The Sun. — London, England, 1858-09-28 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY; , EVENISG, SEPTEMBER' '2B, 1858 FAREWELL SEASON OF. MR. CHARLES KEAN AS MANAGER OF THE - Ip4DY AL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. — Liu , This THEATRE WILL OPEN on SATURDAY next, the 2nd October, with the Farce of DYING FOR LOVE. To be followed by THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, which play will be performed for a Fortnight, and then with drawn for the production of Shakspere'a - Historical Tragedy of KING JOHN, which will be revived on Monday, 18th October. THEATRE-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE t Under the Management of Miss L. Tyne and Mr. W. Harrison. • ----- THIS EVENING, Balfe's ROSE OF CASTILLE : Miss Louisa Pyne, Miss Susan Pyne, Miss M. Prescott ; Mr. Fer dinand Glover, Mr. A. St. Albyn, Mr. George Honey, Mr. Bartleman,'and Mr. W. Harrison. Conductor—Mr. Alfred Mellon. To conclude with a Ballet Divertissement : Mdlles. Zilia Michelet, Pasquale, and Morlacchi. • THEATRE -ROYAL, HAYMARKET, Lessee, Mr. J. B. Buckstone. THIS EVENING will be performed THE RIVALS Messrs. Buckstone, Howe, W. Farren, &c. ; Miss Reynolds. After which, THE DAUGHTER OF THE GUADAL QUIVER. Perea Nena. Witk THE KING'S GARDENER. And JOHN JONES. Commence at 7. ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Manager, Mr. Edmund Falconer. THIS EVENING, the New Comedy of EXTREMES ; or, 3 1e)i of the Day. Supported by Messrs. Leigh Murray, Emery, J. Rogers, and Barrett ; Mrs. A. Mellon (late Miss Woolgar), Mrs. Weston, Miss Kate Saxon. To conclude with the Ballet of THE RENDEZVOUS, in which the Lauri Family will appear. Doors open at half-past 6, to commence at 7. Box-office open, from 11 to 5 daily. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborough. THIS EVENING, MY AUNT'S HUSBAND ; Mr. Swan borough, Mrs. Selby, Miss Ternan. After which THE LAST OF THE PIGTAILS ; Messrs . C. Selby, J. Bland, and J. Clarke, &c. Followed by THE BONNIE FISH WIFE. And I'LL WRITE TO THE TIMES. Commence at 7 o'clock. CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.— OPEN EVERT EVENING.—The following Company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of Selections from all the popalar OPERAS, MADRIGALS, CHORUSES, GLEES, DUETS, &c., viz. :—Miss Russell, Mrs. Badsey, Miss Brunell, Miss Ray, Madame Bartoletti, Miss Montague, Mrs. Lawrence, and Mrs. Anderson; Herr F. Jonghmans, Mr. Renshaw, S. Jones, J. Barker, W. Melling, Senor Antonio, It. L Rime, Mr. Badsey, Senor Tiroli, Mr. Cozens, Mr. Bell, Mr. Barnard, and Mr. St. Albyn. Mr. John G. Forde and E. W. Hackney. Pianoforte, Mr. Cecil Hicks—Harmonium, Mr. Courtnay—Director, Herr F. Jonghmans. Commence at 7 precisely. Suppers, &e., until 12 o'clock. NOTICE.—The Proprietor begs respectfully to announce tnat in the month of October, A FINE ARTS GALLERY, now in course of construction, will be thrown open in con. nexion with the above Hall. THE WEATHER.-SUN OFFICE, SEPT. 28. THERMOMETER, IN TILE SHADE. 66—highest since noon yesterday. 57—lowest this morning and during the night. 6 9 t h s day at noon. BauomETER---29.73. WIND, Easterly ; light, with very dull weather. THE SUN. TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 28, 1858. A SUMMARY of the Chinese Treaty of the 26th of June last, forwarded to us from the Foreign office, appeared in THE SUN of yesterday. Not 'withstanding the charges that have been preferred against Lord MALMESBURY of carelessness and indifference in not publishing the text of the Treaty even before it was submitted for approval to her MAJESTY, he gave far more than had ever been previously conceded. The etiquette being that such treat!es should not be revealed until the rati fications had been duly exchanged, we believe that information respecting the Treaty of Paris was much longer kept back than the present, and that although the interest was far greater than on the present occasion, and the QUEEN was at Bucking ham Palace, in place of enjoying herself in her remote Highland home, the public have reason to thank Lord MALMESBURY for the early informa tion which he supplied. His conduct in this respect, as in many others, contrasts very favour ably with that of his predecessor. It is impossible for the most captious opponents of Lord DERBY'S Administration to deny that many valuable con cessions have been made by the Chinese Govern ment, far more, indeed, than could reasonably have been anticipated. And should the obligations entered into by the Celestials be as fully and fairly carried out as ours will unquestionably be, we shall have obtained all that could be desired, viz., free access to all parts of the Empire for English subjects; opportunities for carrying on an exten sive and profitable trade; the presence of a resident representative of Queen VICTORIA at Pekin, who shall be received on terms of perfect equality by the Chinese Minister with whom he may be 'placed These arc, unquestionably, very important points, and the number of ports to British vessels will be admitted will be amply sufficient for the purposes required. in communication. The Treaty of Nankin of 1842, which caused the disgrace and eventually the decapitation of KEYING, is.no longer to remain a dead letter. It is confirmed to all intents and purposes, but the supplementary treaty and general regulations of trade are abro gated, and new and more valuable provisions intro dUced. Indeed it will scarcely be possible to have any misinterpretation of clauses so plain and in telligible, that he who . runs may read. The employment of Ambassadors, Ministers, and other diplomatic agents will abate one of the greatest nuisances of the Chinese system. The habitual suppression of unpalatable truths, and of tho various complaints against -local functionaries, will iro Tenger be practicable. There will be parties fully authorised to investigate every question in which British subjects may be interested, and whose remonstrances must reach the Em peror himself through his responsible Minis ter. Such vagaries as those practised by YETI will be no longer practicable. Any attempt to disturb amicable relations will call down summary punishment on the head of the offender, whoever he may be. The official rank arid position of the BritiA Consuls, as regards the local authorities, is determined, so that there can be no such invasion of their legitimate jurisdiction as that which occasioned the present difficulty. The Christian religion, as professed by Protes tants and Roman Catholics, is to be tolerated, and its professors protected. We confess that we do not quite like any limitation on this point. The term "Yrotestant " is, however, very extensive, and will include the various sects of bona ,fide Christians, who, however they may differ on doctrinal points, still recognise the great truths of Christianity, and can be included not only within the spirit, but the letter of the trcaty. SARAWAK, we do earnestly believe, is saved to England. Sir JAMES BROOKE has not lived in vain. His Excellency's wonderful career is not going now to prove, after so many years' heroic struggling, fruitless. The North-west Coast of Borneo—where this one dauntless Englishman has built up a colony—has marked out its dimensions, has organised it, has administered it—will still remain numbered among our cherished possessions. Labuan will very speedily, we are convinced—and, what is more, it will permanently—be placed under a British Protectorate. And our reason for being thus sanguine in our expectations' ? It is simple enough—it may be readily enough explained. It arises simply from our recollection that happily at • this moment there is installed at the Colonial-office, as Minister of the Crown intrusted with the care