The Sun. — London, England, 1861-03-16 00:00:00

ROY AL ENGLISH OPERA,! COVENT-GARDEN -"' Under the Management of Miss Louisa Pyne and Mr. TV. Harrison, Sole Lessees. THIS EVENING, LE DOMINO NOIR. Miss Louisa py ik e, Miss Thirlwall, Miss Leffler ; Messrs. Henry Haigh, H. Corri, A. St. Albyn, and Horneastle. Followed by Mendelssohn's Operetta, THE SON AND STRANGER. Misses Thirlwall and Leffler; Messrs. St. and Horneastle. Albyn, Core, Lyail, Conductor—Mr. Alfred Mellon. Commence at 8. T HEATRE' -ROYAL, HAYMARKET, Lemee, Mr. J. B. Baokstone. TII IS EVENING, the performances will commence with A. DUKE IN DIFFICULTIES. Mrs. Stirling, Miss F. Haydon, Mrs. Wilkins, Miss Fanny Stirling, Mr. Buckstone, Mr. Compton, Mr. Howe, &e. After which, a new Pantomime, QUEEN LADYBIRD AND HER CHILDREN. The Pantomimista by the un rivalled Leclereqq, Herr Cole, and Fanny Wright. Commence at 7. OYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.- Lessee and Manager, Mr. A. Harris. THIS EVENING, THRICE MARRIED. • After which, RUY BLAS. Mr. Fechter. To conclnde with a comic ballet, THE .TOLT.Y MILLER N. Espinosa, Mr. Garden, &c. THEATRE-ROYAL LYCEUM, -a- Soie Lessee and Directress, Madame CELESTE, Last Night of the Winter Season. THIS EVENING the Butletta of T iIAT RASCAL, JACK. Followed by the new drama, THE HOUSE ON THE, BRIDGE OF NOTRE DAME. Principal characters by' Mr. G. Vining, Mr. J. Johnstone, Mr. Villiers, Mr. Clifford, Mr. John Rouse, Mr. Forrester, Mr. Morris ; Miss litTernan Miss K. Saville, Miss L. Thompson, and Madame Celeste. Al ter which, the Lyceum Christmas Comic Extravaganza CRYSTA BELLE ; or, The Rose without a Thorn, elowing' THE VISION OF A ROSE, ITS FADING AT EVF AND THE MAY-BLOOM OF THE WILD BRIAR. A DELPHI, NEW THEATRE -ROYAL, ..r7k Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Ben.). Webster. THIS EVENING, AN UGLY CUSTOMER. Messrs. J . Toole, C. Selby, and Pi'arde ; Miss K. Kelly, and Miss E. Thorne. After which, THE COLLEEN BAWN. D. Bouoicault, D. Fisher, Billington, Falconer, Stephenson. C. J. Smith, Romer. Miss Agnes Robertson, Miss Woolgar, Mrs. Billing - ton, and :sirs. Chatterley. To conclude with a new Burlesque Extravaganza, entitled BLUE BEARD FROM A NEW POINT OF HUE. Messrs. J. L. Toole, P. Bedford, C. J. Smith ; Miss Woolgar, X. Kelly, Laidlaw, and E. Thorne. Doors open at half past 6—Commence at 7. Box-office open from 10 till 5. No charge for booking. Private boxes, £2 28. ; Family Boxes, Al. Orchestra Stalls, ss. ; Balcony, 4s. ; Front Circle Stalls, fis. ; Pit Stalls, 211.; Pit, ls. ed. ; Amphitheatre, Is ; Gallery, 6c1.1 Actinz Manager—Air. Wm. Smith. CANTERBURY -HALL CONCERTS!! Westminster-road. Proprietor ........C. Morton. A Grand Selection from Verdi's neiv Opera, IL CO RSA RO, (This opera has never been produced in this or any other, country, except at these Concerts), having met with that de-1 cided success which charactise the most popular work s of this great Master, will be performed EVERY EVENING ; together with a Selection from LA FIGLIA DEL REGGI MENTO, by Donizetti, Principal Artistes—Miss Russell, Madame Maria, MiR, 1 Tyrrell, Mr. H. Herbert, Signor Tivoli, H. Drummond, and C. W. Bernard. Director, Mr. F. Jonchmans. The Comic Department comprises Messrs. E. Marshall, A. B. Hollingsworth, J. Blanchard, F. Bell, W. IL Welland, and the Brothers Conrad. John Martin's Three celebrated Pictures will remain on view a short time longer in the Fine Arts Gallery of the Establishment. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. TRIM DAY.—Morning, 4h. 34m.—Afternoen, 4h. :50m. To-M ORRO W.-Morning, sh. sm. —Afternoon, sh. 18m. THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, MAncx 16, 1861, THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 52—highest since soon yesterday. 35—lowest this morning and during the night. 48—this day at noon. BAnomnTER-29.97; falling. WIND - South-Westerly—rather fresh; with rain. Morning fine. LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1861. -., / . ..4,,, *V .. 4 -.ft • _ 4 - v 1.-- A --:... iii , „P•:.', '"_ ' 7 . 4,. Aii t Ai t o' .„.•',?... ~ ~,....."' •of i.; u .A. , 1i , 1.r! , ' • 4.0-0 14 %.:' '',o n ', ‘'' , .....;,,i'i.„,' - '.:_ -r• _ • ' 91 4,04-' .. -4., THE SUN. DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF KENT. We have to-day the painful intelligence to com municate to our renders of the death of the Duchess of Kent. Her Royal Highness has for several years been suffering from cancer, and the disease has of late made great progress. No immediate, danger, however, was apprehended until yesterday, and to the last we had hoped that the alarm was premature, but this morning she expired, her august daughter having been summoned to Frog more on the previous evening. As the mother of, our Queen the nation owes her a deep debt of gratitude for the training which their Sove-' reign received from her ; and probably none of the consorts of any of the Royal Dukes enjoyed a higher degree of public respect than the Duchess of Kent. The nation will sympathise deeply with their Queen in losing such a mother, though it is some consolation that she had considerably more than reached the three score years and ten assigned to human life asl its desirable limit, as will be seen from the follow-! ing particulars, which may at the moment be in tcresting to our readers:— VICTORIA MARIA LOUSIA, Duchess of Kent, fourth daughter of the late Duke FRANCIS of Saxe Coburg Saalfeld, sister of His Majesty LEOPOLD, King of the Belgians, and aunt to the Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha; born August 17, 1780 ; married first, December 21, 1803, Emich Charles, Prince of Leiningen, who died July 4, 1814 ; 'Secondly, May 29, 1818, His Royal Highness EDWARD, Duke of Kent, who died January 23, 1820. Issue of first marriage—. eHARLES, Prince of Leiningen, born September 12, 1804, died November, 1856 ; Prin cess FEODORE, born December 7, 1807 ; married 18t4 February, 1828, ERNEST, Prince de Hohenlohe Lagenburg. Issue of second marriage —Her jesty the QUEEN. If the right hon. gentleman the President of the Board of Trade does nothing else this session than carry through Parliament that Bill, leave to intro duce which he obtained last evening from the House of Commons, he, at least, among onr sixteen Cabinet Ministers, will have done admi rably. The design of the Bill, as its very title intimates, is" to facilitate the construction and improvement of harbours, by authorising loans to harbour authorities, to abolish passing tolls, and for other purposes." Once formed into an enact ment it will ensure a large measure of relief to the !hipping interest, and one the advantages accruing front which that interest will be the first to appre ciate. No wonder the House of Commons wel e°rned t his measure of relief' with a sense of pecu liar satisfaction, particularly after th e r i g ht h on. gen tle me.e , i4 a dmirably lucid explanati on o f it s bearing and character.t The object o f th e Bill, as he explained at outset of his rema r k s , is nothing mor e