The Sun. — London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

SAILING of the BALTIC FLEET from SPITHEAD. SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. In order to afford an opportunity for witnessing the departure of the most powerful fleet that ever left the shores of England, which is expected to sail at midday on Tuesday week, a SPECIAL TRAIN will leave the Waterloo-bridge Station at 8.30 a.m. for Portsmouth, returning in the e►ening at 6 o'clock. FAKES:-THERE AWD BACK. First Class . 20s. I Second C1a55........ 155. Passengers with luggage will not be conveyed by this train, except on payment of the ordinary fares. ARCH. SCOTT, Traffic Manager. Waterloo-bridge Station, March 31st, 1855. THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET. Under the management of Mr. Buckstona. THIS EVENING, Will be presented THE SECRET AMEN?. Principal characters by Mr. Backstom and Miss E. Chaplin. T o b e f o ll o wed by the new Ballet, "UNs NOCHE DE FIESTA EX SEVILLA. To which willbe added A PRETTY PIECE OF BUSINESS. Cha racters by Messrs. Howe and Buckstone ; Mrs. Caroline White, and Misses Ellen Chaplin and Reynolds. • • - To which will be added the new Ballet by the Spanish Dancers, called THE GALICIAN FETE. To conclude with SHOCKING EVENTS. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. Cuanza Exam. THIS EVENING. Will be performed the original adaptation of Casimir Delavigne's Historical Play. entitled LOUIS THE ELEVENTH. Principal character by Mr. C. Kean. To conclude with the popular new Farce, entitled A GAME OF ROME'S. Principal characters by Messrs. Harley and Chester; Mrs. Winstanley, Misses Heath, Murray, C. Leclercq, Daly, and Taman. To conclude with AWAY WITH MELANCHOLY. THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI. Froprlotor, Mr. B. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENING, WM be performed a new and original Drama, preceded by a Pro logue, and called JANET PRIDE. After which, I'LL TELL YOUR WIFE. To conclude with BETTY MARTIN. ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. A. Wigan. THIS EVENING, Will be presented the new Corneclietta, called TIT FOR TAT. In which Messrs. F. Robson, A. Wigan, and Miss Maskell will app....". Follbwed by the Farce entitled A BLIGHTED BY.I OO , in Which Mr. F. Robson will appear. After which, a new Fairy Ext ravaganza , entitled THE YELLOW DWARF AND THE RING OF THE GOLD MINES. Characters by Mr.. F. Robson, Miss Julia St. George, um E. Ormonde, Miss lilArstsm, Miss Bromley, and Mrs. Fitzallan. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Wm. Cooke. THIS EVENING, The Grand Romantic Equestrian Spectacle called TIMOUR THE TARTAR. After which, the incomparable SCENES in the CIRCLE, and the astounding evolutions of the Four Performing Elephants, with Herr Endersohn's accomplished Performance on the Slack Wire. An Equestrian Spectacle of peculiar construction is in active pre paration for Easter Monday. Box-office °pea from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West. Acting Manager, Mr. W. H. Cooke. Equestrian Director, Sir. W. Cooke, Jun. NATIONAL STANDARD. THIS EVENING, Will be performed, THE DUCHESS OF DIALFI. After which QUARTER DAT. To conclude with THE SCAPEGRACE OF PARIS. Mrs. Honner. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Under the direction of Miss Rebecca Isaacs. THIS EVENING. Will be performed THE VILLAGE NIGHTINGALE. To be followed by a Grand Concert. To which will be added THE QUAKER. To conclude with ALONZO. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE- Tine DAY —Mornint 57 min.aßer 12 1 Evening 16 inin.aft. 1 To-Ifoaeow— Morning 33 m i n . a ft er 1 1 Evening 50 min.aft. 1 THE WEATHER.—Sny Orme, March. 31. T EIZEMONETEE, IN THB SHADE. 47 highest since noon yesterday. 39—lowest this morninc i ; and during the night. 46—this day, at noon. BAROMETER, 30'44. WIND, N.E.—Light breeze, with very fine, mild, sun. shiny weather. b. t rt,irWelaw,,,, 111F-W--.11. -' • • ',;-` 4* - 'inabm'''°''':"... :7:-x,' 6 LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1855. It is perfectly clear that matters are all at " sixes and sevens" at Vienna--that there is " a pretty kettle of fish" cooking in the Austrian capital. The hurried visit of M. DxorryN DE VRIITS to London—his interview with her most gracious MAJESTY—his protracbod clisouodoz: with the English Minister, and intended visit to Vienna in order to participate in the pending Conferences --prove, beyond the possibility of doubt, that a serious crisis is impending, if it has not already arrived, and that it is of the utmost importance that France and England should exert all their power and influence to extricate themselves credit ably from the emergency. Nor are these the only ominous symptoms. The wily NESSELRODE has also announced his determination to attend, and to take part in the discussion of the Third Point, which has been passed over ostensibly until fresh instructions have been received, but really until the arrival of the new actors at the arena in which their abilities are to be subjected to such strin gent tests. These events lend additional corroboration to the rumours in circulation respecting the vacilla tion of FR,INCIS JOSEPH'. If the representatives of England, France, and Austria were completely ea accord—if they were perfectly decided as to the inevitable conditions to be demanded and finally insisted on, there could be no necessity for the journey of the French statesman ; nor would NESSELRODE consider that his presence was re quired unless the difficulty was one of no ordinary character, and that he entertained at least a rea sonable hope of a successful issue. " Nee Deus intersit nisi dignus vindice nodus Statesmen occupying such elevated positions would not interfere save on a question of deep and almost vital importance. There is another very significant point, which casts additional light on the objects and motives of the parties to the discussion. Prince GORT SCHAKOFF and M. DE TITOFF deny that, by the acceptance of the Third Point as the basis of negotiations, their Government has recognised the principle of a diminution of the power of Russia in the Euxine, and this notwithstanding the ex planatory memorandum of the 28th December, which it was supposed would have removed any doubt that could have arisen on the very plain and intelligible language of the point previously agreed to. Not satisfied with the retention of Sebastopol, not only with unabated but even ad ditional strength, they insist on the maintenance (11 a powerf u l navy i n t h e Euxine, asserting that the demand for a reduction of the Russian fleet Is contrary to the dignity and sovereign rights of the Empi, e. ,, It is fortunate for the Western Powers and their injured Ally, Turkey, that Russia should thus early exhibit this perverse obstinacy, as well as palpable duplicity, and that she should not avail herself of tne absurdly lenient conditions to which the opposing powers are said to have assented. As we have repeat e dl y pointed out, any peace which permitted the Rus s i an cannon to bristle on the walls of Sebastopol and its numerous fortifications to remain standing, must be alike dishonourable and precirious. Should she e on ,_ pel the armaments of France and England to re turn without accomplishing the object on which they had set their hearts, her own pres tige would be increased, while ours would be diminished in an inverse ratio. Nor, while an impregnable po sition was available, could any reliance be placed on - unguaranteed promises, however stringent, or oaths, however sacred. They would only bo kept mail the convenience which led to their being made—the only matter that would have weight ' with Russian—permitted their violation. We can only, then, rejoice at the difficulty that has thus fortunately occurred, and which may prevent a peace so disgraceful and:prejudicial to France and England as their representatives would have sanctioned. Why, then, it may be asked, if such were the THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING-, MARCH 3l, 1855. intentions of Russia, should she have assented to treat on the basis of the Four Points ? Cui bono the pacific protestations so liberally made ? The answer is plain, the reasons easily to be detected. Partly that time was an object, and she hoped to have obtained an armistice preceding the negotia tions, as suggested by her good friends King CLICQtYOT and Mr. JonN Baton; but chiefly be cause she placed great reliance on Austria. NI CHOLAS could not