The Sun. — London, England, 1863-02-23 00:00:00

PRUSSIA AND POLAND, BERLIN, Feb. 19. The interpellation of Messrs. Schulze and Car lowitz, signed by 175 Deputities—whether a treaty had been entered into by the Prussian and Russian Governments with respect to assistance to be ren dered by the former Power for the suppression of the Polish insurrection, and also regarding the con tents of any such existing treaty—was brought forward in yesterday's Chamber, in consequen ce o f the attempt made by the Polish Deputies to extract that information from the Ministry. On the question being put by the President, in the usual form, whe ther, and when, the Government would reply to theinterpellation, M. von Bismark replied that it declined doing so, but alleged no motive whatever for its refusal. This caused great sensation in the Chamber. The debate that ensued was rather of local than general interest. Waldeck made a telling speech, and declared that the whole civilised world would disapprove the l oan o f P russ i an t roops to assist in the perpetuation of Russian Absolution. I The blood of Prussia's sons was not to be poured out to support an arbitrary policy in favour of a foreign Government. The system of the Bismark Cabinet was that of the Elector of Hesse, in the 'set century, who sold his subjects to be slaughtered in America. The speech was received with great ap plause, in which the galleries ventured to take part, and were threatened if the offence were repeated. M. von Bismark protested that his feeling for the honour of Prussia was at least as strong as that of Deputy Waldeck. Dr. Virchow declared it highly desirable that Government should reply by a ne gative to the statements that had obtained circula tion and credence to the effect that not only had the Prussian Government agreed to cross the Russian frontier, but the Russians were to be allowed to cross that of Prussia and to wage war against the insurgents on Prussian soil. The Cham ber had a constitutional right to make inquiries on this head. He (Dr. Virchow) expressed sympathy for the population of the kingdom of Poland—a sympathy shared by the whole civilised world. The Government would have acted mare wisely by coun selling that of Russia to mildness towards the Poles than by entering into such a convention. M. von Bismark declared hi 3 disapproval of the idea of giving advice at St. Petersburg. Such a step, he said, might easily lead to reciprocity ; at which the Chamber laughed very much, probably taking the ambiguous remark of the Minister-President as a naive admission that his Government did things which even Russia might be justified in denouncing. The committee on the Budget proceeds actively with its labours. When deliberating on the budget for Foreign Affairs the Government Commissioner (a functionary of the department, who attends at the proceedings of the committee when the corre sponding Minister is not present) declare d that the elevation of the London and Paris Legations to Embassies had taken place on general political grounds, and that there was no present intention of increasing the salaries (31,000 thalers, and 10,000 for house rent in London ; and 25,000, and a house free in Paris), although it had already been acknow ledged that such incomes did not correspond with those of the representatives of other countries. The salary of the London mission was, as you may remember, increased by anticipation, while Count Bernstorff was Minister of Foreign Affairs, but the augmentation has never yet been consented to by the Chamber. The Berlin papers announce that Professor Plotz, of Charlottenburg, who exerted himself at the last elections on behalf of his party, the "old (moderate) Liberals," has been deprived of his office of examiner in the French language of persons desirous to pass for the diplomatic service. The Prussian censure has adopted the plan of blotting out with printers' ink objectionable pic tures and paragraphs in foreign journals, after which process these are delivered to the persons to whom they are addressed. This blackening process has recently been applied to Punch and to the Deutsche Algemeine Zeitung. The following advertisement has been published in the Xreuz Zeitung 6 , Among the honoured guests whom Berlin will receive within its walls on occasion of the festival of the 17th of March, there will be the lady who, 50 years ago, offered the hair of her head as a sacrifice to her country, Miss Ferdi nande von Sehmettau. It is proposed to present to her, as a mark of acknowledgment, an album with photographic por traits. All those persons who are disposed to take part in this project are requested to send to my care their photo graphs, with their names signed under them. " The General Field-Marshal, VON WRANGEL. " Berlin, Feb. 16, 1863." This certainly seems rather an extraordinary pro ject of the worthy and eccentric Field-Marshal. Does he propose to bind up all the photographs that are placed at his disposal, or will he make a selection of the same ? The Browns, Joneses, and Robinsons of Berlin will doubtless come to the front by the thousand, eager for presentation to a heroine by a Field• Marshal, and it will be a monster album in deed that will hold the multitude of aspirants for the favourable regards of the lady who, just half a century ago, exchanged her briglA tresses for four stout defenders of her country. To-day's National Zeitung says that Graef's picture of her sacrifice, recently mentioned in my correspondence, has been purchased by a Mr. Witticb, himself formerly known as a painter, who proposes presenting it to the Prussian National Gallery. Mrs. Jachmann (who, as Miss Wagner, was once the cause of strife among London managers, and ho now, as a tragic actress, is performing in Berlin; has met with an unfortunate accident. During a rehearsal of " Macbeth," and owing to a door hav ing been left open which should have been closed, she fell from a heigth of 12 feet, and hurt her shoulder. As far as is yet known she has not fur ther injured herself, although said to be near her confinement. The most recent news received here from Poland seems generally unfavourable to the insurgents. The column commanded by Langiewicz is said to have been again scattered, but too much importance is not to be attached to such dispersion, it forming, apparently, a rule of tactics with the insurgents to scatter themselves on the approach of a superior force, and again to assemble when the danger is past. In Warsaw some small disturbances took place on the 15th, the day for which the fears of the Russians had predicted a general-rising. The Revolutionary Committee had forbidden the popu lation to go to church on that day, because it was believed Russian agents were to provoke that con flict. Nevertheless, in two Catholic churches revo lutionary songs were sung at mid-day mass. The police did not interfere, but a troop of Hussars, galloping through the streets, caused a panic. The terror was so great that all those persons who had opened their shops on that day (Sunday last) has tened to close them again. The hussars, however, were proceeding to the Cracow suburbs, where a great crowd had assembled, which they dispersed by their approach, coinciding with that of 100 in fantry from the citadel. It was said that the two churches would be closed in which national songs had been sung. The report of an approaching massa cre Was maintained, and several rich persons had sent their plate for safety to the bank, where th ere was a Strong military guard. Very rigorous orders were issued by Baron Korff, the general commanding in the W arsaw military' district, Con cerning the delivering up of arms and ammunition, and the punishments incurred by those who failed to do so within 48 hours. A letter from the Polish frontier in the Ostsee Zeitung describes the fight at Siematyce as one of the bloodiest scenes that has yet occurred in this insurrection. It began at 2 p.m. on the 6th, and lasted until late at night. The beaten insurgents retired into the city, where they were next day attacked by the Russians, who stormed the place after a short bombardment, A struggle, the fury and bitterness of which are said to defy description, then took place. Poles and Russians fought hand to hand, and even strangled each other with their hands and bit with their teeth. The savage conflict did not last long ; the flames of the burning town brought it to a close. The insurgents gave way and fled ; only 23 houses ar e still standing. Mr. Fanshawe's mansion and the churches are heaps of ruins. The shrieks and wailings of the inhabitants, driven from their houses by the flames, are described as heartrending. THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA, (From the_Correspondent of the Times) NEW YORK, Feb. 10. Mr. Horace Greeley hes taken a position on the war question which makes him for the time being the most prominent politician and statesman in America. Those who