The Sun. — London, England, 1861-04-04 00:00:00

TIIF.A TR L, HAYMARKET. Leance, Mr. J. 13. ilactstoue. THIS EVENING, the performances will oommense with A DUKE IN 1./IFFICULTIES. Mrs. Stirling, Miss p . Haydon, Mrs. Wilkins, Miss Fanny Stirling, Mr. Buckstone, Mr. Compton, Mr. Howe, &a. After which, will be revived, with entirely new scenery and effects, and all the original . music by the late Sir Henry Bishop, the melodrama of TH E MILLER AND HIS MEN. Commence at 7.i 11 EAT-RE-ROYAL LYCEUM. Sots Lessee and Directress, Madame CELESTE. Two New pramas.—Reappearanceoi . Mr. John Drew, and '4th appearanceOf Miss Matilda Heron, THIS EVENING, THE TWO GREGORIES. After which, a new original comic drama, written by Saml. Lover, Esq., entitled MAC CARTHY MORE ' • or, Possession rims Points of the Law. John Drew, J. Johnston, Forrester, J. Rouse, Medlin ; Misses Rawlings, Hudspeth, &c. To conclude with a new drama, NEW YEAR'S EVE ; or, The Belle of the Season. Messrs. H. Neville, Villiers, Jas. Johnstone, J. Rouse; Mrs. Winstaniey, Miss Matilda Heron, Miss Willard, &c. ji OYA L PRINCES S'S THEATRE.- Lessee and Manaffer. Mr. A. Harris. THIS EVENING, THRICE MARMED. Messrs. Shore, Meadows, Garden, and Miss C. Leclereq. Followed by HAMLET. Hamlet. Mr. Pechter. Sup ported by Messrs. Ryder, Hermann Vezin, Graham, Shore, Meadows, &C. ; Misses Heath, R. Leclercq, and Elsworthy. NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHL- Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. Webster. Great Attraction for the Ea4ter Holidays.-4th appearance this season of Mr. B. Webster and Miss Julia Daly. THIS EVENING, a new drama (2d time) MAGLIORE, PRESTIDIGITAI OR. Messrs. B. Webster, J. L. Toole, D. Fisher, ac.; Miss K. Kelly, MISS H. Simms, die. After which, OU GAL. Miss Julia Daly, Mr. Romer, Mr. Eburne, and Mr R . Warde. Doors open at half past 6—Commence at 7. CANTERBU R Y tmins AH L -road. CONCERTS !! West L er Proprietor.-- „C. Morton. A. Grand Selection from Ve O, r's new. Opera, IL CORSARdi (This opera has never been produced in this or any other co untry, except at these Concerts), having me t w ith th a t de cided success which charactise 4 the most popular werks of this great Master, will be performed EVERY EVENING ; together with a Selection from LA FIGLIA DEL REGGI 3KENTO, by Donizetti, Principal Artistes—Miss Russell, Madame Maria, Miss Tyrrell, Mr. H. Herbert, Signor Tivoli, H. Drummond, and c. W. Bernard. Director, Mr. F. Jonghmans. The Comic Department comprises Messrs. E. Marshall, A. B. Hollingsworth, J. Blanchard, F. Bell, W. H. Welland, and the Brothers Conrad. John Martin's Three celebrated Pictures will remain on view a short time longer in the Fine Arts Gallery of the Establishment. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. THIS DAY.—Morning, 9h. 13m.—Afternoon, 9h. 58m. To-moßßow.-Morning, 10h. 40m.—Afternoon, 11h. 19m. THE WEATHER.—Sux Orrica, APRIL 4, 1861, THERMOMETER, IN THIS SHADE. 54—highest since noon yesterday. 42—lowest this morning and during the night. 52—this day at noon. BeRomETER-29.85. Wixom—Westerly—light; with fine weather. The dissensions so long subsisting—either latent or overt—between the Masters and their Workmen will this day, we hope and trust, be brought at length to a satisfactory termination. Arrangements were made some time since for a meeting of the master contractors upon this very afterooon—at which meeting they were to have de cided upon the day on which they would all of them close their yards simultaneously : supposing, that is, that the mea were still implacable and unreasonable enough as to hold out against the generous terms now offered for their acceptance ; supposing them still rashly and blindly to persist in this Strike against the leading firms of sir MORTON PET,O, of Messrs. KELK and Messrs. Lucks. Fortunately, there has now sprung up within the last few hours between the employers and the employed reasons, good and sound reasons,why this pre-arranged meet ing of the master contractors should be postponed. It has been postponed. The adjournment of this projected meeting being fixed now for next Thursday —so as to allow the men themselves to meet, as they propose meeting, this day—to consider impar tially, for once and for all, whether they will accept or whether they will refuse the liberal terms now offered to them by Messrs. KELK and Messrs. LtrcAs. What are those terms ? We explained the nature of them minutely a few days since; and it will be remembered that the pith and marrow of the proposition generously volunteered to the workmen by their employers, consisted in the fact that, at an increase of a farthing for the I better class of artizans, the men were to be paid henceforth by the hour, and not as heretofore by the day. The proposition was in itself so mani festly reasonable upon the face of it, that the men for once began to have doubts as to their own sanity in further listening only to the delegates, those domineering demagogues, who, not so much rule the roast as stir up the stew at the Trades' Unions Committees. The workmen generally, or at any rate the more thoughtful amongst them, began to think over the matter carefully themselves. They had previously begun to find out at last that Mr. POTTER and his crew had been leading them into a bit of a dilemma. In consequence of the prevailing badness of trade, of the protracted severity of the late winter, of the exhausting in fluence of the last strike, and of the fact that this new strike was begun, therefore, in a period of much depression—they woke at length to the recog nition of the stern reality that the Unions were really and truly without funds for their support during a lock-out of any long continuance. They recognised, in fact, that if they resolved upon going for relief to any Union at all, it would infallibly be to the Unidn Workhouse. Then came the know ledge to them, unwillingly enough, but quite plainly and unmistakeably, that the masters were this tune at last so entirely driven to bay, were so determined, at length, to stand no further non sense in the way of these periodical strikes, that they had formerly come to the determination that no further would they budge before the advance of the leaders of the nine hours' movement ! But that on their:next meeting they would at once—supposing the last proposition, the proposition for the pay ment by the hour instead of by the day, were rejected—that they would then, at once, carry out a system they have now determined upon in that contingency, the system of introducing foreign workmen (chiefly, we believe, Belgians)—a system now understood to be fully organised by the master contractors and in perfect readiness. The men kne w this—they knew that the delegates were Powerles.6 to aid them in this new contest, which t hey were, nevertheless, urging them to enter upon with their masters knew, moreover, that the suggestion of payment by the hour had obviously its advantages--and knowing, and seeing all this by the light of their own common set,* they began, we say, for once, to look into the matte r under dispute themselves. The result has been already that the delegates are e o far losing their raar,w, influence,that 28 of the stone-masons (about the must unlikely class of ell to break away f rom the strike, because among all the sections of ,the workmen the masons are t h e most well-to-do) 33 or the nutso • ns have already York at M essrs. L returned to their \ " 48 8 yard a probability that where there is by the day after to morn Iv at the la t est their aggregate number will have reached a full half hundred. Ex Examining into the plan now proposed fot the palm int of wa ges by the h our, they have found that ac tually it was so much of an improvement to them, w hen c ompared With the eV ?' - ',-, ; 1 :-,,, ; :',A ? ,- __. ~ ..,,.:„ .