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

Statistics of 1858, T HE FIRST MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT of the SPECTATOR, To be published on SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, will evetain, in Tables accompanied by Explanatory Comments, A Collection of the principal Statistics of 1855, from authentic sources; including the Weekly Rise and Fall of Gold in the Bank of England, and Rates of Discount. The Progress of Shipping, of Taxation, of War Expenditure and War Obligations. Table of Ministerial and Parliamentary Changes, Full Statistics showing the Progress of Banking, with Lists of Private and Joint-Stock Banks. A Table, showing the State of Railway Property in 1855, with elucidations. Statement of the Effect of the War on the Russian Exports to England; and An Elaborate Analysis of the Trade and Navigation Returns for 1854. Orders and Advertisements received by JOSEPH CLAYTON, 9, WELLINGTON -STREET, STRAND. TEE SIIN, TO ARRIVE THE SAME EVENING, supplied to any STATION en the EASTER)/ COUNTIES RAILWAY, Carriage Free, by CLAYTON and SON, General Newspaper and Adrertaing Agents, 265, Strand, London. THEATR E ROYAL, DRIIRT-LANE. Lessee. Mr. E. T. Smith. THIS EVENING, THE GREAT GU 'S TRICK. After which. HET DIDDLE DIDDLE; or, Harlequin King Nonsense and the Seven Ages of Man. THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Under Ilse Management of Mr. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, THE BUSY BODY. Characters by Messrs. Howe, Chippenda'e, Rogers. W. Farrsn, and Buckstone ; Misses Reynolds and E. Chaplin. After which the New Comic Christmas Pantomime, entitled TILE BUTTERFLY'S BALL AND THE GRASSHOPPER'S FEAST; or, Harlequin and the Genitui of the Spring. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. Cwt.= Kum. THIS EVENING, The comedy of EVERT ONE HAS HIS FAULT. Characters by Mrs C. Kean, Messrs F. Matthews, Harley, Cooper Lacy, Ryder, and Fisher; and Mrs Daly, Misses Heath, Murray and K. Terry. After which, HARLEQUIN AND THE MAID AND THE MAGNE ; or, the Fairy Paradiaa and Hanky Panky. tl•e Enchanter. Harlequin, Mr. Cormack ; Clown, Mr. Haline; Pantaloon, Mr . Paulo; and Colunthine, Miss Caroline Adams. ROYAL OLYMPIC TTIEATRE. Lessee end Manager, Mr. Alfieri Wigan. TIII3 EVENING, THE JEALOUS WIFE. Characters by Messrs. A. Wigan, (I. Yining, Emery, Leslie, Dan vers, Mrs. Stirling, and Miss 3farston. After which will be produced a New and doubly-moral, though excessively old, Melodramatic Fairy Extravaganza, entitled TUE DISCREET PRINCESS; or, the Three Glass Distaffs. In which Messrs. Emery, E. Robson, 11. Cooper, Miss Maretoi, and Miss Maskell will appe tr. TEIKATIE ROYAL ADELPIII. Proprietor, sfr. Q. Webiter.—Direetrese, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENING, DOMESTIC ECONOMY. After which, MOTHER AND CHILD ARE DOING WELL. Te conclude with a Graad Coalition of Burlesque and Pantomime, to be called JACK AND THE BE 4N STALK; or, Harleqttln and Mother Goose at Home Again. In which Mem,. J. Bland, P. Bedford, Madame Celeste, Mks Wyndham, and Miss E. Arden will ap.,ear. ROYAL SURREY THEATRE. LeSlees, Messrs. Shepherd and Crawlck. THIS EVENING THE FLOWER GIRL. To conclude with A PRINCE OF PEARLS; or, Harleiuln and lane Shore. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Under the direction of Kr: Payne. THIS VISNING, NOEMIE; or, The Foster Sister. After which, IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. To conclude with ART QUIN PLACK-F,YED RUE ; or, All in the Downs and Davy Jones's Looker. Jon,Era ROYAL ANTIIITIIEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Win. Cooke. TII/8 EVENING, ROOK WOOD; or, TURVIN'S RIDE to YORK. ANT which the SCENE In the ARENA. To oonelude with one of the most extraordinary prodnctions ever witnessed, an Equestrian Comic Panto•nime, Introducing rio horses, ponies, and other geadrnpeds, trained by Mr. William Cooke, celled gAnt,rQutN AND RT. GEORGE AND T/IE DRAGON, or the Seven Champions of Christendom. Morning Performances at 2 o'clock, Faturday, Jan. sth, 12th, and 191 h. it,c-ornee onAn from F.leven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West. Equestrian Director, Air. W. Cooke. ;mi. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tfl DAT—Morn. 40 min. aft. 9—Evening 10 min. aft. 10 TO-Ntosnow—Mora. 43 min. aft.lo —Evening 10 min. aft. 11 THE WEATHER—SUN Oyrrcg, JAN. 3. THERMOMETER, IN THR SHADE. 50-highest since noon yesterday. 45 -lowest this morning and during the night, CI -this day at noon. BAROMETER, down to 29'63, now 2910. W Tn•. S.W.—Light, with dull, mild weather, and alight rain. f * 1 C§ ni , LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1856. "Toll them that, if they wish for peace, they must at least make vows for or against us ; that in the midst of a grave European conflict, indif ference is a false calculation and silence an error." These are indeed manly and spirit-stirring senti ments, which must command the respect and ad miration of all parties, whether friends or foes, and which should be strictly followed in all re spects by the Allies. We want no neutral inter ference—no mediators who have shown themselves to be altogether devoted to the interests of our opponents, and mainly solicitous to avert the humiliation and loss which has been so richly merited. France and England, and Sardinia and Turkey are surely competent to protect their own honour and their interest ; they require not the sinister influence of Austria or Prussia to be exercised in their favour, and they should not permit it to be cast into the opposite scale. Prussia was long since, and very properly, ex cluded from any participation in the Conferences at Vienna. And why ! Because she abstained from " making vows for or against us." She affected complete neutrality, and though its spirit was disregarded by the important assistance which she rendered to Russian commerce, and by the vast supplies of " the sinews alai munitions of war" forwarded through her agency, that neu trality was the sole ground of the exclusion of which she complained so bitterly, and to o k so greatly to heart. Why, then, we ask, should Austria be treated differently ? It is manifest that she only obtained admission to the negotiations by false and fraudu lent pretences—by an implied promise that if Russia refused to accept terms which she conceived to be reasonable and equitable, she would, albeit, at the eleventh hour, unsheath the sword, and take part in the contest, so unwisely prolonged by These pledges have, howev er , the A UTOCRA T. b een falsified, and she stands even in a worse position than Prussia itself. The latter may be re p ro ached for unworthy conduct, very inconsis tent with the dimity which she arrogates to her self as one of the first-class Powers, but duplicity and insincerity cannot be laid to her charge. She is, therefore, so far in a better position than her German rival. Why, then, we repeat, should Austria be placed in a different category from Prussia ; or why be permitted further interference in a cause which she has already betrayed 7 Is it that the spirit of Germanism still prevails in our Councils, that there is a shadow behind the Throne that controls tke Cabinet, and exercises irresponsible power i over the Ministerial decisions ? It is difficult to account for the anomaly on any other supposition, and it is surely time that the People and the Par liament of Great Britain should speak out boldly and distinctly on this all-important topic. We give precedence to the People, partly because they are the true source of legitimate power, and should supply fitting instructions to their representatives ; and partly because a month must elapse before the meeting of Parliament will afford aim opportunity to the members of both branches of the Legislature to explain. their views and wishes. Russia must have relied on some such secret influences before she dared to forward such auda cious and insolent propositions as those to which we alluded in our leading columns yesterday. It was