The Sun. — London, England, 1865-02-21 00:00:00

TIER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.' Sole Manager and Director, Mr. W. Harrison. THIS EVENING the performance will commence with she new Oper4, LAR A. Principal characters by Messrs. Swift, G. Honey, Forbeg, Terrott, and Renwick; M.sses Louisa Fyne, G ttrell, Barrington, and Romer. Conductor, Signor ARDITI. After the Opera will be aiven the Burlesque , entit led THE LION AND THE UNICORN. Principal characters, Messrs. Rouse, Anderson, &c. ; Misses E. BLit on, Cottrell, Furtado. To conclude w.th the GRAND TRANSFORMATION SCENE. Doors open at Halt-past Six. Commence at Seven. ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT GARDEN. (Opera Company. Limited.) CONTINUED SUCCESS OF CINDERELLA AND THE WONDERFUL LONATO. THIS EVENING anew Op(ra, in onc act, entitled THE RIVER SPRITE. The music by Frank Mori. the words by George Lin!ey. haras crs by: essrs. G. Perrin, Wess, A, Cook, Lyall, Duss k, and Mdmc ELLON. Florence Lancia. Condwtor, 3l r. A. M Alter which. at a q uarter -past• 8, the Grand and highly in wuich Successful l'automitue, CIN DEREL.L.A, Donato Via reappear. Magnifizent Scen,:ry and gorgeous accessories. Commen:e at Seven. THEATRE -ROYAL, DRURY-LANE, Alanaffers, Messrs. E. Falconer and F. B. Chatterton. THIS EVENING, Sir E. L. Bulwer Lytton's Play of RICHELIEU: Messrs. l'helps, Waiter Lacey. If. Marston, E. Phelps, Neville, Sinclair ; .Mrs. Hermann Vezia, miss H. Howard, itc. Alter which, the Grand Christmas Pantomime, HOP O'MY THUMB AND HIS ELEVEN BROTHERS; or, Harlequin and the Ogre of the Seven-League Boots : Messrs. G. Bel more, Torn Matthews, G. Weston, Master Percy Roselle, &c. 31isses Lydia Thompson. R. Lcclercq, &c. ; Messrs. Boleno , T. Morris, Cormack, Saville ; C. Lauri, W. A. BarneA, B o len°, the Misses Gunnies, and Signor Tescano. THEATRE -It OYA L, HAYMARKET. Lessee, Mr. Backstone. THIS EVENING, A DAY AMR THE WEDDING. Miss Blanche Aylmer. To be tollowe 1 by DAVID GARRICK. Messrs. Chippendale, Sothern, Buckstone, Rogers, Clark, Coe, Wea thersby, w ; Mesdames Moore, Snowdon, F4zwilliam, &C. After which, LORD DUNDEEARY MARRIED AND DONE FOR. Messrs. Sothern, Buckstone, Braid, Gordon, Clark, White, Coe, Weatheraby, Ste. ; Mesdames Snowdon, Hill, .kc With PRINCESS SPRINGTIME. Mr. Compton, Miss L. Keeley. To commence at 7. NE'v THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI .-- ole rroortqtJr *au naa.44.r. 1 " " PHIS EVENING, ICI ON PARLE FRANCAIS. Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. R. Phillips, Mr. Billington, Miss K. Kelly, Mrs. liillington, Mrs. 11. Lewis. Alter which, th Ccmic Drama of MASKS AND FACES ; or, Before and Behind the Curtaie. Mr. ksenjamin Webster, Messrs. Paul Bedford, Billington, Ashley, Stuart, C. Smith, Mrs. Stirling, Miss 11. Simms. and Mrs. Billington. To conclude with DARK DOINGS IN THE CUP BOARD BY THE KNOTrING'EM BitOniEßS. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedtord ; Mrs. A. Mellon. Commence at 7. ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Sole Management of Mr.} echter. THIS EVENING, SIMPSON AND CO. Messrs. S. Emery, C. Horsman, Collett; Mesdames C. Horsman, lien rade, E. Boyce, and Elawort!ly. Atter w'abh, at half-past 8, a New Drama, entitled THE ROADSIDE INN. ItLbert Alazaite, Alr. echter. Messrs. AViddicomb, C. florsmau. Fitzpatrick, Garden, Moretand, Raymond, Collett; Mesdames Ettiworthy and B. Percy. To conclude with TWO IN THE MORNING. Messrs. Whidisomb and Eme. y. Doors open at Hall-past Six. The Box-office open daily from Elevcn till Five. RC YAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining. THIS EVENING, a new Eitravaganz), entitled THE MAGIC HORSE AND THE ICE MAIDEN I ItINCESz4. After which, THE STREET 3 ON' LONDON. Messrs. Vining, J. W. Ray, D. Fisher, D. Murray, J. Nelson, 11. Forrester. H. Mellon ; Mrs. Henry Marston, Miss Emma Barnett, and Miss Rainy Gwynne. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manageress. Mrs. Swanborough. T iIIS EVENING, at 7, THE WILFUL WARD. Mr. Behold; Miss Palmer. After which, the great Comic Drama, MILKY WHITE Messrs. Craven, Stoyle, Jamea ; Miss swanborough. To conclude with T RE " GRIN" BUSHES : Mr. Fenton. ; Mesdames liaralaam, Simpson, Johnstone, Ow.. GRATIS AND POST FREE, E. MOSES and SONS' New Pamphlet, THE PHILOSOPHY OF DRESS. MOSES AND S 0 N • respectfully call attention to their large and well assorted stock of JUVENILE CLOTHING. The newest fabrics are combined with the latest and most fashionable cesigns, and the best workmanship. E. MOSES and SON give particular attention to this important branch of their business, and they can with confidence affirm that the prices •re such as must satisfy the most economical. Tula depart ment is in a aistinct part of the premises, which will be found a v.re.,t convenience for ladies and children, MOSES A.ND SON E• respectfully invite public attention to their large and wed-assorted WINTEd. STOCK. MOSE S AND SON'S E• "SANDRINGHAM" and "DANISH " WRAI'L'EIt ' Introduced by them) is the newest and most fashion tb c style of Overcoats for the season. MOSES AN]) SON'S • READY-MADE and BESPOKE CLOTIIING for all classes and all ages. MOSES AND SON'S ,~• CELEBICATED "INDISPENSABLE" SUIT, irom 30s. MOSES AND • HOSIERY and DRAPERY, for all classes and all ages. MOSES AND SON'S ~• HATS AND CAPS, for all c asses and all ages. MOSES AND SON'S ~j. BOOTS and SHOES, for all classes and all ages. E. MOSES AND SON'S OUTFIrs, for all classes, all age d , and all climates. - go MOSES AND SON'S LONDON HOUSES, 154, 155, 153, 157, Minories ; 83, 81, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, Aldgate 506 507, 508, New Oxford--street; 1,2, 3, Hart-street; 137, 138, Tottenham-court-road ; 288, Euston-road Also, Bradford, Yorkshire. 4 4 - 1 MOSES AND SON'S 4• Establishments are closed evey Friday evening at sunset until haturday evening at sunset, when business is re settled until it o'clock. All articles are marked the lowest prices in plain figures. Any article nut appr..ved of will be exchanged, or the money returned. List of Prices with Rules for Self-measurement, Fashion Card, and our new pamphlet, "The Philosophy of Dress," gratis and post free. COALS. —The TJT,T,TESHALTi COMPANY'S COAL,. Direct from their own Collieries. Marquis'. 265. per ton. I Double ..210. per ton. Top 265. „ Dee p Well screened and delivered within five miles of their De pots, Westbournc Vzirk-road, W., and 17, South Wharf, t•addington, W., and Maiden-lane, N. Best Coke lss. per chaldron. Terms cash. JOHN SCOTT, dole Ll;ent. THE LATEST EDITION o f " THE SUN " supplied, as soonas_prshed every Eve n i ng by fv7ALEXANDER. (late a ROO CS), Newspaper Agent, 21, Old Cavendish-street, Oxford-street. /FRE LAST EDITION OF THE SUN, " jll. containing the Latest 6rUltrltAti- INTs:LLIGENt ilaku be had Every Evening of G. Lt. GLEN'S, NEWS AGENT, No, 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park. THE LAST EDITION of " THE SUN supplied as : , 00n as Published containing all the LArEST NBIVS and SPORTING INTELLIGIt.NCS, by n. W. HARRIS, Ne spaper Agent, 4, Blackiriars-road, London, S. ~ HI HIGH WATER AT LONDON _BRIDE. This DAY.—Morning, 9 h. 26m.—Afternoon, G 10h. 12m To-Monaow.