The Sun. — London, England, 1861-06-17 00:00:00

EW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI.- Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. Webster. Reproduction of "The Colleen Bawn. " The Adelphi "Census " every Evening. THIS EVENING, the successful new Farce, entitled A TURKISH BATH. Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. P. Bedford. After which (208th time), THE COLLEEN BAWN. Mr. D. lioucicault, D. risher, Billington, Falconer, Stephenson, 'C. J. Smith, Romer, Howard, Ward ; Mrs. Boncicault, Miss Woolgar, Mrs. Billington, and Mrs. Chatterley. To be followed by a new apropos Sketch, THE CENSUS. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Ebttrne, Romer, C. J. Smith ; Kiss Kate Kelly, Miss E. Chorne, and Mrs. Chatterley. Doors open at halt put B—Commence at 7. Positively the Last Week of the present Company. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. T HIS EVENING, the most successful Spectacle ever MAZEPPA, with splendid scenery and stately produced. e ff ec ts. To be followed by the Rocky Mountain Wonders and SCENES in the CIRCLE. Concluding with the Panto mime Ballet entitled JOCKO, the Brazilian Ape. Reduced prices. Doors open at half-past 6. CANTERBURY -HALL CONCERTS AND FLNE ARTS GALLERY. EVERY EVENING, _ . .. Two Grand Selections from celebrated Operas. including Verdi's new Opera. THE BAL MASQUE (first produced in England at this Establishment), with a Chorus of Forty Voices, and upon a scale unequalled at any other Concerts. Miss Russell, Miss Ernst, ular Mr. Greville, Mr. H er bert, S i gnor Tivoli, Mr. Bernard ; pop Solos on the Coet-a-pston, by Mr. Levy (the first p erformer of the day); the Brothers C o nrad (in an entirely or i g inal entertainment on the double rope, not to be seen elsewhere); continued success of Mr. 'Wood and his talented little Son. The Comic Department oomprises the following favourites • —Mr. Marshall, Mr. Hollingsworth ; the NERVES by . Messrs. Harvey and French ; and Mrs. Lawrence. - Musical Director, Mr. JONGHMANS. CANTERBURY HALL AND FINE ARTS GALLERY. TIIE NERVES, a Comic Duet, by Meagre. Harvey and French, EVERY EVENING. T H E OXFORD, 6, OXFORD-STREET. Mr. LEVY, undoubtedly the best performer of the day on the Comet-a-Piston —Grand Selections (on the and t complete scale) from Dinorah, Martha , Stradella, to.. and r v and instrumental music, by Miss Russell, the Misses Kimber- Stuart, and Miss Ernst, Messrs. Ch arles G reville, Fornarl, ley, Bernard, Beaumont, Bervon, Huish, Signor Tivoli, and Kr. Henry Herbert, with full band and powerful and selected chorus, conducted by Mr. F. Jonghmans.—The following Combo talent, Messrs. W. Randall, J. Blanchard, W. IL m e _ land, Hollingsworth, E. Marshall, Harvey, and French, and the Brothers Conrad in their latest and best entertainment, every evenim-r. Admission, Hall, sixpenCe Balcony and Stalls, one sh ili±ng. Private Boxes, 108. 6d. MOH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tyne DA.Y.—Morning, Bh. 14m.—Afternoon,f; Bh. 50m. To-itoußovt.-Morning, 9h. 24m.—Afternoon, 9h. 56m. TSB WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, JUNE 16, 1861. THERMOMETER, IN THE EIHAD2, 77—highest since noon yesterday.: 56—lowest this morning and during the night. 70—this day at noon. Be.Roarrrnu--30.09. WIND—N.-Easterly—fresh ; with fine sunshiny weather, but much cooler than yesterday. JUNE 17. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 75—highoot since noon yesterday.: 53—lowest this morning and during the night. 69—this day at noon. BAROMETER-30.12. WIND —Easterly; light, with fine weather. France is to [recognise, at last, the kingdom of Italy. Diplomatic relations, interrupted by the pious horror with which the devout French nation and its EMPEROR regarded the entrance of Piedmont on certain domains of the Pope, will Low be renewed. The real perpetrator of this blessing to thousands of Italians has been removed from the scene ; and the de facto result of CAVOUR and GARI BALDI'S policy and courage being a kingdom of Italy, this must now be acknowledged just as was the de facto result of the coup d'etat itself which placed the Emperor of FRANCE on his throne. It is gratifying to see, thus far, a return to common sense on the part of the EMPEROR, for anything more tortuous and whimsical as it has appeared, than his conduct in regard to Italy, since the humi liating peace of Villafranca, cannot easily be con ceived. Whether we shall now have anything like straightforwardness remains to be seen, but to restore diplomatic relations is certainly a step towards it. The Emrimon, for of course the statement in the Patric repeated in the Moniteur must be regarded as his, is very much concerned to relieve himself of all responsibility for both the past and the future. He says expressly that sending an Ambassador to Turin is not to be considered as a judgment on the past; and, that he has no thought of interfering in the internal or external affairs of the Italian king dom. He explains his position by an illustration which Northern Americans will, we imagine, deeply resent; instead of adverting to the many cases in which the /acknowledgment of de facto Govern ments has been exemplified by his own restless country giving so m uc h wor k o f th a t ki n d t o o th er Gover Tirlont3, he resorts to a prophetical illustra tion. He foretells that the Southern Republic in America will one day constitute a Government on international relati a on g b e a n s tseoirs which will allow be entertained entertained with it, of advantage to interests !" What Rill the Washington Governmenta think of this to the "comfort and encouragement" h annihilate ? "re bels," whom they intend so sogZent The foretold republic will, however, consti tuted itself "under favour of the inteiPalypeo intervention recognised by Europe," and the king_ dom of Italy, the EMPEROR say, hay t r , same. Not exactly. Intervention gave it the start in 1859, and Italy does unquestionably owe thus much to the EMPEROR; but intervention has never been entirely absent. It still exists at Rome, and the unaccountable intervention at Gaeta cannot easily be forgotten. Indeed, it has appeared as if, sullen at the disappointment of his !scheme of a weak Italian confederation, with a NAPOLEON for one of its princes, the EMPEROR has done all he dared to nullify his claims on the gratitude of Italy. i Unfortunately we do not yet know the conditions of this return to diplomatic good humour; and it is not easy, in the case of a man so capricious, and so unscrupulous, as the EMPEROR, to avoid suspicion. In regard to Austria we may suppose the effect can hardly be of the wrong kind. If she had not any positive advantage to hope for from the technical and frequently real, coolness between the Govern ments of Turin and France, she would yet prefer that Sardinia should be as isolated as possible. The closer the relations between the French and Italian Government, the less could she hope to be quit safe on her Italian frontier, and the more cer tain would be the reappearance in Italy of a French army, if she ventured on any hostile movement. All besides, however, is