The Sun. — London, England, 1860-02-16 00:00:00

HIGH WATER. AT LONDON BRIDGE. THIS DAY.—Morning, 9h. 4m.—Afternoon, 9h. 50In To-momtow.-Morning, 10h. 38m.—Afternoon, 11h. 24m, T E SUN. LONDON, THURSDAY, FEB. 16, 1860. Why should the serious errors of the Budget and Treaty be made the subject of a party fight ? Such, we know, is the custom, but it seems an un reasonable one. In 1852 it would have been quite as reasonable that Mr. DISRAELI should have given way in regard to his impracticable house-tax, and his partial and useless modification of the malt duties, as quit office. The same may be said now. If points be attacked in the Budget which would compel an entire change in the policy of a Cabinet, of course it ought to resign ; but if the country only prefers a more equitable and easy mode of raising the money wanted, we can see in this no ground for a haughty giving up of office. We write, therefore, in no spirit of faction, when we call for serious alterations in the Budget arid the Treaty ; we merely perform the part of honest and entirely independent critics. We have acknow ledged the good of the scheme—cordially an d frankly acknowledged it— but that is no reason why we should not show that, unless it be consi derably altered, the country should hesitate to ac cept it. The more we reflect on it, the more we feel that the tenpenny income-tax is a price we ought not to be called on to pay for the proposed alterations of our tariff, in which Manchester so cordially re joices. Even in that city, and in other manufac turing towns which expect to benefit most by the scheme, the tenpenny tax makes many angry grumblers—and many doubtful, too, whether they will not have "to pay too dear for their whistle." But looking to the whole country the imposition seems unbearable. Many more will be severely mulcted by this heavy tax, with no possible ad vantage in return than those who will in IlnProved trade receive their quid pro quo. The latter have nothitag to complain of but the detestable inquisition into that personal secret of every genuine Englishman his in come. Talk of the un-English character of the Ballot —why it is English itself compared with the inquiry, "Now much are you worth per ~ T annum . 9 rue, these very gentlemen who term secret voting un-E ng li sh, profess to keep your vote on your income a secret ! They can proffer secrecy to get money from you. But w e appeal to almost every Income-tax payer in th e ki ngdom does not all that is English in you resent the revelation you have to make, annually, of your income, whi!e many of you are compelled to pay on more than you earn, because you dare not tell the truth ? At the same time you know that others will not scruple I to give a false answer the other way to a hateful question. But, besides all this, what will the vast aglicultural interest receive in repayment for this increased and odious tax ? Increased competition with foreigners in beer, butter, cheese, &c. What thousands of persons, also, in the receipt of salaries, and persons of different professions, will not gain one penny by the reform of the tariff? To them the tenpenny tax is simply a fine for the benefit of a few manufacturers. Mr. GLADSTONE was bound, if he wanted money, to supply the place of the £4,000,000 remitted, and to make good the naval and military expenditure to which our Costly Ally has put us, to seek it elsewhere—to seek it, not by enhancing injustice, but by substituting equity. We repeat that Equal Legacy and Probate Duties for all classes should have been his first resource. Those duties now set class against class." They favour outrage ously the aristocracy at the expense of the many. He has no moral right to go on augmenting an unjust tax, while he refuses to equalise the burdensomeness of another. Mr. GLAD STONE was also bound, if he wanted yet more, to change the income tax to a property tax. There is but little possible secrecy in regard to the value of a man's realised property. A moderate assessment on the realised property of the nation would have met all wants, would have made those pay only, who have something to pay, and would have made our House of Commons gen tlemen more careful in voting away money when they would have their fair share of it to pay. Then the question of coals. Our readers may remember that, some time back, we took the view that they ought to be treated as among the "muni tions of war." We think so still. It is not for us to enable French ships of war to steam across the Channel. If they do so, let them get this essential of modern naval warfare where they can—we ought not to forward it. There is another reason of a manufacturing kind. In the treaty the "CERBERUS ., across the Channel has cuiningly arranged to get the raw material of manufactures from us, while he taxes heavily our manufactures ! Coal is a part of the raw material requisite, in these days, to every manufacture—why should wehelp Frenchmen both by submitting to 30 per cent. duties on our manufactures, and in aiding them to also manufac ture against us ? The unfairness of the treaty does not end here. Two things we note especially. First. The 30 psr cent. duty on our goods will be augmented to 40 per cent. perhaps by the French navigation laws. We admit them to equal terms with ourselves on our waters--they impose almost prohibitory dues on our ships. Not only is this unjust to our ship owners, but it will enhance the price of English manufactures in France, as there the people will have to pay protected freights for them. Again, we are told the EMPEROR will levy an export duty on wines. If so, he will take the revenue which we ought to have from increased cheapness. We do hope that the ''louse of Commons will not sanc tion n, treaty wh. Ai does not allow us to prohibit the exportation of coals, or to lay an export duty on them, and one which does not place English and French shipping on equal terms in each other's ports. It would be also a mad policy to enable the French to train sailors at our cost; protective navigation laws are intended to man the French navy. On this ground we demand their abolition, or countervailing duties on French ships in English ports. We implore the House to sanction the treaty on no other terms. A trumpet note has been again sounded for the rallying of the Rifle Volunteers. It is this time the clarion voice of the Hero of Aliwal. Addressing himself in cheery accents to an old rifle comrade at Glasgow, Sir HARRY SMITH has given us, in a few striking sentences, the sentiments with which he, as a veteran soldier of the QUEEN, regards this great popular defensive movement. His simple , watchword tells all. It is the cry—" Arm the People ! " At the same time, while observing the multiplication of corps upon corps from John o'Groats to Land's End, he by no means deems the development of this novel species of National Guard as all-sufficient. He deprecates alike the infatuation of those who conceive the country may be secured from the perils of invasion, and of those who, like Lord AIELVILLE, consider the whole movement to be futile and in point of fact very little short of being merely ridi diculous. In effect, Sir HARRY speaks out thus plainly. He says :—" Some of our gallant and ex perienced comrades who write upon the subject of the defence of England take as extreme and one sided a view as some of our leading journals do on the other—the one declaring the inutility of volun teers, the other that they are omnipotent." Now, says the Hero of Aliwal, " I ask either of these extremities—lf you saw a large French army in battle array, which must occupy a large tract of country, with artillery, cavalry, and their sharp shooters, how do you purpose to check their ad vance ?" Whereupon, he remarks," I cannot con jecture the reply of either." Adding, " but this I will assert and maintain, with my last breath—lt is alone to be done by a combination of regular troops, as a barrier and a reserve, with swarms of riflemen everywhere, as powerful—must