The Sun. — London, England, 1869-01-01 00:00:00

,IT OF JOURNALS, The Standard observes that the death of Sir R. Mayne has placed the most important of all the appointments in the home civil service at the disposal of Mr. Bruce. The Chief Commissioner is responsible for the safety of the lives and property of a population of 3,000,000 persons. It is essential to consider to what profession the man should belong who is to be at the head of the police, and there seems good ground for objecting to the appointment of too young a man. So important, indeed, does this con sideration—the responsibility of the Chief Commissioner to the Home Office—appear to ourselves, that we are disposed to think that it would be worth while to take advantage of the present opportunity and reconsider the relations between the Chief Commissioner and the Home Office. Is it really advisable that any official should be able to exercise important functions without owing, in the discharge of those functions, a direct responsibility either to Parliament or to a Minister with a seat in Parliament ? Yet the Chief Commissioner of Police is precisely in this position. He has the power of dismissing, as a recent trial has prcived, his subordinates on his own authority. Ile has the power of regulating a traffic on which the commerce and prosperity of the greatest city in the world depend. He is allowed to sign orders in his own name and on his own authority ; and those orders must often be obnoxious, as they were recently ob noxious, to a large number of his fellow-citizens. Now we are not saying that Sir R. Mayne exercised these, or many other powers either wisely or unwisely ; we are simply insisting that the power is too great to be entrusted to any one individual under a Constitutional Government, and we cannot help hoping that the vacancy which Sir R. Mayne's death has occasioned may afford an opportunity for reconsidering the whole position and status of the Chief Commissioner of Police. The Daily News remarks that the first day of the new year has been celebrated in diverse fashions by Pagan and Christian, ancient and modern, Greek, Roman, and barbarian, Catholic awl Protestant. Cynics may declare that New Year's Day ought to have no special recognition, and metaphysicians may prove that time has no real exis tence, but these are a minority of the human race, and men will always give to New Year's Day a place of honour in the category of time. The First of January is not in England, as it is still in France, the jour des etrennes, and though Christmas boxes are an affliction which all men make in a spirit the reverse of that of the cheerful giver, still they are offerings out of the fulness of the heart compared with the New Year presents by which in France, as a correspondent shews, dependence propitiates power and influence. There was a use, however, before there was an abuse, and inge nuity, profitably Over-strained, may detect a symbolical meaning in the practice. What are the New Year's gifts, which, on this jour des etrennes, emperors, and rulers, and nations will give or make up their minds to bestow? Will Napoleon 111. give freedom to France, or France, at the coming general elections, give security to the dynasty of Buonaparte ? Will England give justice to Ireland, and Mr. Gladstone make a present of economy and efficient administration to England? Will General Grant give law and secure freedom both to the whites and to the negroes in the Southern States of the Union ? Will diplomacy give peace to Eastern Europe ? Will wise legislation give the light of knowledge to those who are in intellectual darkness, and hope to pauperism? If the year 1.869 has these gifts in store for the world, the most lavish dour des etrennes will but poorly symbolise its munificence. The Telegraph believes that rumour is wrong in its pre dictions concerning the army reforms about to take place. It considers that what Mr. Cardwell contemplates is to reduce the useless and unnecessary colonial garrisons, and this will be the proper course to pursue. Although the new Minister has made great progress in the right direc tion, he must be careful to provide an efficient reserve t 3 fill up the regiments to a war strength if required. Another improvement suggested is to wipe out the groaning half - pay list, and to make its useless members do useful work in the service of the militia. It is said that in the administration of the army there is much room for improvement. It is well known that the War Office is overgrown and cum brously unwieldy ;it is also very expensive. A number of the clerks might certainly be dispensed with, a great number might be replaced by meritorious non-commissioned officers, and for not a few might be advantageously sub stituted some half-pay officers of the army. Both the combatant and administrative branches of the service would thus be benefited, and both would be allied instead of remaining in a state of antagonism. The Minister for War has great official experience, and his proposals and intentions are such as the country will sup port ; but it is earnestly to be hoped that he will go further. While he is pledged to reduce the army estimates, he is equally pledged not to cripple the army. His own desires will urge him to carry on the work of retrench ment ; he will find a fair field to do so if he turns his attention as keenly towards the administrative as his predecessors have towards the executive branch of the service. The Star remarks that the reorganisation of the judicial system of England is one of the first, as it is one of the grandest and most arduous reforms that can engage the attention of the renovated House of Commons. The pro. gross of legal reform for many years has gone forward •slowly and fitfully. The institution of the county courts and the gradual extension of their powers was the most important attempt to reduce the chaos of English law to order and method, and render justice attainable in a brief space of time and at a small cost. Some enthusiasts in the cause of legal reform have hoped to make a radical change in the very basis of our judicial system, to sweep away at one blow the whole super- structure of our Chancery jurisdiction and Common Law Courts, and the minor powers of the Probate and Divorce, the Admiralty, the Central Criminal Court, and the Bankruprcy Court, as well as the privileges of quarter sessions. It has been proposed to reduce the machinery of English law to a gradation of three orders of tribunals. The petty sessions courts, in which justice should be administered, at least in part, by stipendiary magistrates, would, under the proposed scheme, represent the courts of first instance; the county (or district) courts, with enlarged powers, would constitute the second order, and take the place of the existing courts of assize ; _and a supreme coi:rt of appeal in London would crown the edifice. A practical reformer will perhaps be wise in contenting himself with less ambitions projects for which the way has been already prepared. Obviously, the simplest as well as the most effective plan to cheapen and simplify the ad. ministration of justice would be to give the county courts jurisdiction in ordinary actions to at least as large an amount as is allowed in equitable proceedings, As much reason can be shewn, at all events, for this as for the amal , ramation of Eankruptcy and Admiralty practice with the ordinary business of the county courts : while the public benefit would be much more direct and extended. In this case, however, it would be necessary to improve the status of the county court judges. They now complain that every year their work has been increased, without a correspond. Ing improvement of their position and remuneration. It is to be hoped that the new PArliameiiit vigorously, and at the same time liberally with the whQle aiegtimi The ..tmes remarks that the law of primogeniture is pretty sure to receive the first attentions of the new Par. liament. There is hardly a topic on which people speak with more vehemence, and even bitterness. It is generally felt, indeed, that much more is in question than is expressed in the first instance, and that what is actually proposed is only to open the way to establish the rule, to familiarise people with an idea hitherto foreign to our institutions. What the innovators are driving at, it is assumed, is the indefinite subdivision et landed property, the reduction of the great landed pro prietors to less formidable or