believe that his brother despot really intended either to humiliate his pride or diminish his power. It is, then, we believe, the duplicity or vacillation of Austria that has in duced M. ]YnOvvN DE 1111717 S to hasten in person to the scene of action, and that, on the other hand, has made NESSELEODE disregard his age and infirmity in order to be present at the diplomatic contest. The one hopes to prevail on the youth ful Emperor to continue in the course which he professed his intention of pursuing—the other of drawing him through devious bye-paths, until he ~., becomes inextricably involved in Russian snares. There must, as we have already said, be some foundation for these anticipations. What has been the conduct of Austria up to this time ? She has not as yet drawn a single sword or fired a shot in anger, and thus has avoided committing herself to the contest. But that is not all: her neutrality has been almost as serviceable to Russia as that of Prussia. Froth the very commencement she delayed the proceed ings of the Allies, inducing them to consent to the most injudicious procrastination, in order to obtain the favours which with almost feminine coquetry she half granted and half withheld. When occupying the Principalities she obstructed the advance of the Turkish troops, and thus en abled the Russian forces to be withdrawn from Bessarabia and assume the offensive at Balaklava and Inkerman. When the valour of the English and French troops foiled these attacks, when ,she said that she must take some part, she cajoled us into accepting:a perfectly valueless Treaty. What, we ask, has been the utility of that Treaty of the 2d December? How has Austria assisted us although nearly four months have elapsed ? She has done nothing—literally nothing for us, although she has succeeded in obtaining concessions on the first Two Points where her interests are chiefly concerned. Not only have we this powerful evidence of her hollowness and treachery, but we see Russia withdrawing her veteran troops from Poland and replacing them by Asiatics. This would not have been attempted if any doubts were entertained as to the future conduct of Austria. Once more we repeat what we have so fre quently asserted, that the open enmity of Aus tria would be far better than her pretended friendship. The one could easily be met—the other occasions greater embarrassment and diffi culty. The time may not be very distant when the taunt addressed to an Austrian potentate may again become applicable—when every voice in France and England, if not in Europe, may ad dress FRANCIS JosErir in these words-- "Thou wear a lion's bide ! Doff it, for shame, And bang a calf-skin on those recreant limbs." The abolition of Church Rates is now entirely in the hands of those whom they most oppress. In a much larger House than last year Sir W. CLAY has again obtained leave to bring in his bill, and by a majority of more than one-third. Last year, however, the then Leader of the House of Commons resisted its introduction with every argument of the ira.nox school ; this time the new Leader of the House argued for its introduction. Lord I'ALILERSIum'S assent to the firot reading Sir W. CLAY'S bill is certainly another and a great step gained in the Church-rate struggle. We know the versatility of the Noble Lord, and we know how my it is for a Minister, if so minded, to shelve the bill of an independent member on the second reading or in committee; still the sanction of a Prime Minister to the introduction of a bill, entirely abolishing Church' Rates, shows that Government is seriously pressed by the advocates of religious freedom. We are, moreover, confident, from several politi cal reasons, that neither Government itself nor the House of Commons can resist on this ques tion a decided pressure from without. If consti tuencies, if Liberal Churchmen, and if Dissen ters do their duty during the Easter recess, the second reading will be triumphantly carried. The abolition of Church Rates and of the com pulsory Newspaper Stamp ought certainly to go together--the main arguments for and against each are identical. The law, for instance, in re gard to the former is in a far worse state than that in the other. It is so bad that the highest legal authority informs us that, were it thoroughly worked by opponents, not one Church Rate in a hundred would be found a legal one. The cost of proceedings in those doomed nuisances Ecclesiastical Courts being the only thing which deters from litigation, Mr. CLAY might plead as Sir C. LEWIS did, you dare not make the law more summary and strin gent, that would raise a perfect storm in the country ; on the other hand, it cannot be enforced on either side on account of the uncertainty, de lay, and expense. Then, again, the main argument against the Stamp, and what we have always acknowledged to be a practical unfairness, is, that, by compelling all copies of a journal to be stamped, those who do not use the Post-office are compelled to pAy for those who do. The repealers ask, with an air of triumph, " Why tax a man for a postal service of which he never avails himself ?"—which is, of course, the case whenever papers are pur cliased with no intention to post them. Still more triumphantly may the Church-rate repealer ask, " Why tax a man for - a religious service which he never uses ?" More triumphantly, we say, for the hardship is incalculably greater on the vast numbers who, while taxed for the Churchman's worship, sacramental wine, costly buildings, surplice washing, and all the et ceteras of the Episcopalian service, not merely do not use the Church service, but have a strong repugnance to it, or who at least pay the entire expense of their own religious services and their own houses for worship. No man pretends a like repugnance to the postal service, or is at the cost of an expensive arrangement in its place. Mr. WIGRAM and others, indeed, could be so intolerably stupid, or worse than stupid, as to pretend that the Church, meaning by that expres- soicrm. his ovvnChurch, being i ns tit u t e d f or t h e good Dis senters as we ll as others, Dissenters ought cheerfully to pay Church-rates ! If Mr. W,cl uem goes into the overy-day world ng f lie will find. those perverse Dissenters or WIGRAm's wor s hi p a b out as cheerfl p il a ly y - l as Mr. WioßA.m pays for th e i nstitution of receiving houses, pursefinds his po c k e t s lightened of his or handkerchief. Those p erverse here tics will, in spite of all leis ar guments, con f oun d w leis h en he his Church, in this respect, with the pickpockets of the City streets. Indeed, they angrily avow that the only difference they know is, that one does it by law, the other against law. And many of them think that a au' to take money of them for what they can not use, is worse than skill and cunning employed in pilfering. Law ought to be a sacred thing ;in the case of Church Rates it is regarded as the selfish instrument of sectarianism, bigotry, and aristo cratic prido. Let Mr. WIGRAM remember, too, that Dissenting worshippers, quite equal in num ber to Church worshippers, may turn his own argument, if it were worth turning, against him. They might tell him that Dissenters and Catho lics built their chapels and supported their ser vices for the " good of the whole community," that they educated 3,000,000 children with the same object in view, and that, therefore, Mr. WIGRAU should cheerfully consent to be rated `to the support of the worship of Methodists, Baptists, Independents, &c., and to the repair of their chapels. We are almost ashamed, however, to waste our space upon argu ments replete with such dull and hardened bigotry. The discussion, moreover, is deferred till the second reading. The grand thing now is for real Liberals, both in the House and out of it, to unite to settle this question. An able circular, which has been sent us on this subject, shows that the House of Commons is really quite ripe for decided action. Last year, despite the Torified opposition of Lord J. RUSSELL, the second reading of the bill was lost by a mino rity of 27 only, while on that occasion one hun dred and forty Liberals were absent ! They feared, ' s in all probability, embarrassing the Gtivernment, yet could not prevail on themselves to vote against the bill. There are also many known conversions since. In such a state of things nothing is needed but public: meetings and petitions, and especially that the abolitionists amongst the electors should personally - write to the members for whom they have hith trio voted, informing them that the time for action is now decidedly come ; and that they now must demand the fulfilment of their Liberal pl /edges. They may especially re mind the us. that they can no longer put up with paltry excuses when a member in Lord STANT JET'S position declares that abolition of Church Rates is " a question not merely of policy, not merely q f expediency, but of justice and right," and that " the change is doubly important, as it will afford la e first trial of that principle of self support in re'tigious matters which is likely, per haps certaii to be the principle of the next gene ration." .1 kb ,olitionist electors cannot do better than to ren ii nd professed Liberals of the speech delivered, t;o his constituency at Lynn, by the heir of Lord DL al] 3Y. ARRIV.. Q.b OF SICK AND WOUNDED FROM TILE EAST. (By Electric Telegraph.) P3i4YMOUTIE, SATURDAY MORNING. Her Maj oElty's screw steam-ship Sanspareil, 70, Command( a- Gordon, arrived this morning. She left .S eba s t o p o l F e b ruary 4, Constantinople February 10, Malta March 3, and Gibraltar, March 1.8. She has ox i bcard from different sLips in the fleet 34 seamen and marines, and from Gibraltar six in valided an d wounded soldiers, viz.