The Sun. — London, England, 1849-01-30 00:00:00

;lover I s per 149 ; 33 to lowly' IlvitS dole , ant on rrarlt ° , w hat urt j ° orawr by Lb ° fi t for davits it Mr• he I°. Le tha t Zit t he him' 7 four befor e DrneY ° lioi n. bricks gr. nzolf° argil ° duti' _ _ r e i der o P°it6 SIR BULWER LYTTON'S EPIC. KING ARTHUR. PARTS 11. AND 111. Our national literature does not contain a more brilliant example of versatility than that which is afforded by the career of Sir Edward Buiwer Lytton. Nor is the versatility of this illustrious author cha racterised by any of that intellectual mediocrity which is generally the result of a miscellaneous application of the mind to the various branches of knowledge. He has, on the contrary, acquired for himself an ele vated position in the different departments of letters, to which he may, from time to time, have dedicated his very distinguished abilities. Whatever he has endeavoured to accomplish in earnest he has achieved with the most felicitous success. As a dramatic writer Le has produced several of the finest plays of modern times; and among these the most effective "stock piece" that has appeared in our generation. In political composition he has penned a work which must always rank him high in the list of constitu tional reformers—a work which might not inaptly be designated the wade mecum of a young illeinlxr of the British Parliament. To the Historical Library, he has contributed a fragment riot unworthy in its elo quence of one who hes aspired to commemorate the glory of the Attic republicans. As a metrical trans lator he has displayed a remarkeble capacity to embody in a new language not merely the signi fication, but the very manner of the (a iginal. He has revealed a depth of contemplation, and an abstraction from things familiar in his' essays which goes far to prove the command he pos sesses over his imagination. He has revived not only the lands ca p es a nd the manners, but the souls and the individualities of the past in his historical ro mances. He has sounded the innermost recesses of his own nature in those domestic novels, which con tain more of himself, more of his fancy, of his sensi bility, and of his faculty for observation, than per haps all the rest of his effusions put together. Beyond this he has created in the flowery regions of fiction a species of narrative fraught with a beautiful though indistinct fascination—we mean those narratives which combine, in such delicate confusion, reality and ideality, the sensuous end the metaphysical. That he might, if he so pleased, rise to considerable eminence es a biographer was testified two or three years since by a brief but noble panegyric on one of his deceased contemporaries. Yet, unsatisfied with reaping the harvests of celebrity in these splendid fields of litera ture, he has now adventured t. - on a track already trodden by so many august predecessors, that track which conducts to the loftiest fane of Immortality, that track which has been sown with the tears and the life-drops of aspiring pilgrims—the path of Poetry. After touching his lyre into a symphony of minor songs, elegies, ballads, satires, sonnets, odes, and idylls, he has at last dared to lift his voice to the sublime tones of the epic, and that epic the grand national epic of KING ARTHUR. There is in all this a patience that extorts our respect, a genius that wins our admiration, a perseverance that excites our won der, and an audacity that almost disarms our criti cism. We recognise in the gradual ascension of our , author's intellect from the tale to the history, from the essay to the drama, from the song to the epic, a com bination of all those qualities which tend to ensure a victory if only accompanied by innate power and ex traneous determination. In "King Arthur" ' we be hold the crowning achievement of his life. His am bition cannot rise to a greater altitude. He has ac complished that which once had its seductions for the deathless and majestic mind of Milton. In Romance he had already taken his place with Scott, and Victor Hugo, and Boccaccio. As a novelist he . had long been numbered in the same catalogue with Fielding, and Le Sage, and Dickens: as a political • philosopher with Condorcet, and Defoe, and Consi derant : as an essayist with Steele, and Budgell, and Lamb: as a dramatist with Sheridan, and I'aifourd, and Knowles : as an historian with those celebrants of antiquity who are neither so profound as Niebuhr • or s o voluminous as Gibbon. He has now assumed a place in that division of our library which we love so earnestly — a place among the Kings of English Poetry, among our Drydens and our Cowleys, our - Walters and our- Coleridoes. . Actuated by a sentiment of candour, and impelled to the confessional by his reiterated identification with the authorship of the preVious portions of the present work, and with the preliminary poem of the "New Tinton," Sir Edward Buiwer Lytton has at length affixed his name to " King Arthur." We must be allowed in some measure to felicitate our selves upon this circumstance, as we had so fie quently and so emphatically insisted upon the fact that Bul ever was, and that no one but Bulwer could be, the anonymous bard of both productions. Our opinic n was enforced by quotations from his acknowledged writings, and the correctness of this opinion has no w b een . L be eam_ i • , ly demonstrated. The conclusion of "Ring Arthur" is lying before us in eight books— completing the number which constitute " i'aradise Lost," end the " 2Eneid." There is throughout the whole of the composition an evidence that the theme has not been lightly scanned by the poet prior to , its development as en epic. Sir Edward has mani festly prepared his mind for the undertaking not °t'l3', as he hi mse lf ex p res ses it, in his Preface, by a , "prolonged apprenticeship to the principles of art, cy the con t emp l at i on o f it s m as t er pi eces i n many -languages, and by such familiarity with the re • source s of his native tongue as study and practice could enable him to obtain, but also in a particular manner by his examination of the literature of the earlier Sc andinavians, of the ancient Cymrians, of the a:axon • Chroniclers, and of the whole Teutonic family, as well as by a careful perusal of the records of the poveres, the Fabliasts, and the Troubadours. lin ull(d with a reverential affection for the primitive ages of his country, he has commenced and com- P l eed his commemorative poem of the favourite hero of England. In this poem he has united all the prin cipal elements of what may be termed for want of a better epithet—Christian Romnce. Those elements radiate trom a binary centre of Mar and Love; and the atmosphere of the entire work is coloured with .t . he gorgeous hues of Fairyland and Enchantment. •Laythur himself—the very emhodiment of Christian tripl e con d ucte d t h roug h t h e v i c i ss it u d es o f hi s vi rtues ente r p r i se to t h e acqu i s i t i on o f th e mos t su bli me Jrtnes of hu man it y . ljeder the symbolical forms of sword, the shield, end the virgin—the sword of , t he mere, the shield of Thor, and the maiden of the tc rob—he a cqu i res K now l e d ge , Lib er t y , an d Happi ..‘i'eLss—the th ree Gif ts w hi c h man i s con ti nua ll y la bouring to attai n i n hi s a d van c e t ow ards civilization. l `While over the Is hole narrative there is diffused the s i e ght of a tw o f o ld purpose , firstly the conservation of • ttiOe Briti s h P eople end of British independence from the s _ s allits of a n i nva di ng enemy , an d, secon dly, th e ttc destructs- . nof idolatrous creed of the heathens by " potent beneficence of Christianity. In this there surely extraordinary grandeur of intention and y arseilou s symmetry o f proport i on. O f the a i m o f 2 1 r e :composition we c a n only speak in the language of e]tcepti ona bl e eulogium. Our province in that di -I;ecilon extend s no f urt h er . W e can m ere ly s t a t e th e natur e of the author's purpose, and dismiss it with ex- Pr.essions of unqua lifi e d commen d a ti on . It i s s i mp l y with the treatment of the subject that we have to do as \VerS. A n d w i t h th e trea t men t o f th e mate- r_, l 12 which c ompose t h e ep i c o f "Ki n g A rt h ur " we matters find muc h difficulty to quarrel, saving only in of a very subordinate importance. The poem Is worthy of the portions already published, and of the reputation a l rea d y gained by its author. It is worthy of the genius of the poet, and of the subject selected by him for celebration. It is worthy of Bulwer and of Arthur, !among the c om p ara ti ve ly lesser merits of the composition ther e i s one w hi c h we mus t, never theless, mention at once, seeing that it attaches to a work t reating altogether of antiquity an imme diate and even con t emporary i n t eres t. W e mean thecle introd uc ti on , un d e r an a ssume d gu i se , o f c austic all us i ons to t h e even t s o f th e presen t epoc h , coupledtl with p o rtraitures of men still living under 'flask of fictitious or legendary characters. In this respect Sir Edward has availed himself of the e Pr,,cedents a ff or d e d b y th e me d eeva l poe t s , an d el p e - by the sarcasti c and debonnair romaunts of the roubadours. Q ueen I sa