understand the temper of the people, and study the current of events, see at a glance that his logic leads to peace. Consequently, all who are in favour of the war, whether because they are making money by it, whether they are theorists who love the idea of union because they think that the restoration of the Union, were it pos sible, would in 20 or 30 years make the United States the most powerful nation on the globe, or whether they are idealogues who would exterminate the Southern people in the name of the negro, and think they did God and humanity good service, unite in denouncing Mr. Greeley as a traitor and secessionist. But Mr. Greeley's argument stands firm, and is not to be refuted. He expresses his opinion that if the North will unite heartily in the prosecution of the war, that if Republicans and Democrats will forget or sink all their differences to support the President, that if the Democrats, more especially, will cease to embarrass the Goverment by complaining of its every act—financial, social, or military ; that if they will forbear complaining of emancipation and throwing obstructions in its way ; that if they ill' abandon the question of State rights, and direct all their energies to the fighting out of the battle to the last extremity,—it is possible to subdue the South. H e for o ne ✓ is in favour of fighting upon this basis, and believes that victory would speedily crown the Nortt ern tines if hostili ties were so conducted. But he takes care to state at the same time that if no great and overwhelming defeat can be inflicted upon the South before the term of enlistment of the two years and the nine months' Volunteers expires, that if the Democrats of the North and West will persist in thwarting the Government, that if they will continue to complain of arbitrary arrests, of breaches of the Constitution, of the premium on gold, of the alarming increase of the public debt, of the corruption of officials and contractors, of the emancipation of slaves, and of the employment of negroes as soldiers, and that if they will obstinately decline to place faith in the honesty and capacity of Mr. Lincoln and his Ministers, the cause of the Union is lost ; and that it is the duty of true patriotism to make the best terms it can with the enemy, in the interest of commerce, humanity, and civilisation. "The nation," he states in his un answerable letter to Senator Doolittle, is dying not of his or Senator Doolittle's mistakes, " but of some thing vastly more formidable—of the persistent and widespread defection from her service in this trying hour among those who profess to be loyal to the Government and the Union." It is because these words are true that they rankle so deeply in the minds of the war party ; and that the fiery and fussy demagogues, who are fattening upon the war call for Mr. Greeley's arrest and incarceration in Fort Lafayette. But Mr. Greeley will not be touched. The Provost-Marshal will not lay a finger on him. He has no authority to speak for Mr. Lincoln, or Mr. Seward, or Mr. Blair, or General Halleck, or Mr. Chase, but he speaks their convictions. He feels as they feel ; he knows what they know, and defines their position in a manner which their official position will not allow them to confess. Mr. Greeley, though he is the enfant ter rible of political life, and has a child's ignorance of the mischief he may do to his friends and associates, is entitled to the praise of civic courage in a higher degree than any other man in the country. He speaks the whole truth, careless who he may offend, what plans he may disarrange, what ambitions he may thwart, or what schemes he may impede. He compels people to think. It was he who mote than anyone else forced the President to issue his procla mation of Emancipation, and it will be he, more than any other writer or speaker in America, who will urge him—if he be in a position to be urged— to incline his mind to the acceptance of European mediation. The Federal Government is in a dilemma. It Las the courage to go on with the war without the ability to conduct it. It has the ability to pro pose terms of compromise without the courage to name them. It is afraid of a public opinion which it misunderstands ; and would rejoice to accept any respectable proposal for peace, suggested by friendly Powers, that should spare its own self-love and that of the American people. The manner in which the last new proposition of the Emperor of the French, reported in the telegra phic despatches from Halifax by the Europa, which arrived yesterday, has been received by the public, shows the change that is gradually working. The New York limes sees no harm in the proposal that 1 commissioners from the North and South should I meet in Mexico or Montreal to discuss the whole subject in the light of the existing situation—hos tilities meanwhile proceeding without interruption —while the Journal of Commerce thinks the propo sition entitled to a respectful, perhaps even to a grateful, consideration. Every indication from the North-West, as well as from the Eastern and Middle States, betokens that the Democratic party, which forms the large ma jority of the people everywhere, has lost the little he irt that it ever had in the war, and that Mr. Lincoln's proclamation of freedom to the slaves has been fatal to the Union. The negro was never be loved in America. He had his theoretical friends who desired that he should cease to be a chattel ; but he never had friends affectionate enough to de sire his intimacy, or who were prepared to grant him social equality. The recent agitation of his claims to unconditional freedom has not increased the number of his admirers; but, on the contrary, has excited a feeling of hatred against him in mil lions of breasts which, but for the war and all its bitter questions and bitter calamities, would have been content to tolerate him in the country as a useful servant. But all this has been changed. In the North-West the pre-existing antipathy to the African has been largely envenomed ; and in the Middle States the assertion that Washington in tended to found a republic of white men—and that white men in our day ought to have more common sense than to quarrel about black men—has become the watchword of a party which beyond all possi bility of doubt will certainly carry the next Presi dential election, whatever may be tke issues of the war. And the negroes know it. The mulattoes, who do all the thinking of the race to which they belong, see clearly that the white man looks npon them with no favour ; and that, come what will out of the feuds of the superior race, the inferior will profit nothing. Mr. Frederick Douglass, the orator of the coloured people, and a man of true e l oquence, was advertised to speak on Friday last at the Cooper Institute, on the subject of the President's procla mation; and I attended the meeting that I might learn what the leader of the negro mind thought upon the war, and the prospects of his people; and that I might see what sort of an auditory would congregate to listen to him. The large room was about half full. There might have been 1,200 or 1,500 persons present. But the faces of the great bulk of them were white. Not more than a hun dred and fifty of them were negroes. The rest were of pure Caucasian blood, and considerably more than half the number w ere women. Mr. Douglass spoke for an hour and forty minutes, and for the whole time never allowed the attention of his auditors to flag. He was witty as well as wise, drew upon a copious fund of anecdote and illustration to support his arguments, and completely carried with him the sympathy of the crowd. He was earnest and em phatic in his denunciations of the evils of slavery, and loud in his praise of Mr. Lincoln for the pro clamation, but he was equally decided in his denun ciation of the hypocrisy of the Northern people, who pretended to love the coloured man but treated him as a social outcast. He said there was nothing that the coloured race in the North so much desired as to take up arms for the liberation of their Southern brethren, and that if the people of the North really required the aid of negro soldiers to save the Repub lic, they could have it on condition that they would act honestly to the negroes and do them impartial justice. But he denied that the North desired any thing of the kind. Fashionable preachers from New York who maintained that slavery was not condemned either by the Old Testament or the New might preach in any of the pulpits of New England ; but Dr. Cheever, the negro's friend, was not allowed, even in Boston, the use of a pulpit to declare that slavery was unchristian. Governor Andrew, of Massachusetts, was offered the aid of the coloured men to raise a regiment for the war, to be commanded by their own officers, but he politely declined. Governor Tod, of Ohio, was equally courteous in acknowledging a similar offer, and equally earnest in declining it. The