The Sun. — London, England, 1861-01-08 00:00:00

PROPOSED NEW RAILWAYS. g It is not surprising that there are more railway bills than usual for the session that is now close upon us. In London railway history especially the past year has been very remarkable. The first metropolitan railway bridge across the Thames has been opened, the works for a second at Charing cross have begun, and Parliament has passed an act for a third at Blackfriars. The Metropolitan line, which is here to meet and join the Chatham and Dover, and with it constitute the first railroad entirely through the heart of London, has at length set to work in real earnest, and is likely to be opened in the spring of next year. When we add that many railways have been paying larger divi dends than at any time since the great break 'down 10 years ago, and have risen greatly in value as investments, and that the crowding of the streets has been getting more and more intolerable, there need be no wonder that the ice once broken, and London opened to the iron king after long denial, scheme upon scheme is now pouring in. First of all, this Metropolitan line jest mentioned, which will come from Paddington by Easton-square and King's-cross, and bring the traffic of the Northern lines to Farringdon -street, has a bill for an exten sion to a more thoroughly "city station" in Fins bury-circus, to which point also it is proposed to bring the Eastern Counties line—measures which would certainly tend to relieve the streets and give an unbroken communication through London from the east to the west side of the kingdom, as well as from north to south. Whether Finsbury-circus will be able to hold its own against the invader is very doubtful ; but if that spot is too central to be spared for open space, the Thames embankment may compensate for its loss. Another city station scheme has also made its appearance, in the shape of a plan for bringing the North Londoa line from Kingsland to Liverpool-street, Broad-street, saving the absurd round by Bow and Stepney ; and:there is also a bill for a line from Broad-street to Irongate-wharf, on the river. But besides conveyance into the very midst of London, and a railroad through London to save through passengers and goods the drive along the streets from station to station, there is the pressing need of another line of communication east and west through the town. Accordingly, we have the " West-end :and City" scheme for an under ground line from Regent-circus to join the Metro politan at Holborn-bridge; there is also a proposal to extend the Metropolitan itself from its Padding ton end to Bayswater and Kensington •, and the Charin.;-cross Railway (City Terminus)" offers a line from the Charing-cross Railroad in St. Saviour's, Southwark, over the Thames to Cannon-street, giving a route from that street to Charing-cross, the passengers crossing the river twice. Last, but by no means least, there is the Thames embankment from Westminster-bridge to Blackfriars, with, it seems, a railroad, and, in all prob&bility, a new street eventually from Blackfriars-bridge to the Bank. This may really become the greatest metropolitan improvement of modern times. With the river purified, the slimy mud banks gone, the railway under cover, and a broad road and pic.ar nade planted with trees, it would, as the Commons committee was told, almost answer the purpose of a park in the very heart of London. But these are nut the only metropolitan schemes; there are others, links in the girdle round London. It is proposed to make the Regent's Canal supply a railroad from Maiden-lane, in the north, to the Tuatnea at Limehouse, with branches to existing lines. The Kensington -station line asks leave to extend itself to Prince Albert's-road, Ken sington ; a line to Hammersmith is projected, and a lice from Greenwich to Woolwich. Other branches are proposed, some of them uniting the great trunk lines—a line from Edgware to King's-cross and the North London line, another from Hornsey to Hendon, one from Tot tenham to Hornsey, a line connecting the Great Northern (at Barnet) with the North and South- Western Junction line to Kew, lines from Brent ford to Richmond, and Rickmansworth to Uxbridge, the latter completing a connection between the Great Western and North-Western, which may bring the smokeless Welsh coal into a paper-mill district. London and its neighbourhood form the great mark for the competition of this Session. But if we pass into the country we shall find many changes in progress and in prospect. In the south the direct line from London to Exeter has at last been opened, and apparently with no irrepara • ble damage to the older line, and in a few months there is to be a second lino to Dover also. In anti cipation of it the South-Eastern is setting its house in order, and proposing to improve its access to Folkestone harbour, in the hope of making that all its own. The Andover and Redbridge ag ain asks leave to enter South am pt on , an d th ere are Bills also for lines to that prosperous town from Petersfield and from Fareham, and also for a line from South ampton to Netley. Several branches are proposed to places at present without railways—Seaford, Bognor, Marlborough, Sherborne, St. Ives, Fowey ; and there are projects for filling up gaps in rail road communication, shortening routes, or supply ing local branches—Alton to Winchester, Uckfield to Tunbridge Wells, Newport to Rvde, Salisbury to Poole, Axminster to the coast, - Wells to Bristol. In the extreme west it is proposed to construct a railway from the North Devon line to Okehampton and Tavistock (with a branch to Launceston), com pleting an inland route between Plymouth and Portsmouth. Passing over to Wales, which is gra dually filling up with railroads, we find schemes for supplying links in the communication between Manchester and Milford and between the manufac turing districts arid the South Welsh coalfield and ports on the Bristol Channel : plans for access to Aberystwith and the western coast, with lines in that direction from Rhyl in the north and Haver fordwest in the south ; for lines from Shrewsbury to the Carnarvonshire coast, from Oswestry to Whitchurch, and from Montgomery to Stretford Bridge, on the Hereford—both the last two uniting trunk lines. On the opposite side of the kingdom, in the restless region of the eastern counties, there is a multitude of schemes—lines for new communications between Colchester and Cam bridge, between London and Bury St. Edmunds, from this latter town to Thetford and Lyan and to join the Spalding (and consequently the Great Northern), and from Bishop's Stortford to Brain tree, uniting the Colchester and Cambridge lines; from Holme to Ramsey, and from Lynn to Hon stanton ; lines to Saffron Walden, and to Bright linalea, en the coast, near Colchester. In the Midland counties there is a proposal to extend the Wycombe branch to Oxford, with a view to a now and shorter route thence to London ; and there is a bold scheme for extending the West Midland from Yarnton, near Oxford, to London. Already the West Midland, by its recent amalga mations, stretches from Shrewsbury down to South Wales on the one hand, and to Oxford on the other. Leave is to be asked for a line from Ashchurch, near Tewkesbury (whence a railroad to Malvern is being constructed), to Evesham, uniting the Bristol and Birmingham line with the West Midland. A line is proposed from Worcester to Leominster ; one from Dudley to Craven Arms, on4he Shrewsbury and Hereford line • from Wolverhampton to Bridg north ; a branch from Atherstone or Nuneaton, on the Trent Valley, to Whitacre, on the Birmingham and Derby, which, with lines in progress, will give a direct communication between Leicester and Birmingham; lines from Ellesmere to Wrexham and Mold, and also to Oswestry, on the one side, and to Whitchurch on the other; a line extending the Stourbridge to Smethwick, near Birmingham ; all these connect trunk lines with one another at intermediate points, and that is a noticeable charac teristic of the projects for next session. Then there are bills for lines to Market Drayton, Much Wenlock, Alcester, and Henley-in-Arden. The Cheshire Midland, it seems, is to be extended from its Northwich terminus to Chester, giving a second line thence to Manchester. A line is proposed from the Midland at Mansfield, and also from near Chesterfield, to Shireoaks, on the Sheffield line, near Worksop. The Great Northern again perseveres in asking to be extended from Doncaster to Wakefield ; the South Yorkshire seeks to cross the Trent at Keadby ; a line is pro posed for shortening the route from Hall to Don caster, another connecting the Sheffield line with the Whaley -bridge, and lines to Otley and Ilkley- The Great Northern and the Sheffield companies are, it is said, to have their desired line from Gars ton into Liverpool, g iving the Sheffield a road across f rom