The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-21 00:00:00

POLITICS IN VIRGINIA.

Governor Walker, in his message to the Virginia Legis-
lature, urged the State to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment
(giving the negroes votes) as it has already adopted its prin-
ciple. Congressional representation he regarded as the final
step of restoratian to the Union, and suggests that such
men should be selected as would be acceptable to Congress.
The Legislature subsequently ratified the fourteenth and
fifteenth amendments.

AMERICAN AFFAIRS.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)

WASHINGTON, OCt. 1.

Secretary Robeson and General Sherman returned
on 'Wednesday, as did Postmaster-General Creswell.
Secretary Fish will be here to-day or to-morrow.
Collector Grinnell and Judge Blatchford reached
Washington on Tuesday, and proceeded immedi-
ately to dispatch their especial business, with the
President and the Secretary of the Treasury. Ge-
neral Breckenridge and Alfred Pike are here, and
Senator Spencer has come to press Judge 1). C.
Humphries' (of Alabama) claims for the vacancy
on the supreme bench. A delegation is &so here
to direct the attention of the Administration to the
steel interest of New York, Pennsylvania, and
New Jersey. There is a special agent of the Trea-
sury on duty in Great Britain, named Farwell, who
has discovered a fraud in the exportation of the eteel,
whereby that of high quality being marked as of
a low grade, from 1 to 2 cents per lb. is saved in
the import tax, which enables foreigners to under-
sell the home manufacturers. Secretary Boutwell has
also been communicated with by the Shipowners'
Association in New York on the decline of the
ocean-carrying trade, and he has promised them in
reply his hearty co-operation to prevent any f ur-
ther falling off. Horace Greeley is catching it from
the ladies he has deserted. Last Saturday there was
a meeting here, and Mrs. Griffin told the New York
philosopher her opinion of his recreancy. Other
meetings are to be held in Washington, and women
are soon to be emancipated from the tyranny which
is the last relic of slavery ; even Sambo got out of
his bonds first. People do say that the most inde-
pendent animal in existence is an American girl in
America ; the only mistake she ever makes is to
marry, and some wretched husbands could tell a
doleful tale of whose the slavery is then. Affairs in
-Mississippi, although not so bad as in sonic States,
are still not very encouraging. Since General Ames
assumed command in March last he officially re-
ports 32 actual murders, 13 attempts to murder,
and 13 outrages. Things do not improve, as the Ku-
Klux are carrying on their old game of intimidation
before an election. Even under martial law, it is
almost impossible to punish this class of criminals.
General Sherman was said to favour the election of
Judge Dent, but this he denies, not that he is op-
posed to his success, but to taking any part what-
ever in th. se political contests. He cares as little
about them as does his great colleague, the Presi-
dent ; and this he has signified pretty plainly to
his friend, the brother-in-law of the President. It
is not improbable that General Grant's other
brother-in-law, Dr. Sharp, may be elected as Sena-
tor from Virginia. He is an able and active Re-
publican, and it weighs considerably with the State
the belief that his election would be gratifying to
Gen. Grant. The rumours parties always attempt
to circulate in the different States touching the pre-
ferences of the President, though constantly con-
tradicted, are as often revived. It was said that
he favoured the election of Gen. Robert Williatns
as Senator, and some leading Radicals called on
the President to ascertain its truth. They state
that though Williams professes to be a Repub-
lican, his friends are actively canvassing the Demo-
crats. Attorney-General "[oar holds that the Vir-
ginia Legislature can elect United States Senators
after organizing, as it is not legislative business, and
will, therefore, be legal. Secretaries Boutwell and
Creswell consider that the Test Oath ought to be
administered before the members of the Legislature
are permitted to take their seats, and if they elect
Senators, Congress on meeting will not admit them
nto the Chamber. Senator Wilson spoke at Read-
ing, and is to speak at other places in Pennsylvania,
and he will probably visit Mississippi and Texas to
party in
aid in the organization of the Republican