b e ll e was th us d e picted as e mbroideri ng o r th e tent cloths of Darius, and the the•tr rich l aureate was described among the courtiers of the Alacedonian Co nqueror i n th e e l a b ora t e p oem o f lexandriade. The Fabliasts have, in like manner, employed r th e eame li cense; agreeing in that parti a V z i o„ , o with the i mmor t a l wr i ter of the Or l an d o extenuation, so. While, as an a ddi t i onal and conc l us i ve it may be borne in remembrance that Virgil thus made reference to the age of Augustus, and that Spenser thus off Elizabeth. how successfullye homage to the Court of Lytton has delineated our Sir Edward Bulwer mostm conspicuous states men, orators, and warriors appreciated by those who perused the sketches ouiLbee John Russell, Lord Palmerston, Lord Durham, Lorrwlie lardinge, the gton, the Marquis of Anglesea, the Duke of and Mr. Right Hon. Thomas Babington Macaullaliu Renjamin Disraeli, which were transcribed' into our columns on Monday, the 22d instant, eminent personages, it will not be forgotten, Those tyre clothed in the costume of the Knights or thee Round Table ; and it is after their delineation that Hie poet breathes forth this most admirable stanza —a tlanza. in which the metaphor is as perfect a s any. 131101:2 g we kn ow i n th e l anguag e. It expr esses the "r of patriotism in combining in one harmo chl°aurascbtearnsd:fn of the most opposite and antagonistic " Thus class'd distinct in peace—let war dismay, Straight in one bo n d the divers natures blend— o y arying tints in tranquil sunshine play, But form one iris if the d - d rains ei.cen• , I,Acnrdis;_furd in li g ht aga i nst the clouds that lower, " I ' 4 We deluge whil e they (mu the iheyfer:" ,r THE SUN, LONDON, T tiESDA Y EVENING, JANUARY 30, 1849. Ilenricus, the Cymrian .13sIlop, is a limning such as , can never be mistaken even by the most obtuse and jolter-headed reader in the United Kingdom. It is not so much a faithful miniature as it is a photograph. Its excellence is not similitude but identity. The original could scarcely have been more visibly inti mated, if the picture had been labelled " Henry, Lord Bishcp of Exeter :" "Henricus—so the imlate sigrrd his name— Was lord high chancellor in things religious; With him church militant in truth became (Nam cedant army tog(e) church litigious; He kept his ileac ms notably in awe By flowers epistolar perfumed r. - ith " No man more stern, more.forKter in re, No man more mild, more suaviter in mode; When knots grew tough, it was sublime to see Such polished sheers go ciippii gly iu nodo : A hand so supple, pliant, glib, and quick, Ne'er smooth'd a Land, or buru'd a heretic. " lie seem'd to turn to you his willing check, And beg you not to smite too hard the other; He seilvd his victims with a smile so meek, And wt p; fonlly o'er his erring brother, No wolf more righteous on a lamb could sup, You vexid his stream—he grievt d—aud cat you up." Precisely with the same keen irony is the Count de Neuilly scourged under the purple cf Ludovick the Vandal—his Minister Goizot coining in for a sid?, lash, under the appropriate nickname of Astutio. Introduced in Book 11., they are permitted to make En ignotni nious exit in Book Xi., not, however, without some virulent derision being scattered over the memory of the dowrfal of the French monarch end the esta blishment of the Republic, during the outbreak of February. '' A plump of spears," says the satirist, would have saved the throne, but No— " One morn a riot in the streets arose, And lett the Vandal crownless at its close." Ludoviek fell, says he with facetious exactitude— " Tripp'd by the slide of his own slippery feet." Hear him further on laughing to scorn the ignoble cowardice of the Orleans dynasty : " Ev'n at the last, to self and nature true, No royal heart the breath of danger woke; To mean disguise habitual instinct flew, And the king vanished in a craftsman's cloak. While his bravo princes scampering for their lives, Relictis pannulis—forgot their wives." Much ridicule is subsequently levelled at the ultra democrats for the extravagance of the nostrums vended by them as panacea for all revolutionary dis eases. Besides the foregoing, there are casual gibes at the Puseyites, at the Surplice schismatics, at the Irish agitators, at the preposterous doctrines of the Utilitarians, and at the mystical absurdities of the Benthamites and Coleridgeans. The latter are sub jected to a poetical flagellation during the narra tive of the mishaps and adventures of Sir Gawaine—who, by the way, is a kindred spirit with the merry exqui-ite so pleasantly pour traved as a Norman Knight in the noble romance of " Harold," we mean of course Messire William Mallet de Graville. But there are likewise many more serious and certainly more commendatory allusions to matters of vital importance to the existing generation ; and these allusions are rendered the more impressive by their association with the wanderings of the heroic Sovereign, the " Poet-King " Pen dragon ! Immediately after the description of Merlin's ad dress to the Knights of the Round Table assembled in conclave, when the Prophet-Magician summons them to battle and when " Sudden every shield Leapt into lightning with the flashing sword," we resume the thread of the narrative which tells of th• pilgrimage of Arthur. His escape from the Etrurian valley is recounted with surprising vivid- Ness—the egress being through the temple of the funereal diety, where-- " Before the inmost Penetralian doors, Holding a cypress branch, the augur stands; The King's firm foot strides eeholess the floors And with dull groan the temple veil expands; Advance the torches and their shaken shine Glares o'er the wave that ytt;s ns behind the shrine?' effect of his calamities—especially when he and the dog (such an unconscionable wag of a dog !) are about to be roasted as a propitiatory offering to Freya—is infinitely comical : as Also his bridal night ! his exorcism of the tempest ! his first inter view with the nasal pigmies ! ani his grotesque ab horrence of that diabolical scapegrace the raven ! To exemplify at a glance the humour of the mere style of these jocose episodes—reminding one of the irresistible tones of " Beppo " and " Don Juan " take the close of Gawaine's interview with Henricus —the Bishop /ovtitztr:— "' Depart, my son—at once, depart, I pray, Pay up your dues, and keep your mind at case, And call that creature—no, the cther way — When fairly out, a credo if you please;— Go—pax vobiscum;—shut the. c'oor, I big, And stay;—on Friday, flogging—with an egg!'" Before terminating our observations, we must tran scribe one passage from the "Preface" with mit abre viation—it breathes an air at oi.ce of so much manly dignity, and yet of so much winning difildonce. It runs as follows: "Whatever the defects of this poem, it has not been hastily conceived or lightly undertaken. From my earliest youth, the subject I have selected has haunted my ambition—for twenty years it has rested steadily on my mind. in spite of other undertakings, for the most part not wholly ungenial—since a lengthened and some what various practice in the conception and conduct of imaginative story ought to be no disadvantageous preparation for a poem which seeks to construct, from the elements of national romance, something approaching to the c..rnplmeness of epic narrative. If my powers be un , grull to the task I have assumed, at least I have waited in pati: nce, until they were matured and disci plined to such :strength as they :night be enalded to at tain; until taste, if erroneous, could be c,,rrected,inven tion, if sterile, be enriched, by some prolonged appren ticeship to the principles of art, by the contemplation of its masterpieces in many languages, and by such famt itarity with the resources of my native tongue as study and practice could permit me to obtain. But every one knows the proverb, that The poet is born, the orator made;' and though, perhaps, it is only partially true that the poet is born,' and a slight examination of the higher order of poets will suffice to show us that they themselves depended very little on the innate faculty, and were not less diligent in self-cultiv.ttiol than the most laborious orator—yet it would be in vain to deny, that where the faculty is wanting, no labour can supply the defect: and if certain critics are right in asserting that that detect is my misfortune, I must content my self with the sombre rell,ction that I have done my best to counteract the original unkindness of nature. I have given to this work a preparation that, evincing my own respect to the public, entitles me, in return, to the re spect of a just hearing and. a fair examination: if the work be worthless, it is, at least, the worthiest it is in my power to perform—and on this foundation, however hollow, I know that I rest the least perishable monu ment of those thoughts and those labours which have made the life of my life." Having scrutinized the composition throughout with an exacting eye, we must confess at once that our judgment has detected but few blemishes, and those blemishes of such a subordinate character as to admit very easily of correction. Sometimes the writer in advertently repeats himself' (as in the Notes, Vol. 11., pp. 273 and 279), and occasionally the repetition amounts to a plagiarism of his own metaphors, as where he says (Book VII., stanza 20)— "The Sybil of the sources of the Deep Heard nor replied, but indistinct and wan, Went as a Dream that thro' the worlds of Sleep Leads the charmed soul of labour-wearied man i" having previously written (Book 1., stanza 16)— " Onwards he went ; the invisible controul Competed him as a dream compels the soul." Def . ects of this insignificance are, however, assuredly, as nothing when placed in comparis on w ith the lofty merits of an epic which must henceforth be ranked amongst our national masterpieces. Cordially and respectfully do we bid Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton farewell, now that he has sung of the glories of Ca radoc the Bard, of Genevieve the Maiden, of Lancelot of the Lake, of Gawaine the golden-tongued, of Merlin the Magician, of Crida the son of Odin, of Harold the Saxon Earl, of Geriant, of Lolod, of Dryda, and above all of the royal hero King Arthur, " The knightly Cxsar of the Christian North ;" and now that, in so doing, he has crowned himself with perennial bay-leaves. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, MONDAY. Her Majesty walked through the Little Park to Frogmore this morning, returning the same way. The Royal Family took their usual exercise. His Royal Highness Prince Albert went out shoot ing this morning. His Royal Highness was attended by Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps and Captain the Hon. A, Gordon. The Bishop of Oxford left the Castle to-day. THEATRICALS AND MUSIC. As we anticipated last week, the success attendiyg theatrical representatio n p roce eds on its course oa s triumphant as the most ardent admirer of this species of amusement could desire. We subjoin a list of novelties and revivals for the week : HER MAJESTY'S AND ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.— As the London " season" draws near, the busy note of preparation is heard in these two aristocratic places of resort; numerous important engagements have already Leen entered into by the managers of both these theatres, which, in the course of a few days, we shall announce. From what we know at present it promises to be a splendid season. lIAYMARKET.—Mh S Laura Addison having re turned from her provincial engagements, made her first appearance last e ven i ng as th e Queen, in Hamlet. On Thursday we are to have The _Housekeeper, with a cast as rear as possible similar to that at the Windsor Castle theatricals on Thursday last. Buck stone, in conjunction with Mrs. FitnNilliam, join the company at this theatre. . - LYCEUM.—The bill at this elegant theatre remains the same as last week, the present entertainments securing a house crowded with rank and fashion. This is not surprising when we take into account the splendid nature of the performances awl the talented ertistes engaged in them. EADELPHI—Kenn y ' s Sweethearts and Wives is an. nounce.d for representation here this evening, when ight will appear in the same character as lie did at Windsor Castle, to the infinite delight of the regal audience. SAD LE X'S WELLS.— ShlliSpere ' S Kind John was performed here last evening with a very excellent cast ; Phelps sustained the character of King John, Mr. Marston that of Palc3nbridge, G. Bennett, Hu bert, and Miss Glyn, Constance. OLYMPIC —A new classical drama (so says the bill) is to be produced here, by Oxenford, entitled The Hemlock Draught ; the principal parts to be filled by Mr. L. Murray and Mrs. Stirling. A new classical drama is indeed a novelty. MARYLEBONE. —A new farce, with the quaint title of ls'nt it a Duck, was performed for the first time last evening. Mr. G. Herbert sustained the leading part. It is generally rumoured that we are to have another theatre in addition to the number (nearly twenty) now existing in London. The Rotundo in Blackfriars'-road is destined to be the place selected. An ex-lessee and a popular manageress of a metropo litan theatre are at the head of the speculation. The Rotundo possesses peculiar facilities for such a change, and, if well carried out, a theatre might be con structed rivalling in size even the Royal Italian Opera. A relative (we believe a brother) of the author and is ab ou t t o ma k e hi s first ? the inimitabl e representative of the cha rac t er o f Mon siresutr a ppearance character at o ne o f our prin cipal cipal theatres. Mr. T. Matthews, the Clown, received a very gra tifying testimonial a few evenings ago. A gentle man, who had been enjoy'ng the fun of the panto mime at the Surrey Theatre, having introduced him self, offered for Mr. Matthews's acceptance .ice Gri maldi's snuff-box (a tortoise-shell one, mounted with gold); we need not say the present was duly accepted and very neatly acknowledged, That London is without an English Opera at the present time is a striking and much to be regretted fact. Whether the want of patronage, or the enor mous salaries demanded by some of our English singers —salaries which it is impossible for a manager with a view to a remunerative return to give, we will not now stop to inquire. However, ,such is the fact, and we think the singers have themselves to thank. This want is in a great measure remedied by the number of delightful concerts an'l musical entertain ments that are now to he met with, and at such mo • derate prices of admission. The following are an nounced to take place during the next few (lays.: SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.—The next concert to be given by this society will consist of Beetho ven's service in C, a selection of sacred music, and Mendelssohn's " Hymn of Praise." The vocalists engaged on the occasion are the Misses Williams, Mr. Bodda, and Mr. Lockey. Mr. Costa of course con ducts the concert. zas," with infinite humour and spirit. Made moiselle Vera sang the " Bel raggio," from Semirasnide very finely, and the duet " Per piacere," from the Turco in Italia, with P. Lablache, very excellently. I3elletti's fine bats tones were heard to much advantage in the grand scena, " Sorgette ! e in si bel giorno," from: Rossini's .ilfaometto; he afterwards gave. Balfe's buffo song, " The P o stili on ," with great comic effect. Miss Bassano sang "Si m'abbandoni" very tastefully, and afterwards gave the duet from Res smi's Ragata Veneziana with Miss Durlacher ; both young ladies gave this duet admirably. Thalberg gave his marvellous Tarantella on the pianoforte and the concert concluded with the magnificent preghiera from Mose, given by the whole of the artistes. The hall was nearly as crowded at the con cluiion as at the commencement of the concert, and this we take to be the highest compliment that could be paid to the artistes Engaged. Many distinguished persons were present, among whom was the Duke of Wellington, who was greatly applauded on his entrance. PRESENTS TO MADLLE. LIND AT NORWICH. THE BISHOP'S PRESENT.—We noticed a fortnight ago the Bible which th, Lord Bishop intended presenting to Mudlle. Lind. This splendidly-hound volume was given to her before she left the palace, the following . texts of Scripture being written in it by his Lordship. " The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."—Psalm cxxi. 7, 8. _ _ " And this I pray, that your love may abound yet mere and more in knowledge and in all judgment. That ye may approve things that aro excellent; that ye may be sincere, and without oEnce till the day of Christ."— Philippians, i. 9, 10. THE MAYOR'S PRESENT.—Tho mayor, knowing that Mdlle. Jenny Lind was not only acquiring our language, but had began to read Milton, procured Martin's eition of Dlilton's " Paradise Lost," handsomely bound, and presented it to her at the palace. She appeared highly pleased. On the fly-leaf of the book was the following inscription:— _ _ " To Mdlle. Jenny Lind, from the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Norwich, Samuel Bignold, in testimony of his appreciation of her talents and genius, but more espe cially of the virtue and benevolence which have prompted her to consecrate the wonderful gilts with which Provi dence has endowed her to the cause of charity; and in commemoration of her goodness in devoting her vocal powers to the benefit of the poor of Norwich, on the 22d and 23d of January, 1849, when two concerts were given, by which 1,2001. was realised. " She sang With notes angelical,"—" and took with ravishment The thronging audience." —Norfolk Chronicle. HENLEY AND LONDON WATER WORKS AND NAVIGATION. A highly influential meeting of landowners, mill owners, and others interested in opposing the progress of the contemplated Bill for the construction of these works was held at the Town Hall, Maidenhead, yester day afternoon. George Henry Vansittart, Esq., occu pied the chair; and the following gentlemen were either present or represented by their agents: the Earl of Orkney; Sir John C. Rashleigh, Bart.; C. S. Murray, Esq.; T. P. Williams, Esq.; M. Swaby, Esq.; G. E. G. East, Esq.; H. Skrime, Esq.; John Rogers, Esq.; and Charles Clowes, Esq. Mr. SWABY moved, and Mr. LOVEGROVE seconded, the following resolution:—" That it is the conviction of this meeting that the proposed scheme is uncalled for by the public exigency, and will occasion serious injury to the proprietors