The Sun. — London, England, 1852-03-11 00:00:00

LITERATURE. TEE LITER ITURE AND ROMANCE OF NORTHERN EUROPE. By William and Nary flowitt. 2 Vols. Colburn. English readers have long been deeply indebted to Mr. and Mr s . H ow i t t f ur an i n t ro d uct i on t o the de lightful novelists of the north, as the many admirers of Miss Bremer and Christian Andersen will grate fully bear witness. In order to add to the obligations which they have already conferred upon us, those indefatigable authors have now presented us with a Most charming and valuable work, by means of which the great majority of the English reading public will be for the first time, and to their surprise no &nib', Made acquainted with the rich stores of intellectual Wealth long garnered up in the cold and barren re gions of Scandinavia. No less surprising to that s ame majority will be the opening chapter of this work, in which the "great praise and mar vel of the Anglo-Saxon name" is set aside, and those characteristics of the English race which have given rise to our conquests and our colonies, which have rendered us paramount on the:. see, and which have extended our empire " far as the breeze can bear the billow's foam," are traced by logical and Convincing arguments, not to our Anglo-Saxon, but to our Mulish ancestors !—a lingering 'indication of " the old Norse fire in our veins." If ever " the child is father to the man," say the authors of this work, the old . Sea Vikings, remarkable for their in domitable enterprise and their love of martial and maritime glory, are the ancestors of the English race, a race compounded of the British, tho Roman, the Anglo-Saxon, and the Scandinavian. If, therefore, according to the arguments here so ably advanced (and to which we refer the curious reader)—if to our Scandinavian ancestors we are indebted for some of our most valued national characteristics, it certainly behoves us to take some little interest in their intel lectual history. That interest will be abundantly excited by a glance at these records of their literature and romance. From the famous Edda (grandmother), a collection of traditions, songs, and legends, whose origin is lost in the darkness of antiquity, down to the novels of Miss Bremer and Baronets Knorring, the prose and poetic writings of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, are here introduced to us in a planner at once singularly comprehensive and concise. It is no dry enumeration of names, but the very Marrow and spirit of the various works displayed before us. We have a collection of old ballads, always fascinating to old and young ; we have ancient fairy-tales, in which (another proof of our ancestry, say the authors,) we find the germs of many of our na ti ona l f a iry tales. We have scenes from plays, and selections from the poets, with most attractive biographies of these and other great men. The sorrowful story of Evald, the romantic adventures of Beggeman, the various vicissitudes, strange or ludicrous, melan eunlY and triumphant, which marked the careers of their fellow-labourers, alternately excite the pity and admiration of the reader, the necessary consequences (according to the theory of Violante) of any contem plation of the heroic. The songs and ballads a re, we imagine, translated by Mrs. Howitt, an d those who are familiar with the exquisite beauty and simplicity of her poems will aaarc e l y nee d any assurance o f t h e c h arm o f t h ese t ranslati ons . In the chapter on the modern novelists o f the north, many of whom are so well appreciated I ,n England, we are informed, that when the Howitts hod translated " The Neighbours," the first of Miss .irerner's works introduced into England, they could find no publisher willing to undertake it. The public, R aid they, were already sick of French and German tr anslations. So confident, however, were the trans lators that Miss Bremer would find favour in Eng land, that they undertook the publication on their °l ru account, but, although the success more than fulfilled their expectations, they aped little profit by the adventure, for so great as Miss Bremer's popularity that every fresh trans lation of her works was altered, and reprinted, and Published in a cheap form almost as soon as it ap peared. As an evidence that these translations were taken from the Howitts, they mention f,the fact that n ne of them, of which they had altered the title, was reprinted in the cheap edition, not with the original name, but with that which they had bestowed upon it ! However it may have been with translations, it cannot possibly happen in the work before us that those will reap who have not sowed. The laborious re search, and the nice discrimination revealed by these volumes, can be attributed to no others than the inde fatigable Howitts, who by this work have increased our obligations by rendering us more familiar with the rich " literature" and beautiful " romance" of II Northern Europe." HE ADVENTURES OF A BEAUTY. By Mrs. Crowe, author of " Lilly Dawson," 6-c. Colburn. 3 vols. Doubtless many who read the title of this book Will Presume that it chronicles the career of some court paragon, of some reigning belle, some star of the season. They will fancy bright visions of ball and banquet, and picture to themselves fascinating d "tails of the luxurious life of refined magnificence. )3 11t the fact is otherwise. No splendour, no riches, 110 rank attend the heroine. Born of humble Parents, bred in a cottage, only half-educated, and Su rrounded by misfortunes, her course of existence differs widely from that ideal of delight that th e are wont to foreshadow as hovering over l bo flowery path of youth and loveliness. But truth arid nature triumph here over the charms of fe male and the lures of art. Were the archives of hove beauties disclosed without gloss or res e r va ti on , 4.1 1pv few names would be written on the bright side of the page of those endowed with the fetal gift of personal attraction. While, on the contrary, could a la be found for half of those whose grace has n their ruin, even in a virtuous life alone, whose hearts have been broken, while their every wish was considered of paramount importance, and who have °II their deathbed fully verified the sad exclamation, —all is vanity, and whose last words have de clared that each envied crown was one of Of such is Agnes Crawfurd. Her story is ,"Ply interesting, the incidents are not real in 0 931 n, but in their carrying out much of the strange an d unusual occurs. ricis is not a tale that will lose at traction by h ere describin g it, i nasmuc h as th e fi rs t c hapter i _ sees its heroine at the altar of her parish t cu arch, married in the stillness of night, with only "'go witnesses to the heir of the grand domains in the ne ighbourhood, the `. Hall," to which in her childish days Sh e had been taught to look up to as the object of awe and reverence. This was not a union of affection on ei ther side. Lionel Grosvenor was possessed of a P a ssing passion for the lovely maiden, heightened in I ntensity by her reserve and dignity. She was led "ray by his exalted station and fascinating manners, haver before having been attached ; therefore she consented to an honourable engagement with one she aid not love. Retribution was in store for both. Mr. Grosvenor was dangerously wounded, and carried abroad by his fond parents, who were totally uncon scious of hi s marriage. Agnes went to London, and had to support herself too proud to urge with great difficulty, being e ciaim . s he did not acknowledge. leanwhiie her despicable husband was again mar ried a broad to en heiress, again without loving the object of his choice, thus of heaven and earth for violating the laws no single reason or purpose. Ho trusted the amour P privaterstcon his and fi correctly, in ropre of w r h a_ o 'Would have endured any nae hein v ame w tu ife' l ther th an bring the notice of the public to 011 such a delicate and sacred subject. Besides, she W isely concluded tha t she would not gai n the dear est wish of her heart, to ac com p lish which h ad been her great reason for marry in g , namel y , t hat of enter.. i ns the elite of society, by branding her name with the revolting details of a public trial. Pride was the ,1 1 ,lin by which she fell ;" but pr ide was the virt ue by woich she sustained her fall with dignity, with 4r ace andwith heroism. The subsequent events are cc , tnpl icated. Th son of Agnes was stolen by indi viduals not concerned in her fortunes at all ; but the Occ urrence favours the wish of Watso n, the cousin of t'ion el Gr osven or, and the heir to the title of the f amily, if no sons are left. The child of the second marriage is, of course, illegitimate. The crow nin g Point of interest is when, after the death of Lio nel, th ere, are l e ft li v ing two wives and two sons, the law fatts! child lb s t, an d the unlawful of most delicate health. atson calculated his chances whether the first ' W ould be discovered, or if it was better to trust to the Sec ond _ dying, the world believing him the tr u e heir ° ' L is grandfather's title. He likewise planned to make proposals of marriage to either widow, : 45 in another way eecuring the wealth. ii - " 4 last, h e resolved to choose the second ; e t Called on Lady Georgina, and told her s ter-insl aw th e f a t a l truth of the first len gagement, but promised to keep it secret (he was one ~,,i ft b e witnesses) if Lady Georgina wou ld become hi s Gr osvenor However, the unfortunate sec ond,' Lad y \ ,,, lB venor was not informed of this, and when she la told a f terwar d s o f t h e me l anc h o ly position of her el t e l l, and child, she instantly went abroad to bury her -11 in seclusion. Meanwhile the friends of Agnes Cbeen very busy in her behalf, several facts had oen brought to light, and her true priority was re • %P lv sr the i tied. Her child was found, and restored to her lapse of four years' absence. Thus her sins sh e : : indeed heavily visited, and she had a right to 13,,".loyment at last of her dearly-bought grandeur. adverxity had purified her character, and in the at e hapter we leave her only prizing the elevation of 411 4 L er and the wealth of mind, as in the first we found pride Of , sl c4 ring but for the pomp of power and the Vitee. Of ' R R PRICE or IRON.