as da r k as ever. Th e status quo, w e are told, is to be preserved, but this condition of thing s is itself a French intervention against Italian unity and Italian peoce. As the recognition of the new kingdom is conceded with the worst possible grace, without any indication of pleasure in a great people regaining their natural position in Europe, and regaining it with a large ' amount of popular freedom, so, we hearinothing of he cessation of that scandalous intervention against Italian unity and peace—the Occupation of Rome. Italians have shown in every way that they consider Rome to be their capital. The shouts of the populace, the votes of the Chambers, the announcements of statesmen, the proclamations of GARIBALDI, all point to Rome, as the capital of the kingdom. The Romans themselves are eager to take the position, at the same time as they exe crate a temporal Pope and his execrable Minister ; and all the other Italians are willing to give it to them. And who and what stands in the way ? No one and nothing but the Emperor Louls NAPOLEorr:and his army. We are told on all hands that the end is at hand, that the " Roman Question " must be settled, and so forth. We have been told so so often, and been willing to hope it, that nothing but the sight of the :settlement will gain our faith. The EMPEROR has held off, doubtless, for two reasons. One, it flatters his pride and that of the French nation, to be the Pope of the POPE himself. Another, that he desires, if he dares, to make another territorial bargain. Genoa and Sardinia have been repeatedly talked of; the former as the "natural" adjunct of Nice, the latter as the proper accompaniment of Corsica. Sardinia, too, would have the advantage of being worth forty Maltas, and of enabling the EMPEROR to neutralise complately our power there. Perhaps, indeed we would fain hope so, ou r Government have inf orme d him that a war with England would be the imme• diate consequence of an attempt on his part to take possess i o n of Sardinia ; if so, We may well believe that he will, to the last, stick to Rome, in order to mortify us and Italy; and when the last" will arrive no mortal can tell. Spleen and pride we fear will keep the French at Rome as long as they can stay there. Rome will be cursed with an Ecclesias tical Prince, detested by all his subjects; brigands, the pests of Southern Italy will find a safe asylum; a people will be held in slavery; and the capital of a kingdom occupied by its professed friends; and all to gratify the unworthiest motives of a man who commands the " half million of sol diets." However, we supposed there is nothing for it but the tedious process of awaiting what shame can effect even with so heartless a man. The Appropriation of Seats Bill, standing as it does first upon the list on the business paper of the House of Commons for this evening, demands some few passing words of comment from the journalist hardly less imperatively than it requires the instant attention of the Legislature. Whatever may be affected to the contrary by Ministers, there can be little doubt but that the vote of last Monday has struck out, at a single blow, one of the most vital portions of the measure now before Parliament— namely, the perverse refusal of the House of Com mons to enfranchise the numerous and wealthy population of Chelsea and Kensington. Than this petulant rejection of the clause according one of the four vacant seats to the west end of the metropolis, , nothing, indeed, could well have been more perverse in itself, or more obviously unreasonable. So un reasonable and so perverse is it as a hasty deci sion of the Commons, in a moment of irritation, almost we had said of hallucination, that it is already recognised to be simply a question of time, when that division shall be revised by the popular branch of the Legislature—a consideration suggestive consequently of the possible advisability of delay, so as to afford the House of Commons in this manner the opportunity of reconsidering the unfair conclusion arrived at a week since so very precipitately. Here is avast, wealthy, industrious, and for the most part, we may safely say, an enlightened town com munity, numbering altogether no less than 134,000, as the aggregate amount of its population—here is a newly projected metropolitan borough, within which a larger amount of Income Tax is paid annually than is contributed to the Ex chequer by any one of the two hundred and forty cities and boroughs now enjoying the privilege of the elective franchise, and, in right of that, respec tively returning members to the Imperial Legisla ture! Yet it is this communitywhich is now summarily denied the power proposed to be accorded to it that, namely, of sending henceforth one representative to the Commons House of Parliament ! Instead of conceding the electoral franchise to Chelsea and Kensington, the House, it is suggested, should ac cord that boon to the London University ! The Home Secretary's proposal was thus cavalierly set aside by the division of last Monday evening, and in place of that—in order to fill up the hiatus thereby left in the Government measure—Sir J. GRAHAM'S coun ter proposition is to be taken into consideration, that namely by the acceptance of which, the House of Commons would yield up in answer to the demand made for it by the University of London, the One Seat begrudged to Chelsea and Kensington, with their 134,000 inhabitants ! That the London Uni versity has good and valid claims to the privilege of enfranchisement there are surely but very few who would venture for one moment to deny. But that Chelsea and Kensington have in many re spects prior and superior claims for the same privi lege of enfranchisement must be allowed to be equally beyond the reach of deliberate contradiction. It is because of the recognition of the false position in which the House of Commons itself is placed, and in which the Ministers them selves also are placed by reason of the petulant and perverse vote of Monday last, that the notion has been bruited about in the interval that both the House and the Government may be re lieved from their simultaneous embarrassment in this matter by a summary postponement of the Bill until next session. That notion has un doubtedly in one point of view its advantages— would, for example, revive the very reasonable hope s so unexpectedly extinguished by the adverse d m e e e n is t io:fotonday in regard to the enfranchise rab reasons l e , Chelsea and. Kensington. Bat there are urail4sZnannnathe other side clearly recognis able, reasons, rendering it matter of some solieitude ntit:yenvoetubyeetintdhige indignantly Bill of Sir GEORGE Lew is set aside by Ministers almost, a s One may say , upon the very morrow of its introduction! Skirmishing, not serious fighting, is all w e ye t I hear of from America_ Both sides are, in fact, little prepared yet for any great movement. Their troops are all ill-drilled, and after they have acquired regi_ mental training, they will still need some experience to enable them to mance:lvre on any large scale. Hitherto all has been the work of comparatively small detachments; a