the kingdom fro G rimsby to the Mersey. Th e London and N orth - Western propose a line from Edgehill, Liverpool, acros s r to Bootle, on the oth er side of the to wn ; an d other hand from the Lancas hir e ncasillhie is proposed on th e re and Yorkshire at Walton, near Liverpool, to j oin Garston line. B o th the grea t the Edgehill an d e companies just named ask for several new branches in manufacturing an districts ; the North-Western nom line from Eccle s t o Wi gan, and a p li ar ne Propose a crossing o the Mersey at R uncorn , an d there is a bill f branch to Batley. A n i mportant link is being crona structed, and must now be approaching completion, joining the (Little) North-Western at a point near Settle to the Lancaster and Carlisle near Tebay, shortening the rou t e t o Gl asgow. A scheme for a line from Penrith to Cockermouth proposes to take Keswick in its route, making anothe r i nroa d upon the Lake distri c t. On the opposite side of the country the Cleveland seeks extension to the Tees, and various small local lines are proposed in the Newcastle district, besides one of more importance —the Newcastle, Derwent, and Weardale, a line from the first-named town to join the South Dur ham and Lancashire, and thus give a new route from Newcastle to Liverpool. Without going fur- ther north and counting the projects for Scotland, there is one which deserves to be mentioned, for filling up the gap between Perth and Inverness. It is evident that many blank places in the railway map will this year be occupied. But of course several embryo schemes, after giving their Parlia mentary notices, will never come to the birth. Those that do must finally, for life or for extinction, abide the fiat of the least satisfactory tribunal that modern reforms have left in authority in this king dom. It is said that the projects for new lines now to come before Parliament propose to raise nearly £7,000,000 for their execution. But the existing railways require a large sum every year (not paid out of revenue) for additional rolling stock, larger stations, heavier rails, and other improvements, and upon the whole it may be taken that the capital invested in the railways of the United Kingdom increases by £10,000,000 a year. To meet this, and care a return for it, the number of miles of railway increases by about 400 a year. To pay 5 per cent. on the increased capital of £10,000,000 the gross receipts should increase by nearly £1,000,000 a year, or about £19,000 a week. But in 1860 the 12 chief companies alone have had an increase of traffic of considerably more than £1,000,000. There is little doubt that the gross receipts of railways for the year have exceeded the interest of the National Debt, but they have to be winnowed of nearly half for working expenses before any profits are divided on the £350,000,000 invested in the railroads of the United Kingdom. But no one will ever grudge them a fair profit for the vast service they render. Seven years ago, when they were about three-fourths what they now are, Robert Stephenson calculated that, adding together the saving of time i n every railway jour ney taken in a single year, as c om p are d w i t h t h e time it would have occupied by coach, the aggre gate amounted to no less than 38,000 years of eight hours a day; and, allowing 3s. a day as the value of labour, the annual saving to the nation was even then £2,000,000 a year. Above half a million of persons —men with their wives and children—are supported by the employment furnished by the making and working of railroads. As for the pro duce of the traffic, peers, prelates,j udges, private families without number, are enabled to embark in the great carrying business of the country and share in its profits without any personal trouble, risk of liability, or loss of caste—traders without knowing it. REBTFO.RD LITERARY AND SCIE! TIFIC INSTITUTIOIV. MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE. At the monthly conversazione of the Hertford Literary and Scientific Institution, held on Thurs day se'nnight, R. Dimsdale, Esq., read an interest ing and valuable paper on " Labourers' Cottages." Mr. DIMSDALE commenced by saying that no thoughtful man would underrate the importance of the subject of cottage improvement. The clergy man eould tell how often his efforts to guide aright the poor of his flock were frustrated by the malignant influence exercised over them by the wretched dwellings they were com pelled to inhabit; and the schoolmaster could testify how frequently the lessons of purity and cleanliness learnt at school, were counteracted by the too often unavoidable arrangements of the poor child's home. Judges from the bench dwelt upon the evil as one poisoning the springs of social and domestic life; and medical men traced to the same origin much of that physical deterioration of our race, which was, they said, a marked feature of the present age. At nearly every agricultural meeting held in the autumn of last year, the subject was broached, and owners and occupiers of land vied with each other in urging the necessity of an im mediate and sufficient remedy for the evil. In discussing the subject it would be necessary, in the first place, to state the moral and physical evils traceable to the negligence of cottage proprie tors. It was an undoubted fact that close and ill ventilated dwellings were the cause of disease. As ague fastened itself upon badly-drained districts, being comparatively unknown elsewhere, so did typhus—the special scourge of the poor—concen trate its attacks upon the _courts and alleys of our great towns, and upon the disgracefully-built cot tages—hastily thrown up by brick and mortar spe culators, or by ignorant agents of indolent land lords—in our rural districts. Meanwhile th e disease, though it originated, did not end there. The miasma generated in the wretched hovels of the poor found its way through the well-fitting windows of the rich man's mansion, and gathered its victims from the rich man's fireside. Thus neglected duties brought their own reward. Dr. Farr, the eminent statist, calculated the natural rate of mortality at 17 in 1,010 of the population ; while the actual mortality in the less healthy parts of the metropolis was 33 in 1,000 and in one district, the potteries at Kensington, no less than 46 in 1,000- According to this calculation, nearly one-half of those who died in the metropolis were the victims of the neg ligence or the cupidity of man. In London gene rally, the deaths from typhus fever were 12 per cent., while —to show that this disease was per fectly preventible—he might state that in none of the model lodging-houses, established by different philanthropic societies, had a single' case as yet occurred. Dr. Southwood Smith had said—" Typhus springs, not from want, but from filth ; not from insufficiency of food, but from impurity of air, and particularly from such impurity as is produced by over crowd ing, and from the emanations from that poison -pit —the cesspool." But as, where the marshes of Lincolnshire and Kent had been thoroughly drained, ague had disappeared, so they might hope that with well built, well drained, and well ventilated cottages for the poor, typhus would disappear. Then, with regard to scrofulous diseases. M. Ban delocque, a famous French physi c i a n, h a d given i t as his opinion, however ill chosen and unsubstan tial the food of an individual, however much per sonal cleanliness may be neglected, if the house in which he dwelt were but airx, light, and large enough for the number of its inmates, scrofulous disease would never make its appearaace. Mr. Dimsdale then proceeded to give details showing the actual condition of the dwellings of the poor. In four houses in an alley leading out of Oxford street, 461 persons were lodged; and in one room in St. Giles', inspected by commissioners of public health, from 40 to 60 human beings, besides numerous dogs and cats, were found herded toge ther. In a provincial town in the west of Eng land, which he feared might serve as a sample of many nearer home, in a ground floor room, 10 feet by 8 feet, and 5 feet high, were lodged a man with his wife and five children. Mr. Rawlinson, the Government Inspector, asserted that there was hardly a town in England in which scenes as bad, or even worse, might not every day he found by those who sought for them. The natural conse quence of such a state of things was the physical de terioration of the labouring classes. The moral evils resulting from bad dwelling-places were more startling. The crowded apartment, where wife and husband, and children, were huddled together, afforded no quiet resting-place, for the working man when the labours of the day were over. The room, dark as a cellar, with blackened ceiling and damp uneven floor, contrasted unfavourably with the cheerful tap-room of the village alehouse or the gaudy chambers