power ful auxiliaries." And he then puts the case more distinctly before us all—bringing the dread possi bility " home [according to Lord BACON'S phrase] to men's businesse and bosomes"— thus : "We must bear in mind," he writes, "that the distance from our coast to London is barely three days' match, hence the object of the enemy is to advance by a coup (le main, to seize London." Now, he asks, " Could I say loose troops would stop them ? No. But a combination would insure their de feat, and then let loose the sons of Britain, with this command—Forward and shoot ; you shall all be supported at the requisite points ! Should any enemy have the audacity to attempt our shores, could he avoid our ever invincible Navy, I, as a General of some experience in war, would be proud to command a combined force as I have described, and Let Deeds show.'" Now, all this is plain speaking enough, and without ono particle of brag gadocio about it. Sir HARRY SMITH has earned the right to talk thus, earned it at the point of his good sword—and we needs must listen to him, when he addresses himself, through his old Glas gow rifle comrade, to the rapidly-increasing masses of our new rifle volunteers ! The Lieutenant-General writes upon the sub ject of this great popular movement all the more plainly and earnestly because his soldierly heart revolts from the perpetually recurring cries of our craven Alarmists. "It has been to me," he says," a subject of melancholy to see a succession of dastardly panics assail our nation as they have done, interrupting our trade everywhere, agitating all classes, when the present movement of Volun teers, if previously resorted to, to arm the people, would have restored the confidence again esta blished, and which ought never to be inter rupted." And Sir HARRY SMITH adds, in words that would have befitted the lips of Sir JOHN PAIiINGTON, the Reorganiser of the Royal Navy—" England ought to be in a position always to treat with contempt the hostile demon • strations of her neighbours, whether made in reality, or by way of interrupting our tranquillity-, our pierce, or with the invidious supposition that they can or could affect the honour of the nation." H ow the mother country can be placed effectually in this state of preparedness we all know—even our rulers have awakened latt er ly to It should be observed that the revenue and expenditure for 1859 aro given as stated roughly by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Friday evening, also that the expenditure for 1847 included £2,000,000 of Exchequer-bonds redeemed, and £1,125,206 for the redemption of the Sound dues. We next give a quinquennial review of the various sources of revenue:— 1845, 1855. 1860. Customs , 20,196,856 20,442,170 20,615,338 22,700,000 Excise .. ..1 13,585,585 24,315,084 10,389,486 19,170,000 Stamps ! 7,710,683 6,558,332 6,805,605 8,000,000 Taxes .. 4,223,842 4,360,179 2,945,780 3,250,000 1 - tax .. 5,026,570 5,38:3,037 13,718,185 2,400,000 Post-office .. 753,000 820,000 1,137,220 3,400,000 Crown Lands : 120,000 160,000 280,516 280,000 MiscelLtueous .. 1 1,413,820 770,878 1,100,057 1,500,000 It should be stated that the figures given in the last column are taken from Mr. Gladstone's estimate, based on. the system at present in existence ; but the changes proposed by the right hon. gentleman will vary the various totals, increasing the income-tax, for example, to £8,472,000. The figures aro nevertheless interesting, as they show that the resources of the country have steadily increased, a great amount of taxation having been remitted. As regards the expenditure a quinquennial review stands thus : I_ 18-16. 1855. I £ A x Interest on debt 28,253,872 28,091,500 27,617,899 26,200,000 „ 8,951,296 8,955,061 29,377,3-19 15,800,000 6 800 873 6 437 881 19 014 - 0 ' 13 000 000 (7iv;i charges ..1 5,321,6,- 6,747,140 1 8 ,465,832 9,300,000 -- -- Zrg :.. ... , , ~ , , ,_ . , ~ 6 ~ , It should be observed that the expense of the revenue de patine:lts are not included in the comparison. We are informed that Lord Elgin will under take a second mission as Plenipotentiary to China, in the hope of being able, by the influence obtained in his former visit, to secure the ratificati on o f the Treaty of Tien-tsin, and obtain an entire cessation of hostilities. NEW THEATRE ROYAL, ADELPIII.—Her Majesty, the Princess Loiningen, Lady Desart, the Hon. Lucy Kerr, Lord Camoys, Lord Charles Fitzroy, and Captain Do Ros, honoured the performances last evening with their presence. TIIE PRINCE OF ORANGE AND THE PRINCESS ALICE.—We hear fi oin authority on which we place great reliance, that there is no truth in the report of the pro jected marriage between the Princess Alice and the Prince of Orange.—Record, APUBLIC MEETING will be held at the ' THATCHED HOUSE TAVERN, St. James'-street, on SATURDAY, the 18th of February (instead of Saturday, the 11th, as originally advertised), with a view to establish PRELIMINARY DRILL in Public Schools, in connection with the Volunteer Movement. Lord ELCHO, M.P., in the Chair. At one o'clock. Lord Ashburton, the Hon. Byng, M.P., and the Hon. W. F. Campbell, M.P., will assist In the proceedings ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN. Under the management of Miss L. Pyne and Mr. W. Harrison. THIS EVENING, SONNAMBULA. Messrs. Santley, H. Haigh, G. Honey; Misses Parepa, P. Cruise, and Thirl wall. Condactor, Alfred Mellon. To conclude with the new grand pantomime, called PUSS IN BOOTS ; or, Harlequin and the Fairy of the Golden Palms. Messrs. W. H. Payne, H. Payne, F. Payne, Barnes, Tallien, Infants Lauri, and Miss Clara Morgan. Doors open at half-past 6—Commence at 7. THEATRE -ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Lessee, Mr. J. B. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, will be performed AN UNEQUAL MATCH Miss Amy Sedgwick. After which, the new Haymarket Comic Christmas Panto mime, VALENTINE'S DAY; or, Harlequin and the Fairy of the True Lovers Knot. The pantomitnists the unrivalled -Leclercqs. 'THEATRE-ROYAL LYCEUM.- 1 Sole Lessee and Directress, Madame Celeste. Due Notice will be given of the recovery of Dona Isabel Cubas from her severe indisposition. THIS EVENING, a new Drama, called A TALE OF TWO CITIES, by Tom Taylor, Esq., from the story of that name by Charles Dickens, Esq. Principal characters by Mr. James Vining, Walter Lacy, Villiers, House, Forrester, J. Johnstone, T. Lyon, Morton, Palmer, White, H. Butler, Clifford, and Fredericks ; Misses Kate Saville, Stuart, Turner, Mrs. Campbell, and Madame Celeste. After which, will be produced a new Grand Christmas Ex travaganza and Pantomime, KING THRUSIIBE ARO, the LITTLE PET and the GREAT PASSION, in which is pre sented one of the most novel, costly, and brilliant effects ever witnessed - designed and painted by Mr. William Callcott.— King Thrushbeard, Miss Julia St. George. Commence at 7. R OYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.- Lessee, Mr. A. Ilarris. Re-engagement of the Wonderful Dancer, Mons. Espinosa. First appearance of Mdlle. Marietta Rosetta, Principal Dan sense of La Scala, Milan ; and the Delapierre Family. These highly-talented Children will appear every night. The Royal Princess's Rifles on parade every evening. THIS EVENING, CAUGHT IN A TRAP. After which, a new Christmas burlesque pantomime, by H. J. Byron, called JACK THE GIANT .KILLER ; or, Harle quin King Art'Aur and the Knights of the Round Table, Jack, Miss Louise Keeley—Harlequin, Mr. Cormack Panta loon, Mr. t'aulo—Columbine, Miss Caroline Adams—Clown, Mr. A. F. Forrest. NEW THEATRE - ROYAL, ADELPHI, Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Benj. Webster. ' Combination of Talent.