„.„, ~..,...A.:, - F! . •' o S 4CT • - ~, . ' -1. V.. 4' .s. ---- THE SUN. LONDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1861. THE - LONDON, THURSDA 4 I 'EVENING, APRIL 4, 1861. system, that they could at this rate, by resigning 1 just one halfpenny a-week, obtain the same wages as of old and yet only work ten hours for five days and. six hours and a half on Satur days. The arrangement suggested by the masters resolved itself simply into this : Five days, of 10 hours, at 7d. per hour.. £1 9 2 Saturday, 6i hours, up to 1 o'clock.... 0 3 91 Total - £l 12 111 According to the old system of payment, they could earn for the ten hours' work upon five days, and B,i on Saturday ,335. According to the new system of payment by the hour, they would earn exactly the same sum, minus one halfpenny although leaving off work at one o'clock on the Saturday. Yet, as if this were not enough in the way of conces sion by the masters, Messrs. LUCAS and Messrs. KELK have now consented to pay up this additional halfpenny ! So that the gain will be clearly all on the side of the workmen—the loss all on the side of the master contractors. The men will earn the self same wages as of yore—namely, 335. a week, although leaving off work after only six hours and a half labour on the Saturday. It is calculated that the concession of this one halfpenny per week above referred to will involve a loss to Messrs. KELK and Messrs. LUCAS, of £14,000 sterling on their present contracts. Yet with this concession generously made to them, with this clear loss by the employers of £14,000 sterling glaring upon- the recognition of the delegates—the latter brazen faced demagogues had the consummate effrontery to make a supplementary demand, to the effect that the men should receive an increase of pay as well as the conceded half holiday—in point of fact that Messrs. KELK and Messrs. LUCAS should raise their now certain loss of £14,000 to some where about £40,000 ! One little incident at one of the conferences which have recently taken place between the master contractors and the deputation of the delegates, is really worthy of being parti cularly borne in recollection. It is related thus that "At a previous interview one of the delegates actually asked Mr. LUCAS if the men accepted his proposition of payment by the hour, what guar antee he would give that he would not limit the work to nine hours by closing his yards. To this unguarded question Mr. LtrcAs at once replied, Then you want me to give guarantees that I will not concede the demands for which you now actually profess to be striking !' As no one could explain away this manifest slip of the delegate no answer was given, and Mr. LUCAS explained that the best guarantee he could give the men that he would not comply with their demand of limiting the hours to nine was that it was not his interest to do so :" adding, " He would be a loser by having his horses, machinery, and yards idle, and it was the certainty of this loss which had induced him with all masters to resist the strike of 1859 ; for though by that suspension the masters lost heavily, yet their loss was but a tithe of what it would be if they closed the works after nine hours' labour." That incident and that argument, viewed together, comprise within them the whole significance of the strike. The delegate's slip of the tongue reveals point blank what it is that he and his fellows are now striving for under the clap-trap title of a Nine Hours' Movement —for purposes of education forsooth ! The simple and manly statement made thereupon by Mr. LUCAS expresses, as plainly as words can express anything, what it is that the masters have been striving to guard themselves against when resisting the dictation of those dreadful strikes. If the workmen will but look upon the Question for once rationally this afternoon—those strikes may, from this time forth, be prevented from recurring. The intelligence brought yesterday from America looks more and more like a pacific settlement of the secession question. The late Administration, in one way, has been the cause of this. It so com pletely denuded the General Government of the means of offence, and placed the military stores it did possess so largely and so completely in the power of the Southern States, that even if Mr. LINCOLN wished to retain the few forts and arsenals in southern territory which he still possesses, and to recapture the Federal property which has been taken from him, he could not do it. Hii navy is all over the world, from Japan to the Medi terranean, and the Coast of Africa ; his little army broken up into ineffective detachments ; in fact, the Traitors, for such they were to the Federal Govern ment, who have just left office, had planed a per fect conspiracy to enable the Southern States to de tach themselves, should they be beaten in the Presi dental conflict. Here, and everywhere, it was thought either that the threats of secession were mere bullying noises, or that the energetic North would soon bring the Southerners to their senses; but the thing has been too cleverly managed. The North found itself, when the 4th of March came, unarmed; and not only that, but even somewhat anxious for the personal safety of its new President at Washington itself. It found that, instead of collecting, as General JACKSON determined to do, the Federal Customs, by its ships of war in the Southern ports, it had not even ships enough to relieve the beleaguered Fort Sumter, which it is daily expected must be abandoned to the Seceders. It is a wonderful historical fact, that a President and kis Cabinet, for how can we separate them, have been proved before all the world to have conspired to break up the Union which they governed, unless their candidate were returned at an election. What, however, could considerate men expect the Filibuster of the Ostend Conference