The Sun. — 1862-06-28 (London, England)

HIGGINS. Again, that unlucky gentleman, the wrong Mr. HIGGINS, who is everlastingly getting himself "into the wrong box," would have done much better than he did, in this matter of the misdirected letter, if he had returned it at once to the writer of it—showing it previously to no one—certainly least of all to a Member of the Thames Embankment Committee. Lord ROBERT MONTAGUE, again, is too hot in his way of taking the matter up, and in calling the parties implicated to account in the House of Commons yesterday. Mr. HORSHAN, moreover, has pleased no one by the tone in which he commented upon the whole transaction, saving and excepting only one delightful mis-reading of a passage of the letter of "A West Londoner," in the Times of the 23d of June, a passage running, according to Mr. HORSMAN, as follows :—" The real reason put forward by counsel before the committee was that the Duke of BUCCLEUCH and one or two other noblemen and gentlemen who live between Whitehall-stairs and and Westminster-bridge, wish to enjoy all the advantages afforded to them by a profuse expenditure in purifying the Times (loud laughter)—in purifying the Thames." As to Mr. COWPER and the Committee, we leave them to fight out the present dispute that has sprung up among them, to fight it out quietly, at their leisure, and to their own entire satisfaction. All that the public at large really cares about—and it does care about this in veritable earnest, (as certain are we that the result will prove)—all that the public at large does care about in the matter is that the interests of A Duke shall not interfere with the interests of The People in realising npnn a fitting scale of erandenr and completeness, this great scheme of a Thames Embankment.  Again the Confederates in Virginia have shown themselves, if not the stronger, the more dexterous. They appear to have, for the present, checked M'CLELLAN's advance. According to the terms of his own proclamation to his army, by this time we were to have had another great and decisive battle. The flooding of the river Chickahominy imposed on both parties a not unwelcome armistice after the murderous battle of Fair Oaks, but we expected as soon as operations were practicable to hear of a Federal advance, and to receive tidings either of a fearful battle, or of the evacuation of Richmond. The news by the Persia looks all the other way. In two parts of Virginia the Confederates " show fight" in a way which does not look like retreat. Directly in front of Richmond they have made a second successful assault, this time on the right wing of M'CLELLAN'e army. It was chiefly by cavalry, which was sustained by artillery; not improbably the very artillery captured on the left flank from Gen. CASEY on the 31st of May. They actually turned M'CLELLAN'S flank, went boldly to his rear, did all the damage they could in the time to the railroad and telegraph by which he keeps up his communications with West Point, destroyed forage and tents, took many prisoners, and then got back to their lines again before the Federal army could be put in motion. We do not know how this information should come to us except from a Northern source; and if so, and it turned out to be in truth the best phase of the affair, it shows either unaccountable negligence in the army which allowed itself to be surprised a second time, or great skill on the part of the Southerners. It shows at least that their energy and courage have not relaxed. A similar spirit appears in the movements of General