of the London gin-palace. By de grees the husband isolated himself from his family, and too often—more from seeking elsewhere the com forts he failed to fi n d at, home; than f rom any i nnate vicious propen s ity, th e poor man b ecame, through evil associations, a reckless drunkard. The lessons of the clergym an an d th e advice of the moralist, given under such circumstances, fell dead upon the ear ; and life was a va i n s t rugg l e against influences for which apathetic landlords and greedy specula tors were mainly accountable. Drunkenness in the husband, thriftlessness in the wife, profligacy among the sons and daughters, were consequent upen habitations unfit for human beings to live in. " Talk of morality," said the Bishop of Ripon, " amongst people who herd men,women, and children together, with no regard of age or sex, in one narrow confined apartment ! You might as well talk of cleanliness in a sty, or of limited purity in the contents of a cesspool." Doubtless we did well to build gaols and reformatories far the guilty victims of our neglect ; but it would be better to nip th e evil in the bud by purifying the springs of English domestic life. A h n ad d thheeeynmpiglahetedbenpnudr inspectionreifiecl..Since lodging -houses the health of the inmates of the London lodging houses and their moral character had improved. At lacesthen therereviewed e same wed r ß e i s r u m l t i s n weregha m o , b s C e a r r v l e i s d l . e , m a r nd . Di o ni th sd e a r l p e . the u m r e e r a s t o o t t b a g e e s, adoptedea lcalling for a t t t h e n e t n m n p r t o n v e t m h e e n of La bourers' Dwelling Act, passed in 1855, and under which most o f th e " cottage i mprove ment societies, including that established in Hertford, bad been formed. A bill was also passed for Scotland, con taining the following provision, which he regretted was not in the English Bill ;—" Owners of build i.ngs, faulty in their o r i g i na l construction, or fallen in to a state of dil a pid a ti on, or being in a condition likely to cause disease in the inhabitants or the neighbourhood, may on neglecting to remedy their defects, be compelled to surrender them at a fair valuation er. to any duly con s tit u t e d i mprovement as sociation, applyi ng f or th em t o t h e proper quart'' After referri ng t ot h e l arge expen di ture ofthe Dukes of Bedford an d N orthum b erland in the repair and erection of cottages on their estates, and to the steps taken by Mr. Salt to accommodate his workmen at Bradford ; M r. Dimsdale referred to the ope rations of th e L ondon L a b ourers ' Friend So ciety, the Metropolitan Association for the Im- THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, 1861 proving of Dwellings of the Industrious Poor, and other similar associations successfully engaged in erecting lodging-houses'and model cottages for the poor. "It was the success of these various associa tions, benefitting thus largely the districts in which they are situated, which led to the establishment of the Hertford Building Company. The subject was only mooted at the commencement of the present year, but it has already obtained considerable sup port, thought not nearly to the amount which might have been expected from a country so wealthy as our own. Nearly 400 shares have been subscribed, making a capital of £2,000, while some persons, who have not thought well to take shares, have shown their interest in the work in hand, by con tributing donations to the amount of £2OO. Thus its present capital exceeds considerably that of the Hastings Society when first established, as also that of the Ramsgate Association, of which the funds amount at the present time only to £1,650, and starting with greater advantages than these, we may look forward to its attaining even more satisfactory results. Differing in one respect to the scheme of the Metropolitan, its shares are limited to the trifling amount of £5, so that few can be ex cluded, of necessity, from taking part in the good work, and lending their aid towards diminishing the evils attendant upon cottage neglect in this our county of Hertford." _ After the reading the company took tea and coffee. An interesting conversation followed, which was closed by a vote of thanks to Mr. Dimsdale and to the chairman.—Hertford Mercury. LOUIS NAPOLEON.-EUROPEAN Al FAIRS. (From the London Correspondent of the Liverpool Albion.) Unless animal magnetism fail to draw out a fellow-feeling in the long-eared tribe, hilarious must have been the congenial hee-haw where with the tickling telegram touching Tuesday's doings at the Tuileries was read on Wednesday morning by the four Liverpool merchants who once asked our august, unsophisticated ally over the water where and when he meant to land, and were informed by M. Mock-hard that his Majesty hadn't quite made up his mind about coming, but when he had, would acquaint the brayers of the quadrupedal quartette. Heretofore New Year's Day in France has been called jour de l'an ; but unless Persigny's press privileges be a hoax, every journal pour tire must henceforth call it jour de Pane—or Donkey Day—or feast of all saints of Assissi, because of the Imperial prank played off on the assembled diplomatists, who standing round the throne with pricked-up ears to hear heaven knows what, were confidently informed that the omnipotential potentate hadn't a word to say save wishing them a remarkably fine afternoon ; and thereupon turned upon his heel and departed. If poor Eugenie have a laugh left, since she returned from her Tam o'Shanter ride through the Arctic snow-wraiths of Scotland, she must have smiled at the thought of the thistles left behind. Appro priate New-year's gift, indeed, a handful of stimu lating flowers would be among the wiseacres, who must have scratched their heads under the impres sion that the metempsychosis of Bottom had been wrought in their particular purses ; and doubtless the brain of each has since been wool-gathering, like that of the translated Weaver, fearing to recount the untranslatable mid-winter day's dream. Unlucky are the playwrights just now, to be sure, or what a hit in a pantomime would not this scene at the Tuileries have made. Only Tom Taylor is in the Civil Service, and it would therefore be uncivil to make some fun of anything govern mental; he might dramatise the incident for a screaming Adelphi farce, and a roaring one it would be, showing each functionary going in full fig, stiff as buckram in gold and twice as stiff in brassy pomposity, having previously arranged for instantaneous transmission of the thrilling tidings to their respective courts, and mayhap to their stockbrokers ; and then all ending like the Needy Knife Grinder's story—none to tell. But the take in didn't terminate there. If the Corsican conjuror gave his dumbfounded dupes nothing to say, he furnished them and their mas ters with plenty to think about. Tokens of remem brance were circulated in the room, in the shape of coins with the effigies of a Third Napoleon in coro nation tailory, including the Caesarian orb, Charle magnesque sceptre, and Bonapartean fees; but no Empress on the obverse, or side by side, as in the old Dunmow flitch-of-bacon style of the original Boney and his Josephine rib, spare-rib, though well jointured, as she afterwards proved. Here, then, is the first glimpse of the real beginning of the real end. Having, as incessantly said here for ten years, ever set his heart, he now has set his head upon the crown, but not yet the crown on his head. When will he ? Never. Hugo has said it ; and Victor, vates and poet, will prove a triumphant prophet in this particular as in the other prediction, namely, that in his early youth the spurious and sinister Louis was a conspirator, so has he lived conspiring, and would conspiring die. Coronation—who is to crown him ? The Patriarch of Moscow perhaps might do it for him as one of the Romanoffized-Beauharnais satraps of the Czardom ; but that would be letting Bruin Nes selrode's cat out of the bag rather too precipitately ; and there are too many ambidcxterous tricks for the French monkey to play yet ere the livery of him who secretly pulls Jocko's strings be openly put on. At present the triple hat crushes both the golden and iron diadems, unless, indeed, the latter should be assumed in Milan, as in the Uncle's case, and then the Father of the pro digal eldest son of the Church would whisk off to the snowy-domed Duomo, and do it, crying Finis coronet opus? by opus meaning the undoing of the Solferino business. But what of Victor Emmanuel ? Nothing ; that is, nihilo nail fit ; and it is very fit, and proper too, that the impostor regality should return to the nothing his worthless and therefore worthy papa left him, for all the trash about his being Re Galantuomo is over long ago, with divers other dognate quackeries. To that it must come at last, as it