i very naor l ess r than to f ac ilit a t e t h e construction and by the granting of of harbours, i LN oso. Not that M r. m°111.13 for that pur holding out this prospect to th e I R i GIBSON, whil e any way oblivious of the fact —a fac stlature, n was in unhappily, only too notoriong—that n for e very way t ormer times the State has been sufficiently lavish i n granting, for g the construction of harbours, those grants obtained in past years an aggregate of expenditure in this way very considerable. Very considerable and very; ll l deplorable, considering how slightly, in spite of ' these dead and gone grants from Parliament, the Harbours of England have been in any apprecia-? . ble and perceptible manner improved. The Right`' Hon. Gentleman, in point of fact, is so conscious of the prodigal, and even profligate manner in which the House of Commons has, before now, yielded -upplies notoriously to this end, that he took the trouble, while asking leave to introduce his Bill in respect to Har bours yesterday, to specify the exact amount which he had found upon inquiry had during the last few years, or as recently as from 1851 to 1860 inclusively, been given to the same end by the State • —namely, the good round sum of £3,144,190. England alone, he reminded the house, had a dis tinct amount of £38,000 advanced for the facilita tion of harbour enterprize. "It was proposed," he said, " by this bill to assist the improvement and l construction of harbours by loans on easy terms,' the repayment of the sums so advanced to take place . at a longer time than the loans granted under theA Public Loan Companies Acts." Adding, however, immediately as a not unwelcome pendant, that " It was not proposed by this measure that the State should make any profit, but that the money should_, be advanced at such a rate as would pay the State, and allow different places the means of bringing their resources into effect." In those two brief but suggestive intimations, Mr. MILNER GIBSON epitomised the main object of the measure, which he has now, from the House of Commons, leave fol introducing. Leave having been thus cordi a lly a ll owe d f or I 1 .ntroducing this bill abo u t H ar b ours , we cannot ) ' have any reasonable doubt about the bill being rapidly enough, when introduced, ripened into an enactment. Any more doubt, in fact, than :,an be, entertained as to the mortality along our coasts, particularly along our eastern coasts, showing upon the operation of the measure a visible diminu tion—that appalling mortality annually known to result from sudden gales and periodical ship wrecks. Who that has given this subject the most passing and superficial consideration is not familiar with that melancholy symbol of calamity of that dread calamity befalling , year after year those who go down to the great, deep in ships—known far and wide in these islands', as the wreck chart? The fluctuation of the little' typical figures upon that mournful wreck chart, asterisks, dots, crosses, and so forth, indicative of the vessels that have been dashed ashore, that have struck upon sand banks, that have foundered, that have lost all their cargoes and sometimes, alas ! not by any means unfrequently, that have had their entire crews perish there without one survivor being left to tell the tale of disaster—the fluctuation of those terrible black marks upon the 'Wreck, Chart, year after year, has afforded the nation for a! long while the most painful information —informa tion conclusively demonstrative of the necessity existing for precisely such a measure of relief to the shipping interest in these islands as the Bill i now about to be introduced to Parliament by the' combined humanity and patriotism of the right hon. gentleman the President of the Board of Trade. It is observable in a particular manner, however, that Mr. MILNER GIBSoN does not propose this Bill for the facilitation of improvements, as, in every way a substitute for the construction of Harbours of Refuge. His simple impression being that the granting of the proposed loans will be produc tive, so far, at any rate, of very considerable advantages. Together with this systematized concession of loans—Mr. GIBsoN proposed, through the agency of his measure, to effect " the aboli tion of what were called ' passing tolls,' and that all tolls paid by ships that did enter harbours :hould cease to be levied from the end of the year 1861"—tolls, the abolition of which has long been recognised as so very desirable. At the same time the Government propose to preserve the rights of the Harbour Commis sioners. Ample provision, we are told, will be provided through the Bill about to be laid before Parliament, ample provision to support the har- 1 bours without any charge whatever being insti tuted, except on vessels actually using the Harbours. Supposing any deficiency to arise, say at Dover or at Ramsgate, it is to be provided for out of the public treasury. Yet, at the same time, it should be observed also in reference to those two identical harbours just specified, that, so far as Dover is concerned., it is not proposed in Mr. GIBSON'S bill to make any change at all in the management of the trust—while, on the other hand, in regard to Ramsgate, it is intended to remove to the Trinity Board the trust hitherto and still confided there to the Harbour Commis -1 sioners. The di scre ti onary powers heretofore' allowed to certain charitable corporations, such as the Trinity Houses at Hull, at Leith, at Perth, at Dundee, and at Newcastle upon-Tyne, for the levying of local dues on ships for certain benevolent purposes is henceforth to be disallowed under the authority of Mr. GIBSON'S Bill, when perfected into an enactment. A judi cious modification of the existing system, which at one stroke of that Minister's pen as it were will relieve the shipping interes lannually to the amount of £lB,OOO s t er ling. The dues here alluded to, however, it is but justice to remember, will not be permitted to " cease and determine" until the death of ail existing pensioners. To complete all, the bill prrJvides for the abolition of all differential duties hitherto levied at our out ports. Hereafter, for example, no foreign ships upon entering an English port will be taxed higher by one bronze farthing than an English vessel. Surely, this is but fair play—it is but just—it is magnanimous. And it well befits an eminent Free-trader, such as the right hon. gentleman the President of the Board of Trade, to be the one now to sweep away duties like these duties, in many respects so very irritatingly differential. It is an amiable little quid pro quo, proffered among other powers to France—and coming just opportunely upon the morrow of the abolition in France of the passport system, so far as regards British subjects. Every word that fell from Mr. GIBBON'S lips l as t evenin i proposition comprised withing, the scope of his Bill for the abolition of these same differential duties, was worthy of falling f rom the lips of. leading one f t re e occupyingfree-trade