The Sun. — London, England, 1856-01-03 00:00:00

Statistics of 1855 T HE FIRST MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT of the SPECTATOR, To be published on SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, will contain, in Tables accompanied by Explanatory Comments, A Collection of the principal Statistics of 18.55, from authentic sources; including the Weekly Rise and Fall of Gold in the Bank of England, and Rates of Discount. The Progress of Shipping, - of Taxation, of War Expenditure and - War Obligations. Table of Ministerial and Parliamentary Changes. Full Statistics showing the Progress of Banking, with Lists of Private and Joint-Stock Banks. A Table, showing the State of Railway Property in 1855, with elucidations. Statement of tho Effect of the War on the Russian Exports to England; and An Elaborate Analysis of the Trade and Navigation Returns for 1854. Orders and Advertisements received by JOSEPH CLAYTON, 9, WELLINGTON• STREET, STRAND. THE SU N, TO ARRIVE THE SAME EVENING, supplied to any STATION on the EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY, Carriage Free, by CLAYTON and SON, General Newspaper and Advertising Agents, 265, Strand, London. THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LANE. Lessee. Mr. E. T. Smith. Trus EVENING, THE GREAT GUN TRICK. After which, HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE; or, Hariequln King Nonsense and the Seven Ages of Man. THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Under the Management of Mr. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, THE BUSY BODY. eharacterS by Mewl. Howe, Chippenia,'e, Rogers. W. Farrell, and Buckstone; Misses Reynold/ and E. Chaplin. After which the New Comic Christmas Pantomime, entitled THE BUTTERPLY'S BALL .iNI) THE GRASSHOPPER'A FE &ST ; or, Harlequin and the Genius of the Spring. 4.4[AL, ParscEss'a THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. Ca Anse irsiaL THIS EVENING, The comedy of EVERY ONE HAS HIS FAULT. Characters by Mrs C. Kean, Mesers F. 3fatthews, Harley, Cooper, Lacy, Ryder, and Filer; and Mrily, Misses Heath, Murray, and K. Terry. After which, HARLEQUIN AND THE MAID AND THP: MAGPIE ; or, the Fairy Farad's,' and Hanky Panky, the Enchanter. Harlequin, Mr. Clorm.tc% ; )wn, Mr. Haline ; Pantaloon, Mr Paulo; and Columhlne, 31ie3 Caroline Adams. ROYAL OLYIIPIC THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. AllYetl Wigan. THIS EVENING, THE JEALOUS WIFE. Characters by Messrs. A. Wig +n, G. Yining, Emery, Leslie, Dan ♦ers, Mrs. Stirling, and Miss Marston. After which will he produced a New and deably-moral, though excessively old, Melodramatic Fairy Extravaganza, entitled THE DISCREET PRINCESS; or, the Three Glass Distaffs. In which Messrs. Emery, F. Robson, H. Cooper, Miss Marston, ant Miss Haskell will appear. THEATRE ROYAL ADELPFIL Proprietor, Mr. R. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENLNG. DOMESTIC ECONOMY. After which, MOTFIF4E AND CHILD ARE DOING WELL. T. conclude with a Grand Coalition of Burlesque aed Pantomime, to be called JACK AND THE BEAN' STALK; or, Harlequin and Mother Goose at Home Again. In which Meagre. J. Bland, P. Bedford, Madame Celeste, Wig Wyndham, and Miss E. Arden will appear. ROYAL SURREY THEATRE. Lessees, Messrs. Shepherd and Creswick. THIS EVENING THE FLOWER GIRL. To conclude with A PRINCE OF PEARLS; or, llarlevie and lane shore. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Under the direction of Mr. Payne. THIS EVENING, NOF.MIE; or, The Foster Sister. After which, IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. To conclude with ARLEQUIN BLACK-EYED EITE; or, All In the Downi and Davy Jones's Locker. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRIL Lame and Manacer, Mr. Win. Cooke. THIS EVENING, ROOK WOOD; or, TURVIN'ti RIDE to YORK. After which the SCENES In the ARENA. To conclude with one of the most extraordinary productions ever witnessed, art Equestrian Comic Pantomime, introducing 60 horses, ponies, and other quadrupeds, trained by Mr. William Cooke, called HARLEQUIN AND ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON, or the Seven Champions of Christendom. Morning Performances at 2 o'clock, Saturday, Jan. sth, 12th, and 19th. W,c-office onen from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W West. Equestrian Director, M. W. Cooke. jua. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. TEN DAY—Morn. 40 min. aft. 9—Evening 10 min. aft. 10 To-Ifoßßow—Morn. 43 rain. aft.lo —Evening 16 min. aft.ll THE WEATHER-SUN OFFICE, JAN. 3. THERMOMETER, IN VTR SIIADE. 50—highest since noon yesterday. 45 —lowest this morning and during the night. LO -this day at noon. BAROMETER, down to 29'63, now 29 . 70: wrier, S.W.—Light, with dull, mild weather, and slight rain. rt LONDON, TEIURS DAY, JANUARY 3, 1856. "Tell them that, if they wish for peace, they must at least make vows for or against us ; that in the midst of a grave European conflict, indif ference is a false calculation and silence an error." These are indeed manly and spirit-stirring senti ments, which must command the respect and ad miration of all parties, whether friends or foes, and which should be strictly followed in all re spects by the Allies. We want no neutral inter ference—no mediators who have shown themselves to be altogether devoted to the interests of our opponents, and mainly solicitous to avert the humiliation and loss which has been so richly merited. France and England, and Sardinia and Turkey are surely competent to protect their own honour and their interest ; they require not the sinister influence of Austria or Prussia to be exercised in their favour, and they should not permit it to be cast into the opposite scale. Prussia was long since, and very properly, ex cluded from any participation in the Conferences at Vienna. And why ? Because she abstained from " making vows for or against us." She affected complete neutrality, and though its spirit was disregarded by the important assistance which she rendered to Russian commerce, and by the. vast supplies of "the sinews and munitions of war " forwarded through her agency, that neu trality was the sole ground of the exclusion of which she complained so bitterly, and took so greatly to heart. Why, then, we ask, should A ustria b e treate d differently ? It is manifest that s h e only o b ta i ne d admission to the negotiations b y false and fraudu lent p re t ence s --by an implied p rom i se that if Russia re f use d t o a ccept terms whi c h s h e conceived to be re asona bl e an d equitable, she w ou ld , albeit, at the eleventh hour, unsheath the sword, and take part in the contest, so unwisely prolonged by the AUTOCR AT . These p l e d ges have, how ever, been falsified, and she stands even in a worse position than Prussia itself. The hitter may be reproached for unworthy conduct, very inconsis tent with the dignity which she arrogates to her self as one of the first-class Powe rs , but duplicity and insincerity cannot be laid to her charge. She is, therefore, so far in a better position than her German rival. Why, theri, we repeat, should Austria be placed in a different category from Prussia ; or why be permitted further interference in a. cause which she has already betrayed ? Is it tf tat the spirit of Germanism still prevails in our Councils, that there is a shadow behind the Throne that controls the Cc %billet, and exercises irrespot sible power over the Ministerial decisions ? It is difficult to account for the anomaly on any other supposition, and it is surely time that the People and the Par liament of Great Britain should speak out boldly and distinctly on this all-important topic. We give precedence to the People, partly because they are the true source of legitimate power, and should supply fitting instructions to their representatives ; and partly because a month must elapse before the meeting of Parliament will afford an opportunity to the members of both branches of the Legislature to explain their views and wishes. Russia must have relied on some such secret influences before she dared to forward such auda cious and insolent propositions as those to which we alluded