she, it appears, that took the initiative—that afforded this striking instance of moderation (!) before Count ESTERTIAZY had been despatched on his mission to St. Petersburg with suggestions which can now only be regarded as "counter pro positions." The impolicy, the derogatory charac ter of the act is, therefore, materially enhanced by this disgraceful fact. In place of repudiating with just indignation the outrageous insult thus offered, which would imply that Russia had been so successful during the past campaign that she cciisidered we might now gladly accept terms which we unhesitatingly rejected in April last, we send off counter prepositions far more favourable than she could have anticipated, even if her flag still floated over Southern Sebastopol —over Eupa toria, Kinbourn, and Kertch In one respect we may learn a valuable lesson from the enemy. She has always asserted her right to deal directly with the adversary, has even denied the right of the Western Powers to " in terfere." Her latest proposition is that she should settle with Turkey the amount of their respec tive fleets in the Euxine—forgetting that France and England have, by their vast expenditure of men and money, earned the right of interference. We may, however, profit by the principle ; and should Austria or Prussia again seek to inter meddle, inform them that "if they wish for p eace they must at least make vows for or against us ; that in the midst of a grave European conflict indifference is a false calculation and silence an error." In another column will be seen three letters from the pen of the late Duke of WELLINGTON, adduced by us with special reference to existing circumstances. As our readers are but too pain fully aware a large number of superior officers and others possessing influence at the Horse Guards have obtained leave of absence from the Crimea on the plea of "urgent private affairs," a consi derable number preferring the same plea having their applications rejected. The Newspaper Press knowing that a disease presenting the same symp tom was prevalent in the Peninsula, and suffi ciently acquainted with the doctrine of chances to have its observation stimulated, waited curiously to see how far the plea would be justified on their arrival—nor'was their curiosity unrewarded or their suspicion dispelled. To their indignation, if not to their surprise, they found these " urgent pri ♦ate affairs" resolve themselves into an urgent de sire to escape from the rigorous labours of the camp and participate in the luxuries and plea sures of the metropolis, and the country residences of the great. Sufficiently acquainted with COCKER to know that if four men have a certain duty to perform and one escapes his share, one of three things must happen—either another must be found to supply his place, the remaining three must do his duty for him, or it must go undone ; and aware that with regard to these officers no new substitute had been provided, they naturally came to the conclusion that gross in justice was being done, and as a matter of course spoke out. Either the necessary service was being neglected, or brave and honourable men were being imposed upon, in either case to the detriment of the interests of the country. On the one hand, if the duties these absentees were paid to perform were suffered to go undischarged, the nation was paying for services it did not get, and was being exposed to injury by the want of them. On the other, if the duty was discharged by those who remained, the latter were wronged, and must feel they were wronged ; and, so feeling, must be discouraged by a favourit ism so glaring and unjust —a result which, with all their high honour, could not fail in the long run to operate injuriously on the service. No thing can be more obvious than that men who have done their duty, exposing themselves cheerfully to all risks, whether of the sword or the climate, must feel as a rankling sore a favouritism shown at their expense ; and, as fatigued with excessive toil, they retired to their tents and perused the news from home, must have burned with indigna tion when they learnt how the absentees were em ploying their leisure; and more especially must this have been the case when the army was doing duty i❑ the trenches, unless indeed anger found a safety-valve in contempt. Aware of all this, the Press, i❑ the discharge of what was obvi- viously an incumbent duty, spoke out, as we have previou4ly said—charged horse and foot on the skulkers--called the attention of the Government to an instance of favouritism so gross, and a laches se reprehensible—in short, did its best to shame both into doing their duty. The hangers-on of the aristocracy and the de fenders of Horse Guards' abuses became alarmed for their patrons, and knowing well the generosity of the British public, and its indestructible love of fair play, felt that something must be done to stay the murmurs of slissatisfaction that every' where arose. They had recourse to a whine of complaint. These newspaper fellows knew nothing of the matter, and were only bent on mischief. Would the generous British public be so hard a taskmaster as to make a sacrifice of a pleasure Would they suffer the private affairs of gallant men who delighted to serve them to go to wreck and ruin when there was no real necessity for it, or would they complain because a few of their brave defenders enjoyed themselves a little at home after incurring so much risk and enduring unheard-of hardships in their service abroad ? And, above all, would they peimit the " pluck " of such men to be doubted ? Leave of absence had alway s been granted, and when the newspaper fellows made the granting of it a ground of complaint they not only did injustice to the absentees and the public, but also displayed of the subj ec t, as they did ignoranceofawpraorfoi7dgeneral, a s every veteran of the Peninsular could testify, (3,7 c., dz . c. The public, however, wero not to be g u ll e d, nor the Press t o b e assa i led with impunity, and proof after proof was forthcoming that the news. papers were in the right ; and now, as an i N di s ., putable witness to the service done the country by the Press, and the justifiable nature of its com ments, we point to the Iron Duke. That illus trious commander, it will be seen, had to contend with similar malingering in his time, and had to take the most decided measures to put a stop to it. He was not the man to believe that the most urgent "private affairs" of a soldier were not to do his duty, nor to suffer that duty to be neglected, if lie could prevent it. Accordingly, we find him not only THE SIIN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING JANUARY 3, 1856 refusing leave of absence himself, and requesting the Commander-in-Chief to do the same, or send substitutes, but actually informing Lord LIVER root that with respect to certain General Officers on leave, it "gave him much satisfaction, to find they had been roughly handled by the newspapers !" Shades of the Peninsula can it be possible! Ye who devote the Newspaper Press to the infernal gods for meddling with " the gentlemen of the army," by reporting and commenting on their lathes, what will you say to this ? It gave the Iron Duke, who knew something about the Penin sula, " much satisfaction" to find delinquent " General Officers" no less "roughly handled" by the Press ! Jabber over that ! The Earl and Countess of Chesterfield have a large party assembled at Bretby-park. Among the company are the Countess Howe and Lady Adelaide Curzon, the Countess of Glengall and Lady Margaret Butler, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Euston, Lord Cavendish, Lord Burghersh, Hon. Julian Fans, Col. the Hon. Cecil Forester, Col. the Hon. James Macdonald, Mr. and Lady Sophia Des Vceux, Lord Henry Gordon Lennox, Mr. and Mrs. John Stanley, Mr. Knightley, Sir Thomas and Lady Gresley, Mr. Bulkeley, and Miss Anson. We understand that the Earl of Stamford has taken the Quorn country, lately hunted by Sir Richard Sutton. His lordship will reside at Melton Mowbray. We understand that some other title will be substituted for that of Ampthill in the peerage about to be conferred upon Sir James Parke, lately one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer. Lord and Lady Eleho have taken their departure from the St. George's Hotel. The Hon. Augustus and Lady Harriet Vernon, and Mr. henry Drummond and Lady Lovaine, have also left the same establishment. The name of Lady Adeliza Norman was substituted for that of her sister in-law, the Lady Adeliza Manners, in a paragraph which appeared in a contemporary yes terday. We are glad to learn that Sir George Grey was suffi ciently recovered from the effects of his recent severe accident to attend at the Home-office yesterday. Lord Ward has forwarded the sum of 201. is aid of the building fund of the Birmingham Free Industrial School. EAST INDIA COAL COMPANY.