was intended from the beginning ; and the sooner the better the pretence to the contrary is done with ; and then we shall begin to know who's who and what's what in 1861. Mazzini has unmasked to day a battery of annihilating facts against the fictions of the last six mouths about the popularity of the huxtering Savoyard ;—making known to all, what many well knew before, that the treatment of Garibaldi is of a piece with the conduct in 1848, and must have the same issue, though in a different interest, the in terest of the regime of the Second of December— for the present. Of the perplexity of that present, up to the passing minutes, take this sample. A sh or t ti me ago the beleaguered Bombalino received from Bona parte an autograph letter complimenting him on the defence of Gaeta, but adding that, as enough had been for kingly and for knightly honour, it was time to knock under without another blow. Francis wrote back that praise of soldiership from Napoleon was praise indeed, and that a wish from one who had so befriended him should and would be law, bat for this—the devotion of his troops for bid the obedience gratitude imposed. He was therefore resolved to hold out to the uppermost, and at least to die as became almost the last owner of a name conspicuous for centuries in the first of virtues, valour—importuning his Majesty, at the same time, by all his hopes of an hereafter of chivalrous repute, not to desert a fellow sovereign in extremity, but at all events to continue the enforcement of that neutrality at sea which should allow the handful of Neapolitans to cope, as they were well able, with the myriad foe in front, whose wiles and money had been more formidable than their arms, but were innocuolis now. To this the Imperial taciturnity answered never a word ; but he took care that the missive should find its way in a twinkling to the corps diplomatique. Thereupon there hurried hotfoot to Thouvenel, the Cerberi of Catholicity, namely—Bavaria, Austria, and Spain—opening their triple brazen j e.ws in iron tongued clamour against the sea dogs-of-war being let slip upon the stricken Bourbon deers, and entreating that France would remember its antecedents, and Rot suffer an unfortunate Prince of long/descended dynasty to be done to death by a perfidious kinsman, scandalising Europe with the spectacle of a Sovereign playing ban dit with a crown on his head and the maxims of a freebooter on his lips. Thouvenel hummed and hawed, and hawed and hummed ; but evi dently with the " coy, reluctant, amorous de lay" of one wanting to be pressed, and had already consented, while protesting, like Donna Julia, that he couldn't think of such a thing. Just as his virtue had virtually given way, there came a rat-tat at the portal, and in stalked the veritable British lion ;—a very ratty sort of animal for the last dozen years in Paris, looking precisely the kind of creature that would be delighted to bolt down a sewer, or other subterranean exit from day light into oblivion, so as to escape observation, and consequently the cost of keeping up appearances, especially as regards the alimentary canal. On this occasion, however, there was an astounding change observable. The whilom crawling Cowley was now a rampant Bull :—" pride in his port, and defiance in his eye," and altogether a stupendous person age. His • airs showed Thouvenel what was in the wind at a glance, and accordingly he explained, the least needed, a n interrogatory pired which w wi wasn't s Ministertnh' t e i n adding trio, did not take precisely the same supposi tion that perhaps his Excellency her Britannic Majesty's view ofthe situation P No, his Excellency did nothing of th e sort, nor h er B r itannic Majesty either, and didn't int en d. F ee -f aw -fum, he was instructed to demand instanter and as much sooner as convenient, Willy nilly, and no shilly shall:,, whether the French fleet would draw off from i t s present waters and leave Gaeta to be showered uvon with a cata ract of combustibles that would bri jag Francis to his senses by blowing his brains out, :8 nd his head off, but head nor tail could be made o f him while the Emperor was at his back. " You hear, gentlemen, you hear," cried Thouvenel,affecti)og sudden illumi nation as to the darkness of the di lemma. " We do hear, but heed not," rejoined the 'trio ;—" the Em peror's honour, the credit of Europe, the cause of humanity require that brigands, ge masquerading in monarchy should not be suffti red to triumph." "Fiddlesticks !" quoth Cowley., snapping his fingers with a vivacity worthy iof the cow that jumped over the moon on hearing the tune of " High Diddle Diddle," which was doubtless originally played on a Hereford shire long-horn. i This hyper professional nterjectic ,n of Fiddlesticks (it sounds tremendous in French- ne me soucis non plus de cola que de n . en ! ) appeared to pique Thouvenel, who drew himself up, and said it was impossible that the remonstrances. of three allies of his master could be disregarded, but that nothing could be said definitively till the Emperor himself had decided, and then the decision should be com municated simultaneously to all the ambassadors, ordinary and extraordinary, of course including Milor Kouloi. And so the curt itin fell upon the scene. THE WEATHER AND THE PARKS, Thousands of persons assembled in the various parks yesterday. On the Serpentine last night there were upwards of 1,000 sliders and skaters, and a procession was formed by several hundred torch-bearers. They were headed by a band of music and proceeded along the ice amid universal cheering. There was also a display of fireworks, and altogether the scene was novel and exciting. It is stated that there is to be a fair and also a grand display of fireworks this evening, at which a large number of the Rifle Volunteers will be present. The Serpentine during yesterday was visited by 16,000 skaters and sliders, including several mem bers of the Skating Club. There was about the . came number of spectators. Up war d s o f 20 persons were taken into the Receiving-house, having sus tained very severe cut heads and contusions. Their wounds were dressed, and Dr. Christian, the society's medical officer, was unceasing in his attention. On the Long Water and the Round Pond there were about 6,000 persons. There were a few acci dents, but nothing of consequence took place. In St. James's Park the number of visitors was also very large. Several immersions occurred, but all were rescued. It is computed that there were about 10,000 per sons in the Regent's Park. Some rather serious accidents took place during the day. About half past 4 o'clock Mr. John Welch, of High-street, Marylebone, fell upon the ice and broke his collar bone, and it was deemed advisable to convey him to the hospital. There is a good deal of ice in the Thames, and the navigation is atmost entirely suspended. The weather in Devonshire during the past week has been extremely severe. A rapid thaw took place a few days ago, which caused the rivers Exe, Culme, Creedy. and Clyst to overflow their banks, and so great was the spread of water that the adjacent marshes had the appearance of a sea. Some vil lages were inundated, and ricks of hay and other valuable agricultural stock were carried away by the water. At Hatherleigh, in the north of Devon, a party of Marines, being on their way home in an omnibus to visit their friends, after a sea voyage, got immersed in the water, and their lives were saved with great difficulty. On the road to More ton, which is near Dartmoor, a old man, 75 years of age, named William Rolestone, was found dead in the snow. The poor old man was on his way from Dunsford to Moreton with a donkey and cart containing apples, but he never reached the latter place alive. At Kingsbridge another old man, named Drew, while working in a lane, dropped down and died from the severity of the weather. On Sunday there was a heavy fall of snow in Exeter, and generally throughout Devonshire. It is gratifying to state that zealous eforts are still being made to mitigate the suffer ings of the poor through the medium of public soup kitchens. In Exeter large quantities of excellent soup are daily supplied to the poor ; and at a pub lic meeting held a few days ago the Rev. Chancellor Harington announced a donation of £3O from the Dean and Chapter,and £5 ss. from himself towards the funds of the soup kitchen Other gentlemen subscribed to the amount of £130; and it was re salved that parochial coliectians should be made. The benefit conferred upon the poor by the opera tion of the Exeter Soup Kitchen is incalculable. The Earl of Devon has made arrangements with the committee for a supply of soup to the poor at Kenton, a village distant seven or eight miles from Exeter. In several other towns in Devonshire soup kitchens have been opened with gratifying success. The frost has been remarkably severe in