-Morning, 10h. 53m. Afternoon, 11h. 35m. - y4 S 0 N'S ?Th LON DON TUESDAY, FEB. 21, 1865. The dis cussion which took place last night in the House of Lords respecting the defences of Canada will be re a d w i th the deepest interest. The import ance of the matter is sograve, a ve, the uneasiness which is felt at the c on d uct of the well_fea Federal States is so wide-spread and well-founded, that that so far f rom demurring at the proposed outlay of the p u bli c money, the principal feelings expre ssed by their Lordships were regret that it had not taken pl ace earlier, and surprise that it was not thought ad visable to make a larger and more immediateexpen cliture. This will probably be the view take n - o ; the discussion by the public generally, and th e question why, when the danger is certainly not only possible but probable, only one quarter of the sum proposed to be raised should be expended during the current year will be echoed outside the House of Peers. The debate of last evening was, of course, a debate and nothing more, since the vote has not yet been even proposed in the Com mons, but it arose from Lord LiYEDEN'S endea vouring to elicit some information from the Ministry vecting Colonel JIB - voIS'S recent report on the 11flc' Canadian defences. The members o! , o th in e oi G al overn m indis cretion ent d e ended n thethemselves pn bli oa tion fr of oni th a a n tyreport, but they found it a harder matter to prove that they had b een guilty of no indiscr etion, in allowing sovast a territory to remain in so defenceless a state during the last four years of warfare. Now they have at last determined on taking some active measures after the long displayed hostility of the Federal States has shown itself in official acts, but they are doing it in a timorous half-hearted way which certainly found no encouragement from the Peers. Lord LYVEDEN, in opening the question, remarked that the report of Colonel JERVOIS showed Canada to be at the present moment utterly defenceless, and he denounced the timid and cautious action of the Government in supplying the Canadians with men and money in such driblets that one-half would be virtually profitless in time of danger. The Minis ters, in defending themselves, stated that it was pro posed that the Canadas should undertake the de fence of Montreal, and the Home Government the fortification of Quebec; that for the latter purpose a sum of £200,000 would be asked, of which £50,000 would be expended during the present year. No wonder that Lord ELLENBOROUGH should pronounce such an arrangement to be incredible. Why, in the name of common sense, if fortifications are re quired not to provide for some visionary future pressing and immediate dan but to guard against a ger, are the works to be undertaken in such a d aw dli n g fashion, that Quebec itself may have changed hands two or three times before they are completed? Lord ELLENBOROUGH very pertinently advised the Government to consider what would have been the position of one of the contending par ties of the great American struggle if they had acted on the same principle. No sooner was the danger seen than the whole country was at once astir, Charleston, Wilmington, and Mobile were fortified to such good purpose that they are still held by the Confederates, but " if they had gone on the supposition that there was plenty of time ; if they had endeavoured to do the thing by driblets, setting up a fort in one year and one in another, they would have been long ago overwhelmed, and every one of the places they wished to preserve would have been lost." Lord DE GREY and RIPON'S assertion that in the brief working season of Canada it would be impossible to spend £200,000, does not weigh much in favour of the Government. If a proper spirit was infused into the work, and a suffi cient number of men employed, double that amount could be profitably laid out in the de fence, not of Quebec alone, but of the St. Lawrence. It sounds almost like satire, in the presence of the hostile demonstrations of the Federal States, to find our War Minister coolly taking about asking Parliament year by year for a vote of such amount as might seem expedient. If revolutions, according to a famous aphorism, are not made with rose-water, very certainly war is not carried on in this Grandisonian fashion. One would think from the tone of the Ministry that we might expect America to give us six or twelve months' notice of her intention to invade Canada, and that she would defer any hostile measure until we were fully equipped to resist them. As Lord MALMES BURY very justly observed, we have but too con vincing evidence that a passion of dominion prevails among the Americans, and its existence ought not to be disregarded. We may hope, indeed, that when the war is concluded the Fede ral States will disband their great armies, and sit down quietly to the task of internal reorga nisation, .but that hope does not rest on sufficient foundations to justify our present dilatory mode of proceeding. Far from provoking the United States to war, proper measures of defence would be the most likely way to avert such an evil, and it is most unjust to accuse those Englishmen of seeking to irritate a friendly nation who are anxious to pre serve their own fellow-subjects from the miseries suffered by the invaded Southern States. We are glad to find Lord DERBY speaking in .his usual straightforward and patriotic tone, and especially dwelling upon the importance of making adequate naval preparations. 41 a time when the great questions of peace and war depend not upon the calm considerations of friendly Govern ments, but upon the excited passions of popular assemblies, we make, said the noble earl, a public avowal of the defenceless condition of some of our most important possessions. The tie not only of interest but of honour binds us to them, and in eloquent terms Lord DERBY denounced the policy which would permit these provinces to be separated from us not by, any will of their own, but by the forcible invasion of a hostile country. " I say that under these circumstances, to allow the colony to be wrested from us without putting forth the whole strength of the empire, aided as we should be by the colonists themselves, would be an endless dis grace and ignominy to which I hope this country will never submit." These words will find an echo in the heart of every Englishman, but the timid and vacillating policy of Earl RUSSELL will never secure his countryman's sympathies. The real explanation of the slow and dilatory manner in which the defences of Canada are to be carried on is to be found in the ab surd apprehension which our Ministers are under of offending the Federal Government. Earl RUSSELL'S speech, in which he endeavoured to prove that in their position we should have felt and acted pre cisely the same, his rejoicing over the verbal abolition of a slavery which has ceased to be a source of profit, his sneer at the interest taken by this country " in former days" in the freedom of the slave, all tell the same story of timid subjection to the dicta tion of Federal statesmen. Well might Lord MALMESBURY say that theevaenntysobofsetrhveer,lassint since e hr th ee e weeks should have disabused only point of contest between the two belligerents was plainly announced to be independence on the one side, and undivided dominion on the other. If our Ministers allow themselves to be u • n p ose d upon by any specious pretexts of humanity or dis interestedness, not only they but their country men will bitterly regret it. Lord RUSSELL'S persistent