—one each 11th Hussars, 33d, 47th, 63d, and 95th Regiments. She con ve.yed from Constantinople 100 sick sea men and tr s.nirines to Malta to recruit their fiealth ; all the marin es of the Sanspareil, 125, in command of Captain S impsen, who have been on the heights since Sept ember, were left there ; 120 of her crew were turns Id over to the Royal Albert and other ships. _ Spoke th. e Trafalgar, 120, off Cape Finisterre, March 22, r teaming N. ; and the Bellerophon, 78, in lat. 46. S N., kag. 10.24 W., March 27, home ward bow id . COURT CIRCULAR Her Mai Iserty and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince efl itralon, the Princess Royal, Prince Alfred, the Princes N RA . A ~ T.,,„;.., . n d of Leining en, attended by the Hon. Flora Macdonald, the Hon. ( :aroline Cavendish, Major-General Bonverie, Captain Di t Plat, and Mr. Gibbs, visited the Exhibition of the Art-I C. retribution by Amateurs in aid of the Pa triotic Fun .d, at the Gallery in Pall-mall, yesterday morning, a tti ended by the Equerry in Waiting. The Prince as of Salerno and the Duke and Duchess d'Aumale • vis ited the Queen yesterday. M. Droi ty n de l'Huys, accompanied by the French Ambassador, had an audience of her Majesty, to whic'a he was intr educed by the Earl of Clarendon, Secretary of State for • Foreign Affairs. The Qu. ten and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Princess It oyal, the Princess Alice, and the Prince of Leiningen, honoured the Princess's Theatre with their presence in the evening. The royal suite consisted of the Duch. ;so of Atholl, Earl Somers, Major-General Bouverie, and Captain Du Plat. The He in.. Caroline Cavendish and the Hon. Flora Macdonald. lave succeeded the Zion. Lucy Kerr and the Hon. Mar, l Bulteel as the Maids of Honour in Waiting to the Que en. The Pri racess of Salerno and the Duke and Duchess d'Aumale visited the Duchess of Kent yesterday at Clarence I to use, St. James's. DEPAR TUBE OF M. DROUYN DE L'HUYS. M. Drou:yn de l'Huys, who bad arrived in London, as we yesterd a.,y announced, for the purpose of conferring with the .11,-nbassador of France, and, in conjunction with him, `►r,ith the English Government, yesterday at two o'clock `vent with Count Walewski to the residence of the Prime Minister, where they met the Marquis of Lansdowne a nd the Earl of Clarendon. With theps:i noblemen, and with Lord Palmerston, a conference wa 3 held which lasted until five o'clock. The French Ambassador and M. Drouyn de l'Huys then proceeded to Buckingham Palace, when the Minis ter of Foreign Affairs was presented to her Majesty by his Excellency, &ad was honoured with an audience of some duration. M. Dronyn do l'Huys left Albert-gate House in the course of the evening for the South-Eastern Railway station, on his return t• Paris via Dover. VISIT OF NAPOLEON 111. AND THE EMPRESS. WlNDsclit, Friday.—Preparations ara being made here for tin, reception of the Emperor and Empress of the French, on Easter Tuesday, the 10th of April. The apartments now under the process of decoration, and on which no less than 40 gliders, besides upholsterers, are employed, nro the ball or grand reception-rooms, the throne-roomy the Reubens-room (where the theatrical entertainments have usually taken place), the King's council chamber, the King's closet, the Queen's closet, the Zuccarreldi room, the - Vandyek room, and, indeed, all the apartments on the North Terrace. That the whole suite will be finished in a style of unprecedented magnificence cannot be doubted. It is undel-stood that the Emperor and Empress of the French will remain in England for about a fortnight, visiting London, Osborne, Woolwich, Portsmouth, Greenwich, and other places, but residing principally at Windsor Castle. The York and Lancaster Towers are being fitted up ier that purpose, and the whole of the apartments in the Round Tower will be placed at the disposal of the attendants of the Emperor Napoleon. The Queen held a privy council this afternoon at Buckingham Palace. THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO TII ART CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PATRIOTIC FUND.—Yesterday morning her Majesty, Prince Albert, and six of the Royal children, and suite, paid a visit to this exhibition and sale of works of art. tier Majesty showed her taste by at once pur chasing the best work in the room—viz,, a. frame of six illustrations in outline, by Miss Frazer, of the poem of "The Wreath." These illustrations are most happily conceived, and evince much poetical feeling, and are ex pressed in an original and very artist-like manner. We believe this graceful production of the pencil was already purchased, and was loyally yielded, on her Majesty inti mating a desire to possess it. The Queen made other tasteful selections. Five of the Royal children have contributed drawings of their own ; they are all clever productions—that of the Princess Royal, entitled "The Battle-field," is a masterly work for one so young. It is a very encouraging sign for the arts to see such unmistakeable taste for art so widely diffused amongst the youthful members of the Royal family. The drawings which cover the walls and fill the portfolios in the gallery are contributed by amateurs ; and although we gladly admit they reveal taste and talent, it is impossible not to feel, at the fiat glance, the difference there is between such works and the productions of the professed artist—of works produced in play and those that are the result of hard study. The tfer invariably possess a vigorous,llively, fresh look, as if they were produced in the midst of frolic ; the latter, it must be confessed, have a dull inani mate air, as if they were the offspring of severe, unpalat able labour. Nevertheless., those who have the will and the power to discern artistic talent may discover it in this mass of drawings, and this circumstance, combined with the praiseworthy object for which this exhibition and 4 ° sale have been instituted, is doubtless the cause of the great interest which the subject is creating. Lord ic,-;tratford de Redcliffe was so far recovered on the 19th i nst. as ' ke able to attend, as usual, to • ._ _ busi ness. MILITARY INTELL MENCE. CASUALTY BY DEATH IN INDIA SINCE THE DEPARTUBM OF THE MAIL ON THE 16TH FEB., 1855. HER MAJESTY'S TROOPS.—Captain and Paymaster E. Lee, 10th Foot, of apoplexy, on the river near Seram pore. MADRAS.—Major (Bt. Lieut.• Col.) G. J. Richardson, 31st Itegt. Light Infantry, at Madras, on the 11th Feb. BENGAL.—Lieut. Glasgow, 53d Native Infantry, shot by one of his own men while on detachment duty, on the 7th Feb., near Cuttack. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. BOMBAY, MARCH 4. We have no change to report in the Money Market dur ing the fortnight. All business has been dull in conse quence of the intervention of the Hoolie holiday, and we quote securities generally about the same as last Mail. The value of piece goods has seen its lowest point ; we are glad to notice a little improvement on grey skirtings, from 5 to 71b. of 1 alma, on 61b. 2 to 3 annas, and on grey madapollams of 31b. an anna, while other descriptions remain much the same as last reported. A little more firmness on the part of importers will, we expect, cause a further advance. - The clearances from the Bazaar are pretty fair for the interior, and money is becoming easier. The extraordinary depression in the Bombay market, particularly for Manchester goods, need not surprise any one who looks at the memorandum of imports here from England of cotton, silk, linen, and woollen manufactures for the month of December last, and fDr the year 1854, compared with each of the previous years, the increase being very great en every item of the least consequence, and excessive on the principal of them. We wonder when people in England will give up sending goods to a losing market ? From past observations we should say, never. ElPORTS.