The Press. — London, England, 1854-07-15 00:00:00

JULY 15, 1854. It is a significant fact for the Czar that this country, in four months, has cheerfully given the sum of 76,0001. for the especial benefit of her soldiers' wives and families, and this in the faze of a doubled income tax, an increasing rise in the price of provisions, and the prospect of a lentrthened struggle by sea and land with one of the most military nations in the world. The yachts Emerald and Gondola were taking a pleasure trip, on the 27th ult., round the English steam squadron, and, in order to reconnoitre a little, reached in within about four English miles of the entrance of the harbour of Cron stadt. They were in a short time surprised by a Russian steam•oorvette steaming out at full speed in chase of them to try to cut off their escape. They, however, sheeted sharply home, and after three tacks were safely under the protection of our steam squadron. One of our steam corvettes, thinking it a good opportunity to take the measure of the Russians, got up steam and proceeded towards her. This was rather too much for her; the Russian corvette very soon put down her helm, and ran at full steam power for the harbour. At the time these yachts were reconnoitring sounding, &c., there were five English captains of the fleet on board of them, and also a Britah peer. &tat anl) lases. COURT MOVEMENTS during the past week offer no feature deserving record. On Monday it is under stood that her Majesty leaves London for Osborne house, which is to continue the royal residence until after the prorogation of Parliament. The Queen will then proceed to Scotland, but it is believed that her stay in the north is to be unusually brief, and that the necessity of holding Privy Councils, conse quent upon the troubled state of political affairs at home and abroad, will cause an early return of the Court to Windsor Castle. AT A COURT HELD ON MONDAY, Lord Howden, British Envoy in Spain, was presented to her Majesty by Lord Clarendon, upon his return to this country on leave of absence. THE ICING OF PORTUGAL is on a tour through the principal towns of Belgium. He has adjourned his journey to France to September. On leaving Bel gium his Majesty will repair to the Hague, Berlin, Vienna, and Gotha. THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR AND CotnrrEss WA LEWSKI embarked at Dover on Sunday, for Calais, in order to attend the Emperor of the French. A CABINET Couscrt, was held on Saturday afternoon at the Foreign-office, Downing street. COUNT PAHLEN, the Russian emissary, arrived•in England from Lisbon on the 4th inst. THE EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITION, in St. Martin's ball, was on Thursday visited by the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred. _ _ VISCOUNTESS PALMERSTON had an assembly on Saturday evening at the family mansion in Carlton• gardens. ON Wednesday evening Lady Rokeby gave a grand ball at the family mansion, Montagu-house, Portman square. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary honoured the fete with their presence. Miss COUTTB held an assembly on Thursday night at her mansion in Stratton-street, which was bril- Eantly and numerously attended. THE MARRIAGE Or GEORGE WARRENDER, ESQ., only son of Sir John Warrender, Bart., of Lochend, to Helen, only child of Sir Hugh Hume Campbell, of Marchmont, Bart., was celebrated on Thursday at St. George's, Hanover-square. LADY MARIANNE ANNE STURT died a few days since at the advanced age of 88. Her ladyship was daughter of the fourth Earl of Shaftesbury, the grandmother of Mr. Gerard Sturt, M.P., and con nected with the noble houses of Cardigan and Lucan. VoWaal ant( 6tntrai. liosstrra will visit Edinburgh, for the purpose of addressing a public meeting, irk about a month hence. He purposes visiting two other places—namely, New castle and Liverpool, with like intent, before the close of the summer. _ . NUMEROUS SUITS are, it is stated, about to be in stituted against the directors of goki•mining and other projects lately started, at the instance of share holders who, encouraged by the success which has attended similar actions lately, are determined to try the efficacy of the law to recover losses which they conceive to be caused by positive breach of contract on the part of the directors. One of these actions was decided on the 7th inst. in the Court of Exche quer, the defendant being a director of the Royal Hibernian Mining Company, professedly conducted under the cost-book system. The suit was brought to recover 2001. paid for two hundred shares of 11. each, and the plaintiff's case was that, whilst the Prospectus proposed to raise a capital of 100,0001., only 5,4581. was paid upon the shares, with which amount the directors had commenced working the mine. The Lord Chief Baron summed up strongly in favour of the plaintiff, and the jury returned a verdict for the 2001. claimed. THE PRESS. Ma. COMMISSIONER EARLE and Mr. Denison, of the Chancery Bar, and Mr. Thomas Phinn, M.P., and