The Sun. — London, England, 1849-01-09 00:00:00

Do., Wakefield, Pontefract, snit cioole Do., ',l' vst itiding Union... 7 .... . Do., Preston and Wyre ... 25 Do., do., Half Shares (A) 9% — to Leeds and Bradford Leeds,D ,, wstairy, & Mooches. 50 Do., Half Shares Ditto, Blue (scrip) Leeds and Thirsk ..•....... ..... 50 Ditto, New .......... ...... .. 35 . Do.,do.,Prefer., 6 per Cent. 3% — .....• to -- Liverpool. Crosby, andSouth oort. , ..... 3% •• •• to -- Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle Junction. ...... ... 2% — ....„ to London & Blackwall ......13/. 6s. 8d — Do. Extension L,nd., Bright., & South Coast 50 Do. Guaranteeds per Cent. 9 . Do. Pref. Cony. 5 per Cent. 50 ...... .. Ditto, ditto 1852 50 ..... Do., New, guar. 6 per cent. 5 ...... I ondon and Greenwich... 121.155. 4d... ... Ditto Preference 20 to London & North Western 100 ...... 126% to Do. Querters (L. and 13.) 22 DI. New Do. Fifths Do. 40,. Share4.....L. Sc. M 25 ...... Do. 101. ... i• 1. and B. (A.) 10 .... . Do. 101. .. M. and B. (13.) 10 - Do. 10/. ... M. and B. (C.) 1 London and S. Western...—. 50 .. Ditto, New 50/........ .. ..... 42%...... 30% to ' to New 40/. -10~........~...•. ..... .. -. 34 Do. Tenths (Consolidated) 50 ...... 38% . to Do. Tenths (Consolidated) 40 Ditto. Thirds...... Do., New Scrip, 1848, Pref. 7 per Ct. on Deposit and 5 per Ct. on Calls .. 5 . ... London, Salisbury, & Yeovil 14 — ...... to Londonderry and Coleraine... 28% — ...... to Londonderry and Enniskillen 27 1 / 2 Lawestott (guar. 4 per cent.) 20 Ditto (guar. 6 per cent. ... 13 ...... Manch. Buxton, & Matlock 4 Manchr, Sheffield, and Linc.100 Ditto 1 / 3 Shares (No. 1) ... 18 ...... Ditto, ditto (No. 2) 25 — to Ditto, IA Shares (No. 3)... 111...... Do., New 10.. Preference.. 10 ... .. ... . to Ditto Grimsby 4O — to Ditto, ditto. •........... ...... 13 Ditto, ditto Ditto Sheffield and Line. 15 ...... Ditto, Grimsby Dock 2O Ditto, Man. & Lin. Union 41. 25.... Midland...... 100 Ditto, Consol. I'reterence...10 0 Ditto.:so/. Shares..-. ...... 25 Midland, Birm., and Derby...lW ... Midland, Consol. Bristol and Birmingham, 6 per cent.... 100 124 Midland, Bristol and Glouc. 38 ... .. Ditto ditto 14/. 183. - Midland, Leices. and Swan nington (8 per ct.gua.)....100 . to 11 idld. Great Western (Irish) 45 Middlesbro' and Redcar. 6 per cent. guar..... Newcastle and Carlisle lOO .•«•• - Ditto Quarter Shares . .... 25 ... — ...... to Newmarket ...... ... ....—...... 20 Ditto Extension Scrip... 21. , 2s — Newport Abergy., and Heret. 6 Newry and Enniskillen ...... . Newry, Warrenpoint, and Rostrevor .......... ........ 20 Norfolk Ditto New 201.. l5 ...... Ditto Guaranteed 5 per et. 20 Do. Do. 5% per cent Do. do. Waveney Valley... 2 Northern Counties Unien ... 4 North British .. .- - 25 Ditto Pall Shares, ..... ..... 12% 7 ....... to Do. Quarters Ditto. Extension - Ditto Thirds ... ......... ...... :3 1) 4 , - 4 ...... ...... to North and South-Western... 2 North:Staffordshire... .. ...... IS North Wales North Western lO Oxford, Worcester, and Wol verhampton ... .. SO Reading, Guildfd., & Reigate 10 Royston and Hitchin ...... .. 2 ...... Scottish Central Scottish Midland ..- 25 Ditto, New 17% to Sheffield, Rotherham, and Goole lO ...... -. ...•.% to - Do. do. (South Div.) 4 ..... Shrewsbury and Birmingham 9 Ditto, ditto, Class B. 5 Ditto, New Guaranteed 8 Shrewsbury and Hereford .. 2 Shrewsbury and Chester (Nor. W. Llin.) Ditto Halves, Ditto... 9 ... .. . Ditto, Uswestry lB% ...... Ditto .ti ' 1 tr ,Aew)... Ditto 8 per Cent. Pref....—. 10 Shropshire .Union... South Devon Ditto, Preference 25 South Staflordshire ... South Eastern Ditto, No. I. 2B Ditto, No. 2.... 22 - Ditto, No. 3. Ditto, Registered No. 4.... 10 Ditto, Scrip No. 4.. South Wales - ••• .• to -- South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Swans. and Loughor and Ca meron's Sim. Coal ..... .... • 6 Taw Vale Extension ..... ... 8 Thames Haven Dock and Railwa7 l7 % to Vale of heath Waterford and Kilkenny 1 7 1 A...... Waterford and Limerick..... 47 th... .• Waterford, W ex' ord, Wicklw, and Dublin Wear Valley 6 per Cent. Guaranteed Do. do. do. Do. do. do. ..... . West Cornwall West London Ditto, First Class 2O Ditto; Second Class.... 2O ...... ...... to Whitehaven and Furness l4 ..... ••••• to •-• Windsor, Staines, and South Western..... Wilts,Somerset,&Weymouth 40 York, Newcastle, and Berwick 25 Do. Original New &per ck 25 ...... 27%% to Do. Exton. No. 1 (Y. & N.) 15 Do. do. No. 2, New & B. 15 Do. G. N. E. Pur. or Pref. 6 York-and North:Midland .. 50 ...... Ditto, Preference Ditto East and li est Riding Extension FOREIGN RAILWAYS. Anglo Italian (late Italian and Austrian ... 5 Boulogne and Amiens 2O Central of France ( Orleans and Vierzon) .... ....... .... 17 Ceylon Demerara. Dendro Valley D irect Bombay and Madras ss. .. to batch Rhenish East Indian Great Indian Peninsular IA ...... ...... to Louvain ala Sambre ......... 7% — ...... to Luxembourg Ditto kladrid and Val en ti a Namur an d Liege • 2O Northern of France.... l2 ... ..... Orl eans and Bordeaux: ... •• 7 Paris and Lyons Do. Do. Pans and Orleans.... 2O PParts and Ronen aris & Strasbourg ..... ..... 9 Reuen and Havre ........ -..... 20 Sambre and Meuse Strasburg and Bale ..... ...... 14 ..... ..... to To Tours & Nantes ... .. ...... .. 9 urnw Jurbise, • Landen, and asselt . . West Flanders B4 — ...... to JOINT STOCK S IIIAA.NKS. Australa s i a 40 • .... British North Am.erican .... 50 ...... Colonial ..... ........ ........... 25 ..... . Co mmercial of London London Joint Stock ..... Loodon and Westminster... 20 National Provincial of Engld. 85 Ditto, New National of Ireland ...... ...... 22 1 4 — ... .. to Provincial of Ireland:: ... 25 .Ditto, New -••-•• to • IT olon of Australia, Ditto New...... 2% — to Anion of London ...... .. ..„.. 10 U nion of M a d r id 40 MINES. A nglo Mexica 100 .....• •-- Australi a n Asturian Mining Comany l4 ...... -•••• to !islasenarv o rip n Iron and Coal ... 50 21 ...... to —44 zolatios Scrip !A UMW Uritiall 1r . — • to Brazilian 12 - .• ••• •••••• Ditto Cocaes and CiZba... 30 • _ Ditto St. John Del Rey ... 15 G vobr. • -Co pper eneral Mining. .... ... 40 to Iteal D dsl Monte, linr — egi .• Unregistered r .. e . d . 2 - 9 .- -.— .. to o _Black Debentures-- — to D 0• ai,.alted Debentures ••• 'al' go de Cuba............... 10 ...... -"ed Mexican - T YD'S SHIPPING.—(THIS DAY.) 8 -` , 4 /NHO N JAN. 9.—ind W., and fine. 1414 Or WIND AND W WEATHER Iight AT breeze THE PROVINCIAL k;olchest P OßTS THIS M ORNING , AT 9 A.M. er W.S.W., fine. Glass ‘2oßport Hull Leith ,Liverpoi Loweatoffe Newcastle W. fine. Portsmouth Southampton s Yarmouth W., rain. MA.wRs, Jax. 6.—The Cordrlia, Newport to Lon tir,,,astrrived here to day very leaky, but proceeded. ri,lyror„ JAN. 6.—A medicine chest , . containing no .. 'V , b9t broken. bottles, and marked in White letters y 46 4 214 11, was picked up off Lundy, 28th ult. aQrl" 3lo unt, JAN. 7. —The Una, of and for Sun and tuerni Ipswich, was in contact off Southwold this b oatsi ng, with the Jane, of Sunderland, when she lost ro a d s. a nd split covering board, &c., and now lies in the OFg f9t 4,IzAAD, DEC. 29..- Zelie , s{a% Cuba, : iZ- - -___- -- -- - --....*.,..g..:,. -- - FALMOUTH, JAN. B.—Wind N.W.—Arrd. 7th, Antal, Gigutinien. Jessi, Coy ,h, Newfounolaud, for London; Athlone (steamer), Dublin, and proceeded for London, after receiving on freight about 25,0001. in gold and silver. PORTSMOUTH, JAN. B.—The Friends, from Guernsey, for this port, was assisted in by a pilot beat, having been dismasted in a squall from the eastward on the sth inst. off the Baskets. The Hirico, from Shields, was spoken 9th ult. lat. 42 N., lon. 37 W., with loss of jib-boom, foretop gallant-mast, boats, and a great part of her bul warks by the President at Cowes. SWANSEA, JAN. B.—A schooner sank last night off the harbour, a portion of her being visible. HARWICH, JAN. B.—The brig reported yesterday as making for this port in a disabled condition, proved to be the Jane and Ann, Baker, of Sunderland; she has been assisted in with considerable damage, having been in contact. LIVERPOOL, JAN. B.—Wind S.E. to S.—Arrd. Ad mittance, Harrison, Guayaquil. Sld. 7th, Partonetea, Rio J.neire. Bth, Thomas Moore, Bombay; I. 0., Trinidad; Diamond, St. Th , mas ; Europe, Philadelphia. OFF COWES, JAN. B.—American Eagle, New York for London; Augusta Daunberg, ditto, for Gothenburg; President, Wolfer, Havannah, for Antwerp. Put back 7th, Brougham, Wills, for the South Seas, leaky. DEAL, JAN. B.—Wind S. to S. by E.