considerable numberof men are indeed concentrated near Washington, and as large a number are drawing round Harper's Ferry. But when it becomes requisite to move forward the whole line on hostile territory, we shall see what capacity the Northern General has for operating on the large scale. At present the armies of both parties have a perfectly friendly rear. The North will soon have to keep up its communication through unfriendly towns and villages, that is, assuming that the majority of Virginians are really unfriendly to the Union. With an ill-ordered Commissariat, the soldiers will be tempted, it must be feared, to provide for themselves on the spot at the expense, perhaps, of innocent citizens. We are told that the contemplated advance across the Potomac did not take place owing to a report of Secession troops being concentrated in great numbers for an attack on Alexandria, though no such attack took place. The concentration of large numbers on Harper's Ferry is said to become so imposing that the Secessionist garrison is con templating flight without resistance. Besides the petty skirmishes there is nothing, however, of fighting, still the rumour continues of an early and grand advance into Virginia, as far as Fairfax first —ultimately to Richmond, before which the Seces sionists are to withdraw as they are to do at Har per's Ferry. We can only chronicle these reported Paulo post futurunt accounts, we would not vouch for even their probable accuracy. It seems to be better established that the slaves are showing in increased numbers their preference for General BUTLER'S entrenchments to their old masters plantations ; the former being, doubtless, as far as mere labour is concerned, much harder work. This is, to Englishmen, by far the most gratifying feature in the war at present. The North seems astonished that Anti-Slavery England can show so much favour to the South; indeed, that we do not come forward to aid the North. Our favour to the South is such, that we only wish for it that the war may eman cipate the slaves for them. If we show any indifference to the North, it is on account of their only attempting to amalgamate Slave States and Slavery again by one "glorious Constitution." But if they chose to advance as an army of libera tion—if they will but proclaim that every degree and minute of latitude reached by the Federal Army must henceforth be a limit to Slavery and an extension of free-soil, then, indeed, they will arouse in England and its Parliament an enthu siasm like that with which we watched the pro gress Of GARIBALDI and CIALDINI. It is only now that we are begnning to realise in earnest the magnitude of that terrible and momen tous experiment upon which we adventured more than a dozen years ago in the treatment of our criminal population. That it was essentially an experiment, and that it was an experiment more over of a very perilous character, was not simply suspected, was distinctly and vividly recognised at the outset by the more sagacious observers at the period when the Legislature, we yet cannot but think, most rashly and precipitately adventured upon it. The dreadful reality, that it was at best no more than an experiment, has been gradually forcing itself upon the recognition of even the least observant members of the community during all these years in which the new system has been in actual operation amongst us. It is now, we say, that it is being realised, however, in its full magni tude by all classes of observers alike, the most vigilant and the least vigilant indiscriminately. The substitution of penal servitude at home for penal servitude beyond the seas in our remotest colonies, for the most part actually at our antipodes —was in a manner, it will be remembered, thrust by the sheer force of events, thrust it might be almost said irresistibly, thrust at any rate most imperatively upon the Imperial Legislature. Gra dually in the progress of years our various penal settlements, even the largest amongst them,became overstocked with a felon population. The criminals of the United Kingdom, from having numbered some 27,000 in 1822, had increased and multiplied by 1848 to a frightful aggregate of very nearly 74,000. Out of the 27,000 criminals in 1822, from 1,200 to 1,500 required to be dealt with by trans portation ; whereas, out of the 74,000 criminals in 1848, from 3,000 to 4,000 were set apart by the law for the same punishment. The colonies, alarmed not unnaturally for their own future, besought Par liament to interpose between them and the other wise unavoidable horror of this imp ending ruin, the ruin consequent upon any such appalling and demo ralising surplusage amongst them of the criminal over the non-criminal population. Thenceforth, after 1848, the Legislature decided, upon the spur of the moment, and influenced in its decision by the panic then but very recently produced by the commercial crisis that had supervened upon the political con vulsion of the principal States of Christendom— the Legislature hurriedly resolved that after 1848 all the convicts were to be sent to what was then, it seemed very aptly designated, Van Dieman's Land. So that the rest of the colonies were relieved, it is true, by this apparently simple but really in itself most clumsy arrangement, but only relieved, it should be remembered, at the expense of that one ill-starred colony in particular. The result was only what might have been expected, but it was so far more rapidly than could by any have been expected. Van Dieman's Land threatened speedily to become little better than a Land of Demons The hell upon earth before visible in that lovely but polluted antarctic paradise, known not to fame but to infamy as Norfolk Island, was being fast emulated. As such, as a very sink of abomination, it gave to view visible and appreciable tokens that — unless the Legislature should again, and that moreover very promptly interpose for the pre vention of some terrible catastrophe—Norfolk Island, we say, gave to view visible and appreciable tokens (the tokens of a contrast absolutely favourable to itself in comparison) of being eclipsed in all its lurid horrors by the superior atrocity of Van Dieman's Land. Every body remembers the little episode in that transition - epoch in the history of this dread ful Convict Difficulty—everybody remembers the casual incident of the shipload of felons sent off by the bewildered Government to the Cape of Good Hope, and of the determined attitude by which the armed and enraged Cape colonists repelled the landing of the human freight they abhorred ! Baffled in these attempts at the national extrication from the Conviot Tlifflonity, the startled Legislature, guided in their blundering designs by what we have already termed only too accurately a bewildered Government, hurried at once into the opposite extreme, determined to do summarily what they actually did soon afterwards--namely, to abolish altogether the system of transportation. That is the experiment, the perilous and momen tous experiment that we have been trying now systematically in the very midst of us during the chief part of this last