—Cotton—The transactions in this staple have been very limited ; of Surat and Broach none to be had ; some fair quality of Dhollera was bought previous to the arrival of the last English mail at Rs. 68 per candy; but subsequently, owing to favourable accounts from England, it has advanced from two to three Rupees per candy. The new crop of cotton is later this season than usual, and is expected to arrive in ad this month. Linseed has declined 2 to 4 annas per candy, and can now be had at Rupees 4i to Rs. CI per cent. Exchange has slightly advanced this mail. Previous to the arrival of the English mail of the 25th of January sales to a moderate extent had taken place at 2s Old to 2s ld for local credits and document bills, but latterly , rates have given way in the absence of demand for remit tance on mercantile account, and we now quote the rates at 2s ON to 2s id for bank bills, and 2s lid to 2e 1N for decumen ts. CALCUTTA, FEB. 22. The commercial advices are again very discouraging for most of the principal articles of exports from India. In digo continued firm at previous rates. Raw silk was dull. Combs had commenced assuming a downward tendency, and inferior goods had suffered a heavy decline. Sugar— The low qualities were sold at a decline of 6d. to ls., while the goods remained firm. Saltpetre had also suffered in value. Rice was difficult of sale at previous rates, and lower prices would have to be effected to accept sales. Jute had fallen about 2/. per ton. Linseed without quo tations, no sales having been effected a ft er th e rece i pt of news from Vi enna that the Czar of Russia had agreed to negotiate for peace. Safflower was firm at last quotations. Both lac dye and shell l ac continued inactive. Catch had further given way 1 to 2 shillings per cwt. Since our last issue, our produce market has continued in an active state, shipping having entirely withdrawn owing to the uncert a i n t y as t o the result of the negotia tions for peace. Indigo, however, has within the last few days attracted more attention, and holders of some fine marks have succeeded in obtaining slightly higher prices, say about 5 Rs a maund. Oar import market has again been characterised during the past fortnight by great inactivity. The tightness of the money market, combined with 'heavy stocks of many descriptions of piece goods, has checked dealers very con siderably.' Our money market is in the same position as last week, and it is expected that in a short time the present tight. ness will gradually disappear. EXCHANGE —Has ruled about an eighth higher on Europe for the outgoinm mail. Bank Bills at 6 months' sight have been left off at 28 Oad. to 29. ld. ; first class cre dits at 6 months' sight at 2s. 04d. t o 2 s . ld. ; Document Bills at 2s. 14d. to 2s. 14-d. Treasury drafts at 30 days' sight have been negotiated at Is. Hid. to 25., and Post Bills at ls. 111 d. t o is. Hid. per rupee. On China Bills with Opium Documents at 60 days' sight have sold to som e extent at 222 rupees per 100 this., and some small amounts on Singapore at 30 days' sight at rupees 225 to 228. FREIGHTS —Our rates to England gradually declined before the arrival of the mail steamer Bombay, but since the receipt of her letters confirming the unfavourable ad vices, a further fall has been the consequence of the last I two days. Rice h as b een engaged at 5' to Si. s s . Jute as low as 41. S?eds et GI, to tiT 1.0,3. per ;t•)1, ;•-:, Lonelon, while the rate,.; for other dt , - 6CI iptiii of ' , foil tiee like,vibe have comparatively I declined. In country freights a moderate business only has ' been done at slightly lower rates. For Mauritius rs. 2-1 a bag of Rice have been accepted. The arrivals during the past fortnight have been rather numerous, and tonnage is abundant at this moment. Future changes will depend almost upon the nature of advices expected by the next mail. INDIGO. —Onr market has assumed a more favourable appearance, a better feeling being observed amongst the bidders at the last public sales, and fine marks especially attracting better attention. LATEST NRWS Count Nesselrode will not fail to attend the Vienna Conference, and take part in the dis• cussion of the third point. The Russian plenipetentaries refuse to adm that, in accepting the third point as interpreted in the aide-memoire of Dec. 28, they have acknow ledged the principle of a diminution of Russian power in the Black Sea. They assert that the demand for a reduction of the Russian fleet is contrary to the dignity and sovereign rights of the Empire. The fourth point is under discussion. The question of the expenses of the war has not been mooted. THE VIENNA CONFERENCE, VIENNA, March 26.—Up to yesterday morning th• Allied Powers had not been able to agree as to the means to be employee for putting an end to the preponderance of Russia in the Black Sea, but in the afternoon they coderred together for some hours at the Foreign-office. Naturally nothing is known of what took place, but it is much feared in Austrian official circles that France, if not Emgland, will consider the razing d Sebastopol a sine qua non. Not quite a year ago he signature of Prussia was affixed to a document, in which the four great Powers pledged themselves te maintain the integrity of Turkey, and yesterday Count Arnim was seen walkinc , backwards and forwards for a full hour near the palace in which the representatives of the Western Powers were then closeted with Count Buol and Baron Prokesch. Directly after the English and French Ministers had left the Foreign office Prince Gortschakoff and M. de Titoff ap peared, and, after conversing a couple of minutes with their disconsolate Prussian colleague, they ascended the great staircase leading to the Austrian Minister's apartments. What took place between the statesmen no one but themselves can positively say, but it is presumed that Count Buol made known to them the conditions which the Western Powers wil -day propose. FRANCE. (FROM OUR OWN , ;ORRESPONDENT.) PARES, FRIDAY EVENING. The departure of M. Ikouyn de l'Huys for Lon don, and the announcement that he will afterwards visit Vienna to take part in the Conferences, has inspired some little hope in the minds of specula tors that such an event would not have taken place unless the Government entertained favourable ex pectations with regard. tc the result of the Confer ence. Under this impression the market has been rather buoyant, and a fair amount of business has been done at improved quotations, although the advance which marked tie opening was not main tained to the close. The Moniteur publishes the following letter from Copenhagen, dated Marcia 21 :-- "A thaw has set in. The ice has broken up between the Swedish coast and the island of Seeiand, and the sea is clear. The port of C3penbagen is only frozen as far as the Three Crown Battery. The passage of the Great Belt is improved. The mails are, nevertheless, behind-hand." The Journal des Debats of yesterday publishes a leading article on the Vienna Conferences. We extract the following :-- "The official discussionof the third point commenced in the sitting of the 26th of March ; but it was known beforehand that different combinations would be pro posed to the Conference to solve this difficulty ; and perhaps we may be allowed to observe that we were en abled to indicate some of them more than a month since, from information we received from Vienna. " One of those combinstions consists in demanding a considerable diminution of the naval forces of Russia ; it is proposed to reduce those forces to a limit which Russia, under no pretext, should exceed, while the Western Powers should not be allowed te introduce or maintain in the Black Sea a naval force superior to that of Russia. In another hypothesis the Powers might, with the consent of Turkey, erect on the southern coast of the Black Sea—for instance, at Sinope and Bourgas, maritime establishments, capable of keep ing in check those possessed by Russia on the coast of the Crissea. Russia would have to submit to the natural consequences of the abolition of the convert.