The Press. — London, England, 1855-01-27 00:00:00

lANUARY 27, 1555. Court ant lustiou. Her Majesty remains at Windsor, where no incident reqtiring mention has occurred, excepting the visits pair by the Premier on Wednesday and Thursday, for the purpose of communicating to the Sovereign the rasults of the Cabinet Councils held on those days. . . . . . Her Majesty, it is understood, shortly after her arrival in Lonion for the season, will hold a chapter of the Bath, of 'whin Prince Albert is Grand Muter, for the purpose of investing LieutenanteGeneral Sir De Lacy Evans ( now a . . Knight Commander) and Major•Genersl the Earl of Cardigan with the insignia of the grand cordon of the order. His Excellency Lord Stratford de Radcliffe, accompanied by her ladyship and the Hon. Misses Canning, is expected to arrive in London early in the ensuing month, on a brief absence from his diplomatic duties at Constantinople, leaving Colonel Hugh Rose as chargé d'affaires. It is said in Paris, that M. Usedom, after returning to Berlin, to receive anew confidential instructions from the King, will return to London as permanent envoy, in place of Count Bernstoff. The Dibats announces the death of the Count St. Auliare, formerly French Ambassador to the Court of St. James's. A matrimonial alliance is arranged to take place between the Earl of Portsmouth and the Lady Evelyn. Herbert, sister of the Earl of Carnarvon. The Mountgarret peerage case will again be submitted to judicial investigation. The Irish Court of Exchequer have granted the application for a new trial after hearing arguments on both sides, which lasted through three dad s' sittings. Cabinet Councils were held on Saturday, Wednesday, and Thursday last, the Ministerial consultations in every case being considerably prolonged. There were present at these meetings the following members of the Administration. The Earl of Aberdeen, the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lans downe, the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Clai endon, Sir G eorge Grey, the Duke of Newcastle the Chancellor of the Ex chequer, Sir James Graham, Sir Charles Wood, Eerl Granville, the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, and Sir William Molesworth. Lord John Russell was present at Saturday's Council, and absent afterwards. Viscount Palmerston was absent on Saturday, but took part in the councils held on Wednesday and Thursday. Immediately after the breaking up of the councils on the two latter days, the Earl of Aber deen proceeded to Windsor to have audiences of the Queen. The President of the Council last week issue.] cards for an official banquet, to be given this ( Saturday) evening, to the Cabinet Ministers and the chief officers of State be longing to the Queen's household. Lord J. Russell, it is understood, has subsequently caused it to be intimated that the intended festivity will not take place. THE MILITARY KNIGHTS OF WINDSOR. AFTER three hundred years' struggle to obtain what they consider their due rights and privileges, the Military Knights of Windsor have now a prospect of obtaining justice. The Government having com manded that a full and searching inquiry into their case and claims shall be immediately instituted, a few days since the Military Knights received an official notification from the solicitor of the Treasury, Mr. Reynolds, that he had been commanded by Viscount Palmerston to instruct the Attorney-General forthwith to file an information ex officio, on behalf of the " Military Knights of Windsor v. the Dean and Chapter of Windsor," for the purpose of investi gating the power and the control exercised by the Chapter as trustees of the royal charity, left by the royal founders expressly for the "support and main tenance " of the Military Knights, and also for ascertaining why the Chapter has not strictly com plied with the will of the royal and benevolent found era, as stated in the charters of Edward 111., Edward VI., and Queen Elizabeth. Since the passing of the act 4th Victoria, chap. 112, which came into opera tion on the 11th of August, 1840, the sum of about 80,0001. arising from this charity has been wrongly paid over to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (as alleged), as so much money arising from suppressed canonries of the Chapel Royal of St. George; whereas the case submitted on the part of the Knights is, from the perusal of various documents connected with the case, together with the opinions of the most eminent equity lawyers, that instead of ls. a day, which, from the commencement of the charity to the present time, has been doled out to the Knights, while the Dean and Chapter have ap propriated to their own use and to that of the church the surplus arising from the increased rents, the Military Knights, being the primary object of the benevolence, ought at least to have benefited in an equal degree with the dean and canons, who are now receiving about 1,200 a year each ; and that the canons (as trustees) at the foundation of the charity were placed upon the same stipend as the Military Knights—namely, Is. per diem. THE pay of the third-class constables of the metro politan police is ordered to be raised 2s. a week ; and Lord Palmerston has given directions for a new ar rangement of night duty, by which the labours of the force will not be so severe as formerly. THE PRESS. THE BURMESE AMBASSADOR IN CALCUTTA. A CiLcurra letter of the sth ult. gives the following account of the arrival of the long-expected envoy from the King of Ave : The great fact of the fortnight is the arrival of