The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-17 00:00:00

THE SUN LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 1856,

the part of Devil's Advocate without a cause.
The cause is, indeed, apparent, beneath the gene-
ral phrases under which he strives to hide his
client's nakedness. The slavery men are mad-
dened with the last of power, they have had it all
their own way of late, they have forbidden peti-
tions to Congress, have abolished the line which
secured freedom to dwellers northwards of
it, have enacted the atrocious fugitive slave
law, converting the northern states into kidnap-
pers for the southern ; and now they find that
roguery does not run on a railroad. In some of
the Northern States the old ruts of liberty are
' very deep, and the new doctrine of " domestic in-
stitutions" is almostshaken to pieces in them. Kid-
nappers who come from the south to swear back
to the lash a refugee for freedom get sometimes
hustled, their prey is helped off to Canada, and
the human bloodhounds are fain to jump into a
southern train, with their hats pulled over their
eyes, as fast as possible.

The Lynching for freedom is very irregular, no
doubt, but Lynching was learned from the slave
states, and for ourselves we should think it for
the credit of the Northern States ir the kidnapper
could not be safe though surrounded by a regi-
ment of bayonets. President PIEROS is, however,
very indignant that " old states," who aided in
founding the Union, should " resist" the wicked-
ness of the Union, and he reads then a long
homily on " the Constitution.' That, too, is a
good sign. We always know, for instance, that
when Lord JOHN RUSSELL, as Lord ELDON used
to do, appeals to the "Constitution," that he has
nothing better to appeal to, and that the matter
looks badly on its merits. President PIERCE
doubtless feels that, though a President of Whites,
he cannot justify the realities of negro slavery.
Then, again, the territories of Nebraska and
Kansas are becoming the scene of an almost inter-
necine abolition and slavery quarrel. Kansas is
yet a territory, but will soon become a state. Till
lately it was north of the line between slave and
free soil ; now it is left to the settlers to make it
a free or a slave state of it as they please. Hence
freemen and slaveholders are rushing into it for
numerical victory. Each party has elected its
own governor, and by the last accounts seemed
not unlikely to shed blood in the quarrel. It is
not wonderful, therefore, that the PRESIDENT
should be anxious t• get out his Message. lie
had not only to rake up a little political capital
for the approaching Presidential election out of
his bluster about England and the rest of the
Old World ; he had a serious domestic feud of his
own nursing to allay.

It is not our purpose to weary English readers
with refutations of President PIERCE'S sophistry.
Sincere Republican honest Christians, and all our
countrymen, with the exception of a cotton-spinner
or two, have a short argument, and one which
we are happy to know decides the course of thou-
sands in the United States themselves, and that
is, that Slavery—and American Slavery a fortiori
is immoral—as immoral as theft, adultery, or
murder. This living conviction President PIERCE
cannot banish by such phrases in an official docu-
ment as " fanaticism, phreizy, angry, aimless,
idle disturbance," or by appeala to " the Rock of
the Constitution," and to the " ALmroarY's
favour !!" (No wonder QUANHEE identifies Hint
with SATAN as the white man's Gots.) Truth and
morality may be long smothered ander bales of
cotton, and the rights of millions may be long
scoffed at by venal politicians, but we are not in-
fidels, and we believe that Christianity will van-
quish American Presidents and the Slaveholders
to whom they sell its principles for—under such
circumstances—the ignominy of place. The d2y
will come when the good taste of America will
blush for the first half of this Message, and when
the second will appear incredible to her humanity
and religion.

LATEST NEWS.

feel secure in their present position. Skender
Pasha is in command of the rear-guard, and great
confidence is placed in his 'vigilance and military
skill.