—Arrd. Ameri can Eagle. Chadwick, New York.: Arrd. from the river, Thames, licdley, West Indies. RE-OPENING OF THE NEW IS LINGTON CATTLE MARKET—(THIS DAY.) This market—after having been closed for a number of years—was re-opened to-day for the sale of live stock. Every accommodation was provided for the reception of the stock, as well as for the convenience of the graziers by the promoters. We have to observe, however, that the strong opposition manifested by certain parties to the re- establishment of the market, prevented the exhi bition of anything like an average supply of stock. This will be quite apparent, when we observe that there were only 47 beasts, 120 sheep, 3 large and 10 small pigs on sale. Yesterday, a large number of beasts and sheep were turned out of Smithfield unsold, and which were placed in the lairage of this market; but nearly the whole of them were taken away before ten o'clock, evidently for the purpose of preventing anything like a show here this morning. There was a large attendance of visitors, amongst which were very few buyers; hence, we have to report a very dull trade, and prices must be considered almost nominal. Outside the market was erected an immense booth, in which was roasted a whole ox, for the purpose of distribution. MARKET NEWS.-(THIS DAY.) COLONIAL. SUGAR.—The market for British Plantation continues to evince firmness, and the sales amount to 610 hhds, at prices fully confirming the advance of 6d to is since this day week. The public sales have comprised 1,430 bags Mauritius, 5,900 bags Bengal, 4,174 bags, and 78 cases Madras. The Mauritius sold with spirit at full prices, very fine yellow realising 41s to 445, and mid brown to good yellow 33s to 39s 6d. Bengal mostly sold at very full rates, good and fine grainy (Dacca) at 41s to 445, good to fine white Benares 40s 6d to 43s 6d, low white 36s 6d to 38s; the Khaur be ing withdraw at 29e to 30s; Madras only partly sold at prices barely supporting the previous advance; bright yellow brought 33s 6d to 375, and low to fine bright brown 28s 6d to 31s 6d. Privately 70 cases low brown Bahia have been sold for refining at 36s to 36s 6d. The quantity of British Plantation landed in the port of Lon don from Ist Jan. to 30th Dec. was 94,984 hhds, 15,646 tierces against 102,067 hbds, and 14,005 tierces to the same time in 1847. The stock has considerably increased. COFFEL—Privately 1,000 bags Padang, and 1,000 bags good ordinary Rio have been sold, the former at 275, and the latter at 26s 6d, which prices were not previously obtainable. The stock of British Plantation in London on the 30th ult. was 188 casks and 174 bar rels, and bags larger than in the corresponding period of 1847. COTTON.—The demand was good. . _ Rum.—The stock in London on the 30th ult. was 27,564 puns 5,663 hhds, against 18,464 puns 4,702 hhds in December, 1847. The deliveries for home consump tion fell off last year. SALTPETRE.—There was an active demand, and 1,800 bags at auction sold at 25s 6d to 27s for 174 to 2 4 1 per cent refraction, being rather dearer. TALLOW.—P. Y. C. is 42s per cwt on the spot, and town 455. TEA.—The market is firm and the deliveries are good. NAY MARKETS. SMITHFIELD.—Meadow Hay, 21 8s to 31 13s; Clover ditto, 81 lOs to 41 13s ; and Straw, 11 2s to 11 9s per load. A moderate supply, and a sluggish demand. CUMBERLAND.—Meadow Hay, 21 10s to 31 14s ; Clover ditto, 81 10s to 41 103; and Straw, 11 3s to 11 lOs per load. Supply moderately good, and trade dull. _ . . _ . WHITEcHAPEL.- 1 -Ifeadew Hay, 21 85 to 31 13s ; Clover ditto, 31 105 to 41 14s; and Straw, 1/ 2s to 1 91 per load. Trade dull, at late rates. GUILDHALL.-(THIS DAY.) Sarah Smith, w as charged with breaking five pines of glass at the late residence of Mr. Alderman Gibbs, Walbrok. It appeared that on Monday afternoon defendant went up to No. 33, Walbrook, and broke the glass, saying that she had an account to settle with Alderman Gibbs, who had sent her to prison for six months for nothing, and she would ray him out. When told the Alderman had left the house, she said she was not to be done that way. The prisoner in reply to the charge said, that she would deal out a little justice to Alderman Gibbs. Mr. Alderman LAWRANCE—As you admit breaking the windows, you are committed for seven days. The prisoner said that when she came out she would repeat the act, she was not going to be choked off by saying that the Alderman had " cut his stick;" on which she was ordered to find bail for three months. The prisoner, upon being removed, replied she did not mind that, for she should catch the old " buffer " somewhere, and then his windows should go. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY. LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE. 20 to 1 agst Mr. J. Elmore na British Yeoman—tkn 20 to 1 agst Mr. C. Price's The Iron Duke—taken 25 to 1 agst Mr. Eskritt na Gamester—taken THE GREAT METROPOLITAN HANDICAP. 30 to 1 agst Mr. Fox's Executor—taken 1,000 to 30 agst Mr. J. B. Day's The Tartar—taken 1,000 to 30 agst Lord Eglinton's Lugar—taken 1,000 to 20 agst Mr. T. Merritt na Cupid—taken 1,000 to 30 agst the first three, in one bet—taken CHESTER CUP. 35 to 1 agst Mr. Medley's Cossack—taken 40 to 1 agst Mr. J. B. Day's The Tartar—taken 50 to 1 agst Mr. Nolan's Blucher—taken 50 to 1 agst Lord Chesterfield's Mrs. Taft.—taken 1,500 to 30 agst Mr. Lillie's Great Western—taken 50 to 1 agst Mr. Merry's Chanticleer—t 1,000 to 15 2,000 to 30 agst Mr. Creagh's Keleshea—taken 1.000 to 15 agst Mr. Osbaldeston's Fugleman—taken 1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Dixon's 1)o•it-again—taken and afterwards offered 1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Gregory's Clermont taken and afterwards offered Mrs. Taft and Blucher were the "pots," the mare at 50 to 1, taken to a small sum only (from want of layers), and the horse at 1,000 to 15 and 20. No others in force. DERBY 9 to 2 agst Lord Eglinton's Flying Dutchman— taken to 2001. 7to 1 agst Colonel Peel's Tadmor 13 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Honeycomb—taken 30 to 1 agst Lord Stanley s btrongbow—taken 35 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichol's Nunnykirk—taken 40 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's The Knout—taken to 501. 45 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Elthiron—tkn to 100/. 1,000 to 10 agst Mr. Bowes's Thringarth—taken The Flying Dutchman, Nunnykirk, and Strongbow, were in great favour; the odds quoted were not obtain able at the close. THE NOMINATIONS. ADDITIONS—To the Chester Cup, Tophana; to the Liverpool Cup, Maid of Lyme; and to the Liverpool Steeplechase, Yendennis and Victor. In consequence of the death of Mr. Pryse Pryse, the Aberystwith Steeplechase will not take place. Proceed and Chandler are scratched for the Stourton Steeplechase. The following horses, forming Lord Strathmore's steeplechase stud, were sold yesterday by Messrs. Tat tersall:—St. Leger, 600 gs.; Gayhurst, 200 gs.; Crown Prince, 150 gs.; Kangaroo, 125 gs.; The Snare, 72 gs.; The Spinner, 56 gs. Red Lancer and Chatham were bought in. HUNTING APPOINTMENTS. Her Majesty's stag hds., Wed., Salt Hill; Fri., Bed font Toll-bar -11; weather permitting. POST -OFFICE NOTICE.—The following notice to the public, and instructions to all postmasters, sub-post masters, and letter receivers, was posted at the General Post-office this morning, by command of the Postmaster- General :—" Some doubts appearing to exist whether inland postage is to be taken in the United King dom upon letters addressed to be conveyed between the United Kingdom and the United States, by the contract packets belonging to the United States Government, it is necessary it should be understood that no postage whatever is to be taken in this country upon the letters in question, as the postage due for their conveyance will be collected in the United States. Letters forwarded to the United States by the British contract mail-packets, or by any private ship, are liable to the same rates as heretofore." THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS OF THE CONSOLI DATED EXCISE AND STAMPS ♦ND TAXES DEPART. MENTS.—We understand that the appointment of Hart Davis (the present Deputy Chairman of the Board of Excise), as one of the commissioners under the united board, will be only of a temporary duration, viz., until July next, when the Honourable Deputy Chairman will have completed a service of thirty-five years, and will then be entitled to the highest retiring allowance. His retirement from this department is looked upon as a loss to the public service, as he never can be excelled in the impartiality of his decisions while on the bench, or the unremitting attention to the duties of his office of commissioner. Admiral the Honourable W. 11. Percy also retires on the superannuation allowance, added to his pay of retired Admiral ; and Mr. Charles Ross, the junior commissioner, has been appointed one of the com missioners for carrying into effect the Act for Improve ment of the Health of Towns. Several other changes are spoken of, and it appears still to be an unsettled question whether Somerset House or the present Excise Office will be the wt.