the Bar mese ambassador. He has now been here a week, residing in Government-house, in the fort, and another week will elapse before he is received by the Governor-General. It is asserted that he has only oome up to express the wish for friendly relations with us that is now entertained by the Court of Ava ; but others say that his object is to in duce Lord Dalhousie to surrender Bassein. There is no doubt that he is the bearer of a letter from the King of Ava, for this wee made the great object of the pomp and parade of his landing. As it may entertain the Eaglish reader to know some thing about the visit of this Wirbarian, I will attempt a slight description of his arrival. He landed from the Zenobia at five, p.m., last Monday—having been first wel comed, on board, by the secretaries to Government. The manner and amount of the oordiality of his welcome was measured beforehand in the programme by the considera tion whether, on being inteoduced, be should wear his wings or not. This will read very funnily in England, but it is a sober and courtly truth here. The high functionaries of state in Burmah wear wings, just as at our Court the gentlemen wear bag-wigs end swords. These wings are only worn on very important occasions, and as evidences of the " highest consideratioe," as the French would say. The ambassador wore his wings, and accordingly the secre taries received him with their blandest smiles. After inquiring touching his health he landed in the ' state barge, under a salute of seventeen guns, which, how• ever, produced such terror and alarm upon the minds of his attendants that they inmediatiately sank into the bottom of the boat, and be vociferous prayers, to the gen amazement or amusement of every one who beheld them. At the landing-place four of Lord Dalhousie's carriages were in attendance, and the state carriage for the reception of the ambassador. Both he and his chief attendants wore brass hats, something like the roof of the Burmese pagodas, which have been excellently sketched in the illustrated London News. The ambassador could not get into the close state carriage with his on, so he was compelled to uncover, which some people remarked was rather significant. The whole way into the fort, and to the governor's house in the fort, was lined with troops on each side, and from the gateways into the fort up to the doors of the residence, behind the troops, were seen the muzzles of hundreds of cannon and gun-carriages. The appearance was most formidable, for, perhaps, nowhere in the world would you see more cannon collected together than there are exhibited round the square in the interior of Fort William, Calcutta. The Governor-General's body-guard of 900 mounted men accompanied the procession, surrounding the ambassador on every side. The expression on his countenance was one of mingled curiosity and distress ; he evidently did not at all admire the tremendous evidence of power which we exhibited. His passage was more like that of a state pri soner than of an independent ambassador. On arriving at his allotted residence in the fort an amusing scene is said to have taken place. One of the a tendants, not exactly understanding what the carriage steps were intended for, and seeing that the servants, all gold-lace and magnificence, surrounded them with great pomp, imagined that some notice ought to be taken of the steps, and he thought he could not do better that sit down on them. So in alight ing from the carriage, instead of stepping out as we mortals ordinarily do, he sat down upon the top step, and so slid from one to the other until he reached the ground The story has been the amusement of the saloons of Cal cutta for some days. I can only describe the ambassador as like a large black monkey, dressed like one of cur har lequins in a pantomime, with small wings coming over his shoulders, ands high brass pepper-pot on his head. The king's letter was carried in a silver box before his carriage, under the shadow of eight golden umbrellas. Immediately afterwards followed the presents which have been brought for her Majesty and the Government. What these are, no one yet knows, but the ambassador would not land without them ; and a rabble of his followers, almost naked—poor, lean, black resoals—came dose behind his carriage, carry ing the boxes containing these valuables. On Monday next the Governor-General holds a durbar, at which the ambassador will be presented, and his presents likewise. On the Wednesday there is to be a banquet at Government house, to which the Burmese embassy is invited, and all the beads of departments and chief officers of state in Cal cutta. There is also to be a grand review, at which seven regiments are to be paraded, with artillery, &c. •, so that when the ambassador returns to Ave be will be able to let the golden-footed monarch know a little about the strength of Englishmen. A PitoposirioN is under the consideration of the Protestant Alliance for erecting, by public subscrip• tion, a memorial to the martyrs who sugared in Smithfield. The first of these, John Rogers, a pre bend of St. Paul's, was burned opposite St. Bartho lomew Hospital on the 4th of February, 1555. THE award of the great prizes—one of 1,8001. and another of 6001.