decade, during years of pro found responsibility, and at times, we doubt not, of exqui s it e anx i e t y t o th ose e ntrusted with the management of the Convict Department. Espe cially, an d a b ove all to the distinguished all , we cannot but feel persuaded , Administrator who has, for now more th an twelve the scope of the c h anges Remembering the diversity and mberSears past, presided over that Department. R which during these last twelve years have marked our varyi ng and fluctua ting systeniof extraordinarily Convictpiseipline—remembering theperilous character of what we cannot but still regard as the wonderfully rash experiment already referred to in these remarks —we do not hesitate to assert that it is, t o our mind great measure attributable to th e resolute ion and to the conscientiou s in a deter very nduat devotion to his duties Of that energetic servant o f the Crown, that the rash experiment to which we are here alluding has not before this led to results of the most disastrous character. As Chairman of the Board of Directors at the head of the Convict Department, Major-General Sir JOSHUA JEBB has, ever since 1848, presided over that Department i 04 , I tOc o , 7 _ ..,,-., F. r,i - ls, - .4-Ale 4 . i .,-.4 4 l+ , 20, ti r• -7-7-.4,1,-- ~.., 1.,.._ ... 7 • ,' i V ' ' rte` ,r THE SUN. LONDON, MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1881. ri{EA TRE-R 0 Y AL, HAYMARKETA Lessee, Mr. J. B. Baekstose. THIS EVENING, the neriorraanses will oommense with the Comedy of THE OVERLAN D ROUTE. Messrs. Chas. Mathews, B uc kstone, E. Villiers, Rogers, ac. ; Mrs. Wilkins, Airs. C. Mathews, and Miss E. Weekes. Followed by THE ADVENTURES OF A LOVE LETTER. Mr. and Mrs. C. Mathews. And THE GALICIAN FETE. Commense at 7. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.... LOISSee and Manager, Mr. A. Harris. Tn Is EVENING, TRUTH AND FICTION. Supported by Messrs. F. Mattliews,Widdieombe, Shore, Cathcart, Garden; kiss C. Leclereq, Miss R. Leclereq, and Miss M. Harris. Followed by HAMLET. Hamlet, Mr. Fechter. Sup ported by Hermann Vezln, Ryder, Meadows, rho. ; Misses .tieath, Rlsworthy, and R. Leclereq. THE SU'NrLONDON, MONDAY EVENING. JUNE 17, 1861. with admirable skill, holding the reins, iu fact, with a grasp of iron in a glove of silk. Of tho substitution of penal servitude at home for the old system of discriminative transportation Sir JOSHUA JEBB is no more the originator than we are our selves. Upon him in noway devolves the responsi bility of having led the nation to the adoption of that ill-considered and most hazardous experiment. The Government decides upon the change, the Legislature decrees the change, and the Convict Department presided over by this distinguished officer of Engineers is intrusted in its turn with the heavy responsibility of dealing with the changes already resolved upon by her AIAJESTY'S advisers, and realised by Act of Parliament. Since the new system of Convict Management was finally con trived and formally inaugurated in 1848, Sir JOSHUA JEBB has held the reins in hand as Chair man of the Board of Directorate. As far back as 1837 the future chief of the Convict Department was recognised by " the powers" that then were as one eminently qualified to assist in the revision and reconstruction of our growing Convict Establish ments. In 1837—that is, recollect, nearly a quarter of a century ago !—Captain JEBB (as he then was) in answer to a summons from the Master-General of the Ordnance, drew up a report on the construc tion of a model prison, a report addressed to Lord JOHN RUSSELL (then as now) her MAJESTY'S Se cretary of State (though in a different department, at the Home Office, instead of at the Foreign Office)—that report being subsequently " trans lated," as a writer in the last number of the Cornhill Magazine informs us, " into the French and German languages." Upon the plan sketched out in that masterly report was eventually built (under Captain JEBB'S direction) the famous Model Prison at Pentonville. Subsequently (in 1840) Capt. JEBB took part, directly and personally in the super vision of the management of the Prison at Parkhurst. Later on (in 1842) he was selected as one of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the whole problem of the Convict system throughout. Even tually, as we have said, he was placed (in 1848) at the head of the newly contrived system of con vict management as Chairman of the Directorate. That position he has, since then, occupied actively and uninterruptedly during the interval which has elapsed since—it was by the memorable act of 1853 —the new-fangled penalty of penal servitude at home was substituted for the old-fashioned penalty of transportation. The machinery of Convict Dis cipline has consequently within the interval been taxed to the very utmost. With what result—the People, the Press, and the Par liament know perfectly well. We all know, for example, that casualties like those which recently took place down at Chatham Convict Prison are purely and absolutely exceptional. Dis cipline and subordination being the sustained rule throughout the Tarious convict establishments— large and small—at Portland, at Portsmouth, at Pentonville, at Chatham, at Millbank, at Dartmore, at Wakefield, anC, at Leicester, at Woking, at Brix ton, at Fulham, and at Parkhurst. Insubordina tion and, above a:1, formidable mutinies like those of the other day It Chatham, being the very rarest of rare " exceptions " under Sir JOSHUA JEBB'S management. Yet it is to this skilled administra tor individually, but especially in his professional character, as a distinguished military officer, as a Major-General of Engineers, that every conceiv able and inconceivable evil in the existing system is attributed, through a singular perversity of judgment, by—it is a significant fact certainly in itself—our Civil Service contemporary ! Latterly there have been a succession of personal attacks upon Sir JOSHUA JEBB in the Civil Service Gazette, in which that able servant of the Crown and of the country, has been assailed, not only in dividually as the head of the Convict Department, but, and therefore we cannot but think with very questionable delicacy (remembering what the organ is which gives currency to these diatribes) in his professional character as a military officer, as an officer of Engineers. Among the more virulent of these depreciatoryargumentswe have especiallynoted those continued in two consecutive numbers of the organ already specified, those, namely, of the 18th and2sth ult., in the latter of which, especially, it is insisted that the bane of the whole convict system is the fact that from the chief downwards, from Major-General Sir JOSHUA JEBB, as head of the department, down to the subordinate officers in the various convict establishments owning the guiding influence of his supremacy —that the bane of the whole convict system as-it-is, that " its radical vice, to which we attribute its working failure," is the fact of the exclusively military spirit of its discipline, the fact of the exclusively military character of its administration. Officer these convict prisons —that is really