less enviable proportions, and the consequent weakening, if not final extinction of various institutions depending on a landed aristocracy. The social and political bearings of the question vastly preponderate over the personal interests involved. The younger sons that now are must remain younger sons for the rest of their days, but may naturally be disposed to see their own side of this question. The living generation of manufacturing and mercantile gentlemen unable to obtain at any price landed properties within reach of their business, or where they may happen to want them, will have to manage as well as they can ; but they will naturally feel it keenly in behalf of their successors. There are two sides to all these questions, and when a man has seen and felt the whole of one side it is always possible that a glance at the other side may add to his information or his ideas, even if it do not absolutely guide his decision. What we have to consider as paramount to all particular cases of convenience or of supposed injury is the genius of our institutions and the predominant tastes and customs of the country, or, as our correspondent calls it, the established sense of the people. Are the British people generally in favour of a landed aristocracy—that is, ancient families bearing names that shall everywhere carry weight and win deference, and endowed with patrimonies preserved and held together in a great degree by the operation of our customs and laws? There is not a question in the world that can be answered more readily and certainly. This is the taste, and more than the taste, of the British people, for it is a passion and almost a religion with them. There is no reason from without, or contingency looming in the future, from which the internal economy and old institutions of this country should be violently changed. The British people do not shew the least inclination or tendency to a democratical stage of being. They have not this end in view at all. No measure can ever be recommended to them without a preliminary argument that it will not lead that way, or will stop immensely short of that result. That preliminary attempt will have to be made in any proposition affecting the descent of landed property, and it will have to be successful before anything is actually done. .RENEWED WAR RUMOURS. The (Tatum contains the fol'dwing alarmist article:— " Our private information enables us to predict the proxi mate commencement of hostilities between Turkey and Greece. The news received at the Ottoman Embassy is bad. Omar Pasha, commanding the the army of Thessaly, has received orders to hold himself in readiness to cross the Greek frontier. All the Turkish vessels which yet remained at Constantinople have lately left for the Archipelago. Austria must by this time have sent her fleet from Trieste to the Piraeus, there to wait for orders which will be certainly conformable to those given by France and England. Prussia is displeased at the little importance attached to her proposal for a Conference, and holds Austria responsible for the present complications. A Russian general, well known in Paris, an ex-Governor of the Russian principalities on the Lower Danube, and who was for a long while Ambas sador to the Court of the Tuileries, has been heard to say :—" Everything tends to a collision ; the Greco- Turk conflict cannot be localised, and we must expect a general war. The Danubian Principalities, under the pretext of provocation from Austria and Hungary, no longer conceal their preparations for war. In a few days —to-morrow, perhaps—cannon may tell its talc." The Liberte says its private correspondence is also exces sively warlike, but, unlike the Gautois, it nevertheless believes that the Great Powers want peace, and will pre vent an explosion at present. GREEK VESSELS UNDER RUSSIAN COLOURS. The Levant Times, which reaches us MIS morning, con tains the following reiteration of a report which, as remarked on a previous occasion, we are alike unable and unwilling to credit :—" In hinting yesterdayat the means adopted by the owners of vessels carrying the Hellenic flag to evade the embargo, by fictitious sales to persons under Russian pro tection, we hesitated to mention a statement which had been communicated to us that an intimation had been given by the Russian and Greek Chancelleries that the trouble and risk involved by that expedient would be obviated by a free permission from the former to Hellenic captains to assume the Russian flag for a period of twelve months. We were not able to vezify this serious piece of information, and could scarcely believe that the Russian authorities, at a time when the St. Petersburg Cabinet is professing its entire accord with the other Powers in regard to Turco-Greek affairs, would venture on so flagrant a violation of international law." The Turquie, however, confirms the fact, and says that for three days past the Greek Chancellery has been issuing certificates to all captains applying for them which enable them at once to register their vessels gratis as Russian. Supposing this to be true, it would be difficult to find terms in which to denounce tilt:, conduct of the Russian authorities. The proceeding alleged would be a distinct and flagrant violation of international law, and constitute a cants belli. Without the most con clusive evidence we must, however, refuse to accept the rumour as even founded on fact. Russia would never stoop to so ignoble a transaction, base in itself, and incon sistent with her position in relation to the proposed Con ference.— Globe. THE CONFERENCE ON THE EASTERN QUESTION. Official announcements at Paris state that the meeting of the Conference at an early date no longer admits of doubt, and the conciliatory disposition shewn both by the Turkish and Greek Cabinets promises an issue in conformity with the wishes of the Western Powers. "We consider it extremely probable," says the Etendara," " that the negotiations are about to close, and that within a few hours the result which was presaged by the unanimous and persistent accord of the Great Powers will finally reward their labours." The Cons'itntionnel con firms the statement that the only programme laid down beforehand is that the deliberations should be restricted to the Turkish ultimatum. This limitation was suggested by England. The official paper adds that the news from the East denotes a certain amelioration in the relations between Turkey and Greece—a good augury for the success of the Conference. Some of the French papers say that a Greek representative will be admitted, and that Russia has given her consent on account of this permis sion. This, according to the Independence Beige, was the only point left undetermined. The same journal adds that the resolution of the Powers not to interfere with the internal affairs of Turkey does not exclude the status quo in Crete from discussion. The Cretan insurrection has given rise to all the trouble, and is both dangerous and injurious to Turkey. It is not likely that the Powers will press any course of action upon Turkey in this respect, further than recommending some mode by which a recurrence of the difficulty may be avoided. The success of this Conference is looked for with much anxiety at Berlin, where it is expected to bring about a good understanding with France. Several of the Paris journals urge that the meeting of the Conference must be so entirely useless that it had better not be held. " The more any one reflect.," says the Patrie, "on the project of a Conference, the less possibility there seems of perceiving any practical utility in it. Why should the Powers, after the check their efforts have suffered at Athens, persist in interfering between Turkey and Greece ? When two men have a quarrel or a difference there may be some utility in intervening to prevent, by an arrangement, a collision or an action. But when one of the parties refuses to hoar anything, and formally rejects all idea of accom modation, what is there to be done but to let the dispute follow its course? The Journal de Paris thinks the deliberations will be both useless and dangerous. " Let us suppose that the various Powers before meeting in Conference had agreed on the satisfaction which Greece owed to Turkey ; let us imagine that the Hellenic Government had declared itself ready to do what was required, and that the Porte was inclined to be contented with the same; in that case there would not have been necessity, everyone must allow, to set