negroes tho roughly understood what they were about. They would only enlist in the war on condition of per fect military equality with the white man. They would have the same pay, the same chance of pro motion—even to the very highest military offices — or they would stay at home and attend to their business, and leave the white man to fight his own battles and save his own Republic. These asser tions were made with great fervour of manner, and completely carried the sympathies of the audience. Many, both of the whites and blacks, rose to their feet and cheered vociferously, but the whites were, for the most part, Baptist, Independent, and other clergymen of unfashionable churches, wielding no influence over the public mind of this city. There is, as everybody knows, an immensity of Buncombe oratory in America, and of that " high-falutin" in which Mr. Robert J. Walker, Mr. George Francis Train, and the Rev. Mr. Beecher so greatly excel; is on worthy th but there is none of it about Mr. Douglass. He not e only speaks infinitely better than any of the ha isgpheeues h i r cv:W ri g en p d ublic, but 1 Bun combe charlatans who impose good-naturerank as Wendell Phillips. He uses as choice English and as copious a flow of the exact words that stir the heart and sway the reason of the mul titude as that gentleman, and has immeasuribly , the advantage over him when he speaks of- the wrongs of the negro—because he speaks as the vic tim of the oppression of which Mr. Phillips is merely the limner; and if this able and eloquent mulatto really speaks the sentiments of his people, is not the Administration to be pitied in its conduct of a war which, on its own confession and that of its most enthusiastic friends, must either be supported by the negroes, or come to a disastrous end ? But though recruiting among the negroes may languish, there is no lack of white candidates to command them. There are at least a hundred Brigadier and Major Generals ready to organise and command a black army, and there are more subordinate officers, from the rank of colonel down wards to that of lieutenant, re a dy t o t a k e pay an d assume position in black regiments than there are black soldiers to drill. Air. Frederick Douglass ought to know what the negroes wish. Between his description of the opinions and feel ings of his people, an d th at g i ven b y an Aboli tionist writer in the Tribu ne o f thi s morn i ng , t h ere is a vital difference. Th e T r ib une ' s correspon dent, writing from Norfolk, in Vi r gini a , a pl ace which he describes to be overrun with negroes, of whom 10,000 are ablebodied men in the prime of life, reports, as the result of his observation, that they are all anxious to fight. But even he, negro lover as he is, will not tolerate the idea of black effi cers. "A low r a t e o f p a y," h e sa y s , " oug ht t o b e given to the negroes. They ought not to be paid as well as white men, or in any way placed or an equality with them. The Government is now in directly, and in some cases directly, supporting this great mass of contrabands, and is unable to find em ployment for them. Let us make food for powder of them." Frederick Douglass has different notions from this gentleman, and so perhaps have the negroes of Norfolk, who may not feel so much in clined to be made food for powder of as their cruelly kind friend supposes. However this may be, the Northern people are strongly imbued with the pride of race, and are coming gradually to the conclusion that if white men cannot save the white Republic its doom is fixed; and that the sooner they make terms with their white brothers of the South,the better for them and their posterity. Even the triumphal character which General M'Clellan's recent tour in New England has assumed is due in great measure to his known opinions on the slavery question. General M'Clellan is an opponent of slavery. but he denies the right of the Federal Government to intermeddle with or abolish it, considering it wholly a question for the people of the several States in which it exists act ing through their own Executives and Legislatures, to retain, to modify, or to abolish, as they please. In this respect his opinions are in perfect eccord with those of the Democratic party of the, North and North-West. For this reason, as well as for the fact that he has been made the victim of aboli tionist intrigue and persecution, he has become the most popular man in the country, and would be elected President to-morrow if the election were pending. If there be any other as popular as he, it is General Stonewall Jackson, " old Stonewall," as he is affectionately called, whose praises, rebel though he be, are upon all tongues, and whose portrait graces the windows of all the book shops and photographic stores of Broadway. To General M'Clellan—disagreeable as the fact may be to the President and his Administration, and to the Re publican party generally—the eyes of the whole people are turned. He has never sought popularity, but he has won it. He has never obtruded himself on attention; he has always been patient and dig nified ; he has always avoided Buncombe, and even the fair retaliation which he might have inflicted upon his opponents; he has invariably kept a single heart for his duty, and done his best; and the result is, in connexion with the popular belief it his military talents, which may or may not have been overrated, that his reputation obscures that of every other man in the country. The Army of the Potomac has ceased to be an army in the true sense of the word since he was removed from its command, and is fast falling to pieces from desertion, discourage ment, and demoralisation. Were the President to re-appoint him, that army might possibly be re stored to its old efficiency, and gold in Wall-street ' would fall 5 per cent. on the mere announcement of the intention. For the last ten days there have been constant repetitions of a report that the President, wiser and more forgiving than his Ministers, had resolved upon this course, that be had actually proposed it to his assembled Council, and that every member of the Government, with the exception of Mr. Seward, had threatened to resign if he persisted, and that thereupon he bad ceased to argue the question. The story has ob tained all but universal credence ; but those who best know the President attach the least importance to it. Mr. Lincoln is a shrewd man, and he knows that to talc,. M'Clellan back again at this moment of despondency would be to take back a master. Public opinion may point to M'Clellan as the com ing man, but the President does not believe it, and there are those around him who think that the real " coming man" sits at the Council Board at Wash ington ; that the day and the hour are the day and the hour of the lawyers, and not of military dicta tors ; and that M'Clellan, once got rid of, should be got rid of for ever. - The future historian of the great Rebellion will have copious materials for an interesting chapter on the action of the clergy in a time of civil strife. The noble army of Puritans, Baptists, and Indepen dents, aided by the lay lecturers who strive to indoctrinate with intolerance the American mind from the platforms of Lyceums, institutes, and lec ture-halls, have in this struggle ranged ihemselves en masse against the right of private judgment, and in favour of a bloodthirsty prosecution of the war. One of them declared at a " Christian" meeting on Sunday evening last that it ought to be considered high treason, and a crime justly punishable with death, to caricature or speak in disparagement of Mr. Lincoln ; while the once tolerant Dr. Bellows, who declared that ministers of the Gospel ought to frequent the theatre, if they took any pleasure in dramatic representations, went the length of declaring that Abraham Lincoln was in himself the State, and might say with Louis XIV., " L'Etat, c'est moi," " The President," he argued, "represented both the constitutional and the re served rights of the people"—his oath of office was binding not only on him but on the people for whom he took it—that his will in a time of public danger was a will having an official right to respect and obediehce ; that it was the duty of all people to rally around him without dispute or question ; that he was the official judge o f the na ti ona l p er il an d necessity, and that if his testimony were not ac. cepted there was nothing to trust to." "This war," added the bellicose doctor, " is no longer a war in defence of the Union, the Constitution, and the en forcement of the laws ; it i s a war to b e carr i ed on no longer with the aim of re-establishing the Union and the Constitution, with all their old compro mises. God means not to let us off with any half way work. lam now convinced, and 1 consider it the most humane, the most economical, and the most statesmanlike policy, now to take the most radical ground possible, to assume that this is a war for