The Sun. — London, England, 1867-12-24 00:00:00

riIIIEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LANE A . Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. F. B. Chatterton. l'irst Morning Performance of the Pantomime on Saturday, Dec. 28, and every Wednesday and Satur day until Feb. 15. Children and schools admitted at reduced prices to the following parts of the Theatre:— Stalls, dress circle, and first circle, for Morning Per formance only.—On BOXING NIGHT (Thursday), Dec. 26, and every evening until further notice, will be per formed a new and original Farce, by R. Reece, Esq., en titled HONEYDOVE'S TROUBLES. Characters by Messrs. Joseph Lying, G. Warner, J. Morris; Mes dames Kato Harfleur and E. Melville. After which will be performed the Drury Lane annual grand Christmas Pantomime, written by E. L. Blanchard, Esq., entitled FA\V FEE FO FUM ; or, Harlequin Jack the Giant Killer. The gorgeously beautiful scenery by Mr. William Devei•ley. The characters in the opening: Miss Poole, Mesdames Edith Stuart, Kate Hartleur, E. Mel ville, Carew, Blair, Curti, Amy Herbert, Hall, and 11(111.e. Anais Tourneur, premiere danseuse ; Mr. Joseph Irving (his first appearance this season), Messra.Moreland, J. B. Johnstone, Naylor, Pennington, Mitcheson ; Master Edward Lewis, Master Frederick Charlea, and Master Russell, the living Miniatures ; Master Percy Roselle. Tho Harloquinado includes the services of those popu lar pantoinimists (forming a treble company), Messrs. Dolour), C. Lauri, and Tom Dot, clowns ; Messrs. Barnes, Murri, and Master Russel, pantaloons; Messrs. Cormack, S. Saville, and Algar, harlequins; Messrs. Sidney and Jelina, sprites; :Mlles. Fanny Lauri, Adele Marion, and Eugenie Valckenacre, columbines. The Juvenile Christy's Minstrels : Majilton the Gro tesque ; and the celebrated Skaters, Madame Fredreka and Mr. Elliott. Stage Manager, Mr. Edward Stirling. The masks, designs, and dresses, from designs by the humorously-renowned Dyk-Wyn-Kyn. The music selected and arranged by Mr. J. 11. Tully. The dances and action of the Ballet, and the general business of the children's scenes, arranged by Mr. John Cormack. Costumes by Mr. S. May and Mrs. Lawler. Private boxes, one, two, three, four, and five guineas ; stalls, 7s. ; dress circle, ss. ; first circle, 4s. ; balcony seats, Bs. ; pit 25.; lower gallery, ls. ; upper gallery, 6d. Box-office open from ten to five daily. Doors open at half-past six, the performance to commence at seven o'clock. T HEATRE ROYAL, HA YMARKET. Sole Lessee, Mr. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, THE RIVALS. Messrs. Buckstone, Chippendale, Howe, Braid, Rogers, Clark, Cox, &c.; Mesdames Chippendale, Burke, Dalton, Fitzwilliam, &c. After which, the New BURLESQUE; Messrs, Rogers, Clark, Braid, &c.: Mesdames Burke, Dalton, Wright, &c. To conclude with A KISS IN THE DARK. Mr. Clark, Mr. Gordon, &c Commence at Seven. TIIEATRE ROYAL, ADELPIII. Solo Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. WEBSTER. - Directress, Mrs. Alfred Mellon. THIS EVENING, at 7, MAN IS NOT PERFECT, NOR WOMAN NEITHER. Messrs. G. Belmore, J. G. Taylor, C. H. Stephenson, Miss E. Pitt, and Mrs. Alfred Mellon. After which, 54th time, MAUD'S PERIL. Messrs. Billington, G. Belmore, Ashley, Eburne, C. J. Smith; Miss Herbert, Mrs. Billington, Miss Emily Pitt. To conclude with UP FOR THE CATTTLE SHOW. Messrs G. Belmore, Ashley, Miss E. Pitt, and Miss Harris. ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE. New Management. Solo Lessee, Mr. B. Webster; Manager, Mr. H. Wigan. THIS EVENING, FROM GRAVE TO GAY. Messrs. H. Neville, 11. Wigan, Addison, and C. Mathews; Mesdames L. Moore and Followed by IF I HAD A THOUSAND A YEAR. Messrs. 11. Wigan, Cooper, C. Mathews, and Farrell; Mesdames L. Moore and St. Henry. To conclude with MY WIFE'S BONNET. Messrs. It. Souter, H. Cooper, and J. G. Taylor; Mesdames L. Moore and E. Farren. Commence at Seven. R OYAL PRINCESS'S TIIEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Vining. --- - - THIS EVENING, at 7, for the Benefit of Mr. Thos. Roberts, Acting Manager, GUY 3I &NNERING, a CONCERT and A LITTLE FLIRTATION.—On Boxing Night, Grand Combi nation of the Two Great Dramas, THE COLLEEN BAWN, and TIIE STREETS OF LONDON. Mr. and Mrs. Dion Boucicault as Myles na Coppaleeu and Eily O'Connor, and Mr. Vining as Badger. Doors open at half-past 6, commence at 7. QUEEN'S THEATRE, Long-acre. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Alfred Wigan. First appearance of Mr. J. L. TOOLE. BOXING-NIGHT. Dec. 26, 1867, and Every Evening, Shak- Bpere's Comedy of KATHERINE AND PETRUCHIO. Mr. H. Irving, Mr. W. H. Stephens; Miss Kate Terry. After which, DOING FOR THE BEST; Mr. J. L. Toole. To conclude with THE BIRTHPLACE OF PODGERS ; Mr. J. L. Toole. Box-office open daily from Ten till Four. HOLBORN THEATRE ROYAL. Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Sefton Parry. THIS EVENING, at Seven, THE TWO POLTS. Messrs. Price and Widdicombe. After which, the Grand Comic Pantomime of VALENTINE AND ORSON; or, Harlequin the Big Bear and the Little Fairy. ➢lesdames Saunders, Goodall, White; ➢lessrs. Garden, Odell Arthur; Mdlle. Montero, Miss Ellis, Lupino, Green, and the Great Little Rowella. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. Swanborough. On BOXING NIGHT, at 7, KIND TO A FAULT. After which will be produced a Grand Christmas Operatic Oriental Extravaganza " THE CALIPH OF I3AGDAD " Messrs. Thorn;', Jtunes, Turner, Murray; Mesdames A. Swanborough, John:Aoue, Harland, Holt, newton, To canchble with NOTHING- TO NURSE. LICENSED VICTCALLEP,S' GUAIMLIII CI It. GLENIE, of the SForting Library, % e 4, Conattilit-terrace, Uyde-park, London, W., begs to 1,...:0ri1 his cu3toni,r3, and the Licensed Victuallers in general, t:i:it he has been appointed Agent for the above-named paper in udJition to his.; agency for the Sperling Edition of " THE and can supply the same on Friday evening, if I's:vire:l, in town . . . . . . . G. it. Cf. bc. , 73 to inform the Trade that he is Agent for the LATEST EDITION of ""TIIE SUN," and can supply it earlier than any other man in London or Country the evening, of publi cation. No connection with any other persons. Bally's, Ruff's, Wright's, and 3PCall's Guides. All the Daily Papers, Maga zines, and Periodicals as soon R 3 published. Agent tor the Joint stock Coal Company. Orders by post attended to. THE “SUN" NEWSPAPER.- a. CT. R. GLENIE, Sporting Library, 4, Connaught -terrace. C.,l4ware-road, delivers the LATE EDITION of the "THE SUN" the earliest possible moment after leaving the press. He is Lblo to deliver Copies in Town, the Suburbs, and in many parts >f the country at a comparatively early hour the same evening, iay 40 miles by nine o'clock. Orders by Post punctually attend Act ty+ 1;1 Nll2, LATEST EDITION of "TI - IF, SUN." ..tt J. HOLMES begs to inform hit friends, and the public poncrally, that he supplies the LATEST EDITION of "THE SUN " as soon as published.—No. IG, Ilampstead-road, N.W. \lll , ', , -SUN" NEWSPAPER.-- _II cr. (GENIE delivers the LATE EDITION at Chelsea, 1.40 : Kilburn. 8; Starch-green, 3; Woolwich, 7.30; Uxbridge, ford, 3.15. QPORTING.—JOHN ROBERTS supplies tl►. ki LATEST EDITION of THE SUN "as soon as published —4, Bath-street. City-road. E.O. I 1 1 ' EDITION of "THE SUN" o m rt; published,every evening, by W. :r I) I:; :i Eruoli.i), ewsi:aper Agent, 4, Old Cavendish- ' , C11,7N." --LATEST EDITION.