The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-04 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 4, 1868.

can ever do. To substitute one monopoly for an-
other is a poor way of showing how we follow the
spirit of the age and appreciate the importance of
progress, and Mr. ROEBUCK very justly compre-
hended the position of affairs when he said that
there was work for all to do, and none should retire
into the background because they are disappointed,
but contribute their share, and devote their talents
to the public good and the general interests of their
country.

In anticipation of the great forthcoming struggle
oa the hustings, our M.P.'s present and prospec-
tive are having a busy time of it. Every day meet-
ings are held and speeches made on one side or the
other, and the public at large will run, we fear,
some risk of getting weary of the chief topics of the
day before the campaign has actually begun. Those
earliest in the field have certainly the advantage of
novelty, and can go over the ground with less
apprehension of saying only what some one else has
said before them. If Lord BURY has not altogether
that advantage, he is at any rate one of the first to
discuss the present position of public affairs in
Berwick, and the body of electors, who on Tues-
day evening assembled in the Corn Exchange to
hear the opinions of the Liberal candidates
for their suffrages, was large and enthu-
siastic. Lord BURY was personally a stranger
to most of his audience, but he could
appeal with confidence to a warrant for his political
consistency which none could dispute, the register
of his votes in the House of Commons. Lord BURY
is no stranger to St. Stephen's if he is not known in
Berwick, and it is some ten or twelve years since
he first took his seat in the House of Commons.
He claims credit for having been a consistent and
unflinching upholder of the Liberal cause. He has
voted against church rates, he has fought under the
banner of Mr. COBDEN for Free Trade throughout
the world. He has always, he tells us, been in
favour of a cheap press, and of the extension of
education, and on all other points in which Re-
formers have been wont to move his votes have
been recorded in a way of which, in addressing a
Liberal audience, he is not ashamed. In this re-
spect, then, Lord BURY comes before the new elec-
tors with some prestige, and he appears, to
judge from his address on Tuesday, to
be determined to fight the battle vigor-
ously. His great enemy is, of course, Major
CARPENTER, the Conservative candidate for the
suffrages of the electors, and a good part of his
speech was occupied in answering Major CAR-
PENTER'S statements on a previous occasion.
There is not much need to examine into the
charges and counter-charges brought by these
honourable gentlemen against their opponent's
parties. With IMajor CARPENTER naturally the
Tories have done all that is worth doing of late
years, and the Liberals have only been active as
obstructors. With Lord BURY, on the other hand,
it is equally a matter of course that we are
indebted to the Liberals even for the good deeds
which the Tories appear to have done, since, if the
Liberals did not actually do them, they intended to
do them, which comes to the same thing—on paper.
As for the national expenditure, which is just no w
affording an agreeable diversion from ecclesiastical
perplexities, the real truth is that neither side
has much reason to blame the other, and that the
question of a million more in this year or a mil-
lion less in that affects very little the general jus-
tice of the question. Our expenditure is un-
doubtedly lavish, but the fault lies with all our
public men. Neither party is really in earnest in
trying to retrench, and perhaps it is as well that
they are not, since as they invariably b3gin in the
wrong place, cutting down the pay of our foot sol-
diers, or " spoiling a ship for a ha'porth of tar,"
instead of getting rid of official supernumeraries
and amending the Pension List, the attempt at
economy might cost the nation a little too dear.
A great part of Lord BURY'S address was occu-
pied in discussing the rights and wrongs of the
Irish Church, of which he is an uncompromising
opponent. Of the Irish themselves he takes an un-
duly alarming view, quoting Mr. GLADSTONE'S as-
sertion that Ireland was only one degree removed
from civil war. We have no right to suspect our
fellow-subjects of such organised disaffection and
disloyalty, And Mr. GLADSTONE'S declared belief,
endorsed by Lord BURY, that if a foreign enemy
landed on the Irish shores a great part of the people '
would join the invader is sufficiently contradicted by
the attitude assumed by the great body of. the Irish
population with respect to the Fenians. The two
great causes of the collapse of the Fenian move-
ment in Ireland were the loyalty and stedfastness
of the Irish constabulary and the indifference of the
people.
Of the electioneering movements at Plymouth it
is difficult to form an opinion, since an attempt at
a public meeting ended in riot and disorder, which,
we must hope and believe, was equally unwe►co me
to both parties. Mr. STUART LANE, the Con-
servative candidate, made a vain attempt to
speak, and was especially anxious to make some
personal explanations relative to his connection
with the Credit Foncier of England ; but all was
useless, and the chairman vacated the chair and the
platform, followed by the chief parties present at
the meeting, the rioters being left in full possession
of the field. We hope that we are not to have
many of these scenes among our electors, since they
can hardly fail to defeat the purpose of either side,
and must inevitably bring the new electors into
discredit. Whatever opinion may have been formed
of the public or private conduct of a candidate, it
is neither fair nor reasonable to refuse to listen to
his explanations or his statements. If such move-
ments are directed by party motives they indicate
great weakness, since the cause must be feeble
indeed that has to resort to such unworthy means.
We hope the discreditable scene at Plymouth will
not be repeated, but that our election contests may
be henceforward conducted in a fair, temperate, and
honourable spirit.

