The Sun. — London, England, 1856-01-12 00:00:00

TH E SU N, TO ARRIVE THE SAME the very pernicio us prac ti ce o f " h oar di ng, " th e EVENING, supplied to any STATION on the EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY, Carriage Free, by CLAYTON and SON, ef f ect whereof is precisely the same as if so much general Newspaper and Advertising Agents, 265, Strand, London. specie had for the time being been absolutely de _ GOLDSMITH'S GEOGRAPHY IMPROVED BY HUGHES. stroyed. We have already (in our impre ss i on o f New and enlarged Edition, fcp. Bvo., price 3s. 6d. ; KEY, I S., Thursday) referred to the testimony o f th e Ti mes, GOLDSMITH'S GRAMMAR OF GEOGRA- which declares that Sir ROBERT PEEL " could not PHT. Edited by E. Humus, F.R.G.S., Head Master of the Royal Naval Lower School, Greenwich Hospital ; author of a foresee the insane terror which the misapprehension New School Atlas of Physical, Political, and Commercial Geography (royal Bvo., price 10s. 6d.) of its possible consequences would occasion"- S. HALL'S AIs FIRSTo, in o or ELblong EMEN pric eTARY Eighte enATLApS. ence, adding "that it was the terror of th e A c t , an d Map Projections, Is. I Outline Maps, is. not its operation, that required to be palliated, London : Lohman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. was shown by the fact that the moment this ter- THE ORIGINAL EDITION, CORRECTED BT ror was removed every man found himself at A. THIBAUDIN. New Editions, revised, in 12m0., price 4s. bound, ease !" Such a statement, emanating from the H AMEL'S _NEW UNIVERSAL FRENCH recognised organ of the bullionists, and perhaps Syntax, Being an accurate System of French Acei Bence and Syntax, on a Methodical Plan. A New Edition, carefully -with the single exception of Lord OVERSTONE corrected and greatly improved by A. TAIBAUDIN, late French • Master in Queen Elizabeth's School, Ipswich. hi mself, the most strenuous advocate of the law Also, corrected by M. Thibaudin, in 12m0., price 45., then enacted-might be deemed conclusive on the EXERCISES on Hamel's Gra mmar ,-KEY, price 3s. Lately published, in 12m0., price ss. Gd. bound, point. But we find that statement corroborated HAMEL'S FRENCH GRAMMAR and EXERCISES. A New Edition, In One Vclume. By N. LAMBEII.T.-KET, 4s. and confirmed by a body of unimpeachable wit- London : Longman and Co., and Whittaker and Co. nesses, many of whom were also favourable to the CONTRACTS FOR SEAMEN'S CLOTHING, doctrine thereby established. Department of the Comptroller for Victualling, The Lords' Committee, in their very able and Somerset-house, 12th January, 1856. THE Commissioners for Executing the Office of elaborate Report on the Causes:of the C ommerc i a l Lord High Admiral and Ireland, DO HEREBY of GIVE the U Nnite dOTlC Ki E, ngom of Great that on THURSDAY, Britain Distress of 1847, declared that they h a d come t o at One o'clock, they will be ready to treat with the 31st instant, the conclusion that " the recent panic was mate such Persons as may be willing to Contract for supplying and delivering into her Majesty's Victualling Stores at Deptford and Gos- rially aggravated by the operation of that statute port the undermentioned articles, viz.:- (the 7th and Bth Vie., c. 32), a n d b y th e procee d - To be delivered at ings of the Bank itself. This effect may be Deptford. Gospor t. -- -- traced directly to the Act of 1844, in the legis- No. No. 1 Flushing Jackets, No. 1 .... 12,000 2,000 One - fourth lative restrictions imposed on the means of ac- Do. No. 2 .... 10,000 5,000 of each quail- Yards. Yards. ttty to be commodation, whilst a large amount of bullion Blue Cloth, No. 1 35,000 18,000 delivered by Do. No. 2 55,000 55,000 the 31st was held in the coffers of the Bank, and during a Dock Flannel ...... I.;. ...... ..... 500,000 150,000 other fourth time of favourable exchanges." They also declare Blue Serge ......... • • .... 500,000 11 0,0 0 0 by the 30th that "an attempt to enforce by law, under all * White Cotton Drill tlue Jean ...... •• .. Pairs. Pairs. e by the 31st , Worsted Stockings for Men BO,OOO 65,000 May, and the management of a National Bank of issne, Do. for Boys 6,000 3,060 the remain- Mits . 20,000 10,000 der by the seems inconsistent with the best-written autho- No. No. 30th June Blankets. 50,000 15,000 next,or ear- rities, with the general principles of economical Shirts for Men ....... • • Black Silk Handkerchiefs Wersted Caps Bed Cases .... • • ... ....... 30,000 20,000 I tendering. witnesses of practical knowledge and experience. bs. Hair for Beds 2 2 L0,000 150,00 Lbs. 0 J It can hardly fail to be productive of most serious Their Lordships reserve to themselves the power, when the ten- evils, more especially when a contraction of dera are opened, of contracting either for the whole, or for such part issues indispensable in a state of a d verse thereof only as they may de em tit, or - for a greater quantity, or of ) not contracting for any. foreign exchanges, is rendered imperative, No tender will be received unless made on the printed form pro vl led for the purpose, and which may be obtained on application at as it i s by the Act of 1844 , un d er the said Office, at the Vict ua lli ng Y ar d s a t Gosport and Plymouth, or to Commander Bevis, conducting the Packet Service at Liverpool, or circumstances which may be wholly opposite. to the Collector of Custo ms a t Bristol. Tenders will be admitted for any portion of the above quantities, It has been shown that an enlargement of the but separate tenders must be made for each place, and no attention will be paid to any offer not so made. issues of the Bank, under a favourable foreign ex- Samples of the articles may be seen at said office between the hours of Ten and Two only, and also at the Victualling Yards at ch ange, would frequently be expedient at times llosport and Plymouth. The conditions of the revised contracts, to which particular alien- when, under the provisions of the Act, no such Lion is called, may be seen at the said office, at the Victualling Yards at Gosport and Plymouth, and at Liverpool and Bristol. No tender enlargement would be possible ; and even in cases will be received atter One o'clock on the day of treaty, and It will not be required that the party tendering, or an agent on his be- where, by the Act, a compulsory contraction would half, should attend at the office on the day of contract, as the result be enforced. It i s diffi cu lt , i n th e j u d gment of of the offer received from each person will be communicated to him and his proposed sureties In writing. Every tender must be addressed to the Secretary of the Admiralty. the Committee, to appeal to more demonstrative and bear in the left-hand corner the words " Tender for evidence on this subject than is to be found i n and must also be delivered at Somerset-House. ______ the Treasury letter of the 25th O c t o b er. T hat 111.111=1,M.