The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-15 00:00:00

I': I'ER

I breaking of the electric curre t,4lmt-
rn -.....11#11tp
tions of the torpedoes were arlfekTon
the telescope guns could be trained s e'er ain. in
the line of the dredging vessels at night as in the
daytime. The details of these arrangements were
most lucidly explained and illustrated with practical
experiments.

The Congressional Plan of Reconstruction.

The report of the joint Committee on Recon-
struction, of the United States Senate and House of
Representatives is of a character which will awaken
intense interest throughout the country. It pro-
poses the terms upon which it is expected that Con-
gress will 1)2 willing to admit the people of the
seceded States to participation in the affairs of the
Government, and its provisions are of such a nature
as will cause intense feeling among the participants
in the late rebellion, as well as in the breasts of
Union tnen who stood by the Government during
the war. Hence the manner in which the report of
the committee will be received at the North and the
South is likely to be entirely different. The ex-
rebels are unwilling to endure any penance, to sub-
mit to any terms, or to agree to any compromises.
They claim a right to go back to power with all the
privileges which they relinquished in 1861, and if
anything is due to them they rather intimate that
rewarding them for their treason would be just and
generous. The report of the Reconstruction Com-
mittee does not propose any such liberality. It pre-
seats to the country certain terms necessary for
the safety of the Union as it was, and is as the
basis of what may be called a treaty of peace. The
first matter of importance is the settlement of the
status of all persons in the United States under the
Constitution ; the second is the nature of represen-
tation ; the third the conditions of representation ;
the fourth the qualification of electors; and the fifth
Constitutione
rt
ehgeul
atsubjecteth eos feot
fh
matters the annulmentheu
United
ite certaind ofs ttaht
ee
s eb e d e t . To
amendments
the to
proposed.
States.t h
First—That the privileges and immunities of citizens
of the United States shall be alike in
all are
Second—That Representatives in Congress shall be
c,
apportioned according to population,
that
if
any excluding
Indians not taxed ; provide,'
of male citizens over the age of 21 years shall be
excluded from voting, except from the participation
in the rebellion, or other crime, the basis of repre-
sentation in such State shall be reduced in the pro-
portion which such male citizens excluded shall bear
Ito the whole number of male citizens over 21 years of
age. For instance, in a State where male citizens of
all colours vote the representation will be on the
whole population, excluding Indians not taxed.
Where there are negroes above 21 years of age, in
States where negroes do not vote, the reduction will

be in the proportion which they bear to the white
voting population. If, for example, there are one
million of white voters in a State, and one hundred
thousand adult male black, in ascertaining the basis
of representation, counting white men, women, and
children, and black women and children, there shall
be a reduction of one-tenth, and the representation
shall be settled according to the usual Congres-
sional apportionment. Where, as in some of the
Southern States, the proportion of black to whites is
heavy, the reduction will be very considerable, but
in those States there will be a representation founded
on the black population, women and children. By
this plan all attempts to compel the admission of
blacks to suffrage will be avoided ; it will be a ques-
tion for each State, founded on political necessity,
or the changes which time may bring in the ideas of
the people.
The third amendment proposes to punish the
crime of rebellion by excluding from political privi-
leges in Federal elections for five years, or until
July 4, 1870, all persons who participated in the
Rebellion, or gave it aid and comfort. This will
not affect the rights of such persons to participate in
elections for State officers.

The fourth amendment proposes that the Con-
federate debt shall never be assumed by the United
States, and that no compensation shall be made for
slaves freed by the result of the war.

