The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND.

The recent calamities in New Zealand have made the
consideration of means for the protection of the colony a
matter of paramount importance. Various suggestions,
some of them obviously useless, have been put forward as
to the species of armed force which should be employed.
Colonial volunteers, friendly Maories, British troops, and
Sikhs have all their respective advocates, although the
first necessity of the case is that the protecting force,
should be immediately available. Hence the colo-
nists themselves, who have previously proved
themselves equal to this kind of warfare, should,
if possible, be at once reorganised. Colonel Gawler
considers the question from another and important
point of view. He urges that, whatever force be employed,
rigid justice between the natives and settlers is, above all,
essential to peace. Every New Zealand war has been a
land title war, and this ground of dispute has been made
infinitely more vexatious by the recent acts of confiscation.
Colonel Gawler therefore recommends that a commission
be appointed to settle all native claims to lands, and esta-
blish permanent records of their boundaries. The natives,
whether friendly or rebellious, should be invited to give
evidence and become asses3ors. "Without partiality,
favour, or affection," we may take our stand with any
efficient military force we choose.

AMEnIU.A.
The official returns of the late Presidential contest
have been made up for all the States, excepting the remote
and unimportant Nevada. In the Middle States—New
York, Pennsylvania, and others—the voting was very
very even, the Democrats having the advantage of a few
thousands. In the Pacific States, too, the difference
was very slight ; and in the Southern States the
Democrats polled 404,000 against 347,000. The
Republican majority was almost wholly gained in the New
England States, where the party voted in the proportion
of nearly two to one of their opponents, and in the
Western States, where the Republican votes numbered
1,329,000 to 1,108,000. The total results give General
Grant a majority of 360,000 in the North, and a minority
of 57,000 in the South. The total number of votes was
nearly five and three quarter millions.
It is believed that Mr. Seward desired the United
States to claim the right of sending a representative to
the unfortunate Paris Conference. Some of the journals
openly advocated this course. It is not likely, however,
that such a policy would find much favour in America.
The nation has generally deprecated interference of the
kind.

A proposition has been submitted to Congress that the
Government should follow the example of Great Britain
and take possession of the telegraph lines. This move.
went has been promoted by the favourite Anglo-Saxon
expedient—a banquet—at which Chief Justice Chase pre-
sided. Mr. Thornton, the British Ambassador, was
present, and amongst the earlier toasts was one in honour
of " the great and good Queen of Great Britain, and the
great and magnanimous English people." This sentiment,
which has not often been proposed in the United States, was
received, says the Times correspondent, with tumultuous
applause. Mr. Thornton responded in a speech of con-
siderable length, expressing his unwillingness to fall into
the error, as it seemed to him, of talking too much about
peace, but at the same time feeling confident that no one
in England was more anxious than the Queen for the im-
provement of the good understanding which ought to exist
between the two peoples.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)
The Times yesterday informed the public that
last Thursday a convention was signed by Lord
Clarendon and Mr. Reverdy Johnson upon almost
precisely the terms agreed upon between Lord Stanley

