The Sun. — London, England, 1859-08-29 00:00:00

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Under the ,lanagement of Mr. Charles Kean. THIS EVENING, DYING FOR LOVE. After which, will be revived Shakspeare's Tragedy of HRNRY VIII. Cardinal Wolsey, Mr. Chas. Kean ; Queen Katharine, Mrs. C. Kean. To conclude with IF THE CAP FITS. Commence at 7. THEATRE -ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Lessee, Mr. J. B. Buckstone. THIS EVENING the performances will commence with THE HAPPIEST DAY OF 3IY LIFE. With THE CONTESTED ELECTION. Followed by HE WOULD BE AN ACTOR And HALLOWE'EN. Commence at 7. NEW THEATRE - ROYAL, AD ELPHI. Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Benj. Webster. Last Six Nights of the Summer Season. Last Three Nights of the Flowers of the Forest and The Babes in the Wood. THIS EVENING, the performances will commence with THE FLOWERS OF THE FOREST.. Messrs. Billington, Stuart, P. Bedford, C. Marshall' C. J. Smith, Garden ; Miss Marian Lacey, Miss K. Kelly, and Mrs. Billing,ton. Followed by the new burlesque, THE BABES IN THE WOOD. Messrs. C. Marshall, Paul Bedford, C. J. Smith, Eburne ; Miss Woolgar and Miss K. Kelly. - Acting Manager—Mr. Wm. Smith. On Thursday for the Benefit of Mr. Carter, Treasurer. Doors open at a quarter-past six—Commence at seven. Box Office open from 10 to 5 —no charge for booking. No fees to servants permitted. A registry kept of all articles found. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborongh THIS EVENING, THE MAID WITH THE MILKING PAIL, After which, A SCHOOL FOR COQUETTES. Misses ilwanborough, Oliver, and Lavine. Followed by THE VERY LATEST EDITION OF THE LADY OF LYONS. Commence at 7 o'clock. THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY:EVENING, AUGUST 29, 1859. VERDI'S OPERA OF MACBETH. The whole of the first Act of this Opera, now produced for the first time in this country (the remaining three acts being in course of rehearsal), is sung nightly at the CAN TERBURY HALL CONCERTS. ---- --- THE DELEPIERRE FAMILY, consisting of three Juvenile Violinists, viz., Jules, Juliette, and Julia Delepierre, aged, respectively, FOUR, SIX, and EIGHT years. The perfect execution by these Lilliputian Artistes of some of the most difficult and brilliant Solos, Duets, and Trios ever written for the violin, has excited mingled wonder and admi.. ration in Continental Musical Circles, and drawn forth enthu siastic tributes of praise from the Public Journals of France and Belgium. They will perform TWICE EACH EVENING, in addi tion to the usual Entertainments. THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, At GE ST 28. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 74—highest since noon yesterday. 60—lowest this morning and during the night. 67—this day at noon. _ _ - BAROMETER-30.01. WIND, North-Westerly; light, with fine weather, and cooler. There was another heavy thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. AUG. 29. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 68—highest since noon yesterday. 60—lowest this morning and during the night. 72—this_day at noon. BAROMETER-29.89 WIND, South-Westerly; light, with fine weather. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. THIS DAY.—Morning, 2h. 23m.—Afternoon, 2h. 44m. To-Nloaßow-Morning, 3h. sm.—Afternoon, 3h. 25131 1 *,,,...-7-,,,\, . .. , Vt.!, ~._,‘="-:-':--!,F, Z----,7 - •,.:-• ... e 4. , , ~, -, •., r • „._ - f' l .7 - . - - ___,„,, ...,,, _., - t.• ~;.__,, THE SUN. MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1859. The news of the Congress seem to be very uncer tain as to results. The plenipotentiaries are fight ing rather shy of each other. The fact is they do not know what to be at, for fear of giving offence one way or the other. The question of the Duchies is the difficulty, for Austria is most anxious for rein stating the exiled Dukes,while France is secretly desi rous of having Prince NAPOLEON invitedto Florence. How matters will end does not at present appear ; but if Austria persists :n espousing the pretensions of her protegees the quarrel may yet be fanned into a flame. On the other hand, the people are heart and soul determined to be united to Piedmont, if France permit them, which is very doubtful, seeing the private desires of NAPOLEON, who in this instance is all powerful unless some considera tion for other advice persuade him to the contrary, Peace at the present juncture may be more politic for him ; but for how long must mainly depend on circumstances. The speech of M. de MORNY is fraught with some under-current of mischief, however plausibly he may pretend. Our course is clear. To be prepared is our only safety ; and in taking proper precautions we have as good a right as others, without being questioned as to our mo tives. Everything now seems to be very dull in Paris. Speculation there is none, and trade is at a stand still. Th• following from a correspondent is rather amusing : " The military spectacle brought to Paris all the most accomplished pickpockets of Europe, and every one has some story to tell of the marvellous tricks of cleverness that have been displayed : amongst others is the substitution of a pair of ordinary spec tacles for gold ones that adorned the nose of one of the most wealthy of the bankers, who i,id not be come acquainted with the robbery and the change that had occurred until his family remarked it on his return home. An illustrious foreign Duke, who has long resided here, and astonished the admiring world with his diamond waistcoat buttons, is said to have been shorn of some of his jewels ; and several ladiei were divested of their shawls, immediately after the shower of rain, under pretext of clear ing away some of the watery element that had been imbibed." Our great contemporary, by whom so many swear as their master, has at length begun to admit facts, and to reason a little, as well as banter, on the bal lot. A few days ago it admitted for the first time a statement from its " Own Correspondent" in Mel bourne, a gentleman who is a warm supporter of the Ballot, as to its successful moral working there. The other day it admitted, after a little fair reason ing as to the working of the Ballot in those small boroughs which its Reform Bill of this spring Consigned to schedule A—it admitted, what we recently asserted, that the Ballot is needed to pro tect workmen against being intimidated by each other. "We are quite sure," it observed, " that at this moment, if it were put to the Ballot, the authors of the strike in the building trades would find them selves in a considerable minority. Every class wants protection against itself even more than against its betters, and the Ballot certainly might do some good there." Our readers may remember that the remark we have italicised is precisely the one which, according to the Sydney papers, was exemp li f i e d by the first election under the ballot in New South Wales. 