The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-11 00:00:00

TEE WAY TO WINDSOR.

(Prom a Correspondent of the Morning Advertiser. )
How is it that every officer cf family influence or
rank who has not distinguished himself in the Cri-
mea, or whose conduct has been questionable, or
more than questionable, either in the field or any
department of the army, is immediately invited,
on his return, to Windsor Castle ? While the ink
of Sir John 111‘.Neill's report is scarcely dry ; while
Col. Gordon, Assistant Quartermaster-General of
our ill•fated army, still lies under the strongest offi-
bial censure, for incapacity as a soldier and " discre-
pancy" as an accountant; whilst it is understood that
the gallant officer is engaged in preparing a defence
of his conduct, he is invited to Windsor Castle,
admitted to the highest honours of a subject, and
permitted to see his case virtually prejudged by
the Crown. Bat such is not in this case, the
reward of incapacity alone. Colonel Gordon is the
son of the Earl of Aberdeen, the imbecile and un-
happy Cunctator of modern days, whose senile
procrastinations and despotic tendencies drifted us
into that war by whose conduct England has been
actively, as she was before passively, betrayed.
Poverty is said to make us acquainted with strange
bedfellows—Politics, it would seem, cause a strange
mixture of guests at the hospitable board of the
Queen of this realm. We congratulate Sir James
Scarlett, the hero of the heavy cavalry charge of
Balaklava upon his prandial honours. This is not
all. Orders are prostituted, until it becomes a
disgrace and a compromise for bravo and efficient
men to receive them at the hands of her who
should be the fountain of honour.

Again, in the list of those upon whom the three
degrees of the Legion of Honour are conferred,
there are names not only notorious to the army as
those of incapables but at least, in one instance,
something infinitely worse.
Admiral Sir C. Napier refused, an order. Why
did not Sir De Lacy Evans and Sir Colin Camp-
bell follow his example ?

Sir James Simpson may be a brave man, for all
we know, but he showed himself an Unfortunate
blunderer in the affair of the Redan. Stern military
judgment would apply to him a harsher term. The
man who played the game-stroke of the siege, with
a handful of raw recruits, is not exactly a fitting
person to receive titles and decorations from a
grateful country.
By such acts as these we are degrading ourselves
in the eyes of the world, said bringing contempt
upon what is left of an army, of which it may be
said that the heroism of the unrecognised and un-
rewarded in it is only to be rivalled by the unwor-
thiness of those who have hitherto, with but few
exceptions, borne off the rewards.

DIMINISHED PROSPECTS OF PEACE.

It will be seen from the Court Circular, that most
unpretending but very important publication in flimsy,
that the Cabinet Council, which met on Saturday, sat
for the unusually protracted period of nearly Li ur hours.
Though the secrets of the Council-chamber are con-
ventionally presumed to he inviolable, we can state
with the greatest confidence, not only that the subject.
which chiefly occupied the attention of Ministers was
the coming Conferences in Paris, which are to com-
mence on Wednesday week, the .20th instant, but that
circumstances have just occurred which considerably
diminish the probability of such a peace as this
country can accept. Russia is already beginning, to
betray the cloven-foot of insincerity. It is now ascer-
tained that she is not prepared to concede, either in the
Baltic, or the Black Sea, what we deem indispensable.
Whether she may, in the end, if she finds she cannot
help herself, make a virtue of necessity, we do not, of
course, know. But we have no doubt tho event will
confirm the accuracy of our statement, when we say
that she will en no account make those concessions to
us regarding the revision of her Asiatic territory, which
England regards as one of the most important of all the
concessions wi,i3h we demand from her. The only con-
cession which Russia appears willing to make is the re-
linquishment of the slip of territory in Bessarabia. In
these critical circumstances, Lord Palmerston is the only
man to whom the country looks with confidence. We
need not add, that corresponding to the extent of the
popular confidence in the Noble Lord is the measure of
his responsibility. We cannot doubt that he is fully
alive to the awful responsibilities of his position.—
Morning Advf,Yli6er.