attempt to make the worse appear the better cau se , to :call American insults signs of friendship, an d their arrogance moderation, reminds us of the definition in " Othello" " It is hypocrisy against the devil ;" and such attempts he may be very sure will impose neither on his countrymen nor on the quick-witted Yankees. find the in s esthatsession, o n It is satisfactory to R e f o rm in the m ost needed Bill which proposes r n . t r V o d i U .' e l' e l E d R a s should have, thus early direction of the Poor Laws. T he better distribution d es i r able thing, and of union chargeability is a very it affords a reasona ble hope that profession w ill be put i n t o pract i ce, w h en we fi n d remedial measures brought forward at so early a date. It always takes a lon g ti me, with one thing and another, wi th this and th a t suggestion, before any particular plan can be put int o practice, or any proposed measure be come law, and hence the disast r ous results that follow upon th e late discussio n of a bill. Mr. VIL LIERS explained the purport of the Bill very clearly, and there seems no reason to doubt its efficiency any more than there is not ample proof to the effect that a change is needful. He proposes that the Union Fund Ahall in future have the charge of all the poor within the Union ; also to repeal the clause that provid .es for the retention of the parochial system, and transfer the removal from overseers to guar dians. In future removals will be from union to union, and not from parish to parish. This will be a great relief in many instances. It is supposed that by this means much confusion will be avoided, as the guardians in general are more competent to judge of such matters than the overseers, and also exhthit more discretion in avoiding expense and disputations. Another advantage will be found in the fact that by this arrangement there will be a stop put to the pernicious practice of send ing the poor from parish to parish by underhand means, such as destroying cottage accommodation, &c. Mr. VILLIERS has shown that in many agricultural districts, while the population increases, the houses decrease to a great extent. It is to be hoped that this measure will be allowed to pass, notwithstanding the many objections that may be raised against it, for it is an instalment at any rate, and an earnest of better things in the future. There is something so systematically wrong in the whole working and mechanism of our poor laws that any change must be for the better ; and the attention of the Legislature can be directed to no more important or influential branch of domestic policy, concerning as this does the welfare of so many, and being as it is so inseparably bound up with the vital interests of the community. The year 1865 has opened gloomily enough, and will long be remembered in many a home as the period of woe and affliction. The severe state of the weather at such a season of the year is very un usual ; and it is curious to notice how universal the storms have been. All through Europe the incle mency has prevailed, and the successive accounts that reach us from the different countries only serve to confirm the unfavourable impression already pre vailing regarding the aspect of . things. The descrip tions given of the various accidents that have occurred over the country are more akin to the records of old times, and the traditions of a former generation, than to the sober and monotonous details of the travellers of our present time. Last Sunday a party of miners in the North Riding found a man in the snow, who was nearly exhausted, having been exposed to the storm for two nights and without food for 48 hours. It is interesting to observe that he would have been kept in his dreary abode, had it not been for the sagacity of a dog belonging to one of the party, who refused to leave his master, and directed attention to the spot where the poor fellow was lying. The extreme severity of the storm may be appreciated by the fact that, at St. Fillans, three hundred sheep are confined in a den, which cannot be reached owing to the deep drifts of snow, and thus the poor animals will perish unless an abatement takes place in the weather. The distress occasioned by such an intensity of cold is very great, and serious apprehensions are entertained as to the result that will be produced by so much destruction of property and suspension of labour. The sheep farmers in particular have been great sufferers. A sad account is given of the untimely end of a young gentleman who made frequent excursions in Cumberland, and went about exploring. He met with several stoppages, but very imprudently per sisted in his efforts, and thus came to a danger he could not surmount. He lost his footing on the slippery platform of the mountain, and evidently rolled down with great force. In this case also the services of a dog were employed to find the body, it not being practicable to descend with safety at the spot where the tracks of his footsteps ceased. Only a portion of the plaid of the unfortunate traveller was found protruding, so entirely had the snow covered his lifeless remains. The severe snowstorm in the North has blocked up the Highland line be tween Inverness and Perth. The mails were sent by the Great North line to Aberdeen, but this was also believed to be snowed up. Although these de tails are more striking than events that can be found to occur in cities, or in the vicinities of large towns, it is to be questioned if many tales equally sad in narration and deplorable in consequences, may not be gleaned by those who seek to acquaint themselves with the short but simple annals of the poor who throng our highways, and starve in our courts and alleys. What the half-clothed, barely fed, and fireless portion of the community have to endure at this bitter season, it is almost incalculable to estimate, and very difficult to realise. Surely, then, this must be a period when unusual liberality is called for, and when the cold calculating dogmas of expediency and economy should not be suffered to prevail. It is, and ought to be, a fearful consi deration for those who are dwelling in homes of luxury, to contemplate the havoc that grim disease and ghastly death are making upon their fellow creatures, in many a dreary spot and wretched habi tation. A vigorous effort should be made to rescue these miserable beings, as much as possible, from the consequences of the severe weather ; and if all our exertions cannot avail to do enough, there will be the satisfaction remaining to those who are bene ficent, that they have done what they could. The general liberality of our community is proverbial ; but the especial claims of this unusually bitter season call for extra exertion ; and the inhabitants of a country, so distinguished for skill and enterprise, can find no better means for employing their talents than in rendering them conducive to the alleviation of distress, rfiE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 21, 1865. Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The programme so tastefully and artistically laid down by the manager of this theatre is being rigidly adhered to, and last night Sir Bulwer Lytton's historical play of "Richelieu" was brought out in a thoroughly efficient style, Mr. Phelps playing the Cardinal. This is one of the best of this able actor's characters, and its mixture of high declamation, strong passion, and domestic feeling is calcu lated to bring out the peculiar talents of this artist in high relief. His heroic bearing, sly sarcasm, human sympathy, inordinate vanity, and extraordinary energy are all admi rably pourtrayed. The quieter parts seem to our mind most to develop the extraordinary powers of the actor, though of course the telling and somewhat stagy points draw down the most vehement applause. The enthusiasm shown by the audience was unbounded, and, in addition to a call at the end of the acts, his conclusion was applauded to the very echo that doth applaud again. Mr. W. Lacy played the foolish courtier, Sieur do Beringham, very lightly and agreeably; Mr. E. Phelps was heroic as the Chevalier de Mauprat ; and Mr. Marston efficient as the plotting Baradas. Mrs. Herman Vezin acted charmingly as Julie de Mortemar. The getting-up, though not special to the occasion, is i n ever y respec t h an d some an d e ff ec ti ve. The grand pa n t om i me s till h o l ds i ts place, no r i s there any sign of its giving way, except that the last morning per formance is announced for Monday next. ADELPHI THEATRE. It is a positive happiness to see a again thoroughly t artistic performance of a s t age play, after abortive or ive a ttempts made to force on the pl a y- go i ng public the d b efforts of immature pretension ; and we s aw w ith delight crue last night the reproduction of that excellent comedy, "Masks and Faces," in which Mr. Webster and Mrs. Stir ling play the principal parts. Bad art of any kind is not only disagreeable, but it lowers the tone of the mind ; and however it may be decked out with meretricious appliances, it always produces nausea. True art is an unmistakeable thing, and whoever can truly appreciate it is never misled by the false, whatever conspiracy there may be to pass off the spurious for the real. We trust that Mr. Webster, now that he has again returned to his owl' stage, will give us more of himself and of that excellent company be pos- sesses. Count Wijdenbruck, the newly-appointed Aus trian Minister to the United States, and formerly belonging to the Austrian Embassy at the Court of St. James's, has passed through London with his family and suite, on his way to Liverpool, where he intends to embark next Sa urdaY for his new destination. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. (REUTER'S TELEGRAM.) FRANCE, PARIS, FEB. 21. Imperial decrees have been issued to-day ap pointing the Commissioners for the Universal Ex hibition of 1867, and for the Universal Exhibition of Fine Arts, which are to take place in Parissimul tan eously. Among the persons appointed members of the Commission are Earl Granville, Lord Cowley, and Mr. Cobden. BOURSE, Feb. 20.—The money market shows but very little animation, and quotations remain about the same. Threes, For the Account, are now at 67f. 40c. Mobilier are not quoted. Rail way Shares are firm, with advanced quotations. The market was heavy towards the close, with little variation in prices. The following are the last quotations : • 41- per Cents 96 50 Do. end month — 3 per Cents. 67 40 Do. end month 67 40 Credit Mobilier Do. end month Bank Shares 3525 Cr?.dit Foncier 1280 Roman — Italian Loan 65 10 Do. end month 65 10 Ditto Threes — New Mexican Russian B9 Austrian Spanish Threes 44 Home Debt Deferred RAILWAYS. Cash. Acct. Orleans Northern lOl5 1016 25 Lyons and Mediterranean 948 75 950 Southern 5BO 578 75 Western s3B 75 : 540 - Eastern Sardinian 306 50 m 305 Austrian Lombard 547 50 548 75 North of Spain 337 50 ... 338 75 Saragossa 4Ol 25 ... 400 Ditto to Barcelona — 175 LITERATURE. Mr. Charles Knight's Autobiography. Passages of a Working Life during Ralf a Century. By Charles Knight. Vol. 111., completing the work. Bradbury and Evans. It is with little less than a sense of personal gra tification that we would, here, tender to the author of these delightful recollections our earnest congratula tions upon their completion. So perfectly unaffected are they, that they constitute one among the very pleasantest of autobiographies. From the beginning to the end of them, the reader has no distasteful remembrance, even for a moment, that the writer of the book, the pages of which he is turning so glibly, is in the very smallest partble of a degree egotistical. Although, perforce, after the manner of all autobio graphers, Mr. Knight is writing, of course, about himself, he gives us the impression, while he is doing so, that he is all the while rather looking out of himself at what is going on immediately around him, than regarding any reflection of himself, as though it were in a sort of a cheval-glass of self-contem plation ! He is thinking, apparently, all the while less of Himself than of the last Half-century during which he has been living, thinking, writing—in one word, as he himself epitomises it upon his title-page, Working. It is the record of a working-man in the fullest meaning of the phrase that we are reading in these reminiscences of Charles Knight, book-writer and bookseller, author and publisher, editor and compiler, historian, essayist, critic, commentator, and here lastly autobiographer. Charles Knight has been too busy a man to be egotistical. He has been too much in earnest ever to have run the risk of being a bore. He has too much to tell that is worth the telling, to have the chance even, let alone the in clination, to run into the error of age, to wit, by be coming garrulous. In these three volumes he has contrived to pack together his remembrance not merely of the last half century, but a variety of yet earlier reminiscences. He has for fifty years worked so well, so wisely, saga ciously, steadfastly, persistently, unsatisfied by success, undeterred by failure, that it is no exag geration whatever to say of him that so far as one man could forward the interests of enlightenment in his generation he has done so—self-made man though he is ! It was one of the most famous utterances that ever fell from the lips of Henry Brougham, M.P. for the West Riding of York shire—the now historical dictum, " The School master is abroad !" And a very arch-type of the Schoolmaster was Henry Brougham's friend and fellow - labourer in the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge among the masses, Charles Knight, the son of the Windsor Bookseller. William and Robert Chambers at Edinburgh, Charles Knight at London, have between them, during this last half century, done—pretty equally—yeoman's service in the cause of National Education. While the Go vernment has been pottering and fumbling over the problem, striving more or less earnestly at uncer tain intervals to hit upon its solution, these intellec tual labourers have been doing the good work strenuously, persistently, indomitably themselves. It that w is with Charles Knight's part in the good wor k, howevetrh,ertehfoarte,wiet is have of n it ow alo t n o e do e exclusively. ou And, w ould here speak. Apart from everything he has been enabled to accomplish in the way of spreading abroad Useful Knowledge among the naturally intelligent masses of the uneducated popu lation, as the officially appointed printer and pub lisher of the Society constituted l express y for the purpose of furthering that Diffusion of Useful Knowledge—apart from all that he has done in his time in that capacity—as, let us call him (and it is a title he might well