The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-21 00:00:00

ARISTOCRATIC MARRIAGES.

IN spite of the severity of the present political
contest, there must be some decline of the ancient
asperity, not to say animosity, which one prevented
political opponents from interchanging even the
barest civilities. At all events, in the uppermost
ranks, where one would have expected to see this
feeling strongest—because in those ranks politics
mean place and power as well as principles—.
there has of late been a wonderful soften-
ing of manners. The great ruling families are
not only no longer implacable foes, but they
are becoming kinsmen by intermarriages. In
1864 the eldest daughter of Lord CLARENDON was
married to the second son of Lord DERBY, and the
descendant of the Hy])Es and the STANLEYS will
himself in all probability be hereafter Earl of DERBY.
Another of Lord CLARENDON'S daughters was this
year married to Mr. ODO RUSSELL, nephew of Earl
RUSSELL and of the late Duke of BEDFORD. Thus the
two Whig families of RUSSELL and VILLIERS are
closely allied with each other and with the Tory
House of STANLEY. Another marriage which will have
interest for politicians has just been announced. Earl
PERCY, eldest son of the Duke of NORTHUMBER-
LAND, and who lately came of age, is betrothed to
EDITH, eldest daughter of the Duke of ARGYLL,
who is 19 years of age. The union of a Tory PERCY
with a Whig CAMPBELL is a significant event, at all
events in the political world. And it is to be remem-
bered that the more these alliances increase the more
political animosity will decrease. It is not likely that
brothers-in-law will quarrel very severely on political
topics. Rather the one will find in the accession of
the other to office some compensation for his own
ejectment. It will be satisfactory to think that
whether Tory or Liberal have the upper hand,'some
of their own set will be sure to be in office. Nor do
we imagine that there will be any greater danger of
cliquishness than there is now. The power of the
middle class is increasing so rapidly that they can
very well take care of themselves and claim their
fair share of political power. It is, perhaps, becalm
of this increase that the upper class tend it expedient
to unite more closely than they have done.

A GREAT CHANCE.

(From the Anglo-American 2 lines.)

Panama and the West Indies have, as we antici-
pated, killed the New Zealand and Australian Royal
Mail Company, which it is now proposed to wind
up. Although the line has worked into an efficient
state, and is so reliable`that it has become the
favourite for letters, yet the apprehensions of sick-
ness caused by the deaths of passengers from yellow
fever at the Isthmus, and subsequently in the West
Indian mail boats, have destroyed the passenger
traffic, and with it all chance of profit. We have
then the proved efficiency of the line with the one
but fatal drawback of an unhealthy locality. More
than a year ago we pointed out the radical defect,
at the same time showing the mistake to have been
in having begun a few years too soon. The true
route to the Australias is via San Francisco, and the
Panama, and Australian fleet should have been con-
structed to open communication simultaneously
with the Union Pacific Railway about June next.
A glance at a globe will display the truth of the
figures we then gave. From Wellington, New
Zealand, the distance to San Francisco is 5,864
nautical miles, or 700 leas than to Panama, and this
difference is considerably increased if the calculation
be from Auckland, from Sydney, or from Morton
Bay. San Francisco, on the completion of the rail-
way, becomes, iu truth, the gate of the Pacific. From
London to Shanghai via Suez is 10,500 miles, via
Francisco, 8,355. To Yokohama by Suez the distance
is 11,509, while by San Francisco it is but 7,520.
In round numbers the gain from England to Sydney
or Auckland might be put down at a thousand
miles; therefore we assert that San Francisco
commands the western boundaries of the Pacific
Ocean from its utmost extremity in the northern
hemisphere to the land's end in the southern hemi-
sphere. As the growing tide of travel will trans-
form San Francisco into one of the greatest cities
of the world, it is the proper head-quarters for a
fleet of Pacific steamers. There is now a monthly
line to China and Japan ; semi-monthly to
British Columbia; tri-monthly to Oregon, while
south the communication with the Mexican ports,
Panama, and South America is constant. But
more apropos of our subject is the fact that
steamers make a round to the Sandwich Islands
every twenty days. Now these islands are almost
in the direct line from San Francisco to Sydney,
and when they are reached about a third of that
voyage is performed. Double the distance to the
Sandwich Islands, and the vessel is near the Fee-
jecs, whence the communication is constant with
Australia and New Zealand. Here then we have
an incipient line which has only to be completed
and strengthened to develope into a great ocean
mail service. The line, too, is more Ameri-
can than English, bringing San Francisco into
better communication not only with the Sandwich
Islands, but with other of the South Sea groups
where her interests already predominate. But this
is not the only reason why the flag which flies on the
fleetopening a great Southern Pacific communication
should be the Stars and Stripes. The United States
desire to make the Pacific Railway the world's most
traversed thoroughfare, which they know would
convert New York and San Francisco into the
points to which travel on the two great oceans
would radiate. Although nature has enabled them
to accomplish this object, nature very plainly tells
them as they gaze at the snow-capped Rocky
Mountains and the Sierras of Nevada that it can
be accomplished only by a united national effort.
Nothing great can be achieved without labour, or, in
other words, expense, and Americans have never
deluded themselves into the belief that this stupen-
dous work would not cost in the first instance a vast
outlay. Having constructed the railway, having
established the ocean line to Japan and China, they
have now, in conjunction with the Australias, to
run an American line beyond the Sandwich Islands
at least to the Feejees, whence it can branch to Syd-
ney and to Auckland. The collapse of the Pa-
nama, Australian, and New Zealand Company would
enable New York, San Francisco, and those in-
terests generally in the Union Pacific Railway, to
seize on the wreck, and with it, in conjunction
with the steamers already plying to the Sandwich
Islands, open out a sound, profitable, and magnificent
ocean communication. In this they would be hand-
somely aided by Australia and New Zealand, who
now pay a large subsidy to the Palatna line as well
as the Washington Government, who would doubt-
less liberally assist in the establishment of such a
highly desirable American enterprise. The English
have burnt their fingers in meddling with an ocean
wherein they have really no concern, and the Eng.
lish Government very naturally and properly resist
subsidizing steamers which do not ply from English
ports. Indeed it is not reasonable to expect Eng-
lish taxpayers to keep vessels running over the
Pacific, but the case is widely different with the
United States, The immense 811013 that will be left

