The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-30 00:00:00

tectors.

Besides the injury done to the works a good
deal of property in the town of Faversham has
been destroyed. Two remarkable escapes are men-
tioned in the detail of this sad affair, one that of a
labouring man who was lifted from his feet, and
found in a stream of running water some distance
off, and the other that of the engine-man at the
works, who went out of the house a minute only
before the occurrence of the explosion, and was merely
stunned by the concussion. Messrs. HALL state that
they regret deeply the:unfortunate event which has
just taken place at their powder mills, and that
their sorrow for the loss of their experienced work-
men is only second to that of their afflicted families.
They further state that they have no "reasonable
suspicion of anything felonious connected with the
catastropher they have had hints and warnings of
danger impending, and had consequently adopted
precautionary measures. They believe that
the explosion occurring so soon after those
rumours of a sinister character will prove
to be a coincidence and nothing more. We sin-
cerely trust that this opinion will prove to be
the correct one, but, at the same time, we feel as-
sured that many will think the contrary, for some
time at least. Fenianism has been so constantly
brought before the notice of the public that it is
almost impossible to divest oneself of the notion
that it has to do with all catastrophes that occur,
although a little reflection cannot fail to show that
such suppositions may be erroneous, and create
impressions at once unjust and unfounded.

President JOHNSON has not lost much time in
taking advantage in the change of public feeling in
the States. At the time when, in virtue of his
office, he removed STANTON from his position as
acting head of the 'War-office the risk was not in-
considerable. The Radical party were still nume-
rically strong, and retained much of their influence
in parts of the country. The voice of Congress, he
could not doubt, would be raised against him, and
no time would be lost in seizing upon so favourable
a plea for denouncing his tyrannical interference
with the rights of the people. The Radical leaders,
however despotically inclined themselves, have always
been quick to resent any undue assumption on the
part of the PRESIDENT, knowing that the American
mind is peculiarly susceptible to any danger of the
kind. The removal of STANTON bore somewhat
the appearance of a coup d'etat, and was certain to
be exhibited in its worst aspects by interested par-
ties. Events have, however, proved that Mr. JOHN-
SON was wise as well as bold iu his policy. With a
traitor in thzt camp he was comparatively powerless.
Ilis plans were frustrated by his colleague at the
War-office, while the mischief-working Reconstruc-
tion Act found only too willing an exponent in the
Secretary of War. General GRANT has proved, on
the contrary, a most valuable assistant. his popu-
larity and reputation helped, in a great degree, to
remove any prejudice which might attach to the
manner of his installation. Those who were
familiar with the facts of the case were only sur-
prised that the PRESIDENT should so long have
tolerated STANTON, whose insubordination and open
disregard of the orders of his chief seriously inter-
fered with public business. Bad as matters still are
in the South, they would have been far worse had
STANTON retained his post. The several district
commanders of the South learned in • his
suspension a lesson of moderation which they are
not likely to forget. The public verdict has fully
exonerated the PRESIDENT from any undue exer-
cise of his powers ; in fact it was abundantly evi-