be proud of) the Right Hand Man of Lord Brougham— what has not Charles Knight, during this half cen tury last past, accomplished, himself, individually ? It is something, verily, for him to have achieved so many eminent things that the multitude of Educated Englishmen know him to have achieved ! Conspi cuous among these achievements of his, it will be suf ficient to mention among his titles to popular consideration—That he has given to the world of letters two noble Encyclopaedias—The Penny Ency clopedia ! and The National Encyclopxdia ! One of the four divisions of the latter;.being the one only really comprehensive Biographical Dictionary in the English Language ! Added to this, he has won honour to himself as one of the most sagacious among the Shaksperian Commentators.. Besides being incontestibly The Biographer of Shakspere. As Editor of The Pictorial Edition of Shakspere, he has built up one of the noblest among the few really worthy monuments to the genius of that matchless poet and incomparable dramatist. Beyond all which, Charles Knight has secured for himself last ing recognition among the annalists of his native land as essentially the National Historian, as the author of The National History of England, the history not of the Kings or of the dynasties, but of the people themselves, of their succeed ing and multiplyin g generations. By issuing during a series of years, week by week, number after number, volume after volume, his celebrated periodical of The Penny gagazine, he may be fairly said to have individually inaugurated the whole system of cheap serial publications. A project yet further applied by him—in a more highly elaborated, though, in a pecuniary point of view, it is to be regretted, in a far less successful way—in a succession of cheap monthly volumes, known as Knight's Shilling Library. g London"—" The Land We Live In"—" Half-Hours with the Best Authors"—these and a variety of other valuable serial publications we are indebted to Charles Knight for, beyond all the others that have been ennumerated. To say nothing of his Almanack, and his Companion to the Almanack—each of these last mentioned being wonderful annual repertories of sound and thoroughly reliable information. As an occa sional contributor himself to the popular periodicals of the day—to such, for example, as Charles Dickens's famous twopenny weekly paper of " Household Words "—we are indebted for a collection of essays as charming in their way as Charles Knight's Once Upon a Time—a collection that we put aside, for frequently " dipping into," in the same corner of our bookshelves already sacred to " Elia" and the " Spectator." And now, finally —crowning his good labours as a man of letters, who has cultivated literature, for the pure love of it, during all this half century last past—Charles Knight has but just now given to us as a bonne bouche, this keen-witted and thoroughly amiable record of his varied per sonal recollections. Only once during it all—(so much of delicate reticence is there in the work !) —does he permit us for a moment to have a glimpse into his own home. And this only at the very close of this the third and last of these volumes of his self-revelation, of his genial remembrances. Itlis then only (as he himself remarks apologetically, while he is vouchsafing us this fleeting glimpse into his own home) from the mouth speaking, out of the fullness of the heart—namely, where immediately prior to the "Finis" Charles Knight inscribes to his Wife, "to her who has been the best friend, the sympathiser, the consoler," during Half a Century of his Working Life, this honest record of the work done by him in that same half century. It is, in every sense, a worthy tribute—and one upon the worth of which we may fairly and most earnestly felicitate alike the manly donor and the gentle re cipient. DR. WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY. Part 11. (Bell and Daldy.)—Another of the monthly half-crown instal ments of this popular edition of a noble Dictionary has but just now appeared, under date this present month of February. It brings the work down to " Court," thereby affording another illustration—a rather vivid one, by the way, seeing that there are, in the present periodical issue of the work, to be no more than twelve of these instalments altogether— another and a very striking illustration of the fact that the earlier words in a dictionary monopolise a very disproportionate space as compared with that required by the later words. Ex. gr. here is one-sixth of the serial gone already, and the third letter of the alphabet not yet completed ! The little woodcut illustrations sprinkled through the work are explanatory for the most part either of natural history or of mechanics. And—apart from their usefulness, in the way of explaining yetfurther an explanation beyond what letter-press could ac complish—these minute embellishments of the edi tion serve to enliven it, while they in some sense also serve to beautify it. In its comprehensiveness, the Dictionary of Dr. Webster, as yet further revised and improved by Dr. Noah Porter and by Dr. Chauncey. Goodrich, bears, so far, a resemblance to the most modern edition of a Dictionary in the German Language, that—like a famous Dictionary it makes mention of and explains almost every admissable compound-word in free and easy use as part and parcel of what may be called our idiomatic vernacular. THE AUTOGRAPHIC MIRROR. Nos. XXV. and XXVI. still sustains the reputation of a very curious serial publication, a serial the interest of which appears to be really inexhaustible. Sir Edward Parry, the Arctic navigator ; Isambard Brunel, the great inventive engineer ; Miss Glynn, the actress; Madame Catalani, the singer ; Edmund Burke, the orator ; Walter Scott, the novelist ; Descartes, the philosopher ; Cellini, the artificer ; Swift, the satirist ; Michael Angelo, the artist ; among other famous people—contribute their quota, here, to the interest of this double number of the Autographic Mirror, otherwise L' Autographe Cos mopolite, the interest of which same double number is still further enhanced at the close of it by fac similes of three comic illustrations from the hand of the late W. M. Thackeray. SEVERAL RECENT PAMPHLETS—upon very miscel laneous subjectsseems to demand from us, here and there, some passing word of comment. A Letter addressed by Permission to Lord Stanley, M.P., by Indopolite, (Davy and Sons), puts as clearly as could well be put within the compass of no more than 111 pages octavo (Appendix and all) the pros and cons in regard to the claims of his Highness Azeem Jah to the title and dignity of Nawaub of the Carnatic. The Exorbitant Rate of Discount. By an Ex. M.P. (Robert Hardwicke)—undertakes in a letter ad dressed to the working classes (pp. 22, 8vo.), to demonstrate how the Malt Tax might be repeated without creating a deficiency in the revenue. The British Captives in Abyssinia, by Charles Beke, Ph.D. (Longman and Co.), puts very power fully (in 61 pages octavo) the almost incredible in cident of the two English missionaries, and of Captain Cameron, her Majesty's Consul at Masso wah, being subjected to captivity by the arbitrary decree of Theodore, the Emperor of Abyssinia. The eloquence of the argument being yet further enforced by the reader's remembrance that the argument throughout is one sustained by a critic and a philo