—t0 the authors of the two best treatises on "The Being and Atributes of God," has just been announced at Aberdeen. The successful competitors were found to be—for the first prize, the Rev. Robert Anchor Thompson, A.M., Louth, Lin colnshire ; and for the second, the Rev. John Tullooh manse of Kettins, Cuper Angus, principal of St., Mary's College, St. Andrew's, Scotland. There were 208 treatises lodged. THE Scotsman states that the second command of the British army in the Crimea has, after due delibe ration been conferred upon our distinguished coon ' tryman, Sir Colin Campbell. Obituarz GENERAL CARPENTER, the oldest general in the service, died at his residence in Great Cumberland street, on Tuesday week, at the advanced age cf ninety-one. The deceased survived his son, the late Colonel George Carpenter, of the 41st, who fell gallantly at the head of his regiment in the san guinary conflict at Inkermann, in the Crimea, only two months. MR. MUMS, for many years the foreign editor of Galifsant's Messenger, expired on the 111th instant at his house, iu the Rue Chauveau Lagarde, Pari after an illness of three or four days. The deceased gentleman was the Nestor of English journalists in Paris. Many years ago he was editor of the Courier and subsequently of other journals in London. He was also for a long while the London correspondent of the Journal des Debate. For more than a quarter of a century he has been attached to Galignani, and during the same period was Paris correspondent of the Globe. He was one of the very few men in the world who oould speak and write the French and English languages equally well. He bad great con versational powers, an extraordinary memory, and a sound political judgment. His mind was a perfect museum of anecdote, and he was ever the best autho rity on the subject of the " latest news " of the hour. His appearance in Gatignani's little conversation chamber was always the signal for a rush from the reading-room adjoining. There, surrounded by nu merous friends of various nations, who put down their newspapers to listen to the result of his morn ing's reading, his fine countenance might be seen suffused with good humour, while for a few moments be playfully parried the eager questions addressed to him in various accents and languages. When silence was obtained be was wont in fluent speeoh to give a succinct, and invariably accurate, account of the most important intelligence arrived by the morning mails from different parts of the world, and to add his own opinion of the bearing of the new facts upon the political situation. He was as good a listener as a talker, always lending a candid ear to every sug gestion, and treating opinions adverse to his own with goodnatured deference and respect. Mr. Merle was greatly esteemed by all wbo knew him, and his loss will be regretted by a large circle of friends both in France and England. Among his personal friends were Lord Palmerston and General Sir De Lacy Evans, both of whom sought interviews with him when they were lately , in Paris. Tux RIGHT HON. THOMAS FRANPILAND LIWIS,BART., M.P., a gentleman who has for nearly forty years filled various offices of trust and honour, died on the 22nd inst., in the 74th year of his age. He was a Commissioner of Inquiry into the Irish Revenue in 1821, and into that of Great Britain and Ireland from 1822 to 1825 ; Secretary to the Treasury in 1827, Vice-President of the Board of Trade in 1828, Trea surer of the Navy in 1830, Chairman of tbe Poor Law Commission from 1884 to 1839, and a Commissioner to Inquire into the Turnpike Outrages in 1843. Sir Frankland Lewis represented Beaumaris in Parlia ment from 1812 till 1826, Ennis from 1826 till 1828, Radnorshire from 1828 till 1895, and Radnor since 1847. His decease occasions a vacancy in the repro sentation of the last-named borough. Sir Thomas is succeeded in the title by his son, Mr. George Come wall Lewis, formerly Secretary to the Treasury, and now editor of the Edinburgh Review. THE CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE. Bins the six thousand and odd chimney shafts of the metropolis have been put under the surveillante of in formers and policemen, who watch their tops as a terrier would a rat-hole, the air has become sensibly purer on the south side of the river. It cannot be supposed, however, that the total suppression f smoke in all manufacturers' chimneys will have more than a 'partial effect in freeing the town from floating carbon. We have still left the reeking chimneys of the 390,000 and odd houses of the metropolis to keep up the dismal cloud for ever hanging over us. The question naturally arises—Can we put oat the smoke of the domestic hearth? Dr. Arnott has attempted to solve this question by the introduction of his improvement upon Cutley's smoke-consuming Ere grate. In this apparatus the grate is the ordinary firep lace, having underneath it, in lieu of the under bars, a square iron coalbox, which has a move able bottom. In the morning this box is filled with coal, and the fire is then built and lit in the ordinary manner. As it consumes, instead of replenishing it with coals placed Avon the top, by means of a 'bent poker, which acts as a lever, the bottom of the coalbox is pressed up, and u much fuel as may be requisite supplied to the fire from below. The grate will burn for fourteen hours with 401 h. of coal. An ordinary Are is generally allowed a medium-sized scuttle a day, which must weigh from 281 b. to 80Ib. The saving of fuel, according to this calculation, is between forty and fifty per sent. Of °ours*, if there is no smoke or soot produced, there is no fees of chimneys 01a . biail fir! , their inevitpse results, with Amenities end <Amu policemen, who oblige householders on such occasions to pay at about the rate of ss. per spark. Pains PAUL SAMNA 11114 Count Ipatiss fikter. w Lo b►d rut estSes in Lithunlia, laws juni, flied w J'oland.