The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TH UR SDAY EVENING, DECEMBEI t 5, 1861.

BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.-
Incorporated by Royal Charter.
The COURT of DIRECTORS HE GIVE NOTICE
That a HALF-YEARLY DIVIDEND, at the rate of Six
per Cent. per annum (free of Income-tax) on the Capital of
the Bank, will be payable to the Proprietors of Shares reis-
tered in this country, on and after the 3d day of January
next, at the Office of the Corporation, No. 7, St. Helen's-
place, Bishopsgate-street, between the hours of Ten and
Four.
No Transfer can be made between the 1 t th instant and the
3(1 proximo, as the Books must be closed during that period.
By order of the Court.
C. lIP.NAB, Secretary.
No. 7, St. Helen's-place, London, Dec. 3, 1361.

TEA.—STRACHAN and CO.'S Strong Rough
" Domestic" Black at 3s. 4d. per lb.-26,
_Cornhill,
London, E.C.

TEA.—STRACIIAN and CO.'S Fino " Inter-
mediate'' 81a,.1c at 3s. Bd. per lb.-26, Cornhill, Lon-
don, E.C.

TEA. STRACHAN and CO.'S Delicious
" Drawing Room " Black at 4s. 2d. per Ib.---:6, Corn-
hill, London, E.C.
Dr. Hassall's Certificate of Purity, and a Prise Current,
free on app!ication, 26, Cornhill, London, E.C.

GENTLEMEN'S DRESS.-GEORGE HOB.
SON respectfully invites the attention of the nobility,
gentry. and public to his new goods for the present season,
in all the various makes and materials for OVER COATS.
The new winter trousers, 21s. to 255. ; the superfine West of
England woaded black cloths, for dress and frock coats,
£2 15s. to £3 3s. ; dress black trousers, 21s. to 255. Some
beautiful productions in English and continental waist-
coatings, adapted for evening wear. A large stock of over
coats kept to suit the taste of all, and from which orders can
be promptly executed. Excellence with economy. - George
Hobson, 57, Lombard-street.

QAUCE.-LEA AND PERRINS
beg to caution the Public against Spurious Imitations of
their world-renowed
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE.
Purchasers should
ASK FOR LEA AND PERRINS' SAUCE,
Pronounced by Connoisseurs to be
"TIIE ONLY GOOD SAUCE."
*** Sold Wholesale and for Export, by the Proprietors,
Worcester ; Mesi-rs. CROSSE and BLAcKwELL, London,
Ac. Ac., and by Grocers and Oilmen universally.

GIVEN AWAY TO NERVOUS SUFFERERS.
HENRY SMITH, M.D., of the University of
Jena, has just published, for the benefit of Nervous
Sufferers, a FREE EDITION of his valuable work, THE
WAENING VOICE TO YOUNG MEN (120 pages). A
medical work on the cure of Nervous Debility, Loss of
Memory, Dimness of Sight, Lassitude, Indigestion, Dislike
o Society, Spermatorrhcea, Local Weakness, Muscular Re-
axation, Languor, Listlessness, Depression, &c., which, if
neglected, result in consumption, insanity, and premature
death ; with plain directions for perfect restoration to health
,nd vigour. The book will be sent, post free, secure from ob
=ervation, to any address, on receipt of a directed envelope
and two stamps. Address, HENRY SMITH, M.D., e, Burton-
crescent, Tavistock-square, London, W.C.

AN EFFECTUAL REMEDY.-LAMBERT'S
ASTHMATIC BALSAM, without confining the
bowels or affecting the head, truly efficacious and pleasant,
is admitted•to be the best medicine for immediately relieving
coughs, colds, confirmed cases of asthma, and consumption.
It frequently cures persons whom the faculty pronounce in-
curabie, admirably allays the tickling which provokes frequent
coughing. In approaching consumption its effects are truly
beneficial. Persons deprive lof sleep, or even lying down for
fear of suffocation, may depend on relief in a few minutes
after taking it. Prepared only and sold by W. Lambert,
Chemist, 20, Jermyn-street, Haymarket, London, and by al
Druggists, in bottles, 13d., and three times the quantity in
one, 2s. 21 each. Be particular, and ask for Lambert's
Asthmatic Balsam.