of our colonial empire, a Statesman who is not the least bit in the world of a red•tapist. One who is exquisitely sensitive of the national honour,• A man capable of taking a comprehensive view of a difficult and complicated subject—and capable, moreover, of acting boldly and unhesitat ingly upon the dictates of his own conviction. An administrator who can originate and organise— swiftly, resolutely, unhesitatingly. Otherwise to ex press the reason for this new hope of ours in regard to the happy future of Sarawak—we cannot for one instant believe that the Creator of British Columbia will " willingly let die" the patriotic and imperial project sustained so long, against such fearful odds, by the genius and the valour—(for lesser phrases than these would be here in every way inapplicable)—of this last but not least of our British Worthies, the creator of Sarawak as a British Settlement. Sir EDWARD LYTTON has obviously had more pressing responsibilities urgently demanding his attention throughout the brief interval which has yet elapsed since his first acceptance of office as Her MAJESTY'S Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies. Nobly, indeed, has the new Colonial Minister acquitted himself of those responsibilities during this brief interval of little more than a quarter of a year—so laboriously has he toiled in his own important department that he has already impressedupon it indelibly the print of his footsteps as an administrator. Insomuch that his regime, if it were to terminate to-morrow, could not very easily be forgotten in connection with the Colonial Department, the tokens of its existence, even for these three or four months, could not very readily be obliterated. And this entirely because of the qualities already but just now particularised. Re membering what has but so very recently been accomplished by Sir E. B. LYTTON in the Colonial department, we cannot for • one instant believe that he will lightly abandon the interests of Sir JAMES BROOKE—the cause of Labuan—that settle ment of Sarawak—that standing-ground upon the north-west coast of Borneo! We are full of hope— because it is no longer a Whig who is in office : because instead of that it is a man of original genius who is at the head of the department—a man o consummate daring, of large views and of rare enlightenment. At the same time that we are most hopeful— now that Sir JAMES BROOKE will have to deal with Sir EDWARD LYTTON upon this long-vexed question—we are most earnestly solicitous that no more time may be wasted in idle day-dreaming over the possible issues of a great difficult. Fes tina legate must no longer be our motto in dealing with the question of Sarawak, for it has come at length to be a question (as Sir JAMES BROOKE, Rajah of Sarawak and Governor of Labuan, said yesterday at Liverpool)— " difficult to evade consistently with faith, and dangerous to delay consistently with honour." England, in truth, is long since pledged to it. We are bound in faith. We are bound in honour. "Remember," says the Rajah solemnly, impressively —"Remember the British merchants, and British missionaries, British subjects of every class and country, with their wives aid families, in reliance on the faith and justice of their Government, have embarked their all—life and property- i —in Sara wak." Beyond which—it is important that her MAJESTY'S Ministers should bear in recollection the fact that Sir JAMES BROOKE has spent all the fortune he possesses in bringing Sarawak to its present condition. Surely after all those long and agonising delays, lie him self is constrained to exclaim, " England should not benefit at my expense, or, in other words, should not trade on my small capital." " Surely," as he adds, " having acquired a valuable province, she should not repay my poor but very highly lauded service by the deprivation of my inheri tance !" It is strongly put—but it is the truth— the simple, actual truth—without one particle of exaggeration. Justice, honour, faith, all demand that Sir J. BROOKE'S claim should be satisfied, and that Sarawak should be placed under the direct protection of the British Government. Of the parentage of a Reform Bill, sketched re cently by a weekly contemporary, we have no knowledge whatever : its features are germane to the Whig style of Reform ; but beyond that we know nothing, and the Whigs appear, openly at least, to have made no sign of their intentions. The draft Bill alluded to may well be the suggestion of some of the old clique—it is at least not an unsuit able feeler for the party. On the other side we have but the general indications that they do not expect to get off without having to offer something in the shape of Reform ; and hence, even Mr. HENLEY professes to be a believer in " progress." The firmest old Tories quite understand that their leader, with all his abilities and influence, can never carry their party through another Session, much less through a general election; without he has something to proffer in the shape of Representative Reform. The country is quiet, to be sure, and the Whigs are divided among themselves by the ambition of their leaders, and the Radicals from both sections of the Whigs by their more advanced principles; but, at any moment, the desire of office may unite the old Whigs and draw from them such engage ments with the Radicals as shall decide the latter to reunite with their old, and, so often, faithless allies. Of course, should that occur, Tory govern ment were at an end. Neither in the present house, nor in any one that could now be elected, would anti-Reforming Tories have the shadow of a chance. The present Government, therefore, if it means to retain office, must not take a leaf out of Lord PAL MERSTON'S book. It must put a reform of the re presentation, not only into the QUEEN'S Speech, but into the shape of a producible bill ; it must have some such bill as the Liberals of all parties would not combine to reject by a vote equivalent to a non confidence vote ; or it must have a bill which, if this house will not have it, it may be fairly ex pected the country will. Let us look a moment at the position and objects of the rival Premiers and their followers. Both have one object in common to prevent power passing more than they can help into the hands of the people, yet to persuade the people not to dis trust them; but each desirous to attain this object so as not to weaken his own p arty, but rather to strengthen it. We believe neither party fears the abuse of power by the people so much as it once did ; but still it is erring on the safe side, as both the late and the present advisers of her MAJESTY think, to give power to the people in appearance only, not in reality. At the same time each wants to make all actual concessions or changes in such a ma nner as to serve their own party purposes. Th e Whig Bill, the RU SSELL -A BERDEEN Bill, especially were conceived in this spirit. The last mentioned scarcely lowered the franchise in towns at all, though it seemed to do so. The middle classes in towns are the strength of the Whigs—the lowe r classes tend too strongly to Radicalism ; hence th e objeet wap to preserve the hopkeeping constituency, while it looked as if something much wider was intended, and a £6 rating clause did this cleverly. The other classes enfranchised "by' the Bill referred to for the most past possess it already in some shape. The 13ill also contained the famous minority clause for large constituencies returning three mem bers. These are generallycounty constituencies; their number was to be increased under the bill : and the designed effect obviously was to give to the Whigs, who in most counties are a very large and respectable minority among the landlords, the third or minority member. In