—At an adjourned meeting ironmasters of South Wales, held on Tuesday, at too ti - „ lse 7B Hotel, the following decision was come to unani alth:Y That a general reduction of the make of iron, ty l e t lEh in itself` desirable, does not appear to this meeting pit b 4 XiStbag circumstances, to be capable of Wing carried Y kraugeonnt at tlic present Unit." THE S ITN, THE NECESSITY OF A SECRE TARY OFr. STATE FOR OUR DEFENCE AND WAR ESTABLISHMENTS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUE. have read with the greatest satisfaction your most Memorandum ablear latelyticle,at published once judicious by y nd patriotic, on a bringing to the im me di a t e not i ce of the pßubidligewtaliye vast importance towards economy and efficiency in our army and navy, of the appointment of a Secre tary of State for Defence and War. Our last Secretary of State for War!—mind, Sir, he was not Secretary of State for Peace !—was also our Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the monstrous absurdity of the junction Of these two appointments was made self-evident in the contrary opinions given, by his Grace the Duke of Wellington and by E a rl rey, on the military operations of Sir Harry Smith. And let me ask you, Sir, what would be more absurd at the present moment than that Sir John Pakington, just appointed our Colonial Secretary of State—heaven knows the superin tendence of forty colonies ought to be work enough for any man—should also be appointed our Secretary of State for War ! If Ireland is to be for the Irish, in God's name let the Colonial Secretary be for the Colonies, and release him from all military or naval responsibility. If he can give a good account of the colonies, let us bo sa tisaed—he will have done his duty by his country. But, to return to the Secretary of State for our Defence and War. The author of the Memorandum you have in such forcible language brought to the notice of us, your readers—and our name is Legion— ever on the increase—deserves the greatest praise for thus agitating this most important question. And, although he candidly confesses he proposes nothing new, yet his merit is not the less for the very con cise and kind way in which he has brought the sub ject to the notice of numerous of his countrymen, who may never have heard of, or given the idea a thought. We are all too apt to suppose that with Parliamentary reform comes, as a matter of course, all others that are required. But I do hope, Sir, that some Member of the present House will bring this matter under its consideration, as soon as a proper opportunity may offer, and that he will not be particular in choosing one. Why, Sir, as regards econony, the saving would be immense. Look for an instant at the East India Company's arrangements—consider its army of 250,000 men—and then look at the small establish ment in Leadenhall-street, whence this immense army is clothed, armed, equipped, and provided for in va rious ways ; then inquire into the numerous other du ties performed by that department—a detail of which would fill columns of your paper—and yet to record the staff of that most effective office would hardly take up a corner. One inspector and a deputy-in spector of military stores are, I believe, the only two officers who may be said to receive any salary worth mentioning as such ; they are early at their post, and always hard at work. It would, Sir, be a curious calculation. Colonel Sykes, a member of the Statistical Club, and a director of the East India Company, could no doubt give it, and then to make a comparison, of the expense in curred in clothing, arming, and equipping the 100,000 men, or thereabouts, in her Majesty's service, and the 250,000 men in that of the Hon. East India Company's. Indeed, Sir, it is of [no use certain Members in the House of Commons trying to reduce the expen diture of this country in its naval and military de partments until they can establish one uniform system for the accounts, and one individual responsi bility for the head of all their affairs. The number of useless offices and inefficient people that would disappear would be hardly credible. There would then be one person to whom all evils could be pointed out, and after that be would be responsible for their continuance. A Secretary of State for Defence and War would, depend upon it, enjoy no sinecure; but the country would have economy in its departments, and efficiency in its physical force. It would get something for its millions, and it would not long be 16,000,000/. that would be required. Even so far back as 1837 it was acknowledged that " the whole charge of the army is nowhere shown in one comprehensive view. The cost. of the land forces is only to be found divided in different estimates, prepared and submitted to the Legislature by different authorities." And it was further ac knowledged at the same time, viz., in 1837, that this system of account "is contrary to the soundest principles of finance, and calculated to throw diffi culties in the way of a thorough investigation by Parliament of the military expenditure of the country !!" And yet, Sir, this system is allowed by the country still to continue. What can our Re• form Members be about? What have they been about ? What is the • Financial Reform Society about ? Sir, I have heard it said by one who is by no means a had judge of such matters, that this little Memorandum, to which you have drawn our attention, speaks trumpet tongued what ought to be done, and that it should be in the hands of every one who wishes for economy and efficiency in our naval and military departments, and at once clearly points out the necessity of a Secretary of State to superintend the whole system. The Daily News, Sir, of the 9th inst., in a most able article on military matters, observed that— " The ceuntry has a right to see that the money which it has earned by its toil shall be properly spent, and it will triumphantly insist on that right being carried out, if its leaders do not fail it in Parliament. The army and navy are without excuse. If the men thus summoned will but push the assault home in this direction, they are sure to find a very ge neral support from the public, and they may succeed in converting the year 1852 into o ne of the marked constitutional eras of England"—and surely, then, the exposure we have lately had made of an expenditure of upwards of 16,000,0001. of money, and yet neither soldiers nor sailors to defend the immense interest at stake, is enough to excite the energy and exertions of all true lovers not only of their country but of the freedom of the world; for should England fail her allies in the hour of need, and confess herself unprepared to de fend those who seek her shores for shelter and pro tection, the game, in Europe at least, is up, and des potism must have its sway. That the advice so abl y given in the Daily News may be speedily followed up, and that you will not, Sir, allow this matter to rest, is my earnest wish--:and I shall not fail to add my mite to aid in the good work. I remain, yours. Sco., STEWART ELTON. Birmingham, March 8, 1852. THE LAST OF THE MARSHALS OF NAPOLEON. Marshal Marmont, Duke de Raguse, who has just died at Venice, was born at Chatillon-sur- Seine, on the 20th June, 1774. In 1789 he was attached as suh-lieutenant to a regiment of infantry, and in 1792 made his first campaign with the army of the Alps, as sub-lieutenant of artillery. In 1797 he was attached to the staff of General Bonaparte, and in 1797 was sent by him from Italy to present to the Directory 32 flags, which had been taken from the enemy. He formed part of the expedition to Egypt, and returned to France with the General in-Chief. After the 18 Brumaire, he was named Councillor of State, and Commandant in-Chief of the reserve of the Artillery. He made the campaign of 1800, and after the battle of Marengo was raised to the rank of Inspector-General of Artil lery. He commanded the army of Holland in 1806. He carried on the siege of Ragusa, and occupied the territory of the old Regusian Republic until 1809. He took part in the battle of Wagrani, and after that campaign was made Marshal of the Empire, and where he atoe bad the title of Duke de Raguse conferred upon present at the the He a and Dresden. all the campaigns of Germany, a junction with commanded a corps d'armee. He was battles of Lumen, Bautzen, Wurtzen, form back the army of with Marshal Monier to, keep Blucher, Butt and to cover Paris. 