GENERAL. SCO7T ON THE AMERICAN
DIFFICULTY.

The following is a copy of the letter just ad-
dressed by General Scott, in reply to the anxious
enquiries of a friend :
My Dear Sir,—You were right in doubting the
declaration imputed to me, to wit, that the Cabinet
at Washington had given orders to seize Messrs.
Mason and Slidell even under a neutral flag, for I
was not even aware that the Government had had
that point under consideration. At the time of my
leaving New Yolk it was not known that the San
Jacinto had returned to the American seas; and it
was generally supposed those persons had escaped
to Cuba for the purpose of re•embarking in the
Nashville, in pursuit of which vessel the James
Adger and:other cruisers had been despatched.
I think I can satisfy you in a few words that you
have no serious occasion to feel concerned about
our relations with England, if, as her rulers pro-
fess, she has no disposition to encourage the dis-
sensions in America.

In the first place it is almost superfluous to say to
you, that every instinct of prudence, as well as
of good neighbourhood prompts our Government to
regard no honourable sacrifice too great for the
preservation of the friendship of Great Britain.
This must be obvious to all the world. At no period
of our history has her friendship been of more im-
portance to our people—at no period has our Govern-
ment been in a condition to make greater conces-
sions to preserve it. The two nations are united by
interests and sympathies—commercial, social, poli-
tical, and religious—almost as the two arms to one•
body—and no one is so ignorant as not to know
that what harms one must harm the other in a
corresponding degree.
I am persuaded that the British Government can
entertain no doubt upon this point; bat if it does,
I feel that I may take upon myself to say that the
President of the United States, when made aware of
its existence, will lose no opportunity of dispelling
it.
Nor is there anything, I venture to affirm, in the
seizure of these rebel emissaries which ought to re-
ceive an unfriendly construction from England.
Her statesmen will not question the legal right of
an American vessel of war to search any commer-
cial vessel justly suspected of transporting contra-
band of war; that right has never been surrendered
by England; it was even guaranteed to her by the
Treaty of Paris; and British guns frowning down
upon nearly every strait and inland sea upon the
globe is conclusive evidence that she regards this
right as one, the efficacy of which may be not yet
entirely exhausted. Of course, there is much that
is irritating and vexatious in the exercise of this
right under the most favourable circumstances, and
it is to be hoped the day is not far distant when the
maritime States of the world will agree in placing
neutral commerce beyond the reach of such
vexations. The United States Government has
been striving to this end for more than fifty years;
to this end early in the present century, and in its
inlancy as a nation, it embarked in a war with
the greatest naval Power in the world, and it is
even now a persistent suitor at every maritime
Court in Europe for a more liberal recognition
of the rights of neutrals than any of the other great
maritime nations have yet been disposed to make.
But till those rights are secured by proper inter-
national guarantees upon a comprehensive and en-
during basis, of course England cannot complain of
an act for which in all its material bearings her
hethoef r
war the h
ee
aoncr ahpnato,i,tve,enisso from
sareorio
questionuthe
d Tffir
cwe
unhltit
cywhi
own naval history affords such numerous precedents.
net
hr
aeegcon-
trabandrtwee
Governments V
ing upon: If Mr. Seward- cannot satisfy Earl
Russell that they were, I have no doubt Earl Rus-
sell will be able to satisfy Mr. Seward that they
were not. If they were, as all authorities
concur
in admitting, agents of the rebellion, it will be diffi-
cult to satisfy impartial minds that they were any
less contraband than a file of rebel
soldiers or a
battery of hostile cannon.

But even should there be a difference of opinion
upon this point, it is very clear that our Govern-
ment had sufficient grounds for presuming itself in
the right, to escape the suspicion of having wantonly
violated the relations of amity which the two coun-
tries profess a desire to preserve and cultivate.
The pretence that we ought to have taken the
Treat into port and had her condemned by a prize
court, in order to justify our seizure of four of her
passengers, furnishes a very narrow basis on which
to fix a serious controversy between two great
nations. Stated in other words, an offence would
have been less if it had been greater. The wrong
done to the British flag would have been mitigated
if, instead of seizing the four rebels, we had
seized the ship, detained all her passengers for
weeks, and confiscated her cargo. I am not sur•
prised that Captain Wilkes took a different
view of his duty, and of what was due to the
friendly relations which subsisted between the two
Governments. The renowned common sense of
the English people, I believe, will approve of hie

effort to make the discharge of a very unpleasant
duty as little vexatious as possible to all innocent
parties. _ _