and occupiers of land in the line of the intended canal, and especially in the lower ground, where the requisite embankment of between twenty and thirty feet in height will much increase and prolong the mischief occasioned in times of floods; and that as re gards the numerous and valuable mills on the River Thames between Henley and Staines, the water to be abstracted will cause irreparable damage, approaching to destruction." ALARMING FLOOD AT INVERNESS. On Thursday last Inverness was subjected to an awful calamity by the overflowing of the river Ness, on bbth sides of which the town is erected, in conse quence of which the old bridge was entirely swept away, and one-third of the town laid under water. It appears that for some days previously the wind blew tempestuously from the west and south-west, and great quantities of rain fell, but up to Wednes day evening no` apprehensions of danger were enter tained by any one. The river at length overflowed its banks to an extent never before witnessed, and as the old bridge, a structure built in 1668, showed symptoms of giving way, all access to it was about ten o'clock denied by order of the magistrates. During the night the flood continued to increase, and at five o'clock in the mornin g th e centre arch of the bridge yielded to the pressure of the waters, and shortly after six the whole structure was entirely swept away. In the mean time the waters had spread over the roads and low haughs above the town, and in the town itself flooded one _ _ third of its extent, reaching ts high as the first floor windows. As seen from the Castle hill the spect, , cle is described as having been one of awful majesty ; and to this point the inhabitants repaired in the greatest terror and alarm. Along Bank,treet, Dauglas-row, Ness- walk, H untley- street, and Gilbert-street, the waters rushed as powerfully as ii they had formed part of the bed of the stream, and gardens and other open spaces presented all the appearance of newly fo►med lakes. The parts of the town which suffered most were those lying be tween the Little Green and Huntley-place, on the west side of the river, and the Haugh, Bank-street, and Douglas-row, on the east side. As the inhabi tants, unapprehensive of danger, had, generally speaking, retired to rest, many of them experienced much difficulty in effecting their escape on the alarm being given, "trnd numerous hair-breadth escapes were made. In some places people were led from their houses wading breast-high; and, as the fall of the bridge hal destroyed the gas-pipes, darkness increased the ge neral terror, while the panic was still more heightened by an unfounded rumour that the Caledonian Canal had burst its banks, and that the unhappy town was thus surrounded with water. The number of people thrown hQuseless by this calamity is immense; but they have been temporarily provided for by neigh bours and relations, and by the town council and parochial hoard. Boats continued during the day to navigate the flooded streets, for the purpose of re moving the inhabitants, and in some instances when boats could not be had the sick and infirm were seated in washing tubs and floated to places of safety. All communication betwixt the east and west sides of the river by bridge has been completely shut up, as the only other bridge that connected them (a wooden structure) had become unsafe. On Saturday reports were current in Inverness of other northern rivers having overflowed their banks and caused much destruction, but no precise accounts appear to have been received. THE ARMY. Orders have been received at Chatham for the sus peinion of recruiting, and all the parties have been callei in. As the dereit at Chatham is exclusively for recruits for the Queen's regiments serving in ledia,' and which regiments are not included in the contemplated reduc— tion 'of the army, we are inclined to think that the de mands for the India service will be met by the transfer of those men who will become supernumeraries upon the British establishment in consequence of the new arrange ments, as, under existing circumstances, we cannot hope that it will not be necessary to maintain the army in the East up to its full strength. We regret to announce the &cake of Major-General Sir Guy Campbell, Bart , and C. 8., which took place at Kingstown, on Saturday last, the 27th inst., after a long and painful illness. By this event the colonelcy of the 3d West India Regiment and an appointment as major general on the staff of the army in Ireland, have become vacant. Sir Guy Campb e ll serve d in the Peninsula, and command( d the 6th Foot at the battle of the Pyrenees, for which be received a medal. Ile served also the cam paign of 1815, including 11. c battle of Waterloo. PnymouTu, JAN. 27.—The men belonging to the 23th and 82,1 It,gitnents now stationed here and at Devon port, wire assembled on the p a r a d e a t M oun t Wi se this morning, for the hurpos'e of hearing the sentence pro mulgated which had been passed upon Mathew Toomey, a private of the 28th Regiment, who had been tried by court-menial. The prisoner, when tried, was charged with having in August last disobeyed the orders of Cap tain Fraser, of the 28th Regiment; and a second charge was, that he had attempted to beat or to stab the said Captain Fraser, while in the execution of his duty.. On these charges he was found guilty; and having been several times before convicted, he was sentenced to be transported as a felon for fourteen years. Tho men belonging to this regiment sill occasion much trouble through their great irregularities. Courts-martial upon them are of very frequent occurrence, and every evening since they have been here, now more than five months, pickets have been out to pick up the drunken and dis orderly. This makes the duty very severe, but the men have only themselves to blame. There have been erected in the lower sally port of the Plymouth citadel a powder magazine and three arm sheds. In this part of the citadel, during the last few months, there has been much activity, a number of workmen having been engaged in erections, removals, &c.; but now all the improvements are completed. everal guns, 16-pounders, have been mounted on metal carriages, and the muzzles of them are placed opposite the town in a very commanding position. An observa• tory has been erected at the top of King George's bas tion; it is the same observatory us was for some time on the cross of St. Paul's cathedral. Observations by a theodolite are being daily made for the Government by Corporal Wotherspcon, of the Royal Sappers and Miners, in connexion with the Ordnance survey that is being made of the three town. TILE 91IT FOOT.—HEAD -QUARTERS, PORTSMOIITH.--• Two officers and fifty men of the Ist battalion of this regiment are ordered to embark at Woolwich, on the Ist of February, as a guard to convicts for Bermuda, whence they will proceed to the Cape of Good Hope to join the reserve battalion. GARRISON SURGEON 07 PORTSMOUTH.---This office has become vacant by the decease of Dr. Chaldecat. Economy in the united services being the order of the day, the appointment will not be filled up. [From this isolated stanza it may be conjectured how copiously the scenes are painted in language.] lEgle endeavours to follow her spouse and is drowned in the cataract. The discovery of her corpse and of the insensible body of the monarch by Lancelot is one of the most thrilling incidents in the poem : and the contrast presented by the two forms, the reviving form of Arthur and the inanimate remains of 2Egle, is exquisitely touching— " Dark—wroth—convulsed, the soul earth holdeth, lay; Calm from the bier beside it smiled the clay !" Over the memory of the latter are chaunted the " Etrurian Ncer.ia3 ' by, the Ilcathen priesthood and the "Christian Funeral Hymn" by the monks--those " hermits el the Lord !" Iu these elegiac strains are admirably displayed the influences for good or evil of the true and the false religion. Arthur's grief for the departed is profound, and, in depicting its poig nancy, the poet ejaculates this golden couplet Three truths unite the children of the sod— All love—all suffer—and all feel a God!" In the midst of his recret lamentations, however, the royal Adventurer is summoned to the fulfilment of his destinies. lie descends with " the w eird lady" into the mere in quest of the sword welded from a gem. While he tarries in the submarine Halls of Time the successive eras of English history—per senified in Richard Cceur de Lion, in Henry Vii., in Henry VIII., in Elizabeth, in Charles 1., and ulti mately in Victoria—pass before him like a panorama. Incidentally in the course of this superb pageant, the bard apostrophizes the shades of Slick spere, of Spenser, and of Milton, closing with a rythmical outline of the present 'reign and of the existing civilization. Its magnificence and its odium, its deficiencies and its amplitude, are revealed in a diction at once terse and melodious. The colossal phantoms of the Past, the Present, and the Future are grandly conceived, and seem to be built up, as it were, out of solid " cha racters" like granite. Take the mention of the What Has Been— " Dead on dead knees the large hands nerveless rest, And dead the front droops heavy on the breast." Arthur passes through a tremendous ordeal of temptations before he obtains the Diamond Sword. Among others, he is invited to rule over the Cym rians by grinding the populace under an armed des potism, the tempter exclaiming— " From its own entrails if the worm supply The silken purple—let it weave and die!" After repelling the proposition with imperial scorn, Arthur appeals in these glorious words to the God of the Christians— Thou saidst, Give due to Caesar'—Lord! secure The mightier tribute Caesars owe to mcn! Thou who halt oped God's kingdom to the poor, Rever.l humanity to kings!