and at 'em." De-
spatches from Greenville, of March 26, state that
after suffering intensely from Bright's disease he has
recovered, and is in his usual health. He was an-
nounced to speak at Knoxville last Saturday, on
Tuesday at Nashville, and at Memphis and Louis-
ville on the 26th inst., and we have no doubt there
are some, when they hear what Andy says, who will
regret that the rumour which prevailed for an hour
did not prove to be true. The report circulated at
Washington was that the ex-President had died at
his home in Tennessee at eight o'clock on the morn-
ing of the 25th of apoplexy, and great excitement
prevailed till the evening, when the truth came out,
that he had a stroke of paralysis on the right side,
but that he had much improved. The family phy-
sician in Washington, Dr. Nims, had been tele-
graphed for to proceed at once to Greenville.
The Nation in one of its little leaders again
alludes to Mr. Montgomery Gibbs in connection with
the Secretaryship of the Paris Legation. These are
its words :—" Mr. Gibbs may be a very estimable
gentleman, but with a large and worthy and per-
spicacious portion of the public he is not in good
odour. One thing against him is that he was sent
abroad in 1863 to report on the mode in which
foreign imports into America were valued in
the invoices, and that a Congressional committee,
which investigated his doings after his return, re-
ported that he was not considered in New York
' a desirable exponent, advocate, or representative
of an individual enterprise requiring responsibility,
integrity, and veracity ;' that he had while abroad
' made for himself an unenviable reputation,' and
that he had while there ' resorted to shifts, disguised
names, constant misrepresentations, purposely to
mislead, deceive, and entangle,' from which the
Committee not unnaturally infer that it was well-
nigh ' impossible be could be a gentleman and man
of honour.' We may guess, therefore, the effects
upon the American name, and the efficiency of
American diplomacy, of the appearance of a Secre-
tary of Legation at Paris with this kind of reputa-
tion, and of whom a Committee of Congress has
spoken in this fashion." As we never saw the Re-
port, we are not qualified to give an opinion on the
subject, but we know that Mr. Gibbs has been
employed on special business by the Government
in New Orleans, that he was recalled from Europe
for the purpose, and that he brought that business
to a successful issue. It certainly is strange if the
late Administration could thus employ him, while with
the present Administration he stands so high that
he was supposed to be the favourite for a respon-
sible position, yet, should be, what this Committee
describes. In fact the contradiction is so great that
there must be some mistake.
Mr. Henry C. Carey has written a series of
letters in a New York daily, in answer to the Re-
port of Commissioner Wells. Exception has been
taken to a remark of Mr. Carey, that the Commis-
sion was influenced by British gold. Whenever
one man now differs with another in the United
States, he who is contradicted usually retorts with
the charge of corruption ; it is well known, that he
who has had the audacity to dissent is a member of
the Whisky Ring, stole spoons during the war,
served shoddy in his contracts or paper shoes, or was
bribed for his vote. The man who becomes a Free-
trader, more especially if he ever professed Protec-
tion principles, is declared to have his new opinions
well ballasted with British gold. The amount of
British gold which must have been spent in this
way ought to have sent down the premium in Wall-
street. We would like to know who gives it, for
we much wish to dip our hands in that abundant
stream. If there are men in England idiotic
enough thus to spend their money, it is a great
pity that their names and address should be un-
known to the hungry mob, always in pursuit of
fools. It has been suggested that Mr. Carey's best
plan would have been to prove the assertion, and
save himself the reams of paper he used to contro-
vert the Special Commissioner's statements. We
confess we would require some of this British gold
before we undertook to read these letters. All we
know is, that ose of the arguments used by Mr.
Carey was, "You are a thief, and have been bribed
with British gold." What did Mr. Carey get for
writing thirteen letters, each enough to fill two.
columns of close print in the Ti»zesi
Secretary Boutwell has asked Congress for autho-
rity to anticipate the payment of the interest on
Bonds, and it was passed by the Senate, and is now
under the consideration of the House Committee
on Ways and Means. The Chairman, Gen. Schenck,
thinks that the Secretary has already full authority
under existing laws, and therefore there is no ne-
cessity for such legislation. This be pointed out to
the Secretary, and the other members of the Com-
mittee agree with him. Of course, Secretary Bout-
well intends only to invite application from those
who desire such prepayment ; not to force on the
holders money they may not want, with a rebate of
6 per cent. discount. He has no more right to make
a man take money not due, fixing the terms upon
which this should be done, for one year than for ten ;
and to those who mostly invest in such securities to
derive a regularly paid income from a reliable source,
it would be peculiarly hard, to have to take their
income when Secretary Boutwell pleases, at a rate of
discount decided by Congress.
Representative Lynch, of Maine, has succeeded
in getting a Select Committee of Congress ap-
pointed to inquire into and report at the next session
the causes of the great reduction of American
shipping tonnage engaged in the foreign carry-
ing trade, and the general depression of the
navigation interests of the country, as well as to
suggest the most advisable measures for in-
creasing American ocean tonnage, and to regain
for the States the foremost position the Union
once held as a maritime power. Many motions
are now before Congress to forward the establish-
ment of steamship lines with Europe. There is a
New York and Antwerp Company, which asks for
a remission of duties on shipbuilding materials, and
the contract for the mails not exceeding the postage
of that they carry. One bill by Senator Wilson pro-
poses alinebetweenNewYork andßoston and Europe,
for a 10 years' contract, with a subsidy not exceed-
ing $20,000 for each round trip. The North Ame-
rican Steamship Comp-iny of New York is patronized
by Governor Fenton, who has introduced a bill giving
that, together with the Commercial Navigation Corn
patty of the State of New York, and the American
Steamship Com patty of Boston, a contract for 15 years,
the compensation being the sea and inland postage on
all the mails carried. There is another bill of the
National Steamship Company of the State of Dela-
ware, introduced by Senator Conkling.
with the remarkable modesty characteristic
Dela-
ware, the Government to
needed, and to pay them exorbitantly
very long term of years, for carrying
they offer no guarantee. The bill They want,
of
supply all the money
and for a
the mail; but
appears to be a
curiosity of legislation, and must have required no

