The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,

fluence the great Presidential contest. To-morrow,
the Vermont election for State officers will be held,
and this at least will be on the side of the Republi-
cans, since they have predominated in that State
for many years. It is thought probable, however,
that their majority will this year be much reduced,
and should this prove to be the case the omen will be
favourable to the Democrats. California comes next
on the list, and the election will be held on Sep-
tember 8. Last year the Democrats obtained the
majority, and are of course hopeful as to the result
this year, but the Republicans aver that their defeat
was due to divisions in their ranks which will not
be repeated. Pennsylvania and Ohio hold their
elections in October, and upon the action of these
States much depends. They are at present divided
between the two parties, but if the Democrats can
keep Pennsylvania and gain Ohio their chances
of success in the Presidential struggle will be
greatly increased. Mr. PENDLETON, a pro-
minent Democrat, who, it will be remembered,
was himself put in nomination for the Presidency,
has given his opinion that the battle will be decided
by the action of Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. These
three States give one-third of the vote necessary to
decide the election of the President, and Mr
PENDLETON himself is therefore devoting all his
energies to promoting the Democratic cause in
them.

We are sorry to find it reported that some pro-
minent journals on the Radical side have not
scrupled to invent speeches for their opponents,
prophesying the establishment of a Southern Con-
federacy, and advocating wholesale slaughter. It is
needless to say that the Democratic leaders have
given utterance to no such absurd and preposterous
language. If they ent.3rtained such visions they
would not certainly put them forward at a time
like the present, while the notion of recommending
their enemies is, one would imagine, too much for
any one to credit. However some readers of these
journals appear to have been deluded by these
scandalous attempts and are greatly exasperated.
Of course the calumniated speakers have authori-
tatively denied the whole of the reports, but the
mischief is done. Political feeling always runs high
at election time, and this year it is likely to be more
violent than usual, but the employment of such
unscrupulous means to forward party interests can
scarcely fail to rebound upon the authors.

While we in England have been lamenting the
absence of rain, our fellow-subjects in India have
been having rather too much of it. In the North-
West the rains have been threatening the grain
crops with absolute inundation, but, as usual,
there are two sides to the question. Iu Central
India and Berar the heavy rains have done good
service, and have actually saved the cotton crop.
The cotton commissioner, Mr. CARNAC, reports
that encouraging accounts have been received from
all the districts, where a few weeks back all was arid
and sterile. Curiously enough in some parts of
America the cotton crop has come short of the esti-
mate from excessive rain and inundation, while in

India it has suffered from the other extreme. The
cotton cultivators of Central India are now full of
activity, sowing or resowing their cotton. It is
hoped, from the delay in the arrival of the mon-
soon, that it will be prolonged, and therefore the
crop next spring will be plentiful. In Bengal the
monsoon came on early, and therefore it is feared
next season's crops will suffer. Berar and the Central
Provinces are rapidly rising into importance in the
cotton trade, having last season exported 220,000
bales to Bombay. The prospects of the cultivation
are the more promising, as the railway now lends
its aid in carrying the bales to the coast, and
affords a powerful stimulus to the export trade.

LFCEDM 771EATRE.

The winter season at this theatre, under the ma-
nagement of Mr. E. T. Smith, commenced on Sa-
turday evening, and introduced to a London

audience an American actor, Mr. Fairclough.

The

new actor comes to us in the most unobtrusive
manner, unhearlded either by gigantic posters or
inflated announcements, he being desirous to "stand
on his own merits," and in this determination he
has shown a wisdom rarely to be found in actors
coming from the other side of the Atlantic. The
part selected for his first appearance was Hamlet,
and if we cannot congratulate him upon being the
best exponent of the much-criticised character

which we have ever seen, we can honestly
bid him welcome, as a careful, judicious,
and clever actor. In person Mr. Fairclough is
about the middle height. He has dark but expres-
sive features, piercing eyes, a good figure, and a
gentlemanly deportment. In addition to all these
it is evident he has deeply studied the great author,
and if he did not reach the highest point of dra-
matic excellence on Saturday night, he never de-
scended to absolute mediocrity. In the develop-
ment of the character there was an utter absence of
all that blustering and rant which usually so greatly
mars, in the estimation of Londoners, the perform-
ances of " great American tragedians ;" on the
contrary, we had a subdued and unexagge-
rated embodiment of the great character, but
founded on the old conventional model,
that won for the actor well-deserved applause. His
elocution throughout was that of a scholar and a
gentleman, and not once did it degenerate into
coarseness. The delivery of the soliloquies were
generally marked with great taste, but some of
them suffered very much from a want of force, but
this more than likely was due to a desire on the
part of the new actor to avoid the accusation
of over-acting. The general impression of the audi-
ence was highly favourable to Mr. Fairelough, and
doubtless a further acquaintance with the London
stage will enable him to surmount that feeling of
nervousness under which it was evident he laboured
on Saturday. At the conclusion of the tragedy he
received the warmest congratulations—a reward he
had most decidedly well earned. Mr. Lawler, also
a first appearance, acted the part of Claudius so
excellently that he will prove a useful addition to
the company of any of our best theatres ; and with
respect to the embodiment of the parts of Polonius
and the Ghost of Hamlet's Father by Mr. Addison
and Mr. _Henry Marston, we briefly say each gen-
tleman acted with his usual excellence. Miss Fanny
Addison made a sweet Ophelia, and Mrs. H. Van-
derhoff a stately Gertrude. The tragedy was mounted
in the best style, a fact which speaks well for the
management. One of the great features of the
season will be the production of a new romantic
play in five acts, by the author of the " Lady of
Lyons," an announcement to that effect being
already in the bill.
The house was crowded in every part.

THE AMERICAN SCHOONER SAPPIIO.—It is re-
ported at Cowes that the commander of this yacht intends
to challenge the schooner Aline to another race. This
would, no doubt, extend to the Cambria, which schooner
won the recent match round the island, but that she has
gone into Cowes harbour to refit, her owner intending to
sail for Spai❑ in a few days.
ATTACK OF PRISONERS ON THEIR WARDERS.
NINE PERSONS KILLED.—The prisoners confined in the
gall of Carthagena, in Spain, have made an attempt to
kill the warders. It was found necessary to use force
against then. Niue prisoners warn killed, and several
wounded.

FIRST ALL-ENGLAND PLOUGHING MATCII.—The
first match of this season came off on Friday, under the
patronage of tho Kingscote Agricultural Association. The
match was held on Colonel Kingscote's farm, at Latter
wood, and the day being fine a large company assembled
to witness the proceedings, including many of the aristo-
cracy of
.the neighbourhool. The champion prize way
won by Messrs. Itamsome's man Barker, with ono of their
celebra`ed ploughs, against seven competitors; whilst the
first prize in the boys' class was taken by ono of Colonel
Kingscote's own servants, with one of the same imple-
ments.

LATEST INTTLL MENGE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)