—again Descend, Mesniah!—and to earth make known Bow Christ had reign'd if on the Cretar's throne!'" He acquires, however, in, their appointed sequence the Sword, Knowledge—the Shield, Freedom—and the Virgin, Happiness. His success is attributable conjointly to his valour and his magnanimity. By a lofty and felicitous allegory, it is implied that Free dom is the crowning emanation from centuries of toil, and not the Presto ! of a Parchment Constitution —the result of ages of preparation, and not the Ebul 1 i - t ion of an abrupt outbreak—the Wanderer rending the silver guerdon of his bravery from the midst of the bones of departed generations, and from the en trails of an extinct volcano. On the completion of his labours Arthur discovers instinctively that the Maiden of the Tomb possesses a subtle and m 3 steri ous identity with the guide and guardian of his pil grimage. Before the halo of the final vision has dis appeared, "their parting ray," says the poet— " On Arthur's brow the faithful memories leave, And the Dove's heart still beats in Genevieve ' The music, the plaintiveness, and the indescribable beauty of that last line can be realised only by those who have followed the King and the Dove through their peregrinations. Then do those delicious verses recur to the memory (B. V. et. 38)— " Then oft, in truth, and oft in blissful hours, Miss'd was that faithful guide through stormier life. Ah, common lot! how oft, mid summer flowers, We miss the :oother of the winter strife; How oft we mourn in Fortune's sunlit vale, Some silenced heart with which we shared the gale !" Although Genevieve is not introduced until imme• diately anterior to the conclusion of the epic the pro tracted companionship of the Dove and the Sove reign prevents their union from bearing an appear ance of suddenness. Their alliance, moreover, requires no long negotiation, for as Sir E. Bu) wer Lytton has himself remarked with so much truth and sweetness— " Love wants not speech ; from silence speech it builds; Kindness like light speaks in the air it gilds." Of " King Arthur," as an heroic poem, wo cannot speak too highly. If, as the author has declared in one forceful verse— " Man's noblest poem is man's bravest deed," then does the epic under consideration deserve the encomium of being the record of a thousand of those acted masterpieces. The whole history of King Arthur, as narrated by Sir Bulwer Lytton, the death of the bard Caradoc, the character of the Earl Darold, the budding knighthood of Lancelot, the storming of Carduel,—all entitle it to that panegyric. It is in itself an elevated eulogium u pon chivalry, an impassioned memento of romance, a tribute to the genius of patriotism, an evidence all this, of devotion to fatherland, an expression of homage to Christianity, a token of enthtsnsm: for Liberty, and with aitestimony of confidence in Civilcz . aqhn. Ilut beyond riable territpievre'ainse i t t h e e o p n o_et e n . , has still a multiplicity of graces ; it alternates the droll with the pathetic, the witty the sublime, satire with solemnity. In this respect rendered the temperament tno of accurate , impressionr-educated il o o r f tb tl in ie en vt i t i ; his medium that primitive epoch of Catholicity. Sir Gawaine is of conveying to us upon the groundwork of a glin:me ( r ventur fl es, or rather of his mis adventures, t , ictuating, and yet as that of an — a3 gorgeous as opal --- from Fairyland. The The Queen will hold a Privy Council to-morrow (Wednesday) afternoon, at Buckingham Palace. Summonses were issued yesterday to the Xinisters and Officers of State. A Cabinet Council was held . yesterday afternoon at the Foreign-office. The Ministers present were Lord John Russell, the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir George Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, Sir John Hob house, Lord Campbell, the Right lion. H. Labou chere, the Marquis of Clanricarde, and the Earl of Carlisle. The Council sat two hours and a half. Sir Henry 'l'. De la Beebe had an interview with Earl Granville yesterday at the Office of the Board of Trade. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY. Inheritress and Geraldine were backed for the Chester Cup at improved prices, the general transactions, how ever, were few, and in small amounts, and the quota tions, in most instances, the same as on T,'ursday last. The betting, in fact, turned chiefly on the Metropolitan Handicap, for which Loupgarou was backed very freely, commencing at '2O to 1, and closing at five points less. Backbiter and Clarissa were also in favour, and in the eaarly part of the day 8 to 1 was taken about Canez.m, the odds, however, bring afterwards offered currently. Lugar receded to 20 to 1. The Flying Dutchman was backed for the Derby at 9 to 2 to 2501., and anything above 20 to 1 ;would have been taken about Strongbow, Nunnykirk, or (Marley. 2,000 to 60 was taken about Elthiron, 1,000 to 20, five times, about-Chatterer, and 1.000 to 15 about the colt out of Flambeau's dam. Closing prices:— METROPOLITAN HANDICAP. Bto 1 agst Lord Stanley's Canezou—taken and afterwards offered 15 to 1 agst Mr. Gregory's Loupgarou—taken) 16 to 1 agst Mr. B. Green's Flatcatcher—taken 16 to 1 agst Colonel Anson's Backbiter—taken 18 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Clarissa—take 20 to 1 20 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Lugar—taken $0 to 1 agat Mr. S. L. Fox's Executor—taken 33 to 1 agst Mr. Gordon's 1)o the-Boys—t to 1001. CHESTER CUP. 25 to 1 agst Mr. Nolan's Blucher—taken and after wards offered 25 to 1 agst Mr. Meiklatn's Inheritress—taken and afterwards offered 28 to 1 aget Mr. Greville's Geraldine—taken 33 to 1 agst Mr. J. B. Day's The Tartar—taken 40 to 1 agst Mr. S. L. Fox's, Executor 40 to 1 agst Mr. Quin's Farewell 50 to 1 agst Mr. Gregory's Clermont 3,000 to 60 agst Mr. M. Blake's Ballinafad—taken and afterwards offered 3,000 to 60 agst Lord Howth's Peep-o'-Day Boy— taken and afterwards offered 1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Maughan's Hathmines 1,000 to 15 agat B. Green's Pelham—taken and after wards offered 1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Drinkald's Dulcet taken and al terwards offered The folloa ing horses were scratched at Chester up to post time on Sunday evening: —Bon-Mot, Delusion colt, Tom Tough, Didsbury, Mogador, Crazy Lad, Tom Tit, John Orridge, and Parable. DERBY 4 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Flying Dutchman-- 1100 to 200 taken 7to 1 agst Colonel Peel's Tadmor—taken to 1001., and afterwards off, red 12 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Honeycomb 20 to 1 agst Lord Stanley s Strongbow—taken to 501., and afterwards offr red 20 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichol's Nunnykirk—tak 25 to 1 20 to 1 agst Mr. Gully's Osterley—take 25 to 1 25 to 1 agst Lord Stanley's Uriel—taken 2,000 to 60 agst Lord Eglinton's Eithiron—taken 40 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's The Knout 50 to 1 agst Mr. Pedley's Old Dan Tucker 50 to 1 agst Mr. Watt's Chatterer—taken and after wards offered 1,000 to 15 agst Duke of Rutland's c out of Flambeau's dam—taken It was reported yesterday, at the West-end, that The Cur has been scratched for all his engagements. OPERA COMIQUE, ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—The second representation of Auber's opera of L'Ambassa drice, (stunted lust evening to this theatre a crowded and brilliant assemblage. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, his Royal lii;;liness‘ Prince George of Cambridge, and the Princess Mary of Cambridge, honoured the performance with their pre sence. Their Royal Highnesses were attended by the Baton Kncsebeck, Baroness Both, and Lady Augusta Cadogan. There were also present her Serene Highness the Hereditary Princess of Parma arid suite, the Turkish Ambat-ssdor and suite, the Earl of Chesterfield, the ~ _:!ountess of Tunkerville, the Marquis Clanricarde, the o,,untess of Oxford, Lord Bateman, Lord Sandwich, Lord Crarbourne, Sir John Lyster Kaye, the Eon. George and Mrs. Cadogan, Colonel Pandas, Miss ))or rner, Mr. Henry Greville, Mr. Eugene de Gerlache, Major and Mrs. Mountjoy Martyn, Mr. and Madame Uzielli, Mr. and Mrs. John Sandford, Mrs. Fremantle, Mrs. Dodd, Mr. Brunel, Colonel Barlow, &c. OLYMPIC THEATRE.—Last night a new classical drama, entitled The licndoch Draught, was to have been produced at this favourite little-theatre; owing, however, to the sudden indisposition or Mr. Leigh Murray, who was to have sustained the principal character, the piece was necessarily postp.)ned. EARLY PROGNOSTIC.—There will be but a fartial §how of blossome on the owe t rees ,p ymo th Times. WEDNESDAY EVENING CONCERTS.