logist as gifted and profound as the learned author of " Origines The Revenue Survey, by a Lawyer—coming to us all the way from the Union Press at Bombay, is so far of importance, inasmuch as it comprises within it (pp. 104, 8vo) the memorials against the Revenue Survey and Settlement Bill lately passed by the Legislative Council of his Excellency the Governor of Bombay, together with the remarks of the Press thereon, the whole preceded by the com piler's very lucid, and therefore most acceptable in troductory observations. Interpretation and its Application to Ecclesiastical Documents, by Howard Warburton Elphinstone (Ridgway) discusses briefly in 26 pages octavo the general theory of the interpretation of formal docu ments, and the precautions to be taken in applying it to certain classes of ecclesiastical documents. An Answer to Mr. Dalton's Pamphlet on the Irish Question, by Andrew Carden (Hodges, Smith, and Co.), inforces, in a few pertinent pages (22 8vo), the writer's earnest antagonism to the granting of leases to small farmers, explaining his reasons for thinking that there is no real damage of any exces sive emigration, and baseing the whole argument of the question at issue upon the contrast of the merits and demerits of good and bad farmering. The Agricultural Value of the Sewage of London (Stanford) is a pamphlet extending to no more than 78 octavo pages altogether, and yet it is for all that a pamphlet of more value and importance to the agriculturists of the United Kingdom than many a burly tome issued from the press for their instruc tion. Comprised within seven very readable chap ters and a couple of appendices, we have here com piled for us a comprehensive digest of the principal schemes submitted to the Metropolitan Board of Works, together with copieus extracts selected from the evidence of various authoritative chemists, engi neers, and agriculturists. INDIA: CHINA, AND AUSTRALIA. SOUTHAMPTON, Feb. 21. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Ellora, Capt. Brooks, with the heavy portion of the Calcutta, China, and Australian mails has arrived. She brings 60 passengers, seven packages of specie, valued at £2,451, also 470 packages gene ral cargo, and 1,010 bales raw silk, valued at £90,000 sterling. _ On the 9th inst., the Ellora exchanged colours with the steamer Delta, 200 miles east of Malta ; 10th, with the steamer Palestine, 100 miles east of Malta ; 12th, exchanged night signals with the steamer Pera, with the outward mails of the 4th, 240 miles west of Malta ; 16th, signalled the steamer Massilia, between Gibraltar and Cape St. Vincent, with the outward mails of the 12th ; and on the 18th, off Vigo, spoke the ship Britannia and Utopia. GIBRALTAR, Feb. 16. The last advices from Tangier state that great apprehensions are felt of a failure of the crops in the neighbourhood of Tangier, and as far down the coast as Rabat the prevalence of wet weather has hitherto rendered it impossible to get the seed into the ground, and the season is now so far advanced, that it is feared the time for sowing will have passed before the earth is in a fit state to receive the seed. The Sultan, it was reported at Tangier, has suc ceeded in bringing to obedience, without firing a shot, the tribes which were in insurrection in the vicinity of Mequinez. The weather all over the Mediterranean has been universally severe. Mail communication from Spain has been sus pended the past few days, in consequence of the heavy rains. All communication between St. Roque and the interior is cut off, and all the rivers and streams in the neighbourhood are impassable. The Infante Don Enrique, who was banished to the Canary Islands, a few months ago, has returned to the Spanish capital. Exchanges are quoted—London, 90 days' date, 491 ; Paris, sf. 14c. to 15c. ; Marseilles, sf. 15c. to 16c. ; Madrid, eight days' sight, 1} dis. ; Cadiz, 3i ; Seville, k din. ; and Malaga, to I din. The Turkish Bath. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sm,—The letter of Dr. Kidd in yours of yesterday took me by surprise. The length of time the bath has now been established, and the great number of people that are constantly using it, had, I thought, entirely removed all fear of danger from the use of the Turkish Bath. It is, however, very opportune that I have lately been called upon by an eminent medical man in Geneva (where the bath is now esta blished) for statistics on this subject, and as these, I think, will be found sufficient to set at rest the fears that such a letter as that of Dr. Kidd is cal culated to excite, I beg to request your insertion of the same.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant, 76, Jermyn-street, London. JOHN JOHNSON. [Dr. Kidd's letter—which has at once elicited the subjoined communication from the Manager of the }lammam—we had several reasons for inserting,with pleasure, in our impression of last evening. First of all, in obedience to the sound and just principle ex pressed in those three good words, bidding us— audi alteram partem. Secondly, and very par ticularly, because we feel perfectly well satisfied that all that the system of The Turkish Baths requires in this country, to ensure its wider and more general adoption, either as a preservative of health or as a remedy for disease, is—inquiry. In speaking of it as we did on Friday we spoke simply from our own experiences,- not eulogising the bath, by any means, because we have come to look upon it either as an elixir or as a panacea, as a cure for " all the ills that flesh is heir to," or as a means of drinking in immortal youth as from the cup of a Rosicrusian. Such as we have found it to be, we in our article of Friday evening, in as plain words as we could put together, described it as being— speaking of it, again we say this, from an often repeated and an always delightful experience.— ED. Sun.] The following are the remarks and statistics re ferred to in the above letter from the Manager of the Hammam As to cases of injury produced by the bath, 1 beg to answer that my experience dates from the first bath built by Mr. Urquhart, in England, at Manchester, in May, 1857, and from that time to the present I have myself wit nessed the effect of the bath upon not less than 100,000 people ; in Jermyn-street alone, in two years and a quarter, upwards of 73,000 ; during five months at another estab lishment, upwards of 6,000 ; and in no instance was there any injury produced. At Riverside, the residence of Mr. Urquhart, where he had built two baths, one of which (a small one in the garden) was thrown open for the use of the public, I had four years of experience. Many people afflicted with chronic diseases were brought long distances to the bath and cured. The bath was frequently thronged ; some days as many as 25 people using it. Some of these have since, on any attack of illness, come to London to get the benefit of the bath for two or three days, returning to their labour quite restored ; and by this means, they say, saving themselves a lengthy attack of illness. In no in stance was there any injury resulting. During these years I have been in constant communica tion with many in other towns who had baths in operation. Many had built these baths without consulting Mr. Urquhart, and for the purpose of gain, and had paid no heed to the points requisite for a proper bath, and yet in the seven years I have so passed