—We are informed that the East India Coal Company obtained its certificate of complete registration under the Limited Liability Act of 1855, on the 27th ult. The steam engines and ma chinery for working the mines on a large scale are now in course of shipment to Calcutta. " URGENT PRIVATE! AFFAIRS."—We perceive by the latest general orders issued by the Commander•in•Chief in the Crimea, that the officers going home " on urgent private affairs "are Lieut.-Colonel Stepney, Coldstream Guards ; Captain Digby, Grenadier Guard■ ; Paymaster Blake, 93d Highlanders ; Lieut. Buller, 17th Regt. ; Assistant-Commissary-General Croekshank. DEATH OF SIR HENRY EVERY, BART.—The death of Sir Henry Every, Bart., of Egginton-hall, Derbyshire, is announced. The deceased baronet was well known as a county gentleman of high standing, who was always ready to make himself publicly useful. Sir Henry was the ninth baronet, and a deputy-lieutenant for Derby shire. His grandson succeeds to the title and estates. Sr. MATTHEW* BRIXTON.—The incumbency of this church, lately rendered vacant by the resignation of Dr. Vaughan, has been conferred upon the Rev. Mr. Gar land, incumbent of Deal. The vessels from the United States which have en tered the port of Havre during the past week brought to that port 96,596 barrels of flour, 117,352 sacks of wheat, 8,005 sacks of maize. In addition, eight other sessels are either in the offing or in the port of llavre, without having yet landed the breadstuffe which they have o❑ board.— Galignani, THE MUSEUM OF ORNAMENTAL ART AT MARL BOROUGH HOUSE.—The number attending, &c., during the month of December, were as follows :-11,050 per sons on the public days, and admitted free ; 270 persons on the students' days, and admitted as students on the payment of 6d. each, besides the registered of the classes and schools. A ROUGH•LEGGED BUZZARD.— A fine bird, of thehawk tribe, believed to be a " rough-legged buzzard," was seen on Friday in a field adjoining the High-station, South Shields. Just as the half-past 12 o'clock train from Shields approached the High-station the bird rose up slowly and majestically, and flew about 50 or 60 yards, when it alighted on the ground. The rough-legged buz zard is very common on the Labrador coast. It is also found in the German forests, where it breeds. Some years ago several specimens of this bird were obtained from the neighbourhood of Shields and Marsden.— North Shields Gazette. THE WEATHER IN THE ATLANTIC.—The merchant ship Elvira, of Boston, United States, Captain Crossby, which left New York on the 7th of December, ran for shelter into Plymouth on Monday. She has had fair winds during the passage, but so strong that she was constantly shipping seas ; and on the 22d a gale from S.W. blew so furiously that the ship could not run be fore it any longer ; and the master was compelled to heave her to, when she shipped several heavy seas —one which swept away the bulwarks, and carried off the second mate and two seamen, who were unfortunately drowned. The same sea bruised the master and injured several of the men, two of whom are not expected to re cover. The Elvira has lost her maintop-gallant -mast and some sails. She is a new ship of 1,138 tons register, and has on hoard 65,000 bushels of wheat and 300 barrels of flour —one of the largest cargoes ever shipped. The cargo is supposed to be uninjured. FEARFUL GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION.—MALACCA, Nov. 14.—A frightful occurrence took place here on the evening of the 12th inst. The schooner Alma, of this port, had arrived here from Singapore in the course of the day, with a considerable amount of cargo, but only that part of it consisting of opium and about 3,000 dols, in specie was then landed. The vessel anchored at Pulo Jawa, about a mile from the town of Malacca, being the place where small trading craft of the Alma's class generally lie. Amongst the other cargo still remaining o❑ board were 15 piculs of gunpowder, contained in 75 kegs, besides a picul belonging to the ♦essel, which was in a small copper magazine. A heavy thunderstorm oc curred during the course of the evening, and about half past seven the Alma blew up, it is supposed from having► been struck by lightning. There were twelve persons on board at the time, consisting of the Chinese captain and four of the crew, and seven Malays, passengers from Singapore. One man was picked up alive, al though dreadfully wounded, and sent to the hospital, and the bodies of the three others were found frightfully mutilated. Of the other eight no traces had been dis covered, and the vessel itself is said to have been com pletely blown to pieces. A bale of cloth is reported to have bee❑ found at Tither, about a mile from the place where the schooner was anchored. There were no other vessels lying ♦ery close to the Alma, those nearest being the gun-boat and a large trading prahu, but as far as we can learn no injury was done to those vessels, or any one on board of them. EXTRAORDINARY SPORT.—The Earl and Countess of Stamford have had a large party of friends staying at their beautiful seat, Enville-hall, Staffordshire. His lordship and party have been enjoying field sports. On the 19th ult. and following days, the following noble men and gentlemen killed an unpreoedented quantity of game :—The Earl of Stamford, the Earl of Strathmore, the Hon. S. Lyttelton, Sir Geo. Wombwell, Mr. H. C. Taylor, Mr. W. 0. Foster, Mr. W. Trow, Mr. H. Brad ley, Mr. W. Grazebrook, and Rev. C. Jesson, killed, on the 19th, 314 pheasants, 333 hares, 65 rabbits, 3 par tridges, 1 blackcock (hybrid), 1 bittern, and 4 wildfowl. On the 20th, with the exception of Mr. H. C. Taylor, the party killed 186 pheasants, 208 hares, 70 rabbits, 11 partridges, 5 woodcocks, and 3 wildfowl. On the 21st, the same gentlemen, with the exception of Mr. H. C. Taylor and Mr. W. Trow, killed 490 pheasants, 58 bares, 52 rabbits, 2 partridges, and 4 wildfowl. On the 22d, the same party, with the exception of Mr. W. 0. Foster and Mr. W. Trow, killed 126 pheasants, 133 hares, 40 rabbits, 1 woodcock, and 1 wildfowl. Total, 2,113 head. - TESTIMONIAL TO A CLERGYMAN.