all the chanceries in movement, and to as semble in one of the Western capitals all the great Powers, merely to invest with a regular form an arrangement agreed to beforehand. In that case the assemblage in question would have had the fault of being useless. But, on the contrary, it would be dangerous if the various diplomatic representatives had got together around a green table without having adopted either bases of arrangement orperhaps a programme clearly determined." This dilemma is certainly not imaginary. If the Powers agree not to meddle in the affairs of Turkey, why meet at all? And if no programme be previously arranged, it is evident that the result must be doubtful. The matter must either be settled before the meeting takes place—all the work must be done to the diplomatists' hands, or the Eastern question, more or lees, must be opened. A MERITORIOUS ACTION. —Sir P. Francis has recommended Alexander Nair, one of the crew of the barque Tyne, lost last week off the Island of Marmora, to the Foreign Office for some suitable reward for his courage on the occasion. The vessel was wrecked about half a mile from the .shore of the island, and the brave fellow swam ashore with a light line, which enabled him to land a cable, along which the captain and the remainder of the crew effected their escape.—Levant Herald. DINING CARRIAG ES. —Pullman's palace dining •oom cars have been regularly established on the Chicago, Alton, and St. Lon;s Railroad. The new line consists of the splendid cars—Southern, the Tremont, and the Bre voort, named after popular hotels. Each has two saloons that will seat twenty-four passengers on either side of th• cuisine department, which occupies the centre of the car. Thus forty-eight diners may be busy at one time. The car is to run in the centre of the train, and is open at all hours, with a bill of fare that enables these cars to amply justify their names in the substantial reproduction of the best hotel tables. LIFE IN LONDON.—The number of amusements now afforded to country cousins daily and nightly in the metropolis have, perhaps, never been equalled within the memory of man. There are no less than twenty-six theatres open every night, either for pantomimic display or for the performance of cDmedy and drama. These are —Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Haymarket, Princess's, St. James's, Queen's, Prince of Wales's, Royal Alfred, Adelphi, Olympic, Lyceum, Holborn, Globe, Strand, Gaiety, St. George's, Surrey, Standard, Britannia, Sadler's Wells, Victoria, Grecian, City of London, Royalty, the Bower, and Pavilion. Besides these, the Holborn Amphitheatre, the Alhambra Palace, and a circus at the Agricultural Hall are open every night, also some scores of music-halls in all parts of the metropolis, as well as Christy's Minstrels at St. James's 11%11, the Royal Polytechnic, the Gallery of Illustration, and Madame Tussand's. But if there is arch a glut by night, there is also an ample supply in the day time. Besides the British Museum, the South Kensington Museum, and the National Gallery, there are the Tower, the Zoological Gardens, the Crystal Palace, Hampton Court Palace, and three winter art exhibitions. In addition to these sights, nobody from the country would miss a walk upon the Thames Embankment, a peep into both Houses of Parliament, an examination of West minster Abbey, a hurried view of the Bank, the Mansion House, and the Royal Exchange, and a trip to Kew Gar dens. On the whole, it must be - confessed that London still holds her superiority for sight-seeing over nearly eu r y otheteapital LA the world._ THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 1, 1869. MISCEL LAN EOUS NE IVS. TUDG-MENT IN VIE DOULTON APPEAL CASE. A. telegram from Brussels, dated Thursaay, says : "This morning, in the Court of Appeal, the judgment was given in re Doulten. This was an an appeal by the Procureur-Gene ral against the judgment of the Criminal Court on the trialOf Doulton, who was charged with misappropriating a sum of money when managing director of the Belgian Public Works Company. The court below decided that Mr. Doulton bad committed the acts imputed to him, but that the Belgian law could not reads him, as his act had affected English interests` only. The Court of Appeal,now decided that the Belgian law was competent to try the cause, but added that the act imputed to Doulton, though constituting an act of treachery (d4loyaut4), however blameable it might be, was not an offence against the law. Mr. Doulton is therefore acauitted," ALARMING ACCIDENT. CORONATION OF. THE QUEEN OF MADAGASCAR. The following extract from a letter written by the Rev. W. E. Cousins, and published in the English Independent, will be read with interest : " On Thursday, September 3, we found Andohalo crowded, with the exception of the roads preserved for the Queen and her attendants. Every piece of ground on the rising ground surrounding it was filled with spectators. Soon after nine guns announced that she had left the palace, and soon parts of the procession began to arrive. All the female members of the near branches of the Royal Family were clothed in scarlet from head to foot. The wives of the officers, &c. (some 100 or 150), were dressed in Euro pean clothing, some of them looking very nice, and others, as you may well imagine, perfectly hideous. Then came two brass cannons then soldiers in their different uniforms. Great advance has been made in the dresses of the soldiers since we have been here, and they really looked very well. Then came the officers of higher rank, in most expensive dresses, velvet of all hues and gold lace in profusion.. Then came the Queen, in a handsome gilded palanquin, with the scarlet umbrella, and her usual attendants. When she reached a stone upon which for generations it has been customary for new sovereigns to stand, she al lighted, and walking over the stone, accom panied by the Prime Minister and other high officers, she went to the throne prepared for her. The canopy under which she sat was in excellent taste. The pillars were of green with gold moulding, and the hangings of green and gold too. The dome-shaped roof was of scarlet velvet prettily ornamented with silver spear-heads crossed at the corners. Beneath the dome were inscribed on the four different sides the following words : `Glory to God ;" Peace on earth ;" Goodwill to men ; `May God be with us ' At the side of the Queen's seat was a small gilded table, upon white-was, placed a very hand somely bound Malagasy Bible, and a copy of the laws of Madagascar. As soon as the Queen had taken her place the scarlet-clothed ladies above-mentioned were taken to seats on the south of the Queen on the platform, and the French and ourselves weie placed on the north side of the same. We thus had a very honourable position, and one from which we could see the whole proceedings. The Prime Minister, as first subject, took his place among the people below. He was dressed in a white velvet suit trimmed with gold, with blue leather boots. A little boy about twelve or fourteen acted as his shield-bearer. Behind him stood some 200 officers, dressed chiefly in velvet. As soon as the firing of cannons had subsided, the Queen stood up and delivered her speech. The sentence in which she alluded to Christianity was as follows : " ' And as to the praying, it is not compulsory, nor is there any hindrance, for God made you.' "The Queen was very collected, and spoke distinctly, but of course she could not be heard by the thousands who were present. We are happy to know the speech is to be printed, and circulated freely. After the Queen's Speech the laws were proclaimed, upwards of eighty in all, and these, too, are to be printed. After this the presentation of 'basins,' commenced. The heads of the different tribes came forward in parties, and made their short congratulatory addresses one by one, and presented their dollars. The dresses of some of these chiefs were most rich and yet grotesque ; the colours of some of their lambas were magnificent, and many wore cfoured silk turbans. "After some few had presented their basins, first the French and then we did the same. Speeches and assu rances of loyalty continued till nearly three, and were closed with a most energetic and well-received speech from the Prime Minister, and then the proceedings terminated, having lasted about five hours. The mass of people was a splendid sight as we looked down upon it. It was variously thought to comprise from 