- 31:. MARSHALL, of the "Nee ld Arms," Harrow-road. )I)posite the Lock Hospital, takes the Edition of "THE SUN " :onta,ining the result of the day's Racing. Latest Betting, Money %larket, .tc. Omnibuses every half-hour to and from the City. wIIO'S GRAINGER? LICENSED VicinALLEas' TOBACCONIST, SIIBPIIERD'S-BCSII. The SPORTING EDITION of "THE SUN" can be seen at GILAINGER'S Establishment, as above, every evening by Eight eoloric. %I'm LATE EDITION of " THE SUN " at L JAMES SPEEDY'S, "The Wellington," Wellington-street, Strand. MOSES and SON (the Originators of the Ready Made Clothing System) beg to remind the public that in every department of their business a large and varied STOCK is constantly maintained, and excellence and cheapness are combined in a degree hitherto unequalled. The articles com prising their stock are too multifarious to be enumerated in an advertisement, but a list of distinct departments is subjoined:— HEADY MADE CLOTHING FOR ADULTS. READY MADE CLOTHING FOR JUVENILES. READY MADE CLOTHING for SAILORS and MECHANICS. CLOTHING MADE TO ORDER. HOSIERY AND DRAPERY. MA.NTLES, SHAWLS, & LADIES' UNDERCLOTHING, HATS AND CAPS. BOOTS AND SHOES. LONDON, TUESDAY, DEC. 24, 1867. For an autumn season to pass without a speech from Mr. BRIGHT would indeed be a marvel, and though late he has yet contrived to make an ora tion before Christmas. A public meeting at Roch dale for the purpose of presenting an address to Mr. JACOB BRIGHT on his recent election for Man chester has afforded him a rare opportunity, of which he has not been slow to avail himself. Those who can spare time at this merry season to turn from foreign affairs and Fenian outrages will have the pleasure of perusing a lengthened discourse upon things in general, delivered by one who can always make the matter of his speeches worth attention, however devoid of right or reason the meaning may be occasionally. It must be expected that upon such an occasion as this one just referred to the hon. member for Birming ham would be more than usually ferocious, and ac cordingly no surprise will be experienced by those who are well versed in his tactics to find some flam ing denunciations of the powers that be, and some well-timed allusions to the insolence of Lord DERBY, the invective of Mr. DISRAELI, and last, but cer tainly not least, to the " scurrilous vituperation of the Tory press." It is really amusing to find Satan reproving sin after this fashion, but consis tency is virtue too mean for Mr. BRIGHT'S notice, and he leaves it for the use of second-rate nota bilities, while genius towers aloft and leaves such paltry attributes far beneath him. We suppose that some allowance must be made for the dis appointment which he naturally experiences at see ing his favourite schemes carried out by others. We learn in the course of his remarks: what the great crime of Lord DERBY has been he has ventured on forbidden ground, and actually had the audacity to invade these precincts supposed to be sacred to the great regenerators of our day and generation. "To crown all, we have seen Lord DERBY, best defender of protection, the last and firmest bulwark against democracy—we have seen him exhibiting himself in defence of free trade and household suffrage on the platform of the Free Trade hall in Manchester." What a failure to the great exertions of Mr. BRIGHT to prove the con trary, of what has happened. If those walls could have spoken, what fierce invectives, what bitter reproaches, what fearful denunciations might they not have recorded, delivered by the so called tribune of the pecple against the lack of patriotism, and the determination to resist all pro gress that distinguished the Conservatives:; and now to find himself proved a false prophet must, in truth, be mortifying. All this, however, is of no consequence. Nothing that Mr. BRIGHT says about " Tories," " Reform," or any of those hackneyed phrases can surprise any one ; but what we do deplore and denounce is the course which ho has taken with respect to the agitation now rife iu some quar ters, and the consequences:of which have filled the minds of the people of this country with horror and indignation. We can tell Mr. BRIGHT that this speech of his last night has been a grievous error, and the opinion of the country will ratify the asser tion. This is not a time to be told of the wrongs of Ireland, this is not a fitting season to be lectured about the "other Ireland" which exists beyond the Atlantic, "an Ireland which does not fear the Government in Ireland, an Ireland which is full of passion with regard to what they believe to be the sufferings of the country they have left. We are further told that many of these men are desperate, they have been accustomed to deeds of cruelty and blood in the course of a sanguinary war, and, freed from that war, " what is more likely than that they should turn the instruction they have received to purposes which they believe in some degree patrio tic." According to this line of argument we might excuse and account for all murders and every degree of crime, give this or that provocation, ' and considering these insults and those disappoint ments then follows the grievous result. But what is to be condemned in this speech before us is the absence of all comment and the avoidance of all condemnation concerning the important transac tions now taking place among us. Mr. BRIGHT is not free to choose what subject he should take and what he should not take when he addresses a meet ing of his fellow-countrymen after this fashion. No greater contrast can be afforded than the speech of Mr. GLADSTONE the other night to that of the hon. member for Birmingham. The statesman-like manner in which the leader of the Opposition de nounced the conspiracy that has unfortunately gained ground among us is the best satire upon the tame and inefficient way in which Mr. BRIGHT slurred over a subject which has caused greater excitement among us than any other for some years. This is not as it should be. When the most trivial events are singled out for commentary, it is extraordinary that no mention, in the right spirit, is made of the great offences committed in the name of Fenianism. Mr. :BRIGHT calls himself the friend of the poor. 1-Ic has, over and over again, arrogated to himself the right of being the champion of the people ; then why has no question been made of the unprovoked attack and the cruel sufferings inflicted upon harmless individuals. l'he ruins at Clerkenwell, the sick beds in the hospitals, the graves at Finchley, can awaken no sentiment and find no words but those of indignation against those mistaken and misguided men, who do not know what they want. We can tell Mr. BRIGHT that he is quite wrong if he thinks he will reform people by this mode of acting. Does he not see what all this excess of ill-judged sentiment and misguided zeal lead men to ? Is it not the fault of some of those heroes beyond the Atlantic that the horrors of the other day were perpetrated, and has not their unbridled license of thought and action led to the commission of crimes which they will shortly have to answer for at the bar of justice, and further on to account for at a higher tribunal, OUTFITS for SEA or SHORE, List of prices, with rules for sellnneasurement and patterns f urwarded gratis and post free. Preparations on an unusually large scale have been made tot the Winter Season. E. MOSES and. SON'S ESTABLISHMENTS are CLOSE') EVERY FRIDAY EVENING at sunset till S It DAY EVENING at sunset, when business is resumed till 11 o'clock. Every article is marked the lowest price in plain figures, from which no abatement can be made, Any article not approved of will be exchanged, or the money will be returned. The, following are the London addresses of E. MOSES and SON:— mINOR TES. 1 - , - ,, 1107m:1E,-. I No RI 1%7, • 1 Noi;IE , . 