—The inhabitants of St, John's-wood have presented to the Rev. D. Butler, M.A.., on his resignation of the curacy of St. John's wood Chapel, where he has officiated for 15 years, a very handsome silver centre-piece for the table. It is composed of three figures in frosted silver, representing Faith, Hope, and Charity on a tripod stand, the oak tree form ing the stem above, which is beautifully represented in silver ; the whole is surmounted with a basket, orna mented with acorns, containing a handsome glass bowl. On one compartment of the tripod is engraved the fol lowing inscription :—" Presented to the Rev. Daniel Butler, M.A., by friends and members of the congrega tion of St. John's Chapel, St. John's-wood, as a testi mony of their affectionate regard, and estimation of the value of his ministrations, December, 1855." The centre piece was manufactured by Charles Williams (late Catch pole and Williams), 223, Oxford-street. CHANGES IN THE HOUSE OF PEERS DURING THE PAST YEAR. --The following members of the peerage of the United Kingdom have died since the Ist of January, 1855. The Dukes of Manchester and Somerset, the Mar quis of Thomond, the Earls of Sefton, Leitrim, Caith ness, Caledon, Stanhope, Carysfort, and Antrim ; Vis counts Boyne, Ponsonby, O'Neill, 'Afford, Hereford, De Vesci, and Strangford ; and Lords Raglan, Decie4, Kenyon, Erskine,Wharneliffe, Delamere, Ravensworth, and Truro, together wirh the Baroness Basset. Of these the Marquisate of Thomond, and the Viscounties of Ponsonby and O'Neill and the Barony of Basset have become extinct. During the same period the Earldom of Southeak, a Scottish title attained in the rebellion of the last century, has been restored in the person of Sir James Carnegie, Bart., Mr. E. B. Roche, late M.P. for County Cork has been raised to the Irish peerage as Lord Fermoy, and Mr. Baron Parke has been created an Eng lish peer by the title of Lord Ampthill. SERIOUS AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—On the night of Wednesday last, as Lord Wenusa's keepers, of Stanway court, Gloucestershire, were on their beat, one of then, a man named Pigeon, was attacked by two poachers. Ile collared one, and the other cried out to him, "If You do not let my companion go I will shoot you," and immediately discharged his gun, the whole contents of which lodged in the right elbow joint. Finding Pigeon still kept tight hold of the man, the latter commenced an onslaught on the keeper with the butt end of his gun, which he broke over the poor fellow's head. At this moment two other keepers came to his assistance, but the man w h e f i red the gun had made off. They ook the other poacher prisone r , and we hear th e man t h at shot Pi geon h as since' been'taken into custody. Amputa tion was deemed needful, and Pigeon's arm was taken off below the shoulier joint, under the influence of chlo roform. making arrangements for the better organisation of the Asiatic affairs ; troops are sent there from every part of the empire, with provisions and clothing, as well as ammunition. Erzeroum is so full of the latter that the Government has been requested to stop sending any more. pillaged all the inhabitants, three of whom were seriously wounded in defending their property. They earned off the most wealthy among them, in order to obtain a ransom for them. Two of the inhabitants were dreadfully mutilated by the as sailants, their noses and ears being cut off. On the road from Athena to Afarcopoulos, it is not safe to pass even in the open day. A few Nights since some brigands entered the village of Tatoi, near Athens, and made prisoners of and mutilated some gendarmes who were stationed there." SPAIN. MADRID, Dec. 31.—The Government has been authorised by tho Cortes to levy the taxes for 1856. The decimal system is to be put in vigour in Spain in 1856. M. Olozaga has left for Paris. Some foreign capitalists are soliciting permission to esta blish a bank at Madrid. Le Nord publishes an article professing to sot forth the " real and absolute results obtained by the allies after two years of war," in which neither the capture of Sebastopol nor the destruction of the Black Sea fleet is mentioned. "It would be diffi cult," according to this authority, " to decide whether, upon the whole review of the two years' war, the advantage belongs to Russia or to the Allies." A letter from Kalisch of the 25th ult., in the Austrian Gazette, says :—" According to the latest accounts from the Crimea, the Russian troops have been reinforced by a regiment of Hus sars of the Guard and by the Radetzky regiment of Hussars formerly stationed at Odessa. It is therefore evident that no want of provisions is ex perienced by Prince Gortschakoff." The Hamburg Correspondent states that in con sequence of orders transmitted from St. Peters burg, Vassif Pacha, General Williams, and six of the other pachas taken prisoners at Kars, will be taken to Moscow, and thence to St. Petersburg. The other officers and the soldiers will remain for the winter part at Tiflis, and the rest in the forti fied places in the Caucasus. We read in the Journal de St. Petersbourg : "The managers of the dispenSary of Maximilian, placed under tho patronage of the Grand Duchess Helena Pavloyna, announce that wounded officers who may be staying in this capital will be gratui tously attended to, and that warm and light apart ments are at their service." Mr. Drummond's late speech at Guildford is reprinted conspicuously in the Journal dc St. Pete) sbourg. THE PENINSULAR MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY MORNING. By the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Sultan, Captain Christian, we have dates from Gibraltar, December 26th ; Cadiz, 27th ; Lisbon, 30th ; Vigo, 31st. The Sultan brings a few passengers, 3,1301. in specie, and a cargo of fruit, eggs, &c. During the voyage the Sultan experienced heavy weather off Cape Corrobedo. On the 31st ult. she spoke the steamer Madrid, with the outward Pen insular mails. Lisbon exchanges at three months are quoted by this mail at 54i on London ; Paris, 521 ; Amsterdam, 431 ; Hamburg, 48 g ; Genoa, 518. There was a scarcity of both bills and money on London, and consequently a variation of one-eighth upon the quoted rate ; on other places few trans actions had taken place, paper being scarce in con sequence of the rise in London. Stock and Bauk shares s had risen at Lisbon, but were again dull when the packet left, at 43 to 481 for Three per Cents., with confreres ; and 44 to 441, for regis tered stock. Bank of Portugal shares, 500 to 503 milreis per share of 500 milreis. Oporto Bauk Shares 17 to 20 per cent, premium. Official notice bad been given that the King would open the Cortes on the 2d January, by which time the arrival of the Ministers of Finance was expected. Heavy rains bad prevailed, but the weather was fairer when the Sultan left the Tagus. Tho steam-transport Golden Fleece was at Gib raltar ; the Prompt, Etna, Caroline, Calpo, & c ., had also touched the port. LATEST NEWS. ST. PETERSBURG, JAN. 1. In conformity with a new Ukase, the non-com missioned officers of the nary who, in conse- quence of their wounds, can no longer serve on board the fleet, will be employed in the batteries destined to defend the coasts of the Baltic in the approaching campaign. CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. 24. Many persons have already- abandoned Erze roum in the fear of a Russian attack, and taken refuge at Trebizond. Omer Pacha has returned to Soukoum-Kalch, renouncing his intention to attack Kutais. FRANCE. PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING. At the reception at the Tuileries yesterday the Emperor and Empress in the private apartments of their Majesties were Prince Jerome, Prince Napoleon, the Princess Mathilde, Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, Prince Lucien Murat, the Princess Bacciochi, and the Princess Lucien. Murat. When the corps diplomatique were pre sented, the Apostolic Nuncio acted as the organ of that body to express their congratulations and good wishes to the Emperor and Empress. When the general reception took place the Emperor seated himself on the throne, having on his right Prince Jerome, Prince Lucien Bonaparte, and Prince Joachim Murat ; and on his left Prince Napoleon and Prince Lucien Murat. " Our pert (says the Armoricain , of Brest) is every day displaying greater activity. Fete days and Sundays the men are hard at work, to have ready in spring the immense mass of stores and ves sels required for the naval operations which are to take place against Russia." BOURSE, Jan. 2.—The following are the last quotations : _ Cash. fr. e. End of Month. 4} per Cents 9l 50 —f. --a. 3 per Cents 63 3) 64 90 New Loan 64 30 Bank Shares 3170 Roman Credit Mobilier 1335 Austrian Belgian Fives Spanish Threes Piedmontese B6 75 Home Debt ......... RAILWAYS-701i CASH. - fr. 0. e. Origami Northern Lyons. .... .. 