300,000' to 500,000. On the day following the coronation the Queen went down to Imahamasina, which was filled with people gathered together to hold what is called a lauonana,' a kind of festival or time of general rejoicing. As soon as the Queen had taken her place, a general dancing commenced, or what is called dancing. Hats and bands were waved, and everyone's body was in motion, the Queen standing up, and answering the people by a con tinual motion of her hands. • This was kept up for about five minutes, and then all was still again. The effect of this dancing was very strange. There was not the energy and enthusiasm of English cheers, but it was rather exciting, nevertheless. "For about three hours different parties came and danced before the Queen, and then the assembly broke up.,, It is the intention of the Conservatives of Ware ham to invite Mr. Drs.; the newly-elected Conservative member, to a grand banquet, to bo held about tho second week in January. A man named Thomas James, a collier, about 25 years of age, bas been arrested at Halifax, on suspicion of being the perpetrator of the Wigan murder. His conduct since being in custody leads to the belief that he is either guilty or affected with insanity. At a meeting of the members of the St. James's vestry, Westminster, held yesterday, it was agreed that Government should be asked not to fill up the office of Chief Commissioner of Police until a Parliamentary inquiry has been instituted respecting the organisation of the police force generally. The members of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce intend, at their next annual meeting, to present Mr. G. S. Beecroft, the ox -member for Leeds, with a testimonial of the high respect in which they hold him. It consists of a hand some silver epergne. Tho presentation will probably be made in the course of two or three weeks, The Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce has already taken action on the announcement from the Board of Trade that the Austrian Iteichsrath and the Hungarian Diet having been prorogued without their assent having been obtained to the Supplemental Commercial Convention with England, signed at Vienna on the Ist of July last, the Convention wi:l not be brought into force on the let of January next, as therein stipulated. A resolution, reading remarkably like a remonstranc-, has lean adopted by the chamber. At Judges' Chambers, yesterday, the King's Lynn election petition against the return of the Ron. Mr. Bourke was before Justice Willos, when a discussion took place on an allegation of illegal practices, and as to the conveyance of voters to the poll. Particulars were to be given in four days as to the allegations of bribery, treating, or intimidation, &c. Mr. Justice Willes said the Scotch judges had adopted the practice that names should be given in three days before the trial. His lordship )bserved that it was mentioned in the newspapers " within" three days. The order was three days before the trial. The :eased judge amended the order in thi,3 case, A most alarming accident happened on Tuesday after noon at Hebburn-on-Tyne, which for some minutes placed the lives of about 100 persons in the greatest danger, and caused the most painful consternation amongst the inhabitants of Hebburn Quay. The immediate cause of this alarm was the capsizing of a large new iron screw steamer whilst being launched from the shipbuilding yard of Messrs. Leslie and Com pany. About half-past three o'clock in the afternoon a newly-finished screw steamer for a Liverpool firm was launched, and on the-occasion a large number of the men and apprentices in the yard remained on board while she glided into the water. The steamer, which has been built on an exceedingly fine model, ...after leaving the stocks, slipped steadily and smoothly, but on touching the water she immediately "canted" to one side, and con tinued to lean over on her port side. The consequence was that the whole of those on board were knocked off their legs, and falling on the deck, slid down to the side touching the water. Though rolled one on top of the other, singular to say, not one of the hundred men and boys on board was thrown from the deck into the water. But it is feared that, thus unexpectedly and promiscuously heaped together, many have sustained severe bruises. Only one case of a serious nature is reported. The vessel, it seems, was launched without any ballast in her whatever, and being very sharply finished about the keel, and slightly top heavy, reeled on her port side, fling ing the whole of those on board in a heap against the bulwarks. Immediately the nature of the accident was observed, boats put off in all directions from the shore to the rescue, and after the alarm had subsided, and those on board had partly recovered from their fright, they were safely brought ashore. Fortunately, at the time of the occurrence several of those on board the ship were em ployed in the hold, and escaped with only a. few scratches. —Northern Daily Express. DECEASED M.P.'S. It is a•remarkable fact that three memoers or Par liament should have died during the month which has elapsed since the Parliament was elected ; still more remarkable that all three should have been young men. Captain Oalcraft was only 37, Sir Thomas Gresley only 30, and Captain Speirs only 28. All three seem to have died of somewhat similar complaints, fever or cold, probably brought on by exposure during the election. While Captain Calcraft and Sir Thomas Gresley had to fight for their seats in Wareham and South Derbyshire, Captain Speirs walked over the course. In 1805 he defeated. his Conservative opponent, Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, by 938 votes to 830. It is probable that this gentleman will be brought forward again. In connection with vacancies in Parliament caused by death, it may be mentioned that twenty-four peers died during the past year, and that their average age was exactly 70. BRETHREN NOT AT UNITY. There is a great feud in the Orange Brotherhood of Ireland. 'The " Grand Lodge" is incensed with the brethren in Belfast who voted for the Liberal candidate, and with the proceedings of a local court which elected. Mr. Johnston as its master. It is also very angry with the newspapers for reporting its committee meetings. A resolution has been passed, requiring the secretaries of every county Grand Lodge to furnish the names of brethren who voted for Liberal candidates, with a view to their censure or expulsion. The Dublin correspondent of the Times believes that the result of this stringent measure will be the secession of the Democratic party from the Brotherhood to the ranks of the Liberals. APATHY IN IRELAND. The Dublin correspondent of the Times is struck by the apathy of Irish Churchmen. They appear to be as listless as if they thought the Church was riding safely at anchor. and never likely to drift upon the rocks. -It is true that a couple of committees are sitting and watching the course of events, but theiz proceedings are wrapped in mystery, and few persons even know of their existence. The skeleton of the defence organisation still continues, and meetings of its central body are noticed in the press from time to time. There is nothing, however, like an active, energetic movement, such as was begun twelve months ago, and from which great results were anticipated. Here and there the stillness is broken' by a note of warning or advice from some anxious Churchman, who tries to persuade others to lock the difficulties resolutely in the face, and make provision for the future. Schemes and suggestions as to the best form of constitu tion for the Church in its altered relations to the State have been put forward chiefly by the clergy, but they are coldly received, and discussion is rather discouraged than promoted. Mr. Sherlock, curate of Bray, proposes that a system shall be adopted which will gave efficient action to the laity, and this he thinks can be secured by adopting the organisation of the American Churches, modified by the expe rience derived from the working of our colonial Churches. For instance, in New Zealand the patron age of vacant livings belongs jointly to the bishops and to the deputies elected by the vestry and the synod. In the event of disendowment being carried, he urges the importance of having the life interests of the clergy commuted for a capital sum, as was done in Canada. This, with the addition of the weekly offerings and a reserve fund to be