- tion of the Dardanelles (tree& of the 13th of July, 1841), and, as the Black Sea would be thrown open to men of war of all nations, ---eels would be received in all Rneeian ports roluout distiection. The ort of lida laqva would become a free port, and a ll the Powers would be authorised to havc'Consuls at Sebastopol. In other words, every precauton authorised by the law of nations would be taken against Russia. Hitherto Russia, thanks to her exceptional ?osition, was able to evade the obligations of that law. She would have to submit to them. The great Powers would thus obtain all the guarantees of common law, and the power of Russia in the Black Sea would be honourably reduced to the just proportions which the trancpillity and security of Europe demand. " The opinion prevails at Vienna that the Conference will not depart from this order of ideas, except to de velope it more or less, according to circumstances, and that the Plenipotentiaries vrill succeed in conciliating the interest of all parties. Good will is not wanting, and that is, we think, an important point. If all adhere to it, the peace of Europe will be re•established." On the intended visit or their Imperial Majesties to London, the Pays remarks : " No more signal testimony could be given of the cordial friendship which now unites France and Eng land. In this point of view the visit of their Imperial Majesties is an event of high significance, and the satis faction which public opinion will derive from it cannot but be increased if, as it is permitted to hope, her gra cious Majesty the Queen of England shall come in her turn to visit France, where she will be received with the most lively sentiments of respectful esteem and sym pathy." M. Guibert, the shipbuilder of Nantes, who is charged with the construction of the French gun boats for the Baltic, was three days back summoned to Paris by telegraph, and yesterday had an inter view with the Minister of Marine. Some changes, it is believed, are to be effected in the build of those vessels, for the purpose of rendering them still more effective. The steam-frigate Orenoque and the steam-cor vette Chaptal left Toulon on the 28th for Kamiesch, the former with 500, and the, latter with 300 sol diers on board. Both of these vessels have also horses on board. "Of the four regiments of the Chasseurs d'Afrique in thelFremh army," says the Salut " two are already in the East. We have just seen a letter from an officer of rank, which an nounces that the two others have received orders to set out there also without delay. They will be replaced in Africa by two Hussar regiments." BOURSE, MARCH 30.—CLOSING PRICES. Cash. fr. c. End of Month. , q per Cents 92) 94f. 55c. 3 per Cents 69 65 69f. 75c. Cr6dit Mobilier Credit Foncier ...... 540 Austrian Belgian Fives ...... .. 94 Spanish Threes Piedmonteso B5 75 Home Debt RAILWAYS-231i CASH. fr. c. fr. c. Orleans .. l2lO Lyons .. 1055 Western... 660 Rouen Cate 620 Strasburg Mediterranean 9BO Havre 570 Northern ...... ...... 866 25 Cherburg THE CRIMEA. A lettei in the Courrier de Marseilles, dated Ka miesh, 17th of March, says:— "The Russians are tbrowinr up new works of defence opposite the Victoria redoubt, which is now occupied by the 9th French division. Fr= this redoubt rockets are every evening fired into the town and must do consider. able damage. During th• last armistice for burying the dead a Russian officer said to one of our staff officers, You fire rockets ; those fireworks amuse us.' Well,' replied the officer, ' it is an amusement we can procure often and gratis.' We keep cur promise ; the rockets we send differ certainly in some respects from those used as fireworks, as each rocket carries 201 b. of powder with it, which explodes and sets fire to everything it comes in contact with. " The army receives reinforcements every day. Since the commencement of the mcnth more than 5,000 horses or mules have been landed. The artillery and baggage waggons are completely remounted. " The English army is also in a much better condi tion ; its Light Division consists of 10 regiments, each of 500 effective men. Its Naval Brigade works at the redoubts. Its sanitary condition is excellent. " This change must be attributed not to the weather alone, which is less severe, but to all the bygienic mea sures taken in their camp, as also in the Turkish camp. The carcases of the horses which lined the road from Balaklava to the camp have disappeared. The dead are also buried with great care, and to prevent the dan ger from putrid miasma quicklime has been thrown over the bodies. This is an excellent measure, and it is a pity . _ it was not thought of before, as the ground is very rich in chalk. "The enemy have not resumed tleir right sorties, which never succeeded. They are making their defences bristle with cannon at all the ♦ulnerable points, and fire immense masses of•projectiles, which fly over our para pets and do us very little harm. The day upon which the signal is given we shall reply to them with the music of 400 cannon, each provided with 900 rounds. All the echoes of the Black Sea will resound to it." SPAIN. MADRID, March 29.—The evening before last several superior officers of the militia assembled to demand of the Government a modification of the Ministry faYourable to the democratic party. Mar ,4l 3;,.F gave timra no played great firmness. A bill forbidding the national militia to deliberate on politics was presented last evening to the Cortes. Madrid is tranquil. On the 24th great disorder was manifested in the Cortes upon the question whether M. Heros, intendant of the palace, should be required to produce the will of Ferdinand VII, before the committee to inquire into the conduct of Queen Christina. Deputies in sulted one another. The President made several attempts to establish order, but the tumult- con tinued to increase. At length he ordered the pub lic to be removed from the tribunes, and suspended the sitting. The public resisted the officers, but were finally removed. The Queen left Madrid yes terday for Aranjuez. The Archduke William of Austria arrived at Vienna in the morning of the 26th on his return from St. Petersburg, and was immediately after received by the Emperor. It is stated in a letter from Vienna of the 26th, that the Archduchess Mary Dorothy, the mother of the Duchess of Brabant, who had been getting better, has had a relapse, and that, in obedience to a telegraphic summons, the Archduke Joseph had left for Pesth to see her. A letter in the Independance of Brussels an nounces that the new Grand Council of Ticino has decided that all political trials and those for high treason, now pending, shall be abandoned. This decision is equivalent to a general amnesty. The Giornale di Roma states that, on the 23d, the Pope held a secret consistory, in which he announced the death of the Patriarch of the Maro nites of Syria, and the election of Mgr. Massad, archbishop of Tharsus "in partibus infidelium," in his stead. The Genoa Gazette states from Modena, that the fresh recurrence of premeditated murders and in fliction of wounds in the district of Carrara has obliged the Government again to declare it in a state of siege ; for which purpose Lieut.-Colonel Casoni has been invested with full powers. From the 22d all public places are closed an hour after sunset, and nobody is allowed to be out in the streets after that hour. THE OVERLAND MAIL. INDIA. We have received our despatches in anticipation of the Overland Mail, a summary of which appeared in our edition of Thursday. The dates are :—Calcutta, Feb. 24 ; Madras, 28; Galle, March 3 ; Bombay, March 5 ; Shanghai, Feb. 6 ' • Hong Kong, 15 ; Singapore, 23 ; Sydney, Jan. 27 ; Melbourne, 31 ; Adelaide, Feb. 3 ; Mauritius, 18. The following is from the summary of the Bombay Times of March 5 :-- India. continues tranquil throughout, with the excep tion of some slight marauding. on our frontier. On the 9th ultimo a robbery was committed by about 200 hill men near Peshawur, on a camp close by a police station, where some thirty people lost their lives, the robbers escaping.—Oude and the Nizatn's dominions continue filled with disorder.—The education despatch arrangements ara beginning to be put in force, and forty thousand a year will, it is said, henceforth be allowed for the supervision of an educational system which has never hitherto cost more than eighty thousand altogether.