in our leading columns yesterday. It was she, it appears, that took the initiative—that afforded this striking instance of moderation (!) before Count ESTERIIAZY had been despatched on his mission to St. Petersburg with suggestions which can now only be regarded as "counter pro positions." The impolicy, the derogatory charac ter of the act is, therefore, materially enhanced by this disgraceful fact. In place of repudiating with just indignation the outrageous insult thus offered, which would imply that Russia had been so successful during the past campaign that she cdPsidered we might now gladly accept terms which we unhesitatingly rejected in April last, we send off counter prepositions far more favourable than she could have anticipated, even if her flag still floated over Southern Sebastopol—over Eupa toria, Kinbourn, and Kertch In one respect we may learn a valuable lesson from the enemy. She has always asserted her right to deal directly with the adversary, has even denied the right of the Western Powers to " in terfere." Her latest proposition is that she should settle with Turkey the amount of their respec tive fleets in the Euxine—forgetting that France and England have, by their vast expenditure of men and money, earned the right of interference. We may, however, profit by the principle ; and should Austria or Prussia again seek to inter meddle, inform them that "if they wish for peaoe they must at least make vows for or against us ; that in the midst of a grave European conflict indifference is a false calculation and silence an error." In another column will be seen three letters from the pen of the late Duke of WELLINGTON, adduced by us with special reference to existing circumstances. As our readers are but too pain- fully aware a large number of superior officers and others possessing influence at the Horse Guards have obtained leave of absence from the Crimea on the plea of " urgent private affairs," a consi derable number preferring the same plea having their applications rejected. The Newspaper Press knowing that a disease presenting the same symp tom was prevalent in the Peninsula, and suffi ciently acquainted with the doctrine of chances to have its observation stimulated, waited curiously to see how far the plea would be justified on their arrival—nor was their curiosity unrewarded or their suspicion dispelled. To their indignation, if not to their surprise, they found these " urgent pri vate affairs" resolve themselves into an urgent de sire to escape from the rigorous labours of the camp and participate in the luxuries and plea sures of the metropolis, and tke country residences of the great. Sufficiently acquainted with COCKER to know that if four men have a certain duty to perform and one escapes his share, one of three things must happen—either another must be found to supply his place, the remaining three must do his duty for him, or it must go undone ; and aware that with regard to these officers no new substitute had been provided, they naturally came to the conclusion that gross in justice was being done, and as a matter of course spoke out. Either the necessary service was being Neglected, or brave and honourable men were being imposed upon, in either case to the detriment of the interests of the country. On the one hand, if the duties these absentees were paid to perform were suffered to go undischarged, the nation was paying for services it did not get, ' and was being exposed to injury by the want of them. On the other, if the duty was discharged by those who remained, the latter were wronged, and must feel they were wronged ; and, so feeling, must be discouraged by a favourit ism so glaring and unjust—a result which, with all their high honour, could not fail in the long run to operate injuriously on the service. No thing can be more obvious than that men who have done their duty, exposing themselves cheerfully to all risks, whether of the sword or the climate, must feel as a rankling sore a favouritism shown at their expense ; and, as fatigued with excessive toi►, they retired to their tents and perused the news from home, must have burned with indigna tion when they learnt how the absentees wero ern ploying their leisure ; and more especially must this have been the case when the army was doing duty in the trenches, unless indeed anger found a safety-valve in contempt. Aware of all this, the Press, in the discharge of what was obvi viously an incumbent duty, spoke out, as we have previously said—charged horse and foot on the skulkers—called the attention of the Government to an instaice of favouritism so gross, and a laches so reprehensible—in short, did its best to shame both into doing their duty. The hangers-on of the aristocracy and the de fenders of Horse Guards' abuses became alarmed for their patrons, and knowing well the generosity of the British public, and its indestructible love of fair play, felt that something must be done to stay the murmurs of dissatisfaction that every where arose. They had recourse to a whine of complaint. These newspaper fellows knew nothing of the matter, and were only bent on mischief. Would the generous British public be so hard a taskmaster as to make a sacrifice of a pleasure ? Would they suffer the private affairs of gallant men who delighted to serve them to go to wreck and ruin when there was no real necessity for it, or would they complain because a few of their brave defenders enjoyed themselves a little at home after incurring so much risk and enduring unheard-of hardships in their service abroad ? And, above all, would they permit the " pluck" of such men to be doubted ? Leave of absence had always been granted, and when the newspaper fellows made the granting of it a ground of complaint they not only did injustice to the absentees and the public, but also displayed a profound ignorance of the subject, as they did of war in general, as every veteran of the Peninsular could testify, &c., 47. c. The public, however, were not to be gulled, nor the Press to be assailed with impunity, and proof after proof was forthcoming that the news papers were in the right ; and now, as an indis putable witness to the service done the country by the Press, and the justifiable nature of its com ments, we point to the Iron Duke. That illus trious commander, it will be seen, had to contend with similar malingering in his time, and had to take the most decided measures to put a stop to it. He was not the man to believe that the most urgent " private affairs" of a soldier were not to do his duty, nor to suffer that duty to be neglected, if he could prevent it. Accordingly, wufind him not only refusing leave of absence himself, and requesting the Commander-in-Chief to do the same, or send substitutes, but actually informing Lord LIVER POOL that with respect to certain General Officers on leave, it "gave him much satisfaction to find they had been roughly handled by the newspapers I" Shades of the Peninsula can it be possible! Ye who devote the Newspaper Press to the infernal gods for meddling with "the gentlemen of the army," by reporting and commenting on their laches, what will you say to this ? It gave the Iron Duke, who knew something about the Penin sula, " much satisfaction" to find delinquent " General Officers" no less "roughly handled" by the Press ! Jabber over that ! The Earl and Countess of Chesterfield have a large party assembled at Bretby-park. Among the company are the Countess Howe and Lady Adelaide Curzon, the Countess of Glengall and Lady Margaret Butler, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Euston, Lord Cavendish, Lord Burghersb, Hon. Julian Fans, Col. the Hon. Cecil Forester, Col. the Hon. James Macdonald, Mr. and Lady Sophia Des Yceux, Lord Henry Gordon Lennox, Mr. and Mrs. John Stanley, Mr. Knightley, Sir Thomas and Lady Gresley, Mr. Bulkeley, and Miss Anson. We understand that the Earl of Stamford has taken the Quorn country, lately hunted by Sir Richard Sutton. His lordship will reside at Melton Mowbray. We understand that some other title will be substituted for that of Ampthill in the peerage about to be conferred upon Sir James Parke, lately one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer. Lord and Lady Elcho have taken their departure from the St. George's Hotel. The Hon. Augustus and Lady Harriet Vernon, and Mr. Henry Dru mmon d an d Lady Lovaine, have also left the same establishment. The name of Lady Adeliza Norman was substituted for that of her sister in-law, the Lady Adeliza, Manners, in a paragraph which appeared in a contemporary yes terday. We are glad to learn that Sir George Grey was suffi ciently recovered from the effects of his recent severe accident to attend at the Horne-office yesterday. Lord Ward has forwarded the sum of 201. in aid cf the building fund of the Birmingham Free Industrial School. EAST INDIA COAL COMPANY.