The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-08 00:00:00

DECEMBER 8, 1855. societies of Great Britain, were in turn received, after which a presentation of the corps diplomatique took place. The various toreign ambassadors, with their secretaries of the embassy, were present at the levee. His Majesty, attended by Count Cavour, the Mar- 4 quis d'Azeglio, and a large suite, left Buckingham Palace at a quarter-past twelve o'clock for the Guild hall. The royal cortege embraced four state carriages, the King occupying the last, and preceded and attended by a squadron of the Royal Horse Guards. The procesion, at a moderately fast pace, took the s ime route that was followed on a late state occa sion, and reached the Guildhall a few minutes b.:fore one. Throughout the whole length of the City, in spite of the dull murky weather, the streets were well lined with people, and at the prominent points, Whitehall, St. Paul's, and the Mansion-house, were very densely crowded. The King was warmly received by the people, and on his arrival at the Guildhall was met by the Lord Mayor and aldermen, and conducted with great cere mony to the throne. As his Majesty crossed the in terior of the ball the whole assembly rose en incase and cheered with a heartiness which produced a great impression on the King. As soon as silence was restored, the Mayor and Recorder advanced to the steps of the throne and read an address con• gratulating bis Majesty upon his visit to our Queen and country, and expressing the determination of the citizens of London to support the Queen and her august allies "in the cause of national indepen dence and of civil and religious liberty." His Majesty then advanced from the throne, and, speaking in Italian, replied as follows : My Lord Mayor,—l offer my heartfelt thanks to you, to the a dermen, and to the commons of the City of London, for the cordial congratulations whi2h you present to me on the occas►on of my visit to her Majesty the Queen and to the British nation. The reception that I meet with in this ancient land of constitutional liberty, of which your address is a confirma tion, is to me a proof of the sympathy inspired by the policy I have hitherto pursued—a policy in which it is my intention constantly to persevere. The close alliance existing between the two most power ful nations of the earth is honourable alike to the wisdom of the sovereigns who govern them and to the character of their people. They have understood how preferable is a mutually advantageous friendship to ancient and ill-defined rivalry. The alliance is a new fact in history, and is the trinmph of civilisation. Notwithstanding the misfortunes which have weighed upon my kingdom, I have entered into this alliance, because the house of Savoy ever deemed it to be its duty to draw the sword when the combat was for justice and for independence. • If the forces which I bring to the allies are those of a State not vast, I bring with them, nevertheless, the in fluence of a loyalty never doubted, and supported by the valour of an army always faithful to the banner of its kings. We cannot lay down our arms until an honourable and therefore durable peace has been secured. This we shall accomplish by seeking unanimously the triumph of true right and the just desires of each nation. I thank you for the good wishes you this day express for my future happiness and for that of my kingdom. While you thus express yourself with respect to the future, it gives me pleasure to speak of the presee, and to congratulate you on the high position attained by Great Britain. This is to be attributed to the free and noble character of the nation, and also to the virtues of your Queen. The King shortly afterwards left the throne, and partook of luncheon, at which the Lord Mayor pro • posed the "Health of the Queen," and then the health of " Our August Visitor and Welcome Guest," his Majesty the King , i n return, proposing the health of the "Lord Mayor and Prosperity to the City of London." Shortly after two p.m. the King rose and left the Guildhall with the same state and ceremony as on his arrival. His Mtkiesty, on his way to Buckingham Palace, paid a state visit to Viscount Palmerston, at the noble viscount's private residence. Lord Palmerston, with the different members of the corps diplomatique, received the King, who left after a brief stay, returning to Buckingham Palace and Windsor. On Wednesday a Chapter of the Garter was held by the Queen at Windsor, and the King installed as a Knight, with all the usual ceremonies. On Th irsday, at the unusually early hour of five a.m., his Majesty took leave of the Queen, and, accom panied by Prince Albert and the Duke of Cambridge, left Windsor ior Folkestone, arriving their safely at twenty five minutes to nine am. After a bri f rest at the Pavilion Hotel the King bid farewell to the Prince and the Duke of Cambridge, and, embarking on board the Vivid, started for Boulogne and Paris. THE EMPEROR OF RTISSTA on his arrival at the imperial palace of Izarsko-Szlo, on the 18th ult., from the Crimea, was immediately attended by C uont Nesselrode, Count Panim, Count Rudiger, Senai vine, and several senators. For three days con ferences were frequently held ; and, though their object has not yet transpired, the Emperor's opinion is known to be favorable as regards the present position and prospects