so eminent a pl ace among our ade statesmen. "The object of these dues," he said, " was to keep foreign ships away, and not to put money into the pockets of the local authorities. The abolition of these double dues gave a great advantage to these ports. It never wasproved hat those bodies who had abandoned these double !dues had suffered from so doing. On the contrary, tiey had gained from an increase in the number of ships frequenting the ports. But it was thought necessary to compensate these parties for these !double dues. He believed they were compensated (when they had never suffered any loss. At Hull, as a substitute for the fine levied on foreign ships, the Government had paid to the Trinity House from £12,000 to £13,000 a year, amounting to not less than £2'),000 since the reciprocity treaties have come into operation. He asked what justice there was in continuing to call 'Upon the taxpayers of the country to pay this 11amount for nothing P In justice there was no foun dmaetniot, n tfhoerrtere this annual payment, and the G overn. proposed to discontinue it. They said that at the end of five years this compensation THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY; EV ENIN 0, MARCH 16, 1861. for differential dues should cease, and that in the, meantime the sum to be paid should be the sum !they had received on an average during the last; tfive years. He thought that in this provision the Government acted most liberally, and he hoped that Parliament would help the Government in relieving the general taxpayers of the coun try from a charge which in justice they ought no longer to pay." And with those words virtually terminated the statement with which the President , of the Board of Trade asked leave to bring in his benevolent and patriotic measure for the relief of the shipping interest from a variety of unjust and obnoxious charges, and the relief also of the public generally from improper taxes hitherto levied without necessity and without anything at all like , compensative advantages ! The right hon. gentle man's bill effecting this twofold good, moreover, without, while so doing, subjecting Vested Interests' to any needless interference. We tender our best thanks to Mr. DUNCOMBE for commencing the interrogatories respecting Austria and Hungary, or rather of the action of our Foreign Office in regard to them, which we have repeatedly urged upon the House of Commons. It is of course far from easy to convict a Foreign Secretary of Austrianism or of any thing else, if he desires to shelter his action from public observation. With resident servants abroad at every court, it is so perfectly easy for him to let them know the wishes of their master without writing anything which could find its way into a blue book, that he may be in reality working hard underground for objects which he does not publicly avow. Of course the superior and firmer minded of our representatives at Foreign Courts have always the means of maintaining their own policy when they know it is in accordance with the wishes of the people of this country, for they can always require that communications on which they act should be in the form in which they can be at any time demanded for the inspection! of the Legislature. But all our foreign representa tives have not a mind of their own, and we may reckon ourselves fortunate that we have one at the Court of Turin, who is not the minister of Austria, but the servant of England, sympathising most heartily, like the country he represents, with the people to whom he represents us. Our Ministers at Vienna have almost always been of quite the opposite cast. They have, contrary quite to the sentiments of Englishmen at home, sympathised' with the Court of Vienna, which England detests, against the Hungarians, whom we all desire to see in possession of their historical rights. It is quite possible that Mr. DUNCOMBE may have been misinformed on some trivial points ; but we cannot doubt, notwithstanding the jaunty reply of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, that in all his ques tions he had substantial reasons for putting them, although he might have reasons quite as good for not disclosing the sources of his information. Why, he asked, were nearly two months' despatches to Sir JAMES HUDSON omitted in the last" Further correspondence relating to the affairs of Italy ?" Lord JOHN'S answer is, that " most of them" related to trivial matters, such as how the Irish Legion was to be got back, what had become of Major O'REILLY, and other similar things, at which hon. members could laugh, and we laugh too. Lord JOHN had looked over the despatches that morning, so we must, of course, take his word for what they are, and with the important exception indicated by the phrase " most of them," we are, to believe that they had nothing to do with the loves of Austria and our Foreign-office. But, though we do not wish to appear captious, we should just like to see for ourselves what the few important but unpublished despatches are about. It is, per haps, however, of little consequence, since the ten derness towards Austria was probably shown in ways which cannot be made public. Mr. DUNCOMBE asserted, what we believe to be perfectly true, that our boasted non-intervention policy was all reserved for Italy; but that the in stant Hungarian Rights and Austrian Despotism became the question intervention was thrown to the winds, and we intervened against the great and, noble kingdom of Hungary in favour of its perfi dious and revolutionary oppressor. It was so in 1848-9, for the speeches and documents are on re cord which prove that ; it is so, we have the best reasons for believing, now ; and will be so, unless no one knows how, our Foreign-office can be ompelled to represent the English nation in respect to Hungary. Mr. DUNCOMBE, after several illustrations of the pro-Austrian and anti-Hungarian policy of the noble lord, asked, " Could England be justified in acting in this manner, and then talking of non-intervention ? Hungary was a great country, with 15 millions of inhabitants, and 20,000 square miles, larger than the whole of the United Kingdom. She was originally, and was now, entitled to be an independent nation in Europe. She was deprived of her rights by Aus tria, and was now on the point of regaining them." The question will have but one answer throughout the whole of the country; but Mr. DUNCOMBE went farther and attacked the policy, the favourite traditional one of our aged diplomatists, which] • ( regards Austria as a " coun t erpo i se to F rance. " Too old they must be to learn from facts, since nothing is more obvious than that Aus- 1 tria has always been beaten by France, when ever the latter choose to find a cause of war against her. Mr. DUNCOMBE observed that the interference of England in this underhand manner, and then saying that Austria ought to be supported as a counterpoise to France, was a policy which could not have been expected from her Majesty's Government. To talk of a counterpoise to France could not