—We are informed that the East India Coal Company obtained its certificate of complete registration under the Limited Liability Act of 1355, on the 27th ult. The steam engines and ma chinery for working the mines on a large scale are now in course of shipment to Calcutta. " URGENT PRIVATE AFFAIRS."—We perceive by the latest general orders issued by the Commander-in-Chief in the Crimea, that the officers going home " on urgent private affairs " are Lieut.-Colonel Stepney, Coldstream Guards ; Captain Digby, Grenadier Guards ; Paymaster Blake, 93d Highlanders ; Lieut. Buller, 17th Regt. ; Assistant-Commiseary-General Crookshank. DEATIII OF Sea HENRY EVERY, BART.—The death of Sir Henry Every, Bart., of Egginton-hall, Derbyshire, is announced. The deceased baronet was well known as a county gentleman of high standing, who was always ready to make himself publicly useful. Sir Henry was the ninth baronet, and a deputy-lieutenant for Derby shire. His grandson succeeds to the title and estates. ST. MATTHEW'S, BRIXTON.—The incumbency of this church, lately rendered vacant by the resignation of Dr. Vaughan, has been conferred upon the Rev. Mr. Gar land, incumbent of Deal. The vessels from the United States which have en tered the port of Havre during the past week brought to that port 96,596 barrels of flour, 117,352 sacks of wheat, 8,005 sacks of maize. In addition, eight other eessels are either in the offing or in the port of Havre, without having yet landed the breadstuff-3 which they have on board.— Galignani. THE MUSEUM OF ORNAMENTAL ART AT MARL BOROUGH HOUSE.—The number attending, &se., during the month of December, were as follows :-11,050 per sons on the public days, and admitted free ; 270 persons on the students' days, and admitted as students on the payment of 6d. each, besides the registered of the classes and schools. A ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD.— A fine bird, of thehawk tribe, believed to be a " rough-legged buzzard," was seen on Friday in a field adjoining the High-station, South Shields. Just as the half-past 12 o'clock train from Shields approached the High-station the bird rose up slowly and majestically, and flew about 50 or 60 yards, when it alighted on the ground. The rough-legged buz zard is very common on the Labrador coast. It ie also found in the German forests, where it breeds. Some years ago several specimens of this bird were obtained from the neighbourhood of Shields and Marsden.— Nortlt Shields Gazette. TETE WEATHER IN THE ATLANTIC.—The merchant ship Elvira, of Boston, United States, Captain Crossby, which left New York on the 7th of December, ran for shelter into Plymouth on Monday. She has had fair winds during the passage, but so strong that she was constantly shipping seas ; and on the 22d a gale from S.W. blew so furiously that the ship could not run be fore it any longer ; and the master was compelled to heave her to, when she shipped several heavy seas—one which swept away the bulwarks, and carried off the second mate and two seamen, who were unfortunately drowsed. The same sea bruised the master and injured several of the men, two of whom are not expected to re cover. The Elvira has lost her maintop-gallant -mast and some sails. She is a new ship of 1,138 tons register, and has on board 65,000 bushels of wheat and 300 barrels of flour—ono of the largest cargoes ever shipped. The cargo is supposed to be uninjured. FEARFUL GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION.—MALACCA, Nov. 14.—A frightful occurrence took place here on the evening of the 12th inst. The schooner Alma. of this port, had arrived here from Singapore in the course of the day, with a considerable amount of cargo, but only that part of it consisting of opium and about 3,000 doll. in specie was then landed. The vessel anchored at Palo Jawa, about a mile from the town of Malacca, being the place where small trading craft of the Alma's class generally lie. Amongst the other cargo still remaining onboard were 15 piculs of gunpowder, contained in 75 kegs, besides a picul belonging to the vessel, which was in a small copper magazine. A heavy thunderstorm oc curred during the course of the evening, and about half past seven the Alma blew up, it is supposed from having been struck by lightning. There were twelve persons on board at the time, consisting of the Chinese captain and four of the crew, and seven Malays, passengers from Singapore. One man was picked up alive, al though dreadfully wounded, and sent to the hospital, and the bodies of the three others were found frightfully mutilated. Of the other eight no traces had been dis covered, and the vessel itself is said to have been com pletely blown to pieces. A bale of cloth is reported to have been found at Illier, about a mile from the place where the schooner was anchored. There were no other vessels lying very close to the Alma, those nearest being the gun-boat and a large trading prahu, but as far as we can learn no injury was done to those vessels, or any ono on board of them. EXTRAORDINARY SPORT.—The Earl and Countess of Stamford have had a large party of friends staying at their beautiful seat, Enville-hall, Staffordshire. His lordship and party have been enjoying field sports. On the 19th ult. and following days, the following noble men and gentlemen killed an unprecedented quantity of game :—The Earl of Stamford, the Earl of Strathmore, the Hon. S. Lyttelton, Sir Geo. Wombwell, Mr. 11. C. Taylor, Mr. W. 0. Foster, Mr. W. Trow, Mr. H. Brad. ley, Mr. W. Grazebrook, and Rev. C. Jesson, killed, on the 19th, 314 pheasants, 333 bares, 65 rabbits, 3 par tridges, 1 blackcock (hybrid), 1 bittern, and 4 wildfowl. . . On the 20th. with the exception of Mr. 11. C. Taylor, the party killed 186 pheasants, 203 hares, 70 rabbits, 11 partridges, 5 woodcocks, and 3 wildfowl. On the 21st, the same gentlemen, with the exception of Mr. H. C. Taylor and Mr. W. Trove, killed 490 pheasants, 53 hares, 52 rabbits, 2 partridges, and 4 wildfowl. On the 22d, the same party, with the exception of Mr. W. 0. Foster and Mr.. W. Trow, killed 126 pheasantg, 133 hares, 40 rabbits, 1 woodcock, and 1 wildfowl. Tutal, ‘3,113 head. TESTIMONIAL TO A CLERGYMAN.—The inhabitantq of St, John's-wood have presented to the Rev. D. Butler, M.A., on his resignation of the curacy of St. John's- wood Chapel, where he has officiated for 15 years, a very handsome silver centre-piece for the table. It is composed of three figures in frosted silver, representing Faith, Hope, and Charity on a tripod stand, the oak tree form. inz the stem above, which is beautifully representel iu silver ; the whole is surmounted with a basket, orna mented with acorns, containing a handsome glass bowl. On one compartment of the tripod is engraved the fol. lowing inscription :—" Presented to the Rev. Daniel Butler, M.A., by friends and members of the congrega tion of St. John's Chapel, St. John's-wood, as a testi ,. mony of their affectionate regard, and estimation of the value of his ministrations, December, 1855." The centre piece was manufactured by Charles Williams (late Catch pole and Williams), 223, Oxford-street. CHANGES IN THE HOUSE OF PEERS DURING THE PAST YEAR.