° preferable premises for the Joint &Annulate LITERAI f tME. 71,11-2 r..-12VCAS'IlIilE WITCHES; A Romance of Pendle lore At. By W. Harrison Ainsworth. 3 Vols. Mr. Ainsworth may be styled the Salvator Rosa of novelists. He delights in the thrilling—the terrible — the gloomy—the wildly romantic. In gorgeous depth of colouring, in vivid reality of portraiture, in enthralling interest, Mr. Ainsworth's romances are almost unrivalled. To this latter peculiarity, namely, the fascination which they exercise over the reader's attention, their great popularity is mainly due. Many persons, however, who have recognized Mr. Ains worth's great power in this particular have, for that very reason, taken occasion to censure him in that he has availed himself of this talent for exciting interest to invest with fictitious attractions the exploits of thieves and highwaymen. No such objection can at tach to the " Lancashire Witches. The start ling events of the narrative—interesting as they are in a romantic point of view—are doubly valuable as types of the struggle between the principles of good and elil continually carried on in the human heart. Dark and terrible as are some of the scenes here portrayed, they only make the beauty and holiness of virtue more conspicuous and more attractive, and the narrative, after exciting a powerful and undiminished interest throughout its whole course, concludes in that rarely successful, but, when successful, most exquisite manner, which, like the darkness of twilight, is sad without being cheerless, and sorrowful without being gloomy. The last scenes, which relate to Alison and Richard Assheton, and the penitence of the once powerful " Witch," are de scribed with most beautiful pathos. Let it not be supposed, however, that the whole romance is tinged with melancholy. On the contrary, it abounds with festive scenes and rustic sports. The visit of Jarees I. to Hoghton Towers has been very happily introduced, and the description of the various festivities designed for the monarch's entertainment serve in an agreeable man ner to illustrate the customs of the period. At a banquet at Hoghton Towers, it is said that King James, gratified with the flavour of a loin of beef, conferred upon it the honour of knighthood or ba ronetcy, which the Sir-loin has conserved to this day. Mr. Ainsworth has not forgotton to chronicle the incident, and has detailed the ceremony of knighthood in a very amusing way. Otter hunting and other sports are also incidentally described, and with much animation. The picturesque scenery of Pendle Forest has found in Mr. Ainsworth an artist capable of doing full justice to its beauties ; the forest scenes are portrayed con amore. The first volume of the " Lancashire Witches " opens with an introductory history which we are almost disposed to consider superior to the romance which follows. This episode relates to Abbot Paslew, the last abbot of Whalley, who had raised the standard of rebellion on King Henry's ordering the general suppression of monasteries. The portrait of this zealous soldier-priest is admirable. His indomitable resolution, his self-denying adherence to principle, will elicit the sympathy and admiration of all who read this chronicle of the closing scenes of his career. The incident which connects the in troduction with the romance is as follows :—ln the neighbourhood of Whalley Abbey lived a reputed wizard and witch, and the abbot, conscientiously opposed to all adherents of Satan, had refused the rite of baptism to their infant child un less the mother renounced her evil life. This was refused, perhaps, on the plea of her being no witch, yet the priest's blessing for the child was particularly demanded. When Paslew was taken prisoner by King Henry's soldiers, and condemned to die, the wizard offered him his life at the price of baptizing his child. But conscience was stronger than the love of life in the breast of the resolute abbot—he would have no dealings with Satan's subjects. On his way to the place of execution, the abbot is arrested by Demdike (the wizard) and his wife. The mother holds up her child and implores him to bless it even then. Like the abbot in " The Lord of the Isles," Paslew speaks in a voice of pro phecy, but with this difference—the guest of Ronald was desired to pronounce a curse, and on the con trary he spoke a blessing—" I bless thee ! and thou shalt be blest!" But Paslew being besought to bless, utters a prophetic malediction : "' Listen to me, wicked woman!' exclaimed the Abbot, as if tilled with a prophetic spirit: ' Thy child's life shall bo long—beyond the ordinary term of women —but it shall be a life of woe and ill. Children shall she have, and children's children, but they will be a race doomed and accursed a brood of adders that the world shall flee from and crush. A thing accursed, and shunned by her fellows, shall thy daughter be—evil reputed and evil doing. No hand to help her, no lip to bless her—life a burden, and death—long, long in coming—finding her in a dismal dungeon I Depart from me, and trouble me no more.' " "The curse," adds the legend, " was fulfilled to the letter : that child and her offspring became TEIE LANCASHIRE WITCHES." So ends the introduction, skilfully contrived so as to heighten the reader's in terest in the narrative which follows it. THE ISLAND OF SARDINIA. By J. Warn Tyndale, ALA. 3 Vols. At first sight it appears a matter of surprise that an account of the comparatively insignificant island of Sardinia should fill three tolerably sized volumes, but on a further investigation of these volumes we find that the island of Sardinia has furnished mate rials for one of the most interesting and most delight ful books of travel that has appeared for a very con siderable period. Generally speaking, the interest of any work increases in proportion as that interest is concentrated. Biography is in most cases more fas cinating than history—a faithful narrative of the for tunes of a few individuals is infinitely more attractive than a superficial summary of the events of many centuries. It is for a similar reason, perhaps, that this highly-finished picture of Sardinia and the Sardes is so peculiarly excellent, both as a work of information and of entertainment. The in troductory chapter gives an account of the house of Savoy—in many respects a chapter of the romance of history. Some of the Royal characters, more especially Vittorio Amadeo 11., who "in haste" abdicated the throne in favour of his son and then re pented his abdication "at leisure," and Carlo Ema nuele M., a pattern of frugality and etiquette, who would not suffer his Prime Minister to indulge in the extravagance of keeping a carriage, and who refused to let the Princesses, his daughters, sit down to sup per with him unless they appeared in Court costume, are very happily portrayed. The history concludes with the accession of the Prince of Carignana, Carlo Alberto, the present king. The whole work, we are told, was written before the late revolutions, and " the observations on the state of the island are left unaltered, so as to present a.picture of its condition previous to the recent changes and policy of Carlo Alberto." This circumstance considerably enhances its value. The title-page promises "pictures of the mariners and customs of the Sardinians, and notes on the antiquities and modern objects of interest in the island," which promise is amply redeemed in the body of the work. Sardinia abounds in objects of interest, both ancient and modern, and Mr. Tyndale has evinced great skill and discrimination in his arrange ment and exhibition of his valuable materials. As examples of the ♦ery various attractions of these volumes, we may cite the chapters on "The Noraghes and Sepoltures de is Gigantes"—the marvellous architectural curiosities of Sardinia, and the very vivid description of the tunny fishing. This very extraordinary mode of fishing is minutely detailed, and further exemplified by pictorial illustrations, one of which gives a wonderfully exact re presentation of a madraga, a complicated kind •f snare into which the tunny are decoyed previous to the grand battue. The price of a madraga, we are told, varies from 1,8001. to 2,0001. The value and number of the fish caught is very con siderable. The whole business of decoying, killing, and preparing them for export is very accurately described. With pictures of this description, with scenes of personal life, travelling adventures and anec dotes, with descriptions of various Sardinian towns, with accounts of the trade, agriculture, laws, museums, literature, &c., of the island, and innumerable other interesting