If under these circumstances England should
deem it her duty in the interest of civilisation to
insist upon the restoration of the men taken from
under the protection of her flag, it will be from
a conviction, without doubt, that the law of nations
in regard to the rights of neutrals, which she has
taken the leading part in establishing, requires re-
vision, and with a suitable disposition on her part
to establish those rights upon a just, humane, and
philosophic basis. Indeed, lam happy to see an
intimation in one of the leading metropolitan jour-
which goes far to justify this inference. Referring
to the decisions of the English Admiralty. Courts,
now quoted in defence of the seizure of the Ameri-
can rebels on board the Trent, the London Times of
the 28th of November says :

" So far as the authorities go, the testimony of
international law writers is all one way, that a bel-
ligerent war cruiser has the right to stop and visit
and search any merchant ship upon the high seas.
. . But it must be remembered that these deci-
sions were given under circumstances very different
from those which now occur. Steamers in those
days did not exist, and mail vessels carrying let-
ters wherein all the nations of the world have im-
mediate interest were unknown. We were fight-
ing for existence, and we did in those days what
we should neither do nor allow others to do, nor
expect ourselves to be allowed to do in these days."
If England, as we are here encouraged to hope,
is disposed to do her part in stripping war of half
its horrors, by accepting the policy long and per-
sistently urged upon her by our Government, and
commended by every principle of justice and huma-
nity, she will find no ground, in the visit of the
Trent, for controversy with our Government. I
am sure the President and people of the United
States would be but too happy to let these men go
free, unnatural and unpardonable as their offences
have been, if by it they could emancipate the com-
merce of the world. Greatly as it would be to our
disadvantage at this present crisis to surrender any
of those maritime privileges of belligerents which
are sanctioned by the laws of nations, I feel that I
take no responsibility in saying that the United
States will be faithful to her traditional policy upon
this subject, and to the spirit of her political insti-
tutions.

On the other hand, should England be unpre-
pared to make a corresponding sacrifice, should she
feel that she could not yet afford to surrender the
advantages which the present maritime code gives
to a dominant naval Power, of course she will not
put herself in a false position by asking us to do it.
In either case, therefore, I do not see how the
friendly relations of the two Governments are in
any immediate danger of being disturbed.
That the over-prompt recognition as belligerents
of a body of men, however large, so long as they
constituted a manifest minority of the nation,
wounded the feelings of my countrymen deeply, I
will not affect to deny, nor that that act, with some
of its logical consequences which have already
occurred, has planted in the breasts of many the
suspicion that their kindred in England wish them
evil rather than good ; but the statesmen to whom
the political interest of these two great people are
confided act upon higher responsibilities and with
better lights, and you may rest assured that an
event so mutually disastrous as a war between
England and America, cannot occur without some
other and graver provocation than has yet been
given by either nation.
WINFIELD SCOTT.
Hotel Westminster, Palls, Dec. 2, 1861.
To —, Esq.

leave of absence will ?not be given until further
orders.

The Melbourne, sere w steam vessel, is still ship-
ping immense quantitik 's of munitions of war for
Canada. She will be t 'onvoyed out by two war
frigates fully armed, the 3 crews of which will be
provided with every apl 'Hance for cutting away
the ice, in order to prooeel up the St. Lawrence to
Quebec. Every exertic n is 'being made to enable
her to leave the river as !soon as possible, and, in
accordance with orders, a :rumber of workmen were
this night employed at ti' mast-house of the dock
yard in making ice saw 'dandles, chisels, and lance
handles. Many hundred .s of hands will also be em-
ployed at the paper fact ory at the Royal Arsenal
during the whole of the 'present night in the manu-
facture of cartridges, &c ,; and in other departments
niglitwork had been re'iumed, as during the period
of the Crimean war.