1814, he received orders to Mar moot occupied the he opened Saint-Chaumont, but, in stead of fighting, d o e ne ß o a f gu th s e e, c a o n g m c i Prince de Schwartzenbeerned Louis en Restorationi retirede s of Xvii. gave the his body guard to Ghent with the King. On the second c to om th in e a D nd uk o e f was disbanded. In 1826 he representehdisAnnipanyt the coronation of the Emperor Nicholas, l ance 4- he had the command of the army of Paris. a Since.lB3o that period he has been a voluntary exile in a foreign land. His name had been struck out from the list g o n f the marshals of France, and a black veil covered his portrait in the Salle des Marechaux at the Palace of the Tuileries. ---. LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND.-BF AGNES ST RICKLAND.—New and Revised Edition, Vol. G.—This is one of the most pleasing and welcome of Miss Strickland's interesting volumes. It is devoted to the life of the beautiful and unfortunate Mary B ea trice of Modena , Q ueen of James 11. The biography of this Princess has never before been written, whil e t h e allusions to her i n English history are 'slight and h ave proceeded from no f r i en dly pens, and yet there was perhaps no Queen of England whose life abounds in circumstances of more touching interest. As Miss Strick land truly remarks, " There are epochs in her life w hen ehe co mes before us in h er b eauty, her m ; s f or t nte s, her conjuga l p tenderness and passionate maternity, like one of the distr essed q ueens of tragedy or roma nce struggling against the decrees of adverse destiny." The materials for the life of the consort.. of the last of the Stuart Kings, were g B f were chiefly &rived unpublished letters and documents procured from the secret archives of France through the • influence of M. Guizet.- - Morning Chronicle. from DEATH OF SIR WM. JACKSON ITIOMAN, BART.— This venerable baronet died a few days s i nce at the advance d married,age of 82. The deceased i n 1797, the second daughter of the first Marquis of Bute, by whom (who died. in 1847) he leaves, with other issue, a son, Philip George Stuart, born in 1602, and suecessOr to the title and edate4. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS; TIDISES.—The new President of the Board of Trade has added another safe and ieglorions triumph to the Derby campaign, and has expressed himself on the oc casion as cautiously as the rest of the Cabinet. The Righs Hon. Gentleman avowed long ago that these were uu " facts" on which to go to the country for Protco tion, and that is very mama the line which he has taken on the hustinge. Some new and extraordinary facts have given an unexpected turn to the question. Famine and emigration have brought us a painful relief from the pres,ure which threatened the market of labour; while California has ultimately stayed the depreciation of produce by increasing the great medium of exchange. Neither the labourer nor the landlord has suffered as much as some had expected, and the tenant-farmer and occupiers of land have had to bear the chief brunt of the transition. "It had chanced that the blow had fallen almost entirely upon them." Our reporter was probably too intent on his notebook to observe the effect of this touching piece of sympathy on the three hundred gentry and tenant-farmers, be dizened with orange and blue favours, who formed Mr. Henley's Preetorian guard. Doubtless they wept, though it must have occurred to tome of them, that if the tenant was the only one of the agricultural trio that suffered by free trade, the landlord was at least able to help him. Mr. Henley's remarks on the actual history of free trade, as compared with previous anticipations, are valuable, and only defective in their tone, which, we cannot help saying, grudges patriotism its sagacity, and Providence its wisdom. We speak not merely of our selves, but of the general body of those who, now seven years ago, were advocating free trade in the prime ne cessaries of life, that they proceeded not merely on a financial calculation, but on a firm reliance that in this ever-changing scene, where we know not what an hour may bring forth, a free and natural policy is safer than an artificial one; as the former will probably be rewarded by events, the latter as probably de fected. It is, then, uncandid and unjust to tell the Free-traders that they have had better success than they deserve ; still more so, considering Mr. Henley's other admissions, to say, without expla nation, but not without inuendo, that since" the great changes made in the laws affecting the trade and com merce of this country we have been afflicted throughout the length and breadth of the land." What can be the meaning of such a remark in a man who confesses that the case for protection has disappeared? We must take the liberty of telling Mr. Henley that such words, framed as they are to evade literal contradiction, do not the less aggravate the positive nausea with which a large part of this pule regard a Protectionist Government, though purged ever so much of its financial offences. Thus far, then, the ground is sufficiently clear for any operations which Lord Derby may think necessary to extricate himself, his party, and his country, from their several embarrassments. What use he will make of this compa rative liberty of action next Monday —not to-morrow, as had been expected—remains to be seen, and perhaps to bo determined. In the •meantime it is credibly stated that the Cabinet which, undertakes to wind up this long and disagreeable controversy is not without its share of the storm that rages around. In this last hour of the Protectionist delusion the landed in terest is fighting to the uttermost as well for honour as for profit. Like the Parisian Socialists who boasted with drunken rage at the February Revolution, " We will not be deceived " this time! " the Protectionist squires are preparing their direst imprecations for those who are the last to desert them. The class that utters these threats is unscrupulous, bulky, and compact. They are as dan gerous to be provoked as the Eumenides, or the goblins of later mythology. Th e y are the men tm boast they have a stake in the country, though, in truth, they have far less stake in the prosperity, the geed government, the peace of the country, than the poorest artisan ; for, while they will enjoy their acres for their time at least, come what will after, the artisan has no solid ground, no rest for his foot, except in good order and general pros perity. The well• being of the community is the condi tion of his existence; everything that he has is pledged to his country, and he is himself a perpetual hostage. A slight error of legislation may darken all his prospects, or banish him from his country, if it smite him not to the earth. He rises and fills, he breathes freely or is stifled; the very blood flows in his veins with the fluc tuations of trade and the vicisitudes of public confidence and credit. Such is the case of the artisan. It is the wealthy proprietor who is armed against any probable amount of national calamity. He has something to fall back upon. National ruin is a remote and improbable idea; but, unless ho is very imprudent, that is the only event that can strip him of his acres. This is the class —so insensible to the immediate results of bad legisla tion, that is now throwing the whole of its weight in favour of a factious obstinacy, and what is more, flitter: itself that at least its pride will be saved in the decision. It is confidently boasted that Lord Derby will not betray the squires, and that next Monday will remove all doubt on this point, by the promise of an attempt to re-impose a five shilling duty on corn. So on an al leged point of honour Lord Derby is required to sacri fice both his party and his country, for the interests of both are indubitably involved in an early renunciation of the Protectionist policy. Of course, the Premier him self has little claim to our pity, for he has been merciless to the inconsistencies of more than one Government, and certainly has done much to retard the settlement of this question. But, if his country has a paramount claim to his duty, his course is quite clear. He did not come in on Protection, and he has no call whatever to put that question to the country. If it is to be put, and if we are to witness a convention of the people to answer " Yes" or " No" to Free Trade, with the certainty that the " Yes" will be irrever sible, others may think it their place to summon that convention and put that interrogatory; they may think so naturally and justly; but we cannot see why Lord Derby is called upon to do so. Lie is neither bound to put the question nor to abide by the answer; for, should a majority bo returned pledged to a duty on corn, we can hold no man bound to accept that answer, and re-:,pen the controversy. But then it will not be enough for the new Ministry merely to abstain from that controversy. Lord Derby has justly de scribed his line of duty as the more useful and humble part, and the people of En g l an d cer t a inly expect a cor responding " humility" of tone. We cannot go on long being governed by men w h o proc l a i m t h e ir attachment to one set of principl es , while they admit the necessity of sooting by another, for is country that permits such an inconsistency in its rulers mast render itself ridicu lous in the eyes of th e world, and expect soon to witness other divergencie s b etween principle and practice. Statesmen must n o t expect to save appearances at the expense of their c ountry ' s good f ame . If they are wrong, they must c on f ess i t, and make a ll th e amends in their power. THE ASYLUM FOR IDIOTS. Yesterday ev ening , the fourth anniversary of this charity was celebrated by a public dinner at the London Tavern, with the E ar l o f C ar li s l e i n t h e c h a ir, sup ported by Lord R o b ert Grosvenor, M.P., Viscount Ebrington, M.P., Mr. S amue l M . P eto, M.P., and Mr. Alderman Wir e . Th e general company com prised about 150 perso ns . I n propos i ng the toast o f the evening—" Success to the Asylum for Idiots"—the Earl of Carlisle made an eloquent appeal to the company on behalf of those who could not plead for themselves, but who were, nevertheless, worthy of the benevolence of all humane and intelligent beings. The chairman's appeal was most nobly responded to, as appeared from a list of subscriptions read by the secretary, which amounted to no less a sum than 3,700/. Among the subscribers to this sum were read the names of Samuel M. Peto, Esq., M.P., for 1,0001.; R. Fox, Esq., 105/. ; the Earl of Carlisle, 151. 