to stick at ? He who was ready to take Cuba whether Spain would sell it or not, was the very man to put arms into the hands of the South, and to enable them to break up the Union. . I It is not wonderful that English readers were a little perplexed with the President's Message. To this day, two such leading men in the Senate atWash ington as DOUGLAS and Bit NRID GE for opposite interpretations —th e it as meaning peace, the latterE cK as E f m contend war. The fact must be, that with a ll th e and in a sense real, firmness of M o r ar . .LlNCOLN,regardingdeclaration the situation did not admit of a clear deliverance. BUCHANAN'S treachery had rendered it impossible for him to decide on coercion, and he would not, even with facts as they were, encourage secession. Firm to one thing he must in honour be—to the essential feature of the programme of his party, the non-extension of slavery in the territories. For the rest, he and Mr. SEWARD have endeavoured thus far to get off, by ignoring, as null and void, the stubborn facts of the South. This can hardly be done much longer. Still, by these last advices, we find Mr. LINCOLN steadily refusing to see or acknowledge the Southern Commissioners. i The Southern. Congress, however, is anything but halting and undecided in its course. It has just appointed its judges for the different States; it has named commissioners to the European States; it has decided on its tariff of duties lowered ii comparison with those of the North, and has, it 'a said, even deferred the final settlement of these duties till it has ascertained whether they will be accept able on this side the water. Arms, troops, an d money they have been providing by vigorous, and, 144 .!.. /141 ' , in the circumstances, prudent measured _ , indeed, it cannot 'be denied that the rebellious, slaveholding Soutin is showing great and unlooked for ability and confidence in its management ; it • knows its object, while the North is perplexed, and its aims doubtful. The South means to be a separate confederation. The North does not know whether it must consent to acknowledge it; whether it can muster force enough to coerce to reunion; whether it can make any sufficient concessions; and whether it must at least concede enough to keep the Border States. Indeed, we may suppose that the Border States are now the great perplexity. Both sides are bid ding for their support. They are chiefly—what a word to be used in Christendom !—Slave-breeding States. The South proposes to receive slaves only from States belonging to the Southern Confedera tion. The North can offer only the advantage of belonging to the more powerful Confederation, and of ultimately converting them to Free-labour States. Virginia, the most influential, has just reported, through a committee on federal relations, in favour of the old Missouri Compromise, and some other pro visions which the Republicans of the North cannot submit to without dishonour. A position, therefore, more perplexing for Mr. LINCOLN and his Cabinet can hardly be conceived. The Cotton States he appears to have lost beyond recovery ; the Border States, which would make the Union as powerful as before, he can retain only by unworthy com promises. In this country we may hope that he will not disgrace himself by the latter. It is cer tain that, if the North be true to liberty, and if the Border States go with the Gulf States, the slaves of the States adjacent to free soil will be of little value to their masters. This is the rod which the North can always hold out over the Border States. With no fugitive slave law, how will Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri keep their slaves ? A short time ago we suggested to the sincere and eariest supporters of the Ballot in Parliament that they must mend their tactics in respect to securing a good discussion in the house of their all-important reform. The first object should be of course to muster too strongly to admit of a count out. A practical point not to be overlooked also would be to send word to the Liberal journals that they might expect a thorough night's work on the Ballot, since there is at least one well-known journal which cannot be relied on to do justice to the subject even to the extent of full reporting. But the grand object is to be provided with matter, and interesting matter too, and speakers, for a bona fide discussion. Hitherto the hindrance has been that the house would try to stifle it after Mr. BERKELEY had spoken ; the Ballot was not to be endured when the dinner hour came. A third requisite therefore is a speaker who will not be put down by cries of " Divide," or even by all or any of the other modes of interruption by which our legislators attempt to get rid of truth which is unacceptable to most of them, as well as of worthless bores and crotchet-men. Another de s i ra bl e arrangement we suggested, is the common one of division of labour. If opponents endeavour, as they so frequently have done, to finish up a de bate by their silence, some considerable care is requisite to make up for the interest and variety which is furnished by objections and replies. Argument all on one side, without some manage ment, becomes very wearisome through the dan ger of iteration. At our ordinary public meetings this is prevented by giving each of the speakers a resolution which forms a distinct topic ;—and' if the sullen obstinacy of Whigs and Tories com pels us to convert the House of Commons into a kind of public meeting, Ist us cheerfully accept the fact, and use it well. And if we do once use it well, we may rest assured we shall not have a second opportunity of doing it. The Ballot fur nishes, as we formerly observed, so many distinct branches of illustration, and in the collection of documents by the Ballot Society, a brief could pro bably be found so readily for each speaker that a little determination and previous concert would alone be requisite to make a House of Commons, which shirked debate, the most efficient public meeting on the Ballot in the world. We know not whether our previous observations attracted the notice of any member of the House of Commons, but some Parliamentary friend of our cause requests to be supplied with information on the use of the Vote by Ballot, in 1. Public corporations, such as banks, railways, and other companies having large pecuniary trusts to discharge. 2. Literary, scientific, and other similar societies. 3. Clubs, fashionable, military, and social. 4. Mechanics' Institutes and other similar bodies. 5. Benefit societies, such as freemasons, odd fellows, foresters, and others. 6. Any society, club, or institution, in which the ministers of any denomination act in any way by the Ballot. 7. Any schools or colleges in which the Ballot is used to elect fellows, schoolmasters, or decide other matters. 