RUSSIA.
ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 6.—The Russian Govern-
ment continues to devote minute attention to the
military organisation of the Baltic provinces, so as
to be prepared for all eventualities in that quarter.
General Schultz, who had a command in Sebasto-
pol, and was subsequently second Commander in
Nicolaieff, has been nominated Commander in
Dunamunde ; General Nordenstrang has been at-
tached to the Command-in-Chief in Finland ; and
Colonel Furuhjelm, formerly Adjutant to General
Bodisco in Bomarsund, has been sent into Finland.
as Governor of one of the districts there, for the pur-
pose of completing the military organisation of the
population. Prince Menschikoff is still detained
in St. Petersburg by indisposition. A great num-
ber of appointments, distributions of troops, &;c.,
took place while General Siewers was still in St.
Petersburg; he has now left for Mitau. The Neva
batteries are to be strengthened and lengthened on
both flanks, and the result of this and of a variety
of other military arrangements in and about the
capital is to produce an agitation of feeling among
the people, as though the enemy were just about
to appear before the town.
The following changes will shortly be officially
announced :

"Prince Bebutoff will take, provisionally, the
chief command of the army in the Caucasus, and
of the Transcaucasian expeditionary army.
"Aide-de-Camp General Mouravieff will be ap-
pointed to the chief command of the army in the
Crimea and in Tauris.
" Aide-de-Camp General Prince Gortschakoff
will be placed at the head of the army of the South,
and will have his head-quarters at Kischeneff.
"General Siewers will have the command of the
army in Bessarabia.

"General Osten-Sacken will remain at Nicolaieff
and Cherson.

" Aide-de-Camp General Paniutin will have his
head-quarters at Zitomir."

ITALY.
A day or two since mention was made of a cir-
cular letter addressed to the Archbishop (Patri-
arch) of Venice to all printers, booksellers, and
Tenders of prints residing within his diocese, a
translation of it will now be given, as it is a still
more important document than that recently pub-
lished by the Archbishop of Milan :
" PIETRO AURELIO MATTI, BY THE MERCY OF GOD
PATRIARCH OF VENIEE, &C., TO OUR BELOVED
SONS, THE BOOKSELLERS, PUBLISHERS, AND TRUE
BELIEVERS RESIDING IN OUR CITY AND DIOCESS.
" Innumerable are the complaints which, for a long
time past, have been made to us by laymen and eccle-
siastics of all ranks of the countless works which are
published to the detriment of religion and morality ; and,
in truth, the harm which they do to society at large and
to each single family cannot be sufficiently deplored.
Such works neutralize all the care of good parents and
tutors.

" When the youth of the country first snake their en-
trance into the world they meet at every step with bad,
loose, immoral books, which, like lurking serpents, are
prepared to inject their venom into their innocent minds.
But at length God, who directs the hearts of Kings, in-
spired (ispiro) our most pious Monarch with the idea of
the Concordat, the object of which is to protect all be-
lievers, and particularly the Catholic youth, against the
attacks of the impious, and the dangers of temptation.
" Already have we frequently reminded our beloved
sons in Christ of the holy lass s of the Church, and have
warned them against books which are dangerous to re-
ligion and morality, at the same time making known
to them the very strict regulations of the! Council
of Trent on the subject, but now it is our special duty to
see that those regulations are observed. The Concordat
gives to all Archbishops and Bishops the full power
and right to use their own authority in this matter, and
also promises that the Government will employ the most
efficacious means for preventing the spread of the plague
of bad books throughout the Empire. Although all
ecclesiastical ordinances relative to this matter are in
full force, we will at present do no more than mention
some few of the conditions of the same, and more par-
ticularly those which must be literally and punctually
obeyed.

"No one, be he priest or layman, will be allowed,
without previously obtaining permission from our eccle-
siastical `censure,' to publish—either as author, printer,
or yender—any work, either directly or indirectly, touch-
ing on religion or morality, or specially treating of the
Liturgy, or of any other subject.
"It is also forbidden to introduce any book whatever
from other countries without having applied for and ob
tained the approbation of the ecclesiastical `Censure
office,' excepting in casas where the book has been
marked as being among the works which are permitted.
" Should any person dare publicly or privately to sell
books, prints, or naintins which are prohibited by the
Church, or could be prejudicial to religion or morality, he
it known unto him, that we will not only suppress such
illicit sale ourselves, but will also call in the arm of the
civil power, which the Monarch has placed at the dis-
posal of the Church, to our assistance.
_ _

"Most beloved eons, as you well know that we have no
other object in view than the welfare of your immortal
souls, and your eternal salvation, we reckon on your
strict obedience, and so doing we wish you all health
and happiness in the Lord.

