The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-12-17

GENERAL HOwARD's observation-disclosures
Howard, chief Of the Freedmen's Bureau, d.
vides the people of the lately insurgcnt States
into four classes: those men who heartily
engaged in the war, but who now give up fully
the institution Of slavery and its adjuncts
and are anxious to exhibit their unqualified ale
glance to the government" Second. a class
Of hypocritical pretendes who are making
every effort to recover the Political power and
doctrines they have lost. Third, "a class which
has always been defiant and are now seeking
by every effort to keep on foot spirit of conten
tion and disorder" Fourth, "a class that have
ever been and still are unconditional Union
men," According to General Howard the first
class is not very numerous, but its good exam
Piles in behalf Of law, order, industry, peace
and fraternity are producing good effect.
They are mostly poor whites. The fourth class
il made up, with very few exceptions, of poor
whites and the whole black population. These
are the loyal elements Of the South. Between
these two classes stand the second and third
ing politicians of the South and their followers
and all the still defiant and vicious fighting
elements Of the rebellion. The great mass Of
the Southern women OF the white race, the land
cd property, nearly all the political journals
and the political control Of The several States
concerned are In the hands OF these two In
traciable classes. and, according to General
Howard, the mildest way to reach them is
through the constitutional amendment. But
there are also several classes of Northerners in
tho South, traders, Adventures spectators, sol
diers and poll icans; and these politicians con-
tribute not little to Keep up and ;nilame the
discords among the native classes. With all
these diverse and conflicting classes, castles and
factions ut work against each other, the most
terrible consequences may follow, II the ruling
classes continue TO stand out waiting for some
thing better than the terms Of restoration
offered by Congress. We agree Mt least with
General Howard in his opinion that the only
way of safety and peace to those excluded
States is in the constitutional amendment, as
they have seen in our Northern Sep ember,
October and November elections.
The CorIrEnY EXPLOSIONS IN ESGLASD.-rhe
frequency Of explosions in the coal mines Of
England within the past few days will set
scientific minds at work to discover the cause
OF these fearful and death-dealing disasters,
which, singularly enough, occurred almost sim
ultaneously in different parts Of the country.
The presence Of carbonated hydrogen, or what
il popularity called hre-damp, in coal mines Is
usual thing, and il has been known to explode
by spontaneous combustion when large guam
titles Of II are released from the body OF the
coal aud come into connection with prcpon-
derating weight OF atmospheric ait: but the fact
that the late explosions took place almost at
the same time in pits located In different coun.
ties viii suggest the question whether there Is
not subterrancan communication hitherto
unknown, or some curious condition OF the
earth existing, whereby the natural causes by
which the gases In one mine are exploded
have operated upon others al greatly
| removed distance, or whether the recent severe
foods may not have something to do with them
The destructive character OF these explosions
hps 80 Ear, prevented auy satisfactory iayessi