matters, Mr. Tyndale has filled up the remainder of this very delightful work. It is written in a very animated and agreeable style, and is adorned with innumerable small engravings illustrative of the text, ,besides three large ones representing Cagliari, Sassari, and the Autro di Netturio, which form the frontispieces to the three volumes. It contains, moreover, a very beautiful map of the island of Sardinia. THE SITN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 9, 1849.7 HISTORY OF ENGLAND DURING THE THIRTY YEARS' PEACE. Part IV. The historian of the important interval between 1815 and 1845 has, with the close of the present in stalment, reached the beginning of the year 1828 and the commencement of the Duke of 'Wellington's Ad ministration. His narrative is still remarkable for its amplitude and perspicuity. The part before us is adorned with an excellent map of the Turkish empire, the kingdom of Greece, and our insular possessions of Kerigo, St. Maure, Zante, Kafalonia, Ithaca, and Corfu. The publication is one of singular importance, as referring to the secession of Sir Robert (then Mr.) Peel from the Government of Canning. The writer makes this emphatic and conclusive statement :—" Private letters of Mr. Canning's are in existence which declare that Mr. Peel was the only seceding member of the Government who' behaved well to him at this time:' (p. 437.) Was Lord George Bentinck (the private secretary of Mr. Canning) ignorant Of the existence of these letters when he brought his charges against Sir Robert in 1847—accusing that statesman almost of the assassination of his relative ? For the sake of the character of the deceased leader of the Opposition, we hope he was ignorant of the existence of such do cuments. Though were his ignorance on this point proved, we should, neverthelesS, marvel ! CLEMENT LORIMER. Part 111 By Angus B. Reach. In this part we find the vindictive Benosa following up the scheme which he had artfully concocted for the destruction, soul and body, of the unfortunate Clement Lorimer, and in order to accomplish this object he has purchased the assistance of Sir Har rowby Trumps, to whom he assigns all the debts due by Clement, making him Clement's sole creditor on condition that he shall "follow him up." The spirits by whom Clement is surrounded are not, however, all evil. He has a guardian angel in the person of Marion &lie, the young American girl whose life he had saved from the wreck on the Goodwin Sands, and who proves to be the great granddaughter of Louisa Vanderstein, supposed to have been drowned by order of Benosa in 1710, but whose life was preserved by Jin Karl, the mate of the St. Nicholas, and who afterwards, to escape from the danger which threatened her, assumed a different name on her arrival in America, where she was married to her betrothed. Marion Eske and her friends General and Mrs. Pomeroy are living in Cecil-street, and when Clement Lorimer is without a home it is in Cecil-street that he finds refuge. " The landlady of the lodging-house in Cecil-street, in which were installed General and Mrs. Pomeroy, U. S., was a pale, pinched-in looking little woman , hav ing a perfect mania for scouring and scrubbing; and a remarkable talent, amounting to genius, for scolding. Her name, as it appeared in fat letters upon the brass door-plate, was Ginnum. Now there was occasionally seen slipping about the house, in a meek and stealthy manner, and with the air of a man who merely existed on suffranoe, a dirty little person, with a stubbly chin, no outward appearance of linen, and altogether im pregnated with a mouldy flavour. For a long time none of the lodgers could make out who the mouldy little man was, and many guesses were made, and theories, constructed, as to his identity. At length one ingenious individual hit upon the happy scheme of asking the mouldy man himself. Tho reply was at once startling and characteristic. " Sir,' said the mouldy man with great meekness, I am Mrs. Ginnum's husband!' " He was so known ever afterwards. Nobody thought of calling him Mr. Ginnum, or even plain Ginnum: he was always ' Mrs. Ginnum's husband.' " What the particular duties fulfilled by Mrs. Gin num's husband were, it would be difficult to specify. He was sometimes absent from the house, as though he were attending to some regular calling. At other times he haunted the lower regions of the establishment. Glimpses were caught of him in the passages, and his dirty face was occasionally seen looking up from the front area. Where he took his meals, and where he slept, were mysteries more deep than the authorship with be theeTe ever Iron o m f ask., 'Junius,' trhe o o r nl t y he pi i e d c e e nt o it f y l o eg f i t t h im e peered to perform was sitting up at night to let the late a ' ie hla d n uty lodgers in. On these occasions he gave loose to his conversational powers, so far as saying very meekly, ' Good night, sir!' as he delivered the flat-candlestick to the retiring guest. The other characteristics of the mouldy little man were, that he was always shabby, and occasionally not sober." The " Mouldy Little Man" is one of the most per fect sketches with which Mr. Angus Reach has as yet favoured the public. THE POTTLETON LEGACY. Part T. By Albert Smith. " The Pottleton Legacy" improves as it progresses. It is superior in point of construction to any work that Albert Smith has yet composed, and while it abounds in those exquisitely ludicrous yet at the same time faithful sketches of the " eccentrics" of society (witness the " two nice children" in the open ing chapter of this part—witness the dinner in the Beauchamp tower, and the character of Mr. Wynd, ham Flitter passim—witness the rich scene of the Rev. Mr. Page taking his dancing lesson) ; it also contains some of the most beautiful specimens of description, or, rather, of word-painting, that we have ever met with. The following snow scene is worthy the pencil of a Berghem. " We have returned to Pottleton again —and the snow is on the ground; those who only knew our village in its leafy summer dress would be puzzled to find out their favourite nooks and corners amongst the skeleton trees. But it is still charming for all that. The air is so vivid and exhilarating, that your lungs cannot drink in a suf ficiency of it at each inspiration ; and the bright clear sunlight is thrown back in sparkling diamonds, with dazzling purity, from the snow that crunches beneath each step. It is as tranquil as in summer ; indeed, the repose is that of death rather than sleep, broken only by the sharp ringing echoes of an occasional gun, or the whirring chatter of a stone, sent swiftly sliding across the ice by the ruddy urchin, anxious to know if the mill tail will bear. The river would freeze if it could; but the floods have driven it on too turbulently. Where tho pollards, that its stream has undermined until they tumbled into it, have collected the reeds and dead leaves into their harbour, there is a pellicle of ice, rimy and white, within an inch of where the water washes it: and some of the drooping sprays of the bramble-bushes, that bent so gracefully over its quivering lily-spangled surface in summer, are tipped with long crystal-looking pendants that would have been elsewise fog drops; but it holds out no promise of skating. Yet it is freezing hard, for the place that was broken in the pond, to let the cattle drink, and get the ice for the Court ice -house, is already glazed over. Still it is a degree of cold that no one feels inclined to quarrel with. Indeed, the only points in the landscape that one might wish to find fault with, are where the southern eaves are dripping in the sun, and making a dark unseemly gutter on the white causeway below. " The road is spotted with birds—poor little fellows, hardly driven to pick up a livelihood, fur the hedge rows are even too frost-bound for them to scrape out for the pungent roots that would nourish them; and the hips and haws have all been carried away—so have the seeds about the Grange, that were too high for the inmates to collect. When they settle on the great tree before the inn, they bring down such a shower of crisp flakes of snow, that they are frightened into a departure forthwith, and fly back to the pollards, where they know of decayed knot•holes and hollowed limbs. Some very old birds— plump as pincushions—have lived in Baker's barn ever since the frost began; but this is evidently a secret. " There is something very solemn about the old grey Norman church, in its canopy of snow, which also hangs upon the lych-gate, and covers the gra ve -yard, until the tomb-stones are merged in the same hue. You can now imagine that those who lie beneath it are locked in a dead and awful sleep—far more so than in summer, when the daisies and the primroses