The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-02 00:00:00

says that he saw at once that the siding would
not hold the entire of the train. The
train was a long one, and it was obliged to
be divided, so as to put some waggons on one set
of rails and some on another. The sooner some
change is made in these arrangements the better
for the general safety of passengers, and it seems
surprising that there should not have been more
accidents the way things are carried on. It is no
use making arbitrary rules and not allowing for
any chances or accidents that may occur from the
first train in question being a little too late, or the
second too soon, and no space being left on the
sidings, and so on. Another very desirable change
will be to give up the habit of locking the carriage
doors, for it is a most pernicious one. It is said
that some of the doors on the platform side were
locked, but that does not agree with the account given
by those who passed the keys to passengers to let
themselves out. At any rate let the rule now be
that doors are not locked at all ; it will be far the
wisest. The experience of the accident at Abergele
has shown the public very plainly that there are
worse evils to be apprehended than can arise from
a stray passenger here or there jumping out of the
carriages too soon. The general safety and con-
venience of the passengers must be considered be-
fore the claims of those who run risks by their
foolhardiness, and before the prejudices
and fancies of those who like to make
arbitrary rules. Let not the unfortunate
affair of the other day be in vain, but
let it be a mark for the changes that are rendered
necessary by the requirements of the passengers, and
the experience which each day's travelling affords
those who are willing to learn. The Railway Com-
panies may rest assured that public opinion will not
tolerate any addition to rules and regulations that
have been shown to be fatal, and that in future they
must endeavour to carry out those plans which
most readily insure safety, and not follow those
more convenient ones, which may be all right, yet
which are liable to fail, and to produce the most se-
rious consequences.

Mr. F. PEEL has issued an address to the elec-
tors of South-east Lancashire, and declares that he
will support Mr. GLADSTONE'S Irish policy, and
seems to be very desirous of promoting education
by all available means. He entertains the most
lively hope that the result of the elections now at
hand will be to replace the existing administration
by one presided over by Mr. GLADSTONE, which is
sure to possess the confidence of the majority of the
people. Why he does not explain very clearly,
but lays great stress on the importance of retrench-
ment, which seems to have become a sort of mania
among the Liberals lately. Doubtless they are
taking the cue from their leader's famous address
at St. Helen's on the subject. Mr. IluuliEs
has addressed at some length a meeting at Kenning-
ton Hall, yesterday. In contesting this election,
the hon. member assured his hearers, that he should
not have recourse to any of the " venal electioneer-
ing machinery" that was in vogue, and truly added
that it was degrading alike to the constituencies
and tie candidates to do so. He made some at-
tempt to defend the Sunday Trading Bill, and de-
clared that the measure he had introduced into
Parliament was intended to render the law
" efficient and satisfactory." He certainly has
the best right to speak of its intentions, but it is
also very true that the measure in question did not
fulfil them, and would have caused great dissatis-
faction had it done so. It is quite idle to draw the
line too tight in this respect, and all the recent
efforts made to legislate upon the matter gave rise
to invidious comparisons as to the relative advan-
tages of the rich and
t1)(' Doors whi,l2 ara w 2 gray, a to
be deprecated, as they produce angry feelings and
can do no good to any one.

The intelligence from the seat of war in South
America turns out, on further information, to be
less disastrous to the Paraguayans than was at
first represented. There is no reason to doubt that
Ilunaaita has been evacuated by the Paraguayans,
or that the Allies are naturally much elated by the
almost unlooked-for success. The fortress which
has withstood a siege for more than two years is at
their mercy, and the fall of the Chaco and Tirnbo
are eagerly looked for. The defenders abandoned
Humaita on the night of the 24th, crossing
to the Chaco under cover of the darkness, and
leaving behind them, we are told by the Bra-
zilian accounts, two hundred guns and a quantity
of ammunition. As it turns out that these guns
were spiked by the Paraguayans, before they left
their post, the possession of them is not calculated
to add much strength to the Allies. Without
doubt the desertion of Humaita is a gain for the
Allies, but it is by no means certain that it is so
great a gain as they now represent it to be. LOPEZ
is a man not only of great determination of charac-
ter, but of great resource. He has all the versati-
lity as well as the energy of a practised general,
and we may be sure his deliberate movements are
carried out in accordance with carefully matured
plans. There is good reason for believing that the
Paraguayan General has availed himself of the
time afforded by the long siege of Humaita to raise
new defences at the mouth of the Teciquary—a
river which communicates with Villa Rica and the
centre of Paraguay. Villa Rica contains the
arsenals and is LOPEZ'S base of operations ; and
here again are strong positions, upon which the
army may fall back. It must be remembered that
the Paraguayan entrenchments are really something
formidable. A siege of two years and a half has
failed to captureHumaita until the besieged chose to
evacuate it themselves, and if at every further point in
their advance into the interior the invaders are to be
metby fresh obstacles, the already exhausted patience
of the Brazilian people and the Argentine Confe-
deration will scarcely hold out. The loss of the
Allies during the recent encounters has been very
severe. The accounts vary—the official returns
making, of course, light of the matter, but the re-
ports of various independent correspondents put
the losses of both Brazilians and Argentines at a
very high figure. One writer, who gives a full
account of the attack made by General Asonto
upon part of the works of Ilumaita
before the evacuation, declares the loss to
have been terrible ASORIO captatred the redoubt
at which he aimed, but, from some unexplained
reason, the Marquis de CAXIAS ordered him to re-
treat from the position so hardly gained. The
retreat occasioned the greatest confusion among the
Brazilians, and two battalions were nearly destroyed
iu effecting it. We thus perceive, on examining
the several versions of the story, that it will not do
to put entire confidence in the reports which
reach us through the medium of Brazil.
More than once in the course of the war we have
been told decisively that all hope for the Para-
guayans was over, but the war is not yet ended.
LOPEZ has clao_en his own time for retreat, ar.d
doubtless his plans are well laid. Meanwhile there
is no sign of the Paraguayan people being willing
to abandon a struggle of which their enemies are
heartily tired.

The Democrats continue to make progress in
such elections as have already taken place in the
United States. The great State eeleetions have not