but create a feeling of distrust between England and that country. This is true, but by no means the whole truth. It is not merely irritating to France to see us thus openly plotting to fetter her by the fear of Austria, but it is giving to France the prestige before all Europe of uphold• ing the better cause ;—the cause of old rights and liberties against modern despotic revolutions. In Italy we have gained universal good-will because though declining to intervene mili tarily, we threw the whole weight of our in fluence into the cause of the people and their rights, In Hungary, and we suppose it will be the same in Poland, we are just reversing our policy—and we are wickedly ready to sell the na tionality, the rights and the liberties of 15,000,000 of people to the vilest dynasty which yet survives in Europe. Mr. DUNCOMBE gave but exprersion to the uni versal sentiment here, when 'tic declared "We wanted no such counterpoise as Austria, whose soontaking h days nAginal p os i t i on as a free and independrat nation on t h e continent of Europe. Let riot Hungary be d r i ven into any !premature action. He hag been i n f ormed within the last few days that Austrian agents; !were hard at work at that moment trying to incite! tke Hungarians to rebellion. Let not Hungary! 'give up one iota of her rights, nor be driven into any premature insur rec ti o n. L e t h er wa it and, leave the Government of England to do what they liked—to conspire with Austria against her. !Hungary would recollect that the people of Eng land were with her in sympathy—with her in wishing to see her nationality restored, and also to see her free and happy, and independent of Austrian tyranny." His speech will, we hope, in spite of'l censorship, find its way even into Hungarian papers, where it may be justly believed that Mr. DUN CONDE represents his country bettor than does her Foreign Minister. Mr. DuNCOMBE called the noble lord, however, to account for one expression in a despatch which' he could not deny—the despatch first got out through a continental paper in a translation, con sequently there was no avoiding its insertion in , the Blue-book—we refer to that of the 31st of August last, in which Lord JOHN, in evident terror ' lest GARIBALDI and the Italians shonld pay a visit to Dalmatia, and so give Hungary an opportunity, of rising—talked of Rtglish interests in thel Adriatic which must to watched with care ful attention. We all of us, at first won dered what those interests could be—we bitl our nails, and performed the usual operations of° puzzled persons—till at last we answered that he must mean Corfu. Yes, he said last night Corfu! is what I did mean, and a very important interest° it is, too. His lordship WES careful to explain that it was not the great " currant interest " of the " Sept-insular Republic," but that of our having a garrison there and a harbour. These, it seems, Lord JOHN RUSSELL sent a fleet of 800 guns to take care of, when GARIIALDI seemed likely to' invade Dalmatia! We do not know whether the English generally attaches the same importance to the " Protectorate of the Sept-insular Repub-1 lic" as Lord JOHN RUSSELL does, but' we rather think that the greater part of us, • when the Greeks wished to join their fellow Greeksl on the continent, wished them in return farewell' willingly enough ; as to the currants, our cakes would never want them while Greeks had them to sell, and we had money to pay ; and as to the har bour—with Malta, not very far off, and Gibraltar too, we might shift very well in the Mediterranean even if we declined longer to stand in the way of Greek unity, and of all the islanders enjoying the blessings of King OTHO'S Government. Of one thing we are quite certain—tho whole kingdomf would vote as one man that we should give up twenty Corfus rather than allow an English fleett to aid Austria in keeping down Hungary, or in retaining her gripe on any of her oppressed na l tionalities. LAI E6T ‘ll 6: OUR WINTER GARDEN. At the invitation of the Royal Horticultural Society we this morning visited the works now in progress at our magnificent new Winter Garden at South Kensington. From the litter of bricks and mortar, barrows and planks, covering the chief part of the area surrounded by the arched eollonade, we cannot but think that their invitation has been no doubt generously but rather injudiciously premature. The space set apart there is very big and that is all we can say about the enterprise just yet. A little later on and we may be enabled to under-1 stand better how far the model of the Gardens (as they are intended to be)—a model now on view at the entrance—will be realised. A marriage is arranged, and will shortly take place, between Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. Ponaonby, Grena dier:Guards, Equerry to his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, and the Hon. Mary Bulteel, Maid of Honour to the Queen, daughter of Lady Elisabeth Baited, and niece of the Earl Grey. The Prince de Sagan has arrived at the Bruns wick Hotel, Jorrnyn-street. Countess Frances Waldegrave has issued cards for an asmerably on Wednesday. ! 1 The Countess Cowper will shortly l e a ve P ans l hanger for the Continent. There is a growing impression that should the • ecounts from America bo even moderately favourable, the Bank of England rate of discount will bo lowered to 7 per cent. on next Thursday. CAPT. BRABAZON.—A correspondent states that our Government, struck by some inconsistencies in the dates and circumstances put forward by the Chinese autho rities, have effered the Chinese Government a large sum of oney (£20,000) for the production of Captain Brabazon Nsiciv. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—Miss Herbert, whose excellent acting has contributed so materially to the success of the romantic drama called " The Isle of St. Tropes,', which has been in course of representation for many weeks past at this theatre, announces her benefit for Thursday next, when no doubt her well-earned popularity will ensure the attendance of a numerous audience. CHRISTY'S MINSTRELS.—This popular troupe having completed a highly successful provincial tour, will: commence another London season on Monday next at her Majesty's Concert Room, the elegant salle attached to her Majesty's Theatre, and now christened " The Bijou."• Besides presenting a choice selection from their extensive repertoire, a new burlesque, by Mr. William Brough, will be added to the attractions of the opening night. The length of time they have held their ground in the metro polis will induce a belief that their return to the fashionable region of the West-end will be accompanied by a renewal of their past successes.—. Era. THE ARMSTRONG GUN.—At the moment of going to press our attention was attracted by a most extra ordinary statement made to the House of Commons by Mr. • Baring last night. That gentleman has chosen, we suppose on information derived from the Woolwich department, to impugn our statement of the Ist inst. Our reply is simple. We chall e nge that gentleman to produce General Croften . and Major Hay's confidential report already refused to the . house. If the Government venture to publish these every word we have stated will be found to be more than sus- - tained.