61. AI, TE. st, :t I, D: T -,, A I, DI; AT ,••; Al, DOA TE. s 7. A I, Do ATE, ;;,-;, A Hy; A r S 9, A WI At• N D'o RD STREET. • N KW OX !.'01I.I)-S TREE T. ONO U D-,TILEET. • 1, II ART-STREET. 2, lIA RT-S BEET. 3, fIART-S TREE r. 137, TUT CENIIAM-COETRT-ROAD. 138, TOTTENHAM-COURT-ROAD. 283, EUSTON-ROA D. Alo 19, BRIDGE -STREET, BRADFORD, YORKS. 20, BRIDGE-STREET, BRADFORD, YORKS. SPECIAL NOTICE. In consequence of frequent misrepresentations, E. MOSES and SON find it necessary to state that they do not employ any tra vellers or agents, and that their only Establishments are the above-mentioned. PUBLISHERS' NOTICE. -A POCKET DIARY for IS6B, arranged on the most approved plan, neatly printed on good paper, and containin g a l arge amount of useful information for persons of all classes, may be obtained gratis and post free on application to E. MOSES and corner of 3linories and Aldgate; New Oxford-street; corner of Hart-street; corner of Totteuham - court - road and Euston-road; and Bradford, Yorks. 44 THE SUN" NEWSPAPER.—" The Mitre" Tavern, New Chunh-street, near the Alpha-road, Pad dington. "THE SUN" (Third Edition), containing the latest Sportinc , NeW3, Results of Rates, Latest Parliamentary Dsbates, &c., can be seen 0.3 above "All the year round." A well-seleeted and extensive Stock of WINES, SPIRITS, &e. r IHE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN " ai J. SMITH'S, 39, Bow-street, Covent-garden. (THE LATEST EDITION cf " THE SUN " 2_ supplied SOW] 11E; ci•Diiiiiing all the LATEST ENVS and STORTING INTEL ,vi;, by 11. AV. HA Rms. Nuw,paper A!;ent, 4, Lktelii'r:ar,,;-r.,,1. rynllE THIRD EDITION of "THE SUN," giving all the SPORTING NEWS of the day, he soon a.; JEMMY MANTON'S houe, "The Swan and Ilorso Shoo," 32, I, • t', :rltain. City, E.O. PHE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN " at I. W. SMITH'S, " Camden Stores," 78, Park-street, Camden TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS AND THE TRADE. THE SUN WILL BE PUBLISHED AS USUAL ON CHRISTMAS-DAY. town. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. THIS DAY.—Morning, 12h. 50m. I Afternoon, lh. 10m, To-Monnow.-Morning, lh. 35m. I Afternoon, lh. 54m, . 04 - 4 t AO THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 24, 1867 when the actions of this present life shall appear in their true light and meaning. It is of no use to defend Fenianism now. Mr. BRIGHT does not do that, but then he does not con demn it either, and at this especial junc ture no public speaker should think of descant ing upon the wrongs of Ireland without also speaking of the grievous errors which some have committed in pretending to set these things right. Mr. GLA.DSTONE said, "do not confound the cause of Fenianism with the cause of Ireland." Mr. BRIGHT has not followed this advice, and the consequence has been that he has delivered a speech which his best friends and greatest admirers must regret, and which he himself will live to wish that he had not spoken. The Fenians appear determined to have no Christmas holidays themselves, and to do their best to interfere with those of other people. Their chances of display and even temporary successes are likely to be so extremely brief that they are anxious to make the most of them. The feeling of the coun try of all ranks and classes has been so strongly and spontaneously manifested in consequence of the late cruel and dastardly outrages that the days of Fenianism are numbered. There is an end once and for all of the sentimentality about misguided patriotism and oppressed nationalities, and those who were mistaken enough to manifest their sympathy and regret for the Manchester murderers on political grounds have now been thoroughly undeceived. All may be fair in love or war, and in the pursuit of a particular and pressing object military men may often think themselves excused for acts of individual harshness and even cruelty. In every campaign there is much matter for regret when the fury and excitement of the struggle is over ; but Fenianism belongs to an en tirely different order of things. It is the work of a band of assassins, who stab in the dark and then run away, and has not the shadow of soldierly spirit to palliate the cruelty of their hidden attacks on the peaceful homes of honest working people. Their present notion of mischief is directed to the gas works, and in more than one place there have been suspicious indications. We hear from Glasgow of a panic excited in the Cowcaddens district on Satur day by the discovery of a gutta percha fuse, such as is used for firing blasts in mines and under water. This fuse was found burning in an ashpit close to the enclosure of the district gasometer, and no one could account for its presence there. It was shrewdly believed that some Fenians resided in the vicinity, and this be lief, coupled with the fact of the discovery of the lighted fuse, naturally put the authorities on their guard, and induced them to take all possible precautions. It was thought desirable to let the description of the fuse be publicly known, to put proprietors of works on their guard, and this know ledge will be no less useful in the metropolis. It consists of a case of gunpowder enveloped in tow, covered with gutta percha. The advantage of this construction is that if one end of the tube be lighted the powder will burn right through and carry fire to a distance with remarkable certainty. It will thus be readily seen to be a dangerous instru ment in the hands of insidious incendiaries. At Warrington there has been a still more sus picious affair than the Scottish discovery. On Sun day night a police constable felt a smell of gas and noticed a cloud of smoke on passing the gas works, and immediately gave the alarm. It was discovered that a plug had been taken out of the purifier, and the gas was escaping rapidly. The furnaces had thus been drawn, and the coke was lying in the yard. If the escaping gas had come iu contact with the coke a tremendous explosion must have resulted. Several persons have been arrested, but unfortu nately no evidence directly connecting any one with the affair could be forthcoming. It was providen tial that the discovery was made in time, or the loss of life and property would have been frightful. The present system of Fenian warfare is altogether reckless and unreasonable, blowing up and destroying, without any other object it would seem than mere savage cruelty. The fact probably is that plunder is the great aim in these attempts cn gas works. In the alarm,:and confusion, and darkness it is very likely thought that a great opportunity will be afforded for spoil. Fenianism, in fact, is putting itself on a level with the garotters, and must be treated accordingly. We are sorry to find the traditional loyalty and good faith of the Highland regiments darkened by the presence of a Fenian sergeant in the famous old 72d. FRANCIS MAGUIRE, the man in question, has just been arrested a t Manchester under suspi cious circumstances. He joined the regiment in Ireland some eight years ago, and has now been re moved to the military prison at Weedon to await his trial by court martial. The _inhabitants of the metropolis, at all events, are determined to come loyally forward in support of the authorities, and for the repression of this dan gerous and cowardly association. The swearing-in of special constables yesterday proceeded