'We entirely accord with it. We h ave great faith in the good sense and fairness of the more intelligent of the working classes, when these qualities are allowed free action ; but for this, it is essential that they should be protected against the NEWTONS and POTTERS, and the committees of despotic unions, quite as much as against despotic masters or wealthy corruptors. On Saturday our contemporary received a wind fall, one which we, however, as well as he were pleased to catch, in the shape of a letter from a lord, covering one from a person of somewhat more note than a lord ; and both letters unfavorrable to the Ballot. The inclosed one was from the " talented author"—says Lord Radstock, of one who would not, we believe, use such a word as English—the "'author of Two Years before the lllast,"—R. H. DANA,. Junior. Mr. DANA'S letter is written to show from the history of the Ballot in Massachu- setts, that it was wished, originally, that the Ballot there should be secret ; that for a long time it was not so ; that in 1851 a strenuous endeavour was made to render it really secret ; that after a trial of two elections it was given up to secure a pure ballot ; and that now, secrecy is not compulsory on all, but optional. That, as the result, hardly 100 secret votes out of 167,000 were cast at the Presidential election in 1856. Now long ago we gave from a well-informed per son a -very different account of the party motives which overthrew the secrecy of the Ballot in Mas sachusetts; let us, however, take the statement of Mr. DANA, which has every appearance of being candidly written, and let us see what it amounts to. He lays down as his axiom that " the purity of the ballot must be preserved at all hazards." To this every one will assent ; but of course none of the hazards must resemble very high revenue duties, which doubly defeat their own object. The absence of secrecy may, as many of as suppose, do this. Mr. DANA, however, remarks that in Massachusetts to secure purity they had to give up secresy. He next observes that " the first danger is of illegal voters ; the second is of illegal votes." Against the first danger it seems that Massachu setts adopts the same means as all representative institutions do ; there is a register of voters, and the voter presents himself openly when he claims to vote. " Our security against illegal voters is— requiring the voter to appear in open meeting, subject to scrutiny and challenge." Thus far, how ever, friends and opponents of the Ballot are agreed. Both parties on the question wish for honest voters only. It is in respect to the second danger that we fail to perceive how, taking Mr. DANA'S own account, making the Ballot open was requisite to its purity —requisite to the preservation of the Ballot-box from duplicate or triplicate votes. We condense his description of the course of things in Massa chusetts. To guard against the danger of a voter's deposit ing more than one vote, the practice was, that each voting paper should be shown to the electiox officers to be a single one, by its being deposited open in such a way that the officers and others pre sent could see that it was a single paper. As the dif ferent parties provided the electors with ballot-papers coloured, or distinguished by different emblems, it was of course perfectly easy for the candidates' check-clerks to note the name on the register and the vote which followed it, and.the Ballot was not one in the English and Australian sense of—secret voting. But in 1851 the attempt was made by means of adhesive envelopes to secure secret voting. Political parties there assailed it with opprobrious epithets, as they do here. At first they provided their own envelopes, but then they easily secured the same object as was gained by presenting their own ballot-papers. The Government then provided them, and it was made penal to counterfeit the Government envelope, which was furnished to the voter only at the balloting-booth. And now what proof follows that this unques tionable secrecy had to be given up to secure purity ? It was given up, but in Mr. DANA'S own statement the reason is a very different one from that of purity. He mentions that "it fell into disfavour" through " the interest which political committees and the employers have in ascertaining how men vote—the preference of many, and the willingness of most to have their votes known—and the incon veniences [which he does not specify] of the system itself." Mr. DANA mentions no other reasons. The occasional difficulty of stiff-fingered labourers sealing the envelopes, and the consequent falling out of the papers, cannot be the inconveniences re ferred to, as he mentions that a very simple and obvious remedy was found for these things. We have read, naturally, a letter from Mr. DANA with much care as well as interest ; but unless he has in his mind facts which he does not mention, we must say that he has not stated one which sup ports his second and third and only important con cluding inferences, that the purity of the Ballot de pends upon what we might term, in Irish, its being no Ballot ;—on its being " deprived of its secrecy." The impetuous eagerness of American politicians to know how the poll is going, their total want of self-restraint, and the interested motives of em ployers. are given as the reason why secrecy is renounced. Indeed we are told that the reason why balloting papers are necessary with open voting, is the large number of persons elected to different offices, frequently at one time, and by one paper. Hence printed lists are necessary. But these are not printed lists of all the candidates, as in Aus tralia, from which the voter erases the names he wishes, but lists printed by the opposing parties, and given by them to the electors. To us, then, Mr. DANA'S letter reads like a con tribution to our side of the argument. Like the oft-alluded-to Judge, he should have given his opinions without the .facts or reason.s on which they are based. Let us add, however, that we cor dially welcome contributions in a spirit like those of Mr. DANA ; let us hear and profit by the obser vations of all. The lesson we gain from Massa chusetts is that secret voting is quite practicable, but that hot political partisans find it an obstruc tion to their objects. To most Englishmen this is a great commendation ; and our communications from all the Australian colonies show that the moral effect of the Ballot there is one of the results which most strikes and gratifies the better part of society in that colony. Yesterday morning, at five o'clock, there died at Putney, peacefully, and in a ripe old age, one of the most charming writers (both of prose and verse) in the English language. How many thousands of as have lost in LEIGH HUNT a dear old friend. How many thousands will grieve over the news that he has gone at last—that the solitary survi vor of that glorious group of poets who ushered in the nineteenth century with their choral songs has passed away from amongst us—following tardily, it is true, though still it seems to us even now prema turely, in the track already traversed by so many of his immortal friends and associates, BYRON, KEATS, SHELLEY, LAMB, HAZLITT, COLERIDGE. The intelligence of this tranquil death of LEIGH HUNT yesterday completes that radiant but mournful catalogue. The whole of that lite"rary generation has passed away with the departure of this liltinaus Romanorum. The whole at least of the great chiefs of the pen—PROCTER and LANDOR coming but within a secondary category. Peace to his honoured dust—if but in grateful remem brance of those abundant and perennial flowers of fancy he has scattered around him in prodigal abundance between the alpha and the omega of his prolonged and stainless life, between the 19th of October, 1784, and the 28th of August, 1859. Besides his labours a s a lib eral and energetic jour nalist, when he was for several years Editor of tile hand Examiner, we believe his industrious altogether from first to lastbetween seventy pnened an d eighty volumes of the mostnisa cellaneous charac ter. A deli ghtful essayist, genial critic, a ripe scholar, a g race ful dramatist, a writer of the most versatile genius —alternately exquisitely pathetic and exquisitely humorou s _ LEIGH HUNT has long since taken his place among our English classics. He had, at least, while sur viving, those glorious friends of his youth, the all but posthumous happiness of enjoying the universal recognition of a reputation that no man envied, and that all who came within its ken delighted in and revered. Long will his name be held, in this land of his birth and of his death, in affectionate admi ration. CABINET COUNClL.