—iffechanics' Magazine. ESSAYS AND REVIEWS.—AB the church has eclined to pass any authoritative opinion on them, they will now be weighed at the bar of public opinion according to their merits or demerits. This is the more to be regretted, as it is too much the fashion of the present day to discuss - and call in question every doctrine in turn. We should be'' glad if some steps could be taken towards putting down :. the unlimited private judgment, of which the "Essays and;; Reviews" are, after all, but a fractional result. The neo logical views of the so-called Evangelical school, on the Sacraments, are just as " repugnant to the natural meaning of our formularies, and inonn.igtent with the teaching of the Church of England," as anything to be found in the e " Essays."— Union. The United Kingdom Electric Telegraph Com pany appeared before a committee of the House of Commons' yesterday for additional powers under an Act of Parliament, and were heard by counsel. The committee determined that the preamble was not provel, as the Act of the corn-. pany of 1851 had not been completed within the prescribed period. They added, however, that " they would have been very glad if they could have recommended the proceeding with the bill, as they were anxious it should have pro ceeded." The commercial advices from New Yofk yester- Vay contained little of importance. The rate of exchange was very firm at 1051 to 106. Every hope of a political compromise seemed now to have been given ap, and the great wish was that a peaceable adjustment might be effected with the seceding States. The new taxi is published in all the journals, but it is of a character so complicated as to defy analysis. The opinion seemed to be that, with the exception of iron goods, which are taxed to an unprecedented point in order to gratify the manu facturers in Pennsylvania, the scale of duties will be about equal to those of the protective tariff of 1846. That tariff, however, was untrammelled by the complications now introduced, and which in some cases will be worse than the duties themselves. The sale of the Adriatic, formerly belonging to the Collins Mail line, to the Galway Com pany had at length been concluded for £87,500, her original cost having been £240,000. THE STRANDED STEAMSHIP QUEEN VICTORIA.' This vessel was successfully floated on Wednesday evening, from her berth, on Cremyll Beach, Plymouth, about half past six o'clock. One Government tug and three merchant' tugs assisted on the occasion. She had been previously rmade almost tight, so that her donkey engine kept her freel After she was floated off, the tugs brought her round to the tPlymouth Great Western Decks, where she now lies iU safety in the floating dock, and would be placed in the Vk;graving-dock yesterday. During her transit from thei beach to the d oc k, t h e w i n d was bl ow i ng very fresh from; ,the northward, which, combined with its being so close tol high water before she came off, gave Captain Russell,' siitho superintended her removal, ample work to do. She l .has been "hogged " by her accident, so that much atten-1 tion will be required in placing her on the blocks in the, rgraving-dock ; but in this case, the resources of the Great! Western Docks will be favourably exhibited by the facil lities they will afford for repairing this fine Tem!. CAPTURE OF MATAUKOCIKO Messrs. Alexander F. Ridgway and Sons have' !received the following telegram from New Zea -1 land . Mataukociko was stormed and taken by the 65th Regiment and Naval Brigade, after a fierce engage mont. Our loss is 3 killed, and 19 wounded. !Natives, 130 killed-5 chiefs-70 wounded. SERF EMANCIPATION IN RUSSIA. The Kolokel of the 15th March announces the! !complete triumph of the party of emancipation in !Russia. The law has passed in the Council of [State. All the land cultivated by the peasants is (conceded to them, and not the fourth part, as was 'stated. The manifest will appear on the 24th of March. The opposition of the Russian planters jhas been furious, and the Emperor has displayed astonishing energy. He was actively supported in i the Council only by the Grand Duke C ons t an ti ne ;! ,Bloudoff, President of the Coun c il ; L ans k oy,l Minister of the Interior; Chefkin, Mini s t er of the Public Roads ; Lind the Secretary of th e St a t e ,l Bachtin. PARIS, MARCH 16, The Dieniteur, in its bulletin of to-day, says : " The Conference resolved yesterday upon pro. longing the French occupation of Syria until the sth June next. The protocol has been signed, and will be converted into a convention on Tuesday next." The debate on the address continued yesterday in the Corps Legislatif. The first eight para.., graphs were adopted. On the discussion of the ninth paragraph several members insisted on beingl informed whether the Ist October, 1861, was to be maintained as the date for executing the articles of the treaty of commerce with England. They likewise demanded explanations relative to i the treaty of commerce between France and &LI gium. M. Baroche replied that the treaty with Belgium) still formed the subject for negotiations, and said,— " As regards the date fixed for the execution of the English treaty, the inquiry has produced contra dictory results, and it has not yet been decided, therefore, whether the date will be advanced. Government would only take this step if the inte rests of French commerce should be clearly shown to demand it." TURIN, MARCH 16, In yesterday's sitting of the Chamber of Deputies Count Cavour, replying to an interpellation re specting the state of the Roman question, acknow ledged that the discussion of that question was both opportune and advantageous, and promised that he would give the explanations required on the 121st March. POSEN, MARCH 16. Tho imperial rescript has produced a most dia. couraging impression at Warsaw. The delegation of citizens has resolved upon plac ing their resignation in the hands of the people, and to request from the Governor the constitution of a new delegation by means of a general election. The delegation has likewise resolved to present to the governor a memorandum enumerating the ) different wants of the country. HAMBURG, MARCH 16. Since the beginning of the present week it has' become known at Copenhagen that no arrangement with the Estates now assembled at Itzehoe is to be, xpected. Earthworks for the fortification of Dannewick has therefore been commenced, and blockhouses have been sent to the frontier of Schleswig. PARIS, FRIDAY. The debate on the address was continued to-day in the Corps Legislatif. M. Gillibert protested against the omission in the 2kloniteur of the words, "I who am a Repub-1, lican," pronounced yesterday by M. 011ivier in his speech. The President explained that those words had escaped a member whose speech was in other