with un interrupted vigour in all the metropolitan districts, and many thousands of all ranks were enrolled. We are glad to find that large numbers of the working men have brought their strong arms and stout hearts to the service of law and order. THE Abyssinian expedition has added import ance to our Indian communications, and no means should be neglected which will give us earlier information from - what we must now desig nate the seat of war. It is, therefore, difficult to understand why the Government and the enter prising proprietors of the London newspapers do not avail themselves of the Brindisi route for the conveyance of information. As tho Italian steamers are running between Alexandria and Brindisi, there can be but little difficulty in for warding duplicate despatches by this route. Care fully-considered arrangements will have to be made before the whole of the Indian traffic which now reaches us via Marseilles can be conveyed via Brindisi ; but we could at once avail ourselves to some extent of the energy of the Italians, who are running steamers from Alexandria to Brindisi, and are conduc the traffic with an obvious desire to afford the necessary accommodation. By this route the newspapers and despatches which were delivered in London yesterday could have been delivered on Friday evening last, thus affording a clear gain of sixty hours. The 'passengers who availed themselves of this route reached London on Friday evening, whereas the passengers via Marseilles could not, with continuous travelling, reach London before Monday morning. Moreover, the Brindisi route is more economical, effecting a saving of five or six pounds to each traveller, and the pa,ssengers who have just arrived by this route speak in the most satisfactory terms of the accommodation afforded by the Italians, and of the desire manifested to meet their requirements in every respect. A glance at the map will shew that the route via Brindisi and Turin is almost a direct line from Alexandria to London ; and as every one knows that a straight line is the shortest distance between any two points, it will be clear to all that this route possesses natural advantages superior to all others. At present the want of a railway over or under Mont Cenis causes a loss of several hours in crossing this pass ; but even with this disadvantage, we have shewn an actual gain of sixty hours by the adoption of this route. It the railway over the ruountaali is' made to succeed, the difficulty will soon be removed. But if this should fail, the time is, we may hope, not far distant when the persevering efforts to make the tunnel under the mountain Will be rewarded by success, and an additional saving of ten hours will thus be effected. Although the telegraph has partly superseded the old means of conveying information, yet the transmission of mails and passengers is scarcely of less importance than formerly, inasmuch as the traffic has largely increased, and we still obtain the bulk of our information by letters, newspapers, and despatches. If, therefore, the adoption, or partial adoption, of the Brindisi route involved the outlay of a considerable sum of money, it would still be desirable to avail ourselves of it ; but in this case we have only to make use of the means already pro vided in order to shorten materially the delay which now arises in our communications with Aus tralia, India, and Abyssinia. If we get no other good from the Abyssinian we hope it will lead to an early improvement in the mail service between this country and our most imprtant possessions. THERE was one unfortunate hiatus in the accounts of the Clerkenwell explosion which has at last been supplied. The Fenians, or their friends, after their usual manner, gave ample notice of the plot to attack the prison. The Home Office was ap prised of their intention more than four-and-twenty hours before the time appointed to put it into execution ; information was forwarded to Sir RICHARD MAYNE, and by him to Governor CODD, at the House of Detention ; and the public were at a loss to explain by unaided reason why, with all this warning, the plotters were permitted to cart a barrel of gunpowder and deliberately explode it in front of the prison wall. The inquest has cleared up the mystery. We regret to state the explanation is by no means satisfactory. It appears that there was some official jealousy be tween the Chief Commissioner of the Police and the Governor of the Clerkenwell House of Deten tion, and the light in which they appear is that of men immensely more solicitous about their respective powers and dignities than about the public safety. Sir RICHARD MAYNE, at three o'clock on Thursday afternoon, forwarded to Governor CODD the information received from the Home Office, and therewith a series of instructions or suggestions delivered viva voce by the messenger as to the measures the Governor should take. However well meant this message may have been,. it was not well taken. The mes senger was requested to tell the Chief Commis sioner to mind his own business, and in the eyes of the Governor it was Sir RICHARD MAYNE'S business to protect the outside—the shell, as ho called it, of the prison, while he guarded the inside, the kernel. How this return message was delivered and received we are in ignorance. All that is known beyond this is that Govornor Conn took such measures to protect the kernel as have elicited the commendation of his superiors, and that Sir RICHARD MAYNE did not protect the shell. Which of these officials was to blame ? We sus pect that public opinion will condemn them both. Unless Governor CODD can substantiate his asser_ tion with good authority, that he has nothing to do with any attack on the prison from without when the police have been duly apprised of it, the public will think that he drew the line of his duty too sharply. He should prove that his distinction was understood and recognised by Sir RICHARD .MAyNz as well as by himself. Moreover, if it was not his province to guard the exterior, it was not beyond it to see that it was guarded. He may have been right in offering to protect the inside if the police would protect the outside ; but it would have been a laudable zeal to have left no "if" in such a matter. Did the Governor not know that no sufficient police force was present, and if so, why not suggest as much to Sir RICHARD MAYNE or the Home Office With regard to the inactivity and apparent indifference of the Chief Commissioner of the Police, he has made no expla nation, and we arc at a loss to conceive one. The Home Office clearly imposed upon him the responsibility of seeing that the intended attack was averted. He was not to be an assistant, but the principal, in the matter. There could be no Ques tion of the desperate character of the assailants, and it was not for Sir RICHARD to ponder the likelihood of the attack. The only discretion left to him was to proportion the means to the end. He had at his command an army of 9,000 police. How many of these were available is not for us to say, but it is quite certain that a stroke of Sir RICHARD'S pen would have been enough to frustrate this wicked plot and prevent its cruel con sequences. We know, in fact, that it might have led to the revelation of the conspiracy, and the capture of the conspirators red-handed. Sir RICHARD, notwithstanding what had been done at Manchester, sent three detectives to play at hide and-seek around the prison and through a network of narrow streets and alleys, with desperate men who mocked the futility of his protection by firing a barrel of gunpowder under the very eyes of the protectors. After this, no wonder that our police system is being held up to derision throughout Europe, and that despots improve the event by declaring liberty and security to be incompatible. The matter ought not to be allowed to rest here. It is one calling for further investigation. A grave responsibility rests somewhere, and it is immensely important to the public that it should be known where. The Hon. Colonel Thesiger, eldest son of the Lord Chancellor, received on Saturday last a telegram from Sir Robert Napier offering him the appointment of Adju tant-General to the force destined for Abyssinia. Colonel Thesiger has telegraphed his acceptance of the appoint ment, and will start on the 26th inst. to join the expe dition. SOUTHAMPTON, Monday.