Privateers, both Federal and Confederate, were
yesterday xeportcd to be in the chops of the Chan-
nel near Scilly.
Letters from the South American coast, received
by our Southampton correspondent, report that
her Majesty's ships Curlew and Ardent and the
French brig Bcaumanoir, 14 guns, were at Buenos
Ayres on the 27th of October. The follow-
ing ships of war were at Montevideo on the 30th
Her Majesty's ,ships Curacoa and Spy, the Bra-
zilian gunboats Yequetinnonna (f. s.), and the Ara-
guary, the Spanish brig Gravina, 18 guns (f. s.),
Spanish gunboats Concordia and Covadonga ; the
French frigate Pandore, 50 guns (flagship) ; the
French gunboate Falmonate ; and the French store-
ship Fortune.

A notice was yesterday affixed at Chatham Dock-
yard gates, announcing that 50 additional ship
wrights, five caulkers, eight joiners, and 16 smiths
were required at that establishment. The addi-
tional labourers are to be selected from the seamen
pensioners discharged from the Wellesley, 74.
Yesterday Sir Richard Mayne, Chief Commis-
sioner of the metropolitan police, accompanied by
Mr. Superintendent Mallalieu, inspected the A
division of the police force doing duty at Chatham
Dockyard under the direction of Mr. Superinten-
dent Richardson. The members of the force were
drilled in the presence of Captain Fanshawe, Su-
perintendent of the dockyard, and the other offi-
cials, after which they were exercised at the fire
engines. In order to test the speed in which the fire
engines could be brought into play after the first
alarm of fire an order was given to the men to man
the engines. Although they were in their full uni-
form at the time the whole operation of changing
their clothes to the fire suit, fetching the engine
from another part of the yard, fixing the hose, and
getting it into play, consumed only 31 minutes, as
timed by Capt. Fanshawe. On the previous day
Sir R. Mayne made his first annual inspection of
the force at Sheerness Dockyard, and expressed
himself well satisfied with the result of his inspec
Lion. Before quitting Chatham Dockyard Sir R.
Mayne inspected the quarters occupied by the
police, and also inspected the books and police re-
turns.

Admiralty orders were yesterday received at
Chatham, directing 30 non-commissioned officers
and men of the Royal Marines, together with 40
gunners of the Ros al Marine Artillery, to be selected
for service on board the iron steamer Defence, 22,
commissioned at Chatham by Capt. Powell, C.B.
The following appointments were made at the Admiralty
last evening :

Lieutenants—Charles G. Jones to the Trafalgar, Alfrei
J. Check to the Majestic, Spencer M. Wilson to the
Colossus.

Masters—Daniel J. May (additional) to the Fisgard,
John P. C. Clements to the Mars, H. Goldsmith to the
Cumberland for Galatea, N. Coen to the Cumberland for
Barossa, Alfred J. Veitch to the Indus for the Phoebg.
Master's Assistant—Joseph B. Doyle to the Warrior.
Surgeon—Charles F. A. C)urtney, to the Defence.

Assistant-Surgeon—Dr. James Paterson, to the Defence.
Assistant-Engineers—Thomas Griffiths, acting second-
class, to the Cumberland (sapornum3rary) ; Wm. APNeill,
to the Hogue.

PROMOTIONS.
Wm. Burgess, engineer, to the Waterman.
Charles Bulford, assistant-engineer seemi-class, to the
Urgent.

711 E ARM'.

The departure of the E battery of the 4th Bri-
gade of Field Artillery from Bristol for Woolwich,
per special train yesterday morning, was accompa-
nied by a cordial demonstration on the part of the
volunteers. The Artillery band mustered very
strong, and met their brethren of the regular ser-
vice in Stoke's Croft, where they headed the line of
march to the terminus. They were afterwards joined
by the band of the Volunteer Rifle Corps, and on
the way to the station a variety of popular and ap-
propriate airs were played, including " Rule Bri-
tannia," and " I'm off to Charlestown." In Bridge-
street a large number of the Volunteer Artillerymen
mustered, and were drawn up on each side, and the
bands and Royal Artillerymen having passed
through, the volunteers fell in and brought up the
rear of the procession. Besides the volun-
teers a large number of citizens were present
on the occasion, and heartily joined in the demon-
stration. The battery arrived at 'Woolwich by train
from Bristol, last evening at 4A4. They proceeded
to the barracks amid the cheers and applause of
crowds assembled through the whole line of march.
The ftllo wing general order, signed by Colonel
C. Bingham, Deputy Adjt.-Gen., Royal Artillery,
notifying the changes and transfers in the Royal
Regiment of Artillery, has been promulgated for
general information :