and the American Minister, proceeding from the
same principles and embodying the same stipula-
tions as the draft first signed. Lord Clarendon
took the work up as left by Lord Stanley, and Mr.
Seward accepted and approved the negotiation
completed by the United States Minister. Some
practical arrangements only have been altered, in-
volving nothing that can cause a difference of
opinion. The original causes of complaint are to
be referred to the arbitration of a competent and
iadependent power, and the character of the mixed
commission—to be charged with the special in-
quiries when the principles of obligation have been
defined—remains the same. The convention will be
submitted to Parliament as money is involved, and
it must receive the sanction of the Senate before it
can become operative. That it will meet the approval
of the English people is considered certain, as a
Liberal Foreign Secretary took up and confirmed
the work of a Conservative Foreign Secretary. The
action of the Senate cannot be predicted as equally
sure, although the Times concludes that, even if
delayed till after General Grant's inauguration, it
will in the end be ratified by that Chamber. It ap-
pears that Mr. Seward's delay in adopting the con-
vention was neither due to any repudiation of its
terms nor .to any disavowal of Mr. Reverdy John-
son's act. He merely suggested some modifications
in procedure, and the English Minister took advan-
tage of the opportunity to get some details made
more clear. The composition of a mixed commission
and its forms of procedure have been defined. At
the same time it is acknowledged that the Con-
vention will not be presented to the Senate under
favourable auspices, coming as it will from Presi-
dent Johnson. But, on the other side, it is thus
argued :
" The Government of the United States has made cer-
tain claims upon us as damages for the breach of an inter-
national obligation. We deny the breach and the obliga-
tion, but are ready to refer both in appropriate order to
the judgment of dispassionate tribunals. If they were to
refuse a reference to arbitration, their refusal would go to
show that they acknowledged no law but their own opi-
nion, or were so careless of peace as to throw it into jeo-
pardy without compunction."

The only telegrams not elsewhere noticed are as
follows :—The House of Representatives last Wed-
nesday rejected, by 126 votes against 35, a bill in-
troduced by Mr. Banks with the object of offering
the protectorate of the United States to Hayti and
San Domingo. A nolle prosequi has been entered
in the cases of Messrs. Davis and Breckenridge. I❑
pursuance of President Johnson's amnesty Attor-
ney-General Evarts has instructed the district at-
torneys to discontinue all prosecutions for treason
and rebellion. The following telegram was dated
New York, last Sunday :—lntelligence from Mexico
announces that an earthquake took place on the
20th December in the cities of Colima and Man-
zanillo. Several persons were killed, many houses
were destroyed, and nearly all tha buildings in both
places were more or less damaged; and on the
same day advices were reported from Havannah
that Cespedes, the leader of tha insurgents, has
proclaimed the emancipation of the slaves. The
insurgents still menace Puerto Principe. This was
followed by the news that the General has pro-
claimed the freedom of the press, and that he has
offered a free pardon to all insurgents surrendering
within 40 days.
Brazil has been so generally i❑ the habit of re-
ceiving telegrams of " great victories," as the mail
for Europe was steaming out of the port of Rio,
that we are justified in accepting them on a liberal
discount only. The news published in London
yesterday was dated Rio Janeiro, Dec. 24 :
" Intelligence received from the seat of war announces
that the Paraguayan army was completely routed on the
11th December at Villetta. Three thousand were taken
prisoners by the Brazilians, and Lopez escaped only with
200 men. The Brazilian squadron was ascending the
river Paraguay to take possession of Assumpcion. The
war is considered to be at an end."

There is nothing improbable in this ; indeed, the
war had reached that stage when it was neces-
sary for Brazil to gird up her loins for a last
great blow to decide the issue ; for her Allies were
deserting her, the empire was becoming exhausted,
and the burden so intolerable that a disastrous de-
feat could scarcely be more damaging than a con-
tinuation of the war. It was incumbent then on
Brazil to strike her last blow, and it was clear that,
like the one delivered by Grant at Richmond, it was
on an exhausted, worn-out foe. For these reasons,
we think the news will turn out to be true thus far
—that a great battle had been fought, that Caxias
had carried the Paraguayan position at Villetta,
probably through General Osorio's column ; and that
Lopez retreated on the positions he had been forti-
fying in the mountains, where he may still be found
a formidable enemy. It is to be hoped that the
United States Minister, who must have been on the
spot, will prove a restraint, and that poor Paraguay
—the gallant little Republic which has fought one
of the best-sustained wars for independence—will
not be permitted to be kicked by the great bully,
at whose feet if this news turns out to be true, it
has at last fallen.