those States ; he would ground it simply on the
adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment. In Georgia
the Republicans will probably re unite, and com-
promise matters with the Democrats, by which the
passage of the Fifteenth Amendment will be
secured at the next meeting of the Legislature.
The Collector of Customs at Baltimore has '
been directed to sell 50,000 dollars of gold per
week, at per cent. premium ever the New York
price ; this is intended to facilitate business to the
import merchant, who hitherto has had to buy his
gold at New York and carry it to Baltimore. There
is likely to be a vigorous prosecution of the Custom-
House frauds. ferry Fuller had great difficulty in
getting bondsmen at New Orleans. Mr. Coyle per-
haps did not like the aspect of affairs, and has not
offered to renew the bond, but at last he got a citi-
zen of New Orleans, Mr. Merchant, to sign for
$20,000 for his appearance in November. Creecy
has gone to New Orleans as counsel to the defence
in the extensive sugar fraude, which is to he tried
immediately. Mr. Waddy Thomi‘son's affair will
come off soon in Memphis. It is reported that dur-
ing Fuller's administration nine vessels arrived at
New Orleans from foreign countries without a Cus-
tom House officer on board and without manifests,
and the internal revenue for the district shows an
increase of $lOO,OOO over the corresponding five
months of last year. Mr. Grinnell gave a dinner
party during his short stay here, at which there were
several Congressmen, but there is little gaiety as yet
to report. The sentence of the Naval Court-mar-
tial on Assistant-Surgeon Green has been pub-
lished. He was found Guilty of contempt to his
superior officer in the Leipsic in dissenting from an
order to take a seaman off the sick list ; and in dis-
obeying a lawful order iu this refusal. He was also
accused, but acquitted of being intoxicated and
misbehaving in the town of Aspinwall. He has
been suspended from rank, and placed on furlough
pay for two years and reprimanded ; the reprimand
to be read at each naval station, and on each vessel.
The Secretary of the Navy approves, but consider-
ing the case, a mistaken sense of duty, as well as Mr.
Green's good character, remits the sentence of
suspension. The trial has excited attention, and
has caused a considerable difference of opinion,
most persons believing Mr. Green to be in the right,
as the order was to discharge from among the
sick under his care a man he considered to be
unfit for duty. The discipline of the Navy
must, however, be upheld, even when it
ap-
parently involves an injustice. The approaching
electiOns draw attention. Orders have been issued
permitting the clerks of the War Department to
proceed home to Pennsylvania, Ohio, or to lowa, to
vote without respect to party. Judge Richardson
resigns the Assistant-Secretaryship of the Treasury,
as pluralities will not be allowed, and retains his
judgeship in Massachussetts. Secretary Boutwell
has received from the Judge his resignation of the
post in this city. As this appears to be the ruling,
I should not be surprised if the Secretaryship of
War, now held ad interim by General Sherman,
were not soon filled ; it was supposed that the Pre-
sident would await the meeting of Congress, but
there is no sound reason why he should, indeed there
are many why he should not, of the same charac-
ter as these which led him when about to be inaug-
urated President to seal his lips as to the men he
had selected for his Cabinet.*

The Pall Mall Gazette has lately been hitting
right and left at the " literary body-snatcher," in the pay
of what it calls the "D. T.;" meaning thereby the Daily
Telegraph. Last Wednesday it published a letter purporting
to come from the "D. T. body-snatcher," pointing out that
the only effect of its hostility was to call more general atten-
tion to his splendid and unequalled literary achievements,
whereby he had been promoted from Fleet-street to Print-
ing-house-square. Then the late "D. T. body-snatcher,"
in proof of this, triumphantly pointed to the first article
in the Times of that morning on Spain, and, selecting sen-
tences, asked who but he could have applied such a touch.
We have got a little bit of warning also to effer to a writer
in the Times. We would recommend the Philadelphia
correspondent not to transcribe so closely the words of
the Wation, for it is a paper a good deal read in England.
We regret, if he requires a model in style, that he should
be "choked off" from one so excellent as our Now York
weekly contemporary. The correspondent professes to
be purely original, while a good deal of our matter has
to be condensed from the American Press. Here is a
sample of his originality
Philadelphia Correspondent New York ntion,
of the Times, Oct. 1. Sept. 30.

"The operations of last "The operations in the
week were simply gambling Exchange were on a scale
on a scale never before wit- never before witnessed,
nessed, dozens of enormous dozens of enormous for-
fortunes being staked at tunes being on the table
once and lost or won by a at once, and lost or won in
crowd of howling, desperate the twinkling of an eye, in
men, maddened by the a quiet, well furnished
frightful alternations of room, which was crowded
hope and fear protracted by hundreds of howling,
through days and nights of desperate men, maddened
agony." to distraction by frightful
alternations of hope and
fear during fifty-six hours,
and all this literally in the
presence of a disgusted and
alarmed nation."