the subjugation,, or the extermination, of all persons who wish to maintain the slave power—a war to get rid of slavery and of slaveholders, whether it be constitutional or not." When sentiments like these are uttered by one of the most eloquent and accomplished scholars and orators in America, all that can be said is, that if the American people are not ripe or ripening to endate a despotism, it is not the fault of.some of their ablest teachers. The man who is the slave of a theory is a tyrant at heart—whether he be a New England priest or a Spanish inquisitor. Unhappy is the country which, in a time of civil commotion, is encumbered with the advice or assistance of many such citizens—whether they be lay or clerical. New York has for the whole of this day been in a fluster of excitement. Broadway has swarmed with crowds that blocked the passage against pedestrians, unless they chose to take the middle of the road and mingle with the stream of omnibuses and car riages. At Grace Church there was a jam of vehicles, and the police had the utmost difficulty in preserving lorder amid a multitude of almost frantic women, clamouring, shouting, and pressing to force their way into the sacred edifice. Opposite the Metro politan Hotel w as anot h er mu lt it ud e , gaz i ng u p at the windows and refusing to move on until they hat obtained a sight of some highly-popular if not great personage. In the evening there was a serenade to another crowd. What, it may be asked, was the mat ter? Was Richmond taken ? No. Was Charleston captured, and had the victorious Admiral Dupont returned to rec e i ve t h e laurel wreath at the hands of his countrymen ? No. Had Mr. Jefferson Davis held oat the right hand of fellowship to Mr. Abraham Lincoln, and restored the Union, and were both these mighty personages in secret session, waiting to show themselves at the proper time to the impatient and grateful people ? No. It was but the marriage of u male and a female dwarf,, under the auspices of Mr. Phineas T. Barnum, that set the mob of N ew Y or k wild with delight and enthusiasm. General T om Thumb, 31 inches high, had married Miss Lavinia Warren, 27 inches high, and Barnum had give n away the bride. President Lincoln, have General waiked M'Clellan, and Mr. Seward might e d i o t w e d n no ßroadway a T r h m e h in e r a them, nor in the war, but was set on the marriage o. t rm af N at ew th y e e t r ini k e w , a a a n n d o t e et two luaus naturce, under the auspices of a charlatan. If it be t rue th a t ever y t rage dy ou ght to have the elements of a farce in it, the tragedy of the great American Civil War conforms to the :Bathetic ne cessity, and the philosophic observer may laugli or weep at the exhibition, as his nature prompts him. I I'HE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 23, 1863. HERTFORD DUILDING COMPANY, (From the Hertford Mercury.) The annual meeting of the Hertford Building Company was lately held at the Town Hall. Amongst those present were :—M. H. Gosselin, Esq. ; Hon. and Rev. Godolphin Hastings; R. Dimsdale, Esq. ; Rev. D. B. Bevan, Rev. C. B. Pearson ; J. W. Chesshyre, Esq. ; Rev. E. Bartrum ; Jasper Gripper, Esq. ; Rev. H. Demain ; Mr. Ludlow, &c. Mr. Gosselin having been called to the chair, the report was read by Mr. R. Dimsdale, the Managing Director. The CHAIRMAN said he might congratulate the share holders on the presentation of so satisfactory a report. The Building Company had two objects—first, to improve the dwellings of the working classes; and secondly, to give a moderate interest to the shareholders. Unless they had kept the commercial aspect of their project in view, they would not have prospered. They had, however, succeeded in both their designs ; on two occasions they had paid dividends of 3i per cent., and had largely increased the number of houses in their possession. It was encouraging to find that, in the improvements effected on property purchased by them, they had always kept within the estimates, which was much to the credit of their architect, Mr. Smith, who gave the company his time and skill for nothing. kle (the chairman) did not know whether country gentlemen were likely to take advantage of the company's offer to build for tSem on a commission of 5 per cent.; but he hoped they would do so when they found that the company could build good cottages ; and could also make good out of bad, which was still more difficult. (Cheers.) The Chairman concluded by moving that the report be received and adopted. The Hon. and Rev. G HASTINGS, in seconding the motion, said the movement superintended by this com pany, was one of those efforts for the benefit of the labouring classes which had emanated from the Labourer's Friend Society, and for which they were entirely indebted to Mr. Dimsdale. The object was to provide houses fit for Christian people to dwell in—wanting which the wife and children of the labourer became slat ternly, and the man, instead of becoming attached to his home, sought refuge in the publichouse. It was important that the company should direct its attention not so much to building cottages as to the improvement of cottages already in existence. They might build pretty cottages outside towns, but they would do little good unless they improved and reconstructed the wretched places to be found within the towns, in which people would live so long as such pieces existed. There were some such residences in Herttor I, which reflected but little credit upon it. He was glad to find that the society did aim at the improvement and recon struction of cottage property. When the company was first started, there were many persons who never expected that it would pay a dividend, and . who were now, doubtless. much surprised to find that it was able to give the shareholders 3 per cent. each succeeding year. That fact would be a great inducement to persons, who had money they wished to put out at interest, .to take shares in the company. (Cheers.) The resolution was then agreed to. The Rev. C. B. PEARSON briefly proposed that the re tiring directors be re-elected. The Rev. H. S. WARLEIGR said he had much pleasure in seconding the resolution for their re-election. As a town clergyman he wished to record his gratitude to the directors for what they had done and were now doing, in order to improve the accommodation of the poor. What town clergyman was there who did not know that the wretched cottage accommodation provided stood at the very threshold of his usefulness? He could not urge upon the poor, with any effect, to observe the dece cies of life or to cultivate private prayer. As to clean liness in many houses it was out of the question. Since he had been in Hertford, his heart had ached many times when he had gono into cottages—nay, not cottages—hovels—not hovels, but rather styes of the poor; and he could not understand how any gentleman could allow himself to be the owner of such wretched places as dwellings for human beings. He was happy to find that some of the miserable cottages in his parish were to be pulled down, and others, worthy of this society, were to be erected in their stead. The resolution was agreed to. Mr. It. DIMSDALE said he had a pleasing duty to perform, in calling attention to that portion of the report in which the directors recommend a dividend of 3 per cent. On a former occasion it was stated by some of their friends that the dividend was paid out of sources which were not legiti mately applicable to that purpose—being the proceeds of a successful sale, and not the rentals of the property; but on the present occasion such an objection could not be made, because the receipts from tenants amounted to about £5O, which, after paying all expenses, would leave a sufficient amount to pay the proposed dividend. There were two or three matters on which he wished to say a few words. In the first place he agreed with Mr. Hastings that they should devote their attention principally to tne conversion and im provement of old houses rather than to the building of new houses. It they built a number of additional houses in some districts, and left the old houses as they were, they might do more harm than good. To do any good they must get rid of the filthy, wretched tenements at present existing. This was what they were trying to do at Hertford, where there was cottage property of the worst description; but which, perhaps, be had better not venture to describe, as he had been called to account for doing so last year. As they got more money at their command they hoped to c 1..) more good. It had been stated that if 4000 were raised for every 1,000 inhabitants, cottage property would in time fall into the hands of cottage improvement societies. That had been done at Hastings; but it was too much to be expected to be done here. No doubt it was better that it should fall into their hands, than that it should be in the hands of small proprietors. It would be a great benefit to the poor if their