—Their Royal High nesses Prince and Princess Christian embarked from the Docks this afternoon, at four o'clock, on board her Ma jesty's yacht Alberta, Captain his Serene Highness Prince Leiningon, en route for Osborne, on a visit to the Queen. GRAHAM OF CLAVERIIOUSE. Dundee died bravely fighting for the last of the Stuart kings ; Lord Eilsyth, equally devoted to his exiled son, the Cho valier do St. George, shared in all the hardships and dis appointments of the campaign. of 1715. When all hope was past, he made one of the band of proscribed Royalists who ended their days in exile, far from the land which gave them birth. Title and estates forfeited, and in danger of his life, ho fled to Holland, whence he came over several times to this country, but no longer as the Viscount of Kilsyth. In the guise of a common beggar, he went among his former tenants and lay concealed in their houses until he had secured the greater portion of his plate. His pro perty recovered at no little risk, he quitted Scotland, never to see it again. One can, in some degree, imagine his feel ings while surveying, for the last time, the ancient castle of his ancestors, knowing, as ho did, that it had passed away from him for ever, and that in his person would ex pire the honours borne by his race.—Once a Week. FATHER O'CONNOR.— Canon O'Neal, Vicar- General, in a letter to a contemporary, says:—" In the evi dence of James Vaughan on the Fenian prosecutions it is stated that a ceri.ain Father O'Connor took part in a meet ing of a seditious character in London. I therefore beg you to pub:ish the following statement. Among the Catholic clergy of London there is only one bearing that name. Ho has for more than four years been confined to his room by palsy, and had ho been in possession of his health and strength would have been among the first to protest against all seditious practices on the pail of Catholics, or any sub jects of her Majesty. 1 take this occasion to express 0)3 profound souse of the horror felt by the Catholics, both clergy and laity, at the recent atrocious outrage ; aud the satisfaction I feel at perceiving the just uud accurate dis tinction drawn by you, and all the public papers, between the handful of desperate persons who perpetrate those things and the Catholics of England and Ireland." Hon. G. A. Tulin, Ex-Consul General of Sweden and Norway, and of Prussia, in Genoa, writes Dec. 16, 1865, to Hon. Amos Perry, United States Consul-General, Tunis:— "Dear Sir, —Accept my thanks for this third supply of Davis' Pain Killer. It has often relieved me of serious in disposition,. and I would not, on any account, be without it, both for myself and my family. 1 have recommended it to my late colleagues and friends in Tunis and Genoa, and at my request ono of the largest druggists in this city has sent an order to Now York to meet the demand for it here." —Beware of fraudulent imitations. None genuine without Perry Davis and Son's trade mark, PAIN KILLER, on the Government stamp. Sold by all chemists. Principal depot, I.7,.Svut,4tnp_t2ll-TOIV, Holborn (W.O.)—(ADYT•) CORRESPONDENCE PROM YAMS; (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) PARIS, Mom)Ay. Dec. 23. The great topic of the day is Italy. It is the subject of manifold leaders and letters, the tones and views of which are as various as their numbers. The vote which has given the coup to the Ministry of Menabrea is certainly in no sense complimentary to France, and the official journals are consequently enraged. The Etendard gives a somewhat different version of the motion upon which the Italian Ministry went out to-day. The semi-official French organ says: "General Menabrea declared that the Government adhered to the order of the day compre hended in the following terms : The Chamber, which wishes to preserve wholly the national programme de claring Rome the capital of Italy, grieves that it is wished to realise this programme by means contrary to the law of the State and to the vote of Parliament ; and, con vinced that the guarantee of Italian liberty and unity lies in the observance of law, approves the conduct of the Ministry and passes to the order of the day.'" This motion, too tame in its tone, and glancing with too much severity upon the various ' attempts' of Garibaldi to please the deputies, was rejected by a majority of two. Eightmem bers declined voting on the question. Commenting on the vote, the Etendard say*: " We belieVe that the vote, if it does not satisfy the Government, displeases even more the Party of Action and the parliamentary sections who are resolved to recal to power either Rattazzi himself or a coalition of the Left `pure ' and of the Opposition dynastique.' As for ourselves, we would doubtless have preferred a vote of the Chamber of Deputies more decisive in its character, either for or against the Monarchy." Unquestionably, however, France would have preferr6d that the motion had been carried by a substantial majority. Had such been the case, one of the serious difficulties that at present hamper the Empire would have been disposed of, at least for a time. In the meantime there is nothing for it but reoccupation of Rome by the French troops. The weary story of the Italian struggle will not allow itself to be told out—" the pig will not get over the gate, and the little old woman will never get home." In the port of Toulon at the' present moment great activity prevails. Several ships have entered for the pur pose of boing armed and equipped, and a war transport has been fitted out. In many of the workshops of the arsenal the workmen are kept at their labour till eight o'clock at night. It is commonly reported that orders have been received at Toulon commanding the authori ties to hold themselves in hourly readiness to embark numerous contingents of troops should any necessity imme diately arise for directing the armies of France against the enemies of the Pops. There has been much talk about an arrangement into which it was believed France was ready to enter with Italy, and the purpose of which was to supersede or carry out the stipulations of the Convention of the 15th Sep tember; but the vote in the Chamber of Deputies in Florence the other night has no doubt rendered any such arrangement impossible in tho-tmeantime. M. de Lamartino is at present exceedingly ill, and his friends have given up all hope of him. His intelligence has become by degrees so clouded and darkened that he does not seem to have any perception left at all. The nomination of M. Nisard as honorary professor to the Faculty of Letters has given general satisfaction. M. Nisard. is a scholar as well as a litterateur of the most pleasing description. Tht%dor° nousseau, the famous landscape