RAILWAY NEWS.—The new railroad between New
Orleans and Mobile, which is to run near the sea coast
and cross all the streams at their widest parts, and several
arms of the sea, will require an unusual amount of bridging
and trestle work. It is expected that the road will be in
running order between New Orleans and Mobile by
next March.—The St. Louis and Cedar Rapids Railroad—
Arrangements have been made with the North Missouri
Railroad Company, by which the company agrees to
build that road from the present terminus of the North
Missouri at Bloomfield, near the State line to Ottumwa,
by December Ist, distance about 18 miles.—The annual
meeting of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Com-
pany, will be held in Hannibal, Missouri, on Nov. Ist.
The Wisconsin Legislature has granted a charter to the
Hudson and Superior Railroad Company, and the St.
Croix and Bayville Railroad Company, according to the
terms of their charter, twenty miles must be built and
equipped within one year.—The Evansville and Indiana-
polis Railroad Company has been incorporated with
8800,000 capital. Francis Fellows, of Hartford, and John
J. Merritt, of Brooklyn, aro the chief stockholders in the
proposed line.—The St. Joseph and Denver Railroad was
expected to reach Severance, by October let, and Hia-
watha (sixteen miles further) on the Ist November.—
Several railroads are projected in Dakota, having Yankton
for their terminus. Chief among them aro the Sioux City
and Yankton Railroad, and the Minnesota and Missouri
Railroad.—A convention was held at Springfield, Missouri,
on the 25th Sept., to consider the project of building a
railroad between Kansas City, Missouri, and Memphis,
Tennessee. A temporary organization WM effected and a
board of directors elected, with Col. J. M. R. Richardson as
Secretary.— Preparations are being made to commence the
Northern Pacific Railroad early next spring. Conditional
ariangements have been made in Stockholm for a force of
7,000 Swedish labourers, to be employed upon the eastern
end of the route, and a like number of Chinamen will work
upon the western division. The construction of the Pacific
side will commence at the Wallula, at the head of the per-
manent navigation of the Columbia River, a terminus
which will b.l only temporary, the original design of carry-
ing it to Puget Sound being adhered to. Tho eastern
terminus has not yet been fixed, but according to the terms
of the charter it is obligatory to locate it upon the shores
of Lake Superior. The works upon the eastern and
western divisions will be commenced simultaneoyslv.—
The Honduras Railroad—Another Route from New York
to San Fraucisco.—This important enterprise, which will
reduce the time by sea between San Francisco and New
York to 14 days, originated some years since with Mr.
Squier, who first gave it shape and consistency while he
was United States Minister to Central America. It hung
fire for a long time between American, French, and Eng-
lish capitalists, who in turn had the trans-continental
railroad route surveyed at a `eat expense, and always
with the same result. Each time wai or Panama Railroad
interests or untoward events retarded 01;,:-Tations, until
the great house of Bishopscheim and Goldsalmidt, of
London, in connection with other European Slim-
talists, took the affair in hand, and it is now only a,
question of time, say another year, for the locomotive to
be running from ocean to ocean. ' Shiploads of iron and
material from England have been landed at both termini,
and thousands of labourers, native and foreign, are at
work along the line. The distance across is about 240
miles, there being no serious impediments of mountains or
rivers on the route. The harbours at both ends are exc,l-
- Port Cortes (or C &hallos), on the Atlantic side, is
safe, deep, and well protected ; while the great Bay of
is one of the finest harbours
Fonseca, on the Pac:nifif(a:cati:las,,,
constellation of harbours,"
in the world,' being,
landlocked, deep, and capaCious, and with accommodation
for unlimited shipping. By this route the distance between
New York and San Francisco is shortened 1,200 mike—
a fact to which no ocean traveller can close his eyes—the
moment that regular lines of steamships commence run-
ning ; and passengers and freight now going by Panama
will naturally seek the shorter route. The time between
San Francisco and New Orleans via Honduras will be re-
duced to about 11 days, and although no steamship route
can be expected to compete with our own continental rail-
roads, still there must necessarily be much freight and
many passengers passing by the Honduras Railroad, espe-

* Our correspondent is right, for we learn by telegram,
General ihlkaap has been appointed Secretary of War.

daily those going to or from the Southern States. The
principal advantage which the Honduras route has over
that of Tehuantepec consists in its fine harbours, of which
the latter is entirely destitute, while the distance between
New York and San Francisco is about the same. —5O
Francisco Alta California.