155.; Viscount Ebrington, 101. 10s.; Lord R. Grosvenor, 101. 103. • W. Monk, Esq., 21/.; J. H. Shepherd, Esq., 4001.; M rs.i E. Pollen, 1051.; Rev. D. D. Morrell, 1001.; and Hon. Emily Eden, 104 10s. Lord ROBERT GROSVENOR proposed the health of the Noble Chairman, which was enthusiastically received by the company. Mr. PETO, in responding to the health of the Presi dent of the society, took occasion to impress upon the company the urgent necessity of raising a " building fund," in order to establish a building in which the highly important objects of classification could be car ried out. From the report which was laid on the table, it ap pears that there are at present in the establishment 195 individuals, and that in even • the worst of the cases among this number very considerable amelioration had been effected by the system pursued in the asylum. ROYAL LITERARY FUND.—Yesterday the sixty second annual general meeting of the subscribers to this in stitution, founded to administer assistance to authors of ge nius and leerning, irrespective of country or creed, reduced to distress by unavoidable calamities, . or deprived by en feebled faculties or declining life of the power of literary ex ertion—was held at the offices, Groat Russell-street ; Sir Ribert Harry Inglis, Bart., DI.P., in the chair, supported by Benjamin Bond Cabbell, Esq., M.P., Sir Henry Ellis, Sir J, P. Jodrell, Bart., Dr. Forbes, and other gentlemen distin guished in literature and science. The secretary, 0. Blewitt, Esq., brought forward the report, which stated that the sum of 1,6351. had, during the course of the past year, been dis tributed in relief among distressed authors and their fami lies, making a total sum of 40,5351. so applied since the com mencement of the institution. This report was ananimously adopted. The Right Hon. the Marquis - of Lansdowne, pre sident, the vice-presidents, council, and other officers were re-elected ; Cherie: , Baldwin , Esq., was elected to the vacant office of treasurer, and Bolton Arney, Esq., to that of auditor. A day was then fixed! for the anniversary dinner, to be pre sided over by Lord Campbell, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman. LONDON INSTITUTION.—One of the monthly institutionthis y was -ci r c h e e s l , d an y d es t dd. In the lih a wast erda y v e eveningry well a at t. l‘ a reat many !. ry were disp la g inter esting objects of type , , ja,..siii,o ,science and art, such as microscopes, talbot horrors of war, or-e of interesting coins, &e., and even the were shadowed f rather the means of our national defences, forth by pis tols with multitudinous barrels and artfully-co ns t ructed Mr. H. Whit e lectured ()locks. In the course of the evening the theatre of the institutinon t.he microscope and its uses in his lecture to a historical nail He devoted the first part of structure of the microscope, and and a description of the t ion of the wonders of nature re the second to af narra tion the improvements revealed by its as b rie fie He effected, from lens down to the many combinations the rude single pointed out the different methods employednow employed, and cal aberration and to produce perfect achromatism, to correct spheri nearer approach to these two conditions the more for the instrument; and concl u d e d by a very animated perfect th e the great knowledge that has been acquired , and pictur e of greater results that m a y b e ex p ec t e d f rom the improvements the still that are being daily m a d e i n it s construction. provements The adviees from the various continental Exchan ges s how in most quarters an i ncreas i n g abundance of money. The railway advances of the Bank of France are not, it af._ pears, limited to the lines possessing Government guaran. e. Soine strictness, however, is exercised with regard to t t e he s totaloteachindividual loan, and occasionally borrowers on shares find the accommodation party counteracted -by their being allowed a less amount of discount.. In Piedmont, owing to the ease of the money market, the Government h ave been able to reduce interest en the ileating debt. LONDON, THURSDAY ,EVENING, M PARIS, TUESDAY. —The o.f_ B t hlTeLbLeLeagApipslTol Legislative taLitlin.Te appointment aomf h M er . , B a i s li o a ffi lli .. t to the Presidency cially announced this morning in the Moniteur, wa s only decided yesterday after a good deal of hesitation. The subject was discussed at some length by the Ministers, who met for E:re, that and other business yes terday at the _ Of M. Billault's willingness to accept the office, — th atter perhaps the usual show of coquetry, neither e President nor his advisers ' seemed to have a n in the last Y doubt. M. Billault had no seat Assembly,b though . he was a member of the Constituent, b flying been elected for the Loire-Inferieure more than 88,000 suffrages. He had obtained yconsiderable and celebrity as an ad vocate at Nantes, was member of the Council General of the &part ment, in 1837, when two col leges of the department named him Deputy. He be gan his Parliamentary career in the ranks of the Op position by a vehement speech on " electoral corrup tion,', and another on th countries. His b e relati ons o f France with fo reigntobstility to the Cabinet, and especially to what were tion the "Engli s h tendencies"en termed by the Opposi and uncompromising, of M. Guizot, was in cessantsing. I n 1842 this was still more marked du r i ng the of Search; and i n the subsequent debates on the Right session he skilfully and unscrupulou s ly availed himself of the excitement occasioned by the Pritchard indemnity to denounce During M. Thiers' short Admi nistration ho was n ame d in the department o f co nder-Secretary of State The celebrated Timon ov In jnerce and Agriculture.e Cormenin) has passedn M the following judgment o "Billault is the most . Billault : more remarkable of all the incipient orators, and if he was Preci se i n hi s a dd re sseswould be, as another Phociab he of M. Guin /) t, the second , the axe to the speeches eraosthenes. M. Billault has quite as much of political well have; and much more, in any as a lawyer can any case, than is requi site for a Minister in our d M. Thiers he loves to revel, yk. As the Lieutenant of grinations by land and sea. 1 e his General, in pere de not mean that M. Billault may not be some day a very useful Min He is ister, in no matter what branch of the public not bound by any precedent eith e r revenue. to the Right or to the Left. He has his petites entrd e 8 at the Louvre with out being either butler or panties, beingye enjoys the good graces of the Opposition without his fingers on the glowing coals of obliged to put Radicalism. As a speaker, he is ready for anything, with rushes on, beats a re treat, and returns to the onset the same rapidity of evolution, &e." It is not yet forgotten that in the various Minis terial crises during the iPreside n cY M. Billault's name was more than once mentioned, and on one re markable, and not remote, occasion h e Was very near accepting office. M. Billault being by general consent endowed with so marvellous a facility of elocution, it has occasioned some surprise that he should cons ent to fill the most silent and passive of all posts in th e from which both eloquence and action new Assembly, will be ba nished. He separated from M. Thiers' Labour,ln the Consti tuent on the question of the Right of is not stated that this Socialist tint ha s been got rid and it of. P e rhap s his political principles are not of such a straight-laced nature as to refuse all Co mpromise ; or he may have believed that on the occasion referred to the wind w a s s e tting in from that quartet There was a period when the Presidency of the Chamb er Depu ties was one of high honour. Whatever of may be said of the h onour un der present circumstances, the post has not ceased to be lucrative. The ne will in all p ro b a bility have not less 80,000,thenwPresident perhaps 100,000 francs o salary, a n d the or splendid hotel near the Legislative Palace for residence. this would b e a s t r ong temptation to a still sterner All sterner patriot, and such compensation is not insufficient f o r three months' direction of the dull routine of business in the new Chamber of Deputies. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. DONCASTER SPRING MEETING—WEDNESDAY. The Hopeful Stakes of 5 soya. each, and 50 added ; for two yrs old colts, Bst 71b; fillies and geldings, Bst 31b; winners 31b extra. Half a mile. (15 Saba.) Mr. J. Dawson na f Anteverta (Basham) 1 Mr. Morris's King David (Hamby) 2 Mr. J. Scott's Eaton Betting --5 to 2 agat King David, 3to 1 each agat (Holmes) 3 Lord Cheste r fi e ld' s c by Hetman Platoff (Nat) 0 Mr. Osb orne ' s Bold D av i e (Osborne, j un .) 0 Mr. C. Sp ence ' s P oetess (G. Simpson) 0 A nteverta and Eaton, and 5 to 1 agst Hetman Platoff colt. Won by h a lf a l en gth; a neck between secon d an d third; Bold Davie a bad fourth. Run in 52 secs. The Doncaster Handicap Stakes of 10 sous. each, 5 ft, and 3 only if declared, with 100 soya. added, the se cond to save his stake. St. Leger Course. (46 Subs., 22 of whom pay 3 soya. each.) Mr. J. Scott na Hyacinth, Est Illb ... (E. Harrison) 1 Mr. W. Stobbing's Knook-Knoll, ist 101 b (Basham) 2 Mr. G. Barton's Calculator, 4 yrs, Bst 121 b (G. Oates) 3 Mr. J.Wilkins's Abbess of Jervaux, 7st 71b (Charlton) 4 Mr. Martinson's View Halloo, 6 yrs, Sstslb (Simpson) 0 Mr. J. Osborne's The Proctor, 7st Sib (Osborne, Jan.) 0 Mr. C. Peck na La Fiancee, 5 yrs, 7st 81b (Aldcroft) 0 Mr. J. Gill's b c by Irish Birdcatcher, out of Flower of the Tees, 3 yrs, Est 51b ... . (Carroll) 0 Mr. Ch. Thorpe na Zit. Michael, sst 101b...(llayboe) 0 Mr. T. Wilkinson's Dismay, 3 yrs, sst 101 b... (Alla) 0 Mr. T. Lister's Limy, 3 yrs, sst 81b (Kendal) 0 Betting-4 to 1 each agst Hyacinth and Knook- Knoll, 5 to 1 agst Proctor, 8 to 1 agst La Fiancee, and 10 to 1 agst any other. Won very easily by a length and a half, the same between second and third, and half a length between third and fourth. Run in 3 min. 21 sac. The Municipal Stak es of 5 sous. each, and 40 added, 3 yrs old and u p wards; the second to save his stak e. St. Leger Co urse . (4 Subs.) Mr. Baker's Em ma , 4 yrs, 7st 61b for (301.)...(Charlton) 1 Mr. S. Hall's J ac k R ag (late Mogador), Bst 41b ( 301 .) 2 Mr. R. Briggs's Slapdash, aged, 7st 61h (301.) .3 Mr. Hesseltine's Th e S etter, 4 yrs, 7st 91b (301.) 4 Betting-6 to 4 each agst Emma and The Setter. Won by a length. R un in 3 rain. 31 sees. The She ffi eld and Rotherham Handicap of 5 sous. each, and 40 added. One mile. (15 Subs.) Mr. G. Barton's Th e S urveyor, 3yrs,6st 91b (Aldcroft) 1 Mr. Osborne's Pro c t or, 4 yrs, Bat 21b (Osborne, jun.) 2 Mr. H. Stebbing's Si r Charles Napier, 3 Y rs, 6st 131 b 3 Mr. Harrison's Mi ss F anny, 4 yrs, 7st 10lb 4 Mr. Sumner nd Merry Maid, 7st 41b (carried 21b over) 0 Mr. T. Smallwood ' s T he Twin, 4 yrs, Est 131 b 0 Mr. H. Austin's B rawn, 3 yrs, 6st 51b 0 Betting-7 to 4 agst Sir Charles Napier, 3to 1 agat The Surveyor, and 5 t o 1 agst Miss Fanny. half a length, the same between second and third, the fourth well up. Run in 1 rain. 45 sec. The Innkeepers' Stakes of 3 sous. each, and 20 added, for three yrs old and upvvards; T.Y.C. ( 4 Subs.) Mr. Ryder's Lady Eleaketh, 3 yrs (201.)...(G. Oates) 1 Mr. Baker's Emma, 4 . yrs (201.) yrs (20/.) 3 Mr. John Pears' Ariel, 5 yrs (20/.) (Arran) 4 Mr. H. Stebbing's Canto, 3 Mr. Haywood's Hooton Lass, 5 yrs (201.) Won easy. Two 1, — eats were run for this race, the horses having in the first bee started by mistake at the Champage post—it was wor m by a neck by Lady Hes (SimpWsoonn) " 2 keth, Cerito second. STEEPLECHASE BETTIN G AT SIX O'CLOCK. 5 to 2 agst Miss Mowbray DONCA.STE_R 15 to 1 agat Sir Peter Laurie NORTHAISIPTON HANDICAP: D....0at:R0t:7., 8 to I agst Cariboo. (BT ELECTItIc T LATEST STEEPLE CHAS E BETTING. TELEGRAPH.) 6to 4 agat Miss Mow bray MORNING. DARK 1852. 5585 yrs,et to to o R 2 1 0a a xi Acceptances for the Granby Handicap. Alonzo, ‘slothworker, 6 yrs, flat 131b—Chief Justice, 5 yrs, Ilst lolb—Lough Bawls. 4 yrs, Ilst 61b—Agis, aged, I lat 6 1b—Darkie, 5 yrs, list 61b—Sir Robert. 5 yrs, Ilst 51 b —Brother to Dough, 5 l ist 41b—Faux Pas, 4 yrs, yrs, 11 st 31b—Herbert, 6 yrs, ltst 11b—Loadstone, aged, 1 1st—Warwick, 5 yrs, lOst 131b—Jack in Corner, 5 Yrs, 10st 121b—John of Berwick, 5 yrs, lOst 111b—Ast ' s, 4 yrs, lOst 11Ib— Estafette, 5 yrs, lOst 31b—Ischia, 4 yra, lost 11b—Don Juan, 6 yrs, lost lib—Cyclops, 4 yrs, 9st 131b—The rest pay 5 soya each. Acceptances for the Gold C Clothworkra, 6 yrs, l2st 41b--. up. Chief Justice, 5 yrs, list Ilb—Darkie, 5 yrs, list 111b—Elerbert. 6 yrs, llst 51b—Lough Baron , 4 yrs, llst inn, -- ‘u --- Harpsichord, 4 yrs, lOst 71b—Ischia, 4 yrs, lOst 21b — Don Juan, 6 yrs, 10st 21b—Cyciops, 4 yrs, 9st 13. Weights for the Handicap of 15 soya each. 81. a. by Prince Cara , doc Miss Julia Bennett, 4 yrs, Bst 71b—The Incurable, 4 yrs, 7st 121 b—Bardolph, 3 yrs, 7st 10—Evadue, 3 yrs, 7st 61b--Senoritce, 3 yrs, Tat 31b. agat g2gTassttt °I1B8814ni:ry: ri)l 1 L aurießs Dl I r COURT CIRCUL — AR. e arl Y walk yesterday OSBORN z . WEDNESDAY. • The QI.IONI and Prince took as morning. The Prince of Wales te Prin ces , younger branches of theß o y al Family, usual exercise in the grounds. y also took their Royal, and the y The Hon. William Cowper had a n intervi ew w i t h Mr. n Secretary Walpole yesterday, at the —°lne-office. Mr. Chisholm Anstey, M.P., had also an intervi ew w i t h th e Right Hon. Gentleman. The Countess of Derby will hold her first assembly at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury s ay next, the 17th inst. Mr. Parker, of Northampto n _ (Justice o f the Peace), and Mr. John Latchmore, of Nclthana in Downing-street, on Wedne sday Northampton had an in terview with Mr. Secretary_ Walpole Yesterday, at the Home-o ffi ce, and submitted depo sitions on behalf of the condemned convict, Elizabeth Pmckard, rutward-bound ships. clear a harbour as hbl th ---- 1 , A CLEAR. PORT.--Pro_a y _ere h as no t b een t a h n at ins o t f au L c i e v Often, during the present year, as many as 1 0 0, and on two or three occasions 150 ships, haveneen waiting to proceed to sea. Yesterday, afternoon, . ned, however,fr the for the 0 l n l n a w s t ten s e y n e t a s r s fo o r f seven follow ing ships were all that remal o 4 all causes, in the port, the entries of which bad been made at the Custom houseEurek to the previous evening: , a, for Jamaica; Brisk, e • T for Azores ; Don Pedro, for Hay 1 , cm Roberts, for Naples ; heroine, for St. Michael's; Renner, for St. Tho mas • and , Barka, for Trieste. LOR D RoDEN.—It .is confidently stated that the new Irish Government intend to reinstate Lord Roden in the commission of the peace. PROPOSED RAIL - WAY CAPITAL FOR NEW RAILWAY WORKS. The following is a careful statistical statement, com piled frem the various of estimates laid before Parliament by the undermentioned railway companies, applying for Acts for now works this ses.ion, and in volving the raieiug of addition capital:- Basingstoke and Salisbury ... •.• £280,000 Bristol and E xe t er (Y eov il b ranc h) ... 23,594 Chester and Holyhead (Extensions) 380000 Corris and Machynnleth Railway 12 000 , ... ••• Cork and B an d on 40,000 Deeside ••• ••• ••• ... 106,000 Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire 79,000 Dorchester and Exeter Coast ... ... 490,000 Dundalk and Enniskillen . 227,200 East Anglian (D ev i at i ons and new linos) ... 35,000 Eastern Counties (to River None) ... 18,345 Eastern Counties (Junction with East and West India Docks) ... ••• 50,000 Eastern: Union and Great Northern Junction 120,000 Edinburgh and Glasgow •• •.• 4,000 Exeter and Yeovil ••• ... 650,000 Forest of Dean Central... ... • 20,000 Furness and Pile Harbo ur .. ••• ... 45,000 Frome, Yeovil, and Weymouth ..• ... 550,000 Great Western (Purchase of ~-"'..Kennett and Avon Canal) ... _ Kells and Cavan ••• ••• Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax Junction Leven ... Lancashire and Yorkshire ... Limerick and Foytses London and North• Western and Buckingham- London and North-Western (Chester to Birk enhead and Branches) .. 550,000 Londonderry and Enniskillen and Coleraine 152,000 London, Tilbury, and SLiuthend 400,000 Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire ... 83,000 Middlesburgh and Guiabnrgh ••• ••• 72,000 Midland Great Western of Ireland (Longford and Cavan Branches) ..• ••• Monmouthshire Railway ..- Newmarket and Chesterford North and South-Western and • Brighton and Dover Junction (Wandsworth to Croydon) 85,000 North Staffordshire (Sandbach to Birkenhead and Colwich to Wolverhampton) ... 300,000 North-Western ••• ... 2,500 Nuneaton and Leicester 150,000 Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton (Ex tension of Time, &c.) 72,000 Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton (Ex tension, Wolvercot to Oxford) ... Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton (Wol vercot to Brentford) ... 830,000 Shrewsbury and Chester ... 17,000 Shropshire Union (Branches) ... 322,789 Somersetahire Central ... ... 48,000 South Staffordshire ... 178,000 South Yorkshire (Isle of Axholme Extension) 300,000 Vale of Neath 72,000 _ . ••• 10,000 ••• 181,000 ... 185,000 ••• 20,000 ... 15,000 ... 120,000 50,000 ... 300,000 ... 80,000 73,000 70,000 Wolverhampton Junction Worcester and Hereford York and North Midland ••• ••• ••• York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Bishop Auck land branch) 190,000 York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Thirsk and Malton branch) ... 104,000 ... 220,000 60,000 Total ... ... 100,000 £3,642,428 RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS. LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.