painter, is dead. He was born in ISI2, and from the year 1834, when br first exhibited, he continued assiduously and unfailingly to produce works which have taken a per manent place in the history of art. Among the best known of his pictures are " The Edge of the Wood," " An Avenue," " Landscape in Autumn," " Effect of Morn ing," " Effect of the Sun after Rain." In the last picture Rousseau surpassed himself, and executed a tour de force which astonished his age. It catches the exact effect of one of the most characteristic and one of the most evanescent and impalpable phases of the French climate. At present a trial of exciting interest is going on in Paris. Twelve persons are being tried for stirring up hatred against the Government, and belonging to a secret society, the objects of which are seditious. M. Jules Favre is retained on behalf of Accolas, who is supposed to be the leader of the society. I shall have more to say on this sub,;ect when the trial has been concluded. A great deal of trouble, annoyance, and delay has been the consequence of not sending a sufficient staff of disci plined and tractable labourers with the advanced brigade of the Abyssinian expedition. The muleteers and the miscellany of untrained vagabonds from Egypt, Persia„ and Arabia, upon whose services dependence had un wisely been placed, were found to Le almost worse than useless—driving the officers wild with the pranks they played. " They cut up the equipments for their own pri vate use, turning girths into belts, and lashing their huts together with the loading ropes." • They had always a ready pretext for rows, and in such pastimes it was their habit to spend the leisure hours —which comprised the greater part of the day. Many of them ran away, and in consequence numbers of mules, wandering loose about the country, died from want of food and \\Tate The work of unloading the ships went on slowly ; nd with much difficulty, though the superin tending officers worked like slaves. On the Ist of December, however, the Kooria Mooria arrived out from Bombay with stores and camel-drivers, and it was ex pected the work would afterwards go on more expe ditiously. In the Abuna Abba, Salama the European captives in Abyssinia lost a most kind and useful friend. He was the head of the Abyssinian Church, and though he did not bear an exceptionally high character, he was friendly and useful to the English, and hostile to Theodore. Some apprehension is felt as to the line of policy which will be adopted by the new Abuna, who is consecrated by the head of the Coptic Church at Alexandria. In rousing the fanaticism of the country against us he might do incalculable mischief. As it is, it is difficult to persuade the natives that the expedition is not a religious one, and that we have not gone out to enforce by the sword what the missionaries failed to accomplish by persuasive means. The route to be pursued by the advanced brigade of the expedition had not been made generally known, but the common impression was that it would be by Ategerat, Antalo, and Sokota. Ategerat is about 90 miles south of Senafe ; Antalo is 100 miles south of Ategerat ; and Sokota is 60 miles south-south-west of Antalo— allowance being made for the usual deviations in the line of march. Arrived at Sokota, the British force will find itself about ninety miles from Ma,gdala, on the left, and about the same distance from Debra Tabor-- a few miles from which Theodore was said by the latest telegrams to be encamped—on the right ; and the choice will thus be offered of striking either at the camp or at the capital of the enemy. CURIOUS MIS PRIIM—A singular misprint appears in the Cork Examiner. " Could anything be more unfair or unjust," it truly asks," " than to hold unoffending Irishmen in England responsible for their commission, and to doom them to penury and want because of their nationality ?" It is in the next sentence that the blunder occurs: "We cannot conceive anything more monstrous than a policy so utterly indispensable" is the rejoinder it makes to its own question. BLEEDING NOT OBSOLETE. A quack doctor named Shea, in custody in Cork, has been charged with causing the death of a young man named Burrowes, whom he had bled rather freely ; but, on the medical evidence being given at the inquest, he was discharged. The wife of the deceased and the " doctor " gave some curious evidence. Shea, she declared, " took a big quart basin of blood from her husband." On examining her own arm he said she had as much blood as would kill tv. - caty people, and wanted to bleed her. Shea replied, with considerable warmth, " You asked me to bleed you to produce a ' rush of childre.' " A DRUNKARD'S END.—At 3.25 on Sunday morn ing last the house No. 7, Old Bank-street, Blackburn, occu pied by John Duckworth, aged 68, a loomer in a cotton mill, and his wife, was discovered to be on fire by the police. man on that beat. An alarm was immediately given, and on the house being entered fire was observed to be dropping from the ceiling. On going upstairs into the bedroom, the remains of Duckworth were found on the floor. Portions of his legs and arms were burnt away, the bones protruding, and the body was reduced to a shrivelled and blackened mass, totally unrecognisable. Near the deceased was found the body of his favourite dog, which had kept by its unworthy master to the end ; its legs had been burnt away. The furniture in the room was quite destroyed, and a large hole had been burnt through the ceiling. The fire was got under in about an hour. It seems that the deceased had for a long time been in the habit of getting intoxi cated on Saturday nights, and when in that condition he was so violent that his wife was accustomed to leave him till the following morning. Deceased came home drunk about six o'clock on Saturday night last, and at eleven again went out, and obtained more beer at a neighbouring inn. His wife left in the meantime to pass the night at her son-in-law's. When deceased came back he " punched " the door open, and appears to have gone o bed without closing it. From that time he was not wen alive again. It was his custom to smoke in bed, and se appears to have fallen a victim to this and his intem perate habits. On each of the two previous days a man ilicd foul exceptiye drinidpg in Diackburn. ' LATEST INTELL IGENCE. (REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.) AMERICA. NEW YORK, Dee. 23, 6 p.m. The North German Lloyd's steamship Hermann arrived out on Sunday. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. Closing Prices :—Gold, 133 f. Sterling exchange on London, 110. 