cottages could be transferred from the present owners into the hands of kind-hearted landlords. (Hear.) A subject which had occupied the consideration of the society was the importance of providing suitable accommodation for single men. It was well known that it was very difficult to pre vent people taking in lodgers. It was easy to say that they ought to make stringent regulations that their tenants should not take in lodgers. It was quite clear that the single men must go somewhere. At present they very often had ill ventilated rooms at a public-house, where they were likely to get more harm than good. If this difficulty were to be met, it must be by provioing some system of lodging houses. wo classes of lodging-houses were required in this town. First, lodging-houses for single men working in the neigh. bourhood ©f Hertford, who required a comfortable place to have their meals in, and a good bedroom to sleep in. Ano ther and inferior description of lodging -houses was required for mere tramps. No less than 9,000 or 10,000 tramps passed throught Hertford every year, and they lodged in places which were very objectionable. Both these descriptions of lodging-houses the society hoped to carry out in Hertford in course of time. There was another question which had come before them from time to time. It had been said they were doing a good deal for the town, but nothing for the country. If they could avoid this they would be glad to do so, tor they received support from the country as well as the town. But the society could not go into the rural dis tricts and say to a landlord, "give us a piece of land, and wo will build suitable cottages." But they provided plans and estimates for any gentleman wishing to avail them selves of such assistance; and they also offered to build cot tages for any gentlemen at a commission on the outlay of 5 per cent. The society had endeavoured to establish dis trict societies, but up to this time had been unsuccessful. If in any town there were a number of gentlemen who wished to form a society of this kind, by becoming a district society in connection with this, they would have the advantage of saving the who:e of the preliminary expenses, the clerk's salary, and the expenses of an office, &c. With regard to the future of this society he must say that as they had already done some good, it was clear they would do more good if they were able to purchase more houses of a bad and in fficient character ; and he hoped that the dividend they were able now to pay would be an inducement to others to join them. Although the divi dend was but a moderate one, yet at the present time it was not easy to get a safe investment which would pay more than 3 per cent, And he believed that they might fairly calculate on soon being able to pay 5 per cent. lithe whole of their capital of £5,000 a ere paid up, and judiciously ex pended, it would yield a rental of £350 a•year. Of this sum £250 would be sufficient to pay the shareholders 5 per cent., leaving £5O for working expenses, and £5O a-year for re pairs. He thought the time had now come when persons might safely and profitably invest a small portion of their money in the society, and by so doing they would confer great benefits on the vicinity. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Dimsdale concluded by proposing that a dividend of 3 per cent. on the paid-up capital be declared. Mr. J. W. CHESSHYRE, in seconding the resolution, said he agreed with Mr. Dimsdale that eventually, if they got a larger number of shares taken, they would increase the dividend considerably; because their expenses would not then be nearly so large in proportion to their income. At present they amounted to nearly 40 per cent, on their whole receipts, whereas then they would be reduced to a merely nominal sum. The resolution was agreed to. Mr, JASPER GRIPPER proposed the re-election of the auditors, with thanks for their past services. Mr. HATCHARD seconded the resolution, which was car ried unanimously, Mr. ARMSTRONG and Mr. POLLARD respectively re turned thanks. The Rev. Mr. RUSSELL proposed the thanks of the share holders to the managing director, the honorary architect, and the bankers. He said they could not bo too thankful at any cost to succeed in the object which the society had in view, which was the improvement of the dwellings of the poor ; but still, as a general rule, they could not expect a large number of persons to subscribe their money to a work of this kind without a prospect of getting some return for it ; and therefore great thanks were due to those gentlemen on whom the care and labour of the society falls, and who had so managed its affairs as to prove to the public that, while it was doing a great deal of good, it was at the same time an investment which yielded a fair return. The Rev. E. BARTRUM, in seconding the resolution, said the managing -director—their friend Mr. Dimsdale—had given abundant proof that he took the deepest interest in the society, and that he devoted himself energetically to the carrying out of its objects. As to Mr. Smith, the architect, the demands on his time must be very great and pressing, and they were much indebted to him for undertaking the work of the sooiet without remuneration , He (Mr. Bar t. um) ; 4 1 , 1 nd like to t() uor( elergyna. n take up with the Loci' y Dr, Livingstone h tel sii l in reference f the heat heti, betoi e you a , t empt to preach the Gospel you must first introduce civilization He did not say that he entirely agreed with that; but he certainly believed that a clergy man would find the hearts of the poor open to his religious teachings, if their dwellings were better provided with com forts and conveniences. (Hear, hear.) In country parishes if there was no resident proprietor, cottages were generally overcrowded, ventilation and drainage were neglected, and frequently the result was that contagious diseases broke out. But here this society might be of great use, not only by providing proper cottagc. , s,but by drawing public attention to the matter, which was of much importance. Mr. Dimsdalo had spoken of lodging houses for tramps. Probably Mr. Dimsdale, who was at Oxford, would remember that at that town there was an institution for the reception of tramps— lod ging houses, in fact, in which tramps were received in the evening,compelled to wash themselves,provided with supper and with breakfast the next morning. That answered well, and something of that kind seemed to be wanted here. Mr. Dimsdale had said that 9,000 tramps passed through this town every year. That seemed an incredibly large number, and it was certainly of importance to do something for that class. The Rev. Mr. RUSSELL observed that they had at Cam bridge a similar institution as that at Oxford. It was called the Mendicity Society, and the officers ascertained whether the applicants were mere beggars, or were passing from one place to another in search of work. Tickets were given, and the mere beggars and vagrants did not like the tickets, for they only wanted money, and moreover they could not bear the ablutions. The society had the effect of reducing the number of professional beggars in that town. Mr. DIMSDALE 7 in acknowledging the vote of thanks, said that when the society was first established Mr. Ches shyre was the treasurer, and the society owed its success principally to the attention he had devoted to it, and to the assistance he had rendered him (Mr. Dimsdale) by his ex perience. With regard to the architect, it was due to Mr. Smith to say that he devoted a good deal of time to the interests of the society, and the. his estimates were always prepared with so much care and judgment that in no one instance had the costs incurred on any work exceeded the estimate, while in some instances they were considerably below it. (Cheers.) He would take this opportunity of saying that the Hastings Society had established an excel lent benevolent fund in connection with the society, though independent of it. They said a contribution of is per share horn each shareholder would enable them to establish a Lund for the assistance of their tenants in times of dis tress. The thing was found to work well, and was calcu lated to promote a kindly t'eel ng between the shareholders and their tenants , and moreover it promoted prompt pay ment of rent. If any of the shareholders of this society would like to join this movement, he should be happy to receive their subscription for that purpose. Mr. HATCHARD said, in reference to the large number of tramps said to pass through this town, that the figures did not actually represent the number of individuals who passed through the town. If, for instance, a tramp re mained in the town a week, which was very often the case, he would be entered seven times, and thus the number would appear much larger than it really was. Mr. LUDLOW proposed the thanks of the meeting to Mr. Gosselin for his kindness in taking the