the argument of these Civil Service malcontents—offi cer the convict prisons with civilians, have civilians and civilians exclusively as Directors, as Gover nors, and as Deputy-Governors, and you will at once solve the difficulty. The excessive absurdity of this argument absolutely requires no demonstra tration. Its folly is self-avident. Its flimsiness is transparent. As well recommend in all but mor tal casualties as in deadly diseases, when the lancet, the cautery, and the ligature are barely adequate for the emergency, the administration of bread pills or a delicate sprinkling of the patient with rose water. The chaplain's department in our great Convict establishment, we believe, is about as far off from perfection as ever, as a corrective. But without the maintenance of the military spirit of discipline complained of, we—civilians as we arc—cannot imagine to ourselves to what chaotic condition the whole convict system might not by this time have degenerated ! In the survey of these establish ments, Irma a moral 1.ui..1. Ul view, we are perlemay well satisfied, that any conscientious visitor may say nowadays, quite as truthfully as CHARLES DICKENS said so well now several years since in that exquisite novel of his that we still cannot but regard as his masterpiece, David Copperfield: —" I found a great many foxes disparaging whole vineyards of inaccessible grapes; but I found very few foxes whom I would have trusted within reach of a bunch."—(Original edition, p: 604.) As the same great author argues, speaking, however, this time no longer himself in propria persona, but through one of his critics in a recent number of All the Tear Bound:—" It is pleasant, doubtless, to be told by Michael that your teaching and your eloquence have taken such effect that he no longer feels the same man, and that he longs to go forth and reclaim that poor sinner BILL Davis, and to bring BIDDY SULLIVAN to evening church. It is pleasant and flattering to the chaplain to hear that his influence has been so great as this ; but ought he to put any confidence in such professions ?" In the convict system the clue is yet to be discovered that may guide us effectually through all that foul and darkened moral labyrinth. But meanwhile, we have at any rate the satisfaction of knowing that the ruffianism of our felon herds, now that it is kept here festering and multiplying in the very midst of us, i s f or t h e most part he ld we ll i n h an d—b y what " . Ql l cy ? Why, actually by the very means that some are n67iadays ungratefully reviling—by means of th a t m i lita r y spirit o f ( 112aipline which Still (happily for us), regulates our huge convict 3 , • establishments under the kindly, but vigorous di rection of one who combines in himself the triple character of a distinguished soldier, a skilled administrator, and a practical philanthropist. America has furnished an addition to the recent obituary of distinguished public men. CAVOUR, in Italy, followed TELEKY in Hungary, and now Judge DOUGLAS, the leader of the Northern demo cratic party, is no more. Party ambition ruined his reputation. He was the author of the Bill which allowed slavery north of the Missouri com promise line, and thus the author bi the Kansas atrocities of PIERCE and. B u _ CHANAN, which, it is only jit9t to say, he opposed. He aimed to reach the highest post by the aid of the democratic party, and hence endeavoured to win the Slave States. Their mad extravagance compelled a division of the party, and he lost the object of his life's ambition. He was, like LINCOLN, a self-trained man ; obviously a man of great ability, and had he but unflinchingly adopted the cause of Liberty, he would not have left the world with the reputation of having, virtually aided both Slavery and Secession, opposed as he was to the latter. LTCEUM THEA2RE. The first performance of "Il Ballo in Maschera" took place on Saturday night, in presence of a crowded audience, and was eminently successful. The plot of this new opera is almost identical with that of Auber's "Gustave III." Instead of Gus tavus King of Sweden, we have Richard Earl of Warwick and Governor of Boston ; Count Ankas trom becomes Renato, the Governor's Secretary; Oscar, the page, appears under the designation of Edgar ; and the chief conspirators are meta morphosed into Samuel and Tom. Renato's (Ankastrom's) wife, Amelia, of whom Riccardo (Gustavus) is secretly enamoured, and Ulrica, the sorceress, from whom both the guilty lovers take counsel, remain in statu quo. As every incident in the drama of M. Scribe must be familiar to our readers we are spared the task of writing, and they the trouble of reading, a condensed account of it. We have the agreeable task of recording that the complete success attending the performance was amply merited by the exertions of the singers en gaged in the performance. Signor Verdi has la vished all his art upon the character of Amelia ; and Madlle. Titjens, the last and grandest of Leonoras, was apparently determined to be the first and grand est of Amelias. Signor Giuglini, too, is wonderfully well suited in the music of Riccardo, which fits his voice so perfectly that he is enabled, while singing his very best, to lay himself out for histrionic effect. Madame Gassier endows the music of the Page with sparkling brilliancy, and Madame Lemaire, as Ulrica, the sorceress, leaves absolutely nothing to desire. The audience were evidently pleased beyond measure, both with the beauties of Signor Verdi's music and tho general excellence of the perform ance. The principal singers were unanimously re called and enthusiastically applauded at the fall of the curtain. MADAME WARTEL'S COACEBT. Last Friday morning a "Matinee Musicale" was given at Collard's Pianoforte and Concert Rooms, at Grosvenor-street. This lady has only recently appeared before the London public, but there is no doubt she will soon attain the distinguished posi tion to which her talents entitle her. She per formed one solo, which was admirably executed, and displayed a brilliancy which attracted universal applause. Another great success was the performance of Signor Piatti on the violoncello. He is the first player of the day on that instru ment, and his unrivalled performance elicited a merited acclamation. M. Jules Lefort is a fine singer, and gave a " Romance Francaise," Le Nid Abandonne, with remarkable taste and expression. Miss Helen MacLeod was greatly applauded in her performances. She sang a duet with M. Lefort, and a song with a harp accompaniment—the latter was with Herr Oberthur. Madame Wartel played in several concerted pieces, which were very ably executed. The trio for piano, violin, and - violoncello was a very grand one, but rather too long for the occasion. Miss Wilkinson sang two or three airs with a very fair share of applause, and on the whole this concert was certainly successful, and Madame Wartel has every reason to hope that when she has become more known she will be en abled to fill one of the large Concert Rooms. She is in every way fitted for performances on an extended scale, and her remarkable force of touch is sure to impress those