Worces tershire, and the Severn and Avon are at this moment completely frozen up, the former above Worcester, and the latter throughout the whole course through Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. The Avon is also flooded to a great extent, the whole of the flooded .waters being frozen up, and representing in the vale a perfect sea of life. At Worcester the racecourse was flooded after the melting of the snow last week, and completely covered with water from the Severn. This froze at the end of the week, and on Sunday and yester day (Monday) was covered with many thousands of persons skating, sliding, and otherwise disporting themselves oa the ice with perfect se cur it y , f or th e water, having rapidly subsided, has left the ice on the surface of the grass several inches thick with out any fluid under it. Such an event was never recollected before in the local annals. The canals are all frozen up and the traffic upon them has ceased ; that upon the Severn was also hindered from the same cause, so that we have no thing to depend upon for our traffic but the railways. On these the snow offered some obstructions at first, but now excellent time is kept, and, happily, there have as yet been no accidents. Yesterday morning the thermometer stood at 14 deg., on Christmas day it was as low as 4 deg. There is every appearance of the cold continuing. Yesterday, the quantity of ice which has floated into the Humber from the North Sea had accumu lated so much outside the port of Hull as to render a stoppage of the ferries between that place and New Holland a measure of imminent necessity, if it has not actually been adopted. A similar sus pension, for one day only, took place about four years ago. After dark, of course, the danger to navigation is the greatest. SECESSION OF SO Ulf( CAROLINA. The long-threatened dissolution of the Union took place on the 20th ult., wh en the Southern Convention, assembled at Charleston, by a unani mous vote of 169 members, adopted the following ordinance : "An Ordinance to Dissolve ti he Union between the State of South Carolina and other States united with her under the Compact entitled, the Consti tution of the United States of A;merica.'—We, the people of the State of South Car olina, in Conven tion assembled, do declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained , that the or dinance adopted by us in Convention on the 22d day of May, in the year of our Lord 1788, whereby the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified, an it also all Acts and parts of Acts of the Gem eral Assembly of this State ratifying amendments. of the said Con stitution, are hereby repealed, aa id that the union now subsisting between South Carolina and other States under the name of the United States of America is hereby dissolved. After the appointment of a. committee of 13, empowered to draw up a forix I of Constitution, the Convention proceeded to a iscuss the subject of the financial arrangements with the Federal Government. The following is a summary of the discussion : " Mr. Magrath—l think the special matter of the ordinance should be imme d iately considered. To my understanding there is no collector of the port nor postmaster now wi thin the limits of South Carolina. What yon ht cve done to-day has extinguished the authority of ,every man in Caro lina deriving authority from tl to General Govern ment, I am in favour of this body snaking such provisional arrangements as scaly be necessary in the interval which may exist between this mo ment and the time when th.e Legislature may act. lam not, however, to be implicated as sanctioning the idea that there is no lawful authority within the limits of the State except the General Government. " Mr. Gregg—After South 'Carolina abrogated the Constitution of the United States, are its laws still in force? I think not. All the laws of Congress fall instantly to -the ground on the act of secession. " Mr. Cheves—As an immense chasm will be made in the law, and as it is nets )I)sary to avoid incon venience to the people, we m list make some tem porary arrangements to carry can the Government. " Mr. Gregg—There is no la i v on the subject of the collection of the duties in F.,; outh Carolina now. We have now accomplished t b e work after forty years. "Mr. Haynes—The Congress .of the United States is no longer our Government. It will be for our Legislature to say what laws al' the United States shall be continued, and what na )t. The simple act of secession does not abrogate all the laws. We have a great many laws on our ,statute-books which were passed by the Governor anal the Privy Council. " Mr. Gregg—The Congreg a tional laws for the collection of revenue are for the support of the Federal Government at WasbLington, and all our Post-office laws fall on our din *solution with that Government. " Mr. Miles—We have to dal with facts and stern realities. We must prevent confusion, anarchy, and the derangement of our Government affairs. Things must for the present remain in statu quo, or confusion will arise , . " Mr. Haynes—Sudden act:crn is injurious. " Mr. Chestnut—Two questions are involved, power and duty. We must IsTeserve our people, not only from inconveniences, bi a t chaotic condition. We must revivify such laws rts will best preserve us from calamities. As to duty, will you turn the ship of State adrift ? what -will become of the officers ? " iflr, Maseyck--There is no duty for the collec tor of the port to do. The Post-office has been swept off. My opinion is that; the present system of postal arrangements is a Hui.sance. The public can be better served by priva:,te parties between cities like Philadelphia and Ninv York at one cent instead of three, and between leis important cities 10 or more cents. " Mr. Calhoun—We have pulled a temple dowiii that has been built three quart ers of century. We must clear the rubbish away to reconstruct another. We are now houseless and hog neless, and we must secure ourselves against storms,. " Mr. Dunkin—lf that ordinance be passed, things will go on in the Custom - house and Post office exactly as now, until ()filar arrangements can be made by this Convention. There is nothing in the ordinance to affect thejdign ity, honour, and wel fare of the State of South Caroljna. We must keep the wheels of the Government going. The Consti tution of the United States is not entirely abrogated by the ordinance. What is legal tender in the pay ment of debts? Is it not gold and silver of the United States ? In the case of clearin g an d entry of vessels, we are very liable to hare the same con fiscated. " Mr. Carroll—The present revenue - would be continued till an Act of the Legislature authorized otherwise. " Mr. Brown—There is no lomger communication with the Government from which we are just sepa rated. " Mr. Dunkin—The spirit of the ordinance must be temporarily sustained till we treat with the General Government. " Mr. Gregg—The President, of the United States has thrown down the gauntlet in his Message. He has said it was his duty to collect the revenue, and that he would do it. On one side the Federal Government claims the right, and declares its in tention to execute the power of collecting revenue in our ports; on the other side, we have d ec l are d that we are free. I desire no compromise. Is it necessary to maintain the 15 to 30 per cent, duties imposed by Congress of the United States ? Should these duties continue to be levied, our people will suffer a terrible calamity. For carrying the mails, let the present contracts be assumed by South; Carolina instead of the United States. " Mr. Rhett—This great revolution must go on with as little danger as possible to the country. By making the Federal agents ours the machinery will move on. The Federal laws of taxation must not exist over us. I trust that the present system of taxation has fallen for ever. " Mr. Barnwell—We have seceded from the United States and established our independence. We can't allow the United States to exercise autho rity over us any more. L e t postal convenience be sacrificed if necessary. There never was anything purchased worth having unless it cost a sacrifice. " Mr. Maseyck said, in regard to the mail, all restrictions must be removed. Let us appoint our own officers. Let the collector of the port battle with the difficulties as they come. The Speaker of the House of Representatives laid before the members on the 24th the following letter of farewell from the South Carolina repre sentatives : " Sir,—We avail ourselves of the earliest oppor tunity since the official communication of the in telli- gence of making known to your hon. body that the people of the State of South Carolina, in their sovereign capacity, have resumed the powers hereto fore delegated by them to the Federal Government of the United States, and have thereby dissolved our connexion with the House of Representatives. In taking leave of those with whom we have been associated in a common agency, we, as well as the people of our Commonwealth, desire to do so with a feeling of mutual regard and respect for the rights of each other—cherishing the hope that in our future relations we may better eujoy that peace and har mony essential to the happiness of a free and en• lightened people. " JOHN M`QUEEN, M. L. BONHAM, W. W. BOYCE, J. D. ASIIMORE. "To the Speaker of the House of Representatives." METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL, DEVONSHIRE SQUARE, CITY.