8. Rifle Corps in the election of officers. Lastly. Any other public or private company or society in which the vote by Ballot is used. The request is a good one. We 'gladly give it publicity. We shall be able to furnish him with a few pertinent facts of the kind he asks from our own personal knowledge and our own circle, and shall feel pleasure in doing so. We presime it is desirable that in every case the communication should be from personal or very certain knowledge, not from common report and the views and objects of those who 'so use the ballot ; the results of their experience warrants them in attributing to its use the absence of unpleasant consequences; and, if it be not obvious, the class of persons who use it should be stated. There is probably a much wider use of secret voting amongst all classes of English men than would be suspected unless all were brought together. Probably, few of us are not connected with some kind of institution in which secret voting is not thought desirable in some of the elections, and a wide inquiry might prove to demonstration, that so far from being un-English, the Ballot is really a most English plan of voting. Indeed, the charge of cowardice is so absurd as to be, in truth, cowardly itself. It is a charge made to hide the accuser's own fear of meeting dependent or needy electors on equal terms. As Lord TEYNIIAM well observed lately, "it is no sign of want of courage to fight behind a shield." If indeed it be so, what means all this training our riflemen to avail themselves of the slightest cover, and to dig themselves rifle pits ? What means all this discussion about iron-armour plates for our ships of war. Are our brave sailors skulkers ? Indeed, as General NAPIER, if we recollect rightly, said, " War is the art of hiding." At all events, to fight on equal terms is the first demand of every Englishman, and the most willing concession of his opponent. But what equal terms can there be between the Liberal tenant farmer and the Tory landlord ? Or between the Liberal debtor and the Tory creditor ? Or between all the dependent Liberals and the Tories who have power, without assigning a reason, to injure, harass, and annoy them ? And, of course, in too numerous cases, we might reverse the positions of the terms Whig and Tory, and the inequality would be the sane. By the Ballot both combatants are certainly placed on the same footing. The weapons of argu ment and persuasion are left to each; but the power of coercion is taken from-one, when the other has no power to coerce in return. Anything fairer than this we cannot imagine. If, therefore, fair play be English, the Ballot must be English enough. We think, also, that answers to the infor mation sought above would fully prove that Eng lishmen largely avail themselves of this obvious means of securing fair play. VOCAL ANSOCIA7IOIV, ST. IA .31 RS'S HALL. The second concert of the season took place last evening, and M. Benedict has good reason to congratulate himself on the increasing popularity and commendation attending his efforts to render high class music acceptable and appreciated, even among those whose ears may not have been edu cated to estimate the beauty and power of a Mozart or Bach as readily as they recognise the spirit stirring accents of an Irish jig or the pleasing harmony of a Nigger melody. The programme of last evening afforded a charm ing variety of entertainment, well calculated to attract and please a crowded audience, and evinc ing in the gifted conductor the greatest care and desire to do his best for the elevation of public taste. Few men are more earnestly and entirely devoted to the Art they profess than M. Benedict. He is a real " worker," doubtless finding ample reward in the enthusiastic success which crowns his labours, labours which denote him to be as refined in mental selection as he is earnest in practical performance. ' The concert commenced with Mozart's " Ave Verum," sung by the full choir, followed by the beautiful old madrigal of Morley's, " Say Gently Nymph." ,The other performances of the choir consisted of Bach's corale, " 0, let 'us praise the Lord," Meyerbeer's " Paternoster," Benedict's " Bunting Song," Webb's glee " When winds breathe soft," " Ye Mariners of England,'' and ":cots wha hae," the latter arranged for male voices only. Of these we may notice especially Bach's corale" O, let us praise the Lord," and the " Bunting Song" as being rendered with perfect effect; well marked harmony of tone and careful attention to " lights and shadows" being prominent qualifications of these singers, convincing all who hear them that the two hundred voices of the Vocal Association Choir are thoroughly up to their work. Madame Lemmens Sherrington was the leading lady vocalist, and charmed the audience with all she did. 11Iendelssohn's Psalm, "Hear my Prayer," has rarely been better sung than by her, and the delicious sweetness and delicacy which marked the last verse could not easily be excelled. Benedict's song, " The Skylark," narrowly escaped an encore, her treatment of it combining all the spirit and freshness which it requires. Miss Messent, Miss Augusta Thomson, and Miss Boden were the other fair artistes. The former sang the scena and aria " Parto," from Mozart's "Clemenza di Tito," with considerable ability, the clarionet obligate being taken by M. Lazarus. Miss Augusta Thomson, who belongs to the " florid" school, found ample verge for her power in Auber's " Pouvoir du Chant ;" and so ably was it delivered th a t a rap turous encore was bestowed. Miss Boden sang Hatton's ballad, " The Blacksmith's Son," with such pleasing effect, that this also was re - demanded. In the instrumental department Miss Ward was the pianiste, and elicited well-merited applause. The theme selected was a fantasia by Fumagalli, " La L anse des Sylphes," played in a style which was distinguished for clearness of touch, precision of accent, and delicacy of taste. Miss Ward was warmly applauded, and re called to receive the ovation due to her. M. Sainton gave two exquisite performances on the violin—the first being the. " Romance in F," by Beethoven ; the second, a Fantasia on Scottish airs, in which he introduced the old Jacobite air, " Wha'll be King but Charlie," and that rich bit of pensive, heartholding melody, " Auld Robin Grey," with other popular snatches of vital music which never fail to rouse the most passive and elite of listeners into something like active demonstration of feeling. We never heard M. Sainton play with greater effect than that which he produced in some of the passages in the "Romance," while the brilliancy and vigour which he imparted to other portions of the composition, stamped him as a thorough master of his instrument. The concert altogether was of first-rate excellence, the only defalcation in oir opinion resting with Mr. Riccardo, whose