respects marked by honesty and moderation, and rendered justice to the Government. "M. 011ivier," he added, "is however at liberty to repeat the ex pression in question." The assembly then dropped the matter by passing to the order of the day, and ,the debate was continued on the second paragraph, of the address. M. de Pierre made a speech against the decree' of the 24th November, and demanded that the re sponsibility of Ministers for their acts should bel also decreed. The second paragraph was adopted by the Chamber. WARSAW, MARCH 15. The resignation of General Muchanow, Curator of Poland, is spoken of in well-informed circles. This news has produced a good effect. BERLIN, MARCH 15. Russia sent altogether but one division of fresh troops to Poland. No despatch to, nor any concentration of, Prue- Isian troops at Posen have taken place on account of any apprehension being entertain e d by th e Go lverninent of disturbances in that town, PESTH, MAROH 15. Reports have been current for some days that to day, being the anniversary of the revolution at Pesth in March, 1848, popular demonstrationH ` would take place in this city. Owing, however, to the exertions of the municipality, no demonstra tions have been made. The shops remained open to—day-, and the traffic has not been interrupted. The students have published a declaration stat ing that they would oppose any demonstration. PESTH, AlAncH 15. The committee of seven members will, in the course of next week, proclaim the propositions of the judicial conference as a binding judicial pro- Ivisorium for the whole country. THE WEST INDIA MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 16. The Royal Mail Company's steamer La Plata,' Captain Abbott, with the West India and Pacific, ,mails, arrived off the Needles at 7.5 a.m. THE OUTWARD INDIA MAILS: The Ellora, from Southampton on the 27th Feb.,' 1 i - cached Malta, and left for Alexandria on the Bth, IMarch. The Vectis, from Marseilles on the 6th March,) larrived at Malta, and left for Alexandria on thej ;9th inst. VENETIA. A letter from Venetia, dated the Bth inst., in the! ; Sentinella Bresciana, says :—" In Governmental i circles the expectation of war has suddenly assumed' ;the form of certainty. Large purchases of coin, l oats, and barley are being made on account of the Austrian Government. At Conegliano, in addition to the houses Bisoli and Mardi, the new theatre: hss just been converted into a grain store. Four regiments of cavalry are expected; they will be Litationed in the province of Treviso." The Corriere Cremonese has the following l" Advices from Mantua announce that the Aus- I Itrians are considerably increasing the number of their troops on the frontier. The officers speak! 'openly of a pro x i ma t e war aga i nst Piedmont. El ithe axiom be true that desperate men often do great !things, we must be on our guard, for Austria is !going through a terrible crisis." POLAND. POSEN, SATURbAY. The Imperial rescript has produced a most dis i couraging impression at Warsaw. The delegation of citizens has resolved upon !placing their resignation in the hands of the people, land to request from the Governor the constitution of a new delegation by means of a general election. The delegation has likewise resolved to present tc the Governor a memorandum enumerating thE, different wants of the country. According to the . Preussische Zeitung, the officer who was brought before a court-martial for having given the order to fire on the people, has been ac quitted on the ground that he had simply per formed his duty. We have received the St. retersburgh papers of the Bth and 9th March. They do not contain the slightest allusion to the recent events at Warsaw. FRANCE. PARIS, FRIDAY. The following is the account for the month end. lug Thursday, March 14 ASSETS. rash and ingots • .. 91,145,663 131 Cash at the branch-banks .. • .. 304,834,614 Bills due to be paid to-day.. 494,393 14 f I ,Bills becoming due in Paris, o f w hi c h 53,326,739 f. 39e, are from the branch banks .. .. • • .. 210,030,518 73 Bills in the branch-banks • 234,557,856 Advances on coin and ingots . .. 32,024,063 9 0 Do. in the branch-banks 7,012,500 Do. on French securities 18,389,500 Do. in the branch-banks .. 9,248,000 Do. on railway shares and bonds .. 35,025,900 Do. in the branch-banks 20,302,800 Do. on Craft Foncier Bonds 484,000 -- Do. in the branch-banks • • • 186,700 Do. to State by treaty, 1848 .. 60,000,000 Rentes of the reserve-fund • • .. 12,980,750 14 Rentes, disposable funds .. • 53,708,828 13 Rentes immobilised (law of June, 1857) .. 100,000,000 Hotel and furniture of the Bank .. • . 4,000,000 Real property of branch-banks .. 6,110,509 Expenses of administration • • • • 814,669 93 Sundries .. .. 6,935,116 35 1,208,286,384 48 LTABILITI/S. Capital .. New Capital Reserve-fund New Reserve Reserve-immobiliere • Profits to be added to Capital (Art. 8 of law June 9, 1857) Notes to bearer in circulation in Paris and the branch-banks 641 . • Do. to order (Post-bills) . , sills payable at sight Ace. cur. of Treasury Creditor .. i Various accounts current , .. 91,250,000 - .. 91,250,000 - .. 12,980,750 1 9,125,000 - 4,000,000 - 2,183,510 .. 722,441,875 -1 .. 5,688,192 21 .. 9,922,526 - .. 78,738,573 761 .. 132,371,587 651 .. 33,968,380 -i .. 1,388,940 751 .. 1,767,171 15 .. 7,239,003 991 .. 1,820,678 65 2,149,265 08 .. .. Do. branch-banks • • Dividends to be paid • • • • Arrears of values deposited • • Discount, interest, and expenses .. Re-discounts of the last half-year Sundries • • .. • . .. 1,208,286,384 481 BOURSE, March 15.—The market has showni rather more buoyancy, but without the amount ofi business being very materially increased. Threes, for the Account, have rema i ne d fi rm up to t h e pre- I sent time at 68f 20c to 68f 25c. Railways are also firm, with a slight improvement on some few of the lines. The following are the last quotations :- 41 per per Cents ... 95 66 Credit Fonder 932 5( Do. end month.... 95 70 Belgian 4f — 3 per Cents Do. end month 6B 251 Roman Bank Shares' 2890 Credit Mobilier 666 25 ( 1 Spanish Threes.... 481 Do. Account 665 --! Home Debt - RAILWAYS. Cash. Account. Orleans 1417 00 .. 1417 oo Northern New ditto 895 .. Lyons and Mediterranean 951 25 .. 952 60 Geneva 390 ~ 387 50 Southern 530 .. 530 Western Eastern Sardinian 377 60 .. 380 Austrian Lowbard 473 75 .. 