1132 50 New Ditto 740 Mediterranean — Grand Central 575 Lvons Geneva 6Bol— Testa Cette POSITION OF OMER PACHA. The Vienna Military Gazette publishes the fol owing :—"lt is probably no longer doubted by any one that ou r correspon d ent at Trebizend was well informed when he wrote that Omer Pacha had not for weeks lost sight of the Pontic coast, and that he had not advanced further than the small town of Chopi, on the right bank of the small river bearing the same name. Skender Pacha, it is true, advanced along the excellent road that runs to Abasha, but did not venture fur ther than Tchenitzehale. He only did this for the purpose of ascertaining whether or no the Russians, under the command of General Bagration Mn harski, and reinforced by the troops of General Brunner, had taken up a position in Levano and Kutyri on the left bank of that river. Having done this, Omer Pach a d ec id e d on r e tr ea ti ng t o Redoubt Kaleh and Anaklea. It having at the same time become known that the Russian Commander intended sending to Mingrelia all the troops collected in the fluvial districts of the mountains near Gori, so that they may act on the offensive, die Turkish Admiral, Ahruet Pacha, received orders to place all the dis posal Turkish and Egyptian steamers at Omer Paella's service. It is possible that a re-embar kation of the troops is to be made. Mustapha Pacha has, in a similar way, retreated to Batoum, in order to pass the winter in that un healthy coast station. As we cannot suppose Omer Pacha means to persist in wintering where he is at present, seeing that he is exposed to the danger of being attacked by the Russians, and unable to make any great resistance, Anaklea and Rodent Kaleh being only small forts, it is highly probable that the entire Turkish army will be brought to the Roumelian harbours, and stationed there in winter quarters. The Russians too will do no more than garrison Kars, and will not advance on the offensive in the wide radius between the Wes tern and the Eastern Euphrates. General Moura vieff has detached one division to Achalkalak and Achalzik, whilst another division has escorted the captured garrison of Kars to Tiflis. The Pachas, and few superior officers, will be transferred to Moscow ; the remaining officers with the men, will have probably to pass the winter in the govern ment of Tiflis. TURKEY. CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. 24. The news of the fall of Kars, although long ex pected, has produced a deep impression here, espe cially on those who are most concerned by it— namely, the Turks and the Turkish Government. Numberless are the councils and conferences which have taken place in consequence. The object of all these councils is, first, to find out the person or persons who are to blame for the disasters, and then to guard against its conse quences. Everybody seems agreed that no blame could possibly attach to the garrison of Kars, which did whatever was humanly possible to do. Just as all opinions are unanimous in respect to the garrison at Kars, s o are th ey di v id e d as to t h e really guilty parties. The Allies, the Turkish Government, Selina Pasha, and Omer Pasha are all in their turn pointed out as the offenders. The Allies are blamed for not having speedily enough supplied the means of transport for the Turkish troops in the Crimea. Whoever knows anything of the circumstances will easily absolve them on this score. The mistake of the Allies seems rather to have been that they broke up the Turkish army by taking away such a large portion of it to the Cri mea, where they were of no earthly use. They thus paralysed the whole and rendered it inefficient. The charges which are brought against the Turkish Government are of a more general charac ter, and certainly this changeable nondescript body must in a great measure be held responsible for the state in which it left its Asiatic frontiers. A Turkish town was to be rescued, and an army to be formed in a Mahomedan country ; what better centre of union could hare been found than Turk ish troops organised by European officers ? Whose fault it was that the idea of sending there the Turkish Contingent has not been carried out is a mystery. Some blame General Vivian, others Lord Stratford, others the French Government, and. others the Turkish Government. The most probable supposition is that the project failed on account of the different views entertained about matters of detail. When the sending the Turkish Contingent for the relief of Kars was given up, the army of Omer Pasha was thought of ; and he, anxious to escape from the anomalous position in which he found himself in the Crimea, eagerly seized this opportu nity, and went down to Constantinople to make the final arrangements. General Williams had written several times that ho did not think it advisable to attack the Russian position in front, and that the best way to relieve him would be to make some flank, or rather roar movement from Batoum ; and it was with this understanding that Omer Pasha departed. After a few days' stay in the Crimea be went to Batoum, and the original orders for the troops which were to be concentrated were to go to that place. But this original plan to operate from Batoum was not adhered to. Soukum-Kaleh was chosen as the point of concentration, and Kutais as the line of operations. This was tantamount to giving up the idea of relieving K ars. Wh en th e first troops were beginning to arrive at Soukum-Kaleh the garrison of Kars was already on short rations, and it required no great Power of combination to see that before the effect of this demonstration could be felt Kars would have fallen. Soukum-Kaleb, as a base of operations for an army of 60,000 men, Well provided with every thing—especially baggage animals--would be in valuable in the spring and would lead to consider able results, but it could never have had the effect of relieving Kars. Mouravieff did not send a single man away before he was sure of the fall of Kars ; he ignored entirely the flank movement as soon as Soukum-Kaleh was chosen as the point of opera tions It would be, however, unfair to condemn Omer Pasha without inquiring what were the reasons why he abandoned the original plan. Besides this fatal alterati on of the original plan, Omer Pasha is likewise accused of having lost time uselessly. Selim Pasha, the Commander of Erzeroum, is the last on the list of those accused of not having done enough for the relief of Kare. He had 10,000 men in Erzeroum, and be ought to have moved. Besides the inquiry into the causes of the fall of Kars, the Turkish Government ie busy THE PRINCIPALITIES. A letter from Jassy of the 18th ult. has the fol lowing on the subject of the abolition of the Bohe mian slaves in Moldavia by Prince Ghika :—" In 1844, under the reign of Prince Michael Stourdza, a law voted by the General Assembly enfranchised the Bohemian slaves belenging to the state and to the clergy, and decided that the taxes paid by those emancipated Bohemians should be de voted to purchasing the freedom of the slaves of private individuals. By this means from 600 to 700 have been already redeemed from slavery. From the moment of his accession to the post of Hospodar, Prince Ghika turned his attention to the abolition of slavery, and if he could have carried into effect the wishes of his heart, he would long ago have completed the work commenced by his predecessor. A complication of unfortunate circum stances has, however, for several years past, weighed on the Principalities, and prevented him from carrying his wishes into effect. The Russians, who were all powerful here, would certainly have op , posed —as they did, but without success, in 1844 the accomplishment of an act which would have attracted towards these provinces the sympathetic attention of Europe. Now that the pressure of their pernicious influence has disappeared, Prince Ghika, whose powers are on the eve of expiring, and who has irrevocably decided on not accepting the renewal of them, if offered to him, wished before retiring to attach his name to the suppres sion of a state of things so disgraceful to the coun try. He in consequence charged his council of Ministers to draw up a bill on this subject, which will be submitted to the deliberation of the general Divan. This proposition has met with an enthu siastic reception from the Council of Ministers ; and the general Divan will no doubt give an equally favourable reception to this philanthropic measure." RUSSIA. BERLIN, Jan. I.