voice is, at times, considerably out of tune and scarcely equal to the demand's he makes on it. The Hall was crowded with a highly fashionable audience, who appeared to truly appreciate the excellence of the fare provided for them, and bestowed on M. Benedict the greeting he so well deserves. The third concert will take place on Wednesday, April 17th. THE EXPEROR AND THE BISHOP OF POITIERS. The Illoniteur publishis the following Imperial decree : NAPOLEON, "By the Grace of God and the National Will, Emperor of the French ; T o all whom these presents may concern, greeting ; " On the report of our Minister of Public Wore ship, in which he proposes to us to declare that there is abuse in the pastoral letter of the Bishop of Poitiers, dated the 22d Februa r y, 1861 ; " Considering that the said pastoral letter was read in all the churches of the diocese, published in different journals, and offered for sale by several booksellers at Poitiers and in Paris ; " Considering the written observations presented to our Council of State, the 13th March, 1861, by the Bishop of Poitiers on th e commu nication made to him of th e a b ove mentioned report; " Considering Art. 1 of the Declaration of March, 1682, and Arts. 86 and 204 of the Penal Code; " Considering , also, A r t s . 6 an d 8 of the law of 18 Germinal, An b 10; "And whereas, according to the terms of the Declaration of 1682, it is a fundamental maxim in the French law, ' That the Chief of the Church, and the Church itself, have only received power over spiritual things, and not over civil temporal matters that, consequently, the p as t ora l l etters which iishops may address to the faithful of their diocese, must only have for object to instruct them in their religious duties ; " Whereas, the Bishop of POitiers, by his pastoral letter of the 22d Feb. last, took on himself to cen sure the policy and to criticise the acts of our Government; " Considering that the said pastoral letter also contains an offence against our person and makes remarks calculated to alarm the religious belief of our Catholic subjects ; " Considering that these facts constitute an excess of power, a contravention of the laws in the Empire, and a proceeding which might arbitrarily disturb the conscience of citizens ; " Our Council of State having been heard, "We have decreed and do hereby decree as follows : " Art. 1. There is an abuse in the pastoral letter of the Bishop of Poitiers of the 22nd Feb., 1861.' " The said pastoral letter is and remains sup pressed. " ' Art. 2. Our Minister of Public Worship is charged with the execution of the present decree, which shall be inserted in the Bulletin des Lois.' " Given at the Palace of the Tuileries, this 30th day of March, 1861. " NAPOLEON. (Countersigned) " ItOLTLAND." DEPARTURE OF THE COURT FOR OSBORNE. —1 he Queen and Prince Consort, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, Princess Alice, Prince Arthur, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Leopold, and Princess Beatrice, left Windsor Castle at half-past two o'clock to-day for Osborne. In consequence of the very deep mourning in which her Majesty and Royal Family now are, the usual guards of honour and all ceremonies were dispensed with by her Majesty's command. The navigation is expectA to open very early th's yoar in Upper Canada. The late thaws have occasioned tremendous freshets, and bridges and mills have been car ried away, and many parts of the country are now under water. This has been the most singular winter ever known. The quantity of snow that has fallen is quite wt.. precedented; there are in same places 10 feet of snow in owes ) make wate r f a ll s all cyer the places o ur streets, which, st ee p as they are, will, when the real thaw EST :LN )7 LAILOI WI L.l4'. TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE. PARIS, THURSDAY. The Mointeur of to-day says :—" The reports o pretended modifications in the )linistry are withou' any foundation." The ..lionueur reproduces the note published by the Constitutionnel on the subject of the letter of Prince Murat. TURIN, WEDNESDAY EVENING. In to-day's sitting of the Chamber of Deputies the discussion on the affairs of Naples was continued. The Minister of the Interior, in reply to the re marks made by Signor Massari, Paternostro, and Ricciardi, in yesterday's sitting, decLred that the inconveniences of the administration of Naples pointed out by those members had been exaggerated. He said he would remedy those which really existed, and stated that Government would increase the military forces in the southern provinces as a measure of public safety. The Minister stigmatised the accusations brought against some public functionaries as calumnies, and refuted the other points in the interpellation of Signor Massari. M. Minghetti then considered the question of arming the National Guard, and concluded by say ing that the arguments he had adduced in regard to Naples could be applied to Sicily. The Marquis de Montezemolo, Lieutenant of that province, would, he said, be replaced at his own request. The Minister of Public Works gave explanations relative to the railway, postal, and telegraphic ser vice in Southern Italy, and drew, attention to the fact that several contracts for railways had been signed. Other deputies spoke on the question of Naples, and the discussion became rather animated. Seve ral propositions in the form of orders of the day were brought forward, and the debate Was ad journed until tomorrow. CONSTANTINOPLE, APRIL 3. The Porte has ordered the blockade of the coast of Montenegro. Omar Pasha has been received by the Sultan. It is likely that ho will be appointed commander 01 the army in Bosnia and the Herzogovina. VIENNA, APRIL 4. An Imperial decree orders the resumption of payments in silver in Lombardo-Venetia, the authorities of that province having secured the necessary stock of specie. The loan of the City of Naples, amounting to two millions and a half of ducats (about 12 millions of francs), is stated by the Italie of Turin to have been taken by the banking-house of Magnus, at Berlin, at the rate of 80 per cent. PESTH, APRIL 3. The formal installation of the members of the " Curia Regia" took place to-day. The Veni Sancte was celebrated by the Prince Primate. After the religious ceremony the Presi dent delivered a speech in the Hall of Assembly, in which he laid particular stress on the importance of the occasion, and of the concessions obtained from the Government. The Provisional Judicial Administration has been suppressed. TENIESVAR, APRIL 3. Tho Servian National Congress has appointed a committee of 22 members, a large majority of whom expressed their sympathies and confidence in the cause of Hungary. TURIN, APRIL 3. Garibaldi has been received with the greates enthusiasm by the people. It is said that he has