of lithe Russian armies in the south. THE PRESS. Vo!Huai. PUBLIC OPINION ON THE WAR, dm. Mn. WILLIAMS addressed the electors of Lambeth on Monday evening at considerable length upon the various measures of last session, and upon the pro spects of peace. No man, he said, was more anxious than himself for peace, but it must be a peace honour • able to the nation and one that would attain the objects of the war, the only way to obtain which was, be believed, by a vigorous prosecution of the war, when " we should not have to wait long for a peace established upon the safest and most honourable terms." MAJOR REED, M.P., at the Abingdon cattle dinner last Monday, referred in his speech to the aspect of the war, and expressed his hearty concurrence iu its vigorous prosecution until an honourable peace was obtained He believed that the people of England, throughout the length and breadth of the land, were unanimous on the war. They had borne their burdens cheertully and wil lingly; were prepared to submit to additional burdens, and even to the ballot for the militia, to secure the object for which they had struggled, and such a peace as should be honourable in its character and lasting in its duration. • Mn. Hunsow, M.P., in a letter to the late meeting of shipowners in the north, expressed the following opinion upon the war and the Bank Charter Act: — My views may be stated in a few words. I s►n for a vigorous prosecution of the war t►ll we obtain a safe peace, but no longer. I very much deprecate war, and trust no opportunity will be lost by her Majesty's Government to effect a satisfactory termination of the present contest. It is probable that the bank charter will come under discus sion next session. lam in favour of some modification of the bill of 1844, which in its operation is restrictive, and does not fairly represent the increased property of the country. It does not work when it is called into operation, and when dormant it is useless. Mn. H. K. SEYMER, M.P., at the dinner succeed ing the annual cattle-show of the Sturminster Newton Agricultural Society on Thursday last, in reply to the toast of " The County Members," touched slightly on politics, and, alluding to the war, declared himself in favour of its vigorous prosecution. On the question of agricultural statistics, Mr. Seymer expressed con siderable doubts as to their success or importance. MR. MERYWEATHER TURNER, formerly a candidate for the representation of the borough of Stroud, in anticipation of a speedy dissolution of Parliament, has offered himself aga►n to the electors. In an address issued on Saturday last he observes, on the question of the war : To me there seems only one certain means of estab• fishing a firm, healthy, and prosperous peace, and that is by the most undaunted perseverance—by pushing the war with the utmost vigour and determination until a peace can be secured upon terms honourable to the position and the name of England. Mr. Scrope also we believe fully intends to offer himself for re-election. Sin ROBERT PEEL addressed a letter to the Morn. ittg Chronicle, on Monday, in order to correct the " erioneous interpretation" attached to remarks which fell from him on a recent occasion at Tam worth. The right lion. baronet there remarks that he neither seeks to retract nor to explain away, but his political connection with the Admiralty induces him to give a plain honest statement of what he did say : In addressing my constituents (observes Sir Robert) I stated that, rightly or wrongly, an impression was afloat in the minds of some that all had not been done by our fleets during the past season that might have been expected. It was not attempted to discuss whether that impression was correct or erroneous, but the case being fairly put—perhaps made too much of for argumen t ' s sake—l proceeded to detail the six great operations of the year from April, and which sufficiently stamp the character of the Government for energy and determination in the prosecution of the war, leaving it to the appreciation of my audience to draw their conclusion, which, however, 1 believe myself to be justified in saying is in thorough accordance with my own opinion and that of the public generally. When, moreover, I stated that formerly we gained naval victories at two hundred yards of the muzzle of the guns on the enemy's batteries, whereas in the present war, with one exception, we had not fought within a range of two thousand yards of similar defences, 7 t was not intended to impute blame to our corn. rounders ; on the contrary, I distinctly disavowed any such intention, but merely to state that which the history of the war confirms. Again, I said that last war we had to ma nceuvre in, ber the enemy's fire, and then sheer off as best we could with a damaged masts and spars, upon which the movement of the vessels depended ; whereas now we could move off in a few minutes by the aid of steam. But this was put for the purpose of showing that the extraordinary advantages which the application of steam power must afford for offensive wui fare had not yet been adequately appreciated. so as to have - led to those important results which woula inei Wilily ensue. I can only odd that no re. flection whatever was intended in these remarks on the character of the allied fleets. GENERAL MOURAVIEFF on the recent capture of a Tatar with de'patches for Kars, finding among the despatches a private letter, containing the Burmese medal for Captain Thompson, one of the English officers now employed in the defence of Kars, sent in a flag of truce next day with the letter and the medal for its gallant owner. 