—Engagement of these popular artistes, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Wigan, who will appear for a limited number of nights. THIS EVENING, the comedy of THE HOUSE, or THE HOME ? Messrs. A. Wigan, C. Selby, Billington ; Mrs. A. Wigan, Miss IL Simms, and Miss Laidlaw. Fol:owed by the petite drama of ONE TOUCH OF NATUitE. Messrs. B. Webster, Billington, Eburne, C. J. Smith ; Miss H. Simms, After which THE NYMPHS OF THE LURLEYBERG ; or, The Knight and the Naiades. Messrs. Toole, Bedford, Eburne, Smith, Powell, Romer, Miss Woolgar, C. Webb, K. Kelly, Laidlaw. Doors open at half-past six—Commence at seven. Box- Office open from 10 to 5. No charge for securing seats, nor ter bills of performance. All fees to servants of this establishment are strictly prohibited. Acting Manager—Mr. Wm. Smith. R OY AL ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, Kinz-street, St. James's. Lessee, Mr. T. B. Chatter ton. Directress, Miss Wyndham. The nearest Theatre to Chelsea, Pimlico, and Westminster, the Park being open to carriages and foot passengers all hours of the night. TH IS EVENING the performances will commence with (third time) FIRST AFFECTIONS. Messrs. H. T. Craven, G. Spencer, and Miss Wyndham. After which, MAGIC TOYS. 3liss Lydia Thompson. Followed by a new burlesque called DIDO. Mr. Charles Young, Mesdames Wyndham, Clara St. Casse, Murray, Eliza Arden, C. Ranoe, A. Evans, and Corps de Ballet. To conclude with I WILL, IF YOU WILL. Reduced Prices—Gallery, 6d ; Pit, 'is. The Box-office open from 11 to 5 daily. Doors open at half-past six ; perform ance commences at 7. A STLEV6 ROYAL AMPIIITHEATRE, Westminster-road. Last Six Nights of Mr. W. Cooke's Management. THIS EVENING, to commence with a grand and spirit stirring Hippodramatic Spectacle. Graphic, Picturesque, and Fascinating Scenes of horse manship by Miss Alice Maude Coke, Miss Emily Cooke, and John Henry Cooke, the leading Equestrian of the thy. To conclude with the Comic Pantomime of HARLEQUIN TOM MOODY; or, Old Tow;er the Huntsman and the God dess Diana ; Diana, with Songs, Miss Jacobs ; Tom, Mr. Herbert; Patty, Mr. G. Belmore. Commence at 7. Stage Manager, Mr. IL Phillips CANTERBUR V HALL THIS EVENING, LUCREZIA BORGIA, (Mnizetti) Donna Lucrezia Miss Russell Mafilo Orsini Mrs. Anderson Gennaro Mr. Henry Herbert Don Altonzo Signor Tivoli. Conductor—Mr. Jonghumns. Comic Vocalists —Messrs. George Hodson (the Irish Come than and Mimic), W. T. Critchfield, and E. W. Mackney. Several interesting Pictures are added to the Fine Arts Gallery. The suite of Halls have been re-decorated and beautified, and constitute one of the most unique and brilliant sights of the metropolis. The gallery is open from 5 till 11 on Sunday Evening. CONCERTS.- THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, FEB. 16, 1860. THE/tVOMETEIt, IN THE SHADE. 43—highest since noon yesterday. 40—lowest this morning and during the night. 44—this thy at noon. BARONMER-30.10 ; falling. WIND, North-Westerly ; fresh, with rainy weather in the morning, but fine now, though cloudy and cold. 4N , A ... , ''.-,-,k 4 4,, , ,s . , -*-....,,.. 7.7•-- , :' , ..Tv_ JA,,, f - ...,--z a ,...-- , r, : s , i , ,:;:6,..i., , ~?•:‘, i n.r.- 7 ,,, , p..„Fy ,> - --..:4 1 / 4 , .\,,, , :),,.. t , 4 .1% ' tt t:-.)-'-'--1,-_:-.11>2t6;--4!!*-1.4:4‘r..,,V.,#:-..•,:1.','Zil -t-4--: v+,,., ~ THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 16, 1860 the recognition of the necessity of thoroughly reorganising our purely defensive armaments. Thirty millions set apart iu a single year to this end, attest how energetically the good work of revision and reorganization is going on by sea and by land ! Meantime the nation itself is responding to the executive with a will by raising corps upon corps of Rifle Volunteers. The duties devolving upon the latter prove, moreover, after all, not by any means so very arduous or so very diffi cult ! Hear what the Hero of Aliwal has to say upon the matter in the way of brief enumeration : "Teaze not our youths," he observes, " as volunteers with the minutiae of drill—a few things are alone neces sary. To march in quick time, to march in column, form line, gain ground to the right and left, to advance again in line, to extend and occupy bridges or walls ; a rallying square may be prac tised. Soldiers require these alone in the field. Then, to be good shots. Pluck enough they have," he continues ; adding finally, " and with prompt obedience, England's regular army so nobly supported, and its members so increased, can, may, and will defy the —!" We are vastly mistaken if these words of Sir HARRY SMITH'S do not hearten the riflemen who have already enlisted, and encourage others to fol low their patriotie example—tending very rapidly now to enhance our 80,000 to 100,000 volunteers, just by way of a commencement ! And not alone is the good cause forwarded by the cheery trumpet call rung out of the lips of an old soldier like the Hero of Aliwal. Others can act vigorously in the way of timely encourage ment ! How ?—let the following scrap of pro vincial intelligence answer : it relates to a munifi cent proceeding on the part of the brother of Sir JOHN RATCLIFF, the late Mayor of Birmingham. "A worthy example," we read in the columns of a provincial contemporary " has been set by Mr. CHARLES RATCLIFF, who has announced his inten tion to equip a company of 100 men at his own cost, excepting only the sum which the rules of the association oblige every volunteer personally to contribute." If—announced Mr. CHARLES RAT CLIFF—the requisite: number of men would, [in obedience to this rule, subscribe, each, £1 — he himself would fully equip another com pany of volunteers ! The thing has in consequencebeei done—and we hope the new company will be known henceforth by the name, style, and title of the RATCLIFF Volunteers. Let it be borne in mind that the estimated cost of a company like this is just £l,OOO per annum, and the extent of the muni ficence will be all the more clearly appreciated. Ifother men of wealth and position would but follow in the track marked out by this generous-hearted citizen, our 100,000 riflemen would soon mul tiply to 500,000 or to 1,000,000 ! THE VOCAL ASSOCIATION, ST. JAMES'S HALL. Yesterday evening the first subscription concert of this society took place. It was on the whole most successful, but owing no doubt to the un favourable state of the weather the hall was not crowded. The chief attraction of the evening was Mdlle. Euphrosyne Parepa, whose beautiful voice excited universal admiration, and frequently elicited the warmest applause. She was encored in an enthusiastic manner after both her solos, the " Sha dow Song" and the " Laughing Song." The for mer exquisite rnorceau she rendered with true ar tistic ability, and the Laughing Song was very generally appreciated, and afforded considerable amusement to the audience from the energetic style in which the songstress entered into the spirit of the piece. Mendelsshon's hymn, " Hear my prayer, oh God," was the first subject of the perfor mances, which was sustained by Mdllo. Euphroyne and the chorus of two hundred singers. It was executed very ably and appeared to give general satisfaction. The most successful and striking of the part songs was a hunting song of Benedict's, " Rise, sleep no more." 'I his was delivered with admirable effect, and its spirited strains called forth most vehement applause, and an unanimous encore. Another effective song was " The Mariners of Eng land." This glorious national ode could not have been brought before the public at a more appro priate time than the present, and it will doubtless be again performed at the ensuing concerts. The programme of the evening's entertainments was varied by a trio of several voices which was very pretty, and formed an agreeable diversion to the powerful singing of the united chorus singers. There was also a solo on the pianoforte by Mdlle. Marie Wieck, who played with considerable skill, and whose performance was well received. On the whole we may regard this first evening of the voev.l association as a decided success, and many lovers of music will desire that it may be the herald and precursor of similar entertainments. Mr. Beuedict, it is needless to say, performed the part of conductor in an excellent manner. PUBLIC REVENUE AND EXPEN DITURE. Now every mind is turn profitable to collect a few years. The following tab . have taken place in the since 1844 : ed to financial topics it may be :indred statistics for the last few ions which Ixpenditure [e exhibits the variati public revenue and e: Expendi ture. Year. 1844 .. 