consented to receive a de putation from the city of Naples. It is also said that he will be present at the diE cussion of the affairs of Southern Italy in the Chamber of Deputies. Signor Brignole has tendered his resignation as Senator. The Opinione of to-day publishes an article on the Roman question which says :—The French occupation could not be further pi olonged without rendering the position of France more difficult. France maintains her troops at Rome to protect the Pope, but from the moment that Italy grants the amplest guarantees for the security of the Pope and the freedom of the Church, the mission of the French soldiers can be fulfilled with dignity bx the national army. COPENHAGEN, APRIL 3. It is stated positively that the Ministers of Great Britain and Russia have called on the Danish Government to sincerely fulfil its promises relative to the budget, declaring that they shall hold Den mark responsible for any rupture which may take place with Germany. KALISCH, APRIL 3. A committee, composed of 24 citizens, has been established for maintaining order in the town and the surrounding country. Public tranquillity has not been further disturbed. WARSAW, APRIL 3. At the request of the Governor, Prince Gorts. chakoff, the number of citizens composing the dele• gation has been reduced to 12. The sessions of the delegation are being provi sionally held in the Town-hall, until the regular municipal council shall enter upon its functions. The sittings of the delegation w ill no longer be held in the Ressource Rooms. ROME, APRIL 3. Yesterday during service the Pope fainted away. Assistance was immediately tendered. The indis position of his Holiness is not of a. serious nature. BOMBAY AND MAURITIUS MAILS. MARSEILLES, APRIL 4. • } rhe Valetta, with the above mails, arrived at Marseilles at 6 a.m. this day. The mails were to leave for London at 10 a.m. The Delta, with the heavy portion of the mails, &c., left Malta at 5 a.m. on the Ist, and may be expected at Southampton on the 1:0th inst. The China brought the mails from Bombay, and the Norna those from Mauritius, both arriving at Suez on the 28th of March. THE OUTWARD MA ILS. The Massilia (from Southamptc,a 20th March) reached Malta at 2 a.m. on the 30th, and sailed at noon same day. The Ve2tis (from Marseilles 28th. of March) ar rived at Malta at 11 p.m. on the 30th, and left for Alexandria at 5 next morning. --- , FRANCE. PARIS, WEDNESDAY. The squadron of evolution has finished taking in stores at Toulon and is making preparations for sailing. It is said that four ships of the line and one frigate will proceed immediately to the Syrian waters, where England is; increasing LI- naval force. BOURSE, April 3.—The market has, since the termination of the settlement, relapsed into the same dull and inanimate state which marked the conclusion of the month, and prices have again re ceded. Threes, for the Account, which opened at 67f 65c, are now at 67f 45c. Railways quiet. The following were the last quotations !- 41 per per Cents ... 95 Credit Fonder 935 155 i end mouth.... Belgian ft 3 per Cents Do. end month 67 55 Roman Bank Shares . . 2892 50 Austrian— Credit Mcbilier 637 50 Spanish Threes.... 48 Do. A 000taat 6 40 Home Debt loops out from the cam ass a bonny matron enough, carrying her sleeping bairn on her shoul ders, tucked up in her pladdie, bearing upon her arm a basket of field flowers. Turn we, however, from the large central room into the north-east apartment where, in the place of honour over the mantelpiece—yet notwithstanding that, but indif ferently hung after all, without doubt badly hung considering the high merit of the production — there appears, to our thinking about the most remarkable, as it is certainly the moat ambitious among all the figure pictures in the Exhibition. It is numbered 583, is entitled "Elaine," and is described in the catalogue as painted by C. Goldie and H. W. Brewer. The incident pourtrayed, as the name of the picture will have indicated to the readers of " The Idylls of the King," is taken from that last fragmentary masterpiece of the Poet Laureate. Elaine, the beautiful Elaine, is there steered by the " dumb old servitor," floating in the antique barge "upwards with the flood" towards Camelot—Elaine, dead, with the lily in her hand — Elaine, fair as the lily in her life, fairer in death, lying extended there upon her bier— all her bright hair streaming down, And all the coverlid rich cloth of gold Down to her waist, aid she herself in white." The river and its burthen, the distant towers of Camelot, the old man and the dead maiden—all are revealed to us, by an exquisite artistic device of the painters, through the grand sweep of a Norman arch in the foreground. The barge is represented at the moment of its gliding up to the palace doorway, and the two armed knights (who guard the porch), clad in their white tunics and shining mail, are approaching awe-stricken (one of them almost in the act of kneeling) to receive the dead and living voyagers. Exception may be taken, no doubt, bythe more fastidious arch esologists both to the armour and to the architecture as anachronisms— but the era of Arthur Pendragon dates back so vaguely and remotely into the far off antique, is so hazed over by the twilight of fable that it remains a moot question to the last as to what may be, or may not be, in its regard, a distinct anachronism. Beyond which it would be difficult to define the precise extent of the poetic license allowable in any work of art so purely and pre-eminently poetical in its whole character, as is this bewitching realisa tion of one of the loveliest dreams ever dreamt by Tennyson. The cynosure of the collection this season among the landscapes, is in its turn readily pointed to. It is No. 125, by Mr. Vicat Cole, and represents, with resplendent truth fulnes to nature —" A Surrey Cornfield." Let any rational man, who has ever looked forth with eyes of love upon the reality of a scene like this, stand before that noble picture and say frankly, without knowing whose the brush that limned it, whether it be not in truth a superb pro duction. Such to our mind it is indubitably : as— though in a lesser way, because simply ,upon a smaller scale and with fewer protenthns—is yet another picture in the Gallery from the same easle : No. 491. " Autumn," with wonderful dead and dying fern and litter of undergrowth in the fore ground. Not far from the latter, in the south-west room, is a marvellous red-legged King Cophetua, No. 476, by W. J. Montaigne, a gawking King Cophetua choosing the beggar girl for his wife— the wonder being,however, her accepting him—that spindling piece of royalty half flamingo, half Mephistopheles ! Another amazing work of art not far from it (both in position and extravagance), is J. Lee's (No. 443) " Sweethearts and Wives " such Jack Tars, to be