—lmmediately after the re turn of Viscount Palmerston to town on Saturday forenoon from visiting her Majesty at Osborne he caused a summons to be issued for a Cabinet Council this afternoon at his lord - ship's official residence in Downing-street. Those mem bers of the Cabinet absent at a distance from the metropolis were apprised of the intended Council by telegraph. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge has left Dover for Germany. His Royal Highness is accom panied by Col. Clifton. We (Gaignani) regret to hear that Marshal Bosquet has had a relapse, and part of his right side is paralysed. To-night, the last of the season at the Princess's, will conclude Mr. Charles Kean's management, the final play selected being " King Henry the Eighth." Mr. Kean will deliver an address. The directors of the Great Ship Company have declined the amended offer of Mr. Lever to charter the Great Eastern. Mr. LEIGH HUNT.—It is with much regret that we announce the death of this very popular author. He died at an early hour yesterday morning, after having been for some time in feeble health. Mr. Hunt was born on the 19th of October, 1784. THE ALBERT INSTITUTION.—His Royal High ness the Prince Consort has consented to be patron of the Albert Institution, consisting of reading room, schools, dor mitories, &c., for the working classes, in Gravel-lane, Blackfriars-road, which was opened by the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs on Wednesday last. This pleasing fact was com municated yesterday to the Rev. Joseph Brown, by Col. Sir C. B. Phipps. Four thousand persons visited the building on Thursday. THE GREAT EASTERN.—EarIy on Saturday morn ing, his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine paid a long visit to this vessel. For upwards of three hours his Highness remained on board inspecting every part of the ship, from the lowest deck to the iron masts and colossal wooden yards. He expressed his astonishment at the mag nitude of the whole undertaking for a commercial specula tion, though, merely judging of it from a nautical point of view, he had little doubt of its success. He claimed for the Russian Government the credit of having the second largest vessel in the world—the General Admiral—though, as re garded fineness of lines and beauty of form, he considered the Great Eastern to as much surpass that man-of-war as she did in size and power. His Highness, after partaking of lunch with Mr. Campbell and Captain Harrison, ex pressed a wish to see the new steering apparatus, of which a full description appeared in The Sun of Saturday. This simple though most ingenious invention was accordingly inspected at Mr. Lungley's yard, and commended by the Duke in the highest terms. After leaving this yard the Duke proceeded to the manufactory of Messrs. Humphrys and Tennant, and inspected several pairs of marine engines making for the Russian Government, varying in power from 300 to 600 horses. The number of visitors to the ship on Saturday was immense, and more than double that of any previous occasion. THE GREAT EASTERN.—Saturday was the last day for admitting the public on board the Great Eastern, previous to her departure on her trial trip. The number of visitors who have inspected the vessel during the last fort night has been very large, the amount realised by the com pany on admission fees being upwards of £4,000. BEACON IN THE BRISTOL CHANNEL.—The erec tion of a beacon on the Monkstone-rock was brought to a successful termination on Friday, the 12th inst., the wrought iron mast and globe having been on that day permanently fixed in the place prepared to receive them. Mr. Cyrus W. Field was making energetic efforts in New York to obtain subscriptions to the new capital of the Atlantic Telegraph Company. As the most conclusive way of satisfying those sceptics who refuse still to believe that the cable was ever brought into practical operation, copies of the 400 messages which passed through the cable , verified under oath, are published in the New York Herald , and occupy seven columns of that journal. The town council of Berlin has just subscribed £1,600 to a foundation in honour of Humboldt, destined to afford aid to learned men and travellers in the prosecution of the studies to which he devoted his long life. The cholera spreads along the shores of the Baltic. Its presence in Dantsic is officially acknowledged, as well as in Osnabruck and Elberfeld, and it is reported to have made considerable ravages at Hamburg. THE LATE FATAL OCCURRENCE ON THE TH.- AU RY AND SOtTREND R AMWAY.- The adjourned in quest on the person killed by the recent accident was held on Saturday, and resulted in a verdict of " Accidental death." LIVERPOOL BANQUET TO LORD DERBY.—It iS rumoured that Lord Derby and several of his late colleagues will be entertained at a public banquet in Liverpool, to take place in the course of a few weeks, on which occasion ,the address, which has been numerously signed, expressive of the high sense entertained of his lordship's admirable conduct in the late administration of her Majesty's Govern ment, and of the increased confidence with which he is re - garded as the leader of the Conservative party, will be for mally presented.—Liverpool Courier. VOLUNTEER RIFLE CORPS.-A public meeting was held at the Guildhall, 'Falmouth, on Monday last, in compliance with a requisition to the mayor which was signed by magistrates, deputy-lieutenants, and others, to consider the propriety of and the means for raising a rifle corps at that town for the eight circumjacent parishes. The mayor presided, and after a discussion affirmative re solutions were passed, a committee appointed, and a sub scription opened to assist the progress of the work. The allotments to Falmouth and neighbourhood would be two companies of 100 men each, one artillery and the other rifle, but the latter description of force appears the favourite. It was considered the attempt Would be successful, and sub scriptions were commenced liberally at once from the ma gistrates and surrounding gentry. THE HARVEST IN I'iORTIIUMBERLAND AND DUR HAM.—Last week was extremely favourable for the harvest in these two northern counties • and on Saturday night an immense amount of corn had been cut, and very much of it upon the last farms gathered into the stackyards. Reap ing machines have been much employed this season in Northumberland but the harvest coming in so rapidly there has been ample employment for every one. In Dur ham 17s. and 18s. an acre have been paid for reaping; and very rarely has less than 12s. been given. In the neigh bourhoods of the towns women have been earning from 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per day reaping. The crops are reported to be extremely fine. DEATH OF TOM BLANCHARD THE PANTOMIMIST. —We have to announce the death of one of the best panto mimists of his time—poor Blanchard. He was bred to the stage, and acquired a world-wide celebrity among tho fre quenters of minor theatres by his dexterity in the use of the small and broad swords, and by his performance in serious and comic pantomime, at the Coburg (now the Victoria. Theatre), which opened under the ownership of Mr. Glos sop, and took its place as one of the most respectable theatres in London. Poor Blanchard's performance of pan taloon on the first night stamped him a favourite with the Surrey-side playgoers, his sword combats with Bradley Huntley, Cobham, H. Kemble, Esq., and by his perform - ances of "Don Juan," Obi," " The Drunken Corporal," Pantaloon, and occasionally Clown, he kept his position during a long series of years. Age had latterly incapacitated him from following his profession, except in obscure or sub ordinate parts; and on Saturday, the 