—The following members of the peerage of the United Kingdom have died since the Ist of January, 1855. The Dukes of Manchester and Somerset, the Mar quis of Thomond, the Earls of Sefton, Leitrim, Cala'. ness, Caledon, Stanhope, Carysfort, and Antrim ; Vis counts Boyne, Ponsonby, O'Neill, Lifford, Hereford, De Vesci, and Strangford ; and Lords Raglan, D ec i ei, Kenyon, Erskine,Wharm - iliffe, Delamere, Ravensworth, and Truro, together wirh the Baroness Basset. Of these the Marquisate of Thomond, and the Viseounties of Ponsonby and O'Neill and the Barony of Basset have become extinct. During the same period the Earldom of Southeak, a Scottish title attained in the rebellion of the last century, has been restored in the person of Sir James Carnegie, Bart., Mr. E. B. Roche, late M.P. for County Cork has been raised to the Irish peerage as Lord Perrnoy, and Mr. Baron Parke has been created an Eng lish peer by the title of Lord A.mpthill. SERIOUS AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—On the night of Wednesday last, as Lord Wewyss's keepers, of Stanway court, Gloucestershire, were on their beat, one of then, a man named Pigeon, was attacked by two poachers. lie collared one, and the other cried out to him, "If you do not let my companion go I will shoot you," and immediately discharged his gun, the whole contents of which lodged in the right elbow joint. Finding Pigeon still kept tight hold of the man, the latter commenced an onslaught on the keeper with the butt end of his gun, which he broke over the poor fellow's head. At this moment two other keepers came to his assistance, but the man who fired the gun had made off. They took the other poacher prisoner, and we hear the man that shot Pigeon has since been taken into custody. Amputa tion was deemed needful, and Pigeon's arm was taken off below the shoulder joint, under the influence of chlo. rotorm. THE SIIN g LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING JANUARY 3, 185 6. LATEST NEWS. ST. PETERSBURG, J. 1. In conformity with a new Ukase, the non-com- missioned officers of the navy who, in conse- quenee of their wounds, can no longer serve on board the fleet, will be employed in the batteries destined to defend the coasts of the Baltic in the approaching campaign. CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. 24. Many persons have already abandoned Erze romn in the fear of a Russian attack, and taken refuge at Trebizond. Omer Paella has returned to Soukoum-Kaleh, renouncing his intention to attack Kutais. FRANCE. PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING. At the reception at the Tuileries yesterday the Emperor and Empress in the private apartments of their Majesties were Prince Jerome, Prince Napoleon, the Princess Mathilde, Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, Prince Lucien Murat, the Princess Baccioehi, and the Princess Lucien Murat. When the corps diplomatique were pre sented, the Apostolic - Nuncio acted as the organ of that body to express their congratulations and good wishes to the Emperor and Empress. When the general reception took place the Emperor seated himself on the throne, having on his right Prince Jerome, Prince Lucien Bonaparte, and Prince Joachim Murat ; and on his left Prince Napoleon and Prince Lucien Murat. " Our port (says the Armoricain, of Brest) is every day displaying greater activity. Fete days and Sundays the men are hard at work, to have ready in sprinc , the immense mass of stores and ves sels required for the naval operations which are to take place against Russia." BOURSE, Jan. 2.—The following are the last quotations : Cash. fr. e. End of Month. 41 per Cents 9l 50 —f. --c. 3 per Cents 63 33 G 4 90 New Loan 64 30 Bank Shares 3170 Roman Credit hlobilier 1333 Austrian Belgian Fives ...... .. Spanish Threes — Piedmontese B6 75 Home Debt ...... ... 32 RAILWAYS—POE CASH. tr. e. Or!qans ... ll3O Western 750 Northern Lyons ... . 1132 50 New Ditto 740 Niediterranean — Grand Central 575 Dons Geneva 6Boj— Tests Catte POSITION OF OMER PACHA. The Vienna Military Gazette publishes the fol lowing :—" It is probably no longer doubted by any one that our correspondent at Trebizond was well informed when he wrote that Omer Paella had not for weeks lost sight of the Pontic coast, and that he had not advanced further than the small town of Chopi, on the right bank of the small river bearing the same name. Skender Paella, it is true, advanced along the excellent road that runs to Abasha, but did not venture fur ther than Tchenitzehale. He only did this for the purpose of ascertaining whether or no the Russians, under the command of General Bagration Mu harski, and reinforced by the troops of General Brunner, had taken up a position in Levano and Kutyri on the left bank of that river. Having done this, Omer Pacha de c id e d on re t rea ti ng t o Redoubt Kaleh and Anaklea. It having at the same time become known that the Russian Commander intended sending to Mingrelia all the troops collect e d i n th e fluvial districts of the mountains near Gori, so that they may act on the offensive, die Turkish Admiral, Alimet Paella received orders to plac e a ll th e dis posal Turkish and Egyptian steamers at Omer Pacha's service. It is possible that a re-embar kation of the troops is to be made. Mustapha Pacha has, in a similar way, retreated to Batoum, in order to pass the winter in that un healthy coast station. As we cannot suppose Omer Paella means to persist in wintering where he is at present, seeing that he is exposed to the danger of being attacked by the Russians, and unable to make any great resistance, Anaklea and Redout Kaleh being only small forts, it is highly probable that the entire Turkish army will be brought to the Roumeliaa harbours, and stationed there in winter quarters. The Russians too will do no more than garrison Kars, and will not advance on the offensive in the wide radius between the Wes tern and the Eastern Euphrates. General Moura vieff has detached one division to Achalkalak and Achalzik, whilst another division has escorted the captured garrison of Kars to Tiflis. The Pachas, and few superior officers, will be transferred to Moscow ; the remaining officers with the men, will have probably to pass the winter in the govern ment of Tiflis. TURKEY. CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. 24. The news of the fall of Kars, although long ex pected, has produced a deep impression here, espe cially on those who are most concerned by it— namely, the Turks and the Turkish Government. Numberless are the councils and conferences which have taken place in consequence. The object of all these councils is, first, to find out the person or persons who are to blame for the disasters, and then to guard against its conse quences. Everybody seems agreed that no blame could possibly attach to the garrison of Kars, which did whatever was humanly possible to do. Just as all opinions are unanimous in respect to the garrison at Kars, so are they divided as to the really guilty parties. The Allies, the Turkish Government, Selim Pasha, and Omer Pasha are all in their turn pointed out as the offenders. The Allies are blamed for not having speedily enough supplied the means of transport for the Turkish troops in the Crimea. Whoever knows anything of the circumstances will easily absolve them on this score. The mistake of the Allies seems rather to have been that they broke up the Turkish army by taking away such a large portion of it to the Cri ►nea, where they were of no earthly use. They thus paralysed the whole and rendered it inefficient. The charges which are brought against the Turkish Government are of a more general charac ter, and certainly this changeable nondescript body must in a great measure be held responsible for the state in which it left its Asiatic frontiers. A Turkish town was to be rescued, and an army to be formed in a Mahomedan country ; what better centre of union could have been found than Turk ish troops organised by European. officers ? Whose fault it was that the idea of sending there the Turkish Contingent has not been carried out is a mystery. Some blame General Vivian, others fiord Stratford, others the French Government, and others the Turkish Government. The most probable supposition is that the project failed on account of the different views entertained about matters of detail. When the sending the Turkish Contingent for the relief of Kars was given up, the army of Omer Pasha was