The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 10, 1869.

not be an unmixed good for San Francisco, for the
products of the mines are now being despatched
direct to the Mint and Assay offices of Philad3l.-
phia and New York, yet it is an unmixed good for the
State generally, and likely to give a great spur to
its wine-growing interest. A cargo of 24 tierces,
or about 1,000 gallons, of California wine was re-
cently shipped on the Pacific Railroad for the At-
lantic ports. The wine and brandy product of Cali-
fornia now reaches 8,000,000 gallons, and it is esti-
mated that in ten years' time the annual value of
the crop will amount to po,ooopo, and equal in
value the present gold product.
We regret to hear of the feebleness and poor
health of Mr. Peabody, at Salem, Massachusetts.
He has just added another million dollars to his
Southern Education Fund, the amount of the fund
being now two millions of dollars, yielding an an-
nual income of $130,000. The philanthropist at-
tended the Peace Jubilee, and on being introduced
to the audience during au interval of the perform-
ance by Mayor Shurtleff, who spoke of him as the
benefactor of mankind, he said—" My friends,—
Your mayor has indeed said well that I am your
friend, and has kindly announced me as the friend
of the whole world. However true this assertion
may be—awl I think he has praised me too highly
—yet, I assure you, whatever may be said in regard
to my friendship for the old world, can never ex-
ceed that which I have for the new."

After a long interview with Secretary Borie and
Admiral Porter, on June 24, the President next day
announced the resignation of the Navy Secretary,
and the appointment of Geo. W. Robeson, Attorney
General of New Jersey. From the beginning Mr.
Bork was reluctant to accept the post, but the Pre-
sident over-ruled his objection by stating that Ad-
miral Porter would be associated with him to do
all the Navy work, while Grant only desired to
have the benefit of his advice in council. Experience
showed Mr. Boric the disadvantages of having to
bear the responsibility of the acts of others ; the
Admiral carried 'out his own notions perhaps the
more readily, as the blame would fall on the shoul-
ders of the Secretary, who was denounced in the
Navy for many unpopular orders, and in the
papers for all the blunders ; for neglecting the
business ; and for accepting a post about the work-
ing of which he knew no more than did Secretary
Gideon Welles, his predecessor. Mr. Robeson's
appointment created much more surprise than Mr.
Borie's retirement. He is the son of a leading New
Jersey W hi g, Judge William P. Robeson; born about
1828 ; entered Princeton College 18-14, graduated
in 1847, studied law under Chief Justice Horn-
blower, practised in 1850 with the Hon. C. M.
Remington, appointed Prosecutor of Pleas for
Camden county in 189, and on the election of
Senator Frelinghuysen, in 18G7, promoted to be
Attorney-General by Governor \Yard. lie is a
strong Republican, and supported the election of
General Grant. During the Impeachment Trial,
which he advocated, he became acquainted with
the President, and his appointment is not repug-
nant to his party, although he is little known
beyond the limits of his State. It is said that the
Secretary of War, General Rawlins, is in very
delicate health, and will soon follow Mr. Boric into
retirement.

A grave question came before General Grant
relative to General Sickles' appointment as Minis-
ter to Spain. The law relating to army officers
was discussed, when he decided that the restriction,
which prevents the se officers from holding civil office
does not apply to those placed on the retired list.
Though relinquishing arrnypay, while drawing diplo-
matic pay, the General retains his name on the army
register. He had left Washington for New York,
where he was presented with an address, and a warm
invitation to a banquet at the Everett 11JUSC on
June 30, which be as cordially accepted. The list
of names appended to the invitation is the best
answer that could be given to the stories circulated
detrimental to the General. Among them is that
of the late Henry J. Raymond, and we may add all
the leading journalists, Horace Greeley, Dana; the
great lawyers, such as Evarts ; men like Cyrus W.
Field, and nearly all the best known citizens of
New York. There is no chance of Secretary of
Legation Perry being retained, although there had
been a rumour at Washington that he might be.
It would take a great deal to make Mr. Andrew
Johnson change his tune, indeed strong opiuions
persistently held seated him in the chair of the
President. When serenaded at Washington on the
night of the tit last., he made a speech wherein he
deplored the political condition of the country, and
declared that it was tending to a military dictator-
ship or a monarchy. There are those who assert
that Andrew Johnson swung round the circle, that
he got in to the State ship disguised as a Radical,
and went out in his true colours, as a Conser-
vative. Yet we believe that he was obstinately
consistent, though he could not make his views
harmonise under changed circumstances with those
of the party which had brought him into power.
As a Southerner he held Southern opinions, while
as a Union man he held Northern opinions. When
the question was simply Union or Secession—and
side-issues, even such a mighty subject as emanci-
pation being but one, were almost lost sight of in
the clash of arms which settled it—Andrew Johnson
was a foremost man, and it was on that main issue
alone that he rose. When the war ceased and he indi-
vidually became a power in the nation his Southern
opinions cropped up, and were hateful in the sight
of an uncompromising faction, while be was as
obstinate and unyielding as they. Consequences
that any one who knew the circumstances could
have foretold followed, and after waging a furious
war for years as chief magistrate, Mr. Johnson is
now carrying on the contest as a private individual.
Those who expected to bear little more of Andrew
Johnson when in dudgeon he absented himself from
the inauguration of his successor, and left Washing-
ton almost unnoticed, will soon discover their mis-
take, for his are qualities which make him formid-
able as a partisan leader in a hot strife, while un-
fitting him for the exercise of power.
Conservatism is growing strong in the South, be-
cause Conservatives are growing more moderate
and gaining political wisdom, and the effect will
soon make itself felt in Congress. In the Virginia
elections the Conservative candidate, Gilbert C.
Walker, defeated the Republican candidate, 11. 11.
Wells, by a majority of some 40,000 votes, obtaining,
control of the Legislature and electing six Conserva-
' tives against two Radicals to Congress. The Con-
servative majority in Virginia is announced by every
authority as 40,000, including 30,000 negroes ; in-
deed, the number of coloured men who cast their
votes on the Conservative side appears to have
created general astonishment. One of the Radi-
cals elected is a negro ; the new constitution was
adopted ; the test oath and disfranchising clauses
being defeated. In Tennessee the Republican party
have split, to the great satisfaction of the Democrats.
Governor Seater and General Stokes are on the
stump, and their speeches afford no small amuse-
ment to all classes of citizens, as they have very
awkward questions and antecedents to deal with,
from which they generally escape by pointed per-
sonal attacks on the adversary who occupies the
same platform. For instance, Governor Seater, in
his speech at Knoxsville, accused Stokes of having
sold the last slave ever exposed in irons in Tennes-
see. The other retorted by bring forward instances
of Government corruption in railroad matters ; but
after this sort of mutual recrimination the candi_
dates fraternize, going away arm-in-arm to the next
district they are to " stump," where they set to work
again. In Mississippi, Judge Dent, President
Grant's brother-in-law, has been nominated by the
Republicans as their candidate for the Governor-
ship.
In the North, the Republican State Convention
of Maine met at Bangor, June 24, when 1,172 de-
legates from all sections of the State were present.
Lot M. Morrill took the chair, and made a good
speech, asserting the history of the Republican
party to be the most memorable epoch in the pro-
gress of the human race. Development is now the
recognised principle, not expansion, which is only
the incident, that to be safe must be homogeneous.
He censured the desire rashly to anticipate " the
.manifestdestiny," waiting being the true policy. He
associated equality of human rights and the inviola-
bility of the national promises with the future of
the Republican party. Resolutions were adopted,
hailing peace with joy, thanking soldiers, confiding