sure, and their " Missusses" —Williams without a touch of romance, and Smug remarkable, we may be certain, for black eyes of a very different character from those mentioned in Mr. Gay's old ballad. Quitting the room haunted by that kingly caricature of our own Edward Longshanks, and rendered dreadful by the mere remembrance of that boatful of sea-lubbers—we will pause a while in the outer room to console our selves by a glance round the collection of water colours. Here, at once to begin with, is a " sweet heart " indeed; a sweetheart capable, upon the instant, of exorcising the demon recollection of those others, those mere pretenders to that dulcet dooignation. No. 656 is on the margin oret schen" is her name—J. Bouvier sen. is the delicate handed artist who has pencilled her, as she stands yonder, by the porch way in the garden, picking the daisy to pieces, as she dreams there fancy free in " maiden meditation I" Several other charming productions from the same hand we notice, the majority of them at once green ticketted, "sold," like this one of pretty " Gretschen." Instance No. 687, " Mary Magdalene" standing at early dawn on that first Easter morning by the open sepulcher. Or, again, No. 780, the same artist's " Flores del Balcon," at Tortosa—blooming flowers peeping coyly, coquetishly over the grass-green balcony, flowers, the mere acquaintance of which it would be pleasant one might think to cultivate. Hap pier than this last mentioned picture is the compa nion painting by J. Bouvier, sen., No. 765, " The Home of the Izard Hunter" in the BasseS Pyrenees. The delicious scarlet head-dress of the young mother contrasting so exquisitely with the downy flaxen head'of the little baby nestling on her bosom— " Tke sacre enfant aux cheveux blonds! bel ango A l'aureele d'or :" Another graceful picture by J. Bouvier junior this time, however—is in the adjoining apartment, No. 573, "The Little Truant"—a truant, we may rest assured, who will only be corrected with kisses—beaming out upon us roguishly from the painting—blue eyed, golden haired, all glowing and dishevelled, as she sits there on the rustic slab bridging the rivulet, sorting the wild flowers in her lap. Among the other contributions to the Suffolk street Gallery, from the same artist family, there are two sweet little pictures in the water colour room, both of them from the hand of Miss Bouvier; one (No. 671) "Blue Eyed Peggy," (surely the twin sister of the little truant, if not the truant herself in another aspect of childish beauty)—and No. 672, "Little Gipsy Jane," leaning upon a stile, ready upon the instant, doubtless, to go any where a-nutting or picking blackberries. Clints there are, as a matter of course, in the Gallery, this year as during so many previous seasons— with sunsets of the most gorgeous vermillion! Boddingtons, with sedgy river banks, tempting one even in April to take "a header" into them, like the hero of the" Colleen B awn !" Subjects there are too selected by the miscellaneous contributors, in amusing variety—subjects as old and as trite as No. 253, " Little Red Riding Hood," or as No. 557, the closing incident in " Bluebearo" (Sister Anne on the Tower) —subjects as new as No. 365, " Hefty at her Toilet," from " Adam Bede :" as No. 366, " Sophy and Lionel" from " What will he do with it" (Bulwer ought to know, however, not painted by Vance!): or as "Eva and Lord Montacute"from Tancred," the last of the brilliant series of novels written by the right hon. gentleman—novelist, now no longer, but statesman and orator exclusively— the leader of her Majesty's Opposition. Enough has been here said, however, of the worthless shells or of the gems of "purest ray serene" discoverable, by those who care to look for them, in the five rooms, those yet unfathomed caves of the Suffolk Street collection. Enough of the rare flowers and abundant weeds blooming upon the wide waste of this art wilderness. A QUESTION FOR THE HORSE GUARDS.—When Peace is concluded, is War commenced ?—Punch. A MAN BAKED TO DEATH.—An accident of shocking character, and by which a man ;lamed John Re" met with a dreadful death, has occurred at Mountain Ash, Glamorganshire. In the neighbourhood are some kilns for the manufacture of lime, at one of which the deceased, who was a steady, well-conducted man, of between 30 and 40 years of age, was engaged, when ho accidentally slipped through the crust into the burning kiln. His cries brought help, and strenuous efforts were made in the hope of extri cating him from the appalling 6ituation in which he was, but, unhappily, they proved unavailing, and the poor fellovt was slowly burnt to death in the kiln. His charred and mutilated body was ultimately got out, and information having been forwarded to the coroner for the district, Mr. George Overton, that official at once issued his precept, and an inquest was held at the Boot Inn, Aberdare. From the evidence adduced, it appeared that the death was en tirely to be attributed to an accidental cause, and the jury returned a verdict to that effect. The deceased was much respected in the circle in which he moved, and his horrible death has caused quite a gloomy sensation in the neigh+ kowtood. RAILIT.&Y S . Cash. Account. Orleans 1390 1392 50 Northern New ditto BBO Lyons and Mediterranean 938 76 .. 940 Geneva 3BO .. Southern 530 532 60 Western Eastern Sardinian Austrian Lombard 456 25 .. 457 50 PRUSSIA. The King has sent the following reply to the address presented to him by the municipality of Berlin on the occasion of his Majesty's birthday:-- " I have to return my sincere thanks to the magistrates and town authorities of Berlin for the good wishes expressed by them towards me on my birthday. Although I keep this day for the first time since my accession to the Government, it must give rise to very complicated feelings, which im pose on me a greater retirement ; yet the universal sympathy expressed by the inhabitants of Berlin towards me on the day has not escaped my notice, but has left a pleasurable impression on my heart. Doubly joyful, however, are the assurances of con fidences which the authorities of the town bring to me in the name of the corporation, and which I hope to justify through my government. May I succeed in keeping the storms which threaten Europe far from our country in order that we may undisturbedly promote our internal development, and devote all our powers thereto. May the Lord grant us His blessing and His assistance for this purpose. "Berlin, March 28, 1861." "WILLIAM. THE SUFFOLK STREET GALLERY. Although, according to custom, we duly at tended ►upon the occasion of the Private View of the pictures here collected together, and although we have since then revisited the Gallery for the express purpose of subjecting its contents to a more careful and deliberate examination, we have been precluded