•••••••••=11.., . THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LA:SE, letter was a practical repeal , by an ac t o f autho- Lame, Mr. E. T. Smith. rity, of the restrictive clauses of the Act. It ap - Tina EVENING, pears impossible at once to defend the restrictive THE GREAT GUN TRICK. provisions of this Act, aud to justify the letter, After which. e. HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE; or, Harle qu i n King Nonsense and the which in this respect abrogated , or a t l eas t sll - Seven Ares of Man. pended, those very restrictive provisions. " The - THE A.T RE ROYAL, II I.I , ISIARKET. Committee consider that thos e res t r i c ti ons ma t er i a l ly Under the Management of Mr. Buckstone. aggravated the pressure, and produced the panic of TUTS F,VMNDUI, THE RE tUX STRtTAGEL 1847 !" After which the New Comic Cltriitma3 Pantomime, entitled Nor could any other conclusion have been arrived at under the evidence adduced. Mr. HORSLEY PALMER, who had received the high and very unusual compliment of being re-elected to the Governorship of the Bank, declared that " in consequence of that sudden reduction" (in the banking reserve) " the Bank was compelled, under the Act of 1844, forcibly to contract, in order to regain its position, and which forced proceeding caused a very severe pressure on the money mar ket." * * " These extensive suspensions caused a general discredit, and an abstraction of Bank notes and coin from circulation to a very material amount, thereby creating a largely increased demand upon the reserve of the Bank, which, under the Act of 1844, it was found most difficult and impossible to sustain." * * " The demand continued to increase until the 25th of October, when relief was afforded by withdrawing the restrictive clause of the Act of 1841, and by which the pressure was immediately relieved." The fact of hoarding was also established b - yond the possibility of doubt by the evidence of the then Governor and Deputy-Governor of the Bank. They stated that " money Was hoarded to a consi derable extent, so much so that, notwithstanding the notes and coin issued to the public in October exceeded by 4,000,0001. or 5,000,0001. the amount with the public in August, still the gene ral complaint was of a scarcity of money." And Mr. SAMUEL GURNEY added the weight of his great experience and sound judgment in the fol lowing answer, "Under the Currency Act they (the Bank) found themselves under the necessity suddenly of not only withdrawing their usual accommodation by way of discount, but of calling in, with a severe and unrelenting hand, the loans they had made upon the security of bills, Exchequer Bills, th. The suddenness and severity of this change was forced upon the Bank by the Currency Act. Had it not been for that, they would have spread over months what they felt themselves compelled to do in a few days, to the serious derangement of the Money Market, and to much alarming disaster !" Mr. G. C. GLYNN, M.P., in like manner declared that the pressure in October " proceeded from an apprehension on the part of all mercan tile men, that the want of confidence was becom ing so great, that at last the reserves of the Bank would be driven so very low, that, in point of fact, persons who wer3 possessed of property would not be able to convert that property into Bank of England notes." There is but little need of accumulating testi mony. We shall only refer to two other pieces of evidence—one a statement respecting the con dition of things in Liverpool, quoted by the Com mittee, to the following purport :—" This sh owe d , beyond dispute, I thi n k, that the scarcity of money was artificial, not real, and that the panic was a moral one, caused by the mischievous and whimsical provisions - of the Bank Act of 1844, and not by the want of confidence in the securities themselves." * * have no hesitation in stating that in my opinion, the letter of 25th of October virtually annulled the Bill of 1844, and saved the country from an almost universal stoppage of payments, in which the banking department of the Bank of England would have been included." The last witness we shall quote is one whose authority will not be despised by " Mercator." The then Mr. SAMUEL Jonas LOYD, now Lord OVERSTONE, observed :—"The remedial character of the measure (that is the issuing of the Treasury letter of 25th of October) was not the discounting at 8 per cent., but the declaration to the public that at 8 per cent. interest there was an unli mited supply of bank notes at their command. The Bank could not possibly make that offer with out the sanction of the Government." Here we shall rest. It will be seen that we have only quoted the evidence of witnesses avowedly favourable to the Act of 1844, although we might have produced even more ' striking statements, by persons who would be received by the country as, at least, as high financial authorities as any of them. We prefer, however, to rest on testimony respecting which there can be no controversy ; and if the nation to "Mercator's" doctri ne , "t o b e is, according guarded not only against calamity, but the fear lIE RUTTP:RFLY'A tr,r. .I.\Tr) GRAA:HOPPEIt'i FEAST ; or, Harlequin and Vie Genius of the Sprint. To c n hide with ONLY A HALFPENNY 3.ITAL PRINCE33'3 Otmlft!)-3 - 7 , Vr,h;t, Under the Manaqement of Air. CHARLVA Kate. TTITS EVFNIN'G, THE CORSICAN BROTHERS. After which, iRLEQUIN AND THE MAID AND Tl{ MAGPIE ; or, the Fairy Paradisa and Hanky Panky, the Enchanter. harlequin, Mr. Cermack; Clown, Mr.lialine; Pantaloo t, Mr Pinl9; and Coltun')ine, 51i35 Caroline Adams. TUEATRZ UOYAL ADELPIIT. Proprietor, Mr. is. Wehster.—Directress, Madame Celeste. TIM EVF.NING, DallEirm E'JONOMY. After which, URGENC PRIVATE AFFAIRS. To conclude with JACK AND THE BE I.N SITALK : or, .11xrimuin *tut Xltlo.r Goose at Home Til which sfeien. J. Mini; P. RI Wont. Ha.lame Celo3o, 11131 Wyn.tharn, and Mist E Arden will ap3e tr. ROYAL. SURREY THEATRE. Lessees, Mes.ri. Shepherd and Creswlck. TIII3 EVENING PARIS IN 1792. To conclucif3 with A Pitt Nr;P: OF I' - L.\ REA ; or, Harlequin and Tain Shorn. I".3lrkt RTRA?i() TIKA.TRA. Under the direction of Mr. Fame. TUN EVE MING, THE HOLLY 'MEE INN. After which, HOW Is IT DOVE' To conclude with kItLEQUIN BLACK-EYED SUE; or, All In the Downs and Davy Jones's Locker. R')YAL OLY'.lPfe THEXTRE. Lessee and Manager. Mr. Mimi Wigan. TIM EVE gING, JEkr.oll3 WIF2. Characters by Messrs: A. Wigan, G. Vining, Emery, Leslie, Dan vers, Mrs. Stirling, and Miss Marston. After which will be produced a New and doubly-moral. though excessively old, Melodramatic Fairy Extravaganza, entitled TEM DISCREF.T PRINCESS; o-, the Three Glass Distaffs. In which Messrs. Emery, F. Robson, 11. Cooper, Miss Marston, and Miss Masten will appear. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Wm. Cooke. TRIS EVENING, The popnlar and Interesting Spectacle de Roman, called ROIK WOOD; or, TURPIN'A RIDE to YORK. Wondrous adventnres, narrow escapes, leap of a flve•barred gate, death of the m Ire Black Bess ! After which the SCENE; in the ARENA. To conclude with a Grand Equestrian Comic Panto nime, HARGEQUIN AND ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON, or the Seven Champions of Christendom. ,tox-oftice open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West. Eqnestrian Director. W. Cooke. inn. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. 'rue DAY—Morn.- 57 min. aft. 4—Evening 21 min. aft. 5 7' , 1- NIOURO CV—Morn. 45 min. aft. 5 —Evening S min. aft. 6 of calamity," it can only be effected by the total and unqualified repeal of an Act which produced a panic far more severe and injurious to the national credit than those of either 1837 or 1839, and, perhaps, even greater than that of 1825, when the Bank and nation were only saved by the issue of 1/. notes, a box of which was accidentally discovered ; when, as "Mercator" says, " a parcel of old discarded one-pound notes were drawn from a refuse cellar." They saved public credit, how ever, and we would now ask " Mercator" what would then have been the result but for their fortunate discovery ? And why should not similar instruments now be resorted to ? JACK afloat or JACK ashore is about the easiest going philosopher to be met with. He takes mat ters pretty much as he finds them, and makes the best, according to his notions, of his lot. Afloat his chief object is to do his duty at whatever risk, and that done to while away the time as pleasantly as possible. It is not in human nature to rejoice over mouldy biscuit, or biscuit that needs breaking with a hatchet, any more than over salt junk tough enough to give a shark the toothache. But after hours spent aloft on the groaning spars amid the wild whistling cordage, and on the tossed deck washed by the roaring waters, JACK will wipe his eyes clear of the salt spray and tumble down below to masticate no better food with hardly