The public will learn with satisfaction that the
great undertaking of launching the Bermuda dry-
dock was yesterday safely accomplished, and the
vast construction, weighing nearly 10,000 tons,
now floats safely off Sheerness harbour. Any
one who remembers the delay and diffi-
culty attending the launch of the Great
Eastern some years back may well be surprised as
well as gratified at the ease and rapidity with which
all the obstacles attending the launch of the dock,
weighing nearly as much as the Leviathan, have
been overcome. Ou Wednesday, it is true, the
great mass refused to move, but this, it
appears, was attributable to her immense
weight causing her to settle down on the
launching ways, and thus the press are converted
the grease which should have assisted her move-
ments into an adhesive glue. For tunately, Mr.
CAMPBELL did not allow himself to me discouraged
by the delay. He perceived that what wai want Al
was a sudden shock which should give the Bermuda
a start, when her own impetus might safely
be trusted to keep her goimg. Accirdingly
he strained every nerve, and :a thousand men
were kept working through the night preparing
the several appliances, screw, jacks, timber struts,
and battering rams, which ,ihould produce the de-
sired effect. A little of ter two &flock yester.

day, the tide being favourable, the word
was given, and no sooner was the machinery
set to work than the Bermuda began to
move and glided slowly but surely down
into the river. A large body of spectators, who
had assembled to witness the proceedings, expressed
their gratification at this triumph of mechanical
science in enthusiastic cheers, and the launch of -the
Bermuda being successfully accomplished, we may
look forward with confidence to the construction of
many more of these useful additions to our navy.

LATEST INTELL WINCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.
(Per the China, via Queenstown.)
NEW YORK, Aug. 26.
It is reported that the negroes in Northern
Louisiana are effecting armed organisations.
Senator Sherman, in a speech at Columbus, Ohio,
declared his belief that the bonds are payable in
legal tender.
Advices from Cuba state that the Captain-
General has ordered that no passenger should be
allowed to land on the island without a passport
certified by a Spanish consul.
From Mexico it is stated that the forces of Juarez,
under Alatorre, have been defeated by the insur-
gents in the State of Vera Cruz.
A number of citizens of Charleston have peti-
tioned President Johnson to provide protection for
the city against the threatened• lawlessness, as the
civil authorities are unable to preserve order.
It is reported that secret armed Democratic or-
ganisations are being formed in Missouri, Ken-
tucky, and Tennessee.
President Johnson has ordered the forcible ex-
pulsion of hostile Indians from Kansas.
The rinderpest is spreading throughout the coun-
try.

Advices from Hayti state that Salnave is acting
solely on the defensive.

CANADA.

The Nova Scotian delegates who have returned
from London represent that the Home Govern-
ment regards its recognition of the Union Act as
paramount to the colonial objection, but that that
recognition was based on the apparent consent of
the people of Nova Scotia, to whom, nevertheless,
the right of appeal remains.