Mr. Bonner, of the New York Ledger, telegraphed
his hearty sympathy and indignation to Mr. Bowles,
adding that he would lead a movement among the
New York press to take the costs of the libel suit,
and save all expenses to the Springfield Republican.
That paper, while thanking Mr. Bonner very
warmly, declines the generous offer, preferring to
fight out this battle of an independent press itself,
in which we hope and believe it will be strongly
aided by the whole press of America. Boston in-
vited Mr. Bowles to a public dinner, which he has
likewise declined. One part of his letter to Go-
vernor Bullock we reproduce, as its truth is gene-
rally admitted
own observation," says Mr. Bowles, "is that the
press rarely does injustice to a thoroughly honest man or
cause. It may be deceived with regard to a private indi-
vidual, and misrepresent him for a time ; but with refer-
ence to public men and measures, its knowledge is more
intimate and complete than that of any other agency can
possibly be, and I know that it withholds unjustly to the
public one hundred times where it speaks wrongly once
of the individual. Certainly, nine out of ten of all libel
suits against the press are brought by adventurers, and
speculators, and scoundrels whose contrivances to rob the
public have been exposed."

General Rosecrans was received on the l lth Dec.
by President Juarez as Minister to Mexico. The
speeches were long, and spoke on both sides senti-
ments of good-will. The Ambassador declared
that nothing was wanting for this purpose if the
Mexicans reciprocated the sentiments of his fellow-
citizens ; " when," continued Rosecrans, " an inter-
national friendship and understanding will arrive to
place the common affairs of our two countries be-
yond danger of disturbance by combination of acci-
dent, avarice, or ambition, and furthermore, that
the relations of interior communication and exte-
rior defence will be conserved and secured, nourish-
ing the hope that by the influence and example of
the two Republics we shall realize in the New
World what the great intelligence of Europe has
thought an impossibility in the Old—the establish-
ment without the decline of the national autonomy
of a great community of people governed by them-
selves."

The great Philadelphia murder case has ended in
the conviction of Twichell for murder in the first
degree. This finding was arrived at on New Year's
Day, when, notwithstanding the boisterous weather,
the court room was densely crowded to hear the
argument of the prisoner's counsel, William B.
Mann, in his defence. Judge Brewster carefully
reviewed the testimony in charging the jury, who
were absent nearly two hours, during which the
interest was kept up, the court remaining thronged.
The prisoner continued calm and composed in a
wonderful degree, conversing with his father and
his friend, Mr. John 11. M'Cully. Even when the
foreman replied, in a distinct voice, " Guilty of mur-
derintbe first degree," each answering "so stand we
all," the composure of the prisoner did not forsake him
although M'Cully threw himself on Twichell with
a cry of agony, and the affecting scene was height-
ened by the way in which Twichell endeavoured to
console both him and his own father.

The publication of Mr. Gladstone's letter, dated
August 6, 1867, by C. Edwards Lester, Esq., of
New York, was a happy thought, dictated by good
motives. It is natural for the London Standard to
repudiate the correction of a grave error by the
Premier of England, for " granny" never corrects
any errors. Indeed, if " granny" did, the poor
thing would have to unwrite in the evening edition

much of her morning edition,so very wisely she sticks
to it. Gladstone, however, cannot afford to do this,
nor would hisnature permit him,and he consequently
recalls his remark made in August, 1862, admit-
ting his error, while. explaining that the circum-
stances as they then existed in some degree justified
him. His retraction comes gracefully, not from
the Premier, but from Mr. Gladstone out of office,
and his remarks are conceived in a just and excel-
lent spirit, and will therefore strengthen him in
America.

