New-York daily tribune., 1863-08-03


to render us even-handed justice.
When tho news Of the advance Of Gen. Lee
into Pennsylvania reached England, the JOY Of
the Rebel sympathizers in the English press
and foremost of al of The London Times,
was boundless. OF course, it was in their
opinion no common raid; it was grand, new
campaign for striking at the heart of the Fed
eral Union. "The COnfederates," says The
Times, "were prepared eithor to demollsh
Gen. Meade and, following up their victory,
take possession of tho panics struck and not
very hostile capital or to descend upon
Baltimore and consider at leisure what
next to do; or to cross the Susquehanna
and march straight upon Philadelphia.
The only contingency that could deprive the
Confederates of any one of these prizes, and
curtail their entire liberty OF action, was the
chance of Gen. Meade-of whom We are only
told that he had commanded the Fifth Corps
under his predecessor-proviDg more able
soldier than Gen. Lee. Where one side is
known, and the other unknown, it is impos.
sible to make comparison or anticipate a
conclusion Bu. We may say that unless the
Federals possess much higher qualities than they
hare hitherto shocn to the uOrId, re may e1pect,
in ,reek or iro, TO hear Of President Daris at
Washington"
The next week brought to The Times stirring
news. but its tenor slightly differed from what
it had expected. 1t did not hear Of President
Davis in Washington. Lee had neither de-
scended upon Baltimore nor marched straight
upon Philadelphia, Instead, the American
mail brought the first report of the repulse OF
Lee at Gettysburg. If The Tim" had been
possessed of spark Of honesty, 1t would have
confessed that this time it had been mistaken
in its calculations; that the Unionists had
shown themselves possessed Of much higher
qualities" than It had given them credit for,
and that the vaunted campaign of Lee IN Penn
sylyania had proved failure. But lnstead OF
this it deliberately ignored the decisive engage
ment on Fridag. July 3, and consequently H.
fer.cd that tho principal battle was yet to
come. And being well aware OF the untruths
Of its arguments, aud foreseeing the speedy
confirmation Of the disastrous news from Lee
army. il tried 10 console itself aud the English
friends of the Slave Power generally with the
assurance that Gen. Grant had an impossible
,a,k before him" that "Gcn. Grants army
persists in the siege Of Vicksburg, but 1t is
difficult to see what possible hope there ran b.
Of reducing he city,"
For,y.eight hours after this confident predlc-
ton had been uttered all the English papers
published the news of the surrender of Nicks-
burg and the retreat Of Lee 10 the Potomac.
At first The Tunes seems 10 have felt little
uncomfortable at this startling disappointment
Of it, proudcst hopes aud frmest expectations.
For, while the other papers of London were de-
voting leading articles To the importance Of the
surrender OF yicksburg, The Tunes had no edl-
toral referring at all TO the event. On the
following day il briefly referred TO it, but 1t
had 10 offer no syllable of explanation on the
lmpo.biiy of the task of Gen. Grant,
md ION tho impossible hope OF reducing the
CITY," nor the least reference 10 it's ever having
entertained such al opinion. On the contrary,
il coolly argued that the possession of Vicks.
burg would be after all Of no great advantage
10 the Unonfsts for it would not open the
Mississippi, which could continue to be infested
by gucrrilas. And the invasion Of Pennsy.
yania, which two weeks ago had been repre-.
sented as a brilliant plan for capturing Phils
delpha, Baltimore or Washington, was now
represented as a successful raid which had
attained its end by procuring for tho Rebel
army an immense supply Of provisions
! Nothing could better show the stunning effect
which these events produced upon the Rebel
.ympathizers than this dishonest course of The
London Times.