Mr. R. P. Collier, M.P. of the common law bar, were sworn before the Lord Chancellor on Monday as Queen's Counsel; the latter two with patents of pre cedence. A BILL just brought in by Mr. Dunlop► proposes to provide that, if the jury in a civil cause in the Court of Session are unable to agree after six hours' delibe ration, the verdict of nine may be returned. During the deliberation the judge is to have power to give them leave to be furnished with necessary refresh ment. THE FAILURE OF THE HOUSE OF SPIRIDIONE GOP cEvrrcH, which had carried on for many years specu lations in grain to an enormous extent, has been announced from Trieste. The firm had purchased great quantities of corn in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azoff, and the Russian Government prohibited its exportation. In the emergency the head of the house lately proceeded to St. Petersburg, to solicit from the Emperor some relaxation, obtaining an ad vance of 100,0001. from capitalists at Vienna and Trieste, to avert a stoppage meanwhile. His jour. ney, however, has been fruitless, and the suspension of the house is announced. The lowest amount at which his liabilities are estimated seems to be 250,0001., as it is said that the wheat purchased by him in the Sea of Azoff alone was to the value of 150,0001., and that in the Black Sea the total amount was still more considerable. M. Mark Gopeevitch, brother, and London agent for the principal of the firm, stopped payment on Tuesday. The accept ances still running in the country are estimated at 120 to 150,0(0. A telegraphic despatch received from Vienna on Wednesday announcei that the Bank of Vienna had consented to advance three million florins (250,0001.) to enable the house to tide over its embarassments. _ _ AN IMMENSE CONSIGNMENT, consisting of no fewer than 17,000 live quails, has been received by a dealer in Clerkenwell. These birds are considered a great delicacy at this season, and fetch high prices. Lonn Jour; Russett has been appointed unpaid Charity Commissioner for England and Wales, in the room of Sir George Grey, who resigned on assuming the office of Colonial Secretary. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER OF EXETER have taken the initiative, and abolished the vergers' fees of 3d. a head for showing the cathedral. The building is now open free daily, from ten to four o'clock. THE SHIPMENTS OF SPECIE FROM ENGLAND tO In dia, China, Egypt, and Malta for the half year just ended have been 2,373,0141., of which 514,6671. con sisted of gold, and 1,858,3471. of silver. The pro portion of this taken oat by the steamers of the Peninsular and Oriental Company was 2,308,3811., while those of the General Screw Company carried 64,6331. The sum included in the aggregate total as having been sent direct to China is 1,289,5481., of which all but 86,1561. was silver. NOTICE has been served from the engineer's office upon the proprietors of steam-boat companies plying up and down the river to avoid the third arch of the Westminster-bridge on the Middlesex side, as the abutment of the new bridge has been commenced on that side, and to pass under the fourth arch at a slackened pace. THE HOOD MONUMENT in Mensal-green Cemetery is to be publicly uncovered on Tuesday next, the 18th instant. An appropriate address is to be delivered upon the occasion by Mr. Richard Monekton Milnes, M.P. THE suspension of payments by Mr. S. Hammond, of Leeds, is announced. His liabilities are stated to be about 30,0001., and his assets sufficient to pay about 7s. in the pound. EXPERIMENTS were lately made at the Sweet Waters near Constantinople of Mr. Hale's rockets, before a select Turkish committee. A considerable number of Turkish notabilities were on the ground. The firing was most successful, and fully demonstrated the superiority of this rocket over all previous inven tions. Mr. Hale is about to receive a large order from the Turkish Government. AMONGST the strange "notions " sent from Liver pool to Australia are enumerated a quantity of coffins and gravestones, shipped to Melboarne. The coffins are fitted in one another like pill-boxes. AT the sale of the late Sir Thomas Talfourd's wines last week at Messrs. Christie and Manson's a few lots of port of the vintage 1820 fetched the enormous price of 131. per dozen. SEVERAL of the clergy of Birmingham, among whom are the Rev. J. C. Miller, rector of he old parish church, Rev. Messrs. Cockin, J. C. Barrett, J. B. Marsden, and J. Eagles, have announced their inten tion of trying the agency of open-air preaching, and some have actually commenced, with much encou ragement. The clergymen above named have each of them large and densely peopled districts. THE STEEPING RAINS which have fallen during the past few days, while proving very beneficial to the pastures, have done no harm to the growing crops in Leicestershire. Wheat in that county, it is stated, hardly ever looked better. 