" Her Majesty has been pleased to approve of the fol-
lowing promotions in the Royal Artillery :—Second Capt.
W. French to be Capt., vice Seale, deceased ; Lieut. F. A.
Whinyat,s to be Second Capt., vice French; Staff Assist.-
Surg. W. Creagh, to be Assist.-Surg., vice A. Hawkins,
placed upon half pay; Lieut.-Col. the lion. G. T. Deve-
reux to be Col. in the army; Major J. F. L. Baddeley to be
Lieut.-Col. in the army; Acting Veterinary Surg. G. A.
Oliphant to be Veterinary Surg., vice C. Saunderson, de-
ceased; Acting Veterinary Surg. D. Paley to be Veterinary
Surg., vice H. Dunsford, resigned ; Veterinary Surg.
J. S. Stockley to be Veterinary Surg. of the first class.
The following officers are raised to increased pay :—Lieut.
W. R. Strike and Lieut. P. D. Barclay, Ist brigade.
"His Royal Highness the General Commanding.in-
Chief has been pleased to make the following appointments:
Lieut.-Col. li. L. Gardiner to be Assist. Adjutant-General
to the Royal Artillery in Ireland, vice Col. C. Dickson,
C. 8., whose period of service in that appointment has ex-
pired; Capt. W. S. M. Wolfe to be Brigade Major to the
Royal Artillery at Aldershott, vice Major G. H. L. Milman,
whose period of service in that appointment has expired ;
Lieut. W. IV. Murdoch to the Royal Horse Artillery, vice
Lieut. Whinyates, promoted. The following transfers have
been ordered to be made :—Col. W. B. Gardner, from the
2d Brigade to the 6th Brigade; Lieut.-Col. E. H. Fisher,
from the 6th Brigade to the 2d Brigade; Major J. G. Booth-
by, from the 6th Brigade to the 10th Brigade ; Major C. H.
Ingilby, from the 10th Brigade to the 6th Brigade ; Capt.
W. B. Ellis, from No. 4 battery, Ist Brigade, to No. 3 bat
tery, 13th Brigade; Captain F. A. Whinyates, from No. 3
battery, 13th Brigade, to No. 4 battery, let Brigade; Capt.
H. R. Martin, from A battery, oth Brigade, to No. 1 bat-
tery, 6th Brigade; Capt. A. D. Burnaby, from No. 1 bat-
tery, 6th Brigade, to A battery, 9th Brigade ; Lieut. H. Le
Goice, from 4 battery, 6th Brigade, to B battery, 4th Bri-
gade; Lieut. R. Handeock, from B battery, 4th Brigade,
to No. 4 battery, 6th Brigade; Assist.-Surg. G. R. Tate,
M.D., from the Bth to the 12th Brigade ; Assist.-Surg. J.
D'Altera, from the 10th to the 11th Brigado; Assist...Sorg.
W. llaugton, M 8., from the 14th to the 10th Brigade;
Assist.-Surg. Creagh is posted to the 11th Brigade ; Vete-
rinary Surg. J. S. Stockley, from the 9th to the Bth Bri-
gade, and to remain and do duty in Ireland. Col. C. Dick-
son, C. 8., is to join at Canterbury on Jan. 1, 1802, and Cul.
G. F. A. De Rinzy at Jersey, on the s une date. The officers
commanding Royal Artillery at the stations concerned have
been directed to obtain the sanction of tha officers com-
manding the troops for the removal of the following
officers :—Captain French, from China to India ; Second
Capt. Whinyate,, from India to Gibraltar; and Lieutenant
Murdoch, from Portsmouth to Woolwich.
" In consequence of the recent augmentation which has
been made, on the recommendation of H.R.H. the General
Commanding-in-Chief, to the depot brigade Royal Artil-
lery, the following redistribution has been made of the di
visions and batteries :—The Ist division will be stationed at
Sheerness, and consist of Nos. 1,2, 3,4, and 5 batteries
the 2d division will be stationed at Woolwich, and consist