The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-05 00:00:00

important part of his speech related to confiscation— -
the time for which had gone by, if it ever existed
and it was now impracticable, and if practicable,
undesirable. He held that farms which cost nothing

were worth nothing, and were land grants made to
the negroes they would probably be of as little use to

them as those made to the white sDldiers in the i'Vest.

At the same time he warned the holders of great
estates that they must be broken up, and advised the
sale of small lots either for money or labour to the
coloured people, which would anticipate legislative
action, for to that it must come. He disliked as

much a landed Northern aristocrat as a Southern

one. If any wax of races occurred he considered it

would not be begun by the blacks.
The New York, Citizen is severe on the auction
sales of sittings in Plymouth Church. The bid-
dings took place on the 6th January, when a throng
of fashionable Christians competed for pews in Mr.
Beecher's capacious church. " The stock has been

unusually active during the present week among the
board of brokers," remarks the Citizen, as if re-
porting on the markets ; and again, " among
the auction sales of the present week none
have been s) well attended with wealthy buyers, as

the sale of pews at Plymouth Church." In a
leader the subject is animadverted on as follows :
—" Is it not more than a suspicion that the best
seats of the Plymouth play-house are purchased

with the same view that the front seats are sought

for at the opera, viz., because they are most favour-
able for the display of costly toilets ? Of such may
be the kingdom of Beecher, but of such is not the
kingdom of Heaven. Exclusiveness (at which high
pew rents appear to aim) is well enough in society,
but it will not answer in religion or politics." It is

in this church that Mr. Dickens meets his audiences

in Brooklyn. How it pays may be gathered from
the following figures :—The assessed rental of the
pews this year is 412,8.10, while at the sale bonuses
were paid for choice places to the amount of $37,736
more, making the yearly income from the pews
$48,738. Eight hundred dollars premium was given
for the right of first choice at this sale, and some
40 persons gave sums ranging from that amount
down to $2OO dollars for subsequent choice&

The last nomination of the President to the Am-
bassadorship at Vienna has been the lion. Samue
S. Cox, formerly Democratic Congressman from
Ohio. . Like its predecessors, it is almost certain to
be thrown out by the Senate, which will make the
ninth attempt to fill the vacancy created by the
key-hole observer, M'Cracken, who perhaps was not
aware of the difficulties he would create by his
foolish letter to the President.

Congress, not content with laughing at and
tabling the President's ‘lessage • publicly to recog-
nize General Ilancock's noble order at New Orleans,

has introduced a bill, recommended by the Military
Committee, reducing the number of majors-gene-
ral in the army to four, and of brigadiers-general
to nine. The object is to remove Generals Hancock
and Rousseau, and to effect this the Secretary of

War is ordered to strike out the names of those las'

commissioned. This is, indeed, a public recogni-
tion of the men the President " delights to honour,"
and, it is in keeping with the resolution, in reply to the
Message thanking General Sheridan for his conduct
while a District Commander, censuring the Presi-

dent for having removed him, and thanking General
Grant for his opposition to that step. The bill was
postponed for a week, under a threat of the Oppo-
sition to "fillibuiter," if time for debate was not
allowed.

The agitation throughout the United States for
protecting the rights of naturalized citizens is on the
increase, and assuming a national aspect. It will
give rise to important legislation, as all Americans
are agreed on this subject ; and it is understood
that the President will send a Message to Congress
taking very high ground. The opinions held in
America
are generous and becoming to a great na-
tion, and will be: cordially reciprocated throughout
Europe. " A great country like ours," said Speaker
Colfax, at the mass meeting held at Washington on
the 10th January, " must either cease to naturalize
the millions who come to us from abroad, or protect
them in the rights of citizenship professed by our
laws. As it is the greatest glory of any nation that
it protects the poorest and humblest of its citizens
as earnestly as the richest and most powerful, we
should be as quick to throw the shield of our na-
tionality over all who have taken our oaths of alle-
giance in our courts as if they had been born on our
soil. To demand that they should fight, bleed, and
die for the country of their adoption in war as
American citizens, and then fail to protect then as
American citizens in peace, at home or abroad,
would be a national shame. I have no doubt that
Congress *ill speak on this subject with no uncer-
tain voice." Meetings have been held throughout
the country, in which all parties have joined. At
some of these, the Fenians obtained control, when
an element of hostility to Great Britain was intro-
duced. But the agitation is directed to the settle-
ment of the question on a fair, secure, and permanent
basis, which should long ago have been determined.
The difficulty will be with Prussia. That kingdom
conceded to the United States so far as to permit
citizens who emigrate, even without permission,
accompanied by their sons under the age of 17, and
who remain over ten years, to lose their nationality
and become exempt from conscription. Otherwise
the emigrant is liable to arrest on his return to his
native land, unless he has discharged his service, or
paid his commutation. Mr. Emile Kahn, a Prus-
sian, naturalized, and residing in Cincinnati, lately
asked Mr. Seward if he, as an American citizen,
would be protected against arrest on returning to
Prussia. In reply, Mr. Seward stated that his right
to exemption from military service could be main-
tained under certain circumstances, but he might be
subjected to trouble, to which the United States
Government would advise him not to expose him-
self. •

The Five Constitutional C onventions now at
work in the Southern States are getting through
their business. On the 15th Jan. the Charleston
Convention selected Collector Mackay of that city
President, and as entire corps of coloured officers,
excepting its Secretary. The negroes have a ma-
jority of 10, and they are using this to some purpose
in the. Palmetto State, where is now presented as
strange a freak as fortane has ever witnessed in this
changing world. North Carolina has elected C. J.
Cowles, of Wilkes County, President ; and James
11. Jones, the old body servant of Jeff. Davis, cap-
tured with him, for principal door-keeper. The
Convention has resolved to expel any reporter who
describes delegates by colour. In Louisiana a
white man has been nominated for Governor, and a
negro for Lieut.-Governor on the refusal of another
coloured gentleman to accept the applintment, as
he aspired to the higher post. Messrs. Sypher, Jones,-
and New Sham have been nominated for Congress ;
eighty-two articles have been finished, and the
whole will soon be completed. There is no money
to pay the delegates, as bonds have been in vain
offered for sale, and a law enforcing a tax on pro-
perty has been fruitless. The Georgia Treasurer,
removed by General Afeade, has surrendered his
keys, but the General has found the vaults empty,
the funds having been transported to New York.
The General has also removed the Controller, and
appointed a military successor. The Treasury
bcoks have not been given up. The Convention of
that State has adopted a resolution praying Con-
gress to appropriate $200,000,000 for a national
system of cheap railways. General Butler visited
the Convention at Richmond, on the 13th Jan.,
and while it was in the act of debating whether he
should be invited, with the unbounded assurance
that characterises all his actions, he delivered a
speech which lasted an hour. The Conservative
members left their seats, whilethose who did not re-
quire to be converted remained to be enlightened by
the General's political notions. The Convention has
adopted an ordinance prohibiting imprisonment for
debt, and has passed a resolution of thanks to Gen.
Meade.

A question is suggested to Congress more easily
asked than answered.—" Suppose the Supreme
Court decides the Supreme Court Quorum Bill'
to be unconstitutional by a two-thirds vote—What
is to be done ?" How could the question be raised
before the court, and by whom argued ?
Thaddeus Stevens has published another letter in
favour of Universal Suffrage. He predicts that
" the Republicans, once beaten into a 'minority by