created, would, in his opinion, supply all wants. He advises the Church not to waste its energies in a fruitless contest, but to prepare an organisation to meet the difficulties which may be imposed upon it in its new position. THE BISHOP OF PETERBOROUGH ON THE ENGLISH CHURCH. At a dinner to celebrate the opening of a new church the Bishop of Peterborough made an interesting speech, in which he said that he felt some of the most important parts of a bishop's work lay in great towns of his diocese. What he felt very strongly about the Church of England at this time was, that her grea t a i m, her great difficulty, was to be strong i n great towns. They all felt, whether th e y lik e d it or not, that the great towns were ruling England; that socially, morally, and politically their influence was increasing year after year for good or for evil. In the country parishes the strength and beauty of the English Church could be seen in one of its best aspects ; but in the great towns the Church had a distinct work to do, and one which was as yet less advanced. In the active, fervid, eager, noisy, earnest town life they had altogether a different state of things to deal with, a state in which the individual man and the individual parish were lost, and the great multitude became more important and more difficult to deal with. A ny one w h o l oo k e d muc h into the gritt towns must see that they were more and more - threatened with "tre separation of rich and poor the separation of the man who had made his money from the men who were making their money. There could be no worse thing for the English nation than that it should break up.into separate classes, which should standlar apart from each other, mutually estranged. The English Church was still a connecting link; her minister was, socially. the equal of the rich man, and, spiritually, the f r i en d of the poor man. In th e towns she was specially called to her mission to weld together the dissevered classes of society. A. town minister must be more active and eager than a country parson need be. He must try to meet the wants of the time by new places, new experi ments ; and, while adhering strictly to the great principles which they all held in common, he should be ready to try every new way which might occur to him to meet the difficulties of his position. The Bishop declared that he was not one of those who believed that 1,700 years ago the Church was absolutely stereotyped in all its machinery. It did not follow because their ancestors were wise that what they found good in their day was necessarily good in the present day. It rather followed that what was thoroughly fit for the past would not thoroughly fit the present, and he thought that they would shew great wisdom in adhering firmly to the old truths that never changed, while they endea voured to reconcile the past and the future in all things non-essential; to adapt the present of the Church of England to the traditions and doctrines of the past, and the needs of the present to the hopes and possibilities of the future. DECLINED WITII THANKS. Mr. Sullivan, the Dublin journalist, ,who was sentenced to imprisonment for seditious writing, and who lately received a remission of his sentence, has been testimonialised by his admirers. They raised a purse of 400, but Mr. Sullivan, no doubt consider ing that hi s i n fluence as a " p a t r i o t " would be injured b y accep ti ng g ift s , declined th e present w i th thanks. He has suggested that the amount shall be devoted to raising a statue of Henry Grattan, who is without a monument in his own county. THE GIBRALTAR CONTROVERSY. Admiral George Grey, in a letter to the Timas, defends hi s recommen d a ti on th a t Gib raltar should be surrendered on the condition of receiving Ceuta in exchange. It is not, he maintains, a question as to the comparative strength of Ceuta and Gibraltar, but whether the former might not be made perfectly defensible, giving us at the same time the naval ad vantages which Gibraltar does not possess, and without for which, however impregnable that fortress maybe, it is simply useless. Now that the extended area around. Ceuta has been ceded to Spain, the defences of that place, Admiral Grey believes, might easily be made all that is necessary. Another correspondent, "King Coal," submits that the cession of Gibraltar would be exceedingly dangerous, on the ground that England would then be deprived of the least expensive, and at the same time the most secure key to the Mediterranean. England's first duty, the writer points out, must be to protect the route to India rid the Mediterranean. Gibraltar must be regarded as the first of a magnificent line of coaling fortresses from England to India—i.e., Gibraltar, Malta, to Alexandria, f rom S uez to Aden (the Gibraltar of the Red Sea), from Aden to Bombay, or to Trincomalee, in Ceylon, one of the finest harbours of the East, or to Port Louis, in Mauritius, which com mands the Indian Ocean. The possession of this chain of coaling stations would give England the entire command of the Indian seas and the Red Sea, through which our commerce could float un molested until it reached the Mediterranean ; but as the strength of a chain is equal to its weakest link, so, it is argued, would our power dissolve should we break the connecting link of stations by ceding Gibraltar. " King Coal" thinks the harbour might be vastly improved for less than half the sum that would be expended at Ceuta. " King Coal " quietly assumes that England has a right to the " key " of the Medi terranean, and that the supremacy of that and the Indian and Red Seas. This is just what the Reformers in foreign politics deny. vicron HUGO AND THE CHILDHEN. On Christmas Eve a very pleasant scene was to bo witnessed at Hauteville House, Guernsey the residence of Victor Hugo. M. Hugo gave his annual fete to the poor children of his institution, when gifts and fruits, and above all a splendid Christmas tree delighted the friendless little ones. Victor Hugo's address to those who assisted him in the distribu tion of his bounty was full of interest. He said that , grief wa s a ca ll to duty, and that for his part he was thankful to exile for giving him the opportunity of making a practical experiment he had long thought of, with the view of ameliorating the condition of poor children. M. Hugo takes pleasure in the thought that his institu tion for the benefit of children has suggested similar efforts to philanthropists in England, Switzerland, and America. He quoted the other evening . some atatiatics . from_ .the records of London &midia-fa shew what progress the idea of the children's dinner had made. In the single parish of Marylebone the number of children succoured in 1868 had increased from 5,000 to 7,850. A society called the Children's Provident Society has just been founded in Maddox street, Regent-street, with a capital of £20,000. In 1860 there were in London 6,000 children assisted in this manner ; in 1807 there were 30,000 ; in 1868 there were 115,000. If we add to these the 7,850 of Marylebone, which belong to a separate society, we have a total of 122,850 children who have been assisted. The forty children of Hauteville House have become 120,000 in London. M. Hugo, in con clusion, declared that whatever the sorrows of his life, he should not murmur if he were permitted to realise the two highest objects of a man's ambition— to be a slave and a servant : the slave of conscience and the servant of the poor. CRIMINAL SUPERVISION. Mr. Measor seems to agree for the most part with Mr. Mill on the supervision of criminals. Mr.Measor, in a letter to the Times, admit s th a t a c l ass o f t h e community exists who make their calling that of dishonesty, and who are a pest to society. Some prisoners it is impossible to reform, and they openly profess their preference for a dishonest course. " Let us suppose," writes Mr. Measor, " that 500 out of the 2,000 convicts annually discharged in this country come out of prison hardened by vicious companionship and by the contrast between the only work that can be got with out a character and the stimulating rewards of unlawful adventure." He cannot see the gain of imprisoning these men on suspicion : instead of wait ing until they commit an actual crime, which would justify the infliction of a long sentence of penal servitude when their previous career is considered. Mr. Measor desires to see an alteration in the law empowering judges and magistrates to take full cognisance