—The Emperor's Flugel-Adju tant Admiral Prince Menschikoff has been, by an Imperial order, nominated Military Governor- General of Cronstadt, with all the rights, power, and honours due to the Commander-in-Chief of an army in time of war. All the land and sea forces in Cronstadt are put under his command, and he retains all his present offices. The re port has been current for some time past in St. Petersburg that a military command on the shores of the Baltic would soon be conferred on the Prince, but !everybody was of opinion that he would not permit himself to be drawn again from his retirement. The presence in St. Petersburg of the various "heroes of Sebastopol," as they are called there, Generals Todtleben, Wassilstchikoff, Ourousoff, and Novossilski have given rise to a variety of ovations. _ In ad iition to the nomination of Menschikoff, we find in the Russian papers a letter of thanks addressed by the Emperor to General Mourasieff, as follows : "The immovable firmness, the exemplary fortitude, and the strategical circumspection which have charac terised all your actions in Asiatic Turkey, are now crowned with perfect success. The proud keep of Asia Minor, the fortress of Kars, has surendered, with its whole garrison, its artillery, and its extensive depots of arms. The Anatolian army, 30,060 men strong, exists no more ; and its Commander•in-Chief, Mushir Vassif Pasha, is our prisoner. I thank you heartily for this glorious achievement, which has covered the Russian flag with new fame. I give it to you in commission to express my sincerest thanks to the troops under your command, whose firmness and courage have overcome the most obstinate defence of the enemy. In recognition of your praiseworthy merits I make you herewith Knight of the Grand Cross of St. George, 2d class, to which you have earned an indisputable right, and I remain, in all Imperial favour,—Your well•affected " ALEXANDER." The prices of saltpetre continue to rise beyond all calculation and control ; all restrictions have been removed from its production in Russia, and the Government has offered high prices to be paid in ready money for almost unlimited quantities. The supply has remained, however, totally insufficient ; the Government seems not to have been able to resolve to make any further inroads in the exten sive tariff by any diminution of the duty in its favour, but nevertheless it is now generally under stood that the various Custom-houses on the fron tiers have received instructions sub rosa to admit saltpetre from of all duty ; Russian accounts say that this manoeuvre has already been of consider able use. The Committee that has been appointed by the Grand Duke Constantine to sit in Nicolaieff to assess the indemnification to be paid for injury to, or loss of property in, Sebastopol, finds it no easy task, the more so as the whole business is required to be finished within a year. There hare already been various supplementary instructions issued o n the subject ; as matters stand at present all dis puted questions of property are suspended, and all payments are postponed, until the points in con flict have been arranged. THE WEATHER AT ODESSA. A letter from Odessa of the 21st ultimo, in the Austrian Gazette, says :—" For some days past the cold has considerably increased here. The ther mometer yesterday stood at 25 degrees below zero Reaumur (24.45 F.) in the steppe ; the roadstead is frozen over to a considerable distance from the shore. The 14th and 16th divisions of infantry have arrived from Sebastopol. Some of the men had their noses and ears frost-bitten ; but beyond that they met with no other misfortunes on their march. Large bodies of troops are marching from. the Crimea into Bessarabia. There is not, how ever, any intention of evacuating the former, as their places will be filled by other troops from the reserve and by the militia. General Gortschakoff will, it is said, be replaced in the Crimea by Count Osten-Sacken. The former will resume the com mand of the troops on the Danube. The Allied gun-boats, which remained at Kinburn, have been frozen in, and all the efforts made to release them have been hitherto fruitless." PRUSSIA. The Danube, in a letter from Berlin, says : " Although the Berlin Cabinet is not disposed to support in any obligatory manner the Austrian propositions, it will officially resume its former endeavours of mediation. It is said that Prince Augustus of Wurtemberg, general in the Prussian service and brother of the Grand Duchess Helen, widow of the Grand Duke Michel, who was uncle to the present Emperor, will shortly start for St. Petersburg on the above mission." AUSTRIA. The Post Ampt Gazette contains the following in a letter from Vienna :—" It is again asserted here in the most positive manner that Count Mun ster has brought to Berlin, besides an autograph letter from the Emperor Alexander 11., and another from the Empress Dowager, a note which declares that Russia is disposed to enter into nego tiations on the basis of the protocol of April 1854 ; she would, however, insist upon the new rights granted by the Sultan to Christians not prejudic ing the ancient privileges possessed by the Greek Church." A letter from Vienna of the 29th ult., in the same journal, says :—Prince Gortschakoff yester day gave a grand military dinner in honour of Baron de Hess, who had just celebrated in the most brilliant manner the 50th anniversary of his entrance into the service. Among the general officers present at this entertainment were Counts Wratislaw Nugent, Schlick, Grunner, Wimplen, Walmoden, and Haugwitz ; Barons Augustin, Kellner, arc. Several foreign Princes sent their congratulations to Baron de Hess on the occasion of this anniversary, particularly Prince Charles of Bavaria, Prince Emile of Hesse, &c. It was re marked that no compliment of the kind was paid to the Baron on the part of Prussia." GREECE. s a y s :—" A letter fro m Ath ens, in the Journa l d c Con stantinoplecontinue to tak e pl ace in this ne ighbourhood. In Numerous acts of brigandage continue the commune of Negara, a band of from 20 to 25 brigands shut the flock of sheep belonging to the mayor into a stable, and then set fire to it, and the whole of them would have been destroyed, had not one of the men, possessing more humanity than his comrades, opened the door and let them out. This act was committed out of revenge because the mayor would not shut his eyes to the conduct of these desperate characters. Another band of 50 en tered the city of Thebes, but were repulsed by a de tachment of the Royal troops. The force, however, could not prevent serious acts of violence in the suburbs of St. Theodore, where the premises of some Wallachian sheep-owners were pillaged. Another band visited the commune of Acrofuion, and put to the torture the superior and the fathers of the monastery of Agra Pelagia. They carried their audacity so far as to send an invitation to the authorities of Thebes and the Mirarque Tzino, whose principal duty is to put down brigandage, to come and attack them. In the commune of Larimni, they made prisoners two sons of a respectable in habitant, for the ransom of whom they demanded 18,000 drachmas (the drachma is worth 90c). in a Tillage in the province of Ilypate, these ruffians URGENT PRIVATE AFFAIRS. Artaxo, 2d Feb., 1811. I have been obliged to decline giving leave to any one, and to refer their applications to the Com mander-in-Chief. If his Excellency should think prGper to grant leave to any one, I hope that he will be so kind as to send officers to the army to do their duty while absent. WELLINGTON. To Colonel Torrens, Military Secretary. Artaxo, 10th Feb., 1811. I have determined that I would give no more leave, and I have written to the Commander-in Chief that if ho gives leave to any officer he must send one out to do his duty. To Marshal Beresford. WELLINGTON. Sta Marinha, 23d March, 1811. I assure you that the departure of the General Officers from the army was as much against my inclination as their arrival in England was inju rious to the public interest, and I acknowledge it has given me much satisfaction to find they have been roughly handled in the newspapers. The consequence of the absence of some of them has been that, in the late operations, I have been obliged to be General of Cavalry and of the advanced guard, and the leader of two and three columns on the same day. I have requested Colonel Torrens not to allow any General Officer to come out iu future who is not willing to declare that lie has no private business to recall him to England, and that he will remain with the army as long as it shall stay in the Peninsula. To the Earl of Liverpool. WELLINGTON. THE MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, Jan. 2.