--These delight ful concerts still attract a crowded audience. On Wednesday evening the programme contains some first•rate compositions. Miss Day will perform a fantasia en themes from .Wallace's opera of Marituna, on the pianoforte, Mr. Sims Reeves will sing the beautiful Irish melody of "Ihe Last Rose of Sum mer," the elder Braham will again with Sims Reeves sing "Laverm's duet, "A Father's Blessing," and altogether a dalightild evening may be anticipated. HANOVER-SQUARE Rooms.-111r.13arker, the talented composer of several wry popular pieces, gives a musical entertainment here on Saturday evening; the programme contains among other very pretty songs " The Irish Emigrant," " The Dream of Life" and " The Lament of the Irish Chieftain." LONDON SACNISD 11,111130N1C oratorio of Samson will be performed at Exeter-hall by th's society on Friday evening. Miss Birch, Miss Dolby, Mr. H. Phillips and Braham will sustain the principal solo parti, On Thursday Sir H. Bishop delivered the first of two lectures at the Whittington Club, on " Secular Music in England during. the 17th and 18th Centu ries." The lecture was received W ith the greatest attention, and the vocalists that performed the illus trations were highly applauded. The first meeting of the Melodists' Club took place on Thursday, at the Freemason's Tavern, when about 50 persons sat d own to dinner ; E. Goldsmid, Esq., in the chair. S evera l g lees, duets and songs were sung,'and the evening gassed oft most delight fully. Mr. VENABLEs (with reference to the loss which the project would entail upon the millowners and tenants on the banks of the Thames) said that if the quantity of water mentioned in the prospectus of the company were taken from the Thames, it would, in dry seasons, be tantamount to an absorption of the whole quantity coming down the River. As an inevitable consequence, the mills would for that period be entirely useless.— (Hear, hear.) . ' Independently of the waterworks at Windsor, which were constructed at a very large expense indeed, there were tleven mills that would be effteted, and thus compensation to a very considerable amount would be required, both by the owners and tenants of mill property on the banks of the Thames,—(llear.) The resolution was put from the chair and carried unanimously. Mr. LLwIS ROSE moved the next resolution, which was also carried unanimously:—That a due regard to the interests of the proprietors and occupiers of the land and mills requires that the propsed schemes should be oppo.ied in the most strenuous manger before the Com missioners for the preliminary inquiry, under the recent Act of Parliament, and the proprietors and occupiers present (in person or by their agel:ts) pledge themselves to such oppositi Sevfrat other resolutions of a similar chara2t2r were agre , ll to; and a vote of thwiks haring been passed to Mr. Vansittart fir his able and efficient conduct in the Chair, the meeting separated. DESTRUCTIVE EXPLcSION AND CONFLAGRATION.— About half-past three o'clock on Thursday afternoon, a most serious ocourrence took Oleo at the works of the Edinburgh Gas Coterany, which resulted in the almost entire destruction of the splendid new gasometer lately reeled, adjoining ti e working premises . of the company, in the Not Back of Canongate. The gas-holder, which is 100 feet in diameter, and 40 in depth, is erected on a piece of ground entirely isolated from the adjoining buildings, and completely surrounded by a massive wall. About the hour mentioned the inhabitants of the district adjoining the locality in which the gas-holder is situated were startled by experiencing a severe shock, as if from some violent convulsion of nature, though without an explosive noise at all corresponding to the intensity of the vibration. Tha houses were shaken to their very foundations, while the inmates were stag gered or thrown down, and articles of furniture and household utensils dashed with violence from their places and broken or destroyed. The glass in the win dows was for the most part completely demolished, the noise of which, coupled with the suddenness of the occurrence, caused great and general alarm. The cause of the disaster was scon ascertained, and the at tention of the crowds, who now thronged to the spot, was drawn to a sheet of bright flame arising from the gas-holder, a hich told too truly that the immense quantity of gas which it contained had, by some un known means, caught fire. In another moment the whole was one sheet of flame. The fire continued to blaze with great fury until gradually, as the gas was con sumed, the gas holder immerged in the tank amongst the water beneath, and the conflagration was ultimately ex , inguished by means of wet h:ankets and coarse sack ing being spread over the shattered remains of the gas• holder. The most mysterious part of the matter is, by what means the gas in the holder became ignited. The gasometer, as before stated, was completely isolated, surrounded by a wall, and, as we are informed, no fire or combustible substance allowed inside. The only con jecture which can be hazarded is, that the late high winds with which we have been visited:must have strained the pillars and framing of the structure, and thus caused a friction of the chains and guide rods, which occa sioned the catastrophe. There were in the gas-holder at the time nearly 300,000 cubic feet of gas, the greater portion of which wou!d of course be consumed; and we have heard the total damage estimated by a mechanical gentleman at about 2,0001. It is consolatory that no lives have been lost, nor any one injured by this lamentable occurrence.—Edinburgh Advertiser. DETERMINED SUICIDE BY PRUSSIC ACID.— Yes terday morning William Vaux, late an estate and house agent, aged 45 years, was found d ea d i n hi s b e d, a t h is lodgings, No. 2, Trafalgar-place, Walworth, from the effects of a large doso or prussic acid, which he had swal lowed during the night. It appears that the deceased had latterly been so reduced in his circumstances that he has been living upon his friends, and the circumstance, it is evident, had very much preyed upon his mind. On Sunday he dined out, and having returned home, re tired to rest about half-past twelve o'clock. Finding that ho did not come down to breakfast at his usual time, a little girl was sent up stairs to his bed-room to call him, and, after knocking several times at the door, she entered the chamber and found him in bed quite dead and cold. On his table was found a phial contain ing about two table spoons full of what was found to be prussic acid, tle , ugh the label on the bottle itself had been carefully scraped off. In a memorandum, also found cn the table, there were some lines, in the de ceased's handwriting, to the effect that his frit nds should no longer be troubh d with his support, as he should be found dead, and he cared not if they buried him in a hogstye. The wedthel- is still boisterous and generally wet. Yesterday was one of the worst days we have had for some weeks ; for although the wind was not so strong as on that day week, the rain was battering and con tinuous during the day, and in the evening wo had some heavy gusts of wind, with rattling showers of hail, from the north-vast, which, at a later hour, were followed by sleet and rain. At the time we went to press there seemed to be a lull.— Caledonian Mercury. THE YEAR 1849; THE 1849TH YEAR OF CHRIST. 5798th after the creation of the world, according to Sealiger's computation; but the 5853rd year, according to Eusebine. IT IS THE 6562nd year of the Julian pried. 2625th year of the Olympiad. 2602nd year of the building of Rome. 5610th year of the Jewish computation, which begins with the 17th of September. 1265th year after the Hegira. 7357th year according to the modern Greek calendar. 783rd year of the Norman lino in England. 695th year since the conquest of Ireland by England. 685th year of the Plantagenet line. 450th year of the line of Lancaster. 388th year of the line of York. 364th year of the line of Tudor. 332nd year since the Reformation of Luther. 