of "criminal tendencies," so that punish ment might be adjusted by the life and the ante cedents of the culprit, as well as by the crime. He disapproves of police supervision, and says that any system of surveillance is surrounded by difficulties. What is wanted is a special department in the Home Office to manage these criminal cases ; but to increase the power of the police , as some advise, wou ld b ez h e declares, most injurious, for it would render criminal inability to get honest labour with a prison character THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. A correspondent of the Times remarks on the question of the agricultural labourer, which has lately attracted a great deal of attention. He makes some " practical suggestions," which are worthy of notice. First of all, he says that wages cannot be raised by any but a natural process. Secondly, that all direct charity is bad and demoralising in its effects. Look ing at the question in a practical sense this writer asks, " What can the landlord do ?" He can offer land for keeping a cow to each cottager who has ten pounds in the savings bank. By these means, and the possession of a garden and a patch of land, an industrious couple can realise an income of 18s. or 20s. a week all the year round. In all cases thrift and saving must precede the grant of such favours. As for what the farmer can do, it is said th a t no system of co-operation has hitherto been obtained between farmers and labourers, and no adequate compensating arrangement has been made. Corn wage is advocated as an advantageous mode of meet ing the difficulty, that is to say, for part of the wages to be paid on the basis of the price of corn. In some parts of Dorsetshire it is the custom to increase the wages when wheat is high, and this system of pay ment is founded on justice, right, and mutual interest. "What can the labourer do for himself r is next asked, and the answer given is, " Education for his children, if not for himself." A savings -bank book is an excellent possession, and by this means an able bodied lad may amass from Irlo to £2O before he is twenty-five. "What can the Legislature do ?" is the final question put, and " Little or nothing directly " is the answer. A GEOLOGICAL THIEF. It appears that on Saturday last the police in charge of the Museum of Practical Geology, which is opened on certain days gratuitously, observed a man about twenty years of age steal several brass frames and some tablets of wood. The thief was captured with the property in his possession, and lodged at the police-station. On Monday he was brought before the magistrate and admitted his theft, which it was, indeed, useless to deny. He was a tailor, and his uncle, who employed him, gave him an excellent character. But it seems that a marine store dealer lives in the same house. Strange to say, the prisoner was discharged, a piece of misplaced lenity, the more to be regretted as this is not the first robbery of the kind which has taken place at the museum. If the public are to retain the privilege of free admission to institutions of this kind,it can be only through the vigilant super vision of the police over all suspicious visitors. Such a decision as that of the Vine-street magistrate on Monday will give little encouragement to such necessary watchfulness. TAB BISHOP OF GIBRALTAR. A singular accident befel the Bishop of Gibraltar whilst travelling in Asia Minor by train. The bishop's and thirteen other carriages became detached from the loco motive, owing to the coupling chains having parted. The engine went on, and the detached carriages, being on an incline, ran back two or three miles. Fortunately the ninety-and-nine who were thus left in the wilderness escaped all further injury, and the half•famished travel. lers, after fighting their way through a pack of starved jackals, and after a delay of four hours, were picked up by a locomotive FOREIGN NOTES. LYNCH LAW IN AMERICA. The three men who were hanged by a mob at Indiana had been given up by the Canadian Government, under the Extradition Treaty, on the charge of robbery. They were accused, and, according to the Daily News correspondent, with justice, of having committed the last of a series of robberies on railway trains containing the strong boxes of the express companies. In this case the express agents were ready for them with a guard, and the attack was repulsed, but the conductor of the train was shot in the knee, and badly wounded, and has since died. The robbers escaped to Canada, where they were discovered and arrested, and delivered up by Lord Monk, on receiving a pledge from the United States that they should be delivered in safety to the Indiana authorities. This was all that Mr. Seward promised. He could guarantee that they should be lodged with the State: Governor of Indiana, but not that they should be kept in safe custody until the trial. The responsibility of what followed rests, therefore, with the local government. The prisoners were lodged in the strongest prison, but the sheriff took no precautions against the attack of the lynchers though he was aware it was menaced. The Daily News correspondent has no hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. The organisation which committed this outrage has been in existence a long time, and is still formidable, though its numbers have diminished of late. It was first formed in consequence of lax administration of criminal justice in Indiana. Brigand age in fact was rife in the ;provinces. A number of families with houses, farmak and other outward evidences of respectability, Wing , in various parts of the State, but bound together by a regular organisation of crime, planned robberies in concert, executed them in large bands, and when any of their number was arrested, helped them to escape justice by employing counsel, bribing witnesses to keep out of the way, and even, it is asserted, corrupting the public prosecutor by threats of retribution at the polls when he came to be re elected. Their favourite depredation was to rob the night express trains of the company's strong boxes. It was as much as any man's life was worth to appear against them in the courts. "At last the public could stand it no longer, and the 'regulators,' as they called themselves, were organised, and went to work with a vengeance, after giving fair notice to all thieves and plunderers to quit the State. After a reasonable time had elapsed, they seized and executed such of the more notorious criminals as failed to heed the warning. Within the last two years they have hanged about thirty persons, of whom some were undoubtedly innocent ; but the great majority of them were thieves and cut-throats of the worst kind." They justify their proceedings on the grow"' of neces sity, but indiscriminate hanging by mobs, even when the worst criminals are got rid of, cannot be tolerated for any length of time in a civilised community. The public has at length become alarmed, and has resolved to regulate the " regulators." The root of the evil, how ever, lies in the defective administration of the law ; the judicial system has broken down, the officials are wretchedly underpaid, and the right men will not under take the right places. Lynching will be difficult to put down unless the proper substitute be found. In this instance the " committee" gave timely warning of its intention tolynch the robbers. The whole story reveals a strange case of civilisation running wild again. TIIE NEW FRENCH MINISTRY. The Times Faris correspondent, as Well as other autho rities, states that the new Minister of the Interior, M. Forcade do la Roquette, is imbued with a great esteem for the English nation. and a strong feeling of the necessity of a good understanding between the two peoples. This assertion is correct. M. Forcade is connected by mar riage with several families in England, his wife being the daughter of Mr. Fergusson, who sat for Perth,. and was once Lord Advocate. The new Minister was also an intimate friend of Mr. Cobden, and is on good terms with Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Milner Gibson. It is unfortunate, however, that M. Forcade should rule over the Interior instead of the Foreign Officeihough there is nothing to find fault with in the appointment to the latter department, and it is still more tugortunate that he should be universally recog ;geed aq merely the shade of Dfl, _Bolter. for whom the recent Ministerial changes'are a triumph. The g - reat porter of