AWFUL Dr-ITU NEAR WATERLOO-BRIDGE.--An
dent of a somewhat remarkable character, by which an
unfortunate man was literally cut to pieces and instantly
killed, occurred on Saturday last, on the river Thames,
about mid way of Waterloo and Blackfriars-bridges.
From the inquiries made it appears that a lighterman of
the name of Hosier, who resided near Vauxhall-bridge,
was out with his barge on the river, and attached to his
vessel was'a small wherry, which he used to take him
ashore when his barge was moored in the centre of the
water. Whilst navigating his craft on Saturday, by some
means which cuu'd not be ascertained, the smaller vessel
got adrift, when the unfortunate an made an attempt to
regain it by I umpieg off his barge, but it is to be regretted
that instead of alighting into the boat he fell into the
river, when jut at the moment a sailing barge came
alongside of the other vessel and crushed the poor fellow
so tightly as to break his collar bone, one of his arms,
both thighs, and several ribs, and at the same time the
anchor of the sailing barge, which was hanging over the
stern, caught the man in the lower part of the abdomen,
the sharp points or teeth of the anchor penetrated the
flesh, and owing to the swift speed the craft was travel-
ling the body of the man was ripped open, and the
bowels and heart completely exposed. A number of
watermen and ricer police constables at once put off in
their boats, and the unfortunate sufferer was extricated
before he had fairly sunk. The mangled body was at
once taken ashore, but it is hardly necessary to state
that life was quite extinct. The remains were forthwith
removed to the deadhouse of Christ Church Workhouse,
and given into custody of Kibblewhite, the summoning
effieer, who gave the necessary intelligence to Mr. Carter,
the coroner, who will forthwith hold as inquest on the
body. From what can at present be learned, it ap-
pears to have been impossible for the men in charge of the
sailing vessel to have altered her course in sufficient time
to have prevented the melancholy accident.
WILFUL PERJURY TO OBTAIN A REWARD.—A few
weeks since a number of incendiary fires occurred in
the neighbourhood of Barnsley. In one of these, wheat
stacks of Mr. Hattereley, to the value of nearly 1,0001.,
were destroyed. After the fire ha I occurred, but not
until a reward of 501. was offered to any person who
would give information, two brothers, named Samuel
and John Dyson gave information to Superintendent
Green that they were coming from Carlton about
half-past twelve o'clock on the night of the fire,
when they saw a man, named Joseph Marsh,
earning from the direction of the stacks at the time
the fire broke out, i:that they seized him and charged
him with setting fire to the stacke, when he admitted the
fact, and offered to give them 101. to say nothing about
the matter. Upon this information Marsh was appre-
hended, and, upon the evidence of the Dysons,
cora-
milted to take his trial. Circumstances having arisen
to lead to the belief that Marsh had been a victim to
the cupidity of the Dysons, and that the charge was
made for the purpose of obtaining the reward of 501., a
subscription was set on foot, and a fend raised to de-
fend _Marsh at York, and on the case being hoard h
was acquitted. On Thursday, at the Barnsley Court
house, an information was laid by Marsh against the
Dysons for wilful and deliberate perjury. Evidence
was adduced showing that Marsh was in bed at the
time at which he was said to have been met by the
prisoners. The :bench were of opinion that the pri-
soners had committed wilful perjury, and committed
them for trial at the put York akeizes.-11107414/cr
Ourirciimt.

NAVAL COURT-MARTIAL—DISMISSAL OF LIEUTEN-
ANT BUCK, OF TEE FERRET, FROM hER MAJESTY'S
SERVICE.—DEVONFORT, Saturday.—A court.inartial was
held yesterday, and by adjournment to-day, on board
her Majesty's ship Impregnable, lying in the Ha-
H.
moue, for the purpose of trying Lieutenant Edward
Buck, of her Majesty's ship Ferret, on a charge of
disobedience to the orders of Commanier Leckie. The
Court
Mdj
udged him to be dismifised from her Majesty's
or TI