—The aggregate number of patients relieved during the week ending Jan. 6, was—medical, 913; surgi cal, 383; total, 1,296, of which 410 were new cases. THE DEAD OF 1860. During the year just closed death has been more than usually busy in the ranks of the aristocracy, the clergy, and men of letters, science, and art. The naval and military professions too have both lost several distinguished members. The following is a list of some of the most prominent among them —On Jan. 3 Lord John Scott died, aged 51 ; on the 9th of the same month the remains of Lord Macau. lay, the historian, were interred in Westminster Abbey ; on the 15th Lord Londesborough died, aged 55; on the 20th Sir W. C. Ross; one of our most distinguished minature painters, aged 66 ; on the following day Capt. Harrison, commander of the Great Eastern, was drowned ; on the 23d the Right Hon. M. T. Baines, M.P. for Leeds, aged 60; and on the 30th Dr. Todd, the celebrated sur geon, aged 66. On Feb. 1 Dr. Alexander,Director General of the Army, died ; on the 2d Dr. T. Fos ter, writer on natural philosophy, aged 70 ; on the 3d Sir T. S. Brisbane, astronomer, aged 86 ; on the 4th Capt. Moorsom, inventor of the celebrated shells • on the 12th Sir William Napier, the mili tary historian, aged 74 ; on the 16th the Bishop of Rochester, aged 76 ; on the 20th Mr. H. Drum mond, M.P. for West Surrey, aged 73. On March 12 Mr. Baron Watson died suddenly while pre siding at the Montgomery Assizes at Welshpool, aged 64 ; on the 14th the Countess Granville ; on the 16th AL Jullien ; on the 17th Mrs. Jameson, the authoress, aged 66 ; and on the 27th the Earl of Longford. O April 1 Colonel Mure, author of The Literature of Greece," &c., died ; on the 13th Mr. John Finlaison, the actuary, :aged 77 ; and on the 18th Dr. Andrew Amos, Professor of Law at Cambridge. On the 4th of May Dr. Mus grove, Archbishop of York, died, aged 72 ; on the 12th Sir Charles Barry, aged 65 ; on the 19th Lady Byron, widow of the poet ; on the 23d Mr. Albert Smith ; on the 30th Mr. S. G. Goodrich, known as " Peter Parley ;" and on the 31st Lord Heytesbury, aged 81. On the 3d of June Field Marshal the Earl of Strafford died, aged 82 ; on the 9th Mr. G. P. R. James, the novelist ; on the 11th the Rev. Baden Powell ; and on the 26th Mr. R. B. Brough, the author. On the 19th of July, Lord Elphinstone, late Governor of Bombay, died, aged 53, and on the 31st Miss Vandenhoff, the celebrated actress. On the 2d of August Sir George H. Ward died, aged 64 ; on the 3d General Sir H. Wyndham, M.P. for West Cumberland, aged 70 ; on the 11th the Right Hon. James Wilson, Finance Mi nister of India, aged 55 ; on the 24th Mr. Jesse Hartley, engineer, aged 80; and on the 27th the Dowager Countess of Craven, formerly known in the theatrical world as Miss Brunton, aged 78. On the Ist of September Mrs. Yates, the actress, aged 61, having survived her aunt, the Dowager Countess of Craven, only three days; on the 7th Sir G. Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company ; on the Bth Mr. Herbert Ingram, M.P., proprietor of the illustrated London .News, in consequence of the steamer Lady Elgin being run into by a schooner on Lake Superior; on the 13th Mr. Jardine, magistrate at Bow-street; on the 18th Mr. Joseph Locke, civil engineer and M.P. for Honiton ; and on the 29th the Rev. Alexandar Fletcher, the eminent Dissenting minister. On the Ist of October Mr. Ebenezer Landelle, the wood engraver ; on the 4th Mr. A. E. Chalon, R.A,, aged 80; on the 12th General Sir Harry Smith, aged 72; on the 21st the Duke of Richmond, aged 69, and on the same day Lord Manvers, aged 82, and on the 31st the Earl of Dundonald, aged 84. On the 6th of November Admiral Sir Charles Napier, aged 74; on the Bth the Bishop of Worcester, aged 77, and Sir Charles Fellows, the archaeologist ; on the following day Alderman Wire; on - the 11th Mr. George Scharf, the artist, aged 72, and General Lygon, Colonel of the 13th Light Dragoons; on the 24th Dr. Croly ; and on the following day the Duke of Norfolk. On the Ist of December Sir H. Marsh, M.D., and Lord Rossmore ; on the 6th Lady A. K. Murray; on the 10th Sir T. D. Legard ; on the 12th Major-General Freke Williams, aged 68 ; on the 14th the Earl of Aberdeen, aged 76 ; on the 18th Alderman Sir G. Carroll, aged 76 ; on the following day the Marquis of Dalhousie; on the 20th Mr. Alfred Bunn, for many years lessee of Drury-lane Theatre, and Lieutenant-General Willes, aged 71; on the 25th the Earl of Mexborough, aged 77 ; on the 26th the Rev. Dr. Thompson, rector of Lincoln College; and on the 31st the Countess of Eglintonc, TILE STEAM" RAM ~ RESISTANCE." (From the Observer.) In addition to the Warrior and Black Prince. which are iron-cased frigates of enormous Power, and will, it is be lieved, be of great speed, there are now nearly completed two powerful vessels of the "ram" class, designed for the purpose of running down other ships in action, should an opportunity present itself for this species of aggressive warfare. It was originally intended that the Warrior should be built EO as to make her available for this descrip tion of attack, and when first designed she had an advanced prow, something like the breast of a swan, below the water line, in order to enable her to strike her antagonist at the most vulnerable point. This idea, however, has been aban doned, and the Warrior, just launched, is simply an iron cla4 war-frigate, The two "rams" are named the Resis tance and the Defence ; the first of these is now fast ap proaching completion in the building yards of Messrs. Westwood, Baillie, Campbell, and Co., at Millwall. It is to this and other extensive ship-building firms of a similar character that the country may look with confidence for a rapid reconstruction of our navy should iron war-ships be decided upon, as they inevitably will be, to replace the old wooden walls. With such vast means of production avail able we could readily outstrip all that France may do in the preparation of these formidable engines of war. Considerable difference of opinion prevails as to the value of steam rams for offensive purposes, as compared with iron frigates. This much, however, is clear, that the iron-plated "ram" can make use of guns of equal calibre with those used by the frigate, and where required equal also in number, and the " ram" has an advantage over the frigate in being able to work more guns at the bow and stein than the frigate; add to this she is so constructed as to run down by the force of concussion the opposing ship. "A single ram," says Admiral Sartorius, "can effect with her beak an amount of destruction in a few minutes which would take many ■team frigates to effect very imperfectly in as many days, if at all. She could get in among a fleet at night, sink two or three ships, and disperse the rest. She could run into a harbour, such, for example, as Cherbourg, by one entrance and •ut by the other, sink same of the ships at anchor in the outer road by her beak, and set fire to others by her incendiary projectiles. The steam rams should have both extremities the same (I proposed a screw and rudder at each end, and also paddle-wheels for Channel service) ; she should run in or out among the enemy's vessels, and advance or back with the same velocity or quickness. If attacking at night, with masts lowered, she could not be seen until felt, could launch out her incendiary projectiles into the town and harbour, and there would be no masts, sails, or rigging to obstruct their flight in every direction. Guarded by loopholed and bullet-proof towers to afford refuge to her people when boarded, and boiling water made to be ejected from them, it would be impossible to take the steam ram." To this estimate of the value of the rams there are two objec tions offered—first, the vigilance, and secondly, the fire, of the enemy. Assuming a good "look-out" to be kept—and there is no ground to assume negligence in time of actual hostilities—the " ram" would as she approached receive the fire of the enemy, and that at so short a distance as to pierce her armour plates. If the darkness should prevent the " ram" being seen, it would equally obscure the vessels to be attacked. Ships of war will not be expected to lie still at their anchorage to be run down by the iron beaks of their opponents. In