towns returning three members, which would be but few, the third mem ber would probably be a Tory. The Whigs, in aRy Reform Bill of their concocting will drive at the same objects still—to retain power with the aristocracy, but with the Whig aristocracy. They will probably be afraid to venture again the dodge —it deserves no better name—of minority mem- bers ; but they will rack their brains to the utter- most to effect the same purpose by other means. By schedules A and B ; by towns disfranchised and towns enfranchised ; by counties divided, and by the manner of their division. The Tories on the other hand will also drive at the same general objects. Suppose they should proffer a low franchise for boroughs they will not hurt themselves much. They will not lose by that any borough which they now have, while the members for those boroughs would be com pelled to support them ; they would at the worst merely get in some places a Radical instead of a Whig member—no great loss to them—while their opponents would lose the member. The Tories, therefore, would lose less, directly, by a very extended borough franchise than the Whigs, for the former would only lose, if we may be allowed the Hibernicism, what they never had. The Whigs, on the contrary, would often be undone. Of course the Tories do not wish to catch Radical Tartars instead of safe Whigs, yet it would injure them but little politically. Then in regard to the country boroughs ; if, insteadof much disfranchisement, they were to propose amalgamation—districts of boroughs —these, with a- low franchise, would be almost entirely in the hands of the landlord class. In no case, we imagine, need the Tories lose much by a liberal borough franchise, while they would certainly secure the goodwill for a time, and at the first election almost certainly, of the class they had enfranchised. With the counties it is different. Suppose they had got rid of the small towns, or got them into a manageable shape by amalgamation, unless universal suffrage were adopted the next Blass to the present one which could be enfran chised, does contain many elements of indepen dence. The tenant farmer—the serfs of Toryism — now suffice in most counties to give it the victory. Were all the independent persons who inhabit ten pound houses beyond the limits of a borough pos sessed of a vote, they might, in many instances, turn the scale in favour of the Liberals, even in a county. Indeed, the Whigs themselves do not like their now favourite county constituency-, their tenants-at-will, to be outnumbered by free Eng lishmen, Still, Mr. LOCKE KING'S proposal would work much better for Whiggism than for Toryism. The Tories will therefore assuredly endeavour to keep up the county franchise ; and also, like thei r opponents, they will try so to divide the counties afresh, and so re-apportion members, that their own districts shall get more, and those of their op ponents fewer members. In this part of any Re form Bill there will be, we expect, no end of Jugglery. It is time for the country to be thinking of its work. We believe the aristocracy arc inter man tores, not overlooking the question "how to keep power by means of a Reform Bill." "Politics next week," we have no objection to—that is, the work of politics ; but, as the old Germans discussed grave questions drunk, and acted sober, so shall we take leave to talk a little about them after our sea side strolls, or our mornings among stubbles and turnips, and come not only fresh to work, but also with a little notion of what we are to do. THE CORNISH FISHERIES.—At Mevrgissey the seines are all put out to pay, and :there is no prospect of fish. It has been a very dull season. Several large shoals of pilchards have been seen in St. Ives Bay during the past week ; but the seines did not take any. The drift boats have brought in from 5,000 to 15,000 per boat. At Fal mouth Very little has been done in the fishery, the weather having been against it. HER MAJESTY AND THE THEATRICAL FROFES stoN.—Mre lusve heard it whispered, we know not with what authority, that the most illustrious personage in the world has had her attention directed to the enforced with drawal of Mr. Alfred Wigan's son from a Brighton school, in consequence of the distaste of the parents of other boys to their children's association with an actor's son. It has been stated that the Queen, has herself communicated her sentiments on the subject to Mr. Wigan, in a kindly and sympathetic letter, and desired that a copy of the paper in which the circumstance was first mentioned should be for warded to her. Nothing less coidd be expected from one whose appreciation of theatrical entertainments is as keen as it is discriminating, and who evinces it by a most com mendable regard for the worthiest and most accomplished of our actors.—Constitutional Press. CHESS MATCH BETWEEN MR. MORPIIY AND HERA HARRAVITZ.—This match, now playing at Paris, verges towards the close. Up to this moment six games have been played. Herr Harrwitz won the first two, but his able American antagonist, not at all discomposed by this defeat, thought it was now time to be up and doing, and since then has scored every game, and it is generally ex pected will win the remaining three. We are sorry to hear there has been some reason to complain of the conduct of Herr Harrwitz, who on two occasions failed to meet Mr. _ _ Morphy at the 'appointed time, to the great disappointment of the numerous visitors at the :Café de la Regence. Herr Harrwitz afterwards pleaded indisposition and solicited from his antagonist a truce, to which Mr. Morphy, with his usual courtesy, readily agreed. During the contcst the cafe has presented a scene of great animation, all classes having flocked to catch a glimpse of the famous American player. THE POTATO CROPS.—Farmers are now begin- ning to get up the later kinds of potatoes, and as far as our inquiries have gone the result is satisfactory, the amount of the bad being very trifling in comparison with former years. In some fields the marks of the disease are hardly percep tible, the tubers being clear and perfect as in the olden time —these, however, are isolated cases, but it is certain that, up to the present time, the potato is less injured than it has ever been at the same period since the destructive ravager made his unwelcome appearance. The late heavy rains may have an injurious effect, and It would be premature to judge of thelater kinds still in the ground; but as far as the getting up has hitherto proceeded, the grower has no reason for dissatisfaction. We have now before us a splen did sample of the Blue Farmer, many of which weigh a pound and a-half each, and the general run of the crop, which yielded five strikes to the rood, N..e:,,h from six ounces to a - pound, the quality being equal to the produce. At pre sent they appear perfectly sound, but here and there one may be found with the fatal speck upon it. Some time ago we read in an agricultural work a method of stopping the progress of the disease, which is very easily tried, and as it appears feasible we would recommend, where the bad t urn up in any quantity, a trial of its e ffi ciency. Heat a boiler of water to scalding heat, and dip the tubers in, a basket ful! at a time. Let them get perfectly dry, and store them in the usual way. Sound potatoes (not seedlings, of course) served in this manner will keep till a late period in the season. As it destroys the germinating principle, there is no sprouting in the spring.—Bioninghani Daily Past. Is THE ATLANTIC CABLE SEVERED ?