a grumble, provided he can wash it down with a stiff glass of grog—that luxury that makes music to his ears of the elemental roar, and renders comparatively indifferent to him everything but a gaining leak, a smouldering fire, or a nearing lee shore. The tidy ship will make head and bear him safely through the storm before long into port, where " the girl he left behind" will haste to greet him, and a run of enjoyment will make amends for his past hardships. The thought of this braces him afresh, and once ashore he takes especial care to realise his dream by enjoying himself to the ut most until he has never a shot in his locker, or his time is up, when he finds the aching of a somewhat jaded frame materially to diminish the natural regrets which he carries aboard with him, and in less than forty-eight hours JACK'S alive again. But with all his philosophy JACK entertains an unconquerable prejudice against drowning, and has a rat-like a,rersien to a doomed vessel. A smart craft he takes a pleasure in. He will sail in a tub, and take his revenge in salt water jokes, but he won't, if he can help it—agreements not withstanding —go aboard an unseaworthy or un der-manned vessel. Dead men tell no tales, JACK is given to story-telling, and whatever he may think of sounding, has a decided objection to take the deep in propria persona when there is no chance of his return to tell the altitude. Aud he is quite right. The bravest of the brave, he would be the veriest fool if he hadn't. Why should he expose himself unnecessarily to all but certain destruction to gratify the inhuman greed of an owner. The ship, if it goes to the bottom, goes to the bottom insured, and the owner may be the better for it—but if JACK goes to the bot tom he reaches the briny ooze uninsured, and leaves his wife and children a good deal the worse for it, without possibly himself being much better. Is there no better use for a brave seaman than to ship him for Davy's locker ? Certainly, JACK, there is. Your logic is ours ; and when we hear of a hard.fought aotion, in which British bravery has surmounted with blood, sweat, and muscle, hazards to which, but for the incompetency of its leaders, it need never have been exposed, our first and most eniuring impulse is to de mand, "Is there no better use for British bravery than to march it to wanton immolation ?" Better use, indeed, JACK, and you do well to grumble ! Yes, JACK has been grumbling (JACK of our mercantile marine—that's the JACK we have been talking about), and with good cause. He has been grumbling at the state of the law with re gard to seamen and owners in connection with unseaworthy, ill-manned ships. JACK is not over-thoughtful beforehand, and not seldom signs articles of agreement without being acquainted with the condition of the vessel. Once engaged ill-news reach him fast, and he finds he has agreed to sail in a bad ship bound for the bottom, or one so ill-manned as to render it problematical whe ther it is likely to be kept deck upper most, at best at the top. JACK turns his quid, discharges a trifle of savoury juice and " calculates" he wont go. The owner calculates if he doesn't the law is against him, and with all his (the owner's) good-will he will have to go to prison and enjoy a few weeks at the treadmill. JACK persists, and the owner puts his threat into execution. JACK thinks whoever ought to go to prison in such a case (say for in stance the owner--the suggestion is ours) he ought not to be so hardly used as to be sent there for doing what is every man's duty, and that flesh and blood ought not to endure it. So JACK takes another quid, gives himself a long hitch, and sets to work to talk the matter over. The result is a memorial to--certainly not Sir GEORGE GREY ; catch him having anything to do with the land lubbers at the Home or any other office—but to the QUEEN herself—to her most gracious MA JESTY, who knows JACK don't sing out without cause, and who, as a matter of course, will un derstand his wrongs, and put them to rights better than anybody else. The QUEEN, GOD bless her, ought to know that the A.B.'s of the mercantile marine are " compelled to sail in an unseaworthy vessel, and have had no redress at common law for any injury they may in consequence sustain." Only think of that ! By the piper that played before MOSES there'll be keel-hauling somewhere before long when she gets to hear of it. So, " God save the Queen " and three times three ! Seriously, the memorialists have had strong ground for com plaint, and however matters may be mended by the interpretation of the law of the case by the legal advisers of the Crown, as given in our columns yesterday, it seems to us that no vessel should be suffered to go out without being pronounced seaworthy by some competent authority, against whose decision there 'might be permitted an appeal to a local board, on which sailors, as a class, should be represented as well as owners. A provision of this sort would make the present law workable. THE I VEA.TFEER-SUN OFFICE, JAN. 12. T HERMOMETER, IN TIM SHADE. 38 - higliest since noon yesterday. • 38 --(owest this morning and during the night. 38 -this day st noon. 'BAROMETER, 30•46----a rise of more than an inch since y esterday morning. Arnsb, N. to N.N.F.—Fresh, with bitter cold, but fine, frosty weather. The weather seems set in for frost. , . 7 , • C.I - j - L'i (_' -...=.':::A* 5 j • t T-e r AITII, •_ ,a. ,_, -- $-, i .-..e a r,r, 4 .i-.4-;:...:• . -:-... - - - -....-,” - LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 185 G. :" Non sauna a calamitate, sed ealamitatis metu, defende n dam, est." We adopt to th e u t most ex feat, the principle thus laid down by L or d 0 LER 3TONE, and are quite willing that the important 131110 to b e tri e d, with respect to the operation and efficacy of the Rink Charter Act of 1844, should be submitted to this test. Should it be found, after a stringent investigation, that the so-called self-acting regulator of the Currency averts all danger of unfounded panic—if it effec tually prevent the alarm, distress, and confusion which we believe to be inseparable from a circu lating medium, e xercising the double function of currency and merchandise, a stronger case would be established on behalf of the Act than any hitherto adduced. But unfortunately all the evidence that has hitherto been o bt a i ne d on the subject incontestably proves that, so far from that being the case, it operates in. a otitis , different direction, and tends to produce THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENiNG, JANUARY 12, 1856, SAFETY OF THE ROYAL ALBERT. ADMIRALTY, JAN. 11, 1856. The following information has this day been received at the Admiralty:— " The Royal Albert sailed on the 3d inst. from Zea to Malta." ADMIRALTY, JAN. 12, 1856. Her Majesty's ship Royal Albert arrived at Malta on the 7th Jan., all safe. REPORTED CAPTURE OF HERAT. We (Morning Post) have authority for stating that advices have b een rece i ve d direct fr om Persia, which in no way confirm the statement that came through India, of the capture of Herat by the Persians, All that has happened at Herat has been a conflict between tw o one has triumphed. A.ffghan faction; in which PEACE RUMOURS ( From the Press of this day.) The Court of St. Petersburg has transmitted by Count Stackelberg to the Court of Vienna Propositions for Peace expressed in a frank and conciliatory spirit. We are assured that they do not differ so much in principles from the Propo sitions of the Western Powers as in details of practical application, and that the Russian form is likely to be more agreeable in several points to the Sublime Porte than the original method. There is no foundation whatever for the ac counts of interviews and conversations between various Ministers and Envoys which have ap peared in the public journals. The prospects of peace are favourable. LETTER FROM