The Sun. — 1849-04-25 (London, England)

SOVEREIGN.  Not even Mr. BANKES who, as the representative of that party which considers it would be most de sirable that Manchester and all our great towns should be levelled with the ground, feels it his duty to come forward as the champion of every traitor  Sovereign who indulges in the amusement of bombarding his capital ; not even Mr. BANKES, we should  suppose, can now venture to defend the proceedings of General FILANGIERI, or to deny that the atrocities  committed by the Neapolitan soldiers under his  command at Catania were such as cannot be parylleled in the annals of civilized warfare. The Neapolitans " massacred thousands of the peaceful inhabitants after the troops had retired from the city; neither age nor sex was spared. 'Wrecked villages and smoking houses marked the route of Neapolitans and Swiss for miles along the coast. The troops under FILANGIERI pushed forward, firing the houses as they advanced, burning those within, and killing those without. Still the Neapolitans continued the burning until at length the whole principal street was on fire, and when all further resistance had ceased, the cathedral, the university, the HOSPITAL, and most of the palaces and public buildings were in flames. The ill• fated survivors of this once noble city were given over to the tender mercies of the conquerors, and a general pillage ensued, which lasted from the dawn of the 7th inst, until the afternoon of the Bth, during which time burning and destruction of life and property `•ere carried to the most fearful and wanton excesc, espe cial:y on the ith, when the most atrocious massacres were committed, and neither age nor sex was spared  by the unbridled soldiery." After the perpetration of these frightful atrocities, who can place any reliance on the solemn assurances of FILANGIERI or his promise-violating master? They both declared that the war should be conducted according to the practice of civilized nations, and that the rights of humanity should be observed. The per petration of these atrocities abundantly absolves the British and French Admirals from any pledges they have given FILANGIERI and the King of NAPLES; and if, after the perpetration of the horrors of Messina, " the voice of humanity imperatively called for some expedient to prevent a repetition of such devsatation at other points," much more loudly does the voice of humanity and justice call upon the English Government to interfere now that the horrors of Messina have been incalculably surpassed by the unheard-of atrocities perpetrated by the organized band of thieves and assassins, the drilled Lazzaroni whom FILANGIEXI and his master have trained to plunder and incendiarism, to rape and murder ! If the interference of England and  France to compel a cessation of hostilities in Septem  ber last was right, the abstinence from such interference at the present moment must be wrong. The Sicilians occupy precisely the same position with  To-day the Overland Mail leaves England for Hindostan. It will convey to the northern portion of our Oriental dominions the gratifying intelligence of the thanks yesterday voted to the conquerors of Moult in and the victors of Goojerit by three great as,emblies—by the Court of Proprietors in Leadenhall-street, and by both Houses of the Imperial Parliament. Those expressions of the national gratitude to the heroic soldiers who havz., gained the late glorious campaign in the Punjaub were uttered thout any reservation whatever by the Lords, the Commons, and the Indian Stockholders. Even the conscientious opponents of war—those humane gentlemen who are fascinated by the beautiful but utopian doctrine of " arbitration"—abstained from any indecorous attempt to detract from the unanimity or to diminish the earnestness of the panegyrics pronounced upon his Excellency the Governor General, upon the Right Hon. the veteran Commander in-Chief, upon Sir jOSEPII TRACK WELL, upon Sir WALTER GILBERT, upon Major-General WILLIAM WEisu, as well as upon tha several officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, under their command, both native and European. It was felt that the gallantry, the skill, and the fortitude exhibited by every one who had been engaged'in the late transactions north of the Sutlej had entitled them to the cordial and unconditional felicitations of their countrymen. It was perceived that the two most conspicuous achievements of the cam-. paign were so important in their character, and so brilliant in their execution, as to be numbered henceforth amongst the most glorious events in our Asiatic history. The seizure of Moultan is an enterprise so remarkable as to vie with the capture of the 'Sogdian Rock by