small amount in what, in slang phrase, is termed
" cheek" on Mr. Conkling's part to present it ; but
we suppose a short apprenticeship at Washington
will supply even a modest Congressman with an
unbounded amount of that commodity. Fernando
Wood has gone in for the encouragement of yacht-
ing, and has got a bill for the purpose referred to
the Committee on Commerce. Altogether there is
abundant evidence to show that the citizens are
about to make a strenuous effort to revive the ocean
carrying trade of America, but not before such
legislation was needed.

One of ex-President Johnson's last acts was to
direct the issue of $2,400,000 in bonds to the Cen-
tral Pacific Railroad for advance work, but Grant'
got in in time to save a million, which he stopped.
The Secretary of the Interior asked for legislation
to fix the point where the Central and the Union is
to meet. Ogden, says the Central; Promontory
Point, says the Union ; the former being in Salt
Lake Valley, the latter at the head of Salt Lake
on the north, and the two seventy miles apart.
But the Union ha; worked up to Ogden, and is now
actively laying rails beyond it. Unless some one in
authority interferes, both companies will have tracks
running into Salt Lake City, as the contention is
for the traffic of that city as well as of Southern
Utah. On the 24th of March the Union Pacific
Railroad had been extended to Ogden, 85 miles
west of Evanstown, and the Central Road to Lucca,
74 miles east of Wells, thus leaving a gap of only
82 miles to be filled, in order to complete the two
Pacific railroads ; and it is now asserted that the
roads will meet in May.
The nominations to the New York offices, on the
25th March, checked the persistent attacks of the
office-seekers, as the mDst alluring prizes had then
disappeared; but office-seekers are naturally of a
sanguine temperament, for no man otherwise could
pursue these phantoms, so they brightened up on re-
calling how many tempting morsels still remained.
As for the high posts, the mission to England, it was
positivelysaid, would beoffered to Mr. Motley, while
Mr. Francis, of Troy, New York, was named for Bel-
gium ; and Mr. John Jay, of New York, for Aus-
tria. These are the great prizes, and we only hope
the nominations suggested may be made. Edward
S. Plumb goes to Cuba as Consul-General. It is
said that Generals Sickles and Cochrane will be
offered Foreign Missions. Mr. H. M. Williams has
been assigned to the head of the Bureau of Seizures,
18th Division. Among the 48 Deputy-postmasters
appointed are Miss .Julia P. Woolfolk and Miss
Champlin—no great concession to women among so
many ; the name is a misnomer.
Secretary Boutwell has carried consternation into
his Department, but the great flutter is among the
" females." The lady clerks have been asked to
give their names, residence, by whom appointed,
and to state whether they had a father, brother,
sister, or mother in the department. In the Cur-
rency Bureau, on the 26th March, alone, fifty were
informed that their services would no longer be
required. Tn no department has there been more
bitter complaints of nepotism and favouritism than
in the Treasury, and the Secretary's action is well
calculated to cause dread.

