The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-25 00:00:00

Miscellaneous American News.

The Springfield Republican, in discussing the
high-handed acts of the military commanders of
the Southern States under the Reconstruction Bill,
extracts from these proceedings at least this small
measure of comfort. H the commanders exceed
their authority and make military rule odious, this
advantage will accrue, that new motives will be
furnished for speedy reconstruction. Gen. Sheridan
justifies his removal of officers at New Orleans ou
the ground of their offences in the riot of last year.
Ile contemplates, lie says, issuing an order to regu-
late the banks in his district edorcing a uniform
rate of interest ; but this Secretary M'Culloch
strongly disapproved. General Ord has removed
the State Treasurer in Arkansas, filling the vacancy
with one of his officers. Ile has also forbidden the
re-assembling of the Legislature, and ordered Go-
vernor Murphy to dissolve it. General Pope has
turned out several mayors of cities in Georgia and
Alabama, replacing them with men of his own
selection, while Colonel Sibley, in Georgia, has
prohibited labour in chain-gangs as a punishment
for criminals except in tha case of those sentenced
to the penitentiary, alleging that the authorities
have abused their power to inflict such punishment.
.The necessity is daily becoming apparent for a de-
finition to be laid down of the limitations of mili-
tary prerogative under the Reconstruction Act.
The superintendent of the New York Metropoli-
tan police has either discovered a conspiracy or a
mare's nest. Mr. Kennedy alleges the police have
detected an organised plan for a general riot ori-
ginating with the unlicensed liquor dealers and
the Irishmen and Germans, provoked by the en-
forcement of the Excise law, and by an order of Mr.
Kennedy's closing all shoys and stores on Sunday.
A great number of the city population, including
all the Jews and nearly all the Germans, openly
trade on Sunday. There is a law which had fallen
into dinetude by which such trade is forbidden,
and the stock of the trader made liable to confisca-
tion to the poor for each offence. The main source
of the trouble is, however, the Excise law, which
requires each dealer in liquor to take out a license,
costing him $250. Secret meetings of the plotters
have been attended by detectives, and the ring-
leaders marked. On Wednesday, Bth instant., Mr.
Kennedy assembled the newspaper reporters, and
informed them of the intelligence he had received
that a formidable riot had been organised. Ile de-
sired that these people should be made aware that
he was fully prepared in concert with the military
commanders for the suppression of any rising. The
New York Times reminds the disaffected of the
result to the plotters of the 1863 riot, in which, out
of 1,155 persons killed or mortally wounded, all but
25 were rioters.

The New York Independent is stepping out of its
hitherto narrow sphere. It is no longer to be a
Congregational paper. It announces that its
columns are now consecrated to God and man ; to
religion and civilisation ; to liberty, justice, and
equality; to the family and the sweet human chari-
ties; to literature, art, and industry ; in a word, to
human progress! In stating its determination to
abandon the discussion of doctrines, it says :—" So
many men possess worse creeds and yet better cha-
racters than ourselves that we totally despair of
forcing tbewhole world into moral goodness through
the narrow method of one prescribed belief." Those
who read an excellent and amusing article from
the Nation, called the " Genial Critic," transferred
to our columns, may see that the Independent has
other objects besides the admirable ones here
announced. We await with some interest the
answer of the New York Independent to these tel-
ling remarks of the Nation, which are endorsed by
a publisher in the last number of that journal who
makes this truthful remark. " Editors may safely
rely upon the fact that the pressure on their adver-
tising columns is regulated by the character and
extent of their circulation." He adds " tbat he con-
siders the laudatory tone of literary criticism in
America may be attributed not so much to interested.
motives as to good natured indolence."
The Yale University crew has challenged the
Harvard crew to row the next college regatta on

Lake gainsigamond at Worcester, on Friday, July
19, a week earlier than last year, and th chal-
lenge has been accepted. A. P. Loring, who pullod
second oar iu the last race, is the stroke of the l lar-
yard boat this year. The Harvard freshmen have
also accepted a challenge from the Yale freshmen,
and a contest between these crews will take place
immediately after the university race. The Harvard
scientific crew is also reported to be in readiness for
a challenge.
At Cleveland, on Lake Erie, the British schooner
Elk, from Toronto, flying the British colours, was

boarded on Sunday afternoon, the sth inst., by a
party of 30 Fenians, who, on the refusal of the captain,
themselves hauled down the flag. The reason given
for this outrageous act of folly was, that these
worthies had fought the British flag at Limestone
Ridge and other places, and would not consent to

see it flying here or elsewhere. Next day the cap;
tain complained to the city authorities, and the
mayor is investigating the affair, which is charac-
terised by the Cleveland press as an outrage to the
city deserving of severe punishment. Even the

Fenian " circle" term the act foolish and insane.