chair, and for the assistance he rendered to the society at the various meetings of the board of directors. He hoped Mr. Gosselin would long remain amongst them as a useful man and kind neighbour. Mr. AUSTIN, in seconding the resolution, said it was a matter of congratulation that gentlemen of the neighbour hood came amongst them to take part in meetings of this kind. With regard to the number of tramps passing through this town, he had tried as a member of the Cor poration to get the actual number of individual tramps who slept in the town in the year, but he had not been able to do so yet. The Government only t equired of the Corpo ration a return of the number of persons who slept in the lodging-houses in the year, and as that included, in many instances, the same individuals a number of times, he did not see what good the return was. He still hoped to succeed in getting the actual number of different individuals passing through the town in the course of a year. The motion having been agreed to, The CHAIRMAN briefly acknowledged the compliment, and the proceedings terminated. Serious Charge against a Member of the Stock Exchange. On Saturday, Mr. John Bruce, a stockbroker, carrying on business at 4, Bank-chambers, Loth bury, surrendered at Guildhall, on bail, before Al derman Humphery, a warrant having been previ ously issued for his apprehension, on a charge of traud, to answer the complaint of Mr. J. H. B. Vivian, of King's Bench-walk, Temple, and Morden Lodge, Tulse-hill, Brixton, who alleged that the defendant had misappropriated the sum of £1,726. the proceeds of certain London, Chatham, and Dover stock entrusted to him to exchange for some shares in the Recife and Sin Francisco (Pernambuco) it,itway. Mr. Pa A' ni of P xW le and Lovesy, ot New It , o, Straw', emoluc'ed the defence. Mr Fo , kard, ies , ructed by Messrs. Cardale, Iliffe, and Russell, appe,red tor the prosecution, and stated the 1 eiding facts ot the case ; and ade'ed that it was Hider feelings of a most painful charac ter that Mr. Vivian had adopted proceedings, .4s he and the defendant had been schoolted•)ws together, and intimate from childhood; but the de rendant, having abased the trust reposed in him t. a broker, although no one would be more pleased than Mr. Viviat4 if a satisfactory :: newer could be given to the change, it became his duty to ask that the case be sent before another tribunal. Mr. Vivian, who gave his evidence in a very ex citable manner, said—On or about the 22d August last I requested the defendant to go the the S,( Exchange and ascertain how many Pernambuc, Railway shares he could obtain in lieu of 48£100 shares in the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway , and when he returned he said he could only pur chase 100, covering all expenses for commission stamp duty, &c. I allowed him a commission o 2.. 6.1. per share on all purchases, but nothing on the transfers, the same as I paid my regular broker. I wrote out an order on my bankers for the deli, ery to the defendant of all my London, Chatham, and Dover stock, and waited in his office while he sent his clerk with the order to the London and West minster Bank. When the clerk returned he brought with him London, Chatham, and Dover stock to the am.aunt of £9,500, £4,800 of which I handed over to the defendant with instructions in writing to sell it, and to apply the proceeds in purchasing 100 Pernambuco Railway shares. I was about depart ing for Spain on the Ist of September, and I there fore gave him directions in writing to the effect that if he could not make the purchase before I left he was to purchase the shares for me in his own name. At the same time I signed some blank transfers, to be used in the sale of the London, Chatham, and Dover stock, as the defendant said it would be more convenient to sell and deliver the stock, and trans fer at once, without troubling me to come to town about it. On the 25th of August I found that my bankers had not delivered up all my London, Cha tham, and Dover stock, and I handed to the defen dant a further quantity to the amoun t of £2,000, mak ing a total of £6,800, representing 68 £lOO shares, and requested him to purchase 40 more Pernambuco Railway shares with the proceeds of them. Alderman Ilumphery —What was the market value of the £6,800 London, Chatham, and Dover stock Witness—X2,943 10s. I saw defendant repeat edly between the 22d and the 30th of August, and he gave me an account of the purchases he had effected, but I have since lost it. In it he stated that he had sold the London, Chatham, and Dover stock, and had purchased 140 Pernambuco Railway Shares at £l9 17s. 6d. each. They were £2O shares. I went to Sp tin on the Ist of September, and was away for six weeks. On the 13th of January, having sold the 140 Pernambuco with other shares for the account, I went to the bank for the certificate., or transters, and then discovered for the first time that I had only 63 instead of 140 Per nambuco shares. Alderman Himaphery—Did you not count them when the defendant gave them to you? Witness—No, sir. I believed there were 140 shares, and took them direct to my bankers, and they .lid not count them. When I asked for them I remarked that there was a deficiency, and the bank clerk said he had only received 65 ehares. Alderman Hiunphery— What price did you sell hem :,t for the ,iceotint ? Witness—From £lB 10s. to £lB 12a. 6d. per share. On ascertaining that there was a deficiency of seventy-five shares I applied at the Pernambuco Railway-office, and examined the transfer books and found a similar deficiency there. I then w en t to the defendant and showed him the account h e had given me, and told him I had discovered a defi ciency in the number of my shares. He said it was all a mistake, and that if I would go to my bankers and look over my transfers I should find the certi ficates for all but about ten shares. I told him it was not the case ; but not desiring to h ave any words about it, I wished him good night, and on my return to my chambers I found I had lost his account which he gave me in Au gust. O n the fol lowing morning I went to my bank ers , b ut did not find the missing transfers. I th en ca ll e d on defen dant again, and told him I had l os t th e account, and asked him if he hadit, as I thought I left it in his office on the previous night. He denied having it, and refused to give me a dupli ca t e . I to ld hi m th e result of my visit to my b an k ers, and he t h en t o ld me a very different tal e . H e sa i d that I ha d g i ven him authority to use the shares for his own pur poses, and that I had lent them to him for that put.- Rose. He said that I had given him the transfers signed in blank t o ena bl e h i m to convert t h e s h a re s to his own use, which I had never done. I never gave the defendant any authority to apply the pro eeeds of the Ldon, I.)uv,A• stock to Own use, rw- to use the bl3Ank transfers for any purpose but I ha , of de ling with tllk , Chu; ham, and Dover stock. Neither have 1 ever ,:utho risbd him to use the Pernambuco shares for his own purposes. I never offered to lend him X 1,700, or any_other sum. Mr. Vivian Underwent a long cross-examination, and several witnesses were examined for the purpose of showing that the defendant had been authorised to appropriate the shares to his own use. Mr. Vivian had some difficulty in remembering the meaning of a letter he had written to the defendant, at one time saying that the letters P. R. meant the Pernambuco shares, and afterwards that they stood for Paternoster-row. Ultimately an offer was made by Mr. Pawle to hand over the whole of the amount received by his client for the deficient Pernambuco shares, which Mr. Vivian said he should only be too glad to receive. Alderman Humphery said, from all he had heard of the case, that would he the most rational termina tion of such a charge under such peculiar circum stances. Mr. Pawle said Mr. Vivian wanted a profit of £4OO in the transaction, taking the shares at the value named in the transfers instead of the market value. Alderman Humphery said a letter of August 22, which had been read, might be taken two ways— either to buy shares, and hold them for Mr. Vivian, or to deal with them on his own uccount. That being the case, he thought it would be better if the matter coutd be arranged. The case was then adjourned for a week. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. SATURDAY REVIEW.