—The public sentiment, there is no concealing it, is greatly dis quieted about the Atlantic Telegraph. The latest evidence of vitality that has reached us was furnished on the Ist inst. in the despatch read by Mr. Cyrus W. Field at the Crystal Palace. That despatch, dated upon the same day at Valen tia, stated that the directors were on their way thither to open the line to the publie. Ten days have elapsed without further tidings. For seven of them the operators on this side confess that they have had no communication from Ire land and although they represent the insulation as re maining perfect we are left at a loss to know how they ascertain the fact in the absence of intercourse. Mr. Field comes to the rescue by stating that it is probable a contem plated change in the shore end at Valentia is the cause of suspension • but as he owns to having had no later infor mation than that given to the crowd at the celebration, and as that, so far from indicating such reason for delay, announced the immediate opening of the line, with out further changes or experiments, we cannot avoid a suspicion that some more serious causes have inter vened. Has the cable parted ? In traversing that wide reach of 2,000 miles, how many a profound valley is that slender cord suspended across, like the land wire between its posts ? How many a rocky summit may it not rest upon, swinging and wearing in currents and waves, in respe.t to which, after all assertions and pretended soundings of in vestigators, we really know nothing? How many thousands of submarine casualties may it not be exposed to, of which we have no idea or possbility of information ? It must be t exist, in e strong e l y n o d u i g s a h p , p i o n i d n e t e n t, n t t o l p vhi rop ch ar i e ts th ru e r p t u u b r lor owned that a s t rong p ro b a b i lit y o f acc id ent to the wire does o e m m u i s n t f d f it occur, bring home to the universal sense. The denouem e nt will be awaited with painful • t Y mine etv or • Xpnes, LATEST NEWS. INDIA AND CHINA. The following telegram from Mr. Acting-Agent and Consul-General Green, dated Corfu, 27th Sept., 1858, 4 p.m., was received at the Foreign office, yesterday, at 9 p.m.:— " ALEXANDRIA, SEPT. 23, 1858. "The Bengal steamer arrived at Suez yesterday; she brings Calcutta mails, &c. " The Nubia had an accident to her machinery after she left Madras, and having reached Ceylon returned to Calcutta with the passengers, &c. Transferred from the Bengal, the steamer from Bombay arrived at Suez this morning. Dates— Bombay, 7th inst.; Aden, 17th inst. Both Cal cutta and Bombay mails go forward by the Sal- sette to-morrow. " The fugitive rebels from Gwalior, after being defeated on the 14th August, by General Roberts, retreated towards Chumbul. They left some 700 killed on the field; our loss was very trifling. " The fort of Pocurce, after 30 hours' shelling, surrendered to General Napier on the 24th of August. " Sir Hope Grant's force is still in the neigh bourhood of Sultanpore, but its movements are im peded by the rains. " A brilliant victory was lately gained by 550 of the police over about 4,000 rebels. "Three of the *algal Sepoy Reghnents have been re-armed. "The Punjaub is tranquil, as are also the Presi dencies of Bombay and Madras. "From China, there is [no?] news of any impor tant interest. " Corfu, Sept. 27, 1858, 4 p.m." NAPOLEON AND THE CZAR. Prince Napoleon left Paris Yesterday by special train for Warsaw, accompanied by several officers of his household. He is expected back on the sth or 6th of next month. A less important in cident occurring when politics are in a lull— when the Court is far away at the sea-side— when our most distinguished politicians are rus ticating—and when no scandals of any note ars abroad—would excite curiosity among the news mongers of the Bourse and the boulevards. Military manoeuvres on a large scale are to be executed, under the eye of the Czar himself, on the plains of Warsaw, and the Prince who stands in such close relation to the Imperial Throne must not miss the opportunity of witnessing as a friend the simulated war which he saw in reality and, as a foe, in the Crimea. Some believe that the journey of his Imperial Highness is simply an act of courtesy in the name of the Emperor, his cousin. Had the Czar been at Brussels, or Turin, or Berne, or London, or Madrid, it might be under stood, but Warsaw is rather distant from Paris. Then we are 'told of matrimonial views, of which Prince Napoleon is the object, and for which the Czar's influence is most desirable, and most poten tial where German princes and princesses are to be matched. On the other hand, it is rumoured that the Prince is gone to Warsaw to invite his Russian Majesty to pay a visit to Paris. It is said that when the Emperor Alexander received a similar invitation last year, he softened his answer on that occasion by hinting that he might visit France on some future day. Every one knows the anxiety of the Emperor of the French to see foreign Sovereigns at his Court. It is perhaps one of the weak points in his cha racter. It would seem that he is hardly considered a bona fide monarch until this craving be satisfied ; and the presence of the Emperor of All the Russias in the capital of the French Empire, dwelling under the same roof, and partaking of his bread and his salt, would be a triumph to his vanity. To overcome any repugnance of the Muscovite Auto crat to figuring at the Tuileries would be a great point gained. We were but half satisfied with the flying visit of the Grand Duke Constantine, who no doubt thought it an act of condescension on his part to come even alone. What a triumph, then, if the Czar, and especially the Czarina, accepted an invitation from his bon ami and frere ! Whether Prince Napoleon is really entrusted with such a mission I do not affirm, though I should not be sur prised if he was.. -..Faris Correspondent of the Times (Second Edition.) MADRID, SEPT. 2/. In Spain the elections absorb almost entirely the attention of the public, and active preparations arc now making by all parties. A Royal decree fixes the elections for the 31st of October. The garrison of Madrid is 15,000 strong. FRANCE. PARIS, MONDAY. M. Duchene de BellecOurt will leave on the 3d of October, for China, with the treaty ratified by the Emperor. After the exchange of ratifications has taken place, Baron Gros will return direct to France, and Admiral Rigault de Genouilly will proceed on his expedition to Cochin China. BOURSE, September 27, Two o'Clock.—The mar ket has been buoyant, and prices in advance on Saturday's quotations. Threes have been done at 73f. 35c. and 73f. 40c., and are now at - 73 f. 35c. ; Mobilier varied from 975 E to 982 f. 50c. ; Austrian, 680E . t0 683 f. 75c. ; Lyons, 987 f. 50c., to 992 f. 60e. Eastern, 755 f. to 760 f.; Northern, 997 f. 50c. to I,ooof. ; Southern, 610 f. to 612 f. 50c. ; and Orleans, 1,440 f. to 1,442 f. 50c; The following were the last quotations : 4f per Cents. 96 Do. end month .. 3 per Cents. " 73 25 Do. end month.... 73 40 Bank Shares—. ... 3100 Credit Mo 98 0 Do, Account 990 Crddit Fonder -- -- Belgian 41 Piedmonteso (5) Roman 921 Austrian Spanish Threes - -- Home Debt RAILWAYS. Cash. Account. Orleans Northern . 997 60 .. 1000 New ditto. 835 845 Lyons and Medit erranean B BB 75 890 New ditto Geneva Midi Western Eastern ........ Grand Central Sardinian .. Austrian... 670 .. 665 -- 610 -.-. 612 60 647 50 .. 