looked upwards from the graves towards heaven, or the gentle cowslips bent their fragrant heads towards the earth, as if in mourning. In the corner there is a heap of black mould, thrown up since the snow fell ; but it will be filled in again before night, and those who have been long separated —one, perhaps, toiling and struggling on whilst the other slept tranquilly—will meet again." THE QUARTERLIES. THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW. No. XCIX. With a Supplemental Foreign Quarterl y Review. No. LXXXIV. One of the most abstruse articles published for a considerable time in any of the quarterly p er i o di ca l s is the essay on the " Notation of Music," in the current number of the Westminster. Recondite as the subject is in its character, the writer, who is manifestly a proficient in musical kno w l e d ge , h as contrived to render it both intelligible and entertain ing. Two very agreeable chapters of biography and criticism have been su ggested to the re v i ewers b y t h e recently published memoirs of Keats a n d Chan and affords the to the Review ning. A benevolent argumentin behalf o f " Th e Distre ssedwriter a n opportunity NeedN eed lew omee of " follows, transferring (rather late in the day we must acknowl e d ge ) th e immortal " Song of the Shirt, „ followed by an earnest and loving commemoration of the humanity and genius of Thomas Hood. Happily and beauti fully is that stanza quoted from his " Lady's Dream " " The wounds I might have heal'd I The human sorrow and smart I And yet it was never in my soul To play so ill a part ; But evil is wrought by want of Thought, As well as want of Heart." Two learned works on Egypt, by Gliddon and Hengstenberg, are analysed in a severe and exacting manner, by one who is evidently familiar with the antiquarian riches of the country bordering the Nile. A note at page 539 informs us that the author of this erudite paper, the Rev. Charles William Chalklen, is recently deceased. Mr. George Poulett Scrope, M.P., again seizes the "Irish Difficulty," and strives to diicover " How it must be met." It would not have been difficult to recognise his peculiar mode of reasoning, even had not the authorship been indicated by his initials. One of the reviewers, hiding his name under the mask of the rather inscrutable hiero glyph " NT-ON," examines from first to last the whole of the 'correspondence which has taken place in the public journals respecting the ",Great §ou §ex. THE LAND WE LIVE IN. Part XVIII. Bath, the most beautiful city in England, is the spot delineated in the Part for January of this delightful publication. Both in pictorial and literary merit, Mr. Knight's description of the locality is admirable. Foremost, of course, among the em bellishments is a portrait of Beau Nash, the Prince (rather than the Master) of the Ceremonies. Among the other celebrities of the place, Beckford the epicurean, renowned as the decorator of Fonthill Abbey, and as the author of the gorgeous romance of " Vathek," occupies a conspicuous posi tion. We have, be sure of that, a sketch of the Lansdowne Tower, in which he used to seclude himself at his orisons—those orisons which, with a religion of his own, be addressed most probably to the God of voluptuousness. And, im mediately confronting this monument of luxury, on the hill opposite the one adorned with the Lens - downeTower and LansdowneCrescent—situated above Widcombe, and below Combe Downe, is portrayed by pen, not by pencil, the noble and palatial mansion of Ralph Allen, EE q., the squire Allworthy of Field ing, and since tr ans f orme d i nto a R oman Cath o lic College (Prior Park), the students from which matriculate at the London University. The other illustrations, such as the Abbey, the Victoria Column, the Crescent, Pulteney Bridge, St. Stephen's Church, are faithful and characteristic. pent," and the conclusion at which he ultimately and deliberately arrives is as follows : "To ourselves the evidence appears irresistible that a certain marine animal of enormous size does exist, and that it differs essentially from any living animal described in our systematic % orks."To this animal mariners have given the very appropriate name of sea serpent, from its inhabiting the sea, and from its supposed resemblance to a serpent. It is fifty or sixty feet in length—perhaps seventy feet—but we may gather from the multitude of statements that fifty or sixty is a perfectly safe estimate; it is long in prop or ti on to i ts b u lk, it s nec k a nd tail being of much less circumference than its body; the junction of the tail aad body is marked by a rapid dimi nution in size; it has a sharp-pointed snout, flat-topped Lead, powerful teeth, very large eyes, and blow holes, like the Cetacea, from which it spouts water; it has two very large an d p ower f u l fl a pp ers , or p a ddles, with which it makes its way when on the surface of the water; it has a dorsal, or cervical crest fin or mane; its skin is smooth." A wood engraving, similar to the one which has already appeared in the Illustrated London News, pourtrays the aspect and dimensions of this extraor dinary monster of the deep. In a rapid allusion to the hfstorical and political works lately produced by Macaulay, Thiers, Lamartine, and Caussidiere, under the heading, " Lessons of Revolutions," it is justly remarked that " M. de Lamartine establishes by his Trois illois aux Pouvoir a claim to the re spect of statesmen." To these contributions we have here appended a brief but touching " Obituary." Among the dead is mentioned very prominently the youthful writer of the two beautiful essays to which we have ourselves more than once referred, Charles Thomas Fisher, who is accurately described as having " died almost at the commencement of his career, alike to fortune and to fame unknown.'" To the gentleness of his nature, to the clearness of his intellect, andto the goodness of his heart, we can ourselves have the me lancholy satisfaction of bearing attestation, and, in so doing we would, if possible, enforce the subjoined appeal of the Westminster Review, which, speaking of the untimely death of Charles Thomas Fisher, thus remarks upon the position of his relict : " If in the circle we now address, there are some who have personally known what the strife is of education with straitened means, and have risen above it, or who can picture that strife to themselves in their imagi nation, and who at this season of general festivity, would remember' the widow in her aiiiction,' we shall rejoice to be made the channel of a deserved sympathy." After this comes a well-merited eulogium upon the late lamented and gifted Charles Buller. Of whom saith Thomas Carlyle—" Very gentle, too, though full of fire; simple, brave, graceful. This man was true to his friends. Be his memory dear and honourable to us, as that of one so worthy ought. What in him was true and valiant, endures for evermore beyond all memory on record. His light airy brilliancy has suddenly become solemn, fixed in the earnest stillness of eternity." Well may the Westminster Review, which has been so often illumed by the light cast from his " very beautiful soul" upon its pages, utter its last adieus in no feeble language—" Farewell, Charles Buller ! Farewell l" Among the foreign publications noticed towards the close of the present number of the double Quarterly is the posthumous " Memoir of Chauteau briand." In reviewing this book the writer adminis ters a galling flagellation to M. Jules Janin, whom he suspects to have written the flashy introduction. There are besides the usual correspondence and mis cellaneous criticisms. CHEAP EDITIONS OF THE WORKS OF DICKENS and BULWER. Competition in literature has been productive of nothing more beautiful than the cheap editions of the writings of our two celebrated novelists—Charles Dickens and Bulwer Lytton. For the enterprise evinced in their publication we are indebted to the eminent house of Messrs. Chapman and Hall—a house distinguished as having first discerned the genius of Boz, and ushered into the world of letters that phenomenon of wit and gentleness. We wel come cordially a double series, which cannot fail to elevate the tastes of the multitude, by placing within the reach of mechanics and artizaus the master pieces of two illustrious intellects. To appreciate the importance of the adventure undertaken by Messrs. Chapman and Hall in the issuing of these little volumes at a price so reasonable, and in a form so compact, we should bear in mind the position in which the authors of " Pickwick " and "Rienzi" stand in regard to their contemporaries. We are bold to say, that Dickens and Bulwer are to the literary age of Victoria, what Godwin and Mac kenzie were to that of George HI., what Fielding and Smollett were to that of