1845 .. 1845 1847 1848 1849 .. 18;O 1/.51 18..52 Ifrs3 18 i 4 18 5 . • • • 18:16 .. 1857 .. 1858 .. 1859 . Revenue. 54,003,753 53,060,354 53,790,138 51,516,261 53,388,717 52,951,749 52,810,680 52,233,006 53,210,071 55,430,344 56.822,509 63,361,605 68,088,623 66,056,055 61,812,555 70,578,000 70,561,000 50,647,648 49,242,713 50,943,830 54,502,948 61,185,136 50,852,623 50,231,874 49,506,610 50,792,512 51,174,839 60,031,568 84,505,788 78,113,035 66,019,958 60,684,898 68,953,000 :STBIATE. 70,100,000 LATEST NE ‘B , S. The following telegrams have been received at Mr. Reuter's office : PARIS, FEE. 15. The .711oniteur of to-day publishes a decree of the Emperor suppressing the Bretagne, published at St. Brieux. The report of M. Billault, the Minister of the Interior, which precedes the decree, mentions as a reason for the suppression, the publication of an address of three deputies to the Emperor, which, by lamenting that the incertitude being prolonged would separate all sincere Catholics from the cause of the Emperor, is a sort of protest against the policy of the Government as regards the Roman question. The journal Bretagne, in publishing this address, added,--The only reply given to this address was the suppression of the Univers. The Minister, in his report, expresses a belief that if the population were consulted they would separate themselves from the three deputies, and not from the cause of the Emperor. It is impossible, says the minister, to tolerate the open and almost official spread of internal division in the midst of the inhabitants of Bretagne who are known as being so religious and so devoted to the Emperor. They attempt to abuse their faith and to present as an enemy of the temporal power, and almost of the Holy Father himself, the Prince who has given to Rome the forces to protect his Holiness. The Afoniteur also contains a decree appointing the Marquis de Lavallette as ambassador at Con stantinople. BERLIN, WEDNESDAY EVENING. The general discussion of the matrimonial law in the first chamber closed to-day. In the vote on the first two paragraphs all the amendments and also the original proposal of the government were rejected. The first chamber has therefore rejected the civil marriage in every form. NAPLES (via Marseilles), FEB. 11. The Ministry has not yet been changed, and reforms have been vainly expected. The army in the Abruzzi is short of provisions, through the carelessness of the administrations. A heavy fall of snow has taken place today, and has interrupted the communications. There is no fur ther news from Sicily. ROME (via Marseilles), FEB. 11. The Duke de Gramont has presented MM. Cadore, Gabriai, and Moges to the Pope. In the event of the Duke de Gramont leaving Rome the Marquis de Cadore would remain as Charge d'Affaires of the French Embassy. The state of affairs in this city is more satisfactory, and a rise has taken place in Roman Consols. Desertions have been numerous at Perugia since the procla mation of General Fanti. TETUAN, FEB. 14. An important enlargement of the Spanish squadron is expected. Marshal O'Donnell has ordered a reconnaissance of the Riff, The inhabitants of this town have fraternised with the Spanish soldiers. The police of Tetuan has been entrusted to a municipality composed of the principal inhabitants. OUTWARD CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS, The following telegram. has been received at Mr. Reuter's office from the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, dated Feb. 15 : " The Indus and Vectis arrived at Malta on the 14th inet., and continued their voyages to Alexan dria the same evening. The Valetta left at the same time for Corfu." DRESDEN, FEB. 15. The Dresden Journal asserts, in a letter of its Vienna correspondent, that France has requested the Pope to make proposals for settling the ques tion of the Romagna. INDIA. - MADRAS, JAN. 16. The Governor has proceeded on a tour to the srJuth, and will be absent for two months. The 44th and 66th Regiments, 200 of the Ist Dragoon Guards , with Artillery, Sappers and miners,an and the2lst Regiment of Madras Native Infantry, have been ordered for service in China. CHINA. SHANGHAE, DEC. 21. Business uninterrupted. The tonnage due ques tion is not yet settled. BATAVIA, JAN. 6. The expedition to Boni was completely success ful, the chiefs having submitted. FRANCE. PARIS, WEDNESDAY. Vice-Admiral Lebarbier de Tinan has left Paris for Toulon to take command of the Mediterranean fleet, to which he has been appointed in place of Vice-Admiral. Romain Defosses, whose period of service has expired. Admiral Lebarbier de Tinan will hoist bis flag on board the screw ship of the tine Bretagne. The Three per Cents, closed to-day at 67f. 65c. for the end of the month, and the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. at 97f. 35c. ; Orleans Railway Shares, 1..„355f. ; Great Northern, 901 f. 25c. ; Strasburg, G. - 30f. ; Paris to Lyons and the Mediterranean, EV7Bf. 50e. ; - Western of France, 575 f. ; Bordeaux •End Cette, 492 f. 50c. ; Lyons and Geneva, 492 f. 50c. ; Bank of Credit Mobilier, 738 f. 75c. ; Austrian R ailways, 497 f. 50e. Exchanse on London, at sight, paper, 25f. 131 c. ; money, f. 101 c. ; three mouths, paper, 241. 90c. ; money, 241.87 X. COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.—Feb. 15. FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. THE AMERICAN BARQUE ANNA.—This ship (Cho mates of which are now in prison on a. charge of murdering six of the crew) was to wed out of Cowes harbour on Tuesday, and, in armed by runners, sailed for Liverpool. Her Majesty's ship Carnatic was towed out of Cowes harbour on Saturday by the Government rt earners Comet and Echo. She drew 18 feet water, ixtd it had been stated by some well-disposed parties t hat it was probable that she might foul the chains ►f the steam ferry bridge and take it out with her, 1)1.1 t they were mistaken, as there proved to be 25ft IV: der over the chains, and though the Carnatic had he Echo on her starboard and the Comet fast on larboard side, the three ships passed out abreast tiq thout the least inconvenience either to the bridge Ott- any of the shipping. We suppose after this we E•n: rtll hear no more of the bridge obstructing the rim vigat ion. COFFEE BY AUCTION.—Mr. May on Wednesday fAS Id 2,000 bags of coffee, in lots of from 40 to 80 lra gs each, part of the cargo of the Oldenburg brig 11 - clprinz Friedrich August, from Rio de Janeiro, la nded in a damaged state. It brought uncom mt )nly good prices considering the state it was in. 'll le first lot was knocked down at 415., but the bt lk of it brought 545., 565., and 575. A contemporary announces that Major-General Jo: hn Eden, now commanding the Cork district, will have th, 3 Colonelcy of the 34th Regiment, vacant by the death or General Sir Thomas Macdougall Brisbane, but we be lin 7e that no recommendation has been yet made to, her Cazette. M jesty upon th e subject —Army and Navy AMERICA. SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY MORNING. The screw steamer Teutonia, with New York advices of the Ist inst., passed Hurst at 9.55 a.m. QUEENSTOWN, FEB. 15. The Montreal Ocean Mail Steamship Company's steamer Nova Scotian, Capt. N'Master, which left Portland, Maine, on the 4th inst., has arrived. She landed the Irish mails only. The City of Manchester put into Newfoundland on the Ist inst. The America arrived at Halifax on the 2d, and the North American at Portland on the 4th inst. Mr. Pennington (Republican) was elected Speaker on the Ist by a majority of one vote. NEW YORK, FEB. 3. Yesterday a fire broke out in Elm-street, by which 50 persons perished. The hat factory of Brooklyn blew up to-day. The explosion was caused by the bursting of a boiler ; 15 of the workmen were buried under the ruins. The Glasgow line of steamers has been with drawn and put on to the Liverpool route. Stocks lower and dull. Cotton dull and de clining. Flour and corn dull, but unchanged in prices. _ _ Provisions unchanged. Sugars heavy; declined 1. Sales small. Freights to Liverpool—For cotton, 7-32 d. to id.; for flour, 2s. NEW ORLEANS, FEB. 2. Sales of cotton amount to 8,000 bales. The market is dull. Sales slow, but prices unchanged. Freights to Liverpool, 9-16 d. SAVANNAH, FEB. 2. Cotton depressed. MOBILE, FEB. 2. Cotton market quiet, and prices have declined*. Sales, 4,000 bales. LITERATURE. Ceylon. By Sir James Emmerson Tennent. 