THE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA The Journal de St. Peterebourg of the 3d inst. pub , lishes the following letter from the Empress Marie Alex. androvna to Count Michel Wielhorski : _ . " Count Michel Yourivitch,—Appreciating the gener ous sentiment which led your son to express the desire to go to the aid of the suffering among our brave sol diers wounded in the army of the Crimea, I intrusted to him, in this sacred work, the accomplisinent of my views and intentions. "Count Wielhorski-Matuschkine completely justified my choice and my confidence by wise measures and an indefatigable activity, which were joined in the midst of incessant labours to his feelings of humanity and ardent zeal. Thousands of wounded men, thousands of mourn ing families have blessed and still bless the attentions so fall of humanity and Christian sentiment which your son lavished upon them. It gave me pleasure to think that on his return to St. Petersburg I should have the heart felt joy of expressing to him my sincere gratitude for his assiduous labours and for having so well divined my wishes, and carried them out with so much success. He had already worthily received a testimony of the high satisfaction of his Majesty the Emperor at the period of his visit to the Crimea. " The Most High has otherwise ordained. It is with keen sorrow that I have learned the premature and un expected death of your son. I appreciate the extent of your grief, and I am unable to express the interest and sympathy with which it inspires me. One consolation remains to your sorrow—it is the sweet thought that your son, in his short career, has known how to distin guish himself by a useful activity in the performance of his professional duties, and that Divine grace has granted him an end that every Christian may envy. "Deprived of the satisfaction of expressing my thank fulness to your son himself, it is in his name and in remembrance of him that I address myself to you. It was in the paternal house and in the example of the family that he imbibed the principles which formed the rule of his life, and which after his death will assure an imperishable fame. to his memory " I remain, ever yours, very affectionately, " MARIE. " St. Petersburg, Dec. 26." COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, JAN. 11. Prince Albert went out shooting this morning, accom panied by the Count of Flanders, Earl Granville, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Rear-Admiral Hamilton. The following visitors left the Castle to-day :—The Earl and Countess Granville, the Austrian Minister (Count Colloredo), the Marchioness of Hastings, and Capt. Yelverton, Sir Charles and Lady Mary Wood, Sir, Benjamin Hall, and the Right Hon. Spencer and Mrs. Walpole. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afternoon at the Foreign-office. It was attended by Viscount Pal merston, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, the Earl of Harrowby, Sir George Grey, Mr. Secretary Labou chere, Sir Charles Wood, Lord Stanley of Alderley, the Right Hon. M. T. Baines, and the Duke of Argyll. The Council sat three hours. A deputation from the Woolwich Local Board of Health had an interview yesterday with the Right on. W. Couper, M.P., President of the General Board of Health, at his office, Whitehall. The deputation con sisted of the Rev. Henry Brown, Chairman of the Local Board, Mr. Samuel Dixon, Mr. Bernays, and Mr. Pideod, attended by Mr. Edward Sargent, Clerk to the Board. Earl Granville arrived in London yesterday, from a visit to the Queen at Windsor Castle. Meetings of the Oxford University Commission were held at No. 17, Great Queen-street, Westminster, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday last. The Coin missioners present were the Earl of Ellesmere, Earl of Harrowby, Mr. Justice Coleridge, the Hon. Edward Twisleton, the Dean of Wells, and Sir John W. Awdry, with the Secretaries. Viscount Palmerston arrived in town yesterday, from his seat, Broadlands, Hants. Sir Charles W oo d returned to town yesterday, from Windsor Castle. Despatches for the Governor of Canada were son+ yesterday from the Colonial-office. MEANING OP MR. COBDEN'S PAMPHLET, Nex; l"—Next to nothing.—The Press. The Kreutz Zeilling affirms that on the 27th of Decem ber the Emperor Napoleon knew the Austrian proposi , tions would he rejected. The shipbuilders in Portsmouth Dockyard have put in their claim for an increase of wages. The Princess de Leignitz, the morganatic widow of the last King of Prussia, who has resided in Switzerland for several years, is about to build a summer villa at Vevey. The sentence of fcur years penal service passed upon Askhasa Eyre Tennant for an alleged assault upon Sarah Warrington has been remitted. A free pardon was re ceived by Mr. Wheeler, the solicitor, from the Home offioe on the Bth inst. Mr. Justice Bramwell is the second member of the Garrack Club that has within a few months been elevated to the bench. It is stated that the only tale in " The Holly Tree Inn,' by Charles Dickens is the "Juvenile Elopement." Liszt is about to visit Vienna, to conduct a grand musical solemnity in honour of the centenary of Mozart. According to the Helsingor Avis, 580 vessels traversed the Sound der:ng the month of December last. The number of vessels which passed during last year was 15,800, being 560 less than in 1854. The elevation of Sir James Parke to the peerage is at length gazetted. His title is Baron Wensleydale of Wensleydale, Yorkshire. Mr. Baron Bramwell has en tered on his judicial duties. DEATH OF GEORGE HEADMAN, ESQ., OF SION HILL, STRABANE.—It is with much regret that we have to an nounce the death of this highly estimable gentleman, which took place, after a short but severe illness, on Saturday last. He was the head of one of the largest manufacturing establishments in the north of Ireland. He has lett a numerous family to mourn his loss.—Ban ner of Ulster. INCREASE OF DISCOUNT AT HALIFAX.—The two Hali• fax banks have just issued a circular informing their customers that henceforward and until further notice they shall charge interest at the rate of 6 per cent. They allege that they have for some time laboured under considerable disadvantages by charging a lower rate of interest than that adopted by the Bank of England ; and the present tightness of the money market has de cided theca to adopt the above rate. TORTURE IN INDIA.—A gross instance of torture has occurred under the eyes of Calcutta and Mr. Theobald, yet it has received scarcely any attention. The punish tnent was too swift and too severe for a plausible accu sation. The case occurred at Kidderpore, within the shadow, as it were, of government house. On Saturday. the 27th of October, the magistrate of the 24 Pergun nahs was informed that a man had been brought into Alipore gaol complaining of the injuries he had received. The man's name was Muntoo. He had been arrested as he left the Calcutta gaol on a charge of theft, which he denied, but which ho subsequently was induced by the torture to confess. It was late in the even ing when the report reached the magistrate, and, as the man's life was in no danger, nothing could be done that night. The next day was Sunday, but in such cases promptitude is humanity, and Mr. Fes , gusson commenced his investigation. The man had been tortured severely. According to his own ac esunt, he had been hung to the rafters by the wrists, severely beaten, and squeezed with a bamboo. His shoulders and loins bore marks of the treatment, and the medical testimony proved that he had sustained severe internal injury. He charged the thannadar of Kidder pore and his policemen with the crime. It was commit ted, he said, in the thannadar's own house, and thither the magistrate proceeded. The bamboo rafter was in stantly pointed out, and, on examination, appeared to bear the marks which a heavy rope always leaves on a bamboo. The