who like grand airs, while she pos sesses at the same time great brilliancy of execution and correctness of performance. CRYSTAL PALACE. The first of the second series of six Italian con certs was given on Friday in the cheerful and pleasant summer concert-room of the Crystal Palace. The attendance was fashionable, the re served seats being well filled. The artists were Madame Grisi, Mdlle. Tietjens, Madame Lemaire, Signor Giuglini, and Mr. Lewis Thomas. Pursuant to notification, M. Blondin gave his fourth variety of performance in an extraordinary ex hibition which he entitled " The Barrow Feat." After the ordinary gymnastics h e propelled a vehicle, some what of a hybrid between an ordinary wheelbar row and a child's perambulator, with a grooved wheel, along the main-rope under the great tran sept. Arrived at the opposite end of the trajectory, he placed therein his child. Adele Blondin, who seemed a little girl of eight or nine years of age, in the so called 'wheelbarrow, and returned along the rope; the little girl scattering with liberal hand rosettes and bunches of artificial flowers, as she passed over, at a dizzy height, the congregation of upturned faces of the gazers below. The child was as cool, and apparently far less concerned and anxious, than hundreds of the spectators of the perilous passage. THE POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION. Some additions and numerous alterations which have been recently made in the Polytechnic Insti tution, have made this popular place of instruction and amusement well worthy of the revival of that patronage which was formerly accorded to it. 41, D nnvPltisq which have hpnn introdured are a series of paintings of the panels in the gal leries, representing the various climates and pro ductions, and geological strata from the North Pole to the Equator. A collection of oil paintings and water colour drawings has also been formed, which contains several specimens of considerable merit, among others a fine one by Desanges, the subject " the Excommunication of Robert and Bertha, King and Queen of France." The musical and other en tertainments include lectures on Faraday's "Dis covery in Electricity ; " Chatterton's vocal and in strumental lecture ; " Ie Petit Musieien," a boy of eleven years of age, who is a very clever perf ormer on the flute ; an illustrative narrative of an Eastern tour in a moving panorama, and other subjects of instruction and entertainment. His Royal Highness the Prince Consort has re cently purchased Mr. Augustus Bouvier's charming picture of" Lesbia"—a classic figure of Catullus' ladye-lovefondling one of her sparrows—now adorning the walls of the exhi bition for 1861 of the New Society of Painters in Water- Colours. The Conservative meeting to be held this day at the residence of Lord Derby is understood to be for the consideration of the course that it may be advisable to take on the subject of church rates. THE EASTERN FISIIERIES,--The prospects of the mackerel fishery have somewhat improved during the past week at Great Yarmouth, which may be regarded as the head-quarters of the pursuit. The catches made by the various boats have ranged from 100 to 2,200 each, and on three days 30,000 fish wero landed per day. Prices have ranged from 325. to 30s. per 100 for fresh fish, and propor tionately lower for over-day lots. Yarmouth sends out rather more than 100 boats, and such importance is attached to doapatching the fish to the London and other distant markets with the utmost possible rapidity th at a consider able quantity is taken in at sea and brought by steamer to the port, from which special trains run every evening, .TWIK rrl r LATEST NEW4z , • FRANCE AND ITALY. TURIN, JUNE 17. The 21trin Gazette says:— "It is asserted that the Government has received a despatch from Paris, announcing that France recognizes the Kingdom of Italy." DENMARK. A telegram from Copenhagen, in the Hamburger Nachrichten, dated 14th inst., says— "All the Ministerial candidates have been returned for the Folkthing— among others, the Ministers Hall, Fenger, and Oasse. M. Bille, editor of the Daybladet, was elected by a very large majority. Baron Blixen-Finecke has lost his seat, General Hegermann-Lindencrone having been elected instead. Zahle, journalist, who was for nine years member of the Diet, has lost his seat for Jutland. "The Ministers in their addresses to the elec tors declared themselves in favour of the inde pendence of Holstein, and for a connexion between Schleswig and Denmark on a broad constitu tional basis." FRANCE. PARIS, ►SUNDAY. Tho Paris evening papers publish the following news : " M. Thouvenel, Count Persigny, and Marshal Vaillant will attend the funeral service which is to be held here to-morrow in honour of the late Count Cavour. " The Session of the Corps Legislatif will be prolonged until the 27th inst. " The Emperor will leave on the Ist of July for Vichy, whither the Marquis de Lavalette, the Duke de Gramont, M. Barrot, and M. Latour will also proceed." BOURSE, June 15 .—The warmth of the weather begins to produce its usual influence on the la _ours°, the attendance of speculators being very thin. The market, however, shows firmness, and the business done has been at prices slightly in advance of those of yesterday. For the Account, Threes are now at 67f 95c. Railway shares quiet, but firm. The fol lowing are the last quotations :- 41 per per Cents ... 96 60 ' Credit Foncier lOOO Do ead month.... 96 75 Belgian 4f 3 per Cents Do. end month 6B Roman Bank Shares .. 2900 Austrian Credit Mobilier.... 705 Spanish Threes 5O 50 Do. Account 706 251 Home Debt .. 4Bl RAILWAYS. Cash. Account. Orleans 1360 .. 1362 50 Northern New ditto 895 .. 896 25 Lyons and Mediterranean 947 50 .. 948 75 Geneva 405 .. 406 25 Southern Western Eastern Sardinian 376 25 .. 377 50 Austrian Loirbard 497 60 .. 496 25 PORTUGAL. LISBON, JUNE 15. The Messageries Imperiales Company's steamer Guienne, from the Brazils, arrived here yesterday at 730 p.m. She brings 159,855 francs in specie. Rio Janeiro, May 25.—Exchange on London, 268 to 261 ; Paris, 360 to 363. Coffee, good first, 5,900 to 6,000 reis per arroba. Shipments since the de parture of the last steamer, 155,000 bags, including 45,000 for the Channel. Stock, 120,000 bags, Freights, 795. to 755. Bahia, May 29.—Exchange on London, 26,'4 to 261. Sugar—brown, 2,100 reis; white, 2,500 to 2,800 reis per arroba. Pernambuco, May 31.