—The Royal Mail Company's steam-ship Magdalena, Capt. Abbott, sailed this after noon with the usual West India, Mexican, and Pacific mails ; 117 passengers, among whom w ere M a j or-Gen. Sir J. Closte, Captain Parish and lady ; Lieut. Burnt han ; Ensigns Edwards, Bent, Macnamara, Jackson, and Nowlan ; and on freight a small quantity of specie and a very full cargo. The Tyne, Capt. Valler, with the homeward mails from the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies, is hourly expected. The Tamar, Capt. Revett, is preparing to convey the Brazilian and River Plate mails OR the 9th inst. The Tay, Capt. Sawyer, with the homeward portion of the Brazilian mail, is ex pected about the 10th inst. The Parana, Capt. Ellison, will convey the West India and Pacific mails of the 17th inst. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Sultan, C a pt . C hr i stian, w i th t h e ma il s from Gibraltar, Cadiz, Lisbon, Oporto, and Vigo, is expected about the 4th inst. The Indus, Capt. Brooks, with the hea v y portion of th e I n di a , China, and Mediterranean mails, is looked for about the 6th inst. The Tagus, Capt. Weeks, with the outward Peninsular mails, will s ai l on the 7th inst. The Pera, Capt. Soy, is preparin g t o sa il with the India, China, and Mediterranean mails on the 4th inst. The screw steam - ship Manilla, Capt. M`Ken zie, also belonging to the Peninsul ar an d O r i ental Com pany, will sail for Constantinople and B a l a kl aya with &c. , on th e 23dinst. Th e U n i te d States mail Washington, Capt. C aven d y, is in the tidal steam-s i p basin receiving cargo, &c. ; she will sail for New York with the German, French, and English mails on Sun day morning next. The Belgian mail steamer Belgique is in the docks under repairs. Daring the passage from Antwerp it appears that the tubes of two out of the four boilers became deranged, and the ship had to trust to half her boiler power. A large gang of boilermakers is working night and day to repair the damage, and it is hoped tho ship may be got ready to proceed on her voy age to New York by Tuesday or Wednesday next. SHIPPING RETURNS. The shipping returns of the Board of Trade for the month ending the 30th of November confirm the indi cations of the activity of trade presented by the export tables, and show a considerable increase in the extent of tonnage employed. This increase is chiefly in foreign vessels, which, owing to the absorption of English vessels for Government purposes, are required to supply immediate wants. Annexed are the general totals of entries and clearances : Entered inward : TONNAGE FOR MONTH ENDING Dec, 5, Dec. 5, Nov. :30, British vessels 1 853• 1854. 1855. .6 United States' vessels Other countries 713,283 605,265 648,985 The clearances outward were : British vessels .......... 1853. 185 4 . 1855. 324,293 342,655 382,928 United States' vessels .......... 78,160 71,111 106,535 Other countries ................ 203,570 153,251 191,643 606,023 567,017 681,106 With regard to the coasting trade, the returns show that the tonnage entered inward was 1,037,539 in the month ending Dec. 5, 1853 ; 1,087,265 in 1854 ; and in the present return it is 998,641, including 16 foreign vessels, of an aggregate burden of 4,203 tons. The clearances outward were 1,135,508 tons in Dec., 1853 ; 1,109,089 in 1854 ; and 1,125,320 (including 2,905 tons of foreign) in 1655. RUSSIAN COMMERCE ON THE CASPIAN' A Hertfordshire incumbent, in writing to the Tin°, says :—Sir,--" I owe it to your correspondent in day's paper, who signs himself An Old 52d,' to expo; the difficulty 'which he finds in reconciling rey c al& tions of the comm erce on t h e Casp i an with the statis ti° of the Board of Trade. My data are the same as 0,1 of which he has m a d e use, b ut I have taken the aver, of the four years 1849-1852, whereas he has confie° himself to the last year of that period. H e is quite right in his conjecture that i n m y WI mate of the Caspian commerce I confined myself to t lO , consideration of that between Russia and Persia ; and' did this, because no other country has any port on lb' sea. It is true that there is a small traffic with through the Caspian ; but, independently of its extrem small amount, it is of such a peculiar kind that if water communication with Astrachan were cut off, t whole of it might be easily transferred to one of the oth routes, which no number of British cruisers on the C 3l : w pian could affect. Y our correspondent must not imagi,r, that the trade with th e Ki rg h ese steppes and that W Bokhara, Taschkend, and Kokham, which he sees 06 down in the excellent statistical tables which he qu ote is a sea-borne traffic. If he will refer to a most instrtle, tive book, which w as muc h read when it first appear " —I mean 'Burnes's Travels into Bokhara'—he will sold account of the different routes by which the Asiatic tree; of Russia is carried on. In Burnes's time the main roa! to Bokhara was by way of Mung Kislak, on the CO pian, but now the tables show that the Khivan trade' which is the one that passes by that route is very incoly siderable—a result which I should be disposed to i n ter pret by the conjecture that the improved navigation 0; the Indus had b roug ht B r i t i sh manufactures by way Affghanistein into Kliiva, and forced ont the Russian. "The traffic with the Kirghese steppes passes, I W . . no doubt, by Orenburg and Samara. If your correspee' (lent will look down the proper column of the tables, 13° lull see that its principal items are cattle and skins, Oil latter of which are most probably at this moment pre' tecting from the inclemency of the weather troops de;' tined in the early summer to be brought into the Crimea , "The trade with Bokhara, and that with Taschkeutlf which appear in the tables, are, apparently, that corn' merest which Burnes describes as taking place by way Troitski and Kuzzubj or respectively. "As the only question which I desired to illustrate was the effect likely to be produced by the destruction of Russian trade on the Caspian —supposing such a ehiog, possible—l was unw illi ng to i ntro d uce the mention n ' the above topics in my last letter. " I trust your correspondent does not understand MO to disparage his recommendation of military operation° in Imeritia, and Georgia. If I had thought it becoming to offer any opinion upon such a subject, it would hall been one in hearty concurrence with his views. But, although I have no more doubt than he that our eneraf is trying, and always will try, to push on to India, I ens one who thinks that Great Britain is more likely, through the silent but effective operation of manufactures and commerce, to get to the eastern bank of the Oural, than her rival, by a widely different agency, to reach the western bank of the Indus. All that we really want 0 a spirit of patriotism in officials, sufficient to overcool°, the habit of jobbing and n e p o ti sm w hi c h seems engra i ne ° in English society.