George 1. , what Ad dison and Swift were to that of Anne, what (in comedy) Farquhar and Wycherley were to that of Charles 11., and what (in pastoral and dramatic poetry) Spenser and Shakspere were to that of Eliza beth. Had any one spoken thus of the writer of the " Man of Feeling" during his lifetime, the dictum would, undoubtedly, have been laughed to scorn by many a dissentient. And the same kind of panegyric would have been similarly treated if pronounced upon " St. Leon," or upon " Amelia," or " Sir Launcelot Greaves," or the " Italian Pilgrimage," or " Mar tinus Scribblerus," or the " Itferuiting Officer," or the " Plain Dealer," or " Colin Clout," or the "Lover's Complaint." Yet it is well sometimes if the opinion of posterity can be anticipated. It is well if a judicious meed of praise can be pronounced before an author's bones are mouldering in the grave—if the language of gratitude and admiration can be made audible before the heart is still that that language might tend to gladden. To do this, however, re quires some daring, because of the jealousies which are always unhappily contemporaneous with success. Without hesitation, nevertheless, we speak thus of Dickens and Bulwer, believing the correctness of our assertion from the fulness of our heart, and from the unimpassioned recesses of our judgment. Formerly works such as these under consideration would have been so costly as to find purchasers only among the wealthier classes. Three volumes octavo, at a price varying from twenty-seven to thirty two shillings, would have confined " Martin Clnizzlewit" or " Night and Morning" to the boudoir of the lady or to the library shelves of the squire. At the present rate of publication these fictions may wile away the evenings of our labouring population, the price of a volume being three or four shillings, and the size not too bulky for the coat-pocket. In this form we have " Pelham" and " Pickwick," " Nicholas Nickleby" and " Rienzi, " the " Old Curiosity Shop" a n d " Paul Clifford." The re mainder of the series will appear in due succession. Thus will continue to be multiplied the fabrications of these choice intellects—conveying each day to new hearts the fruition arising from their creations. For there is a bewitching truthfulness in the reflection of Lord Byron— " The beings of the mind are not of clay; Essentially immortal, they create And multiply in us a brighter ray And more beloved existence : that which Fate Prohibits to dull life, in this our state Of mortal bondage, by these spirits supplied First exiles , then replaces what we hat e; Watering the heart whose early flowers have died And with a fresher growth replenishing the void." Such beneficent and creative " beings of the mind" abound in the writings of Mr. Dickens and of Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, and for this reason, if for none other, it is a felicitous notion that of extending the field of their popularity. We greet the effort with our warmest approbation, and congratulate the workers in our crowded haunts of commerce upon the fabrication of the keys which are thus offered them to admit them into the realms of fairyland. FINE ARTS. THE ART JOURNAL. Extraordinary as have hitherto been the merit and the enterprise. of this remarkable publication, they are absolutely as nothing when contrasted with those revealed in its number for this first of January. Without any shadow of a question the Art Journal is the most splendid illustrated periodical, and the cheapest, that has ever appeared. To give any ade quate conception of the excellence of the magazine, it would be necessary to transfer the engravings as well as the letter-press to our columns. We can only say that for half-a-crown the subscribers have received for the January of 1849, four admirable engrav ings and a profusion of wood-cuts—engravings worthy of the art of Strange, and woodcuts worthy of the art of Orrin Smith. While among the literary contributors are numbered—Mr. R. N. Wornum, Dr. W. Cooke Taylor, Messrs. Burnet, Fairholt, Hunt, &c., together with Mrs. S. C. Hall—who is, as the saying goes, a host in herself. Among other advantages resulting to the public from the munificence of Mr. Vernon must now be recorded this singular improvement and extension of the Art Journal, for the present development of enterprise in the publica tion, appears to have been suggested by the determi nation to lay before the mass of the people engraved representations of the different pictures con tained in the gallery of paintings presented by that gentleman to the British nation. As an appropriate introduction to this important series of engravings, we have, in the shape of a frontispiece to the January number of the Art Journal, a copy of Pickersgill's portrait of Robert Vernon, Esq., or, as he should long since have been rightly termed, Sir Robert Vernon, Bart. The plate is simply but expressively DEDICATED TO THE BRITISH PEOPLE; and we doubt not but that the British people will prize this graphic delineation of one of their distin guished benefactors. We observe that a testimonial in honour of Mr. Vernon has been set on foot by Messrs. Paul and Dominic Colnaghi— subscriptions being received by those i eminent publishers for the purpose of r aisin g a sum, the nte rest of which is to be expended in the purchase of an annual medal, to be called the Vernon Medal, and to be awarded to meritorious students by the President of the goyill Acglem,Y. We cordially commend this graceful testimonial to the attention of the multitude. "Highland Mutic," by Edwin Landseer ; the " 'Wooden Bridge," by Calcott, most exquisitel): , engraved by J. C. Bentley; th e "I no a nd Bacchus," of Rolfe, a lovely specimen of female symmetry, are the subjects of the other engravings. Besides a number of other woodcuts, there is a capital sketch of Sir Martin Archer Shee, the venerable and accomplished President of the Royal Academy, and another (equally characteristic) of Etty ; an embellished pilgrimage to the shrine of Chatterton; and a variety of the daintiest designs from manufac• tures—the most graceful amngst which are tha designs for a hand-bell, for the hand-pull of a carriage gate bell, for a grotesque door scraper, and for a cornice of intermeshed convolvoluses. Altogether the Art Journal is as beautiful and valuable as it is un • rivalled. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, MONDAT. The inclemency of the weather prevented her Ma jesty and his Royal Highness and the younger branches of the Royal Family from taking their usual early walks this morning. The Prince, attended by Mr. G. E. Anson, the Hon. Colonel Phipps, and the Hon. Captain Gordon, went out shooting in Windsor Forest. No addition to the Royal dinner party this day is expected. _ _ . her 11lajesty's private band was in attendance in the Castle on Saturday evening, and performed the following pieces : Overture, "Les Diamans de Is Couronne " Auber. Double Quartett, No. 3 :—Andante con Variazioni. Scherzo Allegro. Finale, Allegro molto. First Quartett, two violins, viola, and violoncello ; Messrs. Sainton, Cusins, Hill, and H. Chipp. Second Quartett, two violins, viola, and violoncello ; Messrs. Day, Betts, Nickel, and H. P. llardy.. Sphor. Selection, " Schauspieldirektor" .. Mozart. Mr. George Moffatt had an interview with Sir George Grey yesterday. Mr. Samuel Martin, M.P., had also an interview yesterday with the Right Hon. Baronet at the Home-office. The Earl of Carlisle arrived in town yesterday evening from his seat, Castle Howard, Yorkshire. Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial office from the Governors of the West India Colonies. Dispatches were sent off last evening from the Colonial-office for the Governors of Ceylon and Hong-Kong. The Lord Chancellor will sit in the Court at Lin coln's Inn, on Thursday next, the first day of Hilary term. The Judges, Queen's Counsel, &c., will not assemble at his Lordship's residence on that day. LYCEUM THEATRE, Last evening we again visited this elegant palace of amusement, and were even more delighted on this occasion than we were the first time we witnessed the Christmas offering of Planche—the ever welcome ambassador from the fairy court of Oberon and Titania—who is acknowledged to be, far and away, the most elegant and polished, at the same time most classical burlesque writer of the day. Competitors he may have—and who has not ?