26th, poor Tom breathed his last under the terrible affliction of cancer on the tongue, and was buried on Thursday, at the Dramatic Society's ground at Woking. We believe his age was 72. TIIE MURDER NEAR LEEDS—On Saturday, at the Leeds Town Hall, two men named William Appleby and Walter Bearder, suspecte I of being the persons who mur dered Mr. Richard Broughton, of Roundhay, near Leeds, on Saturday afternoon, the 6th inst., were examined before the sitting magistrates. The prisoners were brought by a writ of habeas corpus from the House of Correction at Wakefield, where they are at present awaiting their trial for a burglary committed at Batley. Several witnesses were examined and the prisoners were remanded to a future day. The evidence affecting them was that they were spoken to by three or four persons as like two men seen near the place of the murder a short time before the unfor tunate man was attacked. The pawnbroker's assistant who received the watch stolen from the deceased in pledge about two hours after the murder, could not identify either of the prisoners as the man who pawned it, but he said that Boarder very much resembled the man. The police hope to be able to obtain further evidence before the prisoners are again brought up for examination. FEARFUL EXPLOSION.-A MAN BLOWN INTO THE AIR.—SHIELDS, Friday Night.—A fearful explosion ocurred on the Tyne this afternoon. A new steam-packet company has commenced running steamers between New castle and Tynemouth ; and this afternoon the Louise Crawshay, belonging to them, was coming down the river with passengers, when a steamer named the William and Mary commenced to race against her. It was observed that those onboard the William and Mary were putting on a fearful pressure in the boiler; and they also puffed off steam at the Louise Crawshay, and blackguarded and called them on board her. When off Hebburn Quay, the boiler of the William and Mary burst with a fearful noise, tearing up the decks, and washing the planks, with all the loose materials on the deck, into the sea. Those on board the Louise Crawshay also imagined they saw a human being thrown into the air with the material, and such seems to have been the case, as one of three men be longing to the vessel, a young man named Squire Cock burn, is missing. The other t wo men jumped over the vessel's stern, and the Louise Crawshay running to their assistance, rescued them by means of life buoys. The William and Mary, which is an old boat, is much damaged by the explosion. The explosion is solely owing to the recklessness of the men navigating the vessel. GREAT FIRE AT KNAPP'S COACH FACTORY, CLAPHAM, - A fire broke out a little after one o'clock on Saturday morning on the premises belonging to Mr. J. Knapp, the well-known coach and carriage builder to the Royal family, situate at 138 to 140, Manor-street, Clapham. The building in which the fire began was 100 feet long, and was used as the coachmakers' shops and smiths' welding houses. It contained two floors, each being partially filled with property of considerable' value. The main body of fire continued its ravages for hours, and was not arrested until the factory and all it contained, with the exception of a small space about 20 feet long, were de stroyed. The dwelling-house in the front is also nearly destroyed, and the roofs are burned off. The sufferer was insured in the County Fire-office. The origin of the fire is unknown. No. 242, belonging to Mr. W. Cooper (pri vate) has sustained considerable damage by the hasty re moval of furniture, and unfortunately he was uninsured. No. 136, belonging to Mr. Tilbury, is similarly damaged, and that gentleman was also uninsured. No. 137, the but damaged, not without but livery stables belonging; to Mr. J. Jordan, are also greatly fo gr rtu o n at aF ri el s y k - . the horses were all extricated, LATEST NEWS. The following telegrams have been received at Mr. Reuter's office : THE ZURICH CONFERENCE. BERNE, AUG. 27. There was no Conference held to-day, but the Plenipotentiaries of France and Sardinia met to gether. A courier from Vienna has arrived. ZURICH, AUG. 27. For the last few days there has been no Conference of the Plenipotentiaries. It is believed that the Plenipotentiaries will be enabled to quit Zurich at the latest in a fortnight. TRIESTE, AUG. 28. The American ship Benbolt, which had arrived here lately with a cargo of Havana sugar, and sailed again for London with the same cargo, for want of a sale, was wrecked on the 25th inst. at Brindisi ; the crew were saved. She was insured in London, ZURICH, AUG. 29. Yesterday the Austrian and French Plenipoten tiaries held a private Conference. Two Couriers have been despatched to Milan and Turin. PARIS, AUG. 29. The troops forming the garrison in the 3d and 4th divisions, the head-quarters of which are at Lille and Chalons on the Marne, have been con siderably increased. The regiment of the Imperial Guard, having suffered severe losses at Magenta and Solferino, are being reorganised, and the vacan cies caused by death filled up. The 4th battalion of the Imperial Guard is also maintained. The Government is about to increase the Artillery, but the Cavalry is to be diminished. VENE2'IA. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SlR,—Having always proved yourself the warm advocate of the national Italian cause, I beg to forward you herewith the translation of an address from the Venetians that has been circulated amongst the Ministers and foreign Ambassadors at the Court of Turin, hoping that you will kindly award it a suitable place in your columns, with a view to bring the rights of poor Venetia under the cognis• ante of the world.—l am, &c., S. " Your Excellency,—Europe knows our hopes, our misfortunes, and our rights—rights that are indeed old, but nevertheless full of life. We need not appeal to public records to prove them, nor would any one attempt to establish a denial of their existence, upon the eternal inviolability of political treaties, for their sacred keeping will be best illus trated by the Principalities of Neufchatel, the Danube, Belgium, and Lombardy ; and Austria we need only remind of Cracow. " Napoleon 111., in his memorable proclamation of Milan, when alluding to our desire for indepen dence, so long expressed, and, unhappily, so often disappointed, asserted two truths at once—the sanc tity of our right, and our consciousness of it, Then, in reference to the sympathy of Europe for our cause, he recognised the universal suffrage of the public conscience in all that Europe possesses of spirited and generous feeling. " The peace lately signed cannot, in any way, alter the real signification of those words which promised us that Italy should be free to the Ad riatic.' "It would be fruitless to recapitulate all the hopes that the war aroused in the hearts of the Venetians and the Lombards, the more so in the Venetians, because their rights, even in accordance with the strictest diplomacy, were the most sacred. However, the very hope repressed their impetu osity, and the character given to the war, which was to have been a regular and dynastic one, was calculated to prevent any popular movement on their part. "After the occurrences of 1848 and 1849, and after ten years of oppression, that a foreign govern ment could not otherwise maintain than by an over powering military force, it is scarcely necessary to demonstrate our will. History shews us many more warlike nations than Italy has been for the last three centuries, who nevertheless have groaned and still do groan under oppression, without being considered either timorous or happy. All that the Venetians could do without the limits of a war that excluded any national insurrection was to take up arms under the banner of Piedmont ; and this