The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-22 00:00:00

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THE SUN.

LONDON, FRIDAY, NOV. 22, 1861.

From reperts confessed to be " very confused,"
we gather the certainty that the Federal fleet has
got to work. Port Royal is the point of attack,
and it is certain, by the resistance, that the attack
had been anticipated; it is said, however, to be
just ready to surrender. The Confederates are
obviously alarmed, for not only were they found in
force, but their army on the Potomac seems to be
sending some of its troops to the scene of naval
attack. Even the General, BEAtTREGARD, is said
to have thought the danger to South Carolina so
much the most urgent, that he has relinquished
the command in the North and gone to Carolina.
In the west the fighting seems to be still on equal
terms. First a Federal force from Cairo lands at
a place called Belmont, beats the Confederates, and
captures everything, with 100 men; but imme-
diately the Confederates come on their rear the
Federals march for their boats, and with heavy loss
on both sides the Federals retire. It is sad that
these purposeless and bloody fights should be so
often repeated. Many of them, however, afterwards
dwindle down to small affairs. The thousands en-
gaged prove to be hundreds, and the hundreds
killed, at most tens. Another Codederate steamer,
with a valuable cargo, has run the blockade—and
the Sumpter is once more talked of, this time as
captured. The next news must be important.

We shall soon probably understand a little better
the prospects of Italy. The Italian Parliament has
assembled, and RICASOLI has announced his policy.
It seems to be as identical as possible with that
which would have been pursued by his lamented
predecessor, since it proffers to the POPE such inde-
pendence as he could scarcely have hoped for. The
Emperor NAPOLEON had been requested to become
mediator, but through want of concentration on the
part of the Roman Court, the mediation fell to the
ground. Roman pride, like that of Austria, clings
to ignominious power, as if power on any terms
were a prize. The POPE'S is, however, the more
discreditable, because he holds it merely by foreign
aid. The Romans at this moment are not his sub-
jects, but the subjects of France, which allow him to
govern and tax them as he likes. It is LOUIS
NAPOLEON, not Pope Pius, who is Sovereign of
Rome ; nor dare the POPE do what he prohibits.

RICA.SOLI asks of the PorE to renounce for ever
such a trumpery Viceroyalty—asks him to exchange
humiliating submission to a Suzerain at the
Tuileries for spiritual, and ecclesiastical, and tem-
poral independence in the capital of his country.
He and his Cardinals are to retain their dignity
and inviolability. He is to have full liberty for
all his acts of divine right as chief of the
Church ; he may send his nuncios -whether he
pleases; convene councils and synods without the
intervention of the Government ; the right of eccle-
siastical benefices—doubtless some handsome livings
—is given up by .the KING; as also, what our
QUEEN would not resign, all right of interference
in the nomination of bishops; and—the best thing
of all in the eyes of the Vatican—" the King of
ITALY will guarantee the POPE a certain revenue."
Of course we in England can only imperfectly
judge, previously to the discussions which will arise
on them, of the value of these concessions. We can,
however, see that they are very considerable.
No Church in any State in Europe, except, indeed,
the self-supporting and therefore independent sects
in Great Britain, have anything approaching to
such liberty. The Catholic Church in Italy will,
under these arrangements, be, we should have
thought, too free for any State Church. It will
gain a degree of ecclesiastical independence
amongst 20 millions of people, hitherto unknown,
by sacrificing a detested and humiliating temporal
rule over a million of Italians of whom France is
the real master. Even nominal titles and powers
are dear, however; witness how beggared Irish
landlords clung to their mortgaged estates. His
Holiness is much such another beggared Prince
—and clings to his empty title, while the title
deeds are in LOUIS NAPOLEON'S strong box.
Nothing, however, can excuse the conduct of
France. She promised to leave when the Papal
independence was provided for. It is provided
for. The enemies of Italy wish indeed to keep
her out of her capital, and the poor Romans in
subjection, but France is not professedly at heart
an enemy to Italy, and she has no honourable
excuse for her obstinacy. Just now, when she is
in want too of money, she has the best reason
of all to allege for accepting the independence of
the Pope and granting independence to the long-
oppressed Romans, It may be hoped that M.
FOULD will have a voice in this matter.

The Confederate privateer Nashville has created
a case which may well puzzle our international
lawyers. If it be discussed on purely technical
grounds, we confess we do not see our way to a per-
fectly satisfactory solution. The United States
are recognised by us as e friendly Power, and we
have but a few days ago allowed a vessel of war
belonging to their Government to leave the waters
of Southampton after having qualified herself to do
what she pleased with any vessel of inferior force.
But yesterday another vessel of the Confederate
half of the United States comes and claims the
same privilege—and we, having recognised the
Confederates as belligerents, and declared perfect
neutrality between the two belligerents, are now
called on to do for the Nashville what we did for
the James Adger.
The Nashville seems indeed to want to make
herself a better ship of war, or rather to convert
herself from a merchantman into a ship of war;
but that seems to be merely a question of extent
of repairs ; the commission of Mr. JEFFERSON
Av 1)Is converts her into a public ship of war.
Perhaps a little might be said on the ground
'll-it to " take off her top deck and to fit her out
as a vessel of war," is almost equivalent to build-
ing a ship of war for her owners; and it is pos-
s.b e our lawyers may be able to refuse so much.
take the ground that the " asylum and
hospitality"
ity" asked by a ship which has suffered
from weather at sea, cannot go beyond making
good the damage done at sea.Troadecdt
toa singlemake
gun to her armament, or in any respect
her more competent to fight than when she left
the shores of her own country, would certainly be
to take part in the quarrel by deliberately fur-
Had a
I nishing naval power to one side.