the daytime they could be so handled as to give the ram some difficulty in striking with great force, and as the distance diminished they might deliver a fire that would have a damaging effect even upon the armour plates. It has also been objected that if the steam ram were at a high speed to strike another vessel, the force of the blow would be such as to throw the engine out of gear and start the boilers and furnaces. This, however, is a matter open to some doubt. Cellisions with steam vessels against rocks and other ships are by no means of rare occurrence, and the experience obtained upon such occasions tends to negative the opinion that any serious consequences of this sort would ensue. In one case a steamer going at 10 or 12 knots ran against a stone pier at New York ; another struck some stone walls at Birkenhead ; a steamer of one of the Canadian lines ran against a rock in the St. Lawrence, stove in her forward compartment, but the en gines received no damage in either of these eases. But these accidents, and others of a similar nature, have taken place with merchant vessels of ordinary construction, and greatly inferior to the strength and solidity of these enor mous iron-clad ships, built expressly for doing that which, in the other cases, has been unintentionally done. The beak of a steam ram rushing upon a large ship, with a mo mentum of some 4,000 tons, will not in all probability encounter a sudden check ; the vessel struck will be afloat, and will, of course, yield to the blow, heel over, or be driven before the attacking ship. The gallant admiral just referred to says :—" I am persuaded that a man in the gun-room of the steam ram could hardly know that a collision had taken place." At the same time it must not be forgotten that the three-decker or frigate to be run into will be provided with its broadside tiers of heavy guns, which may rake the advancing foe as it bears down upon it, while the steam ram can only use its pivot guns at the fore. The stem will be vulnerable at the longer range, and the armour plates may be smashed when the ships come tocloser quar ters. The danger of fouling the screw by the wreck of the sunken ship has also to be avoided, for if the "ram" should strike a three-decker and sink her, the speed and momen tum will carry her over the sinking ship, and it is difficult to see how the screw can be prevented from fouling among the rigging and wreck. In death the enemy may be more powerful than in life, and in its drowning moments may disable or carry with it its terrible conqueror. Whatever may be the speculations as to the value of the " running down" principle, the Government has certainly acted wisely in having some vessels of the kind constructed to oppose others of a similar character in course of building is France. The Resistance is 280 feet.in length, 54 in breadth, and 39 in depth. As in the case of the Warrior, it is only over a portion of the entire length that she is covered with the armour plates. The part thus covered is 146 feet in length by 19 feet in depth, or about five feet below the water line. This leaves a space of nearly 70 feet at the bow and stern unprotected ; but the absence of armour plates is fully compensated by such a series of transverse and longitudinal bulkheads in both these portions of the vessel, that they may be riddled by shot without at all endangering the safety of the ship. Supposing the extreme case of these bulkheads being knocked away altogether, the centre of the ship, con stituting a shot-proof battery, would remain buoyant, and impervious to the heaviest shot. The stem-piece, or bow, projects forward in a curve closely resembling the outline of the breast of a swan when swimming. The striking part is formed of a massive piece of iron 2ft. 3in. deep, and about Bin. thick, the most advanced portion being below the water line, so that a blow struck would open a yawning chasm in the side of the opposing vessel, through which the water would rush with sufficient force to sink her in a few.minutes, if she was not completely run down by the superior force - and weight of the " ram." The beak and bows of the ship are strengthened by a longitudinal bulk head, formed upon the cellular principle, with iron plates. which extends backwards for a distance of 50 feet, rivetted firmly together, and crossed and recrossed in every direction for the purpose of giving additional strength. At the stern the same enormous strength has been provided for :—The sternpost is formed of one mass of iron 25 tons weight in its finished state ; it is 8 inches thick, and over 30 feet in height. The piece upon which it rests weighs 9 tons, is of wrought iron, and 6 inches thick. The keel plates are of the best possible description of rolled iron, and inch thick. From these the plates gradually diminish in thickness until in the upper portions they are of three-eighths iron. The scant ling and dimensions of the plates, girders, and deck beams are in the Resistance the same as in the Warrior frigate, so that allowing for the difference in tonnage, the " ram," being a smaller vessel, is much the strongest. The upper and main decks are of iron, supported on rolled wrought iron girders. In the construction of the hull the same cel lular principle, which was first employed in the Britannia Bridge, and later in the Great Eastern steam-ship, has been adopted, so that rigidity and strength are obtained to an enormous extent. The iron plates are 4f inches in thickness, and they are bolted, as in the case of the War rior, upon two layers of teak timber, each nine inches thick. The tonnage of the Resistance is 3,700 tons,and her engines, to be supplied by Messrs. Penn and Son, will be of 600- horse power. Her lines, though not so fine as those of the Warrior and Black Prince, are still well calculated for high speed, and it is anticipated that 12 knots will be attained The armament will be the Armstrong gun of the heaviest calibre on the fighting decks, and pivot guns at the bows and stern. The contract price of the hull was £44 per ton, and fin. the engines £6O p r horse-power. The Der went and Low Moor Iron ompanies supply the plates for the hull, and Messrs. Peel and Co. of the Park .gate Works, Yorkshire, the armour plates. It is expected that the Resistance will be ready for launching in the course of the next month. The present inclement weather, of course, greatly retards the works, as the ship is not constructed under sheds, as is the custom at her Majesty's dockyards. During the whole time of the construction of the Resis tance the work has been carried on under a rigid system of Government inspection, two inspectors being constantly on the premises, and every plate being duly examined and tested before it is fixed. Messrs. Westwood and Co, were among the six firms that tendered for the construction o one of the three additional iron-cased frigates required by the Admiralty. The premises are extensive, the machinery most complete, and admirably adapted for the carrying out of great works. At present the firm are constructing a very handsome Crystal Palace of glass and iron, which is to be forwarded to the Sultan ; and some lattice girder bridges of great strength for the East Indian and Bombay and Baroda Railways. Upwards of 2,000 hands find almost constant employment at these works. The Defence, sister ship to the Resistance, is well advanced at Messrs. Palmer's works at Newcastle, and will shortly be ready for launching. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills.— Bronchitis, Asthma, Shortness of Breath, Palpitation. — Now is, unfortunately, the season for the prevalence of these complaints, and their serious nature is borne out by the weekly bills of mortality. Early and proper treatment should be adopted without hesitation or delay; neither need arise if Holloway's remedies be at hand. His ointment may be safely and advantageously rubbed on the back and chest, every night and morning, precisely as salt is rubbed upon meat to preserve it. It penetrates internally and ap peases pulmonary excitement. Holloway's pills should be taken at the same time, as they act with energy on the cir culation, glands, and absorbents, and materially assist in rendering the cure general and permanent, LORD BROUGH.A2II - .