2 vols. Longman. Third notice. It is almost impossible to overrate the vast amount of desirable and delightful reading that these volumes contain, and, indeed, no can form a oorrect notion of their merits without perusing them. It is not surprising, therefore, that this work should have been the great success of the season, the book of the day ; and, although it is now some little time since its first appearance, the recent announce ment of a fourth edition proves that it is only approaching the zenith of its fame, instead of passing away into the oblivion that often enshrouds many books at first sight most promising and prosperous: The account of the " Ruined Cities" is very interesting ; and, indeed, a peculiar charm seems always to attach itself to the records of the faded glories and departed splendours of the mighty monuments and palatial edifices that once arose, the proud trophies of man's majesty and supremacy, but now, crumbling in decay, they bear a sad and solemn witness to his finite powers and limited achievements. The antiquity of these cities is one of the most remarkable things that strikes the attention ; the chronicles which celebrate their pristine greatness seem to appertain to an epoch which, as Macaulay observes, "is lost in the twilight of fable." The city of Anarajapoora is the favoured possessor of the sacred 80-tree---the Victorious, Illustrious, Supreme Lord, the Sacred 80-tree—le planting of which forms the grandest episode in the sacred annals of Ceylon. The annexed account is most interesting : The 80-tree of Anarajapoora is, in all probability, the oldest historical tree in the world. It was planted 280 years before Christ, and hence it is now 2,147 years old. Ages varying from one to five thousand years have been assigned to tho baobabs of Senegal, the eucalyptus of Tas mania, the dragon-tree of Orotava, the Wellingtonia of California, and the chestutt of Mount Etna. But all these estimates are matters of conjecture, and such calculations, however ingenious, must be purely inferential; whereas the age of the 80-tree is matter of record, its conservancy has been an object of solicitude to successive dynasties, and the story of its vicissitudes has been preserved in a series of continuous chronicles amongst the most authentic that have been handed down by mankind. Compared with it the Oak of Ellorslio is but a sapling ; and the Conqueror's Oak in Windsor Forest, barely numbers half its years. The yew-trees of Fountain Abbey are be lieved to have flourished there twelve hundred years ago ; the olives in the Garden of Gethsemane were full grown when the Saracens were expelled from Jerusalem ; and the cypress of Soma, in Lombardy, is said to have been a tree in the time of Julius Crosar • yet, the 80-tree is older than the oldest of these by a century, and would almost seem to verify the prophecy pronounced when it was planted, that it would " flourish and be green for ever." The degree of sanctity with which this extraordinary tree has been invested in the imagination of the Buddhists, may be compared to the feeling of veneration with which Christians would regard the attested wood of the cross. To it kings have even dedicated their dominions, in testimony of their belief that it is a branch of the identical fig-tree under which Gotama Buddha reclined at Uruwelaya, when he underwent his apotheosis. When the king of Magadha, in compliance with the request of the sovereign of Ceylon, was willing to send him a portion of that sanctified tree to be planted at Anarajapoora, he was deterred by the reflec tion that "it cannot be meet to lop it with any weapon ;" but, under the instruction of the high priest, using ver milion in a golden pencil, he made a streak on the branch, which, "severing itself, hovered over the mouth of a vase filled with scented soil, into which it struck its roots and descended. Taking the legend as a sacred law, the Buddhist priests to the present day object religiously to "lop it with any weapons," and are contented to collect any leaves which, severing themselves, may chance to fall to the ground. These are regarded as treasures by the pilgrims, who carry them away to the remotest parts of the island. In the part devoted to the consideration of " The Southern and Central Provinces," we meet with details of the manners and customs of the people, which are at all times most interesting to dwell upon. The dress of the Singhalese is very curious, the men arrange their hair like females. It is worthy of notice that seventeen hundred years ago Ptolemy alluded to the length of hair among the people of Taprabane. " The most precious inheritance of a Singhalese is his ancestral garden of cocoa nuts, the attempt to impose a tax on which roused the populace to rebellion; and it is curiously illustrative of the minute subdvision of property in Ceylon that in a case which was decided in the district court of Galle within a recent period, the subject in dispute was a claim to the 2,520 th part of ten cocoa nut trees." It is observed that in no quarter of the world does the cocoa nut flourish in such rich luxuriance as in this part of Ceylon, and all that has been told of the advantages accruing from the bread fruit and other plants is as nothing compared with the blessings conferred on Ceylon by this inestimable palm. The Singhalese even assert that it pines when beyond the reach of the human voice, and declare with excitement and pride the "hundred uses" to which it may be applied. A most pleasing description is given of the scenery around Galle, the road being one continuous avenue of cocoa nut trees. " The enjoyment of the scene was indescribable; the cool shade of the palm groves, the fresh verdure of the grass, the bright tint of the flowers that twined over every tree, the rich copper hue of the soil, and the occasional glimpse of the sea through the openings in the dense wood, all combined to form a landscape unsurpassed in novelty and beauty." The travellers were, how ever, incommoded with the inseparable drawbacks of hot climates, and the chief of these were the mos quitoes; it is here stated its characteristics are so remarkable as fully to justify the supposition that the mosquito was the plague inflicted u pon Pharaoh, and not the ordinary fly This conjecture seems based on most valid grounds, and the description given of the insidious insect certainly fulfils the idea that the aggregate of such a tribe would be a far more grievous inflction that the presence of the common fly. The cinnamon groves of Cey lon have often been descanted upon, and some space is, of course, given to their history, but the glory has, in a manner, departed. It is said that " this renowned laurel, once guarded among the treasures of the Indies, is now comparatively ne glected for the homely but more profitable palm ;" and again, that the " present aspect of the cinna mon gardens which surround Colombo exhibits the effects of a quarter of a century of neglect." It is, indeed, melancholy to learn that these far-famed spots are relapsing into wilderness, and that, while all writers on Ceylon have dwelt on their beauty and luxuriance, henceforward it will remain to speak of their decay. Among the other supersti tions of the people they assert that, at Kandy, the " sacred tooth of Buddha" is preserved. It is, how