—Lord Derby prohesied that , we should have a humdrum session this year, and his prophecy is coming true. He is, indeed, in a position dear to prophets, and can largely assist in bringing about what he predicts. There never, probably, since a Reformed Parliament sat at West minster, was so complete an absence of important measures proposed to the consideration of the two Houses. The Lords, as usual, can get nothing to do at the beginning of the session, and what is worse, they cannot this year learn that anything is coming for them to do a little later. Lord Derby made a formal appeal on Monday to the represen tative of the Government in the House of Lords, and asked whether there were any measures which the Cabinet had to propose this year. The Lords do not, like hard work, but it is dreary for them to have the prospect of a session lasting some months, anti nothing to do, or think, or talk of in it. Lord Derby's question was, therefore, a very natural and a very proper one. The country, as well as the Lords, is interested in the answer. Lord Gran vile was able to assure the Lords and the country that, although the Government had not many im portant measures to propose, still there was one. The session of the Lords was not to be an absolute blank. One great scheme had occupied the atten tion of the Cabinet, and the House and the country would be invited to carry out the conclusions to which, after much anxious deliberation, the Cabi net had come. Her Majesty's Ministers were pre pared to bring in a bill to put down smells. This was the one great measure which was to make the session illustrious. But the width and grandeur of the subject, as it first loomed in its vastness before the vision of the Lords, were too overpowering ; and the Ministry anxiously explained that it was not all bad smells that were to be dealt with, but only smells of a peculiarly alkaline charac ter. To suppress alkaline smells is the ambition of the servants of the Crown, and on this one great effort they have concentrated all their resources. If they still hold office at the end of the session, although they have done nothing to improve the machinery of English justice, or to simplify the tangled mass of English law, or to lessen the dis cordant absurdities which disfigure the jurispru dence of the three countries represented in Parlia ment, still they will be content. They will go with light hearts to shoot grouse and partrides, for they will have worked a great work. England will smell a little sweeter, and they will be the men ck ho have sweetened it. In the long run, this timidity defeats its own object, and the country gets tired of a Government that exists merely to exist. It is not by calculated inaction that great names are made and greatresults obtained. We might have expected much more from many of the members of the pre sent Government than they give us. More espe cially, the Lord Chancellor is a source of reasonable disappointment. Hitherto he has not fulfilled the sanguine anticipations with which a large portion of his profession welcomed the accession to the wool sack of a man who was far the moat accomplished and weighty advocate of the English bar, who bud often expressed a strong desire to impress a wider and more philosophic character on English law, and who had given a considerable impulse to whatever has been done for the improvement of legal educa tion in England. The appointment of near relatives to every vacant office, and the production of a Bank ruptcy Bill which requires already the tinkering which all Bankruptcy Bills appear in succession to r , quire, are not very splendid results of the change hr which Sir Richard Bothell passed into Lord Westbury. SPECTATOR.—Counted head by head, the Tories ,end the it alli,as have, probably, if tot a onlority, at least a force comp' tAtt to t hrow out the Government, r,r to sustain a flew one in an appeal to the country. They have, too, as a body, a strong bias against the Out sc. , they belt - Ivr trio Government is pursuing, sad some few but dist inct ideas of the road on which they would rather wove. Yet they are almost powtt ess, or powerful only to lock the wheels of the c0.,c1 They menace, and talk, and consult, but as to action. they '' wait reinforcements." Their organisatitn. on points is excellent, so good that they hart doctored the registers into partisanship, and at. winning at every turn new and contested seats. They even seat their own men for the closest Go vernment boroughs, and Mr. Ferrand was received in the House with as much enthusiasm as if be had been in himself a working majority. Daily the Tory muster creeps up to the figure which ought to sig nify victory, and yet the army grows no stronger, the chiefs are just as rek ctan c to set the battle array. The Liberals are almost as weak. They have in internal affairs for the moment no scheme of action whatever, except to defend Lord Palmerston on account of his foreign policy, which Tories approve as completely, if not as cordially, as themselves. Their chief confines himself to abstaining from offering points of attack. They have therefore no interest in the game, except when a test vote is near, and feel besides that if they found one, they might only heal the disputes which prevent the . enemy's charge. They have postponed the idea of Reform, and can rouse no fight on free trade, have no enemy to contend with on foreign affairs,and do not affect to care much for administrative or judicial ad vance. In other matters a kind of carelessness, pro duced chiefly by Tory weakness, has taken posses sion of their minds. They fulfil their pledges on Wednesdays, but even ecclesiastical measures scarcely excite them to action, and the fifty reforms really wanted in this department of life obtain only an approving decree of indefinite postponement. Like the hands of some men who do no work, they are still strong but flabby, and advance and recede as if either were an annoying waste of power. They know they must be beaten if they break up for action, and prefer, on the whole, an anxious chaotic quiet. The consequences of this state of affairs are, on the whole, disastrous. The Cabinet, though unable to move, still feels itself safe from attack, and per forms the work of the hour in a desultory shiftless way. It is a garrison all in undress. Lord Rus sell makes a blunder in Brazil, and is almost too indifferent to manufacture a telling defence. Sir George Grey lets crime go on almost without ap pearing to hear the public cry for protection. Mr. Layard can hardly be bored to explain why new trades have not been opened by treaties eaeily framed ; and Lord Granville calmly remarks that as to forthcoming measures—why, the Cabinet in tends most seriously to put down all bad smells. Lord Palmerston does not care to exp l a i n w h y M r . Elliot told ati the Greeks that they had obtained a king when the crown had never been taken, and Mr. F. Peel thinks himself hardly used because he cannot sell Epping Forest without a metropolitan tes. Fu l a Mr. Giadstone lets his big cat out of the 5o tar, that he is oblipred to reduce a duty before ms budget is ready ; and Lord Granville seemed in clined to swear because asked to deal with endowed schools. Not that Ministers, or their foliowtrs, , ,ae enjoying an unaccustomed reoose. The lassitude does not proceed from sleep or anything else enjoy but simply from weary feebleness, which yet is not fatigue. On the other side,the Tories, aware that they cannot punish, are disposed to let things drift, mutter about extravagance, and highhanded foreign policy, and reckless interference in China, but bear them all,rather than risk the annoyance involved in contest. Nobody attacks in earnest, and so nobody defends, or acts as if he thought he should ever be called upon for defence. The lassitude for Parlia mentary feeling is creeping into executive action, and all that is not delayed is carelessly performed. There is an aspect of weakness in all things, a loot like that of a convalescent h os pi ta l, an d w hil e it lasts nothing will be attempted beyond t. criticism offered by critics who, all the while, want no change. LAW TIMES.—The Lord Chancellor is settling a bill for a partial change in the circuits ; so it was stated in the House of Commons by the Attorney- General. But th e great an d rea lly desirable recon struction originally planned has been abandoned through the difficulties thrown in the way of the projected changes by the leading counsel, and the reform is to be limited to the division of the North. ern circuit. The Lord Chancellor seeing to Wm, lost ull the couraf.Te that has I therto disfinguslita him ar: a law reformer. Thou,th iliffring from him in hs,, Ua(ik,Uptey scio int , and unt irtiy in 'tie registration of title scheme, we have always admired and applauded the unflinching courage, as well as the consummate ability, with which he has fought the battle of law reform. It is, therefore, with no small regret that we see him now apparently halt ing in his course, doing nothing and promising nothing, and permitting the measures proposed by others to be clipped and moulded to the conveniences of private interests, instead of looking only to the wants cf the public. And yet there remains abun- dance of good work to be done. A new law to re gulate trusts and trustees, the expansion of the law of evidenc', the improvement of the procedure in magistrates' courts, the amendment of the jury sys tem, are all demanded, and were looked for from him who had done so much already. There is yet time for the session not to be quite a blank in the improvement of the law. LONDON RETlEW.