5-20 United States Bonds, 1081 ; Illinois, 129 f ; Erie, 724. Cotton—Middling Up land, 15f. PHILADELPHIA, Dee. 23. Petroleum, standard white, 24k. NEW YORK, Dec. 24, The severe storm which raged yesterday, prevent ing the departure of the outward-bound steamers, continues, but with less seventy. The Borussia, from Hamburg, and the Caledonia. from Glasgow, got safely in, and landed their pas sengers witbout accident. The storm caused a partial suspension of busi ness. A telegram from Sandusky, Ohio, says that the water in the Bay has risen 5 feet, causing damage to the shipping and warehouses. QUEENSTOWN, Dec. 24. The Cunard extra steamship Aleppo, from New York, arrived here at 8.45 a.m. to-day with 121 passengers. She landed despatches and 36 passen gers, and proceeded for Liverpool at 9 a.m. All well. ARRIVAL OF THE WESER. (Via Southampton.) NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (Morning.) A bill has been introduced into the Senate declar ing null and void all laws and acts of the Confede rate Government. Mr. Morrell made a long speech in the Senate in favour of the bill providing for the payment in gold, after the 4th of January, 1869, of all legal tender notes not bearing interest, and authorising the sale of all surplus gold remaining in the Treasury after January, 1868. In the House of Representatives Mr. Banks an nounced that the Secretary of State is preparing papers to submit to Congress, relative to the trial and imprisonment of naturalised American citizens in Great Britain. Mr. Washburne, of Wisconsin, made a speech in the house against the Congressional appropriation for the purchase of Walrussia and St. Thomas. The Tennessee Senate has rejected a resolution requesting Tennessee to send a delegation to Con gress to sustain the confiscation policy of Mr. Thaddeus Stevens. It is reported that a majority of the National Republican Committee is in favour of the nomina tion of General Grant to the Presidency. Senator Wilson has addressed a caucus of the Virginian Convention, advising moderation in Council. The report of the revolution in Durango (Mexico) is contradicted. The North German Lloyd's steamer Weser, from New York on the 12th inst., arrived at South ampton to-day (Dec. 24) with 80 passengers for this port, Havre, and Bremen ; 34 sacks of snails and $141,617 for London, and $1,500 for Bremen. MALTA, Dec. 23. CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS. The Nyanza left at 6 a.m., and the Poonah leaves at noon to-day. The former may be expected at Marseilles on the evening of the 28th instant, and the latter at Southampton on the Ist January. OUTWARD BOMBAY MAIL. The Bangalore, from Southampton, 12th inst., arrived on the 21st at 9 a.m., and left at 4 p.m. for Alexandria. The Pera, from Marseilles 20th inst., arrived on the 22d at 5 p.m., and left at 11 p.m. for Alex- andria. GIBRALTAR, Dee. 23. The Ceylon, with the Bombay heavy mail, left at 9 a.m. All well. She may be expected at South ampton on the 28th inst. THE HUNGARIAN DIET. PESTH, Dec. 23 (Evening.) The Upper House of the Diet has unanimously adopted the bill regulating the debt of the Empire and the Customs' Convention. The house further agreed to the Jews' Emancipation Bill by 64 votes to 4. The election of the delegates will probably take place on Saturday. FRANCE. PARIS, Dec. 24. The Constitutionnel of this morning, in reply to a statement in the TVezerzetung, recalls the speech of the Emperor at the opening of the Session, in which he said that France frankly accepted the changes which had taken place at the other side of the Rhine. BOURSE, Dec. 23, Three o'clock...—The market closed as follows : 4f per Cent. ...... 99 40 End of month... 3 per Cent ......... 68 65 End of month_ 68 65 Credit Mobilier ... 167 50 End of month... 168 75 Credit Fonder ...1365 End of m0nth...1365 - RAILWA' Bank Shares 3210 Ital 4 an Loan End of month 45 271 Mexican Loan Do. Bonds Spanish Throes 37 50 Home Debt — Deferred 34 50 Account Orleans ... 869 Northern 11721 Lyons and Mediterranean Southern..... 552k Western Eastern Sardinian __ _ Austrian so6} Lombard 350 North of Spain 62} Saragossa Roman 5Ol ROYAL RECOGNITION OF GALLANTRY.—We undeß stand that the Queen has conferred the Albert Medal of the first class upon Mr. A. T.Shuttlewortb, Deputy Conserva tor of Forests at Alibagh, in consideration of his gallant conduct on the occasion of the wreck of the Berwickshire on the 22d of July, 1866, where after two days' exertions he succeeded in rescuing six men of the Di Vernon on the Ist of August, 1866, and of the Ferzah on the 18th of July 1867, where ho contributed to save the master and 13 mon of the vessel. Her Majesty also conferred the Albert Medal of the second class upon John Rickett, A. 8., of her Majesty's ship Clio, for having, on the 29th of May, 1866, when off Ajiabampo, on the coast of Mexico, saved the life of a boy of that vessel who had fallen overboard. The port at that time was infested with sharks, and the seaman Rickett was suffering from an attack of coast fever. NITRO-GLYCERINE.—The frequent recurrence of accidents in connection with this highly-dangerous explo sive imperatively calls for legislation to prevent its use in industrial undertakings ; and, inasmuch as, practically considered, it has no advantages and many disadvantages in comparison with gunpowder, its use should be imme diately prohibited. It is true that a similar weight of the nitro-glycerine possesses eight or ten times the explosive force of gunpowder ; but as this extra force is indivisible, and is not repired for the work to be done, it is valueless in a commercial sense. It must further be considered that nitro-glycerine (and the same remarks will apply to the other new explosive —dynamite --in vented by Mr. Nobel), and its vapours are highly poisonous, which is not the case with gunpowder. Again, gunpowder always retains one character, and is never more dangerous than when first made, careless manufacture resulting only in a less dangerous compound. Nitro-glycerine on the other band, even when most carefully made, is more dangerous than gunpowder, and any want of care in manufacture, or even a slight change of temperature after it is manufactured, makes it still more dangerous. It congeals (and may then be exploded by scarcely more than breaking a crystal) at a much higher tempera ture than water freezes, and the suggestion that it may then be rendered safer by warming it before the fire should be adopted with so much caution as a proposition to keep your powder dry" by storing it in well-heated furnace.— Mining Journal. t4 O /4.4.r.y Ito ,aJf , Court -- :1 - .71 liar 0' a 24 HER MAJESTY. OSBORNE, Dec. 23. The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise a nd Prince Arthur, drove out yesterday afternoon, at tended by the Equerry in Waiting upon horseback; and her Majesty walked in the grounds this mor n ' ing, accompanied by Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice. Princess Louise and Prince Arthur also went out• Charles Dickens at New York. _ In the course of a rather vulgar rowdy article descriptive of Mr. Dickens's second advent in Ne vi ' York, and his first night in Steinway Hall, the Brett' York Lierah/ has, among other remarks, the follow ing :—" Dickens (' Boz' that was), the graphic de" lineator of his own fancy sketches, opened 1115 first course of readings last night at Stein way Hall, to one of those extraordinary assem blages which mark the presence of a veritable lion and the effervescence of a great sensation. The seats, some twenty-five hundred, were occupied; the assemblage was as quiet and hushed as a Ply mouth church congregation on a Sunday morning , awaiting the reader, when, punctual to the ap pointed time, he came in, a neat, dapper looking little gentleman, slightly sprinkled wi th grey, slightly bald, and wearing a sandy moustache and dusty-looking goatee combed down perpen dicularly from the chin. Without cerernonYt after the welcoming applause had subsided/ for than was neither orchestra nor piano to fill up the pauses (nothing but Dickens) and in as easy, self-possessed manner, he proceeded at once to business in the reading of the " ChristaLts Carol, or Marley's Ghost." In the outset his voice appeared a little weak and husky, but after a few lines had been recited, and with the em" phatic announcement that " Old Marley was 35 dead as a door nail," and that " Scrooge knew he was dead," the reader began to warm uPe 3 his work, and the house began