Apropos of suggesting reasons for actions, we ex-
tract the following sentence from a letter addressed
to us :—" Andrew Johnson is actually laying his
plans to be a candidate for the Presidency in 1872,
and no doubt be thinks he would be nominated and
elected 1" Strange as it may appear, we not only
believe the writer to be correct, but that this is the
key to his extraordinary Message last month. Some
Americans see a coming struggle between Govern-
ment by the masses in the widest sense, and Go-
vernment by the few, narrowed almost to Im-
perialism. A writer in the Cincinnati Inquire"
discusses Grant as Emperor, and a despotism be
evidently considers must result from the overthrow
of State Rights. His argument is that the officers
of the late Confederate army and Southerners
generally, would prefer an empire to the rule of
negroes. Nine-tenths of the bondholders desire to
withdraw power from popular influence, and can
be relied on to support any infractions of popular
liberty. Hence, the policy of the "Radical mana-
gers" (!) will be to increase the debt to forward
their Imperial objects. The people are now fami-
liarized to encroachment on popular liberty and to
the disregard of Constitutional obligations ; and the
feeling against the rebels can always be worked up
to enable them to step on this path with safety.
Grant, according to this writer, is to head the
movement which is to make him Emperor, and it
is evident that Andrew Johrson, who at least pro-
fesses to believe in this, wants to lead the people on
the other side. Hence his hostility to the debt,
and the impression he desires to create that there
is danger to popular liberty in it as well as in Grant.
No doubt when Andrew vacates the White House
this song will be sung to a pretty loud tune, and
perhaps for the second time iu his life he will stand
on the steps of the Capitol, and propose himself as
a "Moses." The word will come pleasantly to the
ears of any coloured brethren who may be present,
for it cannot fail to recal that day when he solemnly
pledged himself to lead as a deliverer the dusky
race, whose Representatives he was addressing ill
thousands ; and even his white hearers can scarcely
fail (when he again takes up the role of the great
Israelite) to contrast his promises with his acts. It
is, however, amusing to watch these chips as they
float away in the current, for they may be the sighs
of coming rafts containing acres of solid logs, or
they may proceed from an idle hand which flings
them into the river to see them glide away.
The fact recorded in our letter from Washington
is too good to be passed without special attention.
The picture of Andrew Johnson and Ben Butler
locked in each other's arms ;—the " beast" embrac-
ing " the greatest criminal of the age" was a fine
tableau with which to open the New Year. Gen.
Butler would be an indescribable loss to the United
States, and we devoutly hope he may be spared for
many years to act his part on the comic stage--he
is the greatest master of burlesque we know, for be
throws into it such an air of reality that it is almost
impossible to believe it all to be a sham. How many
months have elapsed since he was thundering in the
Senate his denunciations of Andrew Johnson, the
unworthy culprit who was to be driven with igno-
miny from the White House, and ransacking his-
tory to find a parallel to a villany unequalled in al
present day ? How many months have elapsed
since he was seizing telegrams and confiscating pri-
vate correspondence to get at the plot by
which the
greatest criminal escaped punishment, but the first
sun of 1869 bad scarcely attained its meridian at
Washington when this same Butler was seen flying
to the White House, and the two great actors in the
drama then appear cordially shaking hands
and
wishing each other long life and happiness.
Grant, if not so loud in his denunciations of vil-
lany, is at least more consistent, for he manage'
to be at Philadelphia on the Ist inst., where be
visited the Girard College, and met a warm recePc;
tion. He went there, we believe, expressly to avoid
the visit of ceremony to the White House, usually
paid by officers on New Year's Day. This was 111„,s
speech :—" Mr. President am very mile
pleased to have the opportunity of visiting the vol.:
over which you preside. I feel that it is doing
good that I can scarcely appreciate. When I was
of
boy I read with pleasure of Stephen Girard and
the munificent bequest made in his will, and au:
delighted to see that his wishes have been fulfilled.
Boys, I hope you may always have as able a
sident as you now have."