224th year of the Stuart line. 135th year since the accession of the House of Wp m . wick. 13th year of our Sovereign Queen Victoria. We learn from a correspondent that the weather in the north of Scotland, and particularly in Inver ness-shire, has been tempestuous to an almost unprece dented degree during all last week. One storm of wind and rain followed another for several days and nights, almost without intermission, and with un equalled severity and heaviness. Those storms were frequently accompanied by vivid lightning. Many of the roads and wide extents of low-lying lands were flooded, and travelling became exceedingly difficult and dangerous. But the greatest calamity which has hitherto come to our knowledge arising from these storms is the complete destruction, on last Thursday morning, of the fine old bridge over the Ness at Inverness, which, after bravely standing the floods and tempests of more than 160 years, has been at length, in the apparent plenitude of its strength, carried away at one fell swoop. There is much interest of an hi stor i cal and antiquarian kind attached to this bridge, and its local posi tion and the elementary peculiarities it had to battle with gave it an uncommon celebrity. It was built at the foot of the romantic hill on which, ac cording to Shakspere, Alacbeth's castle stood. The building of the bridge began in 1685, and was finished in the year of the revolution (1688). It spanned the swift waters of the Ness by seven well-constructed arches. The late eminent engineer, Mr. Tel;ord, esteemed it the handsomest old bridge in Great Bri tain ; although it had a slight rise in the centre, yet the arches partook more of the modern eliptical form than was at ell common in days of old. It is stated in the statistical account of Inverness that the ancient gaol of that burgh consisted only of a single damp dingy vault of one of the arches of this bridge. This strange place of imprisonment was always pointed out as a curiosity to strangers. The bridge (older than any on the Thames) might have continued to defy the river currents for another century, because the Ness, although a copious and rapid stream, is a singularly agreeable and well-behaved one, seldom over flowing its banks, and never emulating the furious savage outbroaks of its neighbours—the Findhorn and Spey. This equability of current was caused by its waters being husbanded in Loch Ness, and given out gra • dually by a narrow outlet. From the great depth of the lake,%nd the short rapid course of the river, there was never any ice to injure the fabric ; b u t a cause was at work for its,demoition which could never have entered into the calculations of its architect. It is well known that the Caledonian Canal is carried through the great glen of Scotland, by joining the three great lakes of Ness, Oich, and Lochie, by short cuttings between them. The summitlock of the canal, on Loch Oich, about 35 miles from Inverness, is 95 feet above high water at Inverness. Some of the banks and locks of the Oich, near Fort Augustus, are said to have given way, and to have allowed the waters of the upper level to flow into Loch Ness, which, although possessing a capacious basin of about 25 miles in length, and of about an average breadth of one mile, became swollen to such a size as to pro duce a fresh or speat in the river of unprecedented violence, causing the lamentable catastrophe to the bridge we have just mentioned. All the lower part of Inverness was laid under water, the houses for saken, and the inhabitants glad to make their escape in boats, and such other craft as could be got at. Happily no lives were lost, but there has been great destruction of property; and much inconvenience must follow from the lines of communication being interrupted. The wooden bridge, now the only means of land communication between the two dis tricts of the town and between the eastern and northern counties of Scotland, is left tottering to its base, and irr momentary danger of being swept away. Other accounts ascribe the calamity solely to the rise of water in Loch Ness from heavy rains and melted snow, and make no mention of the inundation from Loch Oich. GREAT FLOODS.—The weather throughout the week has been exceedingly bad. One storm of rain and wind has succeeded another, and lightning has been fre quent in the evenings. On Sunday it blew hard from the south-west, heavy squalls occurring frequently, with rain. The storm increased as night drew on, and the lighting was particularly vivid till midnight. Some of the flashes seemed to open up the whole heavens, and filled the sky with momentary brilliancy. During the night the storm continued violent, but it gradually sub sided towards morning. On Monday night the gale re commenced, lightning playing across the sky, and all night lung the rain fell in torrents almost unequalled in heaviness. On Tuesday and yesterday the weather con tinued wet sr.d stormy. The intmeme quantity of rain which has fallen has swollen the Ness, and it now flows discoloured and muddy, heavier than we have seen it for many a day. It overflows the road behind the Oiled° man Hotel stables, and on the opposite side it has co vered the pathway, and still continues to rise. Meetirg a difficulty in passing through the arches of the old bridge, the water sweeps over the piers, and it rushes beneath the budge in a boiling and foaming flood. By evening the river had increased t.o much as to make Ness Bank and Douglas Row impassable. The Maggot and other IoA -lying quarters were flooded. The Ness has not been so high since the great flood of 1834. The North mail last night was upwards of two hours behind time. We learn that the river Conon is flooded almost beyond precedent. The mail had the greatest difficulty in getting across the bridge, where the water was from fuur to five feet deep on tho road. The Spey is also overflowing its banks and sweeping, in an immense tor rent, ov4 r the adjoining lands. Great damage, we fear, will be d une by the fl oo d s , w hi c h, as we go to p r ess, are still increasing, and cause the utmost alarm and conster nation.—lnverness Courier. FIRE IN EAST SMITHFIELD.--Last night, about seven o'clock, a considerable alarm prevailed among the inhabitants of Rosemary-lane, East Smithfield, in con sequence of a fire having been discovered on the pre mises of Messrs. Tidmarsh and Brown, dealers in earth. would es adjoining shhortt sgtipveons;itbhlee were rows of houses which were entirely built of wood, that have been erected many years. The others which fire was ' first cratebs'eewnh e ic x h pe l' i a ti s ou f i l ll 'd turn e d spread o r f ap t i h d e ly. The alarm b e i ng • ' %ith straw,observeadn dinsp Welllose-square engtn© arrived in the was speedily time. It was speedily set at work, with on, and abundantly supplied, the who had, in a large number of soon arrived; the water having checked, much to the satisfaction of fire persons of the Jewish persuasion, an adjoin ing building called " the London Exchange," a large amount f Bazaar," or " The up in boxes, vthich would have o wearing apparel locked THE RECRUITING S been inevitably destroyed. orders have been TsrEm.—We understand that received here f or to their respective reg iments the immediate return, officers and men of the non-commissioned branch of the engag e d in the recruiting service. This com mitted to the lo service, it is understood, is to he com cal pension corps, by which a saving is Expected to be made i stationed here i n the expenditure, The parties are to leave Edinburgh to-day.—Cale donian Mercury of Monday. THE MARTYRDOM KING CIIMILES.----ThiS day is the tw o hundredth a nniversary of the decapitation of Charles 1., at Whitehall, W' oom,vica, JAN. 29. —The J anus steam-vessel is no w nearly ready tor sea, end the President having arrived with several other vessols to be paid off, when ttat takes ph:co the Janus will hoist the pendant of Lit ut. Powell, .who has !Jaen appointed to her, and Captain Fitzroy will hoist his pendant on the Arrogant steam-frigate, at Portsmoatb, about the same time. The Nigt r steam-vessel is making ready for sea, and will be stationed at Devonport as one of the advanced war steamers. The Superb, Captain Purcell, is getting ready for sea at Portsmouth with all dispatch, and is expected to pet,- teed to Cork for t , crvice on that station, and relieve the Ganges, the latter b;:ing about to proceed to the Medi terranean station. The firm named in the account of the launch of the Vulcan steam•frigate shoUld have beta Carter and Bo nus, instead of Capper and Bonus. SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON BOARD THE PRESIDENT.— The President, 50, Captain Stanley, arrived at the Nore en Saturday from Portsmouth, and saluted the Port- Admiral. On Sunday she weighed anchor, in leaving which the paul of the capstan gave way and seriously hurt 19 of the men who were working it, three of whoua are in a dangerous state. In going into harbour she missed stays in tacking, and ran into the ffag•ship Ocean, carrying away the jib boom of that ship and her own flying jib boom ; she ultimately dropped anchor, which brought her up, but not before she got nearly on to the dock-yard wall. The Afticaine and Fearless steamers were promptly at her assistance, and got her to moorings adjacent until she can be navigated to Chatham to be paid off. The Espiegle, 12, Commander, F. A. Camhpell, arrived at the Nore on Sunday afternoon, to be paid cff. The Formidab:e, 84, was undocked on Saturday, at Sheerness, and is being masted. The Driver steam-sloop, Commander Johnson, arrived at Plymouth with the convoy of steamers for the re served squadron on Saturday night, and hit on Sunday on her return for Portsmouth ; she arrived yesterday morning with the officers and crews of the respective vessels. SPRING ASSIZES. WESTERN CIRCUIT. The commission days on this circuit have been ap pointed as follows: Winchester Thursday, March 1. Salisbury ... ... Thursday, March 8. Dorchester ... ... Tuesday, March 13. Exeter ... . . ... Saturday, March 17. Bodmin ... Saturday, March 24. Tauuton Saturday, March 31. METROPOLITAN FINANCIAL REFORM ASSOCIATION. —A muting was held at the Whittington Club yester day to consider the propriety of forming a McVey°Mat Financial Reform Association, to act in unison with the . Financial Reform Association, Established at Lise a rp e e ir o . r . and Manchester. The meeting was convened by Francise s u a l m ar ue s l ign ll e a d rr il son M a b r : unavoid ableth pl ace and other sence of Sir Joshua Walmsley, Mr. Place' of Notting leading members of the party. had P to la d ce ep ; lore but Mt.