of Imperialism, and the advocate of official candi datures and Ministerial irresponsibility, will not allow much opportunity of M. Forcade's admiration . of England taking a practical form. GERMANY. According to several of the Vienna journals, the Emperor of Russia has sent an autograph letter to the King of Prussia thanking him for having removed the difficulties which hitherto have been antagonistic to the friendship between the two countries. The Germania has received a despatch from Berlin, which, it says, confirms and ex plains this intelligence. For a long time negotiations for a defensive and offensive alliance have been carried on between the sovereigns of Russia and Prussia. This cor respondence was kept secret from Count Bismarck and Prince Gortschakoff. It appears that he arranvernent has now been finally concluded. stair - . The Republican meeting held at Madrid on Sunday last was very numerously attended. Tht Marquis of Albaida presided, and all the leading men of the party were present. Castlelar, "the windbag," seems to have spoken to some purpose on this occasion, drawing, a comparison between Switzerland and Belgium, the former of which is supported by a budget of two millions sterling, whilst the latter requires twelve times as much. Belgium contains nearly twice as many people as Switzerland, but still the disparity in fnance is so great as to be deserving of notice. AMERICAN LITERATURE. (From the Anglo -American Times.) M. Washburn, cx-Alinister United States at Ascun cion, and the Paraguayan Conspiracy. Paris : Imprimerie de Dubuisson et Cie., 5, Rue Coq- Heron, 5. We express no opinion upon this extraordinary pamphlet, except that it is written in a calm, dig nified tone, and while bringing the most serious charge against the United States Minister to Par,t guay, it does so the more effectively in using no adjectives nor any terms of abuse. The documents on which the charge is founded are given ; but we have not the space to discuss them. All we can do is to give what we think a fair summary of the anonymous author, at the same time carefully guarding against attaching any more value to these statements, simply because they are so well told. The preface declares that _the grand object of Brazil in the war is to obtain the ascendancy in the countries of the Plata, and the control of the unequalled water communication, and to secure this end it has for ages striven to establish the seat of Government at Montevideo, which commands the entrance of the great river Plata. Paraguay had to struggle to counteract this scheme, and to preserve its independence against the machinations of the Slave Empire. If the first Paraguayan operations in Corrientes and Rio Grande were not fortunate it was because Brazil had known how to corrupt the Paraguayan commander of this portion of the force before Humaita. Brazil has never ceased to tempt the commanders at Curupaity and Humaita, whom she felt herself unable to conquer. Later Brazil formed a great conspiracy in the interior of Paraguay, and maintained uninterrupted communication with the conspirators, promising them every sup port ; and if the little Republic has not fallen un der these intrigues, it is due to the vigour, firm ness, and resolution of Marshal Lopez, due also to the patriotism and heroism of the people and army, who refused to associate themselves with the con spirators, and loaded them with maledictions. Mr. Washburn, the United States Minister at Ascun cion, was the principal agent of this conspiracy ; and the part he has taken is the more astonishing when, in allyin g hi mse lf w i th Brazil, he was be theyingthe interests of his country. This, the writer feels sure, will be the opinion at Washing ton, and it is to the history of his conspiracy he devotes these pages. Towards the end of last August news arrived of Paraguay, from Brazilian sources, that the Allies had picked up in the river Paraguay a bottle con taining a letter to the effect that a conspiracy against the Government of Lopez having been traced and discovered, Dr. Carrer,.s, M. Rodrigues, M. Leite Pereira, and M. Berges had been shot, and that the two brothers of Marshal Lopez, Ve nancio and Benieno, as well as Gem. Barrios and M. Bedoza, had been imprisoned. The exact-words of this paper were notpublished either at Buenos Ayres, Brazil, nor in Europe, and this reticence aroused • suspicion of the non-existence of a document so mysteriously found. The steam packet, a fortnight after, carried to Europe the tidings of the san guinary repression of the conspiracy by Lopez ; that 500 conspirators had been shot, and that these exe cutions had been effected with every refinement of cruelty. Brazil by these inventions obtained the sympathy and support of some newspapers in Eu rope, who did not hesitate to style Lopez a cruel despot, comparing him to Gengis Khan, Tamer lane, Nero, and Tiberius. Those acquainted with Brazilian intrigue 4, exclaimed, " Falsehoods! all such reports!" and waited quietly for the truth to be disclosed. The truth soon arrived that these exe cutions only existed in the calumnies of the Brazi lian Marshal Caxias ; it was certain that a conspi racy was really carried on in Paraguay, fomented by Brazil, and that, to the surprize of Europe, the principal mover in the plot—he who was the channel of communication between the Allied generals and the Paraguayan conspirators —was Mr. Washburn, United States Minister at Ascuncion, who had always been considered a sympathizer with the Para guayan cause, and who had signed at the beginning of the war several notes, in which he affirmed that right and justice were on the side of Paraguay. It was also known then that not one of the conspira tors had been executed. The conspiracy was formed about two years ago. Although many diplomatic papers give the indica tions, it is difficult to fix the precise moment when it began operations. The first time that official documents show us the conspirators the plot was already formed. Mr. Washburn was at Paso Pucu, head-quarters of Lopez, whether he had gone under pretext of finding Marshal Caxias, to offer him his mediation in the name of the Government of the United States. Lopez believed him to be his friend, and confided in his loyalty ; he did not wish it to be sail that he had refused any terms that were honourable and sincere to put a stop to this unhappy war. Mr. Wash- burn thou went to the quarters of the enemy, but before his departure he had a conference with Benigno Lopez, one of the chiefs of the plot, a younger brother of Lopez. They discussed the strength of the conspiracy, its chances of success, and agreed that the revolutionary movement pro- jetted couldnot triumph if the Allies did not advance in support by means of a strong column directed rapidly on Ascuncion. Benigno Lopez drew on paper the whole plan of Humaita, and a way over the marshes, before thought impracticable, by which Hutnaita could be taken. Mr. Washburn corn- municated this plan to Marechal Caxias. It is said that the American Legation was the rendezvous of the conspirators. Mr. Masterman, formerly a doctor of the Paraguayan army, of English origin, and Mr. Bliss, placed themselves at the service of the American Legation, the latter a cative of New York, an adventurer who had been searching the countries of La Plata, in vain for gold. Mr. Wash- burn refused. to leave Aseuncion in order that he might remain in closer communication with and afford an asylum to the conspirators, then threatened by Harred M. Benites, who in his note to Mr. Washburn, explained the impossibility of Paraguay longer permitting a foreign legation to reside in a place of war exposed at any moment to attack, if the legation continued to be a place of refuge for con=pirators ; and he requested Mr. Wash- burn to give up every one that did not form part of his accredited staff. The calm and dignified note of M. Benites, at the same time conciliatory and firm, caused serious embarrassment to Mr. Washburn. He believed, however, that the Paraguayan Government would not dare to enter the residence to arrest the refugees, and therefore deter mined to resist to the end. It was afterwards proved on examination that Mr. Washburn was the most active agent of the conspiracy ; that he had maintained regular correspondence with the Brazilian generals—that he acted as a go-between among the Generals of the enemy, and the conspi rators against Paraguay, that under his diplomatic cover they exchanged the opinions circulated