The Royal Mail steam ship China, from New
York on the 27th ult., arrived at Queenstown at
8 a.m. to-day (4th Sept.), with 44 cabin pasan-
gers. She landed 123 sacks of mails and 14 passen-
gers, and proceeded for Liverpool at 8.20 a.m. All
well.

SPAIN.

MADRID, Sept. 3.

The mail steamer from the Canary Islands ar-
rived to-day at Cr.diz, bringing intelligence that
General Dulce was improving in health.

The Minister of Public Works has returned to
the capital.

OUTWARD BOMBAY MAIL•

GIBRALTAR, Sept. 3.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Poonah, from Southampton 29th August, reached
Gibraltar at 9 p.m. on the 2d instant, and left
for Alexandria at eight this morning. All well.

CORRESPONDENCE FROTA.,PARIS.

(YROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS. THURSDAY, September 3.

The Emperor returned to Paris yesterday to preside at
the Council of Ministers, and has left to-day for the camp
at Chalons. The fine weather, report says, will induce
the Imperial family to hasten their departure for Biarritz,
where they are expected to arrive on the oth or 10th. A
short stay at Launemazan may probably form part of the
visit to the Pyrenees. It is not precisely certain
whether the Emperor will visit Havre, but he has
graciously promised to do so "if possible," be it only for
a single day. •
The visit of the Count and Countess de Girgenti
still remains unexplained, though an official paper
has thought it necessary to give an explanation. It
says that the visit has no political meaning whatever ; the
Count de Girgenti vas received as a member of the Royal
family of Spain arid not as a Neapolitan prince. As public
opinion has generally taken this for granted, the enigma,
if it be one, remains unsolved.

The war rumours of the last few days have been follewea
by an energetic peace demonstration on the part of the
official press. This has not, however, succeeded in quiet-
ing the Opposition journals, who still contrive to find
plenty of war material. The Temps, a paper which con-
tains some of the best writing of the Paris press, says that
Marshal Niel has long ago pronounced in favour of a
winter campaign, because in that case Russia would be
unable to render Prussia any very'effective assistance. War
in winter would, moreover,, be in favour of France, because
the Prussian troops are less inured to the rigours of the
cold season. En passant, I may remark, that it would be
well for Marshal Niel to assure himself positively on this
point. People also talk of the excitation of the French
army against Prussia, and of its "patriotic ardour,"
which will not tolerate too much inaction.

The mortality amongst the natives of Algeria is already
becoming so serious this year as to cause considerable
anxiety. Le Courrier de Tlemcen, announcing the death
of an Arab through famine, says that the prospects of the
winter season are of the most gloomy description. The
misery which is to come will, in all probability, be greater
than that which is past. This opinion is shared by General
Lacretelle and others. It is observed that the number of
deaths during the week ending August slst exceeded the
total for the corresponding week of last year.

The chances of the election of M. Dufaure for the Var
have increased by the retirement of M. Phillis. M.
Dufaure ist. now the only Opposition candidate. In the
Moselle and the NiZ.Nre the authorities are confident of
~access.

I am unable to find any justification for the repoltts of
Ministerial modifications.

A laughable scene oc,urrel yesterday molting fp an
omnibus which plies to the Halles Centrales. A gentle-
man got inside and sat down, depositing a tolerably well-
filled bag on the seat. A young lady—in appearance, at
least—followed, and occupied the next seat. The omnibus
went on, but had not proceeded far before the lady began
to manifest signs of uneasiness, casting indignant
glances at her neighbour, who, however, took
no notice of her. At last she rose with the
exclamation "Insolent I" accompanied by two furious
slaps on each side of the gentleman's face. The latter,
amid the general astonishment, asked what had led t'.) the
unexpected reception of that favour. " Ircni have pinched
me," replied the indignant lady. The gentleman looked
about him, and presently produced a magniCcent lobster
which had escaped from the bag!

THE TVEAT_UER TABLE.-THIS DAY".

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