647 50 750 755 - 460 -- 680 - -- 465 - •• •• 683 75 Exchange on London, at sight, paper, 25f. 20c.; money, 25f. 171 c. ; three months, paper, 25f. 21c. ; money, 25f, NAPLES. A letter from Naples, dated Sept. 22, gives a despatch from the King's Minister to Prince Pe trulla, Neapolitan Minister at Vienna, in reply to inquiries from Count Buol relative to " pretended secret negotiation s with the courts of St. James's and the Tuileries." " The King, our august master, has never dero gated from his duty for anybody or anything, in any circumstances. Constrained, contrary to his will, by force and violence, to submit to acts against which reason, justice, and law protest, he may have been ;but these acts will never have the sanction of his conscience, andhis Majesty will always consider them as an outrage to his sacred person, against which he has no means of meting. The heart of his Majesty knows not forgetfulness. " His Majesty was profoundly wounded when France and England, without reason, contrary to international law and for causes which were in reality only pretexts, withdrew their ministers from his court. Having been thus offended, and the offence not having been mitigated by the sub sequent conduct of the two powers, his Sicilian Majesty would consider himself humiliated in his own eyes, in the eyes of his su bj ec t s , an d o f E urope , if he took any steps to bring about a reconciliation. " When the representatives of the two courts re sided here, all the movements of the Government were watched, scanned, and measured, and each independent act of his sovereignty was subjected to an investigation as annoying as it was wounding. Since the Government has been freed from this interference and unjustifiable control, its movements have been more free, more rapid, and the happy subjects of his Majesty have reaped the benefits of the change. . . . All that passed, all that was said at Cherbourg on this subject, in no ways affects us ; for nothing has been done or said at our suggestion, but probably as a result of the desire expressed at the Court of England by the powers friendly to our sovereign, and princi pally by Prussia and Bavaria. " This does not imply, however, that a reconcilia tion with the two European powers would not be very agreeable to us ; but as it was not the king who caused this rupture, so it will not be by the king that the first steps towards reconciliation are taken. (Signed) SERVIA. " CARAFFA." A letter from Belgrade says :—" In order to give satisfaction to the English consul, the Porte agreed to withdraw the garrison of this place and to sub stitute another in its stead. _But a considerable sum was necessary to liquidate debts due to the soldiers and inhabitants, and even for the transport of the troops; and Osman Pacha, the governor, had not the necessary funds at his disposal. He made application for money by telegraph to Constantinople, but as it would take too much time to forward it, the Turkish. Government directed him to request the Prince of S ervia to advance the necessary sum, on the security of the half year's tribute of 4,000,000 piastres, pay able in some months' time. The Prince, although possessing sums of money to the amount required, managed to obtain from the Senate, which he has filled with creatures of his own, a refusal of the Pacha's request. Nevertheless, several senators vehemently opposed itself against the Prince. Directions were then sent to Osman Pacha to borrow a million and a half of piastres from M. Mischa, head of the popular party,'one of the richest of the Servian proprietors. He lent the sum very willingly, and when it arrived at Belgrade every one was loud in his praise." A letter from Belgrade, in the Zeit of Berlin, says :--" M. Garachanin, Minister of the Interior, who governs in conjunction with the President of the:Senate, has constrained the Prince, under the threat of the resignation of the whole Ministry, to consent to a general assembly of the people, called Skuptchina. A commission, composed of the Presi dent of the Senate, four Senators, and four Minis ters has been constituted to determine the mode of election, the place and the date of the meet ing, and the subjects to be discussed. It is thought that the meeting will be held in September at Belgrade. There is no reason to fear that the assembly would be a stormy one, which would cause danger, as everybody in such an assembly is armed." A Vienna letter of the 22d, in the .Breslau Gazette, says :--" The Austrian Gazette was seized yesterday for an article ralative to the Governmental question of Prussia. It is very seldom that the Vienna journals are seized, because before they are worked off in a general way they communicate the proof sheets of each number to the police, and the editors are thus able to remove any passages which may be pointed out as ob jectionable. The seizure which has now taken place is doubtless, therefore, by order of the superior authorities." THE THEATRES. ... k ,b 1 CV ~.' , , e c ~,. .•;:..,s, - -.Ron. • MEM HAYMARKET, Last night, Miss Weekes, who has acquired an excel lent provincial reputation—more particularly at Glasgow and Brighton—made her first appearance in London at this favourite theatre as Madame Galochard, in the pretty little comedy of " The King's Gardener." She acts with elegance and vivacity, is quite an fait at the business of the stage, and has a winning way with her which establishes her gently yet very securely in the good graces of the audience. Not the least Of her accnnplishments is a sweet and expres sive voice, which was heard to charming advantage last night in the ballads of " Laughing Eyes" and " Who'll have me ?" both which songs she sang with singular purity of tone and high refinement of style. She was cordially applauded, and we have no doubt that she will prove a valuable acquisition to Mr. Buckstone's excellent company. The house was well attended. OLYMPIC. A pleasant little piece, by Mr. Wooler, entitled "A Twice told Tale," was produced at this theatre last evening, and met with great success. Mr. Barnacle Breezely (Mr. L. Ball) having visited a lady with the intention of making love for his friend but marrying her himself, is in agony of apprehension lest his betrayed friend, Percy Gauntlet (Mr. Walter Gordon), should exact a terrible retribution, and in the frenzy of his vengeance possibly deprive him of his wife. Presently the injured gentleman arrives, self invited, on a visit to the Breezeleys, and the master of the house then racks his invention for a variety of ludicrous expedients to make his lovely wife, whom he had described as a perfect Gorgon, look as like the revolting picture as possible, so that Percy may not feel that any great calamity has befallen him in losing a woman on whom nature had bestowed so few graces. The lady (Miss Wyndham), it may be readily supposed, by no means relishes these pro posals, but, on'the contrary, she resists them strenuously. The result is that the visitor is enchanted with his hostess, and feigns to be proportionately enraged against her husband, whose terror and frenzy know no bounds. For some time everybody is playing at cross purposes, and the effect is very farcical ; but Percy is at heart a good-natured fellow, and when he finds that matters threaten to become serious, he discloses the secret of his own marriage with Miss Man nerly (Miss Hughes), and thus sets the whole company at ease. The curtain fell amid general marks of approval. STRAND. I{ My Aunt's Husband " is the title of a little piece which was produced for the first time at this theatre yester day evening. The plot turns on the secret marriage of an Aunt (Mrs. Leigh Murray) to a Captain Touchwood (Mr. W. H. Swanborough). The lady's fortune depends on her remaining a widow, and she therefore is obliged to conceal her marriage. A meddlesome Mrs. Muffins (Mrs. Selby) per ceives, by her instinctive knowledge of marriage symptoms, that the Aunt and Captain are married, and incites the next heir and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Nettletop (Mr. W. Mow bray and Miss E. Wilton), to test whether this is the case. Tho secretly married couple, however, gain timely intima tion, through Sniggers (Mr. T. Clarke), and Kitty (Miss M. Ternan), and have time to make up a bitter matrimonial quarrel, and to