ever, supposed, on most anquestionab l .e authority, that this wonderful relic was destroyed, and that the tooth now exhibited is a substitute ; but if the inhabitants choose to deceive themselves, they will doubtless derive as much benefit from the latter production as from the former one. The remarks on the coffee regions are well deserving of notice ; the amount produced is really remarkable, as the following passage will show : Should prices in Europe continue such as to encourage enterprise in Ceylon, and no unforeseen occurrences ob struct the influx of immigrant labour in India, Mr. Fergu son looks forward to the day when a quarter of a million of cultivated acres, together with the native corps, may furnish two million cwt. of coffee as the annual production of the island. However large this estimate may seem, it must be borne in mind that the actual expansion of the trade has hitherto justified in every previous conjecture as to the capabilities of the colony ; within twenty years, the value of the collSe exported has risen from £107,000 in 1837 to £1,296.733 in 1857; and whatever uncertainty may bo felt for the future, as to the probable consumption of a production so immensely augmented, it must be borne in mind that already markets are opening in which the demand seems susceptible of al most infinite extension. France, last year, received more a very conside than one-third of the coffee sent from Ceylon; Deficit. 2,956,684 796,419 3,209,059 21,141,183 10,104,412 Surplus. 3,356,505 3,187,641 2,846,308 2,098,12(1 2,578,800 2,726,396 2,417,559 3,255,505 36,097 1,127,656 1,623,000 4G1,000 ra ble quantity is shipped annually to Holland (a portion of it probably in transit to Belgium and Germany) ; Australia is an increasing consumer ; the United States take a yearly supply ; Singhalese coffee has been sent to South America ; Calcutta and Madras received it from Colombo, and even the Arabian and Persian races have, in recent years, been transferring their taste from the berry of Mocha, to that of Malabar and Ceylon. An agreeable variety is presented iu the reccollec tions of the travels in the Northern Forests to the time passed in the South ; and this division, if not perhaps containing such striking sketches as some of the others, possesses, nevertheless, undoubted merits of its own, particularly in the details of the Veddahs, who are the aborigines of Ceylon, who have withdrawn into the wilds to avoid their in vaders, and they present a living instance of the state of the islanders as described in the Maha wanso. The civil service of Ceylon has been orga nised on the model of that of India, but it is not successful, as is here remarked :—" Like the miniature oaks which the Chinese can raise in a flower-pot, the dwarfed plant had every characteristic of the great tree except its strength and solidity." The civil servants present but few specimens of great ability, and this was owing in some measure to the perni cious system of " promotion by mere seniority." The Earl of Derby, in 1845, "impressed with the necessity for a remedy, directed merit instead of seniority to be the basis for promotion." It is said that there is no reason to doubt the ulti mate success of this experiment; and the recent revision of salaries has also ameliorated the pro spects of the servants of the civil service. In concluding an excellent resume of Modern His tory, the author makes the following observations on the English policy in Ceylon : When the English landed in Ceylon in 1796, there was not in the whole island a single practicitble road, and troops, on their toilsome marches between the fortresses on the coast, dragged their cannon through deep sands along the shore. Before Sir Edward Barnes resigned his govern ment, every town of importance was approached by a car riage road ; and the long desired highway from sea to sea, to connect Colombo and Trincomalia, was commenced. Civil organisation has since been matured with equal suc cess, domestic slavery has been abolished, religious dis qualifications removed, compulsory labour abandoned, a charter of justice promulgated, a legislative council esta - blished, trading monopolies extinguished, commerce encour aged in its utmost freedom, and the mountain forests felled to make way for plantations of coffee, whose exuberant pro duce is already more than sufficient for the consumption of the British empire. By the Singhalese of the maritime provinces, long familiar with the energy and enterprise of Europeans, these results are regarded with satisfaction. But the Kandyans, brought into more recent contact with civilisation, look on with un easy surprise at the effect it is producing. The silence of their mountain solitudes has been broken by the din of in dustry, and the seclusion of their villages invaded by bands of hired labourers from the Indian coast. Their ancient habits have been interrupted and their prejudices startled ; and a generation may pass away before the people become familiar or their headmen reconciled to the change. But the blessings of peaceful order, the mild influence of educa tion, and the gradual influx of wealth, will not fail to pro duce their accustomed results ; and the mountaineers of Ceylon will, at no distant day, share with the lowlanders in the consciousness of repose and prosperity under the pro tection of the British Crown. For comprehensiveness in design and completeness in execution this work may challenge competition with any of the erudite and elaborate volumes on foreign countries that have appeared for a long time; and its numerous details, interesting anec dotes, and instructive passages, will not fail to be appreciated by those who have perused the dry accounts of tedious and unsatisfactory writers on their sojourns abroad. Nothing can be more satis factory to the mind of the traveller to remote regions, than to return laden with the treasures of knowledge wherewith to enrich the stores of his country's literature. In the compilation of these brilliant volumes, Sir Emerson Tennent has pro bably engraved an enduring record of his resi dence in Ceylon, as there is no doubt, from its intrinsic excellence, and favourable reception, that it will become a standard work of research and re ference in the libraries of literati. The Life of Field-Marshal, Arthur Duke of ellington. By Charles Duke Yonge, author of " A History of England," &c. 2 vols. Chap man and Hall. To write a life of the Duke of Wellington is no easy task. To do so requires a thorough know ledge of the military and political history of the last century, an acquaintance not only with the outlines of campaigns or the forms of treaties, but with the political and social difficulties of the twenty years that followed Waterloo, and a familiarity with the qualifications and successes of rival statesmen as well as of opposing generals. One who was emi nent in the field and in the Cabinet, who, to use the words of oar author, " was before the eyes of the world for a longer period than has yet been granted to any other public man," is no light sub ject for a superficial memoir or epitomised bio graphy. The various lives of the Duke of Wel lington which have recently been brought before the public have all been more or less voluminous, and certainly the present work forms no exception to the rule. Yet the two imposing volumes, though copious in their information, cannot be said to be diffuse. The career of Wellington, from his command at Mysore, to his death at Walmer Castle, involves so wide a circle of interests and events of such magnitude and importance, that a fair treatment of it must be a full one. Mr. Yonge, already favourably known to the public by works of labour and historical research, is evidently a warm admirer of the lamented Duke. His tone is generally calm and moderate, but we must admit he is less to be trusted in the political than in the military portion of his work. The first volume is, of course, entirely occupied with the details of campaigns, retreats, and