— The Calcutta Military Board has been extinguished, and those of the other Presidencies are about to encounter the same fate ; a separate department for public works is to be brought into existence in their room. The Secre taryship in the Revenue Department is about to be abo lished, and the department itself is to be conducted by three commissioners. Mr. Henry Young, the late Corn miesioner of Customs, has been appointed foe the pre sent revenue secretary, in succession to the late Mr. Goldemid, with a view to his becoming Commissioner. A large body of reforms are in process or in contempla tion in the rural police, of which there is a force of 70,000 in the Bombay Presidency, in the Land Re venue, and the Customs and other departments. The first of the transports with troops from Bombay for the Crimea left us on the 10th of January, and reached Suez en the Bth of February, occupying 29 days on the way. The last of the 10th Hussars having been de spatched, steamers and transports left Bombay on the 24th to carry the 12th Lancers from Mangalore, and as they have no such conveniences for shipment there as we have here, they can scarcely well have got embarked and be ready for sea earlier than the 10th inst., reach ing Suez on the 14th proximo, and Constantinople, at the rate assigned, about the 7th of May, or about a month later than by the Cape. The orders for troops through Egypt reached India early in November, and considering the immense amount of tonnage at this sea son always at our command, every man that could have ,day, bl and 90 days on the 'A 1 ;;;;;; " ; Gibraltar would s 've greatly exceeded the average of time taken. With steamers in readiness to receive them on the Ist of March, the whole of the troops might have been in the Crimea by the let of April. The horses just despatched through Egypt are undersized for home service, they are unfitted for the climate of the Crimea, and will have cost the country 2001. a piece by the time they reach their destination. Ne blame attaches to any one in India for these blunders ; the orders from home were peremptory.—The nomination of Sir Henry Somerset to the Commander-in-Chiefship of Bombay, now daily expected, is a popular one. The Governor-General has left Calcutta for the Neilg berry Hills, and is said to have asked permission to return to England next year from this Sanitarium with out revisiting Bengal. Lords Harris and Elphinstene are at their respective seats of Government, both in the enjoyment of good health. Mr. P. W. Le Geyt left Bombay yesterday for Calcutta, to take up the appoint ment of Bombay Member of the Legislative Council in succession to Mr. A. Malet, who goes into the Bombay Council in place of Mr. Warden. Trade dull, and freights low. CHINA The Overland Friend of China of Feb. 15th pub lishes in a supplement two communications regarding the repulse of the French from the city of Shanghai. In one of them the loss is said to be 1,000 Imperial ists in killed and wounded, and the French between 40 and 50 men, including two officers killed and four wounded. Among the former was the let lieutenant of the frigate Jeanne d'Acre, who was shot dead while leading a storming party in an endeavour to scale the walls. One of the letters concludes in the following terms :—" The French admiral bas driven every native off the French settlement, pulled down their houses, and cleared a space for 6,000 Imperialists to come and encamp ; but whether the French will succeed in pre vailing on their brave Allies to accompany them on a se cond trip into the city, I am somewhat doubtful ; from the fact that the Canton and Fo-kien men in the service of the Imperialists refuse to go into the city again on any account, and the Ningpo men are much disgusted and disheartened at losing so many of their countrymen' in addition to their leader. The reports you may hear of the determination of the insurgents to resist all French ag gression, to the last, may be relied on ; for never was a body of men more earnest in a cause than the present holders of the city of Shanghai. Their feelings towards the French may be judged, by the chiefs having sent letters to the English and American authorities offering to surrender the city to them, but never to the French —sooner will they die to a man, and this, I firmly be lieve, to be no empty boast. The whole country round Canton is in the hands of the rebels. But for the presence of foreign men-of-war the city would probably stand but for a very short time before the blockading fleet of insurgent junks. The rebels have been endeavouring to create some trade at Wharnpon, but beyond small sales of teas and plundered silks we learn no particulars. The feeling at present is that the rebels are rather losing ground. Enclosed is a copy of a proclamation issued by the rebel chief to the representatives of the three Treaty Powers, which protests against the transport of rice, &c., by the river steamers and craft, and goes on to notify that all foreigners must quit the city of Canton, and trade must be stopped till the place is in possession of his party. We cannot say what notice will be taken of the document, but it calls for immediate interference, or the little trade that exists may be annihilated (Translation.) " NOTICE. "All the Generalissimos commanding sea and land forces, troops, and cavalry, send this letf er to their Excel lencies the Commissioners of each of the great nations for their information : " When on a former occasion the IManchoo nation en tered and plundered China they agreed at the expiration of 200 years to deliver back the rivers and hills, i.e. , the empire, to our Ming Sovereign. N ow t wo centuries have passed and they are unwilling to deliver back the empire. Therefore we have raised troops to exterminate and blot out the Maachoo nation, and restore the country to the sovereign of the Ming Dynasty. " Hoo Nan, Hoo Pik, Keangso, Gan Hwny, Nan King, and Kwangse have all returned, and Show Hingfoo in Kuang Tung, Hea Hun, different departments and dis tricts, ail have heard the report, and have reverted to the Ming Dynasty, and only the provincial city, Canton, has not yet submitted. Just now we are entering it with our troops to fight and exterminate it, but the merchants of the great nations have again employed lorchas and other vessels to bring rice to cover up powder being conveyed to the provincial city; and their cannons they pretend are to guard against pirates, in truth are sold to th e t ra it orous officers, which is most unreasonable. " We wish each of the great nations from this time for ward to prohibit the use of lorchas and ether vessels trans porting cannon, powder, grain, &c., to sell for the use of the traitorous officers, and not to allow steamers to trans port traitorous troops to Canton. " Wait till we have obtained the city, and afterwards it: will be proper to carry on trade. " We'no;w limit the time to the end of the year, when all goods belonging to the three countries, America, Great Britain, and France, at Canton must b e en ti re l y remove d ; after the new year no vessels can come and go carrying freight. "As requisite we give this notice. The newly-estab lished regulations are as above. The three nations, Ame rica, Great Britain, and France, are limited to the end of the year to remove all their goods from Canton. The other different nations are restricted to three days, within which they are required to make a clear sweep of their goods. " Kan Ying Year, 12th Month, 24th Day." EXCHANGE ♦ND BULLION. CANTON, 13th Feb.—On London 4 7i.—On Bombay, 224 Ra.—On Calcutta , 226 Rs. 13th Feb.—Carolug - Dollars 27 per cent. premium. SHANGHAI, 23d Jan.—On London 6.6.—0 n India, 325 Re.—Drafts on Canton 27 discount. iota, ruu.....-E iia, gaol aults.—.l3BllareS, 304 dols.—Malwa, 440 dols.—Turkey, 380 dols. SHANGHAI, 23rd Jan.—Malwa, 345 dels.—Patna, 270 dols. FREIGHTS AND TONNAGE. CANTON.---TO London nominal 5/. ss. for tea. SHANGHAI.--To London 61. to 6/. 