thought of ; and he, anxious to escape from the anomalous position in which he found himself in the Crimea, eagerly seized this opportu nity, and went down to Constantinople to make the final arrangements. Gdneral Williams had written several times that he did not think it advisable to attack the Russian position in front, and that the best way to relieve him would be to make some flank, or rather rear movement from Batoum ; and it was with this understanding that Omer Pasha departed. After a few days' stay in the Crimea he went to Batoum, and the original orders for the troops which were to be concentrated were to go to that place. But this original plan to operate from Batoum was not adhered to. Soukum-Kaleh was chosen as the point of concentration, and Kutais as the line of operations. This was tantamount to giving up the idea of relieving Kars. When the first troops were beginning to arrive at Soukurn-Kaleh the garrison of Kars was already on short rations, and it required no great power of combination to see that before the effect of this demonstration could be felt Kars would have fallen. oukum-Kaleh, as a base of operations for an army of (30,000 =en, well provided with every thing—especially baggage animals--would be in valuable in the spring and would lead to consider able results, but it could never have had the effect of relieving Kars. Mouravieff did not send a si ng l e man away before ho was sure of the fail of K ars ; ho ignored entirely the flank movement as soon as Soukum-Kaleb was chosen as the point of opera tions. It would be, however, unfair to condemn Omer Pasha without inquiring what were the reasons why he abandoned the original plan. Besides this fatal alteration of the original plan, Omer Pasha is likewise accused of having lost time uselessly. Selim Pasha, the Commander of Erzeroum, is the last on the list o f th ose accuse d o f no t having done enough for the relief of Kars. He had 10,000 nien in Erzeroum, and he ought to have moved. Besides the inquiry into the causes of till fall of Kars, the Turkish Government is busy making arrangements for the better organisation of the Asiatic affairs ; troops are sent there from every part of the empire, with provisions and clothing, as well as ammunition. Erzeroum is so full of the latter that the Government has been requested to stop sending any more. THE PRINCIPALITIES. A letter from Jassy of the 18th ult. has the fol lowing on the subject of the abolition of the Bohe mian slaves in Moldavia by Prince Ghika :—" In 1844, under the reign of Prince Michael Stourdza, a law voted by the G enera l A ssem bl y en f ranc hi sed the Bohemian slaves belenging to the state and to the clergy, and decided that the taxes paid by those emancipated Bohemians should be de voted to purchasing the freedom of the slaves of private individuals. By this means from 600 to 700 have been already redeemed from slavery. From the moment of his accession to the post of Hospodar, Prince Ghika turned his attention to the abolition of slavery, and if he could have carried into effect the wishes of his heart, he would long ago have completed the work commenced by his predecessor. A complication of unfortunate circum stances has, however, for several years past, weighed on the Principalities, and prevented him from carrying his wishes into effect. The Russians, who were all powerful here, would certainly have op posed—as they did, but without success, in 1844-- ' the accomplishment of an act which would have attracted towards these provinces the sympathetic attention of Europe. Now that the pressure of their pernicious influence has disappeared, Prince Ghika, whose powers are on the eve of expiring, and who has irrevocably decided on not accepting the renewal of them, if offered to him, wished before retiring to attach his name to the suppres sion of a state of things so disgraceful to the coun try. He in consequence charged his council of Ministers to draw up a bill on this subject, which will be submitted to the deliberation of the general Divan. This proposition has met with an enthu siastic reception from the Council of Ministers ; and the general Divan will no doubt give an equally favourable reception to this philanthropic measure." RUSSIA. BERLIN, Jan. I.—The Emperor's Flugel-Adju taut Admiral Prince Menschikoff has been, by as Imperial order, nominated Military Governor- General of Croustadt, with all the rights, power, and honours duo to the Commander-in-Chief of au army in time of war. All the laud and sea forces iu Cronstadt are put under his command, and he retains all his present offices. The re port has been current for some time past in St. Petersburg that a military command on the shores of the Baltic would soon be conferred on the Prince, but (everybody was of opinion that he would not permit himself to be drawn again from his retirement. The presence iu St. Petersburg of the various " heroes of Sebastopol," as they are called there, Generals Todtleben, Wassilstchikoff, Ourousoff, and Novossilski have given rise to a variety of ovations. _ _ In ad lition to the nomination of Menschikoff, we find in th© Russian papers a letter of thanks addressed by the Emperor to General Mouravieff, as follows : "The immovable firmness, the exemplary fortitude, and the strategical circumspection which have charac terised all your actions in Asla.tic Turkey, are now crowned will perfect success. The proud keep of Asia Minor, the fortress of Kars, has surendered, with its whole garrison, its artillery, and is extensive depots of arms. The Anatolian army, 30,00 men strong, exists no more ; and its Commander•in-Chief, Mushir Vassif Pasha, is our prisoner. I thank you heartily for this glorious achievement, which has covered the Russian flag with new fame. I give it to you in commission to express my sincerest thanks to the troops under your command, whose firmness and courage have overcome the most obstinate defence of the enemy. In recognition of your prai'eworthy merits I make you herewith Knight of the Grand Cross of St. George, 2d class, to which you have earned an indisputable right, and I remain, in all Imperial favour,—Your well-affected " ALEXANDER." The prices of saltpetre continue to rise beyond all calculation and control ; all restrictions have been removed from its production in Russia, and the Government has offered high prices to be paid in ready money for almost unlimited quantities. The supply has remained, however, totally insufficient ; the Government seems not to have been able to resolve to make any further inroads in the exten sive tariff by any diminution of the duty in its favour, but nevertheless it is now generally under stood that the various Custom-houses on the fron tiers have received instructions sub rosy to admit saltpetre free of all duty ; Russian accounts say that this manoeuvre has already been of consider able use. The Committee that has been appointed by the Grand Duke Constantine to sit in Nicolaieff to assess the indemnification to be paid for injury to, or loss of property in, Sebastopol, finds it no easy task, the more so as the whole business is required to be finished within a year. There have already been various supplementary instructions issued on the subject ; as matters stand at present all dis puted questions of property are suspended, and all payments are postponed, until the points iu con flict have bean arranged. THE WEATHER AT ODESSA. A letter from Odessa of the 21st ultimo, in the Austrian Gazette, says :—" For some days past the cold has considerably increased here. The ther mometer yesterday stood at 25 degrees below zero Reaumur (21.45 F.) in the steppe ; the roadstead is frozen over to a considerable distance from the shore. The 14th and 16th divisions of infantry have arrived from Sebastopol. Some of the men had their noses and ears frost-bitten ; but beyond that they met with no other misfortunes on their march. Large bodies of troops are marching from the Crimea into Bessarabia. There is not, how ever, any intention of evacuating the former, as their places will be filled by other troops from the reserve and by the militia. General Gortschakoff will, it is said, be