—in the lower and middle claw's. , perhaps, even more than the highest. The throwing opee of the Indian service to all meritorious candidate° is, I believe, a firmer security for the stability of on; jl Indian empire than "a Gibraltar in the Caspian" would be. It will put us, pro twat°, on a level with the Czar; who has no constituents to humour and no politics. , party to keep together ; and accordingly, as facts prove, generally experiences no difficulty in finding " the right man for the right place." * At Samara there is a winter fair for peltries, and Of Kirghese lambskins, remarkable for their extreme softness and warmth, are said by Pallas to sell for a very high price in Moscow and pt. Petersburg. TEE BRITISH MISSION IN PERSIA. A letter just received from Constantinople, says . The differences between the British mission in Per• sia and the Persian Government, which induced the British Minister to strike his flag, arose in the following manner. The British mission has two kinds of native employes, called Mirzas, one for all written communica' tions and the reduction of notes and memoranda, the other for verbal transactions, messages, &c. Last year one of these latter died, and it became necessary t o fill up his place. A man named Mirza Hashi was among the competitors. He is married to one of the nn morons daughters of the 150 sons of shah Fetch Ali, and his wife enjoys on that account a pension of 6,000 piastres. This lady was rather strong-minded for a Persian woman, and had sown intrigues among the European part of the community, in consequence of which the couple had reason to fear the loss of their pension. - " Under these circumstances the husband thought it advisable to become one of the Mirzas of the British mission, which position offered likewise considerably sn• perior emoluments to the irregularly paid 6,000 piastrel of his wife. "He was appointed and presented to the Grand Vizier. Thii latter objected to have dealings with st man who had been employed in various services, even of a menial character in the palace, and who was, besides, from hil unscrupulousness, a dangerous perso❑ to intrust with any communications between the Persian Government and the British mission. In consequence, however, of subsequent representations the British mission did not insist. "Some time after the man and his wife,protesting that their lives were endangered, took advantage of the right of asylum which all European missions iu the East so conveniently afford, and took refuge in the palace of the mission. "The thing was referred to England, and the Go• vernment sent out instructions to get an assurance from the Persian Government that the man should not be injured. The Persian Government was quite ready to give an assurance of this kind privately to the mission, and promised to leave the man quiet ; but it would not give any written deCaration, as it was afraid that the man would use it for his own purposes, which was not at all improbable from his character. Then the English Minister, carrying out literally his instructions, struck his flag. " The affair is expected to be soon arranged, but no news has as yet arrived of its being settled." COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' BALL. The annual ball in aid of the funds of the Commercial Travellers' Benevolent Institution was held yesterday evening at the London Tavern, and, notwithstanding th• prevalence of private parties at this particular season, was fully and fashionably attended. Upwards of 200 ladies and gentlemen were present, and danced with great vivacity and enjoyment up to a late, or rather an early, hour in the morning. The dancing arrangements, which were excellent, were under the superintendence of Mr. Frampton, who fully sustained his reputation as an accomplished master of the ceremonies. Sir James Duke, the president of the institution, was one of the earliest arrivals, and the Lord Mayor entered the room shortly At about half-past 11 o'clock the company ad journed to the supper room, where an abundant enter tainment had been provided, and a few toasts were pro posed and honoured previous to the resumption of the proper business of the evening. The Lord Mayor gave "The Health of the President of the Institution," and the preside❑t, Sir J. Duke, eloquently returned thanks, taking occasion to notice in justly complimentary terms the assemblage of beauty and fashion which he saw around him. The health of Mr. Gunton and one or two other leading supporters of the institution were then proposed, and having been appropriately acknowledged, the company returned to the ball-room, where the strains of Adams's hand gave them full and pleasant employment for the remainder of the evening. Too much praise cannot be given to the stewards—Messrs. W. Yates, Chas. Blowers, Wooltorton, Hazeltine, and Harvey--for the polite solicitude they exhibited in promoting the en joyments of their numerous guests. Some donations were acknowledged, amongst others five guineas each from the Lord Mayor and Mr. Gunton, and ten guineas from Mrs. Cuffiey, a lady honourably distinguished for her very liberal support of the various commercial chari ties of the metropolis. after, TELE COOLIE TRADE.-Wl-10LESALE MASSACRE. The atrocities of the Coolie trade from China have ex cited universal indignation, both among those who know they are generally the result of ignorant or brutal ma nagement, and others who understand nothing about the trade, and make no distinction between hired coolies who are treated as slaves, and voluntary emigrants who pay for their own passages. But all former instances have been outdone by a wholesale massacre, of which accounts have just been received. The horrible tale may be briefly told. The Waverley, an American ship of 750 tons, recently sailed from Amoy with 442 coolies for Havana or Callao. The captain having died shortly after her departure, the first mate in command of the vessel brought her to Manila for the purpose of procuring another officer to take hie place. On anchoring at Cavit6 it would appear the mate had alarmed the captain of the port about the sanitary condition of the ship, which prevented free intercourse with her ; and as, besides the captain, one of the coolies had died, the prejudices of the Chinese were offended at the mode in which the burial was about to be con ducted, or at some unexplained treatment of the dead bodies. But the only explanation afforded to them was the mate's lifting a revolver and shooting down one o r more of their number, the rest being drive n w i thout dif ficulty below and made secure under hatches, without any precaution, or apparently any thought about venti lation. The mate thereafter attended the captain's funeral, and spent the day on shore ; and it was not until after mid night that the agents of the ship, wh o may till then h ave been unaware how the matter stood, took alarm, and in. sisted that the mate should then ascertain the state of his human freight ; and so, at 2 o'clock next morning, 12 hours after the hatches had been pnt on, they were re moved to discover that 251 of the coolies were lifeless corpses. Forty-five more are missi ng , leaving only 146, of whom several are not expected to survive. The mate and crew have been imprisoned by the Spanish authori. ties, and it is said that the United States consul declines to take any cognisance of the matter. Other coolie ships have recently left China under cir cumstances that afford ground for apprehension that they may not complete their voyages without disaster. In connection with this subject (which has not hitherto been treated as slave dealing) we may mention that the Governor of . 1 1acao has imprisoned two Portuguese sub jects charged with buying Chinese girls, chiefly at Ningpo, for the purpose of exporting them to Havannah; in short i with eve dealing.— China Moil, Nov. 16. .'~ , I pas wit suit tba met trod quef it is that the] Gov ditic T 1 ler, , her I for &e., Th to thi tir me exciti a low early vertu cuin g at 87 Cent; to 87 Bins Th Stoel lib 1 Porte Cent Span ditto Fc there tioni tion Bit] Bank 3 POT New Long India 001 R Ex PRIG Gree 14.30 Russ Di Span Tnii; Duti For' wnz 771 Wril PO3 Whe and hea V eg to 8