10s. for toa. EGYPT. ALEXANDRIA, IVlAncia 23. The festivities at the barrage of the Nile on the ocoa sion of the laying of the foundation stone of a citadel and town to be called Saideeyeh, after Said Pasha, took place on the 12th inst., the anniversary of the Viceroy's birthday. Lord Haddo, eldest son of the Earl of Aberdeen, is still in the Upper Country. His health has improved. Mons. Lesseps, the projector of the canal across the Isthmus of Suez, has returned from Constantinople, and it appears that the Sultan refuses to give his sanction to the plan. This mail will convey to the Bank of England bills to the extent of about 20,0001. sterling, on account of the tribute due by the Pacha of Egypt to the Sultan, and which is to be appropriated to the Turkish Loan, in virtue of the Imperial firman of October, 1854. One half of the yearly tribute, or 142,500/. sterling, was to have been deposited in the Bank of England by the 10th of April, but it will require some months before this sum be remitted. The Hindostan, from Calcutta, arrived at Suez on the .9th of March. AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY, JAN'. 27. In even ordinary times I should say that an antipo dean correspondent has a difficult task before him, so to write of colonial matters; that mere local events should not be protruded upon the English public as of national importance, nor that again" which have a world-wide in fluence should be over!ooked. In the dear old country warlike news now engross all attention, and it is a query with me if two or three columns of Australian intelligence would receive that notice the writer thereof might desire. Our Legislative Council is prorogued— the Squattee mem bers are busy up country tending their shearing —the phi losophical members are pondering upon the Reports of Committees on Education, Intemperance, and the Con dition of the Working Classes --the practical members are gauging the water question, the sewerage, the pav ing, and the lighting of this neglected city ; whilst the Government sit with folded arms waiting the advent of a new order of things when Sir William Denison arrives. Thus, nothing is stirring of any great interest ; rumours are heard about the candidates offering for Sydney (a seat being vacant by the retirement of Mr. Thuriow, who goes to England). There is a slight expression of feeling about a testimonial to Sir Charles Fitzroy, which is adverse to him ; and as far as the public are concerned, they seem prostrated by the overwhelming hot weather—thermometer at 90 degrees in the shade. This summer has been rather a disastrous one, so great a draught not having occurred since 1839, bush fires extending for miles around have been numerous, and much property has been destroyed. The town of Para matte, with .7,000 inhabitants was exposed to immi nent danger for some days, and as the spiritless people there have no fire-engine, and no authorities of any kind, they may thank Heaven for their escape from total destruction. The palings surrounding the church-yard were burnt, and as the church is in the centre of the town, Paramatta narrowly escaped a frightful conflagration. Owing to the want of rain the various teamsters, who conduct the inte rior traffic, have lost many cattle. The cost of car riage has increased very much, and everybody has suffered. We of the city feel the drought in the gradually ascending price of vegetables and meat. Cabbages of moderate solidity easily fetch ls. 6d. each ; and carrot s that may properly be termed " linapy," 2d. and 3d. each. Meat is not very dear yet, but as the stock have no water and no food the butchers predicate increased prices. With all this wages are also coming down, but rents maintain high rates ; buildi ng i s go i ng on very vigorously, but landlords are as stiff-necked as ever they were. The results will be that numbers who cannot afford high reatsswill go into the rural districts—houses will become tenantless, and then the household Pharaohs have their choice —empty tenements, or moderate rents. The return of the revenue for the concluding quarter of 1854 hasjust been published, and in the words of the Empire " it has a very decided tendency to confirm public con fidence in the stability of our commercial and industrial interests, and we cannot help congratulating the colony upon it." The revenue exceeds that of the correspond ing quarter of the preceding year by 175,8241. The land sales exceed those of the same quarter of the former year by 10 7,8711. In the gold revenue there is a decrease of not less than 25,81.,9 the ac t ua l receipts for licenses, &c., being 502/. The expenses of the system, and the collections being balanced, no profit seems to arise from gold com missioners, camps, troopers, and man - hunters —the gold fields should be thrown open to all comers, when proba bly some new diggings might be found, and the revenue would benefit by the consumption of goods subject to the tariff. There is a likelihood Victoria will abolish the hateful and vexatious licence fee before us. The Great N ugget V ein Gold Mining Company held their half-y ear l y meeting Jan. 15—a dividend of 2i per cent, for th e h a lf year was declared, but dissatisfaction waa expre sse d at t h e manner in which work was carried on. It was a l so resolved " That the - English income tax cannot be a ll owe d to the shareholders of the United Kingdom, but th a t t h e i nterest accruing on the a mount of the unpaid dividends, which hay. bgen invested by the London agents, should be paid them. There was A'13.101 the chime of tie compsey Neu , : a'. pesent worked by the Colonial Gold Company. It appears that, where the claims yield only a small proportion of gold to the ton, the gold company are allowed by their contract to take; -ur-fifths of the receipts, allowing the Great Nugget Company the remaining fifth. Where the yield is more prolific a large proportion is given to the company, in order to equalise profits. But it was contended that by this arrangement the interests of the Colonial Gold Company would induce them to work the poor coils only because from them they would get the largest proportion of profit. Ultimately a resolution was adopted that the sliding scale should be changed to a fixed one. The Australian Joint Stock Bank have also held their usual meeting, and declared a dividend of 10 per cent, per annum. The net profits of the six months ending becember 31, were 12,84 11 . Mr. T. W. Smart, thh inspecting director, goes home in the Madras. The Bank gave him 1001. as a testimonial : gifts to the the wealthy—the old plan ! Great dissatisfaction has been felt here at the an nouncement that the General Screw Steam Shipping Company would send no ship with the mails of Dec. 4. We are tending to the old course of things, and Beata likely to have to trust to such mail packets as the Strat ford, the Vimeira, and the Matilda Wattenbach. Despite this, however, there is not the remotest probability that the various colonies will unite and subildise a mail com pany themselves—Melbourne is jealous of Sydney, Syd ney of Melbourne, Adelaide of both, and New Zealand wishes to be the first port of arrival. Aanidst all the conflicting claims for priority action is lost sight of, and at the most exciting period of the century, we are dependent upon mere sailing ships. The route via Panama would give us the quickest news, but the Golden Age (s) lost by her trips, and is now sold for the passenger traffic between Panama and California. We are the slow coaches of the South Pacific. The Sydney railway company have acquiesced in the views of the Government respecting the transfer of their property. On January 22d the shareholders met, That d t amongst others passed the following resolution—" Tha the directors of the company be authorised t o make and complete such sale and to transfer the whole a the said property to the Government, f or such price (not being le-s than the full amount of capital actually paid u with the aciditiun of 7 p er c ent. thereon), as s ll be p, agreed upon between the Government and the directors with theguaranteed interest up to the day of payment." Thus the affair is settled, and the railway of the colony will be in Government hands. The Austra lian Steam Navigation Company met Jan. 24, and de clared a dividend of 31 per cent. for the half - y ear ending Dec. 31, 1854. Their last was at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum, but the new steamers they have lately purchased account for the smaller sum. The Australian General Assurance Company have declared a dividend of 7A per cent. for the past half-year ; the balance Theremaining at the credit of profit and loss accoun ts is 10,4621. affairs of the company'are in a satisfactory state. The following is a review of the prospects of the herd vest of 1854 : The harvest season in the Australian colonies is now proaching, and prices at this period var y according to the, reports respecting the crops. From Van Diemen's Lana