between them ; that he had transmitted to the enemy's camp the letters of M. Carreras, of M. Leite Pereira, of M. Berges himself, and had re ceived answers direct ; that by his advice and in fluence he had induced the brothers of Lopez to join the plot ; and, in short, he had received large amounts of money from the Brazilians, and from Benigno Lopez. After discussing how gravely, Mr. Washburn bad failed in his duties, he was in formed that if the gunboat Wasp did not come to carry him away he would be obliged to go over land. The arrival of the gunboat spared him this journey, but, instead of maintaining silence, he courted light, he invited examination, he made a calumnious public appeal addressed to Mr. Stuart, British Minister to Buenos Ayres. In this Mr. Washburn complains that Paraguay had violated in his person the sacrei character of an ambassador respected by all nations. First, by denying his right to grant asylum to persons who sought re fuge at the embassy agiinst unjust and un founded charges; and requiring them to re main prisoners. Second, by outrageously re fusing in Bliss and Masterman the position of attaches to the Legation, ant in arresting them in the street while accompanying him to his place of embarkation. Third, Mr. Washburn not only denies all personal participation in the conspiracy, but the existence of a conspiracy, which he declares to be the invention of the Government of Lopez ; and as the testimony of the accused is overwhelm.. ing, he pretends that it must have been obtained by torture. In contradiction to the above there is a letter dated October 22, from General Webb, to the edi tor of the Anglo-Brazzlian Times. He shows that Mr. Washburn, in 1864, had to take energetic steps to protect the Brazilian Minister against Pre sident Lopez. Next, that the character of the offi cial correspondence arose from the dangerous posi tion in which Mr. Washburn and his family were placed by Lopez;• third, that th e Mi n i ster had nothing to do with the publication of that corres pondence. Ile allows there may have been impru dence in Mr. Washburn's remarks regarding the slowness of Caxias. Finally, he defends the Mini ster from the censure of having abandoned mem bers of his legation ; that censure being founded on erroneous information and uses the St an d ar d' s words in concluding his letter :—"lf Mr. Wash burn has erred, he has erred on the right side; and his Government and his country will fully endorse his conduct against all the calumnies and slanders now heaped upon him by evidence not worth the paper upon whibh , it•is written." 711 E MUSICAL PI7C.H. We understand that the lowering of the musical pitch in England is shortly about to assume a prac tical form. The letter of Mr. Sims Reeves, ad dressed to the Athenmum, in which he positively refuses to sing at the Sacred Harmonic Society whilst the present high pitch is maintained, has decided the matter ; and as most of the com petent musicians of the country are, to our know ledge, ranged on his side, there can be little doubt that, whatever may be the difficulties to be overcome, the change must be made. Dur ing the ensuing season a series of six concerts will be given, at St. James's Hall, in which the standard French pitch will be adopted. These con certs will consist exclusively of sacred music (and mostly of Oratorios), and Mr. Sims Reeves • has pledged himself to sing at each performance. Amongst the works to be given, Handel's "Jephtha" will be one of the most interesting ; not only on account of its being almost a novelty to a London audience, but because the tenor part is so peculiarly fitted to the grandeur and power of Mr. Reeves' style and voice. There will be a carefully chosen band, of between 50 and 60 performers ; and the chorus will consist of Mr. Joseph Barnby's choir. We have always been of opinion that a certain coarseness of effect observable in most of our oratorio performances in the metropolis is inseparable from the prevailing notion that quantity rather than quality should be put forth as the real attraction ; and we look for ward, therefore, with the utmost interest to a series of concerts in which delicacy and refinement, both with the choir and orchestra, may be shown to be compatible with energy, precision, and true musi cal power. —Musical Times. The Governor of Shanghai, China, issued a pro clamation on the 7th of October, prohibiting demonstra tions of ill- will against'Christian missionaries. He espe cially dentfunces a fictitious proclamation, intended to influence the populace, that had been posted about the city, and says :—" I also publish this proclamation to in form the inhabitants of this part of the country, and those from other provinces residing at Shanghai, that anony mous placards are prohibited, and that the right to propa gate religion is contained in the treaty. In future, there fore, all must preserve peace and harmony, and each be allowed to follow his own belief and his liberty of con science. Those who have the audacity to disobey will be arrested, judged, and punished, without remission and with all the severity of the law. Tremble !" 'fhe chief linguists of America are endeavouring to establish a society to be called the American Philologi cal Society. We hope their efforts will meet with the success they deserve. J. M. Lyon, senior editor of the Milwaukee News, died of apoplexy at the Louis House, Dec. 2. Joseph Sabin has written a book entitled " A. Dictionary of Books relating to America, from its Dis covery to the Present Time," which is not only a com plete catalogue, but affixed to each name is a reference to some library in the United States where each book may be found. FADVERTISEMENT.I—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills.— Fear Not!—Though surrounded by circumstances disad vantageous to health, these remedies, if properly applied, will cut short fevers, influenza, inflammation, diphtheria, and a host of other complaints always lurking about to seize on the weak, forlorn, and unwary. The superiority of Holloway's medicines for subduing disease has been so fully and widely proved that it is only necessary to ask the afflicted to give them a trial, and, if the instructions folded round them be followed, no disappointment will ever ensue, or dangerous consequences result. In hoarse ness and ulcerated sore throat the Ointment should ft e quently be rubbed on the neck and top of the chest. 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Important Caution.— Beware of the many unsavoury and more than sloppy imitations to which, without authority, Baron Liebig's name is most suds stErsYA; L f o E r Nir 2 A c A u ß p A s ß a f t a 2s CHOCO LATEfor2:iciously attached. In tins, at Is. lid. • 1 lb. 2s. 9d. ; 2 lbs. ts. 6d.; 5 lbs, lls ; 12 lbs , 225. ; 241 POWDERbs. ,40 40s.—Also .s—pAa packed d D o in ß t A in talt ea v n ' freenß g a yo a fb DOut carriageßAßßY one penny n aand 0., Englandpo rc N u cup. on receipt e h ße e ee3i Regent-street, ot . a f s n t d re Post e ss t :01 tine Lo ndon; o n e . cups at 3s. 6d., for 48 cups at rs., for 288 cups at 308., for 57 . 6 cups Order.—BAßßY r t red ss es s re .. t b ß e A i don; and all Grocers and Chemists. Births. GADSDEN—On the 30th ult., at East Moulsey, the wife of G. A Gadsden, Esq., of a son. RA.DSTOCK—On the 30th ult.. Lady Radstock, of a son. WEIGALL —On the 30th ult., at 29, Portman-square, Lady Rose Weigall, of a son. Marriages. GLYN — MARESCAUX— On the 31st ult., at St. Peter's, Eaton square, Captain Sidney Carr Glyn, Rifle Brigade, son of George Carr Glynn, Esq., to Fanny, youngest daughter of Mons. Adolphe Marescaux, of St. Omer, Franco. KEMBALL —SHAW—On the 29th ult., at St. Mary's Church. Bryanstoue-square, Colonel Sir Arnold Kemball, Royal A r rtiller A. Ny, K N. Shaw, .C.S.I 0., .13., to A nna F anny, third daugh te of Esq, Deaths. HAMILTON—On the 30th ult., at Edinburgh, Major-Gon. Walter Hamilton, 0.8., late of the 78th Highlanders, aged 65. RU,SELL —On the 30th ult., Mr. James: Russell. of 49, Kennington -park-road, and 15, Little Tower-street, city, aged 66. SPEIRS -On the 30th ult., at Elderalie House, Renfrew, Ar chibald Alexander Spirs, Esq., M.P. for Renfrew shire, aged 29. WAREING —On the 30th ult., J. Wareing, of King-street, Hamtnersmith, aged 46. iondon : Printed and Pabliehed by ViriLLIAM ANDREWS, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Tait Solt Odlc3, No 1 ' 2, Strand, in trio Precinct of the do voy, m tha Oanatj at January 1, let 9.