—but they all sink into nothingness when they dare a tilt with him. The wit and satire of Planche, though keen, is never vulgar ; there is none of that low and offensive lan guage so prevalent in the efforts of other writers to be found in any of his successful productions—the rubicon of wit and sparkling repartee is always gained but never passed, and hence the secret of all his triumphs. The King of the Peacocks is, without doubt, the most magnificent fairy extravaganza that has ever been produced at this theatre, so renowned for grandness of style ; we say this, well remembering the refulgent brilliancy and voluptuous beauty of The Golden Branch and Theseus and Ariadne. All that could be done by the liberality of the manage ment in the way of taste and splendour has been done ; and truly the stage seems, what with the dazzling magnificence of the dresses and appointments and the gorgeousness of the scenery, a perfect El Dorado. We have before had to speak in terms of high com mendation of the scene painting of Mr. Beverly, and in this instance he has eclipsed all his former works. The applause bestowed upon the Pecockian Quadrille is well deserved ; it is one of the prettiest things we have seen for a very long time. Madame Vestris as Argus, the brilliant-eyed, King of the Pea cocks ; Miss K. Fitzwilliam, as King Florizel ; Miss J. Coleman, as Prince Jessarny ; Miss Marshall, as Fiiry Faithful; John It eeve, as the May-fly—and such a May-fly !—Harley, as the Chinese Junkman, with a very hard name; Selby, as Soyez-tranquille ; and Mr. 11. llall, are each in their respective parts excellent. The music which is allotted to each cha racter is very neatly given, but especial mention must be made of the parody on the chorus from Ilaydee, " The Breeze," the solo part being exquisitely rendered by Madame Vestris. The house continues to attract the most fashionable and crowded audiences. The applause at the fall of the curtain was enthusiastic in the extreme. Our readers we are sure will thank us for informing them that early attendance at the re ceptions at the Court of his Majesty the King of the Peacocks is indispensably necessary, as after seven o'clock every evening standing room even rises to a premium. CORN-LAWS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SlR,—Being a constant reader of your paper, I have taken the liberty of requesting you to find room in your valuable journal for the following : A poor man called to take one of my cottages, which holds looms and jennies, by hand, at Mihnon, near Rochdale, which I let for 6/. ; the rent was formerly 9/. Two years since this man gave 3s. 6d. for a peck of flour. He now purchases the same article, with the addition of one pound of sugar, one pound of candles, and one pound of butter,l for the sum; 3s. 6d. He has still his former wages. I am very happy to inform you that working people are looking forward to the close of the Corn-laws, and in my opinion it will answer their most sanguine expectations. Excuse this trouble, and you will oblige Your obedient servant, JAMES BUTTERWORTH. Green Booth Mills, near Rochdale, January 8, 1849. THE BRITISH .MUSEUM. Yesterday the British Museum was re-opened to the public ; it will continue open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, without intermission, between the hours of te❑ and four, until the Ist of May, and will then be closed till the 7th, when, on re-opening, the hours will be extended from ten till seven. The new building, with the exception of the addition to the Gallery of Antiquities, erecting in lieu of the Townley Gallery, is complete, and early in the ensuing month of February the last remaining portion of old Montague liouse,'fronting Great Russell-street, will be removed. DEPOSIT Or FLOUR IN BOND.—A firm at one of the ports in the west of England has recently made ap plication to the revenue authorities to be allowed to de posit the very large quantity of 1560,0001b5. weight of flour in bond, under the Grinding Act, for ships' stores, in lieu of 717,9481b5. weight of wheat to be delivered from the bonded warehouse, free of duty, being at the proportion of 781bs. of flour to 1001bs. weight of wheat. This is one of the largest individual depasits of the na ture alluded to which has come under our notice, and is especially remarkable as being at one of the smaller out ports. It appears that a very large number of arrivals of cargoes of flour have recently taken place at the port alluded to, from France, and that many more are antici pated to take place from the same quarter. MOST EXTRAORDINARY FEAT. SPLITTING A BANK NOTE.—The Governor and Directors of the Bank of England having been informed of the extra ordinary ingenuity of Mr. Baldwin, and that he was able to split not only a newspaper, but a bank-note, sent for him in order to test his skill. That his task might be as difficult as possible, they picked him out one of the old one-pound notes, which are printed upon paper much thinner than the notes of the present day, and told him to split it if ho could. Mr. Baldwin took the note hcme with him, and returned it the next day in the state he had premised. The paper was not in the slightest de gree torn, and seemed as though it had but just come from the manufactury, so little was its appearance affected by the operation. The Directors remunerated Mr. Baldwin for his trouble, but could not elicit from him the means he employed. The discovery is con sidered of much importance in connexion with the paper currency of the country. EMEUTE ON BOARD A CONVICT SIIIP.—An earteute of a very alarming character occurred last week on board the Sulphur hulk, lying off Woolwich Dockyard, used as a convict ship. The affair originated in a conspiracy _ formed by several convicts on board that vessel t c o b mn w ro r b who or savagely ill-treat a quartermaster, named y l w V er . e, how had made himself obnoxious to them. had ac ever, led to believe that a prisoner ni'ifit,efa-nlid-et•hrleay given information to Webb of their plot, tbweoingguards, b „ t most unmet.- cordingly set upon Kenna, whom that he mur dered, The man screamed out ch assista w ne a : tiered, and his cries brought to his WitneY ' for two other officers of 'The prisoners, it being Warren,. against the former named Quick and dark at the time, mistook them Web ir b o 7b d ars , made a desperate attackrn es, and, ar be hardly the ship, named y u injuries c a t s 'l t 0 ing themselves with 11 of them were severely injured, boards. 13 °t o f whom übcehe filens oe o vf r e i t g rhe i e n: 1 1; upon the gua and Witney suffered Bach yet out of danger. board the lioyal Mariues was at on vessel, an d length brought the guards were rescued. Three of the prisoners, provt dto ha v e been the ringleaders in this affair, named Williams, Harris, and Rodgers, were afterwards brought len"' before Captain Voules, the superintendent of the hulks, and sentenced to receive 50 lashes each. The sentence was carried into effect upon all except Rodgers , 43 lashes, was or d ered by mr. who, after receiving Dabbs, the resident sur geon, to be tak en down. Another convict, named Felton, received 24 l as h es at the same time for insolence to one of the guards. DEATH or DR. BLACKER, LL.D.—The Rev. Dr. Blacker, rector of Mullabrack died on Wednesda lastl in th e 78 t h year of his The u nion Y ' age. 0 ill the gift of the Primate of Ireland. GOLD DIGGINGS in CALIFORNIA VALPARAISO, OCT. 30, 1 848.—During the month most classes of English goods, particularly cottons, have been in brisk demand at good prices. The im portations from Europe (which continue limited) during the month amount to 300,000 dollars, the greater part of which sold within a few days after the arrival of the goods. In produce for exportation there is little or nothing doing at present. The news lately received from California of the dis covery of an extensive gold-washin g (of which you will no doubt have heard in England) has produced a great deal of speculation. Several cargoes have been dispatched from this market, and others have been prepared; while houses are being opened in California in connexion with mercantile establishment s here. The chief ground of hope for the success of all this speculation is the continuance of the gold-wash ing in its present fertility. Gold dust to the value of 100,000 dolls, has already arrived here within the last few weeks from this gold-washing, and we have ad vices of as much more being on the way from the port of San Francisco, in Upper California. The gold sells here at 18 dollars an ounce. The washing is situated on a tributary of the Sacramento River, about 200 miles inland from San Francisco, and great expectations are raised from its extraordinary fertility, and from the ease with which the gold is procured. It is found with little labour, near the surface of a valley extending for many miles between the Sacramento and the great chain of mountains known as the " California Range." The American Governor of California made a visit to the washings lately, and he has reported to his Government the value of the gold dust collected at 2,200,000 dollars a month by the present imperfect mode