—Return 0, Traffic for the week ending March 7:— Passengers, parcels, mails, &c. £22,262 5 7• Merchandise ... ... 17,897 5 9 Cattle .. ... 1,013 17 3 Total ... £41,173 8 7 Corresponding week last year ... 39,404 12 3 Note.—The returns as published are exclusive of the traffic of the Huddersfield Canal and Shropshire Union, Nerth Union, Preston and Wyre, South Junction, Manchester and Buxton, and Buckinghamshire Railways, and of the propor tion of traffic deducted under agreement with the North Staffordshire Company. • Liverpool races. THE GREAT NOETHEEIC RAILWAY.— (Miles in work, 2411' .Return of Traffic for the Week ending Feb. 29; 1852: Passengers, parcels, carriages, horses, dogs, and mails ... £4,386 2 11 Merchandise and minerals ... 6,259 16 5 Cattle ... 156 5 1 Total .. £10,802 4 5 Corresponding week, 1851 (236 miles) : Passengers, parcels, &c. £3,861 12 3 Merchandise, Cattle, &c. ... 3,901 15 11 Total ... £7,763 8 2 LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAT.—AMORRt o Traffic for the week ending March 7 : Passengers £6,500 19 1 Goode ... 2,376 17 9 Total ... ... ... £8,877 16 10 Corresponding week last year... 8,522 8 1 LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY. (260 miles open.)—Traffic for week ending Mar. 7...£16,477 8 3 Corresponding week in last 'ear (260 miles open) .. ]2 1 NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE RAILWAY. (Miles 0pen,112.) Return of traffic for the week ending Feb. 29 : Railway and canal . ... £4,687 0 0 Corresponding week last year ... 4,585 0 0 Note. —The above is exclusive of the receipts available under the agreement with the London and North-Western Railway Company. CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY,Trfiffie for the week ending March 7 : MAIN LINE:. Passengers ... ... Parcels, H. C. and D. .. Goods, cattle, &c. ... Mails ... ... £923 6 0 75 17 10 593 16 6 575 0 0 Total ... £2,173 0 4 ••• MOLD. Passengers ... ... Parcels, H. C. and D. ... Goods, cattle, &c. £29 8 4 1 14 11 115 14 0 •N ••• Total ... £146 17 3 STEAM -BOATS. Passengers Parcels, 11. C. and D. ... ... ... £145 11 9 24 10 4 Total £l7O 2 1 NEW METROPOLITAN RAILWAY. We are informed that it is proposed to connect the Great Northern Railway at the present King's-cross Station with the London and South-Western Rail way at the Waterloo Station, the distance being only 2/ miles. This line when made would by means of the East and West India Dock Railway connect all the narrow gauge railways on the north side of the Thames with the London and South-Western Rail way. Besides the great facilities which this line would afford for the transit of goods merchandise and coal to and from the southern counties it would most materially assist in augmenting the suburban traffic of existing railways by giving three central stations, namely, at Guildford-street, near the Foundling, at Holborn, near Red Lion. street, and at the Strand, near St. Clement's Church. Access to these stations would be given by a circular in clined plane, or by ascending and descending rooms. As this line would for the greater part of the way be in tunnel, it would not therefore in that portion be necessary to purchase any building property. The tunnel would extend from the King's-cross station to the south side of the Strand near to Essex-street, and owing to the slight interference with the building property, Mr. Hamilton Fulton, the engineer esti mates the total cost of construction at 750,0001. The proposed bridge across the Thames near to Essex street would be constructed with wrought iron girders at a comparatively small expense, and also be made to afford accommodation to foot passengers and the steam-boat traffic. From the river to the Waterloo station the railway would be carried on a viaduct through inferior property in the neighbourhood of Upper-Stamford-street. COMMISSION OF LUNACY. • A commission of lunacy was held yesterday at Love grove's, the London Coffee-house, Ludgate-hill, before Mr. E. Winslow, ono of the masters is lunacy, and a jury of twenty-one freeholders of the city of London, to inquire into the state of mind of Thomas Horatio Richard son, of 23, Old Bailey. Mr. Archibald Smith appeared for the party upon whose petition to the Court of Chancery the commission was issued, the alleged lunatic's half sister, a lady named Farnell ; and before the proceed ings commenced the lunatic's brother, Mr. Richardson, addressing the Learned Commissioner, said he dis claimed any participation in the inquiry, which he con sidered unnecessary, and most unfriendly on the part of those through whose instrumentality it had originated. His brother certainly was imbecile, and had been so from childhood, but he was inoffensive and harmless, lived comfortably and apparently happy, and en joyed life as much as any person then in that room. It appeared from the evidence, on which up no disp ate was raised, that the subject of the inquiry was entitled to 4,500/. in the Three per Cent. C onsols, to 4451, under his father's will, of which h;is brother was the only surviving trustee, and to two small annuities u nder the will of his mother. Mr. Richardson, the brother, statedhat the alleged lu natic was incapable of managing his property, but w a s perfectl:r competent to take care of himself—in fact, n o one heel ever entertained the idea of putting him under restrain t, and he neve r committed any act that led to any an pleasant resu lts. Ile had money to nee as h e pleased —he never spent it wastefully nor extravagantly —he always conducted himself with propriety—visited g w h a t s i at theatres, and mixed with society, but his mbirnodu ex cessive ly weak. The alleged lunatic was the ro.)m, and was questioned by the Commissi oner, sin reply •to whom ho could h o saidnot tell what p roperty he we s posses sed of, the month, or the y ear ; he could n ot t;ell how many twice two were, b u t he knew th a t be took care of himself, and that his brother took care o f the money. He lived veryhappy with his b ro ther, and w as so comfortab le that hewished for no change. Ile bad the appea rance of an imbecile. The jury found that Thomas Horatio was of unsound mind, and had been incapable of taking care of himself or property since the 24th of December, 8 an d at the same time expressed a d es i re t h at t h e unfor tunatel26; gentleman Should not be removed from his brother, Mr. E. j. Rich ardson. The Commissioner s • of Chancery; but 35 far as he was concerned, the sug gestiou of the jury would receive every consideration. MARCH 11, 1852. PARIS THEATRICALS.' ITALIAN OPERA. —The never-failing Barbieri di Siviglia was played for the first time this semis en Saturday, for the rentrie of hi. Lablache, our old favourite, who was received with loud and cordial demonstrations of welcome, from as brilliant an au dience as we recollect to have seen within the walls of the Salle Ventadour. The secret by which this truly great artiste has retained his powers, of course not unimpaired, but still wonderfully preserved, is soon told ; it lies in two little letters, simply the dif ference between use and abuse. A thoroughly educated musician, he has known how to use his voice without abusing it. His Dr. Bartolo has been noticed too frequently in these columns to admit of any thing new being said upon it. His acting was humorously whimsical, as usual, and though the shaking of the long journey from Italy had left some traces of fatigue in his voice, he went through the part with as much spirit, and as much to the satis faction of the audience as we ever beryl him. Calzolari was of course the Almavive, and largely shared in the applauses of the evening; the serenade " Io son Lindoro" was charmingly given, and his shar e o f th e d uo "Ah ! t h e d'Amore ' wes not less successful. Belletti made a Figaro par ex cellence; we never before heard him to so much ad vantage. The volubility, ease, and distinctness, with which he gave the rapid passages which abound in the music of the character, were most masterly, and Figaro must be classed among M. Belletti's greatest successes in Paris. Basilio found a fair representative in M. Susini, whose fine bass came out well in "La Calunnia." This brings us to the Rosina of the night, Mdlle. Cruvelii, which we approach with some re luctance. Though this gifted young artiste can never fail to please, the impression she produces as the ward of Bartolo is very far from that created by her Elvira, Norms, Fidelio, and other parts of the highest class, the recollections of which should not be disturbed by the assumption of characters for which her talents are unsuitable. Among the most effective and most ap plauded morgeaux of the evening, was her singing lesson, "Al dolce Incanto," with Rode's variations, which she gave with, considerable brilliancy, particu larly the second, which was followed by acclamation. At the close of the opera, all the leading artistes were recalled by general demand, and bowed their thanks amid loud marks of the satisfaction of the public. GRAND OPERA.