" ()riven in the Archiepiscopal Curia, at Venice, De.
cenaber 31st, 1855.

" P. AURELIO MATTI, Patriarch.
"G. Giov. GREGA, Chancellor."

A letter from Berlin in the Dusseldoi f Gazette
says :—" It is not true that representations have
been made by the Western Powers to our Govern-
ment, in consequence of the presence of Prussian
officers at the Te Deum sung at the Russian em-
bassy in honour of the fall of Kars. But it is true
that the Prussian Government has stigmatised the
conduct of these officers as improper in taking part
in a political manifestation contrary to their duty
as military men. This has been signified in an
order of the day from General Wrangel."

THE PENINSULAR MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY MORNING.

By the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam
ship Madrid, with the Peninsular mails, wo have
dates from Gibraltar, Jan. 7th ; Cadiz, 10th ; Lis-
bon, 12th ; Oporto, 13th; Vigo, 14th.
The Madrid brings 40 passengers, and on freight
specie of the value of 4,5471., and the usual cargo.
The late arrival of the Madrid has been caused
by heavy weather and her detention at Cadiz for
coals.

The Madrid spoke the Peninsulur and Oriental
Company's steam-ship Pera, with the India and
Mediterranean mails, off Belen, on the 12th inst.,
waiting for pratique. The Pera's machinery had
received damage from heavy weather.
The Bosphorus was also at anchor, with her
steam up, having called at Lisbon for coals en,
route to Constantinople.
The steam-transport Imperador, with troops for
the East, was spoken by the Minto steam-ship on
the 9th inst., off the Rock of Lisbon, the latter
vessel having put into the Tagus.
An immense quantity of rain had fallen at Lis-
bon and done considerable damage. Some of the
works under construction for the Ciatra Railway
were destroyed by the heavy gales and seas.
There was no alteration in the Lisbon exchanges.
Bills at three months on London were still quoted
at 54i.

The Cortes was to resume its sittings on the 10th
inst.

From Oporto we learn that business in freights
was at a stand still, owing to the river Douro being
flooded by the late rains. Transactions had been
irregular, the quotations varying from 541 to 55i
for bills on London, at 90 days. Wine shipments
were slack.

The dates from Gibraltar are to the 7th inst.
The Spanish schooner Diligente, in ballast, for
Mazagan was capsized at the entrance of the Straits
on the morning of the 4th. The crew were picked
up by the British brig Falcon.
The steam-transport Ripon left Gibraltar for
Spithead on the 7th inst.
The following casualties had been reported at
Gibraltar :--The Sardinian brig Nuovo Speranza
Indio, which left for Cassabianca on the Ist inst.,
was driven ashore during the night. The brig
Vencedor' belonging to Gibraltar, and. the French
schooner Sole, had been compelled to put back
from heavy weather. The British schooner Tyro,
from the coast of Morocco, having parted with
three anchors, put into Gibraltar on the 7th inst.
The Madrid lost an anchor in Cadiz bay-
Exchange on Gibraltar for bills on London at 90
days was quoted at 51 3-16 tbs.

Our facetious contemporary, " Punch," is in high lea-
ther this week—sparkling with wit and humour, and
studded with comic illustrations. So lively and audacious
is he that, not content with putting an extinguisher on
poor infatuated Mr. Cobden, having a rap at the Duke
of Argyll and King Cliquot, be heads (ironically—.,:ed•-
i'usti) a notice of a recent leader iu the Sun on the treatment
of poor Haydn, 'who, for his important contribution to
literature--the "Dictionary of Dates"—lias been re-
warded by her Majesty with a pension, no less, of
4,12 d. per day, "An attack upon the Crown!" It is
too bad of him. Why, so little quarrelsome are we,
that we are not disposed to take exception to his assur-
ance that we may "as well hope to touch, Memnon•
like, the statue of Queen Anne into morning music, as
to awaken generous impulses in the House of Hanover
towards art, or science, or letters." In point of fact we
will take his word for it. So let's shake hands, forget
and forgive.
A letter from Parma says that the Count and Countess
of Chambord bad arrived there on the tith on a visit to
their august sister, with whom they will pass a few
d4yr.