The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-13 00:00:00

_—
hastened his departure to the seat of war in conse-
quence, for the purpose of taking up his position
there forthwith, in his supremely responsible cha-
_

ratter as Commander-in-Chief.
Elsewhere will be found, transferred to our
columns of this evening, from those of our chief
morning contemporary, a picturesque description
of the aspect of affairs just now at Ceuta—penned
by one whose very selection to the post implies his
ability to write and his keenness to observe, i., e.
another Times' Correspondent. From this authentic
narrative it will be seen that as yet things are
there (at Ceuta) in a state of muddle and confusion,

strongly reminding one of the old disastrous
plight, five years ago, of our Crimean Slough of
Despond at Balaklava. Take in illustration, the
account given of the creek, where the cattle
were landed from the horse-boats. It is de-
picted as a " dry gully," which " continues for
some distance above highwater mark, passing
under a broad arch of brickwork, and sloping up-
wards until the ground rises to a level with
the quay." The writer then goes on to say, "It is
narrowed by a number of large boats, hauled up on
either side ; beneath the arch are heaps of old
cordage and rusty chain cables ; the mud at the
water's edge combines with lurking defilements and
abominations to produce the pleasing variety of
odours , that impregnate the surrounding atmos-
phere. It was here that the square, heavy horseboats
came, dancing, to the no small disquietude of their
living freights, over the heavy swell that rolled
into the bay with the rising tide after eight in the
evening." Then comes the record of the landing,
as follows,:—" The boats were hauled into the
creek, ancr as near to land as they could come;
once aground, a bridge was thrown out from them,
down which the cattle came. There were then still
a good many yards of water to traverse, into which
some of the animals made great difficulty
about stepping, while others took it so clum-
sily that they fell and got completely drenched.
Most of them were mounted to come ashore, but
some were merely driven into the water, and wan-
dered out of their course and almost out of their
depth. A number of half-naked men waded
about catching and directing them ; qn shore,
when the horses landed, many of them found
no one in readiness to claim them, and re-
mained encumbering the narrow space until some
officer ordered them off. In the boats, soldiers and
grooms shouted and swore; on land impatient pro-
prietors clamoured for greater speed. If you ima-
gine all this passing on a dark night by the dim
light of two or three lanterns, you will compose a
picture that was not altogether pleasing to those
who figured in it. Early in the night a cargo of
commissariat cattle was landed, and six or seven
poor beasts, seemingly sick and weak from confine-
ment on board, fell into the water, close to its edge,
and rose no more, They lay there, half embedded
in mud, objects of terror to the horses that passed
them, occasionally convulsively struggling and
gasping, until the flowing tide ended their mise-
ries." The incident which is next recounted—
a sort of impromptu bull-fight —is aptly
introduced as one in every way eminently cha-
racteristic. It is as amusing as a spectacle in
the amphitheatre. But more sanguinary spectacles
than these we may be sure are in store for Moors
and Spaniards in that unhappy region of strife—
that ill-fated arena of a conflict wantonly provoked
by the evil policy of a selfish ambition, acting
through the rather dubious machinery of the pre-
sent Government at Madrid.

The late appointments made by Lord PAL-
MERSTON'S Government are amongst the most
auspicious incidents recorded in the history of the
Coalition. Nothing could well have been more
judicious, under the circumstances, than the selec-
tion of Sir 'HENRY KEATING, the late Solicitor-
General, to occupy that seat upon the bench in the
Court of Common Pleas, so unexpectedly rendered
vacant the other day by the sudden death of the
lamented Mr. Justice CROWDER. The abilities of
the hon. and learned gentleman now invested
with the judicial ermine after twice occupy-
ing the responsible position of the second of the
legal advisers of the Crown, hating seats in the
House of Commons, are very generally recognised
—are recognised none the less heartily by his poli-
tical opponents than by his political friends and
associates—as more suited in every way to the dis-
charge of the duties devolving upon a judge than
of those more active and energetic and agitating
duties devolving upon a popular representative
connected in any conspicuous manner with the
labours of Administration. Whatever may be the
opinion entertained by some in regard to the foren-
sic judicial qualifications of Sir HENRY KEATING,
we believe that his promotion from the office of
Solicitor-General to the vacant seat upon
the bench of the Common Pleas will excite
among both friends and enemies almost una-
nimous satisfaction. And certainly the selection
which has been made immediately afterwards by
Sir HENRY'S successor as Solicitor-General, ought
to, be welcomed by the Liberals generally with
peculiar, and we are fain even to add, with even
unqualified sentiments of gratification. The hon.
and learned gentleman in question, Mr. WILLIAM
ATHERTON, M.P. for the city of Durham, Q.C.,
one of H.M.C. for the Duchy of Lancaster, one of
the leading advocates on the Northern Circuit,
Counsel to the Admiralty, and Judge-Advocate of
the Fleet, ought to be regarded as more peculiarly
welcome to the more advanced Liberals in his new
character as her MAJESTY'S Solicitor-General, for
reasons more potent, in their way, at this particular
moment, than any that might be rationally deduced
from those evidences of his high powers, whether
personal or professional. And these, to our thinking,
vastly superior reasons—are they not obviously the
reasons most affecting the future fortunes of the
present Ministry through its future policy as an
Administration Mr. ATIIERTON, we ought to re-
member, then, with especial satisfaction at this
juncture, is in his own political views so advanced
and so enlightened in Liberalism that he is an
earnest advocate for the Ballot, no less than
for the extension of the suffrage, for the
comprehensive revision of our legal system,
and for the removal, root and branch, ab-
solutely and entirely, of that old upas hanian
hitherto covering the land with its deadly poison-
shade, that self-propagating tree-of-evil, the fruits
of which were Religious Disabilities. Mr.
ATHERTON is no Whig, is no partisan, is an ad-
vanced and thoroughly independent Liberal, is for
all reforms, but above all, for (what is in our esti-
mation) the reform of all reforms—The Ballot.
Particularly, peculiarly, especially for that one rea-
son among many powerful reasons, all tending to
make us regard with complacency the selection of
the hon. and learned gentleman the member for
the city of Durham, for the post of Solicitor-
General, we rejoice very heartily as reformers in
this latest, as it is also one of the very best mono.
several excellent official appointments recently made
hie
under, the Coalition Government.
•

The Duke of Newcastle has arrived in town from
Brighton.
The Earl and Countess of Winchilsea have
arrived at the St. George's Hotel from Eastwell Park.
Viscount Palmerston returned to London yester
day from Brighton.