The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LO.NDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 11, 1867.

crop *.s a very small one. He was thoroughly fami-
liar 'with the disposition of the negro, who would
aE .andon work, even on the point of starvation, to
fo) glow people who might offer rights and privileges
and heretofore unenjoyed. If they abandon
ti le plantations, the cultivation of cotton and other
taples must cease. Hence, he held the general
"belief in a large cotton crop to be an error. The
•correspondent rejoices in the split the release of Mr.
:Davis has caused in the Republican camp. "The
IRadical party," he says, " has well nigh gone to
pieces in the agitation produced." Mr. DAVIS'S
power must have had a miraculous increase since he
collapsed at Richmond, if anything affecting him
could now produce such a result. The Republi-
cans are mainly divided on the propriety of leaders
c C their party coming-forward as security for the late
Iresident of the Southern Confederacy.
We give elsewhere an article from the Round
'Table, which gives, with its usual force, the elevated
view of the release of JEFFERSON DAVIS, an act of
magnanimity on the part of the North, which, how-
ever strongly it may militate against the feelings of
many individuals—soured by frightful losses—is in
accordance, with the general sentiment of the
people.—Anylo-American Times.

postal agencies and sale of British postage stamps
in the Empire.
If one literary celebrity retires from the diplo-
matic service of the United States another takes his
place. Mr. Motley leaves Vienna, while Mr. Ban-
croft enters Berlin. He fills the place of the de-
ceased Minister, Governor Wright. He is well
known to the diplomatic world, having been for-
merly Minister to St. James's. As a statesman he
attains to the post of Secretary to the Navy. Judg-
ing from the remarks of the Nation, if his literary
labours are to:be brought to a close, it is as well for
him to leave the United States. "We should think
he would be glad to go abroad for a brief period, as
he is at present remorselessly pursued by grandsons
whose ancestors he has assailed, and who are just
a little too much for him. his rough treatment of
Mr. Greene deprives him, too, of the sympathies
of the public under - the terribly severe handling
which he in his turn has been receiving from Mr.
Schuyler, who is a much fiercer assailant than Mr.
Greene, and shows him no mercy. As the historian
has only just entered on the Revolution, the pro-
spect before him must be admitted to be troublous,
particularly as he will, before long, get down
amongst the sons, who are a more powerful and
truculent body than the grandsons."

Salmon Fishery Congress.

On Friday a large number of gentlemen, con-
servators of river fisheries, assembled at the
Horticultural Gardens, South Kensington, to dis-
cuss the best means of obviating the natural and
artificial obstructions which so injuriously affect our
river fisheries at the present time. The chair was
taken by Earl Percy, and among those present were :
—Lord de Blaquiere, Sir John Scott, K.C.8., Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Haworth, the Hon Edwin B. Port-
man, Colonel Pryse, M.P., the Rev. Prebendary
NVilkinson, Mr. J. A. Blake, M.P., Mr. Higford
Burr, Mr. T. Ashworth, Mr. J. Lloyd, jun., Dr.
Peter Hood, Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke, Messrs.
Scott and Hormel], commissioners for English
fisheries; Mr. R. C. Whyte, Mr. 11. Clark, Messrs.
Frank Buckland and Spencer Walpole, inspectors
of fisheries ; Colonel Cox, Mr. J. Dodds, Mr. S.
Ponder, Mr. W. 11. Brougham &c.
The IloN. SECRETARY (Mr. Glass) stated that
many letters had been received from noblemen and
gentlemen who were unable to attend, approving of
the objects of the congress. He read extracts from
a paper sent by Sir J. Richardson, Bart., suggesting
certain changes in the annual and weekly close sea-
sons on the Tay, and produced a paper from Mr.
Ashworth, who had also sent models of salmon lad-
ders, as had many other gentlemen. These models
were in the room, as well as a number of drawings
and plans of ladders, some of ladders now in exist-
ence, and others proposed.
Mr. F. BUCKLAND read Mr. T. Ashworth's paper,
in which he stated we might suppose our rivers to
have been a few centuries ago as prolific in salmon
as those in the State of Maine, where the produce of
the two rivers Penobscot and Kennebec, of 500 miles
in length, had been 180,000 salmon annually be-
fore any weirs were erected, and in thirty years
this number of fish had decreased to 2,100 annually.
The paper concluded by stating that the most im-
portant question to be discussed, so far as the
English rivers were concerned, was that of provid-
ing funds to construct these indispensable means of
enabling the fish to reproduce their species. The
conservators might obtain authority, according to
the present law, to borrow money on the security of
the license duties ; but in rivers where the salmon
had been nearly annihilated no adequate funds could
be raised from the license duties.