As accompaniments to these proposed amend-
ments, are two laws, one of which declares that,
when the amendments arc ratified, any State lately
in insurrection may be admitted to Congress upon
modification of its Constitution accordingly, and in
such case the State so ratifying the amendment
shall be allowed to assume the direct tax due the
I United States, and be allowed ten years for pay-
-1 I ment. Another proposes to exclude the leaders of
the Rebel Government from eligibility to Fe.
deral offices, also of West Point officers who
participated in the rebellion, and officers of
the rebel army above the grade of colonel,
and of the rebel navy above the grade of master ;
also all who maltreated Union prisoners during the
war. This proposition would exclude from office
nearly all the old politicians who led in the rebellion
and insure the choice of new men. The former
would still have power as voters, however, after

1870, but they would not be able to distribute the
Federal offices among themselves. '
These propositions are of very grave import. In
some particulars they agree with what the President
has recommended. In others they may be at
variance with his policy. Presuming that they are
ratified by Congress, they will go before the coun-
try the most exciting issues which have been
brought to their attention for many years.

appoint-
ments on the Staff at home will become vacant in
districts on the Ist October, in consequence of their promo-
tion to their present rank. Sir R. Walpole's period of Staff
service expires about thesamo time, and the Chatham com-
mand will be at the disposal of the Horse Guards. The Ca-
valry Brigade in Ireland and an infantry brigade in the
STAFF APPOINTMENTs.—SeveraI desirable
the course of the autumn. Lieut.-Ged. Sir S. Cotton and
Sir L. Garrett give up the Northern and South-Eastern
same country will be open, as Majors-Gen. Key and Hon.
A. Gordon will have completed their time in September.
Gens. Cotton and Garrett have not been a year in the enjoy-
ment of their commands, and their removal, after so
short a time, would seem to suggest the selection for these
posts of Major-Generals so far down the list that they might
look forward to holding their places for a longer period. Be-
sides, at places like Shorncliffe, where regiments returning
from long service in India have to be smartened up, and at
Chatham, which is our greatest school for recruits, it would
seem that younger and more active officers, with tolerably
recent regimental experience might be advantageously
chosen. The Manchester command is scarcely of so much
consequence, and there an older officei; one perhaps whose
health had not allowed him to complete his Staff service
not
abroad, might be chosen. But advantage would follow not
by
only to the troops, but to the general officetrbsetl.n:er
ma
jor_
having these appointments given among
his regimental
to about the time at which he might expect
employment he might
colonelcy, and from the date of htis
oefm professionalp income
gollerals, for each officer would find his employmentj lasting
calculate upon the same anoAun
y and Navy Gazette.
during the rest of his catee!--
at length some prospect of a
are glad to learn that there is iNsvith the Dead-meat Market in
yearshich hthaevebbeen corporation
en ha
commencement being
THE METROPOLITAN DEAD-MEAT. MA R K ET.—We
Smithfield to remain one of the
allowed the valuable site
city of London, yielding nothing to the
waste places of theend
existing only as a nuisance to the
corporate funds,
Smithfield. For
Tmlhoerseinidtt
delays
In
as f
yn
s:m:
neighbourhood.
interposed're
by the city have caused great inconvenience and unneces-
sary sary expense to the Metropolitan and Great Western Rail-
way Companies, who have been unable to complete their
works up to the point where they might deliver the meat
from their trucks at once into the market. So far as the
public interests are concerned, they, too, have been shame-
fully sacrificed in this matter, and no greater condemna-
tion of the conduct of the city authorities can be afforded
than is given, by a visit to that filthy den of Newgate-
market, into which so large a portion of the supply of meat
for the metropolis is now huddled every morning. There
is not a town in England which is so wretchedly served in
this matter of meat markets as London, and there is, on
the other hand, no place in the world in which greater
facilities exist for receiving and distributing the suppliesi
of meat as London. Had the city authorities permitbete-dfor l;
the railways from all parts of England wouldlhfiongeld.
As
this have been able to bring the meat into Smithfield.
the Great
lines, m
now finally arranged, the meat conveyedie ss,
by it
will be lifted
Northern, Great Western, and other
from the rails tielcw Smithfield to the level of the market,
and be unloaded direct into the salesmen's shops, and
.
ary handling and
that repul-
sive and disgusting treatment which .
that the public should
te market. It is bad enough . .
gate-market. -
diseased meat ; it is insufferable
have the chance of eating
that they should be compelled to eat food which has passed.
1 through the defilement of the existing mark RailwaY
t e
1 --
I News.
New York are detecting the milk-
The police of
their
water with their milk, and publishingLu
meu who but
•
names in the papers.

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