—After a temporary absence from the boards, Mdlle. Priora has, with a courage worthy a better occasion and more success, made her re-appearance, in that most poetical of all choregra phic creations, La Sylphide ; for, although Mdlle. Priora was much applauded, it was evident to her most fervent admirers that the qualities required to represent satisfactorily this child of air are diametri cally opposed to those which she possesses. Mdlle. Priora's substantial and well-rounded order of beauty, jet black eye, and Olympian brow bespeak the bounding Gitane, born under the torrid skies of An dulasia or Calabria; her elastic, but firm and vigo rous step is marvellously adapted for the bolero or zapateado ; but for the transparent nymph of the clouds, both her appearance and style of dancing are singularly ill-suited. As a danseuse and pan tomimist, Mdlle. Priora ranks after Carlotta Grisi and Cerito. Compared with Taglioni, whose name is inseparably connected with La Sylphide, her per formance appears to still greater disadvantage. Let us hope Mdlle. Priora will speedily take her revanche in some ballet better adapted to her talents. As the young Highlander, M. St. Leon acquitted himself to the entire satisfaction of the spectators ; the other parts were filled with ability. OPERA NATIONAL.—The directorship of this theatre being now vacant, in consequence of the sud den death of M. Seveste, the privilege, temporarily granted to the brother of the deceased, has become the object of competition among a host of candidates. Only two, however, out of the number are spoken of as having any serious chances of success: M. Du prez, the celebrated tenor, and M. Jules Seveste, the director ad interim. The privilege is to remain, to use a legal term, in commission, until May with a view to facilitate the winding-up of the affairs of the theatre. M. Duprez's Joanita has already had one general rehearsal ; and its representation is fixed for Tuesday next. Mdlle. Duprez and Poultier, for merly of the Grand Opera, will sustain the principal parts. GIMNASE.—This theatre has been so far favoured by the inconstant goddess as to be the debouche chosen by Mme. Georges Sand for her two or three last dramas. Close on the footsteps of ber Mariage de Vietorine, we have to record the production here on Wednesday of Les Vacances de Pandolphe, a three act comedy, in which the celebrated romanczere has successfully imitated the style and animation of the Italian school ; refining the buffoonery which is one of its characteristics by her polished and easy style. Les Vacances de Pandolphe is one of the most at tractive and elegant little dramas as yet given to the stage by Mme. Sand. The scenery and dresses are in a style of splendour very unusual at the Gymnase; the costumes, designed a Za Watteau, by M. Duda. vent, the son of the authoress, deserve especial men tion. Mmes. Rose Ch6ri and Brassine, and MM. Numa and Bressant, distinguished themselves in the principal parts. Mme. Sand's name was received at _ _ . . _ the conclusion of the performance with sincere marks of gratification. A change of some importance has taken place in :he personnel of the Opera Comique. Mlle. Wer ;heimber, whose successful debut in Le Carillonneur de Bruges, was mentioned in our last notice, ending herself unequal to the fatigue of continuing the cha racter in that opera, requested the annulment of her _ engagement, a demand which was immediately com plied with by the Direction. Mdlle. Darcier has since been engaged. It will be a cause of regret to the public should this young artiste not persevere in her career ; her style fitting her in an eminent degree for the Grand Opera, or the Italian stage, where her noble organ would with time and study enable her to rank among the first contralti of the day. A novelty in one act, by M. Adam, Le Lain, and another, Les Bareaux Verts, by M. 13azin, are in preparation. A rumour is in circulation, which, if correct, is of considerable importance to this theatre, namely, that M. Roger is ab o ut to quit the Grand Opera and to return to these boards. Recent circumstances arising from the representation of Guillaume Tell before the President, give probability to this rumour. A descendant of one of the great Guelphic families of Italy, the Piccolomini of Sienna, Aldlle. Clementini- Piccolomini recently made her debut as a cantatrice, at La Pergola, i❑ Florence, and excited great enthu siasm. Her s uccess is said to increase at each suc- cessive performance; as yet she has only appeared in Lucrezia Borgia, and a popular bziya, called Crispin° e Comare. Her organ is described as a mezzo-so prano, of great`power and extent; Mdlle. Piccolomini, inaddition, is said to be young and beautiful, quali ties that never do any harm cn or off the stage.— Galignani. LYNN THEATRE. - -•- - - ----- - --- The spirited manager of this theatre, Mr. Hooper, has had considerable rivalry of late by the attractions presented to the seekers after amusement by our cele brated mart, which, in its turn, had also an opponent in the severity of the weather ; the clouds have now passed away, and we augur great success to our talented manager and company. We have had occasion before now to speak of the general constituents of the company and the class of entertainment, and it is now our duty and pleasure to be able to record that some of our finest dramatic productions have been played most efficiently. Amongst the plays produced of Simon,thes we may enumerate the Othello of our immortal bard Richelieu;":The Stranger - ; and Sheridan's glorious comedy of the Rivals. The princip m al ad p a a m rts e plays were sustained by Mr. Coleman, Mr, actress . of . ession. Her Stephenson, and Mr. Mills; and Miss F. Bennett, a you p n r g of in the play c e f e e n e l t i i, n ie g the greatest promise in her and true to delineation of the part of Julie., wasin have rich we e n . gentle and suf onfatußrei,clawnidieuseldo fering Desdemona more faithfully painted. young in her profession, we feel Though care she will take a that with time and most legitimate dramatic art. standing in the HEALTHOF L 0 NTD 0 N DURINC; THE WEEK (From the Registrar-Gener a l' s Report.) In the second week of February the deaths r egistered in the metropoli s were 970; in the first week of March,__ which ended l ast S aturday, they rose to 1,128. 'lla 1 latter number is th e highest that has occurredduring the nine we e k s t h at have elapsed since the 3d of mean of Janu ary; and it d eserves also to bo noticed that the n any other temperature o f t h e last week was lower than in week of week during th e same interval. In t h e first February, w h en the mean temperature was 47, the n the deaths were 1,016; end in last wee k, wh b tempera turean Vi a as hundred 36 deaths. o hs. 4, t e at weeks of the years 1842-51 In the ten corresnding it becomes average iis raised l o, 23, the average number was 1 4 0 p 2 w o l e p ; e n il a t t h in i n s in proportion to increase . a re n g the returns proves that not the nismteoruendtlwashtic,,h,eenke.arly coincides with the 1,128 deaths A comparison f young, or i%,h but e personss i n comparison of precedingadvanced ( e a n r d o i t n ll g o sufferers; r e F r e s . ; bruary) 489 week, being u4n6d6e,r slhsaysy.esaarsnoafetaugael, de crease; number b o u t' t last fro amongstm persons 36s ta :39 0 , f , middleand amongst 60 years and e h r a e v a e s e i n ; also from the returns ofthe last two weeks a ppears . epideiDlC that lt or upwards persons of deaths.of while the mortality from xyrootie bee 908 in diseases has been nearly stationary, having deaths from the previous week, and 207 in the last, the . 193 to 231. diseases of the respiratory organs rose from 121 persons; Bronchitis was fatal successively to 89 andrries o ft princi pneumonia (which unlike bronchitis d carries to 21 and pally the young) to 67 and 70. an - 47 t o 40; phthisis 24. ilooping•cough has declined fror. a 141 cases.L-Bron was fatal in the two weeks in other dchisietitlthwertehfrien,arheaasnc.ontributle4d3 and than any The following case of cholera was registered ;=-Oa i 11st March, at 36, Fore-street, Crippl e ate, a fenalde ser-‘ _ vant, a g ed 20 years, " malignant c h o l era, pzimary , - (3 dlys): collapse (8 hours)." , Thirty cases of emall-pox and one of c hi c k en - pox w e re I registered in the week. It is stated in six cases that vaccination had been previously performed. Tliere were 4 deaths registered in the Small-pea Hospital, of which the following are the particulars :- 1 On 29th February a girl, aged one year, from Baker street, Newington, died of " small-pox, confluent, un protected (12 days)," On 3d March a girl, aged 10 years, from East London Union, " small-pox, confluent, unprotected (12 days)." On 33 March a boy, aged 14 years, from Bedford bury, " small-pox, confluent, unmodified (12 days)." He had been vaccinated in infancy at Swaitcliffe, Oxon; one small cicatrix. On sth March a tailor, aged 17 years, from Lemon street, Goodman's-fields, " small-pox, confluent, unpro tected (9 clays)." In the sub-district of Cherie cross, at 5, New Ex printer, aged 6 year s , di e d o f " vat i o l a chang e - court, en 3d March, the son of a copperplate (1 week), after vaccination." M r . L eonard adds, that " two eschars were on th e arm; all the children of this family have taken the small-pox, b gistered, h ave recovered. ' The bed room is very confined In the sub-district ouft and badly ventilated." ,Allc s e o t u s t . h e m d a e r c y e i a e s b e o d ri e n , o a w t 3 r5 1 - p , Saville-street, on 4th March a coach plater, aged 3S years, died of " typh us (11 days)." The medical atten dant makes the followin g note on his certificate :—" This is the seventh case of lever that has occurred in this family, and in the same room. The whole family, which comisted of eight person-, ate and slept iu a single apartment. The above case, however, has alone termi nated fatally." On the 24th February and 4th of March respectively, at 11, Eagle-court, in the sub-district of Sr. James, Clerkenwell, the two daughters of a looking-ease frame maker, aged 1 year and 4 years, died of ‘‘ scarlatina ma ligna," the former after 7 days', the latter after 4 days' illness. In the London Fever Hospital, on the 22th of Fe bruary, the son of an engineer, aged 12 years, brought from St. Pancras, died of " typhoid fever (about three weeks"), in the hospital six days; and iu the same hos pital, on the 6th of March, a bailor, aged 43 years, from St. George in the East, died of "typhus (duration un known)',' in the hospital 2 days. In the Islington Workhouse, on sth March, a painter and glazier, aged 67 years, died of " carbuncle, exhaust. tiot. A girl, aged . 