The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-12 00:00:00

The Daily News, in an article on the affairs in America,
remarks that, to the American people, great good may
come out of the present serious condition of affairs—to Mr.
Johnson himself it is an unmitigated calamity. Yet, it is
impossible to feel the least personal sympathy with him.
Even could we regard him as a martyr to what he igno-
rantly believes to be the cause of the Constitution, his
folly in so obstinately provoking his fate would tarnish the
lustre of bls ma: Syrdum. Liet he is only the martyr of an
obstinacy and self-will which are without a parallel except
among Stuarts and Bourbons. He has steadily refused
every compromise. lie has fought Congress at every step,
has presumed on its forbearance, and has forced it at last
to put forth all his power. We will not say anything of
the issue of the struggle, being ccnvinced that there will
he no struggle. Presidential usurpation will go the way
which all usurpation goes in the affairs of freemen of the
English race. The American Senate will not lack the
courage to dismiss Mr. Johnson to obscurity, the American
people will not be wanting in the self-respect and the saga-
city to endorse the verdict, and in a few weeks our
Minister at Washington will be received by President
Wade.

On consideration of the whole subject the Herald thinks
that the only means left to extirpate inveterate drunken-
ness in the British army is to adopt the system of punish-
ment adopted in the French army for that and other serious
violations of military rule. ' The offender is sent to the
" companies of discipline," which always remain in the
colonies, employed, not in military duties, bat in the
making of roads, forming field works, or other similar
employments, without any fixed term of punishment being
imposed. One year's uninterrupted good conduct will
enable him to rejoin his regiment, while perseverance in
his faults will consign him to the " Pioneers," where he
will be much more severely dealt with, and obliged to
remain to the end of his engagement ; then leaving with
his discharge written on yellow paper, which precludes
his future employment in any service connected with the
State. Now, we do not see why such a corps as would re-
present the French companies of discipline should not be
formed, and stationed in some of our West Indian islands,
where incorrigible offenders, instead of being drummed out
of our service, should be compelled to labour in insalu-
brious climates, and earn their sustenance by the sweat of
their brow.

The plan of the Abyssinian campaign and the means of
carrying it out now assumes, the Telegraph points out, a
definite shape. The base at Zoulla will be guarded by a
brigade of native infantry, established in small posts
between Annesley Bay and Send& Ample measures
have been adopted to secure full command of the defile
and the head of the pass, and to provide for the uninter-
rupted transport of stores from the bay to the highlands.
After Senafd the next post will be Ategerat, which, as we
long ago pointed out, posssesses considerable strategic
value, and keeps watch on the Prince of Tigr6. The third
camp will be formed at Dongolo, situated in a defile sepa.
rating the eastern from the western watershed ; and the
fourth at Antalo, which will be the main depot of supply
for the active division moving on Magdala. All these
camps will be connected together through intermediate
posts occupied by cavalry, upon whom will devolve the
duty of maintaining prompt communication along the
whole line of operations from Senaf to the front, where-
ever it may he.

The whole of the Tory scheme for the pacification of
Ireland is now, says the Star, before the world. The new
statue of Pacata Hibernia, to the expected unveiling of
which we alluded the other day, is now unveiled. The
Government propose to accomplish some financial operation
with the Irish railways. They intend to confer a charter
and an endowment—another sectarian endowment !—on
the Catholic University. That is all. Thus they propose
to extinguish Fenianism, and even put an end to the
chronic rebellion which may be said to have never ceased
in Ireland since the days of the great O'Neills. A trans-
action with the railway companies, and a charter for a
new university. We certainly did not expect much, but
this is the smallest monstrous mouse that ever crept forth
of a mountain. But, somebody will doubtless ask us, what
of the land and the Church ? Did not Lord Mayo say some-
thing on these subjects? He did. He said a good deal
about them. He said that the Government meant to insti-
tute a new inquiry—the two-hundredth, or thereabouts, we
should think—into the whole question of land tenure ; and
lie distinctly declared that, while they are willing to learn
all that can be learned from Earl Russell's commission on
the management of the Church revenues, they are deter-
mined not to sanction the abolition of the Irish Church.
It is true that Lord Mayo proposes to bring in some inno.
cen', little bill to encourage written contracts, and help, as
he thinks, towards the securing of compensation for
tenants' improvements. But we know that if such a mea-
sure were one of a really penetrating and efficacious
nature, it never would be introduced while an inquiry into
the whole subject is actually going on. Without, there-
fore, too hastily judging of Lord Mayo's little measure
before it bas been fully explained, we are not only per.
mitted, but compelled, by the nature of his own announce.
scent, to believe that it will be something merely intended
to troop up a lutpulete eppealittOo of leridations