act the lovers before the inquiring trio. To heighten the effect, Sniggers comes in as a real Mrs. Touchwood, and Mrs. Muffins and her friends are baffled ; but on their departure the besieged party throw off their disguise, without perceiving that the three inquisitives have returned, and they thus are fairly found out. As, however, it would never do in a farce to let ill-nature triumph, a second will is found by Kitty, which enables Mr. and Mrs. Touchwood to be man and wife without any forfeiture. Mrs. Selby, who is decidedly the best representative of termagants, viragos, and strong-minded women on the stage, acts admirably as Mrs. Miffins, and largely contri butes to the success of the farce. SURREY THEATRE. - - Last evening the regular dramatic season of this favourite theatre commenced. During the short recess the interior of the house has been most tastefully decorated, and many im provements, which add greatly to the comfort of the visi tors, have been effected. The company, good as it invari ably is, has been strengthened by the addition of various clever artistes, both male and female, and altogether the prospects of a successful winter campaign are most brilliant. In order to inaugurate the commencement of the season with eclat, three new pieces were produced. The first was a three act tragic play, from the pen of T. Wooler, Esq., entitled "The Branded Race, or the Fatal Secret," founded on the ingratitude of Henry, King of Castille, to one who had saved his kingdom, on the discovery that he was a Jew. The part of Diegarias, the Hellrew, was sustained by Mr. Creswick with great ability—there was a grandeur of acting which was perfectly entlin.lling. Mrs. Calvert's embodiment of the Jew's daughter was a very beautiful performance, and made a great impression on the audiesce. The next piece was a domestic drama, entitled " Harold Hawk," in which Mr. Shepperd sustained the principal part with great success j and the entertainments concluded with a new farce, which sent the audience home in the highest spirits. Each of the pieces met with most decided success, and the reception of each of the lessees, and other favourites, was of the most gratifying description. The house was crowded in every part. Prince Napoleon left Paris on Sunday at noon, by a special train for Warsaw. The prince is attended by Col. de FranconniZre, his first aide-de-camp, and several other officers of the household. He will moot the Emperor Alexander at Warsaw, _ . _ . _ . THE COMET. On the 2d of June last Dr. Donati, of Florence, discovered a small nebulous star. A few observa tions determined the character of the stranger to be that of a comet. These observations were not only sufficient to demonstrate the presence of a new comet, but also to make a fair approximation to the path of the wanderer. The comet grows in 1 3rightness, it follows very nearly its approximate path, as calculated from a few of its observed posi tions, till it becomes a marked and remarkable ob ject to the naked eye, and now on every clear night is beheld with wonder and pleasure by thousands . Comparatively few of the present generation have seen such aliastronomicalphenomenon. No wonder therefore that we are assailed on all sides by the in quiries —What are comets? Where do they come from? Where do they go to? Are we indebted to the comet for our present warm weather as well as our abundant harvest and crops of fruit ? What is a perihelion passage? and so on. Now there is no lack of books or teachers to supply all this in formation. But every man has not the books on his shelves ;. and if they are there, he may not have time or leisure to turn over their pages and satisfy his curiosity. Those conversant with the facts of astronomy, and. enthusiastic enough to dis play their store of knowledge to every listener, may not meet those desirous of hearing their lore. It is the province of the press to give sound views and information on all the current events of the day, and a chapter on comets will doubtless be acceptable to many of our readers. Before the discoveries of Newton, whose statue at his native place ha s b een so recently inaugurated, the stars presented several wandering bodies, whose orbits defied the powers of calculation of. the astro nomer. These were called planets and comets. If the planets were so named for their wandering and erratic paths, defying the skill of the astronomer to reduce them to rule and order, the comets were pre eminently entitled to the character of most vagrant bodies. The most brilliant planets failed to startle or amaze the terrestrial beholder, so much as the apparition of a star with a vast streaming tail, sometimes covering a considerable portion of the visible heavens. If the wandering planets were sup posed to influence the bodies and histories of men, comets, bearing their flaming brands across the skies, could bode nothing short of plague, fire, and the sword to nations and empires. After long and dreary study and most invincible industry, Kepler reduced the orbits of the planets to great simplicity, 137 inging them under the order of three simple and exact laws. Their vagaries among thi fixed stars, their advance, their retrogression, their apparent stand still in their heavenly course, were all shown to arise, from the deceptions of per spective, and from our viewing their career from an observatory itself in constant motion. Recur ring to the theory of Copernicus, that the sun was the centre, while we, like all the other planets, were revolving round that centre in orbits, Kepler determined the true orbits which would account for all the apparently irregular motions of the planets amid the other heavenly bodies. Newton then stept in with his universal law of gravitation, and showed that Kepler's laws were the consequence of one simple law of attraction, combined with the laws of motion. Kepler suspected the comets of moving in parabo lic orbits, but Newton showed that they, like the planets, are under the domain of the same physical law. According to the Newtonian theory, irrespec tive of perturbations, there are but four distinct curves, in which bodies acted upon by the laws of gravitation can move.. These are all found in the sections of a cone. So far as observation has bin extended, is is doubtful whether in point of fik all the observed orbits are not confined to one species, the ellipse. The ellipse is an oval figure, which most of our readers may have seen described over and over again, while watching a gardener laying out an oval flower bed. Ile sticks two pegs of wood firmly in the ground, he ties the extremities of a piece of cord together, he throws his loose ring of cord over the two pegs, and then with a stick, he stretches the cord over the pegs, and marks on the ground the line whick his stick follows while he walks round, keeping the cord always stretched to its utmost extent. In this way he marks out an oval line or boundary, perfectly symmetrical. This oval is a geometrical ellipse, and the two pegs are called its foci. According to the observation of the motions of planets and comets, neglecting minute deviations caused by the disturbing influences which they exert on each other, this oval is the orbit of all or nearly all that have been observed or calculated. If with a cord of given length the two pegs over which the cord is stretched, or the two foci are made to approach very near each other, the oval approaches closely to the figure of the circle. Indeed, if the two pegs accurately coincided, it would be a circle. All the planets move in ellipses very nearly circular, or in ellipses of small eccen tricity. The sun is always in one of the foci of the orbit. If, on the other hand, the foci are placed at a considerable distance from each other, the