475 THE PERSIAN AMBASSADOR ON COT TON FROM PERSIAN ARABIA- The following is a translation of a letter addressed to the President of the Royal Asiatic Society by his Excellency Mirza Jafer Khan, Ambassador, from his Majesty the Shah of Persia to the Co ur t: of St. James's : From the circumstance that this well wisher passed the spring time of his life in this island, and' received at that time numerous marks of friendship; and kindness from great and small among the; natives of this country, he has therefore always been animated with a desire for the welfare and advan- 1 tage of the British nation. At this present moment, by reason of the events; occurring in the United States of America, a great; deal of anxiety and discussion i 3 to be observed as prevailing among the owners of cotton-mills.i Some have recommended Zanguebar or Australia :; others, again, India, and various places, as most fit for the cultivation of that most useful product; but this well-wisher takes the present opportunity to' demonstrate his friendly feelings by suggesting to the President of the Royal Asiatic Society that the province of IL huristan, now known by the name of Persia Arabia, is, from the circumstances of its vicinity to the sea, the fertility of its soil, the num-i ber of rivers, as for instance, the Kerkha, the Karan (Karim), the Jerrahi, Behbehan, better adapted than the afore-named countries—that is to say, inE !1, fact, the very b es t pl ace f o r the cultivation of, ; cotton. From the foot of the mountain-ranges of Luristan, Arabistan, and Behbeban, as far as the shores of the Persian Gulf,l and of the Shattee-'l'Arab, extends a vast! country, the greater part of which is capable ofl being cultivated so as to produce any required quantity of cotton, sugar, opium, or indigo. Even' as things are at present, and in spite of the want of capital and of special knowledge among the in habitants of those parts, a portion of the lands in .question are cultivated near Shuster, Dizful, and Fellahigga. It is related by the Arabian historians that, at the time when the dyke of the Karun, near Aliwazjl formed a source of prosperity to the environs, it was customary to place on the dinner table of they . Caliph at Baghdad, every evening, a tray of bread, 'with a thousand pieces of gold as derived from the revenue of that district. For this reason, the dis trict received the appellation of " Selletu-'l-Khubz,"' i.e., " Bread-basket." Besides this, the ancient :name of that region, in the old Persian language, is Khuzistan ; and " Khuz" means " Sugar." By reason of its producing immense quantities of that product, the country became known as Khuzistan, i.e., Sugarland ; and it is evident that the manufac turers of England may easily and speedily obtain • from those regions any desired quantity of good and beautiful cotton. Many English travellers have visited those parts and viewed them from one ex tremity to the ether, and have become well ac quainted with its circumstances. From them too,' the truth may be learnt. In short, should the ideas above set forth meet your approbation, the best thing to do would be to. Itransmit a notice thereof to the cotton manufactur tug firms, in order that they may appoint an agent:. with whom the necessary stipulations on both sides may be discussed, and a definitive understanding come to in the matter. 2d Shahan, 1277 (Feb. 11, 1861). iv (Sealed) MIRZA JAPER KHAN. &C., &c., &c. - THE GREAT EASTERN.—MILFORD HAVEN.--It has been definitely settled that the Great Eastern steamer shall be taken off the gridiron at Nayland, on Tuesday, the! 26th of the present month, and removed to the " Man. of ' War's-road," just below P em b ro k e Royal Doc k yar d , an d , m oored at the spot s h e occupied on her arrival from America, t ~1 A r Capt. Carnegie and ot h er di rectors are oa board at present, !,from whom the above arrangements have emanated. Ay Ifurther attraction occurs at the 'same period—the Defiance, 90 gun steam screw li ne-of-battle ship,will be launched from ! the adjacent royal dockyard on the 27th. These occurrence% create considerable exc it emen t th roug h ou t th e cmnty gene-1 .rally. The " M an - o f-N at ' s roa d" a b ovemen ti on ed i s a C / ',capacious anchorage locality, a s hort distance below the tdockyard, where men-of-war having their powder on bcardi c)me to and are anchored, being the nearest approach under such circumstances they are allowed to make to that arsenal.: ° lts capacity may be calculated upon, when even the Great ' , Eastern can ride there at single anchor at the lowest spring :tides—the Blenheim line-of-battle ship and other veeselsi !a lso riding there, MR. ROBB USTI : 7I;IN' SPEECH . fs,i Foreign travel is said t o en l arge t h e exper i enc e p ? and widen the symp a thi es , an d we have an exem tsplification of this in Mr. Roebuck, who has returned ~from his German tour brimful of sympathies for Austria. We shall not join in the bitter invec tives which have been hurled at our representative from so many quarters for his speech of last Thurs ; day ; but, in common with the mass of his consti s tuents, we cannot help expressing our unfeigned ;;regret that from such a man such a speech ishould have proceeded. Our regret is increased by a consideration of the circumstances which which have led to these new opinions and 7 these very deeided utterances. Some time ago it was announced that Mr. Roebuck was negotiat ,ing a steam-packet contract at Vienna. He was in company with Mr. Lever, the chairman of the Galway Steam Packet Company, whose offer to convey the mails to North America was accepted by' Lord Derby's Government under not very creditable circumstances. As everybody knows, Mr. Roebuck was a director of the same company, and defended a contract which other people thought savoured :• rather of a political job and was at the best an $ extravagant and unnecessary expenditure of public money. On this occasion there was an unmis takeable feeling in Sheffield, as elsewhere, that -, 1' Mr. Roebuck's public usefulness was likely to be impaired by a connexion with speculative ..undertakings pushed forward, as was shown, with out much regard for the instruments and the ..s means which were used. It was felt that his Parliamentary advocacy of the Galway contract '• could not but be ting e d by personal considerations . and private interests ; and there was a shrewd suspicion that had he never known Mr. Lever, and never been been feted in Galway, and never sat at the Galway Board, there would have been in the House of Commons no more unsparing opponent of 's she Galway contract than John Arthur Roebuck. - 1 - We are afraid that in now standing up for Austrian ; rule in Venetia he lays himself open to the ti same charges, or, at all events, to the same suspi „t cions. He wen t t o Vi enna to ask a favour. Whether 7 he has returned " with a lucrative contract in his pocket" we don't k now , but some commercial con t ' ' eession has been obtained f rom th e A us t r i an Go svernment through his representa!ions. On their side the Austrian Government have gained a con ':‘ vert. Of course, they were glad enough to get , hold of so promising a subject. They would ' have been thankful even of an ordinary mem ber of Parliament; but they must have jumped at the chance of influencing a blunt outspoken patriot, who till now has always been on the people's side. How has this influence been ex erted P We need not go far for an answer to - the question. Any coarser agency would have signally failed. Bat we know how easily a man . often yields his opinions to one from whom he , , expects or has received a f avour . Th e a d v ocate opens his brief, reads his case, and convinces ' himself that his client has been ill-used. Smith, • who is under obligations to Jones, hears with favour the grievance of a friend in need, ; and in his behalf is prepared to back up even ( a doubtful quarrel. Brown, who gives good. dinners and unexceptionable port, pours his sor rows into the ears of Robinson over their dessert, and in turn receives comfort, counsel, and sup port. Who does not listen with a bias to the statements and complaints of a hospitable host, a firm friend, of the client whose fee clinks in his hand, 'of the man who has been or may become a good cus tomer ? It is human nature. We have no right to censure Mr. Roebuck for being simply like `other people. But, as his constituents, we have a clear right to complain that he placed himself voluntarily in a position where he became suscep tible of an illegitimate bias in favour of a bad cause. 