sieges. The allusions to the private history of the Duke are few and far between, and indeed would be unneces sary. After a few brief particulars of his educa tion and early life, we find him enrolled as a member of that profession of which he was subse quently so distinguished an ornament. The author, as an encouragement to perseverance, takes occa sion to cite Wellesley's application to Lord Camden for a situation in the Revenue Office, as he was disgusted with the military profession from his brief experience of it under the Duke of York in Holland. Fortunately the request could not be granted, and two years later saw the future con queror of Assaye, on his way to the East Indies. In remarking on his conduct at Vellore, Mr. Yonge observes that, even at this early period, we find the same qualities evincing themselves which dis tinguished his subsequent career, " we find the same minute attention to every detail which could contri bute to success ; the same diligence to acquire all possible information ; the same careful adaptation of the means to the end; and the same surefooted judg ment which never aimed at an end too great to be attained by the means employed." After a clear and succinct narrative of his brief and brilliant career in India, Mr. Yonge proceeds to the more important part of his narrative. He describes the movements of the Peninsular war with ability and equity, losing no opportunity for commending his hero, though, at the same time, he accords a fair share of praise to others. Of Sir John Moore he speaks with deserved respect ; and many others who subsequently earned distinction under the command of Wellington himself are warmly com mended. Tho two general officers who superseded the far more able Wellesley at the commencement of the Peninsular war are less favo ura bl y spoken of. In allusion to Sir Harry Burrard's refu sal to adopt 'Wellesley's snotgestion to seize Lisbon after the battle of Vimeira, he compares it to a similar refusal on the part of Hotham to follow Nelson's project of pursuit. Hotham's reply to his more energetic junior was, " We must be contented ; we have done very well." "Now," said Nelson, in telling the story, " if we had taken ten sail, and allowed the eleventh to escape when it had been possible to hare got at her, I never could have called it well done." " Hothaln and Burrard were men of the same stamp, as were Nelson and Wellesley. Th e elder officers were men of unquestioned courage, and well acquainted with their nervously profession ; but afraid t u h f e y reverses, were content evut with ittuh thesmall c u l s d u r e lil e e es s s b e l o s e l strict prudence, and not re b u k ed by to comprehend, the aud ac i ous decisive' because genius of their a subordinates. The eth ers were the founders of a new school, as intimately acqua i nted with therules and requirements of profes s i ona l caution, and as alive to their us ambition, n t o di adv?mtage! as their superiors but' g ifted *so NV! th that w g n t u t s h N a V t g hl C e ll n knew ero wh e 1;ellse with *'lb np d that lft m thinks nothing don e w hil e au with Y aught remains to do; daringand whichreadylr e to encounter, not only personal danger, which both equally disregarded, but even the risk of failure and consequent fpoerritlhteo sakethe i r o r f e d p o u i t n a g ti t o h n e , i w r lii ut c u h io n st on d e ut o y v to er thheelidr country.", Of his qualifications as a military commander there can scarcely be a question . The long line of brilliant successes from Talavera to Toulouse would have stamped him as a military genius of the first order, even without the crowning triumph of Waterloo, w i t h t h e magic of Napoleon's name and the resources of his m arve ll ous genera l s hi p oppose d to him. His present biographer, however, goes further th an some o f hi s par ti sans and claims for him a kindly feeling for the soldiers under his care, and many benevo lent and humane qualities, the possession of which has b een somet i mes d en i e d t o hi m . Hisin flexible justice and rigid sense of duty none have been found to dispute, and a more gentle and softer nature could scarcely have filled the part he played, with five separate armies of the first mili tary nation in the world confronting him, in different parts of the Peninsula, and the supplies and support lie received from his own country wavering and uncertain. The following portrait of him is taken from the account of a com panion in 1813: " In height he was rather above than under the middle size, slightly but strongly built, with a very neat figure, a high forehead, a prominent and sharply-arch e d nose, and a blue eye of great brilliancy, which preserved its keenness of vision till near the end of his life. In decision he was quick and unhesitating, as was needful in one the success of whose enterprises was liable to be affected by circumstances often changing with every hour : in his opinions somewhat posi tive and peremptory, as was not strange in a commander of 100,000 men ,• if he was occasionally hasty in expres sion it was pardonable in one loaded with so 'many cares and annoyed by so many blunders; yet in the moments of his sharpest irritation, and even on occasions of settled displeasure, he was ever anxious as far as possible to avoid hurting the feelings of those whose misconduct had excited it; to make every allowance for all faults which proceeded from any source but a deliberate contempt for the rules and discipline of the service ; and ever ingenious in finding rea sons for blaming himself rather than others. Exorcising a well-ordered and most constant and liberal hospitality, at such times of private intercourse with his officers he ba nished all constraint by his own unaffected frankness of de meanour, naturally indeed leading the conversation, but more because he was the ablest and best informed man at his table than because he was the commander ; sharing freely in all the jokes and mirth of ball, banquet, or hunt ing-field, yet at the same time preserving always that dig nity of character that made it impossible to take liberties with him." As an instance of his well-known coolness and courage the following anecdote is interesting. It relates to the rare circumstance of his being struck by a musket ball at the battle of Orthes, when he was knocked from his horse insensible, and Gene ral Alava thought he was killed : " A minute or two before he and General Alava had met a Portuguese soldier returning from the front, who gave as his excuse that he was offendido,' slightly hurt. The Duke, to whom the expression was new, was laughing at it when he fell; and when he recovered, and saw his Spanish friend standing over him in a state of evident anxiety and alarm, he reassured him, saying, ' only offendido.' " The second volume records the important, but less successful career of the great warrior as a statesman. It was natural enough that he who had so long been the almost despotic ruler of such vast bodies of men, conscious of his own superiority to all around .him, and of the full possession of the confidence of the country, shonld be totally unfitted for the position of civil minister in the constitutional Government of a free people. But his present biographer is equally unfitted to be an impartial chronicler of that stormy time. He evidently shares a great part of his hero's prejudices. The Reform agitation he speaks of in terms of unmeasured denunciation, which few even of its strenuous opponents of that day would now coincide in. The part which the great Duke of 'Wellington took on this question is, unfortunately, familiar to most of us, as is also the shameful manner in which the national services of the general were forgotten by the crowd in the errors of the statesman. But it is absurd for the author to endeavour to carry out the Duke's direful prophecies and gloomy anticipat ons as to the passing of the measure. He says, after treating of this subject, that "the quarter of a century