Mr. T. AsuwoßTu then moved the first resolu-
tion—" That the object which the congress of fishery
proprietors, conservators, and others have in view
shall be the promotion of the cultivation of our sal-
mon rivers by giving the fish a free passage from
the sea to the sources of rivers, by the removal or
abatement of pollutions, millers' weirs, and obstruc-
tions, and to encourage the protection of the fish
from poachers whilst in the rivers, and the improve-
ment of the fishery laws."
The resolution was seconded by the Hon. E. B.
Portman, and carried. _ _

Colonel PRYSE, M.P., moved the second resolu-
tion—" That as the salmon fisheries,had to a great
extent been destroyed by weirs, it was necessary
that ladders should be erected over them."
This resolution was seconded by Mr. C. Hambro,
and agreed to.
Mr. HIGFORD BURR moved the third resolution—
" That as various rivers are seriously injured both
by liquid and solid poisonous matters, and as it is
necessary for public health and the supply of food
for the people:that these pollutions should be pre-
vented, further legislation is urgently needed."

Mr. JOHN LLOYD seconded the resolution, which,
after some suggestions as to the purification of
rivers was put and carried.
The Rev. Prebendary WILKINSON proposed that
the present committee, with power to add to their
number, be authorised to make arrangements
for future meetings of the congress, and that all
chairmen of boards of conservators be ex officio
members of the committee.

Lord DE BLAQUIERE seconded the motion,wbich
was agreed to.
Mr. T. ASHWORTH proposed, and D. Peter
noon seconded the fifth resolution, thanking the
special commissioners of the salmon fisheries for
their services, regretting the death of Mr. Ffennell,
and the resignation of Mr. Eden, and impressing
upon the commissioners and inspectors the necessity
of an early inspection of the numerous mill weirs and
obstructions in the salmon rivers of the kingdom.
Colonel lIIWORTII called attention to the York-
shire rivers, and urged that the commissioners
should be provided with a definite plan ; and men-
tion was also made of the Devonshire rivers and
their pollutions.

Mr. SPENCER WALPOLE said that both he and
Mr. Buckland were most anxious to visit every
river, and would be glad to do so at the time
judged most suitable by the conservators. He re-
gretted the unhappy clause iu the act which gave
the millowner power to remove any case of prosecu-
tion into the Queen Bench. He thought the ques-
tion of the pollution of rivers should be treated as a
national one, as affecting the national health, not
merely as a fishing question. Their efforts should
be directed to induce the country to legislate gene-
rally on the question.

The rc3olution was passed, and the meeting then
discussed the various advantages of the models and
plans, which were explained by their exhibitors.

PARAGUAY.

The little State of Paraguay, away in the interior
of South America, is too far removed from the
civilised world too closely surrounded and shut in by
its bitter enemies to be able to engage attention. Yet
the struggle it maintains against the combined Empire
of Brazil, the Argentine, and Uruguayan Republics
will, when fully known, excite the admiration of
mankind. At the fork of the rivers Paraguay and
Parana a force of little less than 50,000 invaders
is encamped, with a fleet of 10 ironclads, 14 other
vessels of war, and more than thirty transports.
The left, of this strong army rests on the fortress
Curuzu, which stands on the banks of the Paraguay.
That fortress is held by the Second Brazilian Corps
d'Armee under the command of Viscount PORTO
ALEGRE, who gained for the allies almost their only
triumph over General LOPEZ in the capture of this
position. • The Brazilian fleet is anchored off the
Fort, and communication is, by a difficult and
round-about way, maintained with the rest of
the army encamped at Tuyuty under the Bra-
zilian Field Marshal, the Marquis of CAXIAS,
four miles distant; as the crow flieg.' The right
of the main army is covered by a morass, and
its left is in connection with a lake commu-
nicating with the river Paraguay. The. great
stronghold of the country is Humaita, but there
is another a little lower down called Curupaity, and in
front of these fortifications the Paraguayan Presi-
dent has blockaded the river with torpedos and stock-
ades, which have as yet prevented the passage of the
Brazilian fleet. LOPEZ'S main position is at Britts,
his right resting on the fortresses of Humaita and
Curupaity, and his left so placed that he can either
reinforce strongly both fortresses or throw all his
strength to check an advance of the Marquis of
CAXIAS. Between him and the Allies the ground
is rendered difficult by marshes, lakes, and jungles.
The plan of the Allies was to advance to the attack
of Las Rojas, the extreme left of the Paraguayan
position, and in case of success, which would turn
the position of Lopez, throwing him back on his
forts, to move straight on Assumption, the capital,
leaving the two fortifications to the left. A simul-
taneous movement will be made by General Osortio
with a force of about 3,000 men, to be rein-
forced by as many more on the move to join him at
Candelaria, whence he will cross the river Parana
into Paraguay, and march direct to the capi-
tal, distant about 240 miles by a good road
through an open country. These attacks by
the land forces will be supplemented by the
advance of the fleet, which, under cover of
the iron-dads, was to run the gauntlet of the forts.
If successful in this, there will be no impediment to
their advance on the capital, and the difficulties of
the Pa raguayandictator will be almost overwhelming.
However, it is easier to plan than to carry out, par-
ticularly against so devoted a band as that com-
manded by LOPEZ. By advices from Buenos
Ayres of the 26th of April we learn that General
PORTO ALEGRE had been compelled to evacuate
Curuzu, cholera having broken out in the fortress.
Buenos Ayres was ravaged by the plague, the pope.