One reason given by a leading American paper
for what it calls the humiliating spectacle made by
Mr. Reverdy Johnson is, that the Tories used 11°
as an electioneering tool ! It asserts that he vl3-
4
taken to Sheffield to help them with the artisans'
and that Laird paraded him through Birkenhead to
show the voters that he of Alabama renown had rl°t
~
done so much mischief after all, for was he not there
with the American Minister hand in glove. There
appears to be a new burst of indignation in
rica over something or other Mr. Johnson has done•
What, we do not know, for we are growing too tire;
of it to follow the subject with interest. The Ne t
York Sun is not only loud in its denunciations, 1311
unjust ; indeed, so unjust, that it is calculated, lt/
the reaction provoked, to repair instead of to da-
mage the position of this old statesman and servant
,
of the Republic. We believe there can be no doubt
that another Minister will be nominated shortly after
Grant's inauguration, unless, indeed, the negotia-
tions prove acceptable to the people, and a change
of feeling results.

A lady, once a pupil in the London OrPn
Asylum, has devoted the sum of £5,000 to the building
the chapel of the new asylum now in course of erection

Watford.
ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.—Dr, Isaac I. Flay el red
cently delivered before the American Geo
Statistical Society an address, in which he discussed
merits of four routes. The first, that advocated bY11,154
via Smith Sound, was travelled by Dr. Hayes in nic..o-
- he reached the highest northern laud known ("',1,1r
nail Land), where he saw the open Polar sea, the
by
mometer being 40 degrees below zero. The r°ilrs.
Behring Straits was that taken by General Tb°n%
Kane and Captain Silas Bent, U.S.A. An exPeclitrf oat
this route could now fit out at San Francisco, star" r yo
w Web al ofbia
Alaska, and follow in the wake of whales,
seek open water. On the side of the Pole opposite Belinf off
Straits, and ten degrees nearer to it, Dr. Peterrnan to'
fitting up two steamers to return to the ground n°,,tr4-uova
graphical Oho
suer. The fourth route is between Spitzbergen and - 0.4
Zembla, which Dr. Haynes wholly condemns. Attenibe
hitherto have ended in failure, and there is strong l? Ddb
bility that after the ice has been penetrated e.xtensiTe--oce
g
will be found lying north and east, cutting off an
antrainto the Polar Sea.

Births. the
GEDGE—On the 15th inst., at Mitcham Hall, Stares'
wife of Sydney Gedge, Esq to*
COll f
HAMILTON— On the 4th ,at Simla, the wife 0., o
Sir William Hamilton, of Preston, Bart., 11"4-..'
808.
l'se"

PAGET—On tho 13th inst., at Cranmore I3all, Soldlibeeir.
the wife of R. IL Paget, Esq., M.P., of a sen 311

Marriages. Lei'
BUXTON—COLEMAN— On the 14th inst at Eving'°,l3j-bivl
il
cestershire, Travers Buxton, Esq.. of Chanti;tiri`'
Surrey, to Eliza Sherard, second daughter of
Coleman, Esq., of Evington Hall. 0/
CAMPBELL—VANSITTART— Ori the 14th inst. at 13
coil;
Church, Thomas Campbell, Esq., son of the igts
" -
Campbell, of Colgrain, to Katherine Caroline', 1141,0 r
daughter of Lt.-Col.Vansittart, late Coldstreani
of Chuffs, near Maidenhead.

Deaths. 0, 4.1 VV.,
BENNETT -On the 13th inst, at 33G, Oxford-Etre
lslP° '
James Bennett, aged 44. .
CHILD—On the 14th inst., Major Arthur Child, -
etf
Staff orps.
CARLY— Cinst.,On the 13th at 17, Old Burlingto,".4ire ~
pi
W., Joseph Burt Carly, aged 36.
, 11A13.0.,13
PILICINGTON—On the 13th bast at Bq swa,,er, ~f
Y.,,,,,i,„,,t0,,
relict of the late Major-General" Rout rum o
aged 0
89. 80°
WILSON—On the 13th inst ,at Busboy, Gilbert
of New Bond-street, London, aged 53.

--_7_----____------ 01'4,
-,,r AND 1Y
London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM - to of
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THIII SON 01c3boat9
Strand, in the Precinct of the Se vov, in the
Middleogx.--Saturday, January 16, 1869.