which has elapsed since the enactment of the Reform Bill has seen no less than eleven different Administrations, six of which have been in office during the last seven years," forgetting that a few chapters b e f or e, he had said, in defence of the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, that the Ministers wers bound to retain their places, if possible, as the last twelvemonths " had seen four Administrations." There is every allowance to be made for the pre judices of one who had seen so much of continen• tal revolutions ; but to attempt to prove his theo. ries in every respect right, is altogether unsuited to the temper of the present time. But the author can scarcely bring himEelf to censure any act or opinion - of the Duke's, even praising the capabi lities of the Duke of York as Commander-in-Chief, and sanctioning what every admirer of Welling ton must sincerely regret—his non-interference in behalf of his gallant opponent, Marshal Ney. Mr. Yonge had better refer to the opinions of a brillant ornament of his own party, as expressed in ono of his works. " The Duke of Wel lington," writes the present leader of the op position in " Sybil," " brought to the post of first minister immortal fame; his decision relieved the sovereign, his prejudices pleased the nobles, and his achievements dazzled the multitude. He possessed administrative talents of the highest order." After discussing his many qualifications for the position, he goes on to ask, ' How comes it then that so great a man in so great a position should have so signally failed ?" and the answer is given in Bishop Burnet's explanation of the won• derful influence of Lord Shaftesbury. " His strength lay in his knowledge of England. Now, that is exactly the kind of knowledge which the Duke of Wellington never possessed." But when the political passions and prejudices of the day have passed away into history, the people of Eng• land will still cherish his name as among the greatest of her warriors. It is on this unshaken foundation that his fame rests, and there his ad mirers should be content to leave it. Mr. Yosge's book is full and comprehensive in its character, replete with information, clear and sen sible in its style ; which is, however, best when most simple. When he attempts long or elaborate sentences, though always strictly correct in con struction, lie becomes somewhat involved. His work, which has necessarily been an arduous one, reflects much credit on him, and, making allowance for the prejudice of a partisan, is authentic and able. It will form a valuable addition to our libra. ries, and pays another tribute to the national admi ration of him whose errors as a statesman, to use the words of one of his ablest opponents in the Commons, can never make us forget " those memo. rable services in the field, which have made for him, as a soldier, a general, and a conqueror, a great, • brilliant, and an imperishable renown." THE INCOME-TAX FOR EVER. (From Punch.) You struggling traders who subsist on small uncertain gain, And you who live from hand to mouth by art, or toil of brain, Prepare for more extortion; for the pressure of the screw Of Income-tax untempered, to be put again on you. You wretches, who for feeble age a pittance fain would save s To ease your downward passage as you totter to the grave, Prepare to have your earnings wrung from year to year away, Whilst merely on the fruit of wealth the r i c h no t more w ill pay. Prepare for this or that mischance, to see your pittance stop; From broken health, or brain o'erworked, or failure of the shop ; Then hey for workhouse or for gaol I since now the means are gone, Whereby, if saved, through time of need you might have struggled on. The Income-tax will take them ; will prevent the little hoard Which should against the evil day in health and strength be stored ; And you will thirst and hunger, of your pay and work bereft, Because the State has taxed your all, and you have nothing left. But then your jolly neighbour there will eat and drink his fill; He'll not have lost his income • no, he'll live in clover still. No need had he for saving aught —a man of land and rents, His name is written in the Bank—the Book of Three-per. Cents. He pays the tax that you do now; as much; no more not less ; And he will be in comfort then, whilst you are in distress I And then y our consolation will—as fiscal sages say— Be, now that 3 ou are ruined, you'll have no more tax to pay. Meanwhile, at such a prospect lest your heart, perchance, should sink, To give you consolation you'll have cheap Bordeaux to drink, And with that acid draught you may wash down your bitter pill, And so spend all the Income-tax will spare you, if you will. Now are not these good tidings, far too pleasant to be told In the harsh, croaking raven's voice of one who has &cold ? And was it not worth while to wait until, in accents clear, A sweet financial singer could discourse them to the ear P They whom the (Dods love die young—by them of old 'twas said ' • Than outlive health and strength, they thought, 'twill better to be dead ' • Heaven for an early tomb you now have greater cause is thank; The Income-tax will let you put no money in the bank. Thus left without provision since you'll be in life's decliae. Come, let us fill the bowl, and quaff a draught of cheap French wine. Hurrah for short and merry lives ; hurrah for Schedule D ; And when we're in the Union, oh how happy we shall be I We understand that the funeral of General Sir William Napier will take place on Friday, at the Cemetery, Norwood, at 12 o'clock. The increase of the Infantry, which we have already announced, will, 'we believe, consist of the augmen tation of each of the regiments at home to 1,200 rank and file.—Army and _Navy Gazette. MEETING OF HOP FACTORS.—At a meeting of hop factors, held at the Bridge-house Hotel, London bridge, yesterday, Sir Charles Napier said he did not think it very likely that ho should conform to the terms of the resolution. It was, in fast, quite impos s ibl e for him to obey the order of the meeting to assist in throwing the Budget out altogether. As regarded the question of hops, although he was unacquainte with the trade, the state ments which had b een ma d e sa ti s fi e d him that it visor to say the least, rather sharp practice on the part of the Government only to reduce the duty on British hops 611. while that on foreign was diminished by 31s. VOLUNTEER SERVICE DINNER.---We understand that the arrangements are nearly completed for the Volun teer Service Dinner to be held on the 7th March, in honour of her Majesty's reception on that day of the officers of the Volunteer service. The dinner will include, besides officer° who have attended the levee, members of the respective, committees of the "National Rifle Association" an " Volunteer S erv i ce Cl u b . " It is by a joint-committee 19' thee.) two bodies that the arrangements are being We understand that the dinner ticket is to be one guinu . " and a half ; and that suitable accommodation, a f ter dinner, will be pro v id e d f or l a di es w h o may w i s h to be present. DESTRUCTIVE FlRE.—About two o'clock yester day morning a fire was discovered raging in a vessel ll'i n s t off Prince's Dock, Fore-street, Lambeth. The craft vf under the command of Captain Braze'', and was laden f with coke. The accident arose from the over -heating ° f the cabin stove, which set in flames the after part of , th e deck as well as the sails and rigging. The engines °L.ar. London Brigade from the Waterloo-road. and Soutlir';in • bridge-read stations were soon in attendance, and the 0 1 the were confined, principally owing to the exertions_ „ • police, to the burning of the after part of the F le sails and rigging. It could not be ascertained when' owners of the vessel were insured. 1360 act are is 1 ma mO( Tail Eas Ore Val quit Gra Car silo of . Mai Ban 3 pe ape Nom Lon Ditt tudi Ditt Bat Vitt Can! Indi xcl Ditt, Br 1.1.; - ,. itur Sari Spa Tur D it A Ira to 1 Du br(