by travellers in crossing the Union would in itself re-
pay such an expenditure ; but there are national ob-
jects of importance vastly beyond such calculations
which are fully appreciated at Washington. Au
additional value is given to the project by its direct
influence in binding together the branches of the
Anglo-Saxon peoples. From the cradle of the race
the route will be over the continent, the greatest
field of its development, to Australia, the infant
giant of the family ; and the man who leaves
London for Sydney, passing through New York
and San Francisco, when he finally reaches bis
destination, after travelling over more than half
the globe, will hear nothing but English spoken,
and might conclude the prophecy to be realized
which foretold the Anglo-Saxon mastery of the
world. Whether our proposition will be at once taken
up, or hang fire for years, the result must be the
same, for to this it must finally come. The true port
for the Australias is San Francisco, which instead
of being unhealthy will make the voyage one that
invalids might take for health. The sanitarium of
the States will be in the Rocky Mountains," and
among the most genial of climates is that of San
Francisco. The journey will be one of the most in-
teresting on earth, embracing on a slight detour the
Palls of Niagara and the Valley of the Yo Semite,
the grandest water and the grandst mountain scene
yet known to mankind. The traveller will pass
over the rolling and the level prairies—through the
American desert and the Rocky Mountains. For a
spell he will stop at that city of marvellous creation,
the Mormon settlement in Utah—then along the Val-
ley of the Ilumbolt, passing mountains veined with
silver—and up the great steppes of the Sierras till
the smiling slopes of California, covered with golden
harvests, open out before him lined by the broad
Pacific. There may be difficulties in the ocean
route, traversing, as it will, a sea studded with island
groups ; but this is only the difficulty of ignorance,
for when the Pacific is accurately mapped, the worst
of these groups will ba less dangerous than the
West Indies. It is known that they will open to
the settlers of Australia as well as to the citizens of
San Francisco a profitable trade. Indeed a strong
tide of emigration is already flowing towards the
Feejees, which will afford tropioal produce to Now
Zealand and Australia. 'We have taken up this
subject in the hope of directing American attention
to a profitable enterprise, and one even more im-
portant to Australasia than to the United States,
while we trust that the unfortunate shareholders
of the Panama, Australia, and New Zealand Royal
Mail Company may at least recover through the
means we suggest a proportion of their outlay.

TILE SOUTHERN STATES.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)