-711E ABOLITION 07 Sl; AVERY. The following con espondence has been pub- lished : " Boston, Nov. 2, 1860. " My Lord,—A numbs r of young men unconnected at this time with any ergo) Asation, but earnestly desirous of devoting themselves to t he work of eradicating slavery in the United States, respect sfully invite you to meet them in a public convention to be held in this city on Monday, the 3d of December next, and, there address them in reply to the question, so vital to .the interests and honour of our country and the progress. of freedom in the world—' How can American slavery be abolished ?' " It seems to them that the anniversary of the death of John Brown, who on the 2d of December, 1859, was killed for attempting to decide this problem in the mode that he believed to be the most eficient, is an occasion peculiarly appropriate for the discua don of our duty to the race for whom he suffered, and mo re especially for the unfolding of practical methods for achie Ting the holy object he desired to attain by his descent on Harper's Ferry, Virginia. " An invitation, therefore, will be extended to the leaders and representatives of all the different anti-slavery bodies and to various men of eminence who have done honour to their own souls by ad.Tocating the cause of impartial freedom. "Every one thus invited is expected in his speeches or letters to confine himself cmclusively to the great question of the'day, for it would be a work of supererogation now to defend john Brown, and a useless waste of time to eulo gise him. Leaving both of these duties to the coming ages, let us seek to continuo his life by striving to accom plish what he left us to fiaish. "An immediate or speedy answer will greatly oblige, by enabling us to make the necessary arrangements on a plan sufficiently extensive. "For the committee, (.4 JAMES REDPATM, Secretary. "Committee--C. W. Eld ridge, W. D. O'Connor, R. J. Hinton, W. W. Thayer, 11. Ford Douglass, I. L. Craigen, J. Sella Martin, J. B. Smith, Herbert Gleason, John Oliver, Edwin Coombs, J. H. Stephenson, Lewis Hayden, J. W. Le Barnes, J. H. Fowler, A. B. Brown, Ad. Ackerman,. James Redpath. "To Henry, Lord Brougham." " Brougham Hall, Nov. 20. " Sir,—l feel honoured by the invitation to attend the Boston Convention, and to give my opinion upon the ques tion, How can American slavery be abolished ? ' I consider the application is made to me as conceiving me to represent the anti-slavery body in this country ; and I believe that I speak their sentiments as well as my own in expressing the widest difference of opinion with you upon the merits of those who promoted the Harper'a Ferry expedition, and upon the fate of those who suffered for their conduct in it. No one will doubt my earnest desire to see slavery extin guished; but that desire can only be gratified by lawful means—a strict regard to the rights of property, or what the law declares to be property, and a constant repugnance to the shedding of blood. No man can be considered a martyr unless he not only suffers, but is witness to -the truth ; and he does not bear this testimony who seeks a lawful object by illegal means. Any other course to ken for the abolition of slavery can only delay the consumma tion we so devoutly wish, besides exposing the community to the hazard of an insurrection, perhaps less hurtful to the master than the slave. When the British emancipation was finally carried it was accomplished by steps, and five years elapsed between the commencement of the measars in 1833 and its completion in 1838. " The declaration of the law which• pronounced a slams free as soon as he touched British ground (erroneously ascribed to the English court under Lord Mansfield, but really made by the judges in Scotland) may seem to be in consistent with , the principle now laid down. But lam bound to express my doubts if such a decision would have been given had Jamaica touched - upon the coasts of this country. It is certain that the judges did not intend to declare that all property in slaves should instantly cense r and yet such would have been the inevitable effect of their judgment in the case supposed, which somewhat resembles that of America. " In the elevation of your new President all frienciai of America, of its continued union, of the final extinction of slavery by peaceful means, and of the utter immediate extinction of the execrable slave trade—all friends of the human race must heartily rejoice. They will, let ues hope, find in him a powerful ally, as his country may en.peet to find an able, a consistent, and an honest ruler.—l have the honour to be your faithful servant, BROUG1:11AN. " James Redpath, Esq., Boston, U.S." COUNTRY MARKETS. COLCHESTEIL -JAN. 6. A fair supply of wheat was brought into the market ta. day, but not a very brisk demand, and prices may be noted at about late rates. Barley plentiful. Beans and peas in improved demand, and is dearer. Wheat, white 6os to 68s beans, Mazagan..36a to 42e red 448 to 608 1 Middle & small 44a to 50s Barley 4os to 60s White peas 48s to 628 Oats 22s to 28s Grey, . 41. to 48s NORTHAMPTON-JAN. 5, At this corn-market to-day wheat was in moderate sup-. ply, a steady demand, prices ranging from 66s to 6.8 s for white, and 54s to 60s for red. In barley a good bushiest', malting 40s to 445, grinding 32s to 35s per qr. Oats in small supply, and prices as before—quoted at 24s tr. 38e per 24 stone. Beans, old, 64s to 56s ; peas, 44s to 64e. Rye, 37s to 425; malt, 68s to 725; flour, 33s to 3 , 14 per sack CHELMSFORD—Jew. 6. A large show of wheat and barley. Wheats in the early part of the day realised is over former currencies, but before the close they took a contrary direction, and, fell en pressed sales to is less money. Barley the turn. lower Spring corn unaltered in price, but a Blow sale. Wheat. white 438 to 66s 1 teas, Partridge ..4.'3s to 44e red 52s to 63s 1 White 43s to 46s Barley 33s to 45s i Boiling Os to 47s Chevalier ....36 8 t o 48s Dun 39a to 42s Grinding 31s to 40s Beans, Tick ....38s to 46s Malt 618 to 67s Harrow Ticks 39s to 49s Chevalier I 64s to 69s Mazagan 32 s t o 43 s , Oats 26s to 31s KIRK, We had large supplies i Sales were slow, and pi rates. LLDY—JAN. 6. )-day of barley, oats, and wheat. ices were is to 2s under former Wheat Barley Oats First.... 32s Od 32s Od 22s Od Second.. 54s Od 41s Od 25s Od Third .. 66s Od 46s Od 32s Od COAL MARI (Prices of Coal per Ton al s. d. Davison's West Hart ley ....17 6 Bate's West Hartley..l7 6 Benton's West Hartleyl7 6 West Hartley 17 6 Edon Main 24 6 Broomyholme Steam 17 6 Ships at marker ET—JAN. 4. the dose ®f the market Walla End. 8, d. Thorpe 24 6 Stewart's 26 0 Hartlepool..... 25 0 Haswell..... 26 0 South Hetton ....... 26 0 South Durham 22 6 ;, 43 ; sold, 40. THE MAILS. MAILS DUE. Australia, Ceylon, and Mauritius (via South ampton) .. . Jan. 18. Do. (via Marseilles) Jan. 12. Brazil and cape Verds .. Feb. 4. Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, &o. .. Jan. --. Cuba and Mexico .. Jan. 28 Canada, &c. (via Galway) .. • • • • Jan. —. Cape o Good Hope, &c... • • .. .. Feb. 1. China, Penang, and Singapore (via S'ampton) Jan. 18. Do (via Marseilles) Jan. 12 Gibraltar (via Southampton) .. Jan, 10 India (Calcutta), Ceylon, &c. (via Southampton) Jan. 18. Do. (via Marseilles) Jan. 12. India (Bombay), (via Southampton) .. Jan. 10. Do. (via Marseilles) .. .. Overdue. Lisbon • • .. • .. Jan. 11 Malta, Egypt, and Ade n (via Southampton) Jan. 10. Do. (via Marseilles) .. Jan. 4. Vigo, and Oporto .. Jan. 11. United States, California, &c. .. • . .. Jan. 9. Western Coast of Attica ' Madeira, Teneriffe . . Jan. 10. West Indies and Pacific,Carthagena, Cuba, & o. Jan. 14. BIRTH S. ESKELL.—On the sth inst., the wife of A. Bake% Esq., surgeon-dentist, 8, Grosvenor-street, Grosvenor -square, of a son. GOLDSCDMIDT.—OD the 6th inst., at Argyll Lodge, Wim bledon-common, the wife of Otto Goldsehmidt, Esq., of a SOD. RoDD.—On the 4th inst., at Park -lodge, Bideford, the wife of Commander Rodd, R.N., of a daughter, stillborn. MARRIAGES. ENGLAND—BARTTELOT.—On the sth inst., at Stophan2 parish church, Richard England, Major 65th Regiment, eldest son of Lieut.-General Sir Rich. England, G.C.8., to Philadelphia Jane, only surviving daughter of Geo. Barttelot, Esq., of Stopham House, in the county of Sussex. S JAMESON—SHAw.—On the 6th inst., at St. James's Church, London, T. L. Jameson, Esq., Royal Victoria Victualling Yard, Deptford, to Jane, widow of the late R. B. Shaw, Esq., Monkatown Castle, County Cork Ireland. DEATHS. BRAIDLEY.—On the 6th inst., at Greenwich, Joseph Braid ley, Esq., aged 88. CARPENTER.—On the sth inst., at Potter's-bar, Lieut.- Colonel Carpenter, late of the Bombay A rmy. DAVIS.—On the sth inst., at Chelsea, Benjamin Davis, 1 Eq., aged 78. i aged t ~ 6 l. Goat DEAN.—On the sth inst., at St. Leonard's-on -Sea, Win. D L 2, Park-crescent, AL General Goldsmid, aged 6 7. LAwsow.—On the 6th inst., at Roth er hi t h e, Edward Law son,On ofW i nds or, the Esq., aged 71. SPURIN.—On the 6th inst., at Slough, Bucks, Captain spurin, R.M., aged 90. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Tim Sul( Office, No. 112, Strand in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the County of Middlesex Tueay, January 8, 1861. R ° to enal 108 Lif Rani, and Cc Seer( W At a tion ou His It was That and a r tude of Propos an That Spain, those c without spired I the Propose sec That tion of unsurp ril riu s eb u i : b cn a red e i Colonel S 8. Stern, /51 . D rums wroi rt A Manche IL ~: ` ,L ou