—Exchange on London, 25i. Sugar, white, 3,500 to 4,500 reis; brown, 1,200 reis per arroba. Cotton, 8,800 reis. The Oneida, with the outward Brazil mail of the 9th ult., arrived !at Pernambuco on the 28th ult. The Tyne, with the outward Brazil mail of the 10th inst., sailed from Lisbon on the 14th inst. THE EARTHQUAKE A 7 MENDOZA. The following is an extract from a letter from Valparaiso : " Valparaiso, April 16, 1861. " On the 20th of March I was, in company with several others, sitting in a large room in the port, when, about a quarter to nine, a shock of an earth quake came on, accompanied by more noise than I ever heard before. " The movement was gentle, and lasted fully two minutes. The vibration of the ground was very marked, and it was not easy to move from our chairs. As a matter of course, we all ran out, but shortly returned, and continued our business. The shock, of which we had only felt the outer wave, had destroyed a city and buried 8,000 of its inhabitants beneath its ruins. " The city of Mendoza, situated close to the eastern slope of the Cordelleras, was reduced to a mass of ruins ; not a house, a church, nor even a shed, remained standing. " On the morning of the 23d the news reached us ; at first it was not believed, or was considered to be greatly exaggerated, but succeeding messages confirmed the dreadful tidings. The city of Men doza Ras destroyed, and two-thirds of its inhabi tants lay entombed beneath where it once stood. The Chilian Government at once sent medical men, tents, and provisions. They also made an appeal to the charity of the country on behalf of their Ar gentine brothers, which, however, was hardly necessary ; every man's purse was in his hand, and long before a week was over a further supply of assistance was on the road. In Valparaiso alone 24,000 doll. were subscribed. One of the first to offer his services was Dr. Leahy, of the British ship Nereus ; his offer was at once accepted, and he accompanied the Government doctors. Letters from him and others have been published in the papers; they say the reality of horrors far exceeds any description, how ever highly coloured it may seem. At 15 minutes to 9 o'clock p.m., on the 20th of March, a flourishing city was in existence, which only one minute later was a heap of ruins, nowhere more than six feet from the ground ; and out of a population of 12,000 in one minute 10,000 were buried, some 2,000 of whom have since been rescued from their living graves, all more or loss hurt. Of those not actually buried, at least 1,500 were in jured by the falling of walls, tiles, &c. To add to the horrors of the night, a fire broke out among the ruins of one of the largest buildings in the heart of the city, and at least 600 unhappy wretches were burnt alive, but their sufferings must have been short compared with the agonies of those who were suffering a living death beneath the ruins, many ho,•;y m boon taken out alive even after boing buried for 16 days. Dr. Leahy writes, though accustomed to the sight of suffering, he can hardly bear up, surrounded as he is with so much misery. They had only been there two days when he wrote, and had alread 500 patients in their temporary hospital (composed of canvas and boards), all so bad as to be difficult to know which to attend to first; broken . arms and legs were the least misfortunes ; terrible crushed wounds, already festering, broken limbs that had to be re-broken to be set, poor wretches with broken backs, but still alive, and this in the midst of, and surrounded by, the stench of the thousands of bodies beneath the ruins. The country people came pouring in with mattocks and shovels, but not to save —no, to turn over the ruins in search of booty. " This earthquake is probably the worst on re cord; never was destruction so complete. The very heart of she shock seems to have been in the town itself, as the places round about, although much shaken, have not suffered much in comparison. It is reported that a volcano has broken out a few leagues from Mendoza. Earthquakes are frequently felt here, but it is 100 years since anything has been felt on the other side of the Cordilleras, and it was considered that no earthquake would pass the mountain. For some years past the shocks have been very light, and comparatively rase, even on this side ; so it may he possible the subterranean fires have taken a new direction, and for the future we may here be free from these awful visitations. Although many here, especially new arrivals, affect an indifference, all who experienced the shock of 1851 must feel an indescribable dread at the recur rence of even a slight earthquake; the uncertainty of its extent, th e rolling about of th e before solid earth like a broken sea, produce in you a feeli ng which is anything but pleasurable. "I am happy to tell you sadat bur countryme n occasion. The have been very liberal on thi t hoins subscribed ,: 3,800 dole. ; chapel, 1,000 dols the Indep en d en t Chapel, 790 dols., besides the eglish Episcopalco commercial rcial many.; private subscrip tions from th,e --heads of houses and others." LITE_RATURE. Alpine Byways ; or, Light Leaves gathered in 1859 and 1860. By a Lady. Longman. This is a pleasing little volume that records some wandering in foreign lands, and its fresh style and animated descriptions cannot prove otherwise than acceptable to the reader. There is hardly any country more suitable for being the constant th eme of trav e ll ers th an that which boasts those grand old mountains, and is encircled by those everlasting snows. In introducing the book the authoress truly observes, that " the higher region of the Swiss Alps has been, not inaptly, called the play ground" of England, where the energy, enterprise, and endurance of her grown up sons find ample scope for exercise am id st " peaks, passes, and gla ciers," the pursuit of health and manly amusement being, in many well known instances, combined with a true appreciation of the beauties of nature and an enthusiastic devotion to scientific re search, in the study and development of the long unexplored mysteries of creation which pre sent themselves in the world of eternal ice andsnow ; and, without aspiring to exploits which may be deemed unfeminine, or entailing undue care arid re sponsibility upon their companions, ladies irray now enjoy the wildest scenes of mountain grandeur with comparative ease." It is also most just what is said. further on, that " suchscenes exercise a most health ful influence on the mind, aiding us to put aside, for a time, the everyday cares and engrossing inte rests of life, and filling it Not with the works of man, But with high objects with enduring things, With life and nature, purifying thus The elements of feeling and of thought.' In youth especially the tone of character is elevated, and the perception of beauty is strengthened by being thus led to recognise the presence of the Creator in His glorious works." There are several illustrations to this book, some of which are very pretty, and convey a good idea of the mingled grandeur and beauty of those wond er f u l l ocalities. The sketch of Sixt is one of the best and most striking. This valley is one of the most noticeable environs of Switzerland, from its peculiarity and the magnificence of its views: The description of the several spots is conveyed in graceful and flow ing language, while the mind of the narrator is evidently fully impressed with the subject, and hence there is that appropriate appreciation without which no one can rightly discuss this topic Those ladies who wish to accompany their adventurous relatives, but are deterred on ac;count of thn supposed obstacles, may find pleas-ing and profitable information in these pages, and glean from them the welcome tidings that such an ex pedition may be safely and successfially performed. On the other hand, those