until now from making any com ment upon this, The Society of British Artists' thirty-eighth Annual Exhibition. Upon considera tion, however, the delay is by no means matter of regret to ourselves. For upon a closer scru tiny of the 877 works of art here distributed over the walls of this ample suite of apartments —upon a much closer scrutiny than was in any way practicable upon the afternoon of the Pri vate View, when the Five Rooms were thronged by far more than the usual number of art con noiseurs, we have found reason to modify in some particulars our estimate of the general character of the present year's collection. Several of the less obtrusive and more meritorious contributions to the Gallery win the attention only after the eye has become accustomed to the glare of the great majority of productions here exhibited, those more gorgeous, and in one sense more am bitious paintings by which they are surrounded. Scattered at rarest intervals through the collection, there are undoubtedly noticeable here and there, even at a superficial glance, a " select few" among these 877 pictures, that are at once recognised as remarkable, that almost instantly captivate more or less of our admiration. But with the mass of paintings iu this collection, it is really and truly (without one particle of exaggeration) very much indeed what it was with a certain class of quasi poetry, accord ing to a memorable phrase in one of Lord Macau lay's most formidable criticisms. The art here revealed for the most part is indubitably, as Ma caulay pronounced its sister art to be in the instance of the unfortunate metrical aspirant then under the lash of that terrible Edinburgh Reviewer—of the " Turkey•carpet " school or character. " His writing," quoth Macaulay, " bears the same rela tion to poetry which a Turkey-carpet bears to a picture. There are colours in the Turkey-carpet out of which a picture might be made. There are words in these writings which when disposed in certain orders and combinations, have made, and will again make, poetry, But, as they now stand, they seem to be put together on prin ciple in such a manner as to give no image of anything, in the heavens above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth.'" It is, we repeat, with the bulk of these paintings as it was with the bulk of that sot-disant poetry : here, as there, the art is unquestionably of the Turkey-carpet style or character. Remember ing what the limner's art can accomplish, remem bering what it can be and has been— " Caraeci's strength, Corregio's softer line, Paulo's free stroke and Titian's warmth divine—" (Pope's Epistle to Jervas.) one cannot 'view the generality of tne pictures here exhibited without a certain sense of depression, with. out experiencing a certain solicitude for the prospects of the British Artists of whose skill (or rather want of it) they are the manifestation. Altogether the twofold character (already specified) of the Exhibi tion now opened for the current season in the Suf folk-street Gallery is, to us, in one sense exceed ingly like a realization of . Mason's art-rule from Du Fresnoy— " Forbid two hostile colours close to meet, And weave with middle tints their union sweet ; Yet varying all their tones, let some aspire Fiercely in front, some tenderly retire." Here, without doubt, the more flagrant majority of the pictures now being exhibited do certainly aspire "fiercely in front"—with a vengeance. While some as certainly—the consoling minority —'tenderly retire," have for the most part to be looked for—but these " when found," after Captain Cattle's plan, we " make note of" on the margin of our catalogue. Conspicuous among the more outrageous majority of the Exhibitors, however, must assuredly be classed Mr. Hurlstone himself, the Society's Presi dent. His industry, season after season, we pre sume, meets with its reward somewhere—certainly wins from us, and we believe from the gene rality also, but a very small modicum of admiration. Magnificence of colouring he does unquestionably impart to his canvass, with the affluent brush of a house-painter, almost, one might fancy, at times with the lavish trowel of a plasterer. No 284, " Spanish peasant girls of thespurs of the Alpujarras mountains," estimated in the catalogue at 125 guineas may be particularised as one of the most notable among the six specimens displayed by him this year, exemplars of his bad drawing and of his gaudy audacity as a colourist. Another well known member of the society, Mr. Woolmer, contributes to the Gallery this season as many as seven of his mannered productions—productions almost equally glaring in hue, decidedly better in drawing, occa sionally more careless in manner, always more vague and mystical in significance. Of these, N o . 28 NyWhio'claet seven, h,'' may Iy be specifi e d, as , perhaps, the least meretrici ous. Mr. Tyne , another eminent member, on ce one "The out Bridal of the of the glories of the Society' s G a ll ery, co n tents him self this year with a single production, a little cabi net picture : No. 73, quite unworthy of his genius, showing us "Rome from the Ilex Walk," in the pi ac i an Gardens. Unworthy of Mr. Pyne's genius, that is to say, not so much intrin sically, not so far as th e li tt l e pa i nt i ng i tself goes —but simply viewing it as the one solitary product of his indisputably large abilities. A charming embodiment.of '‘‘ Summer," No. 172, by J. J. Hill (another popular member of the Society), a picture .amostinstantaneously lit up in the margin by that little green ticket so dear to an artist's eyes —the little green ticket roguishly pinned, to her stomacher by Ethel Newcome when affianced to the Marquess of Farintosh— " Summer," as she is there depicted by Mr, Hill, The flglal cent., the p u l much dneed circles. Past w 4 for mo have 10, flay, tk 11 1 the i inereasi Payiner few da Public dend, Aboll sent int The / ber of togethe redemp Conti cotton out any about 6 The ] Ceylon, dollars, reigns, jeweller The t Way of ezhited same pe Town noon th "ey, a' t his rao 9 4 I fo The red 1 .1:0al. en Stock h remains Improve Forei l and the Turkish 63 1 54; 100 ; M Dutch 2 tit 41i, 1 The 1 to this d Itireat W North-NI) Brighton Midland south-EE Great No Lansashii Bristol ar North-Es llanchest west Mic Great Soi Xdinbur g 'and T r Great w€ The a ratter, °Whig tc The Not °lithe N °a the Western to X 3,65 Eastern to X 3,11 Norther Lincoln there if; In th, been to juereasei returns 1 the Ban Eastern Proved Yorkshi: and Brig and Lii former r _ The ] been in kent in and Lon 3 °f canal Great It Joint Port pre I Per Cep India Sto Ditto 5 Ditto 1 ditto I Ditto II Colas°lB t Exchequl Ditt quador Mexican Ditto Peruvian Ditto 3 rortugue Ditto Russian Ditto 3 SPsuish u Ditto / , r ,l 3 Panish Ditto / Ditto Ditt o ( Ditto J. cieunlitchdnaon F: 21 RE] Consc D Al