13 months, died from " suffocation in a fit of passion." Post mortem. Inquest. Two persona died of intemperance. Four children were suffocated in the bed clothes. At the Royal Freo Hospital, on 6th February, a re cruit, aged 20 years, died of " exhaustion caused by low peritonitis and want of nourishment." Post mortem. Inquest. In the first nine weeks of the year (commencing 28th December,lBsl), there have been registered in the Ken. sington district 4 deaths from scarlatina and 17 from Hanover -square, a 3ttyphus,from d s c c7 a o r nf l rt a lo. t n i m n u aetdyapfnehdvuesr9; fi S c rn oc St.m. ; typhus;riG e C o h r e g l e s ,eH i a n Westminster, 2 from scarl at i na an d 10 f rom ty ph us; i n M ar yl e b one , 11 from scarl a ti na an d 19 from typhus; in St. Pancras, 27 from scarlatina and 24 from typhus; in Islington (which contains the London Fever Hospital), 18 from scarlatina, and 14 from typhus; in Hackney, 6 from scarlatina and 15 from typhus ; in Strand, 10 from scar latina and 7 from typhus; in Holborn, 12 from scarla tina and 8 from typhus; in East London, one from scar latina and 3 from typhus; in West London, 4 from scar latina and 10 from typhus; in City of London, 8 from scarlatina and 5 from typhus; in Shoreditch 12 from scarlatina and and 20 from typhus; in Bethnal green, 18 from scarlatina and 17 from typhus; in Whitechapel, none from scarlatina and 23 from typhus; in Stepney, 36 from scarlatina and 27 from typhus; in Poplar, 12 from scarlatina and 4 from typhus; in St. Saviour, Southwark, 9 from scarlatina and 7 from typhus; in St. Olave, 7 from scarlatina and 9 from typhus; in St. George, Southwark, 8 from scarlatina and 10 from typhus; in Newington, 10 from scarlatina and 14 from typhus; in Lambeth, 18 from scarlatina and 25 from •typhus; in Wandsworth, 3 from scarlatina and 12 from typhus; in Greenwich, 2 from scarlatina and 13 from typhus. In the 36 districts of which the metropolis is composed the above are those in which the numbers have been most considerable during the aforesaid period. STATE OF THE WEATHER DURING THE PAST WEEK. SUNDAY.—The amount of cloud was variable throughout the day ; cirrocumuli and cirrostrati. Electricity _Nothing was shown at any examination. MONDAY. —Th e s k y was most ly f ree f rom c l ou d d ur i ng the morning, and after war d s was pr i nc ip a lly covere d w i t h cumuli, cirrocumuli, and cirrostrati. A shower of hail and rain fell during the afternoon. Electricity—Nothing was shown at any examination. TUESDAY.—Three-fourths of the sky were covered during the morning and afternoon ; at night the sky was clear ; cumuli, cirrocumuli, and cirrostrati. Electricity—Positive, and tension weak during the afternoon. WEDNESDAY.—The sky was clear during the morning, mostly covered with cloud during the afternoon, and clear at night ; cumuli and cirrostrati. Electricity—Positive, and tension moderate during the afternoon and evening. TitunsnAr.—The sky for the most part was clear throughout the day. Electricity—Positive, and tension moderate during the afternoon. FRIDAY.—The sky was clear throughout the day. Elec tricity—Positive, and tension moderate during the morning and afternoon. SATURDAY.—The sky was clear throughout the day. Electricity—Nothing was shown throughout the day. The mean reading of a thermometer placed on the main mast, and read each day at 9h. A.m. was 35•2° ; and the mean reading at 9h. r.ae. was 33•S°; the mean readings at the Royal Observatory for the same times were 34.7 e and 35 . 7 Q respectively. The reading of the barometer decreased from 29 . 72 in; at the .beginning of the week to 2.9'58 in. by 9h. r.m. on the Ist; increased to 30.66 in. by 9h. A.M. on the 6th; and decreased to 30'61 in. by the end of the week. LINES ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS MOORE. (From the Cork Southern Reporter.) Another departed!—the last of a cluster That star-like illumined thy slavery's night, That shed on thy combat for freedom a lustre Which shone like a glory of God on the fight. Thy Prelate* the first of the galaxy perished, Thy Tribunal' thy Orator 4 later have past, Thy Minstrel—that name in thy story so cherished§-- The Bard of thy struggle, has left thee the last. Each nobly essayed to exalt thy condition. One only through ages the work will prolong. Priest, Orator, Tribune have ended their mission, But Death sets no term to the triumphs of song. No—long as thy cliffs shall be lashed by the waters, And long as thy cloud-wreathed hills shall endure, ds b oatuchleed, thee A spell on the hearts of thy sons and thy daughters, e, galled thee, Will rest, in the soul-stirring lyrics of Moore. Not now, while thy fections still madly distract thee; y r d a hi ll ne e Not now, while thy wounds, self-re -opened, still bleed, Wilt thou pause to remember ho ld w iims n ebn o a b oati l When chains were thy guerdon, until thou vast freed, Yes! freed from the yoke that so angrily thy deliverers i t v ie e d r theeers ithenn And bade thee go forward to Liberty's goal. Fr T om bci th fe e t s t e er t s h But not, alas! freed from the vices that bound The weakness—half tr us t, half suspicion, then, The ignorance ages of wro ng gathere of sla ve s, Which leave thee, t o -d ay, still the victim of knaves. Oh! Erin, from these, .thy The Diced of the v i ctor were deliv'rance were g l or i ous, Who should stifl e th e breath of mighty ind ee d, And teach the e true Liberty'sthy factions uproarious, dignified d• cree . Should raise thee from a And, leadi ng thee fortnharchy's victi m - s t a i ne d a lt a r, Should hear th ee , at l to a holi er s h r i ne , The precepts o f F r eeendgth, with a t rem bli ng lip, f a lter om's religion divine. The page of thy Bard yields that loftier teaching That yet wiltthou learn—though neglected to-day, For turn thee thou wilt from the a narchist's preaching, To love that great gospel that lives in his lay. Half ally, half serf, to a free-thoughted nation, Ilia aid to uplift thee, be gloriously gave. Uplifted resolve! Be her equal in station And freedom, nor grovel, the slave of a slave! He lived to lament o'er thy saddest condition— While slavery's antics mocked liberty's name— And, shocked at thy bondage of self-imposition, He fled thee for ever, in sorrow and shame. Leave his dust to the land where his death-sigh WO breathed Land worthy the dust of a freeman to keep ! With nigh t-shado his urn would, by thee, be enwreathed, And bigotry's venom the corona! steep. Perchance, in some moment of happier omen, When present dissensions shall wake thy disgust, When thy children , as rivals, s h a ll strive, not as foemeng Thou too shalt be worthy of guarding such dust. i 'ls'then im p lo re - w it h ' Then may 'at Repelling thy slights, and repenting thy wrong; And Albion, subdued by thy sadness, surrender The urn of the bard to his loved Isle of Song. But, now, let him sleep, far away from contention, His memory embalmed in the Patriot's thought— The Patriot who blushes his genius to mention, While bitterly conscious how vainly it taught. M. J. B. London, March Ist, 1852. l ß e. ar Bards O'Connell. G Ireland an e i' h Le Sh ,eis known universally, b ee s ** Drho3e ever her most honoured class. , R EL IEF TO WIDOWS.--By a return to just printed, it appears that on the Ist of Ja nuary, here weraehdsoo,ln3Othweidioswt's ofin t j h a e no re a c r e y ip l t as o t f out doorth 4-,068. number was , Parliament LEAGUE FUND.—The more recent subscrip tions A rmstron parochial include Messrs. Mathers, Liverpool, 500/. ; Mr. John tions Lancaster,' ' AO/. ; Mr. Chas. Stanton, Stroud. P°° 11 18 - .5t • Viscount Duncan, 100/.; and Messrs. George Ash worth3 • ' d Sons, Rochdale, 100/. anrelief, The total to yesterday noo n was 45,00 0 /., and probably by the time this reaches the e ye of the reader it will exceed 50,000/. Wile ARMS THE KAFIRS ?—lt is an inferior article from Birmingham which has been slaughtering our soldiers at the Cape for months past. One wonders whether they know the fact, and whether it aggravates the pain of their wounds and their shame. Traders on the African coast ascertain the wants of the inhabitants, in regard to firearms among other things : they send their order to London merchants ; London merchants order the article o the Birmingham manufacturers, and, after a time, if a Kafir is disarmed, his iece is found to bear the na me or mark of a Birmingham gunmaker. .We ma k e firearms ,-. for both parties, in all wars," said a manufacturer to us ye*. chni„ t . ' 'g ruth —2hckens terday. As such i s and must b e the fact, we like the plain avowal of it; b u t i t i 4 A strange - soa n liousehold Words. :~ ~`ti t , S uT N ~~~ - 1