the accounts are decidedly f a vourable, and th ere is the prospect of a fair crop in New South Wales and in the colony. In South Australia there is a &Hare on the. p r oduce that colony, even in bad seasons, h a s for the la st ?.' e years been greatly in excess of the requirements of population, and as a great additi onal breadth thisui year sown, we still look for a considerable supplY iO Adelaide. Then the wheat crop in European far United an average, and there is a fa ir crop the ual States. Finally, California is n ew, it is said, suPPihell,l her own agriculturists, and the whole of the large t" Oa the surplus is available for the Australian colonies. whole, we find that those best acquainted with the trade here do not expect any material advan ce this yeaFt they anticipate a lower avera ge price of fl our, possibiy the extent of 10/ , per ton , daring th e year 1855. Trade is slightly reviving, and the country favoured by plentiful rain. There is some repo svembeeennt p in ri t c h e e s. brandy severo market,parcels havebut it o o d s o n e r s shi not p realise home oid l s o t f o J ek e e d d ah fo f r o t r h L e onnedxetnt. wolnyesarofst.gohdes wthoeolmoafr4tki:epostopoisrogbfs:yst clip is not so well got up as that of last year. which 20 per are to be exported direct to France, by cent. is saved to the French maritet,„an. 28, has 1,874 The Ellenborough, which of of which were shipped bales of wool for London, at Newcastle. g s o c k n . the capsizing o e to say . that th f e th Dr is not yet open,' oawmingsotrory when the first vessel wasp reparing to enter. DycsaDmis of done, about 10 01 ., a nd delayam d o a y nt s h o . Nov. 9, by Madras (st.) , were six AMOUNT OF GOLD DU ST AND SPECIE S i v le T h e rhdzel 1 6e. D mails stone, 195 ozs. 12 dwts —3,040/. Hanna h,liv,er Lang, -1,8001. Argo (st.) 4,103 ozs. 4 dwts. O. 260 ozs. China, 259 ozs.-3,600/. Vinseira, 178 oss. 13 dwts.-5001. E.or.u€ THE ROYAL BU MANE $001.01% l': The eighty-first annivers festival of this most cal ary able institution was celebrated by an elegant dinner, at the Freemasons' Tavern, last evening. In conseq uence of the indisposition of his Gras the w the. D u k e nt liV° ll/4- uun, wuu was w nave premed, the chair a s taken by Sir Samuel Morton Peto, Bart., who was supported Sy the twe sheriffs for the City, Sir Walter Stirlin g , r 13. Outram, Col. Stephens, Mr. Benjamin Hawes_,_gr. W. Hawes, sen., Mr. S. Turner, the Rev. R. 3iont'. gomery, the Rev. Jos. Brown, the Rev. Ed. Sll, ot her M.A., the Rev. M. Lusignan, and about 150 other friends of the institution. The healths of her Majesty, the pa t ro ness of the is ' stitution, his Royal Highness Prince Albert, the Duk e of Cambridge, and the rest of the royal family, hay in a g been drunk with the usual loyal honours, the c hairin l gave the toast of the evening, "Prosperity to the -Di a e Humane Society," stating that during last winter therree bad been 1,045,008 skaters and sliders in the th parks, of which number 97 were immersed and 690 ox' perienced fractures and falls, while in the Serpentine 193,000 had bathed, and 14 persons were saved from drowning. A very interesting procession of Per"" whose lives had been saved then perambulated the root after which a variety of toasts were propo sed and r ceived with applause. The dinner was served up in the well•kno wn style the the Freemasons' Tavern. Mr. Harker PeeforM duties with his usual efficiency. The vocal cor p the direction of Mr. Hobbs, including Mr. s•ife; Mr. Lockey, Mr. Cumming, Mr. Young , and Cooke, greatly enlivened the proceedings of the event: _Li. which were wound up by the announcem ent of a scription of 5001. o,edn,nreleor THE CHARGE OF SHOP IFTING Ate.A if THE WIFE OF DR. BAMSBOT.E Mr. Broughton came down to the Marylebone police court on Thursday,' and Mr. Long at the time being engaged in the investigation of the night and other charges, he went into hisprivate room up stair's, when. Dr. Ramsbotham, whose p wife had been charged Wit'll stealing handkerchiefs from a shop in Baker-street,enina will present. He came up in his carriage, and gentl were also present for the purpose of putting in bail. Mr. Herring and Mr. Lewis — the latter of whom said he was a personal friend of Dr. Ramsbothain---at" t e nded on behalf of the prisoner. that the Mr. Broughton caused it to be intimated to t h e re- the waspraotceefdailnl glsibwehrtiychtmo might p re e s e e into room during h e in r fer Broughtono bail. Mr. (to Mr. Franklin, th e chief usher, wilt? was duly sworn)—You have made in q uiries with regl to the parties whose names were g iven in as bail tbgnotn _i n porter l in in s th _t • l im t have, s. Mr Fc.a rt nk a Sir. Mr • Broughton they inquired as to w hether e wag certificate or not I A certificate , . of which the following is s copy , was banded to Mr. Broughton " We have this day visited Mrs. Mary Rarasbothatn, under remand in the House of Detention, Clerkenweil, and from the since her report of the matron of her condition or. vo admission, and our observation of the state of her n we system, indicated by almost total unconscionan,evn be are strongly of opinion that her longer detention 1/1 most i n j ur i ous to her health, and may probably induce mental aberration. (Signed) "A. TWEE E, M.D. "House 66 HENRY WAKEFIED, Surgeon. ......... of Detention, Clerkenwell, March 29." __ d M. Herring and Mr. Lewis both stated that on M-0.11 fat next there wo uld no doubt be a complete and satin: ctiry answer to the char —l3. '1 was then given and Mrs• R ge. al • amsb o tham left the court with her friends. pn being ar STRANDT.iNitfitfor nr 2----------------------------------- am T n h e e r, de ex- oya awl y athe-Sea. Oa departure to-day from St. Leoon and Countess - French R 1 F .1 nerds xected to take their p a r e t d ya; es , ~c 1 on board a steamer, and proceeded to a fishing ground about twenty miles off on a fishing ex cursion :tyitthe Prince de ,withe a numerous .. On T R hu ic r e s . day, Lord and Lady Monteagle re ceived lq in t e ta roki Clarendon,street, t he tart Earl suer a u i o s d o c f oLuaonts,,ds :if 0 f n e,foargf. ham, i th e Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lady Theresa d ewi s , Sir Francis, Lady Arabetia, and Miss Bar.itng!. Count Strezlecki, Mr. and Mrs. Eorsnaan the Solici ? ea r ~. eneral for Ireland, Mr. Ord, and the 'Lion. Charles Spring theT allbAeToiteEit—aTf h t e h performancesetaloo t:cimo atgheirseses7oo; for, Isaacs the house will doubtless be a buTproria l as y o not relying solely on her justly-acknowledgeod la re d for ctielieleunneetoefv o e n u i r n m g, :s e : n fi te n r i t. s a h i e n d m e n t vocalists,m a y b s e h r e e h i Mrs. J. 3. . c eparagyatloanxymofr maunsdical‘liitsaslenLte,fainecrl,tilcli:g I r a ' es . relied on. A. fact which d WINO VOLUNTEERS FOR TIIE house attention came out 66thp on Thursday last. James Clare, a priva ein ssi to n a c g e :s v tr o a lu tes:w eor e e r d e mfruomch thecompletely rne6k7thwith Regiment't he h 9 a t thel Leedts C.nou.rht; somereamon of it, when he stated that he and 26 ot er, da t y the Crimea. The colonel of bein i for to le raled orderslyingat Guernsey, into the 66th, which were ender the 67tb, o! to leav to find with his regiment that they should wis•b of this, demanded to know what fault e it, and declared that ,' he would brighten their on e of the 1 - s l i e ti n ng ta m k a e g n buttons for them." He at once sent for the barber, and had t 1 1 it it 11 'le -lair of all of them cropped as closely fa Crary magistrates ,itshaiad r i a t zo w n as Ma mr.olastupatrouni,.. ary act on the part of the commanding officer thus to disfigure men for volunteering for the Crimea, a thing which they had a perfect right holdo, and for whieh the e'sto, pAead of censuring, praise thins. ■ I ( lz IteeBiion It -n her D, Nve t .B t t —n D terr ar ft„ D - beer Sei Motes ursr to, ThereSt it, th ted h 90 , Kra at 11 Zte at ti b Z 4 e eh ' l2 g thi % 1 . 5 0 ot i n Cile let z‘trae of ‘Provem kitta or 4 viVing 1 4 41 comp a b... Cent p e - 440._ la .for 4.4ch eqt QlOOO Lmall 4:500 "gliet Ditto tk ti „ ?RD 14,Z 7 per 4 , 44. 41 b• • 3 itt o fo ht l r a sh % h b I tt - o . —itt o 1 41 4 11 Nt 'll " E ß x —itto 4 ZL( : t L 1 l m od / / ithTAl ED::E : - " °11 , N. 0 1 lit il lilaio %all te.liNza meaty.` °nth - %nth t Fa/lIEL I\ L I A Tai lett LL lyitres: '4lv. aoh t , EE I.sadoL, 3114H4 li s 'l ved 1 FfiYing 1 'Nits a Vinci Arriv g01411.1:r Arriv WibC %ilec ' Wind Arriv tAr r . ali° " "utu: wine .% ,u.ej IMO I