replaced in the Crimea by Count Osten-Sacken. The former will resume the com mand of the troops on the Danube. The Allied gun-boats, which remained at Kiuburn, have been frozen in, and all the efforts made to release them have been hitherto fruitless." PRUSSIA. The Danube, in a letter from Berlin, says : " Although the Berlin Cabinet is not disposed to support in any obligatory manner the Austrian propositions, it will officially resume its former endeavours of mediation. It is said that Prince Augustus of Wurtemberg, general in the Prussian service and brother of the Grand Duchess Helen, widow of the Grand Duke Michel, who was uncle to the present Emperor, will shortly start for St. Petersburg on the above mission." AUSTRIA. The Post Ampt Gazette contains the following in a letter from Vienna :—" It is again asserted here in the most positive manner that Count Mun ster has brought to Berlin, besides an autograph letter from the Emperor Alexander IL, and another from the Empress Dowager, a note which, declares that Russia is di s p ose d t o enter into nego tiations on the basis of the protocol of April 1854 ; she would, however, insist upon the new rights granted by the Sultan to Christians not prejudic ing the ancient privileges possessed by the Greek Church." A letter from Vienna of the 20th ult., in the same journal, says :—Prince Gortschakoff yester day gave a grand military dinner in honour of IBaron de Hess, who had just celebrated in the most brilliant manner the 50th anniversary of his entrance into the service. Among the general officers present at this entertainment were Counts Wratislaw Nugent, Schlick, Grnnner, Wimplon, Walmoden, and Hangwitz ; Barons Augustin, Kellner, ct c. Several foreign Princes sent their congratulations to Baron de Hess on the occasion of this anniversary, particularly Prince Charles of _Bavaria ' Prince Emile of H esse, & c . It was re marked that no compliment of the kind wa s paid to the Baron on the part o f Prussia." GREECE. A letter from Athens, in the Journal de Con stantinople says :—" Numerous act s of brigandage continue to take place in this n eighbourhood. In the commune of Neryara, a band of from 20 to 25 brigand s s h ut the flock o f sheep belonging to the mayor into a stable, and then set fire to it, and the whole o f th em would have been destroyed, had not one of the men, possessing more humanity than his comrades, opened the door and let them out. This act was ' com mitted out of revenge b ecause t h e mayor would not shut his eyes to the conduct of these desperate characters. Another band of 50 en tered the city of Thebes, but were repulsed by a de tachment of the Royal troops. The fo rce , h owever, could not preve nt serious acts of violence in the suburbs of St. Theodore, where the premises of some Wallachian sheep-owners were p ill age d. Ano th e r band visited the commune of Acrofuion, and put to the torture the superior and the fathers of the monastery of Agra P e l ag i a. Th ey carr i e d their audacity so far as t o sen d an i nv i ta ti on t o the authorities of Thebes and the Mirarque Tzino, whose principal duty is to put down brigandage, to come and attack them. In the commune of Larimni, they made prisoners two sons of a respectable in habitant, for the ransom of whom they demanded 18,000 drachmas (the drachma is worth 90c). in a village in the province of Hypate, these ruffians • • +,,,ssw, pillaged all the inhabitants, three of whom were seriously wounded in defendino• their property. They carried off the most wealthy among them, in order to obtain a ransom for them. Two of the inhabitants were dreadfully mutilated by the as sailants, their noses and ears being cut off. On the road from Athens to Marcopoulos, it is not safe to pass even i n th e open day. Afew nights since some brigands entered the village of Tatoi, near Athens,.and made p r i soners o f and mutilated some gendarmes who were stationed there." SPAIN. MADRID, Dec. 31.—The Government has been authorised by the Cortes to levy the taxes for 1856. The decimal system is to be put iu vigour in Spain iu 1856. M. Olozaga has left for Paris. Some foreign capitalists are soliciting permission to esta blish a bank at Madrid. Le Nord publishes an article professing to set forth the " real and absolute results obtained by the allies after two years of war," in which neither the capture of Sebastopol nor the destruction of the Black Sea fleet is mentioned. "It would be diffi cult," according to this authority, " to decide whether, upon the whole review of the two years' war, the advantage belongs to Russia or to the Allies." A letter from Kalisch of the 25th ult., in the Austrian Gazette, says :—" According to the latest accounts from the Crimea, the Russian troops have been reinforced by a regiment of Hus sars of the Guard and by the Radetzky regiment of Hussars formerly stationed at Odessa. It is therefore evident that no want of provisions is ex perienced by Prince Gortschakoff." The Hamburg Correspondent states that in con sequence of orders transmitted from St. Peters burg, Vassif Pacha, General Williams, and six of the other pachas taken prisoners at Kars, will be taken to Moscow, and thence to St. Petersburg. The other officers and the soldiers will remain for the winter part at Tiflis, and the rest in the forti fied places in the Caucasus. We read in the Journal de St. Petersbourg : "The managers of the dispensary of Maximilian, placed under the patronage of the Grand Duchess Helena Pavlovna, announce that wounded officers who may be staying in this capital will be gratui tously attended to, and that warm and light apart ments are at their service." Mr. Drummond's late speech at Guildford is reprinted conspicuously in the Journal de St. Pete? sbourg. THE PEMNSULAR MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY MORNING. By the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Sultan, Captain Christian, we have dates from Gibraltar, December 2Gth ; Cadiz, 27th ; Lisbon, 30th ; Vigo, 31st. The Sultan brings a few passengers, 3,1301. in specie, and a cargo of fruit, eggs, During the voyage the Sultan experienced heavy weather off Cape Corrobedo. On the 31st ult. she spoke the steamer Madrid, with the outward Pen insular mails. Lisbon exchanges at three months are quoted by this mail at 541. on London ; Paris, 52 1; Amsterdam, 431 ; Hamburg, 48 ; Genoa, 518. There was a scarcity of both bills and money on London, and consequently a variation of one-eighth upon the quoted rate ; on othE r places few trans actions had taken place, paper being scarce in con sequence of the rise in London. Stock and Bank shares ' l liad risen at Lisbon, but were again dull when the packet left, at 43 to 481 for Three per Cents., with confreres ; and 44 to 441, for regis tered stock. Bank of Portugal shares, 500 to 503 milreis per share of 500 milreis. Oporto Bank Shares 171 to 20 per cent. premium. Official notice had been given that the King would open the Cortes on the 2d January, by which time the arrival of the Ministers of Finance was expected. Heavy rains had prevailed, but the weather was fairer when the Sultan left the Tagus. The steam-transport Golden Fleece was at Gib raltar ; the Prompt, Etna, Caroline, Calpe, &c., had also touched the port. URGENT PRIVATE AFFAIRS. Artaxo, 2d Feb., 1811. I have been obliged to decline giving leave to any one, and to refer their applications to the Com mander-in-Chief. If his Excellency should think preper to grant leave to any one, I hope that he will be so kind as to send officers to the army to do their duty while absent. WELLINGTON. To Colonel Torrens, Military Secretary. Artaxo, 10th Feb., 1811. I have determined that I would give no more leave, and I have written to the Commander-in. Chief that if he gives leave to any officer he muss send one out to do his duty. To Marshal Beresford. WELLINGTON. Sta Marinha, 23d March, 1811. I assure you that the departure of the General . Officers from the army was a s muc h a gainst my inclination as their arrival in England was inju rious to the public interest, and I acknowledge it has given me much satisfaction to find they have been roughly handled in the newspapers. The consequence of the absence of some of them has been that, in th e l a t e o p era ti ons , I h av e been obliged to be General of Cavalry and of the advanced guard, and the leader of two and three columns on the same day. I have requested Colonel Torrens not to allow any General Officer to come out in future who is not willing to declare that ho has no private business to recall him to England, and that he will remain with the army as long as it shall stay in the Peninsula. To the Earl of Liverpool. WELLINGTON. THE MAILS. SOUTIIAMPTON, Jan. 2.