figure is more oval in its character, its eccentricity is greater, and we have the orbit of a comet. As the nearer the foci of the ellipse approach each other, the more the ellipse approaches the form of the circle, so the more they diverge from each other the more the ellipse approaches to another curve, called the parabola, which is also a conic section. Mathematically speaking a parabola is an ellipse the distance of whose foci is infinitely great. According to the Newtonian laws, there is only this difference between planets and comets—that while the former are moving in orbits nearly circu• lar, the latter revolve in orbits of greater eccentri city—in ellipses, or perhaps in the parabolas or hyperbolas. Theoretically they might move either in parabolas or hyperbolas ; but then, after one visit to our system, they could never return again. As in the case of the planets, so in that of comets, the position of the sun is always in one of these foci. Modern science, therefore, to a certain extent, de nudes the cometary appearances of the vague terrors they once excited. They are reduced to the level of such ordinary attendants of the solar system as the planets—ruled by the same laws. Does science sug gest no real terrors in place of the vague fears of irrnorance ? The paths of the planets being nearly circular —nearly all in the same plane—their dis tances from each other vast, and the sun near the centre of their orbits, no fear exists that they can ever cross each other's path and come into collision. It is not so with comets ; they whirl round the sun in every possible direction ; the planets all move one way, and not far removed from one imagi nary surface or plane ; the comets move in every plane, and some in the direction of the planets, and others in the opposite. For anything, therefore, that can be determined, either some comet which has not visited our system within historic period, or some one whose path has been determined, might come into collision with a planet. What would be the effect of this collision is indeed a startling question, and one not easily answered. Whiston accounted for the universal Deluge by sup posing our planet involved in the tail of a passing comet. This may be said to be the vague surmise of an imaginative individual, not the determination of a sound mathematical and physical philosopher. Yet Lalande, the astronomer and calculator of cometary orbits, describing, in 1773, what would be the effect of a comet passing within 45,000 miles of the earth, though he could see no danger of so near a proximity, so frightened the Parisians that many died of sheer terror. The passage of a comet so near the earth would, he thought, raise the waters of the ocean to such a height, they would sweep over the continent of Europe, and carry all its inhabi tants with their habitations into the sea. It is true he gave us most promising assurances of the thousands, nay millions, of chances there were in our favour, that no comet whose orbit crossed that of our planet, would ever cross that orbit suffi ciently near the e a r th to do such damage. Still the science of probabilities is not a very assuring one, when we know not how many ,comets there are, and have an uncomfortable suspicion that al _ty be set at nought bj its assurances might any day some new visitor.—Daily News. m O o F rnin T g HE two G po ßE: e T rful F t L u O gs AT w lN er G e a u n as s h et to Ye endeavouring to haul away some portion of the in rr i her ck was bottom l employ in DENnitßcßicO. _ .... 1 V ESCAPEstei. .--Yesterday onSaturday, which into g ways upon which . the ha g d rea o t t F s l o o j a an tin mi g ed De On being launched into the Bow -creek or down the river. the Essex section of the works, considerable cause her nearly' to fall some serious mishap i n d r if t i ng Lea river, from . l a y -as incurred m getting her down the stream to the Thames,m and when that was fairly accomplished the tide was on the turn. The three tugs whi c h had hold of th e h uge ves sel put on their united power to get the Derrick to the buoys opposite the entrance to the East India Docks. Her progress, however, was considerably retarded by the timber of the ways, which had got fixed in some way to her bottom. The force of the strong ebb, as it came uponher broad bow, also tended to check her advance. Hawsers were at length got to the buoys off the East India Dock, but owing to the heavy strain wn the upon ver . them, they failed, an d t h e vessel began to drift do ri A fourth tug came to her aidond as it was apparent that they could not bring her up in her present position and the then state of the tide, it was arrange,: that she should be allowed to pursue her course steadily through Woolwich to a point where she would be beyond the strong influence of the ebb, The tugs kept in attendance upon her, and in the lower part of the Reach near the Galleons she was brought to. On the return of the flood tide on Sunday morning, the tugs again got hold of her, and she was safely brought back to Blackwall and secured to the buoys. The Derrick was in charge of one of the most ex perienced pilots, and her escape from injury herself, or damaging other craft as she drifted down the Thames, seems most surprising. As the vessel was being brought to the buoys on Saturday afternoon, several men were hurt by the capstan, and one had to be taken to the Poplar Hospital, VANCOUVER'S ISLAND, We have received a copy of the Vancouver Island Gazette of the 14th of August. It publishes the following in very conspicuous type under the head ing " Glorious Intelligence" : " By the arrival last night of the steamer Sur prise, at 11 o'clock, from Fort Hope, we have re ceived the most important, reliable, and cheering intelligence which it has yet been our good fortune to communicate to our readers from our gold mines in New Caledonia ; at a moment, too, when people's minds were worn out with suspense and expecta tions collapsing, real estate nowhere, merchandise a drug, comes a silver lining to our cloud of de spondency, and all is again full of sunshine. As Pope says, Belinda smiles and all the world is gay.' The following are a few brief facts which is all we can despatch in our Supplement for the P.M. steamer Panama, leaving this morning :—Mr. Kent, passenger by steamer Surprise, states that the river has fallen 21 feet at Fort Hope, 41 at Fort Yale ; that 10,000 miners are at work, and with good prospects, and all miners below Fort Hope are doing well. The water is low and still falling, it is now so low the steamer Surprise cannot return up the river. 601 b. of gold, now in the hands of Wells Fargo and Co.'s express, has been brought down to Victoria. Henry Apple, of Nevada, was drowned at Fort Hope by the upsetting of a boat. Six men have taken out 600 dollars in six hours at Fort Hope by using a rocker only, and 3,000 miners are there at work. All doing well at Fort Yale. " The above information arrived at an hour some what late in the evening ; the glad tidings soon got wind, and filled every one's mind with the most lively satisfaction ; knots of persons who had worn elongated faces at the auction sales of town lots at something less than cost prices were immediately seen to regain their wonted cheerfulness, and all went 11. merry as a marriage be' The steamer urprise had, indeed, occasioned them all a most agreeable surprise. The above encouraging and most important news communicated to the readers of the Vancouver Island Gazette, has been fully corroborated by the receipt of authentic statements of a similar nature by his Excellency Governor Douglas, who will forward the intelligence to the Home Government in England, by the present outgoing mail. We have now, then, fairly made our start as a gold producing colony, and claim to rank as such with our older rivals, Cali fornia and Australia. In expressing our complete satisfaction at receiving this first and largely en couraging proof of the vast richness of our mines, we must not overlook the fact that our excellent and sagacious Governor Douglas has never for moment doubted their richness." THE LATE FIRE AT GREENWICH. ADJOURNED INQUIRY. Yesterday afternoon the jury previously empan nelled before Mr. Carttar, coroner for West Kent, re-assembled at the Globe Tavern for the purpose of inquiring into the circumstances and origin of the fire in which Isabella, Caroline, and Eliza Jane, daughters of Mr. Richard Roper, corn-chandler, of Royal-hill, lost their lives, on Sunday, the 12th inst. 