neighbours testified to screams proceed ing from the room. The jemadar of the Calcutta gaol proved th a t the victim had left that esta b l i shment uninjured, and the local police proved that Muntoo appeared agitated on his return from the mohurrir's house. The fact of torture appeared demonstrated. It remained to ascertain the criminal. Fortunately, direct evidence was not wanting. Two servants of the mo hurrir, who bad been passive spectators, testified most unwillingly against their master. Some of the burkint dazes implicated confessed, and the case was clear. The mohurrir had inquired into the charge of theft. He had directed the accused to be taken to his house. He bad there ordered the torture, which was inflicted in his presence. The case was fully proved, and on the follow. ing morning, not 36 hours after the crime had been com mitted, the mohurrir and his acoomplicos were committed for trial. Ten days after they were working in chains in the Alipore gaol. The chief delinquent bad been sen tenced to hard labour in irons for seven years, and his accomplices to a somewhat shorter period. He could not even :n England have been punished with morn swiftness or severity. The darogab, against whom there was no direct evidence, was recommended for dismissal. The case, moreover, is illustrative of another obstacle in the way of Indian reform. In no European country would the magistrate have first beard of this case from the gaoler. The indignant neighbourhood would have performed his functions. The man's screams were clearly heard, yet no one interfered, or, as far as it ap pears, even inquired. There was no horror, no excitement, and no sympathy. The witnesses gave their evidence re luctantly, and we question whether the mohurrir is not still considered in his own neighbourhood, and among his own class, an injured man. No Bengalee cares one jot for human suffering, and the fact is at once the true explanation of the practice and the greatest obstacle to Its in ppression.--Zund of India, " Wha! LATEST NEWS. MARSEILLES, FRIDAY. The India Mail arrived at two o'clock this afternoon. CONSTANTINOPLE, JAN. 4. According to advices from Teheran the British Minister has demanded his passports, on account of a personal misunderstanding with the Court. COPENHAGEN, FRIDA.Y. A Royal proclamation orders the election of members of the Supreme Parliament of the monarchy, which is convoked for the 11th of February. The Dagbladet states that the elec tions must be concluded by the 22d inst. THE CZAR'S REPLY. The Journal des &bats of yesterday contains advices from St. Petersburg up to the data of the "At this date," says the Debats) --- Imperial Chancellory, if we are correctly in formed, had not given its reply to the proposi tions brought from Vienna by Count Esterhazy The despatch from Berlin, announcing that the reply of the Russian Government had left- St. Petersburg, and was expected at Vienna on the 13th or 14th, was not, then, correct. According to accounts of a later date, and received from Vienna itself, it appears that in the event of the Russian Cabinet not making known its reply by the Bth, the term of the first delay, Count Ester hazy would renew his demand, granting a fresh delay of ten days. However, there is nothing to warrant us in the belief that Russia will wait for the expiration of the second delay before she ex plains herself." Gth. " the Other accounts, however, received through Vienna, state absolutely that the Czar's answer did leave St. Petersburg on the Bth, as the tele graph has reported. It is addressed directly to Prince Gortschakoff, the Russian Government not choosing, apparently, to make the Austrian Mi nister the medium of its communication. FRANCE PARIS, FRIDAY EVENING. There was no Council of War to-day. It was proposed that some of the members should accorn. pany the Emperor on a sporting excursion, but owing to the state of the weather the idea was abandoned. A private telegraphic despatch received here last night announces thatM. Seebach had left St. Peters burg on his return to Dresden, and no doubt to Paris. Sufficient has been said on the subject of his journey to St. Petersburg to render his move ments of interest ; but beyond the fact of his having left the Russian capital on Monday evening last nothing has transpired. On the answer Russia has given to the Austrian propositions speculation is rife. A person in a high official position is said to have positively stated this day that, contrary to the general expectation, Russia and the Allies were nearer coming to an understanding than was generally supposed. The following telegraphic despatches have been received here to-day : VIENNA, Jan. 10.--.-Private advices from St. Petersburg of the 6th announce that Count de Stackelberg will be the bearer to our Court of counter-propositions on the part of Russia. He will also be the bearer of fresh instructions for Prince Gortschakoff. There is unfortunately few hopes for the re-establishment of peace. BERLIN, Jan. 10.—Prince Augustus of Wurtem berg, General in the service of Prussia, leaves to morrow for St. Petersburg, charged with a mission. Formal conferences take place between Count Nes selrode, Prince Esterhazy, Baron Seebach, and M. Schonnen. The aide-de-camp of General Mansuroff has passed through Berlin on his way to Vienna. MADRID, Jan. 10.—Thirty-two persons have been arrested for taking part in the emeute which recently took place near the palace of the Cortes. The Cortes to-day commenced the discussion of the bill for the railway from Madrid to Saragossa. The Moniteur of this morning publishes an article on the Constitution, principally with refer ence to the high political and moral mission which it confides to the Senate. General Marion, who commands the 3d brigade of the division of cavalry at Versailles, has been appointed to the command of the brigade of cavalry of the Imperial Guard, vice De Montebello, pro moted to the rank of general of division. General of Brigade Gaudin de Villaixe, commanding the subdivision of the Yonne at Auxerre, succeeds General Marion at Versailles. • BOURSE, Jan. 11, Two o'clock.—The following are the quotations : - Cash. fr. e. End of Month. 4i per Cents . B9 50 —f. -- c . 3 per Cents 62 20 62 50 New Loan 63 30 Bank Shares 3135 Roman Credit Mobilier ll7O Austrian Belgian Fives 951 Spanish Threes Piedmontese Bl Home Debt RAILWAYS-708 CASH. fr. c. C. ()thane 1102 Western 720 Northern Lyon, ..... 1080 New Ditto 717 50 Mediterranean - — Grand Central 540 E Lyons Geneva - Testa Cette THE BALTIC. KIEL, Jan. B.—We still have open water, and there is no interruption to the activity which for the last ten days has so universally prevailed be tween the lower ports of the Baltic and those of Russia, which, notwithstanding the winter, are still accessible for trading vessels, under canvas, al though it is long since the weather in those regions had become too boisterous or too severe for the war steamers of England ; and it is to be hoped that those English merchant vessels which their owners and charterers have still ventured to despatch to Memel, Konigsberg, and other Prussian deposits of Russian produce may not fall a prey to some of the cruisers of the Czar, while the protection they had a right to expect from the British navy has been so prematurely withdrawn. The Admiralty agent for the Baltic has been here to make arrangements for the requisite supplies to the fleet on their return to this anchorage • and it is said that in the app roac hi ng season some of the large old line-of-battle ships, which since the general in troduction of the screw machinery are no longer as efficient as formerly, are now to be used as store ships and receiving-ships, which, there can be no doubt, will prove to be of great advantage, and will certainly be preferable to the plan which has been proposed of establishing depots in wharves and warehouses ashore. RUSSIA. ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 3.--The great council of war is concluded, and from what has transpired on the subject it appears that the Russian tactics for the approaching campaign have undergone some important modifications. Various orders sent off from head-quarters would seem to indicate the re solution to aband on the Crimea altogether, for a part of the troops are directed to march to the Caucasus, to reinforce the corps of General Mou ravieff, whilst others have orders to join the grand army .of the centre, under General Pa niutine. There can be no doubt that the Russians fully expect that the principal theatre of war will be transferred in the spring fros...the South to the Baltic, and preparations are making for a vigorous defence of their lino of coast. Notwithstanding the extreme severity of the winter, orders have been given for the immediate erection of a chain of fortifications on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, extending from Abo up to Wyborg. Be hind this line the crack troops are to be concen- I trated—namely, three divisions of the Imperial Guard and the first infantry corps—so as to he prepared to sustain the first shock that may be made by the enemy in that quarter, with the view of possibly marching to St. Petersburg. The successor of Privy Councillor Labensky has not yet been appointed. Colonel Furuhjelm, formerly aide-de-camp of General Bodisco, commandant of the Aland Islands, and who had been shelved ever since the capture of Bomarsund, has been reinstated in the imperial favour, and is appointed military governor of a province in Finland. The late circular of the High Admiral Grand 1 Duke Cowtantine to the naval departments not to I ODESSA, DEC. 29. The extreme severity of the present winter has caused not only the outer road tead to freeze, but the Black Sea, as far as the eye can reach from the lighthouse, is covered with one mass of ice. Such a rigorous winter is beyond the recollection of the oldest inhabitants. The thermometer was for se veral days as low 26 deg Reaumur (27 deg. below zero of Fahrenheit), but the quicksilver has now risen to 12 deg. Reaumur, and the snow falls with out interruption. Many accidents have occurred and people been frozen to death—even in their beds ! You can fancy that the deep snow greatly impedes all communication, although workmen aro continually employed to clear the roads, and throw up the snow on either side, forming immense hedges, so that when the farmers' carts meet with a train of artillery or baggage waggons they have great difficulty in making room to pass. The simultaneous arrival in this city of several general officers of high standing, from Kiew, Nicolaieff, Chotim, and even from the Crimea, has given rise to the report that, council of war is ordered to be held here. It is added that the re sult of the grand council of war lately held at St. Petersburg is to be laid before it, and the opinion of the generals taken, before being finally adopted and receiving the sanction of the Emperor. The Cologne Gazette publishes the following letter : Odessa, Dec. 27. The Commander of the 6th Infantry Corps of the Active Army, Lieut.-General Liprandi, from Nicolaieff ; Count Osten-Sacken, the Commander of the 4th Army Corps ; and General Kotzebue, Chief of Prince Gortschakoff's Staff, and from the head-quarters of that general, have arrived hero, and have had conferences with General Luderi, General Krusenstern, and Count Strogonoff. These meetings of military authorities at St. Peter sburg in the North and here in the South are doubtless held for a like object with the military councils in tho West. AUSTRIA. The Cologne Gazette publishes the following : VIENNA, JAN. 7. Fresh instructions were sent off yesterday to Count Esterhazy, and it is said that the question of again mobilising a part of the army has been mooted in a quarter from which there is no appeal. It is certain that the late reduction is regarded as an error in the military circles here, because the necessity of recalling the men who were then dis banded ought to have been foreseen. As soon as Russia's answer in the negative shall have ar rived the Government will publish a memoran dum on the present political situation, and it will probably be accompanied by a manifest() to the nation. At the same time, the East ern question will, it is surmised, have to be discussed by the Diet, to be followed by a decisive proclamation on the part of the German states against Russia. The negotiations entered into with the greatest number of the German states to this end warrant, it is said, a favourable result. In like manner the negotiations now pending be tween Austria and the Western Powers for the final settlement of the measures that will have to be taken in case Russia sends a refusal, are tending to a most satisfactory issue. " It is known," says a letter from Vienna of the ith, in oss's Gazette of Berlin, " that most of the German States have sent to St. Petersburg notes recommending Russia to adopt a more conciliatory policy, and representing to her the necessity of re establishing peace. The governments of Bavaria, Saxony, Wurtemburg, Hanover, Baden, and Hesse Darmstadt have communicated their notes to the Cabinet of Vienna." THE INSURRECTION IN MONTE VIDEO. An insurrection broke out in Monte Video on the 25th of November, and for four days that city was the scene of a fratricidal war. Between 90 and 100 persons were killed, and a much larger number wounded. On the 28th the city was de clared by the governor to be in a state of siege. Ou the 29th order was restored, and Jose Mario Munoz, with 123 of the revolutionary party, em barked for Buenos Ayres in the steamer Comiti tuicao. In conformity with the expressed wishes of the diplomatic agents resident in Monte Video, the subjects of foreign States maintained a strict neutrality. It appears from the Nacional of December 4, that on the 24th of November the governor re ceived information that the so-called conservative party was about to rise in arms. He had only a small artillery force in the capital, about thirty horse soldiers. He ordered D. Benito Larraia to fortify himself with the latter as well as he could in the police station, and invited all citizens friendly to the government to join him there. About fifty citizens obeyed the summons. At midnight, a group of armed men, under the command of Jose Maria Munoz, possessed them selves violently of the governor's palace, toe artil lery barracks with fort St Joseph,and menaced the city. In the morning of the following day all was anarchy. About nine o'clock the President of the Republic, D. Bustamente, installed himself at the police station, and was joined by General Flores, Medina, and others. Shortly after a deputation of citizens arrived at the station, praying that in 'order to avoid effusion of blood a new ministry of conciliatory character might be appointed. While this was was going on, a group of armed men presented themselves, and discharged several shots, by which the President's life was placed in danger. Shortly after a collision took place between the government troops and a re volutionary guerilla, when twelve were killed and twice as many wounded. New propositions were devised and offered to the revolutionists, who agreed to lay down their arms on the following day. The President thereupon issued a decree nominating D. Florentino Castellanos Prime Minister, and Gen. Flores Commander-in.Chiel. On the 26th, at 10 a.m., a casual collision took place, when one man was killed and several were wounded. It was the day appointed by the French, English, and Sardinians, residents of Monte Video, for a solemn Te Deumin honourof the fall ofSebasto pol, and the ceremony drew off a large concourse of citizens, and fora while stayed the fury of the belli gerents. On the following day the government troops, which had been somewhat reinforced, were held in readiness to march upon the insurgents. D. Fernando Torres waited upon the French charge d'affaires, and begged him to interpose his good oflices with the governor to get the artillery force disbanded. The request was refused, and a proclamation issued by the governor showed that the earlier convention with the insurgents had broken down upon thi4 point. On the 28th the conflict was renewed with great violence, and the insurgents were defeated. The ministers of friendly powers then interposed to stay the shedding of blood, an amnesty was granted, and the leaders of the revolution left the city. It will thus appear that the party of Flores and Oribe have tr. umphed. DEATH OF SIR A. MACKENZIE, BART.