There was a meeting of Protectionists in New
York on the Bth instant, when 200 leading men
assembled and were addressed by Horace Greeley
and other speakers. They adjourned till the 22d
instant to get their machinery into working order.
The Protection League will be in opposition to the
Free Trade League, and it will organise branch
societies all over the country.
An amusing scene occurred at the Anti-Slavery
Meeting at New York, on Wednesday evening, the
Bth instant. It appears that the speakers arc in the
habit of denouncing in no measured language all
who come under their ban. Mr. Parker Pillsbury
abused Senator Wilson, whom he termed ' two-fold
more the child of hell" since his conversion to the
Church, when Mr. Stephen H. Foster introduced a
resolution, by way of a diversion, in favour of
woman suffrage. Since slavery has ceased in the
United States as regards the negro, the society may
take up woman's cause, whom some of their strong-
minded sisters term, slaves. Wendell Philips, the
president, did not see this, and declared the resolu-
tion out of order. The mover retorted, alleging
that the president was taking too much authority
on himself, adding that if his resolution was not
passed by the Convention he could not stand upon
its platform. An unexpected ally turned up in
favour of Wendell Philips in the shape of Mr.
Foster's better-half. This lady geve an admirable
illustration of woman's rights, by suppressing her
lord on the spot, and Mr. Foster and his resolution
Iwere voted down. Miss Anna Dickenson came in
as a good Samaritan with oil for the troubled waters.
She proposed a resolution that the society ought
' not finally to dissolve, till female suffrage is estab-
lished, which was tabled, the members being re-
minded that they were to meet as au Equal Suffrage
Convention the next day, when the subject would
be freely discussed.

It has transpired at Washington that the Japanese
Embassy, have more objects in view than one, in
their visit to the United States. The dangerous
task appears to have been confided to them of pur-
chasing ironclads. The fate of the last Japanese
purchaser, on his _return to his country with the
latest new thing in war vessels, was very melan-
choly. He fell a victim to scamped work and the
wiles of builders, and was executed by, the Tycoon
for investing that Prince's money in rubbish. The
present deputation are instructed to complain of
the swindles then practised. They have made
known their wish to purchase several light draft
steamers, machinery and arms, and they are con-
tinually making purchases of smaller useful articles
to take back with them. If their visit has any po-
litical significance, it is yet to be disclosed. The
ambassadors were presented to President Johnson
on Friday, May 3, the usual friendly speeches inci-
dent to such an occasion being delivered through
interpreters. Next day Secretary Seward gave
them a grand state dinner, which was attended by
the members of the Cabinet and their families ;
since then the.Japa.nese visitors have been engaged
in seeing the sights of interest at Washington and

vicinity.
The number of fires that have lately occurred in
the United States have been a cause of alarm. This
has been more particularly the case at Chicago.
The increase of losses from insured property alone
may be seen from the following figures :—ln 1861,
$18,000,000 ; in 1865, $13,000,000 ; in 1866,
$100,000,000. Judging from the last accounts the
proportion of increase will be maintained for 1867,
and the insurance companies may all be ruined. The
hotels are pre-eminently unfortunate. At Chicago
Samuel Gill's Cattle Fair Hotel has been
destroyed, loss $50,000 ; the Merchants' Hotel,
loss $150,000: Elevator A, belonging to Armour,
Day and Co., loss $200,000—all this in one week.
Wendell Philips was the great speaker at the
anniversary meeting of the Anti-Slavery Associa-
tion held at New York, on Monday, the 6th inst.
The Association desires the Constitution to be
amended, so that the suffrage may be secured to
the negroes. The resolutions adopted were in a
hopeful vein, while the condition of the Freedmen
is allowed to be critical. The negroes are warned-
against joining their old masters in a political alli-
ance, and Congress is accused of relapsing into its
old habits of corrupt bargaining.