'the usual preliminaries having been gone through, prior to the first witness being examined, the coroner mentioned that it was the wish of the jury that Mrs. Roper's evidence should be taken. Mr. Ingle, who appeared for Mr. Roper, fully concurred in the wish expressed by the jury. Mr. Allwright, an auctioneer and appraiser of the Lewisham-road was next examined, and stated that between ten and eleven o'clock on the morn ing after the fire he had an interview with Mr. Roper in the front parlour of Mr. Cowell's house. He was in a terrible state of mind, consequent on the loss of his children. Witness thought it would be better to divert his mind, and therefore ques tioned him as to an inventory respecting his claims. He replied that he did not want to make a claim, for no money would pay him for the loss of two children. After a while witness asked hint in what office he was insured, when he replied, in the Kent for £3OO. Witness then told him he must make his claim out, and prepared an in ventory for him, and went over the premises to see of what the inventory consisted. He commenced with the attic, and there found a Brussels carpet down, which was accounted for as being in such a room, as it belonged to the other house. On going through the premises he found furni ture sufficient to form an excess over the sum named in the policy. Having gone over the re maining items he valued the wearing apparel and fixtures at an excess. He therefore thought it superfluous to proceed any further with respect to the stock. When Mr. Sanderson came down he (Mr. Roper) told him it might be £3O or £100; when Mr. Sanderson took the average at about £7O. On the same evening witness prepared the claim, and took it to Mr. Roper, at Mr. Cowell's at Dept ford, on the following morning, and asked him to sign it. Mr. Roper was then in the garden, and as he (the witness) was anxious to catch the train for London, a person named Abbott went and got a, pen and ink, and Roper signed it without reading it. Mr. Wm. Sitgrave, auctioneer, of 28, Leadenhall street, city, was engaged, during the absence of Mr. Hodsall, to act for him on the . part of the Kent Fire-office. He deposed to going over the ruins, and to his surprise found no remains of wearing ' apparel, for which the extraordinary sum of £153 had been claimed. He examined carefully for the remains of china articles, but found nothing but a broken teacup. With respect to the wearing ap parel, he broke open the four drawers of a ward robe and found scarcely anything therein. The upper part of the wardrobe was empty and was but slightly charred. Had there been any wearing apparel there he should have expected, if consumed, to find some remains, such as buttons, collars of coats, sleeves, &c. ; but nothing of the sort could be seen. There was a gold and silver watch said to have been lost, but they were not charged. On referring to the inventory he found a sum of £365 4s. charged for furniture, including £155 3s. for wearing apparel, which he reduced to .£2lO ls. ; the stock was set down at 14s. 6d., but finding that 14 sacks of flour had been claimed for, and no appearance of any such stock being found, he questioned the boy Morris, who said that certainly not more than one sack of flour was in the place on the night previous to the fire. The £36 for fixtures was allowed. The boy Morris was next called, and stated that his master sent him to Mr. Denham ' corn-dealer, at Deptford, to tell him he h a d i n all probability let his business, and to ask him if he (Mr. Denham} would be able to come on the f o ll ow i ng Tuesday, if sent for, to witness an agreement. Elizabeth Waterfall, the nursemaid, was next called, and questioned very closely by the coroner as to whether she had seen parcels of goods taken away by . Mr. Cowell from her master's house, and as to whether she had seen any pawnbroker's dupli cates, and after some repeated denials and hesita tions said that she had seen a pawnbroker's dupli cate and a large bundle of her mistress's dresses packed up ready for removal, the drawers of the wardrobe in which they were usually kept being empty. William Cowell, tailor, of Church-street, Deptford, having been cautioned by the coroner as to the answers he should now give, in consequence of the contradictory statements made on the last exami nation by himself, wife, and son, on pain of being committed for peijm7, admitted having taken a. globe of wax flowers from Mr. Roper's to his own house ; also to pledging articles of wearing apparel of every description, spoons, liqueur glasses, Sze., at different pawnbrokers at Greenwich, in the name of Buchan. Mr. Inspector Barry was here despatched to the several pawnbrokers named by the last witness, and. shortly afterwards returned with the property, the whole of which had been pledged within 14 days of the fire, and which were claimed for. During the inquiry the writing-desk already men tioned as havi ng b een ta k en from Mr. Roper's resi dence before the fire, and removed to the house of his sister, was produced in court, it having ,been opened, although taped and sealed by Mr. Inspector Wilson. Mrs. Emily Cook, sister to Mr. Roper, on being examined on this point, said Mr. Roper broke it open of his own accord. Witness told him to be cautious asilit was sealed up ; but he said he would take all responsibility as there were papers in it that might be of service to him. She did not know what was taken out. At this point of the inquiry an adjournment of the Court took place, and on its reassembling after the absence of about half an hour, The Coroner said that himself and the jury had agreed to a further adjournment. Mr. Ingle concurred with their determination, and the inquiry was adjourned till Friday next. SERIOUS RAILWAY COLLISION.—On Saturday night, at 10 o'clock, a collision, which might have been at tended with very serio us l oss of life, occurred at the Preston station. The 9.55 p.m. train from the north, carrying a portion of the night mail, was leaving the station, when it came into collision with a luggage train, oonsisting of an engine and seven or eight waggons, which was being shunted on to a siding. Th e shock was a severe one ; three of the waggons were smashed to atoms, the persons in the passenger train were a good deal shaken, and the smoke box of the engine attached to it was knocked in. It had, of course, to be replaced by another engine, which occasioned a delay to the train of one hour. The driver of the engine to the passenger train acknowledges that he was to blame, as the proper signals were displayed, and unattended to by him ; but he says that after he saw the danger he did all in his power to avert the collision. The train left on its jour ney gouth at 11 o'civok.--.Limpool Mercury. :moff, The duce 14 few, th pal sta con,surn to give bought been i: tions, transac firm, a Ceylon cocoa h The lai sure all down quotati quarter commei steady, livery, ing a s for 'l\Tc been d 355. p: Stock tures to 091 Bonds =Ace For Esc Ditt Eqi Me, Por Ituf