—It is with much regret that we announce the decease of Sir A. Mackenzie, Bart., of Coul. He is succeeded in the title and estates byhissecond brother.— Inverness Advertiser. Dr. Sandwitb, one of the gallant defenders of Kars, arrived at the Union Hotel, Cockepur-street, on Wed nesday morning, apparently in good health. We under stand the doctor has kindly promised to answer any written inquiry by relatives respecting those who have been taken prisoners by the Russians. CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION PETITION. Mr. Roebuck—who, we are glad to end, has returned to town with renewed health—has undertaken to present this petition from the civil servants who entered since 1829, praying to be put upon an equality with their fellow-servants who entered before that year, as respects the scale of superannuation, and the abolition of the oppressive tax upon salaries.— Civil Service Gazette. MlNES.—Notwithstanding the decline in the funds, and the general uneasiness felt i❑ regard to the money market, a good amount of business has been transacted in shares ; dividend copper mines, and those approach ing a dividend state, being those mostly in request. The demand for copper is very great, and although at no time, perhaps, -were copper mines more flourishing than they are now, the supply of this metal is short of public wants, and most of the 'old copper in the country is being eagerly bought up. —Mining Journal of this clay. At a meeting of the Commercial Dock Company, held yesterday, Mr. A. Siru presiding, a dividend of 21. 10s. per cent, for the half-year was declared, and the report was received as satisfactory. THE EAST AND WEST INDIA DOCK COMPANY.—The dividend declared at a meetit g of the East and West India Doek Company, held yesterday afternoon, Mr. S. Gregson, M.p., presiding, was at the rate of 6 percent. per annum, free flora income-tax, and the report and accounts were unanimously adopted. It was stated that the affairs of the company are in a satisfactory position, and that, although business exhibits a decrease, the di vidend can be maintained at its present point, with a balance available for contingencies, including new works 044 replan., MR. CAIRD'S SERMON.—This sermo n is to be preached to-morrow evening at St. Peter's church, Saffron-hill, by the Rev. G. Mansfield. The reverend gentleman assigns as the reason that the working classes cannot afford to purchase a copy of it. BOARD OF TRADE, WHITEDALL, JAN. 9.—The Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade and Plantations have received, through the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a despatch from her Majesty's ambassador at Paris, for warding a copy of a French imperial decree, fixing, for the present, the duties on the importation of sugar, as follows :—Sugar of a quality equal at least to the pre sent first quality,—ln French vessels—From the French colonies in America and beyond the Cape of Good Hope, present duty ; from China, Cochin China, the Philip pines, and S►aw, 45f. per 100 kilos. ; from other coun tries of India, 47f. per 100 kilos. ; from elsewhere out of Europe, 50f. per 100 kilos. ; from the entrepote, 60f. per 100 kilos. In foreign vessels : 651. per 100 kilos. Sugar of a quality superior to the present first quality, same duties as above, augmented by 3f. per 100 kilos, : Gazgte, :~ —„, ...,. suppress the tr u th in official returns, nor enclea- TIIE GOVEIiAMENT IN FRANCE. your to conceal defects and mismanagement, is all ....._.,._____. . . very well as far as it goes, but it is generally ex- , The Ilfouiteur of yesterday publishes in very promi pected will have no beneficial practical result. nent type the following remarkable article : Every day brings to light fresh instances of peen- ; " The constitution ot the people is not only the gua lation and fraud amongst officials of rank. Thus rantee of its rights, the result of its civilisation, and the we find in this day's number of the Marine Jour- exprssion of its habis curs): is mchanism nal the sent ence o f a court-martial held on an of it-i e Government in t the c * nsenzble, it and also the the detai e ls of the "intendant," or storekeeper -general of the navy, machinery of which it is composed. When the legisla• by which he is degraded to the ranks of the corn- tor has organised the authorities (lea pouvoirs), regulated ' mon sailors, "for p rove d conn i vance in the falsifi- their functi ons , d e fi ne d t h e connecting links that unite cation of do c u men t s , an d purposely making incor them, and ma r k e d the limits which s e p ara t e th em, i t i s reef returns of stor es on h an d and received by on the rigorous precision of each of th em i n t h e genera l him.' performance of th e f unct i ons of which they are the agents that depend order, activity, and unity in the process of the administration and in the direction of public affairs, "This all-important precision Phich alo- , which can a Government all it s p owers to do good, alone is not imme diately obtained in the construction of anew constitution; there are inveterate traditions which resist the most im perious applications of the principles which condemn them, and of the necessities which transform them. PrO gress, in all things, is not attained in a day ; it is the laborious and slow conquest of perseverance and time. However adapted a constitution may be to the habits and to the interests of the country of which it is the law, however evident may appear the truth of its principles, the new powers which it creates are always involun tarily drawn into borrowing something from the ancient powers they have replaced. Before thoroughly under standing the importance they must derive from the functions proper to them, they endeavour to revive the customs by which their predecessors had founded the authority of their prerogatives. " This is what hsppened with the senate in the applica tion of the constitution of the 15th of January, 1852. The two charters of 1814 and 1830 had made the Cham ber of Peers simply a second Chamber of Deputies. With a different origin, their functions were nearly the sanie. Under that regime the two Assemblies which sat at the Palais Bourbon and the Luxembourg were simply the double representation of a Parliamentary oligarchy in two branches, one of which pretended to represent the people, the other the aristocracy ; but, in reality, neither the one nor the other corresponded to the people, which did not name its deputies, or to the higher classes, which did not find in the peerage the reflection of their power, of their traditions, and of their interests. The actual constitution, on the contrary, distinctly separated what the charters of 1814 and 1830 confounded. It de . sired that each o f th e powers which it instituted should ' have an independent, so as to have a useful task. By giving to the Emperor the authority and the responsibi lity of the Government it gave to all the agents charged to second him, Ministers, Council of State, Legislative Corps, and Senate, the different functions which, by a catenation as simple as it is logical, allows each of them, in his sphere of power and action, to