they have done. The number of volunteers was greater than might have been supposed, par ticularly considering the difficulties that had to be surmounted in escaping from a home which had be come the land of exile. To brave the dangers of a flight was counted as nothing, but to consign friends,' father, or mother, to the vindictive suspicions aris ing from an honourable andsacred confederation was dreadful. The few thousand soldiers that Venetia offered in this way to the Italian army are a sufficient interpretation of the nation's will ; our armed depu ties, representing the country at large throughout all grades of society, from the humble villager to the millionaire, and the count whsse ancestors belonged to history. It is needless to read their names at the bottom of a political document; what they wanted, and still want, is written with their blood. " In spite of the promises and advice of expe rienced men, the streets of Venice were, on the 14th June, stained with blood; the prisons were packed with youths, old men, and women. An Austrian general in the very town in which he was parading all the luxury of an armed force that should have created within him a sense of perfect security wrote his own decree, by saying, I shall have no regard for persons, I punish only the deed or the intention to act. I confide in none of you.' There is not merely a personal feeling expressed by Gene ral Urban, but an admission of Austria's thoughts as regards the Italians; it is an admonition to the latter of what they have to expect from the Aus trians, who, ever in dread, would always be in arms against their own fears, and their suspicions could not fail to arouse the suspicions of other powers. Attached to Italy as to a prey, they would not only menace an unfortunate nation, but also the peace of Europe. " The expenses necessarily incurred by Austria keeping continually upon her guard would aug ment the miseries of the country and her own misery too. This attitude, which could only serve to aggravate her weakness, would render her ap parently formidable to other states, and sooner or later rear up a league likely to accomplish her ruin. Italy oppressed, alone would be her death. We, Venetians, do not threaten nor dream of discord ; but in the voice of the weak, who feel the dignity of their rights, there is apower that in the end will break - both swords and chains. " Two hundred thousand soldiers are encamped on - Venetian ground; the conduct of government has not changed since the conclusion of peace. To the expression of sorrow of our citizens, and their disappointment without precedent, demonstrations which even the least paternal Government might have excused—that the enemy, least of all acces sible to noble sentiments and enthusiasm created by the glorious rictories previously obtained as precursors of unhoped-for success, might have con sidered in the same light—the Austrian function aries at Venice replied on the 17th July with threats of unheard-of heartlessness. " To recite one fact, worth a thousand. "The prisons of Josephstadt were closed upon the Venetian landlords, peaceful men and endeared to the nation by their talents and character having been arrested without trial, as a mere precautionary measure of the police, who publicly avowed tint they had in no way disturbed the public order, but that the possibility of their doing so rendered their imprisonment an act of utility to themselves and desirable even to those who loved them. Ought it not to have ben supposed that after the compact of Villafranca they should have been restored to their lamentinc , families ? They are, nevertheless, still there. The slowness of diplomatic proceedings ought to anticipate the feelings of humanity and justice, nor should there be even an appearance of generosity or of any inclination towards those g uarantees vaguely promised. Is not this rig orous orbearance in the appearance of clemency—throw ing defiance at the sympathies of the country and of all Europe—a return to the morals and manners of the least enlightened times, in an age that boasts of its elegance, and in Which acts of the most cour teous genioosity should only be considered as mere ordinary politeness ? " Even by reducing the domination of Austria over Venetia to its narrowest limits, even were it agreed to place an isolated prince upon the throne, without soldiers.or functionaries belonging to his race, is it supposed that that could satisfy Venetia, Europe, or Austria herself ? Would it be possible to allow an Austrian prince to guard the Alps ? if he were supposed to be already so changed in nature by his new title as to possess an entirely Italian heart, could it be pretended that at a time of war confidence would never be shaken either on the part of the nation or on that of foreign powers ? Even in ordinary times, to what embarrassment would that man not be exposed who, seeming to obey the will of those he is selected to rule—of a man who, to escape from this humiliating thought, would ever be ready to encroach upon the powers he has sworn to respect ? " No man of feeling could, without a sentiment of respectful commiseration, look upon a prince con demned to govern in so different a manner there, where his ancestors, or his brother, have ruled so as to render a murderous war inevitable and concessions so long and so obstinately refused. " Unhappy, indeed, is the fate of a prince when reduced to be pitied by his own subjects, who, under diflkeent circumstances, would have loved and honoured him with sincerity. " The force of events offers Austria a precious opportunity of retrieving herself and acquiring in moral strength, and subsequently in material power, much more than she would lose in dominion. She could then say—After the occurrences of Villafranca there is neither victor nor vanquished. The honour of our arms is saved, let us also save that of our family and the nation ; for here the honour of the whole of Germany is at stake. We have left too many brave men on the soil of Italy, let us forbear leaving more victims on her ground. And if Aus tria were to hide these truths from herself, time would force them upon her some dreadful day. " The undersigned need not affirm that the Tows that they now make are not isolated or solitary. The titles they append to their signatures will de note that they are the interpreters of a sentiment which is nourished by the intellect and the heart of all who consider that the word ' nation' is not a vain sound. " Diplomatic documents have just been published giving the thoughts of Daniel Manin—not merely as a private man, but as the chief of the Venetian government. Venice possessed an assembly elected by the universal suffrage, which had bestowed un limited pown! upon it. A committee sat in Venice to represent the different provinces of Venetia; the legions composed of Venetians, who likewise voted at the election of the assembly, contributed to ren der our resistance honourable as much by the order they observed as by the firmness they displayed. Thus this voice issuing from the tomb is the voice of the nation itself, and during his life Mania was regarded by Europe as the personification of the immortal rignt. Dictator of Venice, in his exile he was more than a king, Charles X. at Garitz. Louis Philippe in London, never received be fore or after death that homage of the heart that was rendered to the poverty, the sufferings, and the ashes of this advocate. Let then this voice be lis tened to, as it reminds France and enlightened Europe of their duty. " Finally, Austria can no longer govern Italy. Even an Austrian prince unattended by an Austrian force would be superfluous, and his presence would not only be a source of disagreeable recollections, but moreover of considerable danger