of working. As yet the washing is free to the exertions of all who may choose or risk to seek their fortunes in this El Dorado. An eye-witness, just returned from the scene, describes the bands of reckless desperadoes there collected as something horrible. They are more to be likened to bands of pirates than to anything else. The masters of vessels in the Bay of San Francisco find it impossible to retain their sailors on board. They all run away to the gold-washing, and the captain of a Chilian vessel just arrived here from California was under the necessity of paying labourers to unload and to load his vessel one dollar per hour, with grog cd libitum. All the other resources of the country are abandoned for the gold-washing. Labour, provisions, and goods fetch most extravagant prices, and immigration from the United States across the Rocky Mountains con tinues in one unbroken stream of fortune-seekers. RATES OF FREIGHT AT VALPARAISO. From the abundance of shipping, and the dullness of the export trade, freights are at present quite nominal. The last charter for nitrate to Liverpool was at 3/. in full. Light Freight to London or Liverpool may be quoted at 41. in full. In copper ores no charters have been made lately. Freight to France, 120 f.; ditto to the United States, 22 hard dollars; to llamburgh, 4.8 and 5 per cent. Exchange.—Bills on England, at 90 days' sight, 430.; English Navy Bills, at 3 days' sight, 43d.; American Bills on New York, at 90 days' sight, 2s. per cent. premium ; bar silver, 10 dolls. 31c. per mark ; hard dollars, 10i to 10i per cent. premium. Exchange on Paris, 4f. 90c. for Treasury bills ; ditto, on commercial bills, sf. Exchange on liamburgh, 1 Banco. MEN-OF-WAR IN THE BAY. The Asia, flag of Rear-Admiral Hornby, goes out on a cruize to the island of Juan Fernandez in a few days. The Juno, 26, Captain P. J. Blake, sails for Eng land, to call at Rio, on Wednesday next, No. rember 1. The Gorgon steamer to remain here for the present. The Calypso, 20, Captain H. J. Worth, sailed from Valparaiso yesterday, October 29, for Peru and Mexico. The Champion, 18, Captain Hayes, left Valparaiso for Peru and Central America, on the 4th of Oc tober inst. The Constance, SO, Captain Courtney, is expected from the islands shortly. Soon after her arrival sh© goes home. The Inconstant, 36, is expected hourly from the River Plate. IN PORT. The French Admiral's fig-ship Pursui►ante, and the Genie. The American frigate Congress leaves to-day for the United States. Within the last few days we have received news of another revolution in Bolivia, which has again thrown that unhappy country into fresh anarchy. The present revolution is headed by Belza, a general in the army, who lately filled the office of Minister at War, under the Provisional Government established on the abdi cation of the late President, Ballivian. Some say his object is to place himself in the Presidential chair, while a general opinion prevails that he and his partisans seek the restoration of General Santa Cruz, the former chief of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, at present exited in Europe. Beiza hail, at the date of the last advices, confined his operations to La Paz and Cochabamba, where he is very popular, and where all the soldiers had pronounced in his favour. General B llivian, the last Bolivian President, resides in Valparaiso. It is said that ho intends to go to settle in California. .__-• FINANCIAL REFORM AT MANCHESTER.—We an nounced some time ago that a meeting was about to be held in the Free Trade-hall, at which proceedings would probably bo taken, having an important bearing upon the future course of the Liberal party. Wednesday, the 10th inst., has been fixed upon, and from an adver• tisement in another part of eur paper, it will be seen that Mr. Cobden, Mr. Bright, and Mr. Gibson will be present. There will be no shrinking from the now well- defined principles and objects of the new and growing party. Financial reform, the amendment of the repre sentation, and a well-considered proposition for uniting and increasing the number and strength of the Liberal constituencies in counties and boroughs, will probably be the points to which the attention of the meeting will be directed. Mr. George Wilson, we understand, is expected to preside on the occasion, and a very large and influential meeting is anticipated. The grand ban quet will take place in the Free Trade-hall on Wednes day, the 31st instant.—Manchester Examiner and Times. FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.—About nine o'clock last evening, as two gentlemen were proceeding in a gig down Ludgate-hill, the horse, having taken fright, dashed off at a fearful pace, the driver losing all com mand over the animal, which flew along, crossing Far ringdon-street and up Fleet-street, till, on arriving exactly opposite the Punch-office, the vehicle came in contact with a carrier's cart, when the violence of the concussion threw both gentlemen from their seats. One alighted head foremost against the kerb-stone, where he was found to all appearance quite dead. He was directly removed to Mr. Hutchinson's surgery in Farringdon street, where the injuries were declared to be of too serious a character for temporary assistance, and by the orders of that gentleman's assistant he was at once con veyed on a stretcher by the police to St. Bartholomew's hospital, in a state of insensibility, the forehead of the unfortunate man presenting all the appearance of having been broken in. His companion, more fortunate, escaped with a few slight contusions, and was conducted to the station-house in Fleet-street. The body of the chaise was completely shattered, and the horse much injured. BAKERS' ASSIZE ASSOCIATION. Last night • meeting of master bakers was held at the Bakers' Provi dent Institution in Snow-hill, in aid of the objects of the above-named association; Mr. Butler in the chair. The secretary having given in his ,report, it was considered that, in consequence of the paucity of a t ten dance, the meeting should be adjourn e d un til Monday . eveningn z re All which was agreed to a ft er severa l contributions bee handed in from th e diff eren t b ranc h societies. Ali b ti o c f le ati o y i protective system, appeared a d o e thatte determined i t red publicto go tO mayr Parliament r ba l o i t t n e a n rf t aonnai f9 from imposition, through the institution st o em, p it was upon such a basis, as the present thesyand con sidered,ilonestdweaalserasuffiincetnhte t i o mp d o e r s t t a r n o t y the Exchequer. bread. staple e es ar s of the three Com. mences on Thursday. The arrears tt4 in th a ri l::: : 3 : 0 r Court, and one registration resm 42 in mon-law Courts number 392- 7 157 THE COMMON Law COURTs.—HilaeryQeTeee:Bceonrach: 121 in the Common Pea`, and have increased since In the Common P lee.asretmanet demurrers the for paper new there are two en the first day of hii tlials, and 17 for the }ac.vin:Bse Term. F ALDERMAN j le u ilar d tg g eer m de e d n Pr t ualneds, in the mortal remains of the late Alderman John• The a rrears e ng re consigned to their finjal"lNs°s resting-place Yes t i e n r d the a y family vault of St. John' funeral was, agreeably s Church, Westminster. The ducted with t o the wish of the deceased, extremecon privacy. Shortly before twelve o'clock the corte ge, consiating of a hearse containing the alderman, and followed by three mourn ing coaches and the private carriages of the chief civics authorities, his late deputy, and the common council of his ward (Dowgate), left his late residence at Millbank. On h . reac ing tho church, the procession was met by the rector, the Bev. J. Jennings, and the parochial authori ties, who conducted the corpse into the interior of the church, when, after the burial service, the body was de posited in the family vault. CAUTION To lIOTEL-KEETERS AND IRMA' lIOLDERS.—A swindler, calling himself John William Molloy, and asserting his connexion will some of the first iamilies in the kingdom, has lately been making victims of several respectable hotel-keepers and lodging housekeepers, at the West-end. Ile is apparently very deaf, short, about 60, and wears glasses. TRADE IN KILMARNOCK.—As is the invariable case at this season of tie year, matters have been rather at a stand for the past few days; prospects, however, are of a most cheering character. It is anticipated that an extensive and decided improvement will speedily take place in the printfields; simultaneously with which a change for the better will be experienced by weavers, who, although executing the customary amount of work for Glasgow and Paisley houses, are not so busily em played by the local manufacturers. A considerable amount of business is being done in our mix; facto r w. —Ayr Advertiser.