take part in public affairs, and to work for the order, greatness, and safety of the country. " This constitution, which is less the work of a man than the work of experience and time, ordains, combines, and defines all things in the simplest manner possible. It gives to the executive power its independence and its force, by associating the duty of governing to the privi lege of reigning. It makes the Ministers the direct agents of the Crown, the highest and most honowred auxiliaries of the Emperor's Sovereignty. By their side it places the Council of State to second them, to solve the difficulties of administration, to fix its principles, to prepare and support the laws they propose. It gives to the Legislative Corps the vote of the laws and taxes. Finally, it concedes to the Senate the initiative, and intrusts to it the guardianship of all the principles and all the interests of which it is the embodiment and gua rantee. " The intention of the legislator of 1852 is easily pene trated in this very simple mechanism, where everything is managed to produce harmony from which order and power result, and to prevent conflicts which give rise to revolutions. " The legislator of 1852 had, in fact, a double object in view—the first, to free the Government from Parlia inentary tutelage, and to render the administration quick and easy by leaving the management of affairs exclu sively to the Ministers ; the second, to create an inde pendent legislative body by having it appointed by uni versal suffrage, by assuring to it the most perfect liberty of discussion in the vote of the laws and of the budget, and by not admitting any public functionary into its body. Only the constitution regulates the right of amendment, and it takes from the Deputies to give to the Senate the right of initiative, which was but too fre quently the sudden inspiration of party spirit and local interest. "An executive power strong enough to do good with out being impeded, a legislative power independent enough to be useful without being dangerous—such is the double problem which the constitution of 1854 pro posed to itself to solve. "But, while the Ministers, absorbed by their daily task, are incessantly occupied with the great interests of the country, and while, seconded by the Council of State, they provide for the wants of the administration and legislation, another power exercises functions exclusive of them, and gives to the Government the aid of its wisdom and great experience ; that power is the Senate, The constitution wished that there should be a body of men matured by practice in the highest affairs, having belonged, and still belonging, to the army, the magis tracy, politics, diplomacy, industry, science, and litera ture ; a permanent and independent body, which, in the interval of its sessions, would have sufficient time to travel through the country and gather information re specting its wants, and afterwards prepare projects of law to meet them. It wished that by means of this local investigation by each of its members, with the influence of his position, this body should continually be able to en..., lighten the Government on the moral and material state of society. It wished, in a word, that the Senate should be placed so high in the constitutional hierarchy, and in a sort of independence towards the other powers and towards the Government simply to point out with more authority to the Emperor's solicitude all that may contri bute to the glory of his reign and to the progress of civi lisation. "Has the Senate itself fully understood all the im portance of so high a mission ? Has it allowed itself, perhaps, to be dominated by the souvenirs and customs of the ancient Peerage ? Only similar things must be compared. Now there is not any analogy between these two institutions. If the Senate was only like the Peer age, a branch of the legislative power, it would have far fewer prerogatives than that assembly, for it does not possess, as it did, th e r i g ht o f di scussing and voting the laws. The Chamber of Peers can remodel the laws by remodelling the speeches made at the Tribune of the Palais Bourbon. But the Senate would be devoting it self to a fruitless labour, consequently one without autho rity, by discussing what it has not a right to change un less on grounds of unconstitutionality. Its task is limited to verifying the general character of the projects sent to it from the legislative body in the point of view of the fundamental principles of which it is the guardian. Its prerogatives are not those of the Peerage ; they are different ; but they are far more numerous, more serious, more elevated. "The Senate is above all things a great political and moral power. The legislator of 1852, in instituting it, di , 1 not wish to make it the feeble image of another in stitution, which beeings to history. He wished to create a body suited to the Government which he founded, and to our social condition,_ such as it came forth f rom the French Revolution. He gave to this body a part as ele vated as it is important. In regular and calm times it may suggest all the great measures of public utility ; it hears the petitions of the citizens ; it examinee the situa tion of the country ; it investigates its wants; it studies the perfecting of its organisation ; it points out useful reforms ; it proposes real improvements. In extraordi nary times it may, like the ancient Parliaments, stop the ruling power when it goes satray ; it watches over the safety of the country, the integrity of its territory, over the respect for the national pact, over the mainten ance of all the principles and all the interests of society. "That this part may stand as high in the opinion of the country as it has been made important and privileged in the will of the author of the constitution, the Senate has only to enter resolutely into the spirit of its high mission. It depends upon itself to render its leisure time more useful than were the labours of the assembly whose place it occupies at the Luxembourg. It is, moreover, with a calculated intention that the constitution of 1852 gave it time. Time is the study, the observation, the reflection, the incessant investigation of everything which the moral condition of the people requires, of its welfare, of the interests of agriculture, of the develop ments of labour and of credit, of the prosperity and safety of France. Time for statesmen is the power to seek the good, to discover it, to prepare it, to propose it, to defend it, to accomplish it. Time is what was wanting to Parliamentary assemblies, that which is still wanting, and ever will be wanting to Ministers over whelmed with so many cares and responsibilities. What greater strength could be given to an assembly which, having the right of initiation, has the power to realise all that is really useful ? " Thus, to resume the description of the constitution, the Emperor governs by means of his Ministers. These latter have the Council of State as a vigilant fellow la bourer. A full and free control is exercised by the Legislative Corps. Finally, by th e s id e o f th e Govern ment sits the Senate ; while all the other powers and the Emperor himself are absorbed by the innumerable gees. tions of each day, and by the immense cares of the home and foreign policy, it never quits its task of observation except to ascend to its task of high protection over all the interests of society. A moderator of the government if it becomes impetuous, an instigator if it slumbers, it thus exercises an ever-active influence on its progress; the support and council of the Throne, it brings to it, with the tribute of its experience and the results of its investigations, the means, always new, of doing good and deserving the gratitude of the people." ' whic ord E 11114 a WE and teed ' con' traf I diViC it:lg 1 the , Gre line Por rall Ly( Joi V a doi fif Ran 3 pi Sp, Nol Ind