657 THE ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION is about to start on a new ca . eer, under the magagement of Mr. J. H. Pepper, professor of chemistry, who has become the resident director of the establishment. Many alterations are being made in every department, and Mr. Pepper announces his intention to give to the in stitution a more popular but at the same time scientific character than it has heretofore assumed. AN arrangement is on foot amongst the friends of temperance, offended by the sale of wine, &c., at Sydenham, to purchase the Surrey Zoological Gardens, and to erect a large building of glass. The Builder states that it is proposed to raise 100,0001. by 100,000 1/. shares, and that the gardens have been provisionally purchased for 25,000/. BURNT HUMAN BONES and charred wood have been dug up in excavating for a sewer in Long-lane, Smithfield, at about four or five feet depth from the surface. The bones were carefully taken care of, put into a coffin, and buried in a churchyard. The remains are supposed to belong to some martyrs burnt during the progress of the Reformation. THE launch of H.M.S. Exmouth, of 01 guns, took place at Devonport Dockyard on Wednesday last. A vast multitu,le of persons availed themselves of the opportunity of witnessing the event. SOME extensive siege operations were exhibited on Thursday in the Chatham lines under the directions of General Sir J. F. Burgoyne, Inspector-General of Fortifications. Prince Albert, with the chairman and directors of ths East India Company, was present at the operations. and upon their conclusion were enter tained by the officers of the Royal Engineers. A GENERAL COURT MARTIAL was commenced on Wednesday at the Infantry Barracks, Windsor, to try Lieutenant James Edward Perry, of the 46th Regi ment, for conduct unbecoming an officer and a gen tleman, in having, on the night of the 2Sth ult., com mitted an assault on Lieutenant Greer, of the same regiment. The proceedings were still unfinished at the close of yesterday's sitting. THE BRITISH GALLIOT " MARY," which arrived at Gibraltar on the 2nd, reported that, on the 30th ult., when on her voyage from Marseilles, she was driven by the current within twenty miles of Cape Tres Forces, and there distinguished a brig being attacked by Riffian pirates. In the captain's opinion the brig was taken by the pirates. The Mary did not inter fere, being unarmed. A letter from the Admiralty to Lloyd's agent states that her Majesty's steam-sloop Prometheus has been again despatched to the Riff coast. THE PAYINO. VISITORS at the Sydenham Crystal Palace, during the past se'nnignt, have been : Friday (half-crown day), 2,707; Saturday (ss. day), 1,137; Monday, 12,881; Tuesday, 13,699; Wed nesday, 0,867 ; and Thursday, 15,014. It is stated that the waterworks in the p3!ace gardens are in a sufEciently forward state to lead to the hope that the smaller fountains will be playing in about a fortnight. AT the meeting of the Union Bank of London held on Wednesday a dividend was declared at the rate of 15 per cent. The chairman (Sir Peter Laurie) stated that business had greatly increased, and that there was every prospect of its being maintained. During the past year the assets have been augmented to the extent of 2,000,000/., the dividend has been doubled, while the interest to customers is more than twice the amount previously paid. THE MILITIA EXPENSES for the year ending March 31, 1855, have been estimated by the select commit tee at 908,0001., being the whole sum required for 124,074 men for the United Kingdom. The charge for regiments to be embodied is 360,000/. ; that for raising and training the militia (89,176 men) in England and Wales is 480,0001. ; in Scotland (for 10,800 men), 35,0001.; in Ireland (for 21,000 men), 60,2001. THE estimate of the expenses of the new office of the Secretary of State for War has been laid on the table of the House of Commons. The total sum required for the period between June 12, 1854, and March 31, 1855, will be 17,3001., of which 10,4071. is for the regular salaries of the officers, 2,8881. for con tingencies,2,993/. for postage, and 1,0121. for messen gers, salaries, and bills. The Secretary of State is to have 5,0001. per annum. Two under-secretaries 1,500/. each ; three senior clerks from 0001. to 1,000/. ; four assistant senior clerks 3501. to 545/. ; four junior clerks from 1501. to 3001. ; and four probationary clerks from 100/. to 1501. each. There are other allowances for private secretaries, Sec., but, as several of the clerks will be taken from the other public offices, a considerable counterbalancing reduction will take place. A LETTER from Commander Rico, of H.M. steam sloop Prometheua, dated Gibraltar, June 28th, appears in Tuesday's Gazette, giving an account of the recapture of the English brig Cuthbert Young, of South Shields, which had been taken and plun dered by piratical boats on the Riff coast, about ten miles to the N.W. of Care Tres Forces. The master and men, twelve in number, escaped, and six of them had arrived at Gibraltar. The vessel was not much injured.