to the Austrian Empire, the dignity of France, and the tranquillity of Europe. " The solemn hopes given to Venetia should not be eluded. It is possible that for this land of Italy, still not free, two hundred thousand French mothers lived in anguish during ten successive weeks, hourly dreading to learn that their offspring had been stricken by Austrian grape ? Would it be believed that for this land of Italy, still not free, Napoleon 111. will have staked his life and his destiny, and that which is dearer to him than life, the honour of France and the heritage of a great name, that weighs upon him like a heavy and resplendent burthen ? Let Europe, then, in gratitude for the peace which he insures her, assist him to cast away the load of sorrow of that thought, and it will be for the forerunner of life to hear the blessings that will arise in this land of grand ideas and great mis fortunes. " August 17, 1859. " PROSPER ANTONINI, ex-member of the Committee of the Department of Udine (Frioul). "F. T. AVESANI, author of the Capitulation of the Austrians, at Venice, March 22, 1848.' " JEAN BONOLLI, of Vicence, ex-president of the Com mittee of the Department of Vicence. " ALBERT CAVALLETTO, ex-deputy of the Venetian Assembly. " GAETANO CREMASCO, of Vicence, ex-secretary of the Committee of the Department of Vicence. " JOSEPH DX CAMIN, of Tr6vise, ex-member of the Assembly and of the Provisional Government of Venice. " JOSEPH DE GALATEO, of Padua, ex-lieutenant colonel at Venice. " I DOLFIN BOLDII, patrician of Venice, ex-member and secretary of the Venetian Assembly. " JEAN BAPTISTE GIUSTINIAN, patrician of Venice, ex-deputy of the Venetian Assembly. " JOSEPH MAGGI DE BRESCIA, ex-member of the Committee of the Department of Rovigo (Govern ment of Venice). " FRANCIS MATTE', Venetian colonel. " ANDREA MENEGHINI, ex-president of the Commit tee of the Department of Padua. " JEAN MINOTTO, of Venice, ex-president of the Le gislative Assembly. " LEON PINCHERLE, ex-Minister of Commerce of the Republic at Venice. " CHARLES RADDELLI, ex-deputy to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People at Venice. " LEON SEREND, ex-member of the Committee of Sur veillance at Venice. " FRANCOIS SOLERA, General, ex-Minister of War at Venice. " SEBASTIAN TECCHIO, of Venice, ex- member of the Provisional Government, and of the Committee of the Department of Vicence, and envoy of the same committee near his Sardinian Majesty. " N. TOMMABSEO, ex-Minister of Public Instruction of the Republic of Venice, envoy extraordinary near the French Republic, deputy to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People at Venice. " EUGENIO VANDONI, ex-colonel at Venice. " J. B. VARE, ex-Vice-President of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People at Venice. " ALEXANDER ZANETTI, secretary to the Provisional Government of Venice, 1848-1849. " 0. PACIFICO VALUPI, ex-secretary of the Assembly of Venice 1849, actual secretary of the Agricul tural Society of Frioul, chief editor of P Annota tore Friulano,' a political and economical review." FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE, AUG, 29. A new combination has been formed by the Bank of Nuremberg, the Bank of Frankfort, the House of Rothschild, Erlanger's Bank, and Messrs. Hirsch and Frohlich for contracting the 41 per cent. loan to defray the military expenses. Eight million of florins of the loan have been left for public subscription. The loan is issued at 981. FRANCE. PARIS, SATURDAY. It is asserted that the Emperor will shortly pro ceed to Cherbourg, and also pay a second visit to Chalon 3. The Moniteur publishes a further long list of addresses of congratulation to the Emperor from the Councils General of the different departments. As the sentiments which they express are similar to those contained in those of which we have given extracts, we confine ourselves to merely mentioning the fact of their publication. Marshal Niel, president of the council-general of the Haute-Garonne, on opening the session, spoke as follows : " Since our last session great events have been accomplished. The Emperor put himself at the head of an army to defend the territory already in vaded of one of his most faithful alles, and to esta blish the bases of the independence of the Italian people. The ability of his manoeuvres and the rapidity of his success have astonished Europe, but the world has been still more astonished at the mo deration of the conqueror. The French people have nobly sustained the trial. They offered for the ex penses of the war much more than they were asked for, and to the fears which the prolonged absence of the Emperor was calculated to occasion they re sponded by respecting the laws more scrupulously than at any other period. The fete of the Emperor has been this year more than ever a national event, and a great act :of clemency has effaced the last traces of our civil discords. Thus, in the war in which she has just been engaged, France has in creased in greatness in the eyes of all—much more by the spectacle of her union and force, than by the glory of her victories." BOURSE, Aug. 27.—The market continues heavy. Threes have been done at 69f. sc. ; Mobilier, at 832 f. 50c. and 825 f. ; Lombard, 560 f. ; Austrian, 556 f. 25c. ; Orleans, 1,262 f. 50c. ; Lyons, 870 f. ; Southern, 507 f. 50c. ; Eastern, 650 f. ; Northern, 922 f. 50c. The following were the last quota tions : 4 per Cents. .... 98 j Credit Foncier 665 — lso. end month .. 9 7 90 jBelgian 41 99 3 per Cents 69 05 jPiedmonteso (5) .. 86 -- Do. end month... • 69 10 Roman — Bank Shares 2BOO Austrian — Credit Mobilier .. 825 Spanish Threes Do. Account ..... 828 75 Home Debt 42 25 RAILWAYS. Cash. Account. Orleans Northern 920 .. 923 75 New ditto Bll 25 812 50 Lyons and Mediterranean B6B 75 868 75 Geneva 535 -- Southern Western Eastern Sardinian 416 25 .. 412 50 Austrian .. 557 50 .. 562 50 Exchange on London, at sight, paper, 25f. 121 c. ; money, 25f 10c. ; three months, paper, 241.971 c.; money, 24f. 95c. SARDINIA. A Paris letter in the Nord of Brussels says : " The French army of occupation is preparing its winter quarters in Lombardy and in Parma. You will have remarked that the French have troops at Piacenza as well as at Milan, while there is not a single soldier in the Duchy of Modena or in Tus cany. This distinction between Parma and the other two Duchies has a cause. It is simply be cause Austria having tacitly accepted as a fait accompli the annexation of Parma to Piedmont, we act legally in Piacenza as at Milan, and in both cities we are equally on a friendly territory for the interest, and with the consent, of the Sove reign who possesses the territory." The administrative organisation of the Lombardo- Piedmontese kingdom is on the eve of being ter minated. The fundamental principles of it will, according to the Independente of Turin, be as follow : " 1. Assimilation of Piedmont to Lombardy, in order to replace our administrations, which are too much broken up, by centres of greater extent. Lombardy has only nine provinces, and Piedmont forty, although the population of the former is 2,800,000, and that of the latter 5,000,000. The consequence of this increase of the limits of the administrative departments will be the suppression of some of the smallest provinces by incorporating them in others. " 2. On this occasion the general circumscription of the State will be reformed, and some compensa tion may thus be given to the provinces suppressed. "3. The provinces will recover their self-govern ment. "4. Some large political centres will be main tained, probably in addition to Turin, Genoa, Milan, Charnbery, and Cagliari. " 5. There is reason to believe that the com munes - will be divided into different classes, according to their importance, and this classifica tion will be the basis of their attributes. " 6. The administrative circumscription will not be identical with the federal one, as it is important to multiply the centres of the latter, in order that the administration of justice may not be too incon venient, tardy, and expensive." FATAL ACCIDENT AT WOOLWICH DOCKYARD.