It appears that the lives of 36 miners were lost
in Nevada last Wednesday by extensive fires in the
shafts of three silver mines. We are at a loss to
understand how this catastrophe could have hap-
pened, unless the miners, to escape the cold above,
had descended into the mines. The suffering at
White Pine had besn severe, as the snow lay ten
feet on the ground, and the owners of claims feared
to move lest their landmarks should be obliterated
and their rights invaded. There was little shelter,
while the population continued steadily to increase.
The letter from " M.," which will be found in
another column, is worth a careful perusal. It is
written by a gentleman who thoroughly knows the
country, having
been born and bred there. The
European and North American Railway is a link so
important in the international communication as
to make it of equal importance to America and
Europe. What our correspondent says shows this
in a nutshell. This railway means, in lessening
the distance from shore to shore the saving of
two business days in time, reducing 3,000 miles
of ocean to about 1,700. The day nears when Japan,
China, Australia, and New Zealand will have
an equal interest in this ; indeed, our corre-
spondent could not exaggerate the importance of a
line whose value is now but little understood in
Europe.
- -

The elections in Connecticut and Rhode Island
have been held, and the Republicans have been tri-
umphant in both States. In Connecticut the en-
tire State ticket was carried by a majority of 500 ; be-
ing for Governor, Marshall Jewell; Lieut.-Governor,
Francis Wayland ; State Secretary, Hiram Apple-
ton ; Treasurer, David P. Nichols ; Controller,
James W. Manning. The Republicans returned
two of the four Representatives to Congress. Mr.
Staikweather was the only Republican in the
Connecticut Congressional Delegation, and we
may take it for granted that he has been re-
turned ; but who the other is we have no
means yet of knowing. W. H. Barnum is the
only Democrat of the last Congress who runs for
this; the Congressional gain as regards Connecti-
cut to the Republicans is one Representative, and it is
said that that party will probably secure a majority
of the Connecticut Legislature on joint ballot.
The Republicon State Ticket of Rhode Island just
elected is—Seth Padelford, of Providence, for Go-
vernor ; Mr. Burnside having declined another
election ; the remaining officers were re• elected.
Pardon W. Stewart., of Newport, Lieutenant-Go-
vernor; John R. Bastlett, State Secretary; Wm.
Sales, of Providence, Attorney-General ; and
Samuel A. Parker, of Newport, Treasurer. That
party have also succeeded in returning a majority
of the Legislature. Messrs.Jenckes and Dixon, the
former Representatives of the State (both Re-
publicans), had already been re-elected to Con-
gress. In these late elections but little interest was
excited, as they have lost their national importance,
and they failed even to command much local atten-
tion, the votes being very light.
On Thursday night the House of Commons
listened to the Budget for the next financial year,
as expounded by Mr. Lowe. He proposes a penny
to be taken from the Income Tax ; the shilling
duty on corn abolished ; at midsummer next, the
Fire Insurance duties to be removed : hair powder
will in future not be taxed ; stage-coaches, omni-
buses, and four-wheeled cabs, whether for profit or
pleasure, henceforth, being on the same footing,
will pay two guineas a year ; foreign beer to be
placed on the same scale as home-brewed ; the tax
on male servants is fixed at fifteen shillings ; horse-
dealers in London and in the country are placed on
the same footing ; the license for selling tea is also
abolished. The cabs will cease to pay the duty of
one shilling a day, and the omnibuses their mile-
age rates. On the whole, the House was agreeably
surprised on learning that the country could afford
to make these reductions.
The President received a number of mixed Con-
servatives and Republicans from Mississippi on the
subject of the reconstruction of that State. He
said he thought the best plan would be for Con-
gress to authorize the Constitution to be again sub-
mitted to the people, a separate vote to be taken
on the features objected to by the Conservatives,
and that meantime the present Military Comman-
der should control the State.
There is a great difficulty in ascertaining the
true position in Cuba. Private letters received in
Washington represent the insurgents as in posses-
sion of more than half the island outside the prin-
cipal towns, and they constantly receive reinforce-
ments from America. The Daily New's of Charleston
announces the arrival of an expeditionary force in
Cuba, composed of both officers and men who served
in the Northern and Southern armies during the war.
Captain-Gen. Dulce issued a proclamation on March
21, which concluded with a flattering address to the
Twenty-five insurgent leaders
and executed, and two towns
citizen
i z ebne been volunteers.
captured
had been burned by order of Cavada. Castellanos,
a noted chieftain and blockade runner, had been
captured. The impression prevailed that Santiago
de Cuba had been taken by the rebels, and it was
known that a severe action had been fought. On the
26th March Mr. Banks, Chairman of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported a joint
resolution declaring the sympathy of the people of

-- Ile...'''

the United States with the people of Cuba in their
patriotic efforts to secure their independence, and
to establish a Republican form of Government
guaranteeing the personal liberty and the equal
political rights of all the people, and that Con-
gress will give ita Constitutional support to the
President of the United States whenever he may
deem it expedient to recognize the independence
and sovereignty of such Republican Government.
Recommitted and ordered to be printed.

Tha Spirit of the Times publishes the following
extract, which it has received permission to print,
from a private letter of Mr. Ashbury

"Although I stipulated English, or Thames, measure-
ment, I am open to an -equitable 'arrangement, assuming
our system is unfair to the American vessel, and I am ill
hopes a run from Cowes to New fork will be settled to
the satisfaction of all concerned."

The Spirit concludes tbat there will be a grand match
and a grand time this summer among the yachtsmen
of England, America, and France, to be followed by
one or more ocean races from Cowes to New York
between English and American yachts. Notwith-
standing the gay times predicted and the interesting
events to come off, the most exciting by far will ba
the contest between the Dauntless and the Canibria
from Cowes to New York. The Spirit contends
that though the Dauntless is a little larger it will
make no difference in the weather likely to prevail ;
indeed it goes further,'and asserts that size gives
little if any advantage. The yacht Challenge would
have been backed against the whole clipper tea fleet
from China to England, notwithstanding the ad-
vantage of the tea ships in point of size, which the
Spirit maintains would only have availed them ill
the heavy weather around the Cape and in making
Europe in winter. This journal gives Mr. Ash-
bury much credit for his fairness and enterprise.

Congress adjourns to-day, and we presume that
a great number of appointments will be shortly
announced as confirmed. Among them will be that
of Mr. Motley, as Minister to England. Mr.
.Reverdy Johnson's resignation will have reached
Washington, and been acted on ere this. We ex-
pect that Mr. Johnson's work will be better appre-
ciated hereafter. The fact that he has been actuated
by an earnest desire to promote good feeling be-
tween the nations, in which he has been singularly
successful as regards England, will tell in bis
favour ; the more so if it be found that he got all
that England will concede without war, which the
unanimous testimony of the English papers seems
to declare.

General Butler's Bill, providing a provisional
Government for Mississippi, we learn by a tele-
gram sent from Washington, on Thursday, has
passed the House of Representatives. The Bill 10
as follows :

"It authorizes the reassembling forthwith, on the call
of the President, of the Constitutional Convention hereto-
fore elected under the Act of March 2, 1867. If the Pre-
sident declines to issue the call within 30 days, the Cora-
mantling General of the Fourth Military District is to
summon the Convention by proclamation. The Con-
vention is empowered to appoint a Provisional Govoinor
to authorize him to remove and appoint Registrars and
Judges of Elections, and to provide for forwarding
the votes on the Constitution to the Provisional Governor,

to be counted in hii presence and that of the General com-
manding the Military Division of Mississippi, &c.
Convention shall not continue in session for more than 6°
days, and the Constitution framed by it shall be submitted
to the people 3 within 90 days after adjournment. The dis-
tricts unrepresented at the time of the last adjournment
shall proceed immediately to elect delegates under the
direction of the Commanding General. Any one or more
previously may be submitted to a separate vote. The
ordinances that may be passed by the Convention shall be
in force until disapproved by Congress, or until the State
shall have adopted a Constitution and it shall have been
approved by Congress. The right of the trial by jorf
shall not be taken away by this act. The Military Com-
mander shall, on the requisition of the Provisional Go-
vernor, give aid to the officers of the Provisional Govern-
ment in preserving the peace, &c. The Provisional GO'
vernor may remove officials in the State and appoint their
successors, &c., subject, however, to the orders and direc-
tions of the President of the United States, who may re-
move the Provisional Governor and appoint his suc'