Georgia has left its mark on Republican Con-
ventions, as one, about to assemble at Warrenton,
was warned by the sheriff outside the town to keep
away, which—the memory of Camilla being still
strong upon them—they did. The Philadelphia
correspondent of the 7 inzes says that the massacre
has had a fine effe.ct on the negroes, who are flock-
ing terribly frightened to the Conservative side.
One of the points urged by the Southerners is that
they know the negroes, which the meddling Nor-
therners do not; and if the affair at Camilla makes
Democrats of the negroes, Northern men must
admit the truth of the Southerners' assertion. It is
not a little surprising, however, that Major Howard
earnestly urges his resignation on the Government,
proclaiming his inability, unless strongly aided, to
prevent the blacks from flocking to Camilla. We
were stupid enough to imagine that their desire was
to cut the throats of their white allies, until we
learned from the " sleepy correspondent" that it
was to vote the Democratic ticket, and otherwise
support and encourage the men who had shown
such an intimate knowledge of their character. But
the correspondent seems to be widely at variance
with General Howard, Commissioner of the Freed-
men's bureau, though, perhaps it is presumptuous in
that Radical to profess any knowledge of the freedmen.
As it is our business simply to give the most reliable
information we can, without favour or affection, we
are bound to pay attention to what General Howard
says, and not to accept as undeniable, the state-
ments of the " Mastodon." At a public address,
delivered at Washington on Sept. 29, the Commis-
sioner sketched his recent Southern tour. He be-
lieved the freedmen to be alive to the importance
of the Presidential election, and although at New-
burn a coloured man had told him that the Demo-
crats would deceive the negroes into voting away
even the right of voting itself, this was opposed to
the usual impression, Wade Hampton's own ser-
vants having risked their discharge to vote the Ra-
dical ticket. An excellent story followed this, which
would be worth the while of Judy to sketch. A
planter assembled his hands and told them they
must vote for the Democrats, or he would not em-
ploy them. Sainbo quietly waited till the planter's
cotton whitened to harvest, when the hands, fifty in
number, called on him. " You must vote, they said
the Radical ticket, or we will leave in a body ;" and
vote the Radical ticket he must or lie, for he gave
the required promise. Imagine the agony of the
haughty aristocrat when Sambo presented the dire
alternative—" ruin—or a scallawag." We hope
the General did not invent this, for it is too good to
be untrue. The great difficulty with the negroes
was, according to the General, the false teaching that
hatred of the South was the controlling motive of
leading Northern minds. We regard the following
information as highly important, and honourable
to the Southerner. In all cases the Confederate
soldier gave General Howard a warmer welcome
than did the stay-at-home citizens. He has tra-
velled over the whole South, visited nearly every
State, was two months among Southerners, con-
versed with citizens of every class, visited the Legis-
latures of several States, addressed twenty public
meetings, and everywhere received respectful treat-
ment. The only annoyance to which he was sub-
jected came from the newspapers. There was this
amount of freedom in the South, that an officer of
the Government, the head of the hated Freedmen's
Bureau, could pass through all the country and be
treated with civility everywhere, even while ex-
pressing many unpalatable truths.
A bill was introduced into the Senate of Georgia
to authorize awl require the Governor to declare
all executive, judicial, and ministerial offices of the
State vacant when the persons elected are dis-
qualified under the 14th Article of the Constitution
of the United States, which was, of course, sum-
marily dismissed. When the Jury Bill was dis-
cussed in the Representatives, a member declared
that threats of Congress and General Grant being
after them had been made before, yet the grey-
coated boys in blue are not afraid. The re-
considered bill passed by a large majority, but
it was defeated in the Georgia Senate. The Wash-
ington Government is rigorously investigating the
Camilla riot, and massscre is now the only word
used, although the Legislature exonerates the
rioters. The bill to organise the State militia has
been voted down. There was a Democratic meet-
ing at Atlanta, September 26, when Gen. Gordon
declared he would throw his sword into the scale of
Grant if, on being elected President, auy one
should attempt to prevent his inauguration.
The Democratic Convention of Louisiana has re-
solved to nominate no men to office as qualified
by the 14th Amendment, and the same rule was
recommended to the conventions about to be held
throughout the State. There has been a good deal
of excitement on account of qualified persons hav-
ing been refused registration at New Orleans, and
the Legislature has been engaged in revising the
law on the subject. Governor `Yarmouth has
vetoed the bill punishing discriminations on account
of colour in hotels, cars, &c., and the veto is sus-
tained by the Legislature. The veto is based on
several reasons, one all-sufficient being that the
Constitution clearly secures equal rights and privi-
leges to the blacks, which they are at liberty to en-
force in the courts. The Senate of Louisiana has
reinstated another negro as Senator from Caddo
parish, in place of Reuben White, who was elected
but declared ineligible. The municipal election at
Nashville, Tennessee, passed off quietly on Sept.
26, A. Alden, the present mayor, being re-elected
by 520 majority, while most of the members of the
city Government are his supporters. Both candi-
dates supported Grant, but 'Thornburg, Alden's op-
ncnt, had the vote of theDernocrats and Conservatives.
General J. G. Hindman, late of the Confederate
army, was shot dead in his own house at Helena,
Arkansas, Sunday night, Sept. 27, and there is no
clue to till murderer—probably some political op-
ponent. The day before, near the same place, a
sheriff and posse ha 1 a fight with a negro, and the
latter was hung by the infuriated citizens after he
had killed the sheriff and wounded two other men.
In Kent County, Virginia, Mrs. Stewart, a widow,
and John Backer, her farm manager, were mur-
dered and her dwelling burned ; and four other
houses have lately been burned in the same neigh-
bourhood. The Governor respited two negroes
about to be hanged, much to the indignation of the
people, for they had been proved guilty of a crime
to which the negroes are prone, and excites
most intense indignation in the South. This
adds to the vicious popular habit of lynching
which has become so cowman as almost to take
punishment out of the hands of justice. In tiar-

shall County, Texas, things are in a bad Nvai'
The county is overrun with robbers,
and troops
have been sent out to reinforce the small military
force there. At Wellsville, Missouri ,two men were
killed and several wounded by an attempt to turn
a Union man named Reed out of the town.
Fletcher and his brother, both Confederate soldiers;
were killed by the Sheriff and his men, some °'
whom were wounded, and had it not been for the,
determined attitude of the citizens more bled
a
would have been shed.