— On Saturday morning- last a fatal accident occurred to Richard Hales, a stoker employed at Woolwich Dockyard. The deceased was at work on board the Ariadne screw frigate, which is now being fitted with her machinery, and while in tho, engine -room assisting to move a portion of the same of immense weight, it fell upon the unfortunate man and crushed him in a fearful manner. On account of the weight of the iron, it was some minutes before the deceased could be extricated, and he was then so strongly convulsed that it required six men to place him on a stretcher for con veyance to the Royal Marine Hospital, where death ter minated his sufferings immediately after admission. IRISII AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. Return, showing, in statute acres, the extent under flax in Ireland in 1858 and 1859, compiled from returns obtained by the constabulary : Counies and s. Extent of Land under Difference between Pro t vin Flax. 1858 and 1859. ce 1858. 1859. Increase. Decrease. ULSTER. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Antrim Armagh 10,409 15,098 4,689 Cavan 3,252 5,690 2,438 Donegal Down 12,266 21,305 9,039 -- Fermanagh 1,719 3,213 1,495 Londonderry 12,665 17,529 4,864 Monaghan 10,812 14,498 3,686 Tyrone ARRIVAL OF THE TVA.R-SLOOP ALARM PLYMOUTH, MONDAY. The sailing sloop of war Alarm, 26, Captain Douglas Curry, from the Pacific and Rio Janeiro, arrived in Plymouth Sound this (Monday) morning. Total of Ulster. 86,385 130,258 43,873 MUNSTER. Clare Cork Kerry 476 521 45 Limerick 196 130 .--- 66 Tipperary Waterford - Total of Munster. 1,773 1,733 40 LEINSTER. C arlow . . 53 8 -- 45 Dublin 1 1 Kildare Kilkenny King's 247 262 15 Longford Louth 349 523 154 Meath lB5 229 44 Queen's Westmeath Wexford l4B 74 74 Wicklow 1 4 3 Total of Leinster. 1,503 1,793 290 CONNAUGHT • Galway Leitrim . . . .. . Mayo Roscommon . - Sligo . . - 59 Total of Connaught 1,985 2,532 547 Total acreage under flax in Ireland—in 1858, 91,646; in 1859, 136,316. Extent of flax grown in Ireland in acres ollowing years : —lB5l, 140,536 acres; 1852, 137,008 ; 1853, 174,579 acres ; 1854, 151,403 acres; 1855, 97,075 acres; 1856, 106,311 acres ; 1857, 97,721 acres , 1858, 91,646 acres ; 1859, 136,316 acres. *.* It is expected that, on the further revision of the Agricultural returns fur 1859, no difference of any importance will be found between the extent of land under flax here given for the present year, and that which will appear in the more detailed tables now in course of compilation. WILLIAM DONNELLY, Registrar-General. Agricultural Statistics Office, Henrietta-street, Dublin, August 20, 1859. TILE WESTMINSTER CLOCK. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,—l have a short but tolerably decisive answer to give to Sir C. Barry and all his certifi cates from the people who did the hand business for him. The hand and tail, or partial external counter poise, which constitute the whole weight to be moved outside the dial, and of which he got my approval in 1857 (subject to the question of their being found strong enough) weighed 1 cwt. 2 qr. 14 lb., and consisted of gun-metal only. It seems that he did afterwards find them too weak, as I told him I believed he would, in spite of all the assurances of himself and his en gineers to the contrary; and then, without fitting me know anything about it, he began patching them up with copper at the back of the hand and adding lead to the tail, till they reached nearly 3 cwt., and required 3. cwt. more of the short counterpoises inside to complete the balance. The statement that I made, the counterpoises would do him no good if it were true, because the weight of the hands, of course, fixed that of the counterpoises, but it is simply false besides. His figure of 1 cwt. 25 lb. as the weight of the hand without its tail is equally irrelevant, as that is a merely arbitrary division of the external mass into two parts, both of which equally produce the friction to be overcome by the clock ; and, as their lengths are very different, they do not balance each other, though the weight looks the same on paper ; and even that is gratuitously wrong also, for he has omitted the lead or something else. There is now lying at Westminster a cast-iron hand, his first essay in the art, which certainly had the merit of being strong enough ; but I had once rejected it, as being at least twice the proper weight. That weighed under 5 cwt., with its com plete counterpoise ; and yet he has the face to say that I afterwards approved a weaker hand, weigh ing with its counterpoises 6 cwt. He knows also that I always told him the right way was to make the hands as thin tubes, as the new ones are ; and that so made the whole weight need not exceed . 2 cwt., which is exactly the weight of the new ones completely counterpoised. The long and short of the matter is that, as usual, he made every blunder that lay open to him, and grossly deceived me into the bargain , b y g ettin g my consent to a pattern lighter than the one I had first condemned, and then secretly alteringit into one much heavier and in every respect worse. If he has any more to say I sh all not be able to return his fire with the usual velocity, as I am going into the north to-day, having already lost three weeks of the long vacation by staying cured ayin a ghers fareto see his blunders put in tra in for being as possible. May I take this opportunity of adding that several musicians of great eminence assure me that the new Big Ben is very superior in tone to the old one, which deviated from the pattern I had given ? Orre of them says he considers it the finest bell in Europe. This, however, is a matter of musical opinion, which I do not feel competent to discuss myself ; but after all that has been said to the contrary, by persons not much more competent, it is a fact which ought to be known.—l remain, sir, yours obediently, Aug. 27. E. B. DENISON. SPLENDID AURORA BOREALIS. Last night, or rather this morning, we witnessed for half an hour the most splendid aurora borealis we ever beheld. On putting out our candle, we were struck by the light appearance of the sky ; and look ing out of our window, which faces about N.N.W. , we observed a bright cloud of light apparently bordering on a darker cloud below it, and running along the whole semicircle within our view, at a height somewhat above the loftier houses. After a little time, as we expected, the light cloud began to send forth its beautiful white coruscations, but not at first to any great height ; not perhaps to more than forty - five d e g reees above the horizon. This was about 12 . 30 this morning. In about ten minutes, however , a beau tiful scene commenced. The light and the perpen dicular streamers had extended to more tha n the semicircle commanded by one side of the house, flashing upwards from the horizon to the zenith, and to all intermediate heights from S.W. to E.N.E., so that the extreme columns of light on either- side were visible even at the back of the house, and formed a magnificent arch over it. What was most pleasing, however, was the extent of the very broad crimson, or deep rose-coloured streamers, which mingled with the white ones, though generally they were of deepest colour where they began to be of that colour, that is between W. and W.S.W. They kept on, however, darting upwards and displaying their mild roseate beauty from the whole semicircle, and frequently also uniting above head, as has been mentioned, in one beautiful arch. In about h g- an hour this began to subside ; but for a full hour there was an unusual brightness in the sky' even illuminating the room, so that' eveiyithiPg in it was easily seen, even the time by the watch, though it was only a clear starlight night. From the S. W. to W., where the rosy brilliancy began, the appearance might frequently have been taken for the reflection of a vast fire ; except, perhaps, for a peculiar delicacy and softness of the tints, of which, no description can give an adequate conception, and because, at times, it extended to the opposite quar ter of the heavens. We have been particular, be.