—William Alexander King lake, at the breaking out of the Crimean War, was practising as a chancery barrister in London. About twenty years before he had travelled in the East, and about ten years after his return home he had published in one small volume an account of his travels, which, from the playful and sub-sarcas tic style in which sacred topics were therein dealt with, and the carefully-elaborated sarcasm in which the book abounded, obtained a marvellous success. Since the publication of that work—which Mr. Kinglake with dubious scholarship had called Ed•hen—he had retired upon his easily-earned laurels and had remained a silent and apparently an indolent member of society. He was of a shy, silent, studious habit; not addicted either to field sports or athletic exercises; and remarkably short-sighted. When war was declared, Mr. Kinglake chanced to be spending his summer vacation abroad, and directed his steps to the East with the view of wit nessing the operations of the allied armies. He ac companied the expedition to the Crimea, landed at Old Fort, and on the morning of the battle of the Alma rode on to the field of action. He was pro bably the first who fell on it. His pony, not being itself much accustomed to the saddle, on discover ing possibly, that its rider was in the same predica ment, ran away with him, and deposited him on the ground almost at the feet of Lord Raglan. The kind otd soldier, on learning the name of the distin guished writer who had thus singularly introduced himself to his notice, repressed the smiles of his aides-de-camp, rendered him what assistance he could in his calamity, allowed him to accompany his stt,ff throughout the action, and finally invited him to dinner when the battle was won To judge from Mr. Kinglake-'s obviou9ly exaggerated account of the dangers to which he was exposed during she fight (bee pp. 264 to 266, vol. ii.), he cannot be said to have been in a frame of mind very favourr.ble to calm observation, even if be had no. been physi cally disqualified by his defective eye-sight for the task. In saying this we by no means desire to insinuate anything derogatory to Mr. Kinglakee personal courage, which we are convinced is of the very highest order. We wish he was not so ready to impute cowardice to others. We only mean to imply that the obvious personal interest which he appears from his narrative to have taken in the ar tillery practice of the Russian gunners was not par ticularly calculated to render him a reliable eye witness of the general conduct of the battle by which he was surrounded. He himself points out the disadvantage which resulted to the Light Divi sion from the defective sight of its three leaders; and accounts for the short-comings of Prince Gods chakoff, by " the concussion of a fall" which that general 11 , -,cl from his horse, and which, according to Mr. Kinglake's suggestion, may possibly " have clouded his judgment,"—without seeing that the arguments which he uses to account for the errors of others may with perfect fairness be turned against his own claims to accuracy. COUNTRY MARKETS. - NORWICH-SATURDAY. There was a fair supply of wheat to-day, but the de mand was still limited, and prices were in favour of the buyer. Barley in moderate show, and brought high rates. Not much doing in other art!cles. Flour easier. White wheat. 4s to 50- R e d w h eat 428 to 460 I Malting barley ... 37s to 40s Chevalier barley 35 E , to 360 Distilling d 0..... 32s to 346 Oats.. 24. to 280 Flour, 34s Od to —s Od per sack from the miller. NOTTINGHAM -SATURDAY. White wheat, from 448 to 625; red wheat, 448 to 648. Barley—malting, 34s to 438 . grinding, 288 to 308. oats old, at 258 to 318 Od; new, 22s to 27a. Beans sold at 320 to 45s per qr. Flour, 33s to 438. YORK- SATURDAY. At to-day's corn market the supply of farmers' wheat was moderate, with a slow trade, at the prices of last week, Wheat, red ...: ...42a to 46s Oats.... 2os to 24r White do .6os to 52s Beans .. 36 to 42s Harley .28s to 35s Peas .—s to — 4l Malt, 64s to 66s per qr.; rye. 34s per qr ; flour, 37' to 39s per sack. LEICESTER—SATURDAY. Old white wheat, 52s to 60 ; new, 48s to 50s per 36 stone. Old red, 62s to 54s per 36 stone. Barley, malting, new, 34s to 38s per qr. grinding, 27s to 302; o!d oats, e7s to 30s; new oats, 2:s to 25s per 24 stone. Beano, new, —s to —s ; old, 428 to 448 per 38 stone. NORTHAMPTON—SATURDAY. New wheat, 43s to 60s; old, 48s to 568. Barley, 28e to 42s per qr. New oats quoted at 22s to 27• ; ole, 28e to 368 per 24 stone. Beans, old, 39s to 428; new, 32s to 36. Peas, 34s to 40e k er qr Foreign Mail Packet List. LL E. . .Kauritate, via sow hampton., , ...Mar. 21 via Marseillet, .......Mar.. 15. .irawil and Cape V erds, by British packet. ...... . Mar 6 spa of Good dope, Aacknisioli, and 61. li e l ena. M ar. 3. hula, Penang, and Singapore, via Southaropton.Mar. 4. via Marseilles ...Feb '27 alkland Islands • Mar. 6. iibraltar, via Southampton ..., :ndia (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Mar. 4 via Marseilles Feb. 27. ndia (Bombay), via Southampton Feb. 26 via Marseilles .. Feb. 20. Portugal.... Mar. 6. Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Feb. 25. via Marseilles Feb. 20 , N ewfoundland Oporto and Vigo U. S. and British N. America, ty Brit. packet .... Feb. 26. by U.S. packet.... by Canadian packet. Feb. 20. W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe Mar. 10. Bahamas, via New York Mar. 12. Mexico. . ....Feb. 29. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, ICalifornia, a n d B r i t i s h Columbia.. Feb. 28. A GOOD DAY'S WORK FOR A YOUNG FELLOW* —Just before the hunting season closed, he was uP early and rode to cover, 16 miles ; had a run of about 4 0 miles with a good pack, and rode 16 miles home again' thus probably making a good 70 miles at least. He pro' sided at a dinner party in the evening, the gayest and most sparkling of the company. After coffee with the ladies, he retired with a friend to the billiard-room, and played for two hours. An ingenious person once calculated how maul miles a man walked who played billiards for so many hours. In two hours, probably three miles might be accomplished; and this at the end of such a day's ride, &c.—making at least 16 hours out of the 24 of real physical and mental ex• ertion. The " young fellow" who did this was our pouth ful Premier, Lord Palmerston. —Court Journal. [ADVERTISEMENT ]—A Lady supposed o be on the Point of Death cured by Holloway's Ointment and Pills.—Mrs. Dosor, of Grundv-hill, Harwich, certifies on Feb. 2d, 186 3 1 that she was literally covered with sores from head to foot, and that her case was so dangerous and malignant that her dearest friends dared scarcely touch her for fear she s hould die whilst under their hands, Aft er every lik e l y means o' , giving relief had been tried in vain, a believer in the OD' cacy of Holloway's remedies proposed the adoption of thou , but was ridiculed for her pains. At length, however, hit ointment and pills were used, and to the ,urpise o f h e rself and relatives a decided amendment appeared and perfect recovery ensued, Births. CORNEWALL.—On the 19th inst., at Kingston-on-Thame6 Mrs. Herbert Somerset Cornewall, of a son and heir. IRBY.— On the 20th inst., the Hon. Mrs. Irby, The Grange, Taplow, of a daughter. WILLIAMS.—On the 20th inst., at Golder's-green, Hen.- don, the with of F. J. Williams, Esq., of a sou, Marriages. BAILY—ADDISON —nn the 21st inst., at St. G eor ge% Hanover-squ4re, T. Farmer Baily, E.,.q., of llall-placet iinsri of E ll b - e a n i e t z tta; T TonbridgP, J.P. county of Kent, t. , Ot itt ode Sarah, the youngest daughter of the late Jame' , Addis;,,,, !,p.i. THOMPSON—RAYMENT.-011 the 19th st., at A Church, oHerslto: sian do.Ebe et e:setzreerH, to Sarah, ry, only o Yi , ungest daugh ter of the late J. R. Raymeut, Hertford. Deaths. Esq., aged 58. BELL.—On the 19th inst., at Dow nhara-market, Frederick On the 18th inst., at Lincoln, James Bruce, Bsq't BRUCE aged 83. Err —On the 21st inst., at Jewin-street, city, Id.r. Cunt , • e Chislett, aged 52. Georg EvERARD.—On the 18th inst., at Amboise Manploll, P e r Browne Bell. bridge Villas, Captain R. N u gent Everard, of Randell'" town, CO. Meath. EATON.—On the 20th inst., at Kensington, Mr. Eaton, late of the firm of Looky ar an d E a t en , 14, Gres ham-street, city, aged 37. MACPRERSON.—On the 21st histat B r sbury A lexi°. ~ a n , der Macpherson, Esq. iicrelit Wzmn.—On the 20th at 11, P k d Stec- - f inst., Edwin Welsh, Esq , Assistant Secretary of the Da"' En gland, aged 53. . George London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDRE of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TUE Sox Oflice._ s ; 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Co m te of February 23, LSO&