'For a member of Parliament to travel in search of information is laudable, but that NS as not the pri mary object of our representative. He was in search of pecuniary gain on behalf of a private com pany, and it is understood that his mission has proved successful. Incidentally he acquired from partial sources information upon which certain new and startling opinions are founded—opinions which were sure to receive a colour from his sup . pliant attitude at Vienna, and which are diametri cally opposed to the convictions of his constituents. If Mr. Roebuck has been just to himself in all this, has he been just to Sheffield ? We think not. The motives which guide a public man in his advocacy of public measures should be not only pure, but above suspicion. Is that the case here? It is not, cannot be.—iSheffeld 7elegraph. 1 RECENT TVILLS AND BEQUESTS. (From the Illustrated London News.) The will and codicil of General the Hon. Sir Henry Murray, K.C.8., who died at his residence, Wimbledon Lodge, Surrey, at the advanced age of seventy-seven, were proved in the London Court of Probate on the 6th of this month. The executors appointed are the Right Hon. Earl Cathcart, the Hon. Lady Murray, the relict, and James Baskli Stanhope, Esq., M.P., of Revesby Abbey, Lincoln shire. This gallant general, who passed a long life in the military service, was another of those Water loo heroes whose numbers are now rapidly decreas ing. His will, which is exceedingly brief, bears date the 18th of April, 1854, and the codicil the 16th of November, 1858. The dispositions are simply confined to his wife and sons and daughters. He leaves all his property of every kind and description to his relict and daughter Gertrude, with directions for the maintenance of his family. A legacy of £l,OOO is bequeathed to his eldest son. There are no other legacies or bequests whatsoever. We must not omit to mention that Sir Henry was made a C.B. for his services at Waterloo, and re ceived, in May, 1860, the disti nc ti on o f K .C.8.. !and held the colonelcy of the 14th King's Light Dragoons. The will of Sir Richard Paul Jodrell, Bart., of !Portland -place, London, and Sall Park, Norfolk, was 'proved in the principal registry on the 7th inst. The personalty was sworn under £250,000, and probate granted to the executors, the Rev, Sir Edward Repps Jodrell, Bart., M.A., the son, and Richard Jennings, Esq., and Major Edward Jodrell, the nephews of the testator, who are also nomi nated trustees—to each of these two latter gentle men there is left a legacy of £l,OOO. The eldest surviving son, the present baronet, inherits the estates, which are situate in the counties of Nor folk, Oxford, Derby, and Middlesex, to which the testator has added the estate of Sculpthorpe, s aace purchased by him, and has also bequeathed to la!s son the furniture, &c., in his several man / jaions, and has appointed him residuary legatee for life, and on his decease it is to revert to This male issue taking the title ; but on failure qit is ultimately to devolve to his nephew, Captain Edward Jodrell. Si;- Richard's only daughter is provided for to the ex;ent of £16,000, who, being a married lady, £10,006' will, upon her decease, be divided amongst her children. There are legacies lof £lOO to a godson, a goddaughter, and to his medical attendant; and the following charitable bequests :—To eight of the parishes on his estates the sum of £lOO to each is bequeathed, the in terest to be paid at Christmas to the deserving poor under certain peculiar conditions; a like sum of £lOO to St. Marylebone Almshouses, St. John's wood; and £lOO to the Royal Literary Fund. The will bears date the 17th of May last, and Sir Richard died on the 14th of January this year, having attained to the great age of 81. Sir Richard was in the habit of keeping a kind of journal of family occurrences since 1844, which he designates , in his will as " Reminisce m nc a e t s te a r n t d o t A h l e i s,e e e x l I t a e n n i t e s o , f " and so minute has he pu been yme ian, with an particularisin g ind ex. them i,i a specially o°cve°l bequeathed collection h o6i a if t eoc t l ti h ioo e they nh a de c ti v a aa l s l r y t to his son the present baronet. The will of William Leveson-Gower ' Esq., of Titsey Park, near Godst one , S urrey, and of Brook street, Grosvenor-square, was proved in the Lon don Court of Probate, on the 7th inst., by his relict, l'lrs. Emily Eli za Josephine Leveson-Gower, and. Granville William Gresham Leveson-Gower, Esq., the son, the joint executors. The personalty was ,sworn under £90,000. The trustees nominated are 'Commander G , orge Hope, R.N., and George Mor lrison, Esq., Reigate. The will, which is of consi derable length, reaching to 164 folios, bears date the 27th May, 1859. The testatols died on the 15th of December, 1860, aged 55. To his relict he leaves an annuity of 4:3,000, arising from the estates, itogether with the enjoyment of his residences, fur niture, carriages, &c., and an immediate legacy of £5OO. On his eldest son and heir is settled the whole of his estates :in Surrey and Kent, with the !manors, lordships, adsanwsons, &c., and to his issuc male; but on failure to other sons or to females, in !which latter event the ancestral name of Gresham, with the armorial bearings, is to be applied for from the Crown to be assumed by such representative of the family estates. To his younger children there is left £lO,OOO to each under settle latent. The testator's mother, Katharine Maria, was the daughter of Sir John Gresham, Bart. ; and Mr. I Leveson-Gower, the deceased, was the great !grandson of the first Earl Gower, and is a branch 'of the noble family of the Duke of Sutherland. AN ALPINE AVALANCHE.—The liessager of . : Nice mentions a melancholy catastrophe which had just occurred in the commune of Liensola. An avalanche of immense extent suddenly fell from the top of a mountain called the Merlier, carrying everything before it. Four teen cottages were swept away, 400 head of cattle perished, q and 20 famlies are reduced to misery. Three persons were buried beneath the ruins ; when got out, one was still alive, ithough dreadfully injured, and the other two were dead,