- cause from the lateness of the hour, probably this splendid spectacle had but few witnesses. RA YHARKET THEATRZ Mrs. Charles Mathews had her benefit at th is house* on Saturday evening. T king the season of the year_ into consideration, the attendance of visito rs more than encouraging ; the pit was crowd ed. 11e . dramas on the occasion were " The Conteste d Ele ? tion" and " Masks and Faces." The excellent ing of the beneficiare as Mrs. Honeybun ; of M I L Eliza Weekes, her step-daughter; of Mr. mr. Mathews, as Dodgson, the attorney ; of Compton, as Honey b un , th e re tired wholesale groc e and of Mr. Buckst one , P ec k ov er, presiden t of theo, Blue Lambs, kept th e h ouse i n continual bursts ! sustained. In " Masks and Faces" laughter. The subordinate parts were equally vies Mathews made a very successful first sceneappeanf here, in the character of Peg Woffington. T h e .s in poor Triplet's miserable abode, where she ti qh ° e m in the midst of the starving family, and o r pathos: food, money, and wine, was distinguished for pa. surpassed it maybe in feeling of another descriptiousL` by the merriment which followed, after the gene an burgundy had cheered the hearts of the partY'. alet Peg, with real joyance, joins in a jig with Trii4r. Mrs. Chariee to the playing of his pitiful fiddle. This wa s Benjamin Webster's first appearance on his old i_soad honoured boards for several years past, and he rA no occasion to regret mingling for a night anionf his old friends. He was received with that hell welcome which no one but a long deserving a ll e acknowledged favourite of the public can ever ha % to obtain. Mr. Webster, experienced as he i t ! , e 1 ., t these ovations, was visibly affected, and throug h supported the well-drawn character like a trio artist. The comedy was finely sustained by Cul Mr• ITr • Farren, Mr. Chippendale, Mr. Villiers, Mr. ford, Mr. Clark, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Braid. &c. M rs ' E. Fitzwilliam, Miss E. Weekes, Mrs. Poyote. l. ' Miss Hamilton, and Miss Coleman, among the ladl e ! A woru did their best to give eclat to the evening. of praise is eminently due to Mr. Buckston e, the lessee, for the attention he pays not only t o the mice en scene, but to the careful drilling of his eV cellent corps. DISCOVERY OF A NEW ISLAND. Capt. Eldridge of the American brig Amazon re ports the discovery of an island in the Pacific Ocean several hundreds of miles from any land laid down on the charts. In a letter dated at sea, January 16, 1859, he says :—" It is in lat. 0.45 N. and long. 176.35 W. ; very low and dangerous, and is, I ex pect, the last resting place of the crew of some of the ships which have been missed in years gone by. I ran along the lee side within pistol shot of the beach, but it was too rough to land, and after con vincing myself that there were no living peo ple upon the island, squared away again , On the highest part of the island is a house, apparently built from pieces of a wreck, with a flag-staff at one Oar, from which still dangled the halyard block• the house were several little hummucks , each with a tall, upright stone upon it, evidently the gravr_ of the poor fellows who have escaped from the wreck of their vessel, and died on this dreary I° 4 where, perhaps, they had spent months in vow ew ): looking for a passing sail to relieve them from th dreary prison." THE VINTAGE IN FRANCE• The demand for wine continues to be animated a y, and a further rise of from 6f. to cask was declared last week. The vintage has greatly imroved in man - Bercy, iof. the been 3 p aces y ti i fe but taken altogether the produce will be mile , - - 1 4, he rior to that of last point of uantity. - 4 . oidium has caused year iii cl t h-eaSv much damage in the son de and south-west of France. Hailstorms have l b the late rains, stroyed the vineyards at Blois, which the diseas e had spared. The crop is reduced to almost nothieff in the Sologne ; vineyards which produced from 3 u to 40 casks of wines the acre last year will not give more than three or four this yea r . The m alady is said to be increasing every da y on the high ground° near Orleans, Tours, and_Beaugency; and the dr weather has caused further injury. Some vin yards will not produce more than two casks the- acre ; and to make matters worse there is no olds wine on hand. A considerable rise in prices i ; announced at Macaon. Wine of the Beaujohut has risen 20f. the hogshead within a few days, and The vine other wines in a similar proportion. growers are in despair at seeing their chance of a good vintage diminish daily. The vintage in the neighbourhood of Lyons promises well as regard . quality. The grapes are beginning to ripen, and will probably be gathered by the 15th Sepeternber; A vintage commenced at that period alway gives good wine. Some vineyards promise good a vintage as tha t of last year, but they forin the exception. Frequent hailstorms and the long: continued dry weather have in many districts ruined the hopes of the proprietors, but in others the as' mage is not so , great. The variation in the apPear ance of the vineyard s render it difficult to calculat est. e the amount of t he p roduce. It is generally mated at one half the crop of last year. AccouTO from Narbon ne state that large purchases of wirl, er have been made there lately at from 20f. to 27f. ru e hectolitre taken in the cellars. Holdiers of superif i f quality demand 30f. the hectolitre, and the an The of purchasers make a further rise probable. Ji.',l demand for home consumption, and the fear a' - a - bad vintage (which is calculated at only the th rs ir of an ordinary crop), produces daily fr esh orde. SURREY GA.RDENS.—We hear that Mr. S this place of amus has purchased the remainin g 11 • which t ll i in: le rs i se 2 chief feature of whichenhllasbein order to convert the gardens into a ;ardin d'hirer. T g on the rary Gazette. THE 0 : v7l 1 0 itesumlakofe..l,4• : 7,7 —ONVICT BENNING.—George Bennings ~ to was tried at the last Durham assizes, and sentence. ii_ has for attempting to shoot his sweetheart, at So tLthvile fo 7 uis had his pun':shment commuted to penal s.ersitue 15 years. MA C. SHIPS' COMPASSES WITHOUT NEEDLES OR . u NETS.—The Trinity yacht, Argus, arrived at 1i hav ing from London, at half-past nine p.r.n. on Saturday, ita„s., on board an exp erimental model a -A laillard's patent The pass for steering; ships without needles or magnets. , ';',''', o instrument was :merely lashed in the rudest manner w lif .s , after part of the,•paddle-box, and notwithstanding.the Ern: disturbing force thrown and acting on the steering' s_utile which is immers , ed in the water, it worked and ga e v:_, ire ship's course wit' h sufficient accuracy to establish th . 7_ tos skating run, ii e j a forr s success of the : principle on which the compass _is i T o strutted. These . instruments are made to be usehde ordi stern o f a vessel, and to stand on the deck where t selected nary compass s 6 ads at present, but the inventor e__A of the p os iti o n in N ihich his compass was placed on b al . possible test. the Argus in order to put it to the severest po. AIL,N