to realise the fact that the first comedian of the present generation was before them, acting the various characters of on e of the prettiest of the domestic dramas of Dickens, just as Dickens himself would wish it to be done. The house first spontaneously responded to th e reading, as Mr. Dickens pictured the character of Scrooge. And again there was a hearty round when he repeated the Christmas Eve conversation between Scrooge and his nephew ; and again when the incredulous Scrooge was visited hY Marley's ghost. Again there was a round of approving hands and feet, with the read ing of old Fezziwig's jolly Christmas festival' And there were repeated expressions of satisfaction with the happy family of poor Cratchit over their Christmas dinner, including Tiny Tim ; and over the Christmas house warmintr, and most heartll9 over the joyous conclusion of the story, with th e complete conversion of old Scrooge to human ern: pa,thies and good deeds, and the crowning glory ° 1 Tiny Tim, " God bless us, every one." This read' ing was a beautiful play, and, as done by Dickens, it is better than a play ; for he not only gives 11° the voice and character of each individual, but 13 such fine relief that they all stand before ust though only the solitary reader is in reality on th e ground. A blind man would see them all distinctly The second reading of the evening's bid, the breach of promise trial, Bardell v. Pickwick, was the fare! after the tragedy or high comedy ; and though it 15 rather a commonplace sort of a lawsuit, Dicke ns makes of it, by his nice touches of colouring an d lights and shades of English character in commo n life, one of the most elegant and amusing of farces. He is, in truth, a comedian of the first order, as writer, reader, and actor. Compared with him Charles Mathews, as we remember him here, was cold, SO T : and conventional. Iu a word, it is almost a pity that'l l becoming the popular novelist he was lost to the stage' Considering his genius in painting the living ma i ! . ners of the age, we do think that in pre,:enting 111 the same reading what New York and America a nd the Americans were as lie left them, and what they are as he finds them, he would make the greate st hit and the greatest sensation of any writer, reader , or actor of modern times. Sothern's "Lord Dun' dreary" in England would be utterly eclipsed hl Dickens's representations in America of Andy John . son, Old Thad Stevens, Ben Butler, Parson Brown' low, Sambo iu convention, or Lucy Stone on t ha stump,with Mrs. Cady Stanton, and the tremendous George Francis Train. THE CRYSTAL PALACE. Yesterday there was a public rehearsal of th e Christmas festivities at the Crystal Palace, and the visitors had an opportunity of seeing the building decked out iu such holiday decorations as render it even more attractive than it was at this time last year. It is no easy matter to hang the interior so vast a structure with flags, banners, a nd streamers in such a way as to secure anything li ke sufficient variety in design and colour. All 00r patterns in this mode of ornamentation used to he taken from ships. To the Union Jack the post of honour was assigned ; then came the flags of a ll nations ; while " signals" were thrown in he re and there by way of filling up at points frota which nothing more appropriate could be sus pended. At Sydenham Mr. Wilkinson, the as" sistant manager, has tried the effect of departi n g from the old practice, and adopting, to a consider able extent, the French style of arranging f estal draperies. The splendid flags got up for the occ a c i don of the Sultan's visit are again displayed, and there is no lack of brilliant streamers, some of w hich are 50ft. long; but many of the best effects ar c produced by trophies of flags and spears, and hi t° designing of the pendant draperies no slavish r e ; gard has been paid to the heraldic traditions e' this or any other nation. The result is very sa t l s : factory, both in the daytime and when the palace is lighted up after dark. Ab o ve, ever); thing looks bright and warm. Below, there on all sides a profusion of evergreens ; st nl ," 4 arranged in line, and filled with all sorts of P re ' Christmas presents, occupy the centre of the 11 06 ' 0 and a gigantic Christmas tree stands close to th further end of the building. All round beneat h the of tree is an admirably arranged little museum of natural history. Swans repose in a tiny lal o real water, supplied from a source hidden witillitt mossy rocks ; game of various kinds are group ed . accordance with the habits and manners of the liYll3l animals ; rabbits seem to be darting in and ou t an imitation warren, and a pair of squirrels are making their observations from above. From tP4 outside of the Palace all unsightly scaffolding about tarpaulin have been removed, and, though itis ah n to 500 feet short of its original dimensions, it presen roe a very sightly appearance as it now stands. e a restoration of " the Alhambra" will be counne ne immediately after the holidays. The holiday entertainments extend from a ata noon till 7 o'clock in the evening, and are ca rri l out on the great stage in the centre transeP t ' h&j would not be easy to find a better orchestra tjo the one provided for the occasion, composed as % ti , of the orchestral band of the company. A ig if Inas performance without a clown would sca rce - 0 be allowable even at the Crystal Palace ; bu t ib quite clear that the experience of former years,el% encouraged Mr. Rowley, the manager, to at regular pantomime the great feature of stag .r e e a , t r action at Sydenham. " Little Red Riding b c t or Harlequin and Jack Horner, and a Fr°btriesi would a Wooing Go," is a pantomime o f thea to pretensions. It is written by Mr. Nelson Le e ' scenery has been designed and painted by : Ai r ; gr . H. Craeknell, assisted by Mr. F. Johnson an u t he Williams, and Mr. J. Burkett has cons tructed machinery, which includes a very elaborate " trans formation." e, Lord Somers has, with exemplary niunifiee"ticori preseni ed the Castle grounds at Reigate to the corpor°;ol of that town for the benefit of the public, and the arty authorities have formed a committee to m ake the p r od, as valuable as possible to Reigate and tlio ueighbou _ 11 0 In the to be an Owing to gagement Inanded a ceptions, Per Cent. An er berg o f t Company PenChUre next. The Al Arthur C CO., prpv Provincia Upwarc America i are expec The arriv demand, 1 Off, and rent to t Inarket the price Bar gold, 78 s. per o 77 5. per c 7 35• 9d. i oz. ; bar E taining g( ttandard ; oz. ; cake Messrs. cular of States as 1 want of a the coloni a Ppearanc Rather m teriptions favourabl attention. cre ase, E past. r n demand quiet. C ratea, whi more inqu low price have been t'clen Cod Bla c k pe the stock . the detnar Slightly lo with less The dealt market receipts ai night the IMprovem rally close h ave been late has b tusinas. very inac their acct haoge of 'or mone. Ore Da arkc The N( 92 ; E t per Cc: a nd ditto BusineF. Stock Exc Ariocipall; holidays a have decl to 25, Mexican 331,x; ar very t ransactei Price s ger advanced Northern ni an, 2 ; declined; Th e variation. ( heat Wo a nd Gran great In( 'antic T t BB l . an Go 14i steady at Atiant t , ll rea hay dated j The N at 1 prep In Am i, to 49 States 5- The is' sank Lrala s i a Minster kustralif ste a d y ai 31 1sinE If;ly d u] Ea st C a '-'Ol 311 12 ; East "--rs Li tz _ 1, . 6 et 21 I neroft to CG \Vheal St GUI) G 08 ' N 0 a 1 °f lEngl 41 011ey , At th, has beer Mr. f or of t eat at . I,& h i no: