The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-24 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1869.

Public intelligence is certainly more interesting
since the prorogation of Parliament. Ever since
Vim it has at least had the charm of variety. Hav-
ing discussed the Irish Church Question usque ad
nauseam, until in point of fact the vast majority of
newspaper readers had come to be wearied beyond
all expression by the perpetual ringing of the
changes on the various clauses of the one great
measure of this last legislative session down at West-
minster, the people and their journalists have alike
with eager satisfaction turned to any and
every subject that chanced to present itself to their
consideration, no matter how odd it might be, how
eccentric, or how frivolous. Even that old used-up
absurdity of table-moving, hat-spinning, and wain-
scot-rapping, has, within these last few weeks, again
been brought under discussion. Philosophy—as
represented by all the ologies, saving, of course, the
highest of them all—is still having its holiday down in
the west country : Exeter, in 1869, being the chosen
arena for the scientific meetings held annually, now
in one part of the United Kingdom, now in another,
by the members of the British Association. There
is a refreshing absence—as yet—of those individual
political displays down in the provinces, entitled of late
years rather grandiloquently Extra-Parliamentary
Utterances. Insomuch that it would almost look as
if our leading statesmen had taken in good sober
earnest the recommendation conveyed to them through
TENNIEL'S ridiculous cartoon, in which Mr. GLAD-
STONE, as manager, warned the principal members of
his company from yielding to the temptation of
starring it during the holida)s. IVht.n the delights
of grouse shooting of deer stalking, and of climbing
up perilous heights by the aid of the alpenstock,
shall have come in the course of time to pall by
the mere force of repetition upon the lovers of
sport and of adventure—.then, it is still to be feared
there cannot but come, as by an inevitable necessity,
the dead season of the year, when conspicuous poli-
ticians will be lured on to provincial platforms, or
compelled to talk across the grapes and pine-apples to
their expectant constituencies upon this, that, and the
other coming problem of legislation. A blissful
lull, at any rate, has immediately followed the August
rising and scattering to all points of the compass of
the two llouses of Parliament. Even the two
confronting Leaders in each house, the Leaders
on the one hand of the Government, on
the other hand of the Opposition, have
escaped as yet from any need whatever of delivering
themselves of any Extra-Parliamentary Utterances.
Lord GRAIsTVILLE is in attendance upon her MAJESTY
at Balmoral. Lord CAIRNS has also gone northwards
for relaxation. Mr. GLADSTONE has withdrawn for
a while to Waltner Castle to recruit the physical ex-
haustion resulting from a year of enormous toil and
of excessive solicitude by absolute repose and com-
plete retirement. Mr. DISRIELI, after indulging in
a series of visits, has been allowed to settle down
quietly at his own country house of Ilughenden Manor,
in Buckinghamshire. The enthusiastic munici-
pality of Deal could not, it is true, deny itself the
official, and, it must be added, the officious satisfac-
tion of hunting up the Prime Minister in his retreat at
Walrner Castle, for the purpose ostensibly of present-
ing him an address, and of thereby paying him a
mark of respect expressive of admiration, though in
reality for the purpose of staring at him and of listen-
ing to him on the occasion of his receiving, to that
end, the Mayor of Deal and his companions. Nothing
came of it all as the event proved, the First Lord of
the Treasury displaying an admirable reticence, born,
no doubt, from long experience and long practice
in the receiving of deputations. Incidentally all
kinds of odd themes have been brought to the fore
or have croppel up, as the phrase is, in these early
days of the long vacation. Now an " Amateur
Critic" has frighted London from its propriety
through the Times, as an "Amateur Casual" did two
or three years ago through the Pall Mall Gazette—
only, with a difference ! Instead of revealing the se-
crets of a workhouse as the Casual had done, the Critic
threw light from his own dark lantern as an ama-
teur detective upon what was already, one might
have thought in the broad glare of the footlights !
The SCHNEIDER. might dress as she pleased, might
warble what she pleased, so long, that is, as she
warbled French, on the boards of the St. James's
and in the presence of Royalty—but, in the sight
and hearing of the pit and gallery of Drury-
lane " Formosa" is pronoune3d nothing less than
an abomination ! Perhal s the whimsicallest com-
ment upon it all, was one made in defence
of Mr. BoUCICAULT'S new play by an initial corre-
spondent of the Daily News, who wrote to that jour-
nal that he had gone to Drury-lane Theatre " with his
mother" to test the question as to the propriety or the
profliacy of " Formosa !" It is only in times like
these of profound peace and, at the least, of compara-
tive prosperity, that matters of this kind assume
this undue prominence. Remembering which—it
must be allowed that the circumstance of themes of
this description having thus assumed, just now, not in
one instance alone, but, in several instances, this
undue prominence—has about it, so far, a satisfac-
tory significance.

LANCASHIRE is once more suffering from severe
distress—less grievous indeed than the famine
which caused so much suffering a few years ago—
but still sufficiently extensive to give rise to grave
anxiety. One mill after another ceases work, one
great commercial name after another appears
in the Gazette, thousands of workpeople are out of
employment, and that old remedy, emigration, is
teing tried again. The position of affairs is peculiar.
Lancashire has abundance of capital, skilled work-
men await employment, the machinery and the
material to work it are ready, the ,customer
i s complaining because he does not get an
adequate supply of cheap goods, and yet this great
industry which furnishes clothing to a large propor-
tion of the world's inhabitants, is crippled through
the want of cheap raw material. Manchester can be
supplied with large quantities of cotton, but the price
will not permit it to be worked up so as to leave a
profit. The raw material must be not only abun-
dant; it must be so cheap that the prime cost, the
carriage to England, the manufacture, and the profit
on the distribution will permit the cotton goods
to be sold at a low rate. Previously to the
American war these conditions were satisfied.
The Southern States, with the help of slave labour
raised unlimited quantities of the invaluable plant,
the transit across the Atlantic was short and easy,
and, accordingly, the entire series of operations,
from the first raising of the plant until
the finished article was shipped to all parts
of the world, were conducted with the greatest
possible economy. The civil war paralysed the
cotton crop. After peace was made, the Southern
States remained in a disorganised condition, and the
negro wile no longer a slave, It became abundantly