1185 gitttings. CARDINAL WISEMAN, after vespers on Surday evening last., deliver, d from the pulpit of the Mier fields chapel his opinion upon the Austrian t. on cordat. The treaty, he said, bad only been concluded after the most profound consideration between the two great powers, and the reason why it had been so abused in this country was : It was drawn up in the peculiar language of Catholic ecclesiastical diplomacy—that was to say, the words u in sa it had a di ff erent meaning from that of ordinary lAtitt in which it was written ; and it required a person versed in ecclesiastical Latin and In the principles of the canoe law to uudertsand it and interpret its meaning and significance. The result of all the abuse laviahei on the Concordat would be that people would regard it as an act of singular wisdom and consideration. The Cardinal also delivered an ad ress on Monday at the St. James ' s School, Matichester•row, in which he criticised Lord John Russell's recent lecture in Exeter. hall, and appealed to the cruel persecutions of the earlier Christians, and the rapid spread of Christianity notwithstanding, to show that rellious persecution did not necessarily obstruct progress. Against the instances given of persecution by the Roman Catholic Church, he set the penal laws, the Massacre of Glencoe, and the cruelties exercised by the English soldiers towards the inhabitants of Acadia, in North America, as related in Mr. Leng fellow's "Evangeline." The object of the lecture was to show that, if there had been persecution on the one side, there had also been persecution on the other. A MEETING Or SHIPOWNERS AND MERCHANTS took place at SUNDERLAND, on Monday last, for the pur pose of considering various questions affecting the shipping interest. The Mayor of Sunderlami presided, and explained the object of the meeting, which was to agree upon certain resolutions pro testing against the local charges upon shipping, end to petition Parliament for the abolition of all exdu sive privileges and all restrictive imposts, such as light and primage dues, by the Trinity Board, as wall as to compel Government to arrange a better system. of management of the public harbours. Varies resolutions in accordance with this explanation wee proposed and passed, and a deputation appointed to confer with the Government upon the subject. THE RESTORATION Or POLAND was seriously cos sidered at a public meeting held at NOTTINGHAM, On Tuesday. The meeting was attended principally ty the working classes of the districts, and a memoial embodying resolutions to that effect was unanimouly adopted for presentation to the Queen. THE PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIA TION COMPANY held their fifteenth annual meeting in Wednesday last and declared a dividend of seven pr cent., exclusive of the underwriting account of as. per share. The position and prospects of the compay were considered highly satisfactory, and the report atir some discussion was adopted, when the ceremonylf a presentation of two magnificent services of plate) Mr. Anderson and Mr. Willcox took place, as a mu of the esteem of the proprietors, in testimony of the sense of the high services of each of these geutleme, THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY'S evenrn meeting will be held on Monday, the 10th December at half-past eight o'clock. Papers to be read:-1 " Notes on the Geography of Central Africa, from the late researches of Livingston, Monteiro, Garcia, and other authorities," by James Macqueen,Esq.,F.R.G.S.; 2. " Geographical notes on Siam ; with a new map of the lower part of the Menem River," by Harry Pukes, Esq., F.R.G.S. EARL STANHOPE, in his recent lecture on art education at BIRMINGHAM, entered upon the ques of the defects found in our own manufactures, which, although pre-eminent in execution, yet tail in design. The noble earl then proceeded to show that this deficiency arose from the want of an !academy at Rome, the institution of which, after the example of France, would confer inestimable and lasting ernes fits both upon artist and manufacturer: In conclu sion Lord Stanhope conditionally promised as soon as peace was concluded to bring the matter before the notice of the Houses of Parliament. THE BILLETING SYSTEM gave rise to a meeting of licensed victuallers in Weeslite-setraer., on Wednes day evening. The chairman briefly stated the object of the meeting, which was to protest against having, at a heavy annual cost, to provide permanent pro. vision for the militia. The tittle, he stated, had no objection to provide for the militia, or the line in transitti, but it was unfair to impose a heavy annual bt.rden upon licensed victuallers for the provision of me n permanently e•-tabbshed in a particular locality, and for whom barrack accomnitstation ought to be found by the Governm ent. Several licensed vic tuallers stated that they bad provided for lour of five militiamen within the last few menthe. A reso lution was then proposed for the adoption of a memorial to be presented to the Home Secretary, stating that the present syste m of billeting soldiers t } I. 5 i 1