whom unpropitious cir cumstances prevent from taking that delightful excursion may derive from this animated and at tractive little volume a fair idea of the objects of interest that await the traveller, and in many cases an acquaintance will be made with what are here called " The Byeways and Higher Passes Jf the Alps." There is some reason for the hope expressed by the authoress in the concluding pas sage :—" Another link has been added to the chain which has drawn us, summer after summer, to seek enjoyment amidst the grandest scenes of nature. I can only hope th a t t h e pleasure which I have had in recalling some of the incidents of our rambles may be realised by the experience of those who may be induced to follow in the track which I have ventured to indicate, and that others may thus gather a store of those pleasant memories which are recalled with renewed enjoyment long after the first excitement of such mountain wan derings has passed away. It has been truly said— " Remembered joys are never past." This is an agreeable addition to the accumulated; store of Alpine travels, and it will no doubt be ad mired by many of that numerous class of readers who delight to dwell on all that concerns those distant countries, from which we are divided by interven ing lands, and separated by seas and oceans, but of which we have an accurate knowledge, and with, whose peculiarities we seem intimately acquainted in consequence of the numerous records that have appeared of the exploits and adventures of energetic. travellers. " Alpine Byways" may be fairly re commended to notice, and its perusal will, well re pay the reader, alike from its lively sketches and its interesting subjects. Uphill Work. By Mrs. Clara Lucas Balfour, author of " Moral Heroism," &c. Iloulsten and Wright. This is a short and simple tale with a very ex cellent moral,:showing hrJw patience, industry, and integrity can surmount the most formidable obsta cles and obtain success under the most unpromising circumstances. The hero, Philip Welmore, is introduced to us in a very unfortunate position. His mother, a weak and foolish woman, had married a man of inferior station, violent temper, and in temperate habits. Poor Philip is looked upon as an encumbrance by his step-father, whz) treats him with alternate harshness and neglegi ; his mother, grown peevish and indolent under the pressure of many cares, makes him the drudge of the household. He has no regular education sa•ve what he obtains irom the waning or his good angel, aunt Matty. This lady is the aunt of his mother, and had sup ported her in her younger days. She had lived with her after her first marriage, and would not desert her when she found how much she needed her help in her ill-assorted second union. For the sake of her unfortunate niece, and still more of Philip, she remained an inmate of the miserable home, notwithstanding the owner's insults. To her Philip was indebted for all he knew, and still more for the excellent moral training, which was the real secret of his success. When Philip had passed the years of boyhood a dispute arose which ended in his step father's expelling both him and Annt Matty from the house. They started for London, where they obtained employment—Philip, as an office boy , at four shillings a we e k. F rom t hi s humble beginn ing, with his slender means of improvement, it took him some years to rise to competen ce and reputa tion, but at length the " uphill work " was havingan dColl7llleereldeaTh eis him happily independent, havi n g conquered his cir cum cir cumstances. We could h ave wished to make successfully happ ily a c com pi s accomplished, the moral more forcible as well as more natural, that Philip had worked his w a y b y the application of ordinary abilities i nstead of doing so by the dis covery of .an unusual art i st i c talent. Nevertheless the moral's of universal application, and we heartily commend it to all young people who are discouraged by their circumstances, and inclined to abandon effort because th e onward path is steep and rugged instead of smooth and pleasant. Sunbeams for all Seasons. New edition. Edited and enlarged by Mrs. Clara L. Balfour, author of " Moral Heroism," &c., &c. Houlston and Wright. This little volume consists of a collection of " Precepts, counsels, and cautions relating to the hopes, pleasures, and sorrows of life." The extracts are selected from a wide range of authors and speakers of our own and other times and coun tries. They include prose and poetry, fun, phi losophy, advice, sentiment, and reflection. The subjects are arranged alphabetically, and thus form an intellectual dictionary. The work is admirably. adapted for a gift book for young persons, who may derive both pleasure and profit from its con tents, since, although the name of the editress is sufficient guarantee for its high moral tone, there are sufficient variety and brevity in the selections to render them agreeable instead of wearisome to those least studiously inclined. THE MEETING AT LORD DEBBY'S- announce- The Times of Saturday con t a i ned an ment, to the effect that a meeting ;_s the Conserva tives is to take place to-day af. the residence of Lord Derby ; b u t th e Ti mes gave no i n ti mat i on . did not even vent ure a conje, e t u re—as to wh a t th e purpose is for w hi c h t h e pa,rty gathering is to take place. We can state v;ith. confidence th at the object of the meeting is, to deliberate and to decid e upon wh a t th e C ow 0 lei vatives ought t -do this evening, in reference to the clause of the App priatio n o f S ea t s Bill w hich p roposes to give re an additional member to South L ancashire; believe we are equally correct in our infor • e ation, when we state, that Lord Derby an d Mr. Disraeli are determined to oppose the Ministerial proposal for giving an additional membe r to South Lanca shire, and in that Coe the meeting to-day will of course concur in the purpos es leaders. We may add ,that the and policy of its Conservatives feel confident of beating Ministers so, the blow will be t o ti on a division—and if one, while to Mr. Gladstone iem collectively a heavy blow, personally it must prove a crushing inasmuch as it is well known that he was to °yr ' it s urmised that fill the new seat. We hear Ministers, Cabinet conscious of a defeat, determined at the Council, held on Satur day, to withdrawle _ the Appropriation of Seats Bill altogether. But we give this merely as a report course, it will mentioned to us. If they adopt that virtually be as great a defeat as if they were beaten on a division. They are certainly, under any cir cumstances, in what Mr. Bernal Osborne called, the other evening, a " very shaky condition."—.Morn. ing Advertiser. FEMALE SCHOOL OF ART BAZAAR.—Her Royal Highness the Princess Alice, her Royal Highness the Prin cess Helena, and the Royal Highness the Princess Louisa visited the bazaar held in behalf of the building fund of the Female School of Art, at the new rooms adjoining the South Kensington Museum, at an early hour on Saturday morn ing, and made extensive purchases at every stall, The PROW will be opez giNouday and Tuogday,