not one case of injury has come to my knowledge. Since I received your inquiry, I have, to strengthen my own testimony, written to a number of these baths to make inquiry as to their numbers, the temperature used, and what case of injury they may have to report upon. In enclosure A I forward, as far as I can get them, the answers as to numbers; but to give you a proper and cor rect idea of the numbers bathing, I have to add to these some 30 baths from whom I have no return, some of whom I know to have a large business. These taken in the whole I shall be far within the mark in setting them down at near 300,000 per year, which may be raised again for the time they have been in operation to 900,000. Again, there are in Ireland some ton public baths built at a cost of £50,000, which have been in operation for seven years. These put at a very low average will give 500,000. To these must be added the private baths, of which now great numbers are in existence, and you will have a total of noar 2,000,000 of bathers, and no case of injury reported. So far as I have procured answers, I have in enclosure B enclosed extracts as to temperatures and to cases of injury. I have written to Dr. Robertson, of the Sussex Lunatic Asylum, to got from him such statistics as he can give you ; also to Dr. Power, of the Cork Lunatic Asylum ; also to Dr. Goolden, of St. Thomas's Hospital, in reference to the bath. I regret I have not these as yet, as they would be valuable testimony. However, I will forward them as I get them to hand. In concluding this letter, I beg to remark that the men who took up the bath and established it in England were men possessed of no medical knowledge or skill. They were working men who got a knowledge of the benefits and delights of the bath from Mr. Urquhart, and, acting on this, immediately set about turning it to advantage ; that it has been raised to its present position, despite the oppo sition of medical men who prognosticated danger from its use; that in these early baths there was only one room heated, the temperature ranging generally from 170 deg. to 200 deg. ; that cure after cure by these baths forced it upon the medical profession, and its efficacy as a curative agent is this day again admitted in the leading medical journal (the Lancet), a copy of which I beg to enclose. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Dr. Gosse, Geneva. JonN Joincsox. ENCLOSURE A. AGGREGATE NUMBER OF BATTLERS AT THE UNDER- MENTIONED TURKISH BATHS IN ENGLAND. Description of How long Baths. Established. The Hamaam, 76, Jermyn- No. of Bathers. . . _ street ... ... ... 21. years ... 72,000 Golden-square ... .., In 5 months after opening ... 6,000 Oriental Baths, Victoria street ... ... ... 21 years ... 54,720 Liverpool ... ... ... 2i „ ... 7,875 Bradford ... ... ... 1 year ... 15,600 Sheffield ... ..• ... 2 years ... 41,600 Stockport ... ... ... 1 year ... 7,875 Manchester ... ... 6 years ... 37,400 Ditto ... ... ... 6 ?, ... 24 960 Staleybridge ... ... 6 /7 ... 24,960 Newcastle Infirmary ... 5 71 ... 23,440 Queen-square ... ... 4 ... 37,440 Il Kennington 4 ... 41,600 11 Brompton ••• ••• 3 ... 23,400 Southport ••• 0.0 2 71 ~. 20,000 Keighley ... ... 6 „1. " 2 71 ... 60,000 Leamington ... ... 1 year ... 4,000 Total ... ... 502,870 ENCLOSURE B. Tho house surgeon of Newcastle Infirmary writes : " With respect to the risks incurred in high temperatures, the Caladarium here is seldom above 150 deg., and I have never witnessed any ill effects in this temperature, nor when the heat has been raised to 170 deg. for special cases." At Keighley the attendant says :—" Our usual tempera ture is 150 deg. to 160 deg. If I were to sit down to write all the good done by the high heats, it would take me till next week, and then I should have to say the half has not been told. I have seen no bad effects of high tempera tures." LIVERPOOL.—The manager writes :—" Our temperatures are 130 dog., 150 deg., and 170 deg. I can say that I never have seen the least sign of danger ; on the contrary, have the best results to point to." QUEEN -SQUARE, LONDON.—The manager writes :—" Old bathers and persons acquainted with the properties of heat favour it to the extremest degree, and of the many hundreds who have used this bath since 1861 not one case of accident has occurred. Many bathers have left us, as we have no t had the extended heat; that is, beyond 160 deg." MANCHESTER.- -The proprietor writes :—" I have had six years' experience in the Turkish Bath, and have done a large business, and I have always , found that with ordi dary care in administering the bath no danger can at tend it." The manager of the bath at Bradford in 1857-58 says : " I can say, without fear of contradiction, that not a case of injury occurred. Our temperature was 170 to 180 deg., and we bathed 300 per week. The bathers prefer the highest heats ; and as a curative, my seven years' experi ence shows that it is far more efficacious and agreeable to the patient." SOUTHPORT.—The Proprietor writes :—" We have had over 20,000 bathers, chiefly invalids, and no case of injury has occurred." LEAMINGTON.—The Secretary writes :—" The Turkish bath here is kept at an average of 150 deg. We have had 885 bathers in the year, and have never had a case of accident or injury of any kind in the two years we have been open." The Managing Director of the Dublin Bath writes:— "In four years we have had about 115,000 bathers. I have never yet known of a person being injured by the bath. I have sometimes heard reports of injury, but when I have inquired into such cases, I have invariably found such reports to be without foundation." The Earl and Countess of Tankerville are ex pected in London from Heron Court, Christchurch, where they have been on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Malmesbury. NORTHUMBERLAND Ho USE.—it is respectfully 'announced that the admission to view the lying in state of the late Duke of Northumberland at this house on Thurs day and►'riday next is of necessity limited to the relations, personal friends, tenants, and tradesmen pf the deceased. 'l,4p Irani HER MAJESTY. WINDSOR CASTLE, Feb. 20. The Queen walked and drove in the grou nds this morning, attended by the Marchioness of E l 7. Her Royal Highness the Princess Helena, at tended by the Hon. Flora Macdonald, went out driving. Her Royal Highness Princess Louise rode on horseback. His Royal Highness Prince Arthur left the castle for Greenwich-park, attended by Major Elphinstone: Their Royal Highnesses Prince Leopold an Princess Beatrice went to London, attended bY. Lady Caroline Barrington, Mdlle. Norelle, Col. the Hon. D. de Ros, and Mr. Buff. Sir George Grey had the honour of dining with her Majesty and the Royal family yesterday, and left the Castle to-day. Countess Blucher left Windsor Castle yesterday. The Prince and Princess of Wales 0 The Princess of Wales took a carriage driv yesterday, attended by the Hon. Mrs. Stonor. d The Prince of Wales went to the House of fords. The Prince and Princess of Wales, attended btio the Hon. Mrs. Stonor and Major Teesdale, we nt the Olympic Theatre in the evening. The Duke and Duchess of Cleveland have arri'.ed in town from Battle Abbey, their seat in Susses. The Marquis of Clanricarde, who is suffering from indisposition, has arrived in Stratton-street fr°T Portumna Castle, his seat in the county Galway. The O bi° marchioness has also arrived with his lordship. Mr. Morant has returned to Park-lane Apra Brockenhurst, Hants. " The ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN.-- - - , e following distinguished visitors have honoured tut Royal English Opera with their presence during the B e atr °7 ic_ e few days :—Their Royal Highnesses the Princess and Prince Leopold (attended by Lady Caroline Ba rringi Madlle. Norelle, Colonel the Hon. D. de Roe , an d to gs Buff), their Royal Highnesses the Count and C onn de d'Eu (attended by Baron and Baroness de Lage and ) 01E , Lisboa), their Royal Highnesses the Count de rari s ' Prince and Princess de Joinville and the Duke d'Ain"' e c i the Duke of Granada, the Marquis of Sligo, the Ea'rlZ. Countess of Mountcharles, the Dowager Counte ss of P rington, Viscount Torrington, Viscount Falklan C o lone l 3 Rivers, Lord Wm. Graham, Hon. W. H. Brand, . n a rt., the Hon. James Macdonald, Sir Richard Leving e, M.P., Sir Henry des Voeux, Colonel Farquharson, fie' PRUSSIA AND AUSTRIA. [REUTER's EXPRESS.] VIENNA, Feb. 1 1 ; xst The Prussian reply to Count Rechbe r g 's leas despatch upon the Schleswig-Holstein ques tloll -R is changed nothing in the main situation• es altogether evasive in character, and fa of etc e.. that Prussia is not yet in a position to sta te i P s r o f cisely the extent of her demands. The Min is on ly War, Commerce, and Finance, it declares, have; in just finished their labours. Their report is n ° : in the hands of the Minister-President. After n°: uld harmonised into a comprehensive whole it de . laid before the King for approval, and the n iios . livered to the King here. It is, therefo re, irar io sible to go further at present into the Anstroses claims. The general tenour of the reply opposes i t to very weak and superficial arguments to 1 the li t complaints, in no degree touching the main P ° of at issue. Patience is still, therefore, the order Anstr. the day. the Such great value is attached by Austria Prussian alliance that she will not easily e,ntake offence. For that reason the remarks m ade ree enno by the King of Hanover to Count v on Ingellice upon the value of the Austro-Prussian alliance /157.0 given great satisfaction here, the rather becallb, they are recognised as the expression of the sincere opinion, and not as merely judicious speecr called forth by Hanover's delicate position —a Pesi i tion the difficulty of which is not under-est irnate t by Austria, although the Hanoverian Govern ine j, - T so cleverly avoids its results. Count Karolyi t . furnished with verbal instructions with reg „,' the Prussian reply, in order if possible t o ocl3'n'ss the matter by word of mouth, an d thus li, Prussia to omit demands which co uld only r e n t; an understanding more difficult. In the main. 1 but probable these demands are already known , , lco week may possibly elapse before their presental in due form. def i n itively The customs negotiations are not yet having broken off, but are al r eady looked a t s o r esign wholly failed, and people are beginn ing themselves to the prospect of a mere Oa — liter cartel. Yet not the faintest intention is enter cartel. Abie tamed of making Herr von Bismarck respen'cier, for this ill-success ; on the contra**, his en Von yours p to induce Count Itzenplitz and ge r t; r tion nth of their demands are highly praised, ommeresche and von D elbrune to yield sower' Tr - imercial togeth 00 his extreme suavity to war d s Herr von 11°ek c ' n ., 0 11/ chief blame of the failure is cast upon aPTropt whose representatives observe a particularly t O,IICI bearing, while Bavaria keeps tolerably Vie" hold above-named Prussian delegates merely' Odor. the interests of their country and canno t act eeiced wise without injury to them. If all this is per° ~ore. now, the wonder is that it was not discovered belga, Hopes have been held out and demands put 0 14 iv y er whore fulfilment is all at once discovered t o b :0 00 possible, while six months ago, in the day, a few pretty speeches from Herr von D is- a o at caused all possibility of their not being earriepiciert to be thought ungrateful. The Prussian indeed, is handled here with tenderness Pe%-ollf touching, and it will not be astonishing if tot the Prussian claims in the Duchies are a cce `' c oar and the customs cartel is given up, th , e ) be donment of which it is now declared wol l ' isr al r e act of hostility. Whether Herr von flock O OO turn from Berlin or go to Paris, does n ot I° l oo o to have been determined; at any rate the question must first be completely settled- g itioo The existence of a French note in 0 1 3 1 3°- ou as h er : Prussian lust of annexation is denied here ash sifP getically as that of a Bavarian note, w ine 0 13 analysed in some detail by the V A 1 regard to the former, it is most probable oil newspaP ers ' ri ce will abstain from any expression of opin iejl e d t o. A facts or plainly stated demands can be ref er l r ioolt7 4 The matter of the Mexican Church lands": rin' t " upon here in a much more tolerant ligli'stibice is a quarrel of old date in Mexico, and th e kii , - has already been fully discussed between 1-churc" and the Emperor Maximilian. Part of the trog: lands has already passed through so Ins il l„ s a hands, and so many tricks have been Pl a l i te r 1 13 them, that the settlement of the whole n' ti to simple act of justice. The Emperor's let tc . n r o a . o Ministry is further susceptible of explanatiosTini,el,t pretext or a clever move to bring the Per ot t on to speak out. Nobody believes for a ro° ln he is really obliged to refer to Rome, hi lt eli eus' o the contrary, he will produce veil eO lnljr tiP e instructions whenever he thinks the p ro p er arrived. Ea r l 0 EARL RUSSELL ON CAPITAL PUNISITA • a l l{ Russell, in his introduction to the new e clit e i s I'' an 1 1e work on the " English Constitution," 0%1 3re55 ,,,, s - 'e a t favourable to the abolition of capital Pul ls- e o l°e n ot says :—" For my own part, I do not doubt fora ofslita",,,, either the right of a community to inflict the f. ) , e ';ht of death, or the expediency of exercising tha t r t r ot taro states of society. But I turn from that O s , so co l l ,o tate c" to o pat ic h and that abstract expediency to our owns when I consider how difficult it is forany ili d g e t hat 1 ! 1 ,,, T i , the case which requires inflexible justice froo Do w ' t he admits the force of mitigating ciremustaticernogas dious the task of the Secretary of State ill W 1 5%,. De ho t mercy of the Crown—the object of general hris,' an d L ,l the theme of sympathy and pity — h ow parr°and limited the examples given by this oott ai g n oc - at i°l %s' punishment—how brutal the scene of tha e , t to i ti 3O come to the conclusion that nothing- would en't°loo, the` tice, nothing lost in the preservation of ia l2° . c ,_ e e d, fol' punishment of death were altogether abolisuateraetit,for, case a sentence of a long term of separate o n a # lowed by another long term of hard labour a n _, ot erdl it icl would cease to be considered as an extensio. Two in the sentence of the judge were to that effaGt..oooolll;a, scarcely ever be a petition for remission of P i " , u iltit, tt ot cases of murder, sent to the nome-offlo• gibe b- ree /IL pitied, would have time and opportunity to the Throne of Mercy." ta ll : t 44 IN . 'qtr; I mai g ., 01 1 , 1) 4 ' 1 1 • Lit *, e o ll ' , Ali • 4 1) 4 44 5 0 ~~ ~~~