• the effect—" That, Notting hill, moved the first resolution, to v il s which have been to avert from this country the evils from the want of inflicted in other European, states, the the chairman. the part of the people a wholesome control oenrainents, it is necessary that over their respective Pl o w be adopted by our Go. the strictest economy biA e a continuance of th onumy vernment, and to secur e Ise necessar that the II -1 011912 when obtained, it is be forthwith reformed , until it of Commons should state to exer c i se complete con trolfit s h a ll be in a expe n diture of the public over the exP e money." Other A ' • • !edged the ssoclatua to act in • resolutions punison with •similar bodies as have h other suebeen, or may laere ituted. Inproposing , after be, lust Mr . Hyde called attention to the wondertul effect the creation of forty shilling freeholders in South Lnc - s hi r e had crated . Vtili - r years and half ago a con tested South Lanca s hi re and were defeated. tilt)? Corn-law Leagu e set to . The Anti work and made forty shilling freeholders, and at the last lt • .ly did free trade election not co principles triumph , e '• but that triumph did more to insure the repeal of the corn-laws than all the agitation which bad preceded it. Ile moved, " That it is also n ecessary to promote throughout the country a well organised system for increasing the number of forty shilling freeholders in counties, and complete atten tion to the registration of voters in counties, cities, and boroughs." Mr. Dyke, of St. Pancras, bore his testi mony to the ease with which forty-shilling freeholders were manufactured, the small sum of two shillings and sixpence per week being sufficient. A committee was appointed to carry out the details connected with the formation of the Association. STAFFORD AGRICULTURAL PROTECTION SOCIETY. —'l.leannual meeting of the members of this society was held at the Swan Hotel, Stafford, on Saturday lasr. Earl St. Vincent, the president occupied the chair, and among the gentlemen present were—Mr. C. 13. Adder ley, M.P.; Major Chetwynd, Mr. Thomas Boultt ee, Mr. J. Ilartdiorne, the Rev. T. Hicken, &c. Ihe report having been read and approved, Major Chetwyfld, in a short speech, highly eulogistic of the deceased, pro. ax Vin w c a e s nt .w w ar •a m s ly posed that the sum of 251. be subfeeibed out of the funds of the institution towards the testimonial to the memory reap pointedcarried up r a e n s i i m de o t u tt s . ly. of the late Lord George Bentinek. The motion was Earl The de flounced, and the opposition of the Metropolitan S oc i et y to its continuance supported. The meeting did not last an hour. t a I S t - t t . A subscription has been commenced at Norwich, headed by the Mayor, for a portrait of J enn y Lind, to be placed in §6 AladreTe# 11411. ASTLEY'S AMPHITHEATRE. A very beautiful scene of equestrianism, described in the bills as a gorgeous arena cavalcade, was pro duced here last night, under the attractive title of the Amazonian 11/aids and their War Steeds, and met with an encouraging reception. The intention of this scene de cirque is to give greater scenic effect to the graces of female equitation, which have always been a favourite object of contemplation with admirers of the circle. In the present instance the intention has been well carried out, and the effect to the eye is exceedingly fine, the costume of the riders and their armour, and the trappings of their horses, conspiring to produce a splendid coup d'eeil, admirably suited to the graceful evolutions in which they form so essen tial a particular. Mr. Blake's equestrian spectacle called the Wars of the Jews ; or, The Fall of Jeru salem, continues attractive, and the pantomime of Robin Hood was received last night with undiminished applause. MR. BALFE'S CONCERT. MADEMOISELLE JENKYLIND AT EXETER HALL. Exeter-hall was last night crowded to overflowing in every part. It was Balfe's benefit concert, at which Jenny Lind was to sing, and had the hall, therefore, been twice as spac i ous as i t i s it would have been crowded. Th e fi rst piece sung by Jenny Lind was the far-fam e d "D e b v i en i," from Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. It was given with exquisite sim plicity and a charming purity of style. She next sang the magnificent "C arta Di va " from Norma, and never have we h ear d t hi s magn ificent hymn so exquisitely render e d. Th e i n t ro duction was given, not as a mere musical display, but as though it were the " outpouring of the soul "—there was a reality in Jenny Lind's rendering of this portion of the hymn which we have never perceived in any other singer. Her sotto trove tones—delicious, rich, murmuring tones they were—were heard clearly and distinctly at the very furthest ex tremity of the hall, and that marvellous faculty of voice which she alone possesses, end which we have on some occasions termed vocal ventrilo• quism, was here exhibited in the highest degree of perfection. The voice seemed gradually to die away in the distance, and then return in a full gush of melody. Her execution of the finale was a marvel of florid brilliancy. She next took the voice part in the trio for voice and tWO flutes from Meyer , beer's F7elha, and here the nightingale like tones of her voice were heard to great perfection, vieing with and overcoming * the two flutes. Then she sang the admirable comic duet of Fioravanti, the music lesson, with Lablache. This, of course, commanded an encore. Last of all. she sang a new song, composed exp ress l y f or h er by Balfe. The following are the words of this song : " A rose gaz'd from her bower green Upon the summer light, And never had creation seen A flow'r so fair and bright. Her modest form so soft, so meek, With morning radiance dy'd, Bee'domliekeyothueng village bride.lovely blushin g c h ee k Of But soon a storm, dark o er the vale, Its mountain fury shed, And, shroud e d i n the twilight pale, The lonely rose lay dead. And so it i s , a gentle mind Sinks under sorrow's dai t; The storm may pass, but lea ves b eh i nd Too oft a blighted heart." (We may ob serve e n passant that both singer and composer are worthy of a better poet.) The melody of this song is very graceful, and there is a cadenza at the close of each verse which is exquisite. Jenny Lind exerted herself to the utmost to zecure the success of the new son g , and w as rewarded with an enthusiastic and unanimous encore. She was received throughout with more than enthusiastic applause--she was received as though those present not only ad; mired, but respected and loved her. The great Lablache was in every sense of the word as great as ever. He was in superb voice, and in addition to his duet with Jenny he sang "Un Segretto," from the Cencrentaa, with . his son, and Itys s i n i's Dan- ANOTHER ACCOUNT. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PLYMOIITN, JAN. 27. Her Majesty's steamer, Sprightly, Master-Commander James I'. Moon, arrived on Wednesday from Holyhead, came into harbour for coal, and sailed the next day for Woolwich. Her Majesty's packet brig Linnet, 8, Lieutenant- Commander Thomas James, arrived on Wednesday from Falmouth ; when coming into harbour to refit, and in trying to catch her moorings, she broke her halser, drove alongside the Calcutta, 84, carried away her own main boom and other spars, and crushed her jolly boat. Her Majesty's brig Espligle, 12, Commander Fre derick A. Campbell, touched at this port on Thursday, from Chins, last from Ascension, and sailed again for Portsmouth, to be paid eff. Her Majesty's transport Adventure sailed yesterday, with stores fur Deptford. • Her Majesty's frigate Juno, 26, Captain P. Blake, is ordered home from the Pacific, and is to be paid off here. DOCKYARD. Several divisions of shipwrights have been actively employed in getting the Scorpion, surveyip ing vessel, ready to proceed to Bermuda. All acting leading men are in future to have no increase of phy. Five leveling men shipwrights, 25 shipwiights, 2 leading men joinerf, 1 engine maker, - 1 leading mdn caulker, 3 sail makers, and 1 cooper, were examined yesterday by the surgeon, preparatory for superannuation. The sub scribers to the Lending Library, to which the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty presented 150 volumes of. hooka, have appointed the following honorary officers: —viz., Mr. John Besley, secretary; Mr. H. B. Triscott, treasurer; and Mr. R. T. Gilbert, librarian. JAN 28.—The steam-sloop Rattler and four others arrived here this morning, entering the Sound by the Eastern Channel, between half-past nine and half-past ten o'clock. They proceeded at once through the Sound to their appeiuted moorings in Hanlon'. Wind vs l. esterly, veering — occasionally to the northward and south.erd, v4ith c)ld rain and sleet. zuis; :alti- New Put port, from 10:h hon- for oak and. liar- ight, cf 't veil le, of riot ,, all gore i!i!o w a this our, thi3 and , etc d I,)ur, p off e got t' the fl ing. eaVy tong, Lass, Dv(r- Rio inues luau 2,160 ition, rsite3 )ught ;t and wer° )laces gd to ovver. t, 13 5 ; 1/ 94 a not from s, and - q - ~:'