—The Royal Mail Company's steam-ship Magdalena, Capt. Abbott, sailed this after noon with the usual West India, Mexican, and Pacific mails ; 117 passengers, among whom were Major-Gen. Sir J. Cloete, Captain Parish and lady ; Lieut. Izlnbra hen ; Ensigns Edwards, Bent, Macnamara, Jackson, and Nowlan ; and on freight a small quantity of specie and a very full cargo. The Tyne, Capt. Valler, with the homeward mails from the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies, is hourly expected. The Tamar, Capt. Revett, is preparing to convey the Brazilian and River Plate mails on the 9th inst. The Tay, Capt. Sawyer, with the homeward portion of the Brazilian mail. is ex pected about the 10th inst. The Parana, Capt. Ellison, will convey the West India and Pacific mails of the 17th inst. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Sultan, Capt. Christian, with the mails from Gibraltar, Cadiz, Li s b on , O por t o , and Vigo, is expected about th e 4th inst. The Indus, Capt. Brooks, with the heavy portion of the India, China, and Mediterranean mails, is looked for about the 6th inst. The Tagus, Capt. Weeks, with the outward Peninsular mails, will sail on the 7th inst. The Para, Capt. Soy, is preparing to sail with the India, China, and Mediterranean mails on the 4th inst. The screw steam-ship Manilla, Capt. M`Ken zie, also belongi n g to the Peninsular an d Oriental Com pany, C23odnstiannett.inoTplheeaundnitßeadlasktlaavtea with in mail a cP t aa e rzi a gY a l oC -s wB6 h i i cl p l" . ani a l shington, Capt. Cavendy, is in the tidal basin receiving cargo; ; she will sail for New York with the German, French, and English mails on Sun day xnerning next. The Belgian mail steamer Belgique is in the docks under repairs. During the passage from Antwerp it appears that the tubes of two out of the four boilers became deranged, and the ship had to trust to half her boiler power. A large gang of boilermakers is working night and day to repair the damage, and it is hoped the ship may be got ready to proceed on her voy age to New York by Tuesday or Wednesday next. SHIPPING RETURNS. The shipping returns of the Board of Trade for the month ending the 30th of November confirm the indi cations of the activity of trade presented by the export tables, and show a considerable Increase in the extent of tonnage employed. This increase is chiefly in foreign vessels, which, owing to the absorption of English vessels for Government purposes, are required to supply immediate wants. Annexed are the general totals of entries and clearances : Entered inward : TONNAGE FOR MONTI/ ENDING Dec. 5, D ec . 5, Nov. :30, 1853. 1854. 1855. British vessels 441,159 413,842 3 7 6 , 916 United States' vessels Other countries 202,039 136,913 198,414 713,283 605,265 648,985 The clearances outward were :-- 1853. 1854. 1855. British vessels 324,293 342,655 382,928 United States' vessels Other countries 203,570 153,251 191,643 606,023 567,017 681,106 With regard to the coasting trade, the returns show that the tonnage entered inward was 1,037,539 in the month ending Dec. 5, 1853 ' • 1,087,265 in 1854 ; and in the p resent re t ur n it is 998,641, including 16 foreign Vessels, of an aggregate burden of 4,203 tens. The clearances outward were 1,135,508 tons in Dec., 1853 ; 1,109,089 iu 7854; and 1,125,320 (including 2,905 tons of foreign) in 1855. RUSSIAN COMMERCE GN THE CASPIAN. A Hertfordshire incumbent, in writing to the Times, says :—Sir,—" I owe it to your correspondent in to day's paper, who signs himself An Old 52d,' to explain the difficulty which he finds in reconciling my calcula tions of the commerce on the Caspian with the statistics of the Board of Trade. My data are the same as those of which he has made use, hut I have taken the average of the four years 1849-1852, whereas he has confined himself to the last year of that period. " He is quite right in his conjecture that in my esti mate of the Caspian commerce I confined myself to the consideration of that between Russia and Persia ; and I did this, because no other country has any port on that sea. It is true that there is a small traffic with Khiva, through the Caspian ; but, independently of its extremely small amount, it is of such a peculiar kind that if the water communication with Astrachan were cut off, the whole of it might be easily transferred to one of the other routes, which ne number of British cruisers on the Cas pian could affect. Your correspondent must not imagine that the trade with the Kirghese steppes and that with Bokbara, Taschkend, and Kokham, which he sees set down in the excellent statistical tables which he quotes, is a sea-borne traffic. If he will refer to a most instruc tive book, which was much read when it first appeared —I mean 'Burnes's Travels into Bokhara'—he will see an account of the different routes by which the Asiatic trade of Russia is carried on. In Burnes's time the main road to Bokhara was by way of Mung Kislak, on the Cas pian, but now the tables show that the Khivan trade— which is the one that passes by that route is ♦ery incon siderable—a result which I should be disposed to inter pret by the conjecture that the improved navigation on the Indus had brought British manufactures by way of Affghanistnn into Khiva, and forced out the Russian. "The traffic with the Kirghese steppes passes, I have no doubt, by Orenburg and Samara. If your correspon dent will look down the proper column of the tables, he see that its principal items are cattle and skins, the latter of which are most probably at this moment pro tecting from the inclemency of the weather troops des tined in the early summer to be brought into the Crimea.* "The trade with Bokbara, and that with Taschkend, which appear in the tables, are, apparently, that com merce whioh Burnes describes as taking place by way of Troiteki and Kuzzul•jur respectively. "As the only question which I desired to illustrate was the effect likely to be produced by the destruction of Russian trade on the Caspian—supposing such a thing possible—l was unwilling to introduce the mention of the above topics in my last letter. " I trust your correspondent does not understand me to disparage his recommendation of military operations in Inseritia. and Georgia. If I had thought it becoming to offer any opinion upon such a subject, it would have been one in hearty concurrence with his views. But, although I have no more doubt than he that our enemy is trying, and always will try, to push on to India, I am one who thinks that Great Britain is more likely, through the silent but effective operation of manufactures and commerce, to get to the eastern bank of the Oural, than her rival, by a widely different agency, to reach the western bank of the Indus. All that we really want is a spirit of patriotism in officials, sufficient to overcome the habit of jobbing and nepotism which seems engrained in English society.—in the lower and middle classes, perhaps, even more than the highest. The throwing open of the Indian service to all meritorious candidates is, I believe, a firmer security for the stability of our Indian empire than "a Gibraltar i❑ the Caspian ' would be. It will put us, pro tanto, on a level with the Czar, who has no constituents to humour and no political party to keep together; and accordingly, as facts prove, generally experiences no difficulty in finding "the right man for the right place." * At Samara there is a winter fair for peltries, and the Kirghese lambskins, remarkable for their extreme softness and warmth, are said by Pallas to sell for a very high price in Moscow and Bt. Petersburg. THE BRITISH MISSION IN PERSIA. A letter just received from Constantinople, says.-- The differences between the British mission in Per sia and the Persian Government, which induced the British Minister to strike his flag, arose in the following manner. The British mission has two kinds of native employes, called Mirzas, one for all written communica tions and the reduction of notes and memoranda, the other for verbal transactions, messages, &c. Last year one of these latter died, and it became necessary to fill up his place. A man named Mirza Hashi was among the competitors. He is married to one of the nu merous daughters of the 150 sons of Shah Fetch Ali, and his wife enjoys on that account a pension of 6,000 piastres. This lady was rather strong-minded for a Persian woman, and bad sown intrigues among the European part of the community, in consequence of which the couple had reason to fear the loss of their pension. - "Under these circumstances the husband thought it advisable to become one of the Mirzss of the British mission, which position offered likewise considerably su perior emoluments to the irregularly paid 6,000 piastres of his wife. "Ile was appointed and presented to the Grand Vizier. This latter objected to have dealings with a man who had been employed in various services, even of a menial character in the palace, and who was, besides, from his unscrupulousness, a dangerous person to intrust with any communications between the Persian Government and the British mission. In consequence, however, of subsequent representations the British mission did not insist. "Some time after the man and his wife, protesting that their lives were endangered, took advantage of the right of,a‘ylum which all European missions in the East so conveniently afford, and took refuge in the palace of the mission. " The thing was referred to England, and the Go• vernment sent out instructions to get an assurance from the Persian Government that the man should not be injured. The Persian Government was quite ready to give an assurance of this kind privately to the mission, and promised to leave the man quiet ; but it would not give any written declaration, as it was afraid that the man would use it for his own purposes, which was not at all improbable from his character. Then the English Minister, carrying out literally his instructions, struck his flag. " The affair is expected to be soon arranged, but no news has as yet arrived of its being settled." COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' BALL. The annual ball in aid of the funds of the Commercial Travellers' Benevolent Institution was held yesterday evening at the London Tavern, and, notwithstanding the prevalence of private parties at this particular season, was fully and fashionably attended. Upwards of 200 ladies and gentlemen were present, and danced with great vivacity and enjoyment up to a late, or rather an early, hour in the morning. The dancing arrangements, which were excellent, were under the superintendenc e of Mr. Frampton, who fully sustained his reputation as an accomplished master of the ceremonies. Sir James Duke, the president of the institution, was one of the earliest arrivals, A andt about the L h o a r l d f p ast Mayor li e e l e enteredk the t h e room companyshortly after.ad. journed to the supper room, where an abundant enter tainment bad been provided, and a few toasts were pro posed and honoured previous to the resumption of the proper business of the evening. The Lord M ayor gave "The Health of the President of the Institution," and the president, Sir J. Duke, eloquently returned thanks, taking occasion to notice in justly complimentary terms the assemblage of beauty and fashion which he saw around him. The healths of Mr. Gunton and one or two other leading supporters of the institution were then proposed, and having been appropriately acknowledged, the company returned to the ball-room, where the strains of Adams's band gave them full and pleasant employment for the remainder of the evening. Too much praise cannot be given to the stewards—Messrs. W. Yates, bbas. Blowers, Wooltorton, Hazeltine, and Harvey—for the polite solicitude they exhibited in promoting the en. joyments of their numerous guests. Some donations were acknowledged, amongst others five guineas each from the Lord Mayor and Mr. Gunton, and ten guineas from Mrs. Cuffley, a lady honourably distinguished for her very liberal support of the various commercial chari. ties of the metropolis. THE COOLIE TRADE.-WHOLESALE MASSACRE. The atrocities of the Coolie trade from China have ex cited universal indignation, both among those who know they are generally the result of ignorant or brutal ma nagement, and others who understand nothing about the trade, and make no distinction between hired coolies who are treated as slaves, and voluntary emigrant s w h o pay for th e i r own passages. But all former instances have been outdone by a wholesale massacre, of which accounts have just been received. The horrible tale may be briefly told. The Waverley, an American ship of 750 tons, recently sailed from Amoy with 442 coolies for Havana or Callao. The captain having died shortly after her departure, the first mate in command of the vessel brought her to Manila for the purpose of procuring another officer to take hi s place. On anchoring at Cavit4 it would appear the mate bad alarmed the captain of the port about the sanitary condition of the ship, which prevented free intercourse with her ; and as, besides the captain, one of the coolies had died, the prejudices of the Chinese were offended at the mode in which the burial was about to be con ducted, or at some unexplained treatment of the dead bodies. But the only explanation afforded to them was the mate's lifting a revolver and shooting down one or more of their number, the rest being driv en w i thout dif ficulty below and madeC secure under batches, without any precaution, or apparently any thought about venti lation. spent the day on shore ; andwas not u n til after The mate thereafter attended the capt a i n mid night that the agents of the ship, wh o may till then have 's funeral, and it been unaware how the matter stood, took alarm, and in sisted that the mate should then ascertain the state of his human freight ; and so, at 2 o'clock next morning, 12 put on, they were re hours d aft to e r d i t ,, h c e o v h e a r t c t h h e a s t had 2sl been n the coolies were lifeless corpses. Forty-five more are missing, leaving only 146, of whom several are not expected to survive. Th e mate and crew have been i mprisoned by the Spanish authori ties, and it is said that the United States consul declines to take any cognisance of the matter. Other coolie ships have recently left China under cir cumstances that afford ground for apprehension that they may not complete their voyages without disaster. In connection with this subject (which has not hitherto been treated as slave dealing) we may mention that the Governor of Macao has imprisoned two Portuguese sub jects charged with buying Chinese girls, chiefly at Ningpo, for the purpose of exporting them to Havannab; in taloa, with slave dealing.—China Mail, Nov. 15. o~ CON: nficien ce 'dors, an le state ) °rt of tl Was afire lo wg It wa de was est• Sh L s expect It of an Ilutaerc Iveriar ne] The folic Pr, of th e or of vess Victori Lau nc Hoban New Melbo Adel 3 ,l Swan New ; The last 1 this date ' ren t Nest I . orth.w est out h - West I ghton t idland ;01ith. Ea2 i, ; al edoni an treat Nortl 4neashire a ne , 4 101, 18 1; Vr o i•e ws b nry d r .°l 3 Bhire • Inbur g h , ta iloiv an '' ' at West English 12,atiish ditt o e„ The ra not gene Western, , Sou steady. .11ropsbi (4. Cana( lines are For AI Mere ha bon a h a ton. auk Stoc a Per Cen I ;ew 3 poi "mg Ann Ditto 31 India Bon Ditto, olsole Ezelieq £lOO Ditto I PRI thilines A CFreek Bo 614rican Ditto Itlissiau I Ditto 4 Ditto f Sardinian Ditto BPanisti I Ditto 1 Ditto Ttirkith Ditto Ditto Ditto Dutch